Wild Things: YA Grown-Up discussion

Please report tasks completed/points earned in this thread, and keep discussion of the tasks and questions to the Challenge thread. Have fun!

EDIT: Please include the total number of pages read for all tasks completed as you post your points.

I read Across the Nightingale Floor in its entirety today, a book pushed by (who else?) Fiona! I really enjoyed it, and am off to that particular thread to discuss it.
So that's task 10.2 completed for me :)
Total: 10 points

I read The Princess Diaries last night and watched the movie shortly thereafter. I'm posting about which I preferred on the other thread. And that was task 20.1.
Total: 20 points
Number of Pages: 283 pages (according to the first one listed on Goodreads).

Great start you guys! Josie - I hadn't mentioned this earlier, but please include your total number of pages read with your point total. Thanks.

10.2 Uglies (432 pages)

Lots of my friends have read this one and enjoyed it. I picked it up cause I was hoping the gift the box set to my sister if the series was good.

Total: 10 points

Sorry Laura! Across the Nightingale Floor has 320 pages.
Total still 10 points.

30.1 (part 1) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon (272 pages)(Guardian Children's Fiction Award)

5:2, Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, 240 pages.

When noting the task, please show the number of points, a period, then the number of the task it is. For example, for the task to read a Wild Things group read and contribute to the discussion, you would report that as Task 30.2, list the title of the book you read, and then show the number of pages read, according to the first posting of that title on Goodreads.

Leora - could you report your "Through the Looking Glass" this way too? Then I'll come up with a leader board.

Thanks.

Task 5.2, Through the Looking Glass. 240 pages

Task 30.3, Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George, 336 pages.
Task 25.3, Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle, 352 pages.

Total: 55 points, 688 pages

These were both great. I highly recommend. (And can I just say I do NOT envy the person who has to figure out the winner at the end, although I am very grateful?)

LEADER BOARD:

Fiona (Titch): 30 pts., 272 pages.
Alisha: 20 pts., 283 pages.
Adam: 10 pts., 432 pages.
Josie: 10 pts., 320 pages.
Leora: 5 pts., 240 pages.

Last night I finished the first part of task 30.1:

What I Saw And How I Lied

I guess this would only be 15 points since this task requires reading two books. Total pages=281

Sorry, I forgot to mention that this book won The National Book Award for 2008 and I feel it was deserved. What I Saw And How I Lied is a coming of age story set after the end of WWII. I really liked Evie, the 15 year old protagonist.

20 Point Tasks
4. Read a book published in the year you were born OR in the year any of your children or siblings were born
I finished
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen on Saturday. It was published in 2006, which is the year my son was born.

Total Points: 20
Total Pages: 400

NOTE: Not to gripe anyone's toenails here, but if the task calls for two books read, please DO NOT post your task and points here until BOTH books have been read.

Thanks.

ooops...sorry, didnt realize.

It's just less confusing, Natalee, and less time-consuming that way to update the leaders. Thanks.

Sorry

It's okay, this whole thing is a work in progress. If it were perfect right off the bat, we'd all be looking at each other like - wow!

We're doing fine, just making adjustments as we go.

Task 10.1, The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan, 310 pages. (2009)

Total: 65 points, 998pages

Heather, did you likeThe Tale of Despereaux Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread? I bought this awhile ago and have been wanting to read it with my 8 year old.

I too plan on reading it soon. I have it on my challenge list as well.

LEADER BOARD:

Alexis: 65 pts., 998 pages.
Fiona (Titch): 30 pts., 272 pages.
Jen B: 20 pts., 400 pages.
Kristen: 20 pts., 362 pages.
Alisha: 20 pts., 283 pages.
Heather: 20 pts., 272 pages.
Adam: 10 pts., 432 pages.
Josie: 10 pts., 320 pages.
Leora: 5 pts., 240 pages.

Finished Battle of the Labyrinth for challenge 20.2.

Total Points: 20
Total Pages read: 362

10.2: I Capture the Castle

I picked this book because I saw that our cool mod, Fiona loved this book...and I'm extremely glad i picked it : )

10 points, 352 pages

I read Parvana's Journey by Deborah Ellis. It is set in Afghanistan and thus fulfills task 25.3.

25 points
199 pages

Thank you, Heather. I look forward to reading it to my son then!

Tasks completed (most recent in bold):

20 Point Tasks
4. The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen (GR page count: 400 pages)

10 Point Tasks
3. The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin (GR page count: 192 pages)

Point Total: 30/350
Page Total: 592 (my 2nd was an audiobook, so I just used the page count from GR)

Jen, I believe we are supposed to be using the page count from GR for all books read.

LEADER BOARD:

Alexis: 65 pts., 998 pages.
Jen B: 30 pts., 592 pages.
Fiona (Titch): 30 pts., 272 pages.
Luann: 25 pts., 199 pages.
Kristen: 20 pts., 362 pages.
Alisha: 20 pts., 283 pages.
Heather: 20 pts., 272 pages.
Adam: 10 pts., 432 pages.
Jennifer: 10 pts., 352 pages.
Josie: 10 pts., 320 pages.
Leora: 5 pts., 240 pages.

As Linda Grace said, if you need to, please update your page totals with your next reporting to show the page count from the FIRST GoodReads listing of your book. This way, we will all use the same numbers, and it will be fair to everyone.

Thanks.

25.4
The Secret Circle No.1 - The Initiation and the Captive Part 1. by: L J Smith (320 pg)
The Secret Circle No. 2 - The Captive Part 2 and The Power. by: L J Smith (400 pg)

20.2
I read The Giver by Lois Lowry. I would like to read this with my SEN class at school as a way to delve into the ideas of love and pain, difference and individuality. I reckon that this would spark off a great deal of debate with them - as a group they love tasks where they can build on their own feelings, like exploring racial segreation.
It would also promt them to explore individually their own responses and create a feeling of confidence in reading, as the language isn't too difficult for them to read and access but the ideas are more 'adult' then you often find in books for their reading level.

Bird wrote: "25.4
The Secret Circle No.1 - The Initiation and the Captive Part 1. by: L J Smith (320 pg)
The Secret Circle No. 2 - The Captive Part 2 and The Power. by: L J Smith (400 pg)"

YES! You have no idea how happy I am to see you post these. I'm also using LJS for 25.4, re-reading the first two Night World books.

Are you going to use SC3 for another task?

May be stretching this a little, but... I think there were many key father/daughter, father/son, etc. relationships in this book:

I read The Last Olympian fro Task 5.4

Total points: 25 points
Total pages read: 746 pages

I don't think it's a stretch, Kristen. I absolutely think The Last Olympian fits for that task. I was planning on doing the same thing, too.

The more I thought about it this morning, I'm thinking the more I was right to put it in that category. It was a great book Jamie, and I think he may be starting a new series soon too :). Make sure to read the author's note at the end.

LEADER BOARD:

Alexis: 65 pts., 998 pages.
Jen B: 30 pts., 592 pages.
Fiona (Titch): 30 pts., 272 pages.
Kristen: 25 pts., 746 pages.
Bird: 25 pts., 720 pages.
Luann: 25 pts., 199 pages.
Alisha: 20 pts., 283 pages.
Heather: 20 pts., 272 pages.
Adam: 10 pts., 432 pages.
Jennifer: 10 pts., 352 pages.
Josie: 10 pts., 320 pages.
Leora: 5 pts., 240 pages.

The leader board is updated. Katrina, I'll include your update when you post the number of pages read. As you know, the first Goodreads listing of The Giver is the number of pages we are using, to keep everything uniform and fair for everyone.

Thanks!

Alexis wrote: "Bird wrote: "25.4
The Secret Circle No.1 - The Initiation and the Captive Part 1. by: L J Smith (320 pg)
The Secret Circle No. 2 - The Captive Part 2 and The Power. by: L J Smith (400 pg)"

YES!..."

They've actually reissued the books recently into only 2 volumes, with the first containing book one and half of book two. The second volume then contains the last part of book 2 and all of book three. Weird, eh? And they have these "modern" covers that they apparently think will appeal to today's teen crowd. Give me back the old ones! Why do we need to update book covers?? (Ok, end of rant!)

I was looking at the NW books at the bookstore last night. (Also with reissued covers.) They have combined all of the NW series (9 of them?) into 3 volumes.

It's nice to meet someone who is reading her books! I adored them when I was younger, and I was pleasantly surprised that I still enjoy them.

Bird wrote: "They've actually reissued the books recently into only 2 volumes...

That is weird. I hadn't realized they'd done that. As for NW, it did originally have 9 books but the 10th never got published. LJS is currently working on it and I think she said it's over 1200 pages! :D Vampire Diaries got re-released first, and she's been writing new stories for those.

I'm kind of glad they have new covers. They're in keeping with the current style of YA book covers, and the old ones look really dated. This will make them more appealing to teens picking up the books now, and I just want people to read them. And do you remember the old Night World covers? Awful! I think some of the UK editions we a little better. I have a few of those (because I am obsessed).

Here is my update:

25.1 Wicked Lovely (Fantasy/Sci-Fi), The Book Thief (Historical), A Countess Below Stairs (Romantic)
10.2 I Capture the Castle

Total Points = 35
Total Pages = 1632

LEADER BOARD:

Alexis: 85 pts., 1334 pages.
Jennifer: 35 pts., 1632 pages.
Jen B: 30 pts., 592 pages.
Fiona (Titch): 30 pts., 272 pages.
Kristen: 25 pts., 746 pages.
Bird: 25 pts., 720 pages.
C: 25 pts., 446 pages
Luann: 25 pts., 199 pages.
Alisha: 20 pts., 283 pages.
Heather: 20 pts., 272 pages.
Adam: 10 pts., 432 pages.
Josie: 10 pts., 320 pages.
Leora: 5 pts., 240 pages.

5.3 I read Fudge-a-mania when I was 8, and re-read it again last Saturday >.< (176 pages)

20.1 I read City of Ember earlier this week, then watched the movie today. My mistake was reading the book first, as movies never portray books the way my mind does. So I preferred the book. (270 pages)

So 25 pts., 446 pages

20.3, Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson, 336 pages according to GR, although the book has 353.

Total: 85 points, 1334 pages

Board's been updated above.

:)

Just completed task 10.1 by reading Wondrous Strange, (336 pgs) this author's first book! :) I really enjoyed this and anyone in love with the Wicked Lovely books would as well.

Totals:35 points, 1082 pages

I finished The Last Olympian today for Task 5.4.
384 pages

Total: 5 points/384 pages

What did you think of it Jamie?