PenPal Readers discussion

Update #1: Pairings have been posted. See message #15 below
Update #2: Summary of books chosen - see message #39 below
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Duration: May 1-31, 2018
Sign up period: Until April 30, 2018
Partner pairings announced: May 1 (announced in this thread)

For FULL details of how the copy cat challenge works, please visit the 'About Copy Cat Challenge' post here...

SUMMARY:
In this challenge, participants are paired up to choose and read a book from their partner's read shelf and compare how they each rated the book. It's a fun way to discover new books, to read from different genre(s), and to make PenPal connections. This challenge repeats monthly, and you sign-up separately for each month you wish to participate.

COMPLETING THE CHALLENGE
- Week 1: Review your paired partner's 'Read shelf' and choose a book(s) to read. Post to this thread to update your partner on the book chosen. (You can ask them for suggestions too!)
- Week 1-4: Begin reading, and post any updates/thoughts as you read.
- Week 3-4: Complete your read, and post to the thread with final thoughts on the book and comparing how you and your partner each rated the book.

Participation = Post to thread (book choice), Read book, Post to thread (finished book thoughts)

NOTE:
- Please only sign-up for the month if you are confident you have time to choose and read a book. If you are no longer able to participate after signing up, that's ok, but please notify us in the thread, so we can re-match, and no-one is left partner-less for the month!
- Remember to re-visit this thread on May 1st to see who you have been paired up with for the month (adding a calendar reminder helps!)

Signing up again!

Yes, I should like to sign up again please.

I will sign up again!

I would like to participate in this again. Please count me in!

Signing up again! :D

I am in!

Anne ✨ wrote: "Duration: May 1-31, 2018
Sign up period: Until April 30, 2018
Partner pairings announced: May 1 (announced in this thread)

For FULL details of how the copy cat challenge works, please visit the
..."

Hi I'd like to sign up for the May challenge.

I would love to participate in May. :)

I would like to join again~

I'm in!

I would like to participate as well!

Count me in :)

I’m in

Here are the pairings for May:

DollisMarry & Missy
Jazzy & Aadhithya
Kristina & Mion
Annie & Smalin
Ann & Amina
Chloe & Leonie
Taylor & Anne

Each name above links to the individual’s profile page, where you will browse their ‘read shelf’ and choose your book to read. WELCOME to the members who are new to this challenge: Leonie, Amina, Smalin

Completing the Challenge:
Week 1: Visit your paired partner’s profile page to browse their ‘Read’ Shelf and choose the book(s) you’d like to read. Post a comment in the thread to let your partner know what you’ll be reading.
Week 1-4: Begin reading, and post any updates/thoughts as you read.
Week 3-4: When you finish your book, post a comment with your final thoughts, and comparing how you and your partner each rated the book.

**** If you can no longer participate for this month, please message me or update the thread as soon as possible, so we can arrange a re-match, and no one is left without a partner! ****

You can view FAQ's in the ‘About Copy Cat Challenge’ thread here…

Happy reading!

Dear Aadhithya,

What a pleasure it is to be paired with you for May's Copy Cat Challenge! After a gentle perusing of your books, I have chosen The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. I love the picture on the cover and have already found a copy. I've got thousands of books so hope you find something to suit you. Suits you sir!

Your partner in crime, er, i mean books,

Jazzy

Decided I will be reading "Everything, Everything" from Missy's shelf! :3

Hi Taylor!

I'm choosing Unwind by Neal Shusterman . I have this book on my shelf, and have been wanting to read it for ages :)

I hope you'll find something of interest to you on my shelf too.

Anne

Anne ✨ wrote: "Hi Taylor!

I'm choosing Unwind by Neal Shusterman . I have this book on my shelf, and have been wanting to read it for ages :)

I hope you'll find something of inter..."

Hi, Anne!

I'm choosing The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater! I've been wanting to read this book for a long time and actually picked up the book a couple of weeks ago, so I'm glad to have an excuse to finally read it!

It's been awhile since I read Unwind, but I really enjoyed the book. I hope you do, too!

Taylor wrote: "I'm choosing The Raven Boys..."

That's great! It's nice when it works out like that, we both have our chosen books on hand!

I loved that series, and so I hope you have a great reading experience with it too.

Hi Leonie,

Sadly I can't seem to find anything on your shelf! The books that do jump out to me are either on loan at my local library or aren't there at all.

I might have to take this opportunity to re-read Twilight, as I've noticed this is on your shelf. Is this allowed?

Chloe wrote: "Hi Leonie, Sadly I can't seem to find anything on your shelf! ..."

Chloe - you can definitely re-read a book. You could also look at Leonie's to-read, or currently-reading shelves too, maybe something jumps out there! Or you and Leonie can message each other and chat more about books to find a book you've both been wanting to read and do a buddy-read for the month! This challenge is super flexible, the key is getting to know another member, and discovering some new and different books to read.

Good luck - I hope you can find something!

Hi Amina!

I will be reading Eidolon which has been on my TBR since i read Radiance nearly 2 years ago (which I loved).

DollisMarry~ wrote: "Decided I will be reading "Everything, Everything" from Missy's shelf! :3"
Hi DollisMarry!

I really enjoyed Everything, Everything. I am picking Help for the Haunted by John Searles. I will start reading after I'm done with my current book! 😀

Dear Mion,

I am so excited to be paired with you for the May Copy Cat Challenge! After looking through so many wonderful options I have chosen The Guest Cat. I recently discovered it on Goodreads and it sounded like a enjoyable read and I found a copy at the library so this is perfect. I am excited to get started and to see what book you have chosen.

Tally ho,

Kristina

Jazzy wrote: "Dear Aadhithya,

What a pleasure it is to be paired with you for May's Copy Cat Challenge! After a gentle perusing of your books, I have chosen The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by [author:H..."

Dear Jazzie,
It is great to be paired with you. Wind-up bird chronicle was a great book. I took my time reading it, I even re-read parts of it several times. I wish you a good time with the book. I am very eager to know how you like it.

I am still going through your shelf. It's quite difficult to choose one from the MANY. I am hoping to find something soon, but it would be lovely it if you could point me to something.

Ann wrote: "Hi Amina!

I will be reading Eidolon which has been on my TBR since i read Radiance nearly 2 years ago (which I loved)."

Hi Ann

I chose this book We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I've been meaning to read it for years because of the good reviews. You will love Eidolon it's just as good as Radiance.

Anne ✨ wrote: "Chloe wrote: "Hi Leonie, Sadly I can't seem to find anything on your shelf! ..."

Chloe - you can definitely re-read a book. You could also look at Leonie's to-read, or currently-reading shelves to..."

Thanks for clearing that up Anne!

I have chosen Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children which was on Leonie's 'Want To Read' shelf. I have a really cool edition actually - I think it's the UK movie edition, with lots of pictures!

I'm definitely looking forward to cracking into this following my end of year exams!

Kristina wrote: "Dear Mion,

I am so excited to be paired with you for the May Copy Cat Challenge! After looking through so many wonderful options I have chosen The Guest Cat. I recently discovered it on Goodread..."

Dear Kristina,

It is a pleasure to be your partner! I hope you enjoy The Guest Cat as much as I did - I've finally ordered a copy of this book in French, so that I could read it again during summer.

You have plenty of amazing books to choose from! I'm currently torn between Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, Star Trek Cats, Spelled and a couple of more. I'll make my final decision around 16th, when I'm hopefully done with my thesis and a couple of exams.

M.

Aadhithya wrote: "Jazzy wrote: "Dear Aadhithya,

What a pleasure it is to be paired with you for May's Copy Cat Challenge! After a gentle perusing of your books, I have chosen [book:The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle|11275..."

Dear Aadhithya, Yes I will, I'll have a look and pick out 3 or so. x

Chloe wrote: "I have chosen Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children which was on Leonie's 'Want To Read' shelf. "

Yay, Chloe, I'm so glad that worked! Sounds like a very cool edition of that book, and perfect that you have it on hand.

GOOD LUCK with exams, and reading a good book sounds like the perfect wind-down afterward!

Dear Aadhithya,

I would like to recommend

On the Road by Jack Kerouac
It is a book about Jack (Sal Paradise) and his friend Neal Cassady (Dean Moriarty) as they travel back and forth across the United States, meeting people on the way. Jack had taken notes and then put a continuous scroll of paper taped together into his typewriter and wrote the best selling novel of the beat generation in only 3 weeks, which led Truman Capote to quip, That's not writing - That's typing!

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
I remember seeing Frank on the telly saying he was a teacher for years and had done all sorts of things but no one gave a damn about him until he published this book. It is a brutal and honest portrayal of growing up poor in Ireland.

Summer of '42 by Herman Raucher
This book is a classic and touching coming of age story based on Herman's experience as a young lad on Nantucket Island. I've read it when I was young and again when I am older and am only able to further appreciate it's beauty.

Speaking of summer, another one of my favourites (also written from the author's real life experience) is Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene which touched me tremendously.

If you are unable to locate those or would like something else I can choose something different for you so just let me know!

Jazzy x

Hello Smalin,

Thanks for the friend request, work has been crazy, so I am hoping to go through your shelf on Monday and decide on a book then! If you want any help or more info on any of my books just let me know :)

Annie

Hello Annie,

I have been looking through your shelf and there are so many options! I haven't decided just yet, but have narrowed it down to the following:
(Because I have wanted to pick up on this series again for a while.)
(Which I have wanted to read for years.)
(Which has been recommended to me a couple of times.)
I think I will make my final decision during the next week. :)

I am looking forward to your choice and of course you can ask me for help or info as well if needed. ;)

Jazzy wrote: "Dear Aadhithya,

I would like to recommend

On the Road by Jack Kerouac
It is a book about Jack (Sal Paradise) and his friend Neal Cassady (Dean Moriarty) as they tr..."

Wow Jazzie,
Thank you so much for the recommendation. I really appreciate you taking the time. I have copied your comment and pasted it in my Keep, I wish to check thm all out. For now: I think I will take "On the Road" for this month. I have always wanted to read Jack Kerouac.
Thanks Again,
Aadhi

Hi Chloe,
sorry it took me so long to reply to this. I picked Room from your read list. But if you prefer we can buddy read the same book that you had chosen. Let me know what you would prefer.

Leonie

Leonie wrote: "Hi Chloe,
sorry it took me so long to reply to this. I picked Room from your read list. But if you prefer we can buddy read the same book that you had chosen. Let me know what you would prefer.

L..."

Hi Leonie,

Room is a really great book - I hope you enjoy it!

I've started to read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. It's going to be a long read for me because I have exams looming, but as soon as they are done I will crack on with it!

Smalin wrote: "Hello Annie,

I have been looking through your shelf and there are so many options! I haven't decided just yet, but have narrowed it down to the following:
(Because I have..."

Hi, Samlin sorry for the delay!

Great choice!

For the Cinder series, I really enjoyed reading the whole series, if you are looking for something easy and entertaining to read then go for Cress.

I really enjoyed the descriptions and some of the quotes from The Old Man and the Sea, however, I did feel like it really dragged in the middle, I guess that was to emphasise the struggle?

I LOVED The Night Circus if you love books with descriptive writing then look no further, you really feel like you are in the Circus, and it is woven together so beautifully. I loved the writing and the book stayed on my mind long after finishing it, I kept going back to it to read random acts.

I went through your shelf, and I couldn't make up my mind you have so many books that I've been meaning to read/ want to read! I have narrowed it down to The Winner's Curse and The Handmaid's Tale, I can't make up my mind on what to pick...

Here's a look at the great assortment of books participants have chosen from paired partners shelves for the challenge this month! ( A few are still choosing - so many good books to choose from!!!!) Happy reading copycats!



Taylor - The Raven Boys | Anne - Unearthly
Jazzy - The Windup Bird Chronicle | Aadhithya - On the Road
Kristina - The Guest Cat | Mion - Star Trek Cats
Chloe - Miss Peregrines's Home for Peculiar Children | Leonie - Room
DollisMarry - Everything, Everything | Missy - Help for the Haunted
Ann - Eidolon | Amina - We Should all be Feminists
Annie - The Winner's Curse | Smalin - Cress

Annie wrote: "I went through your shelf, and I couldn't make up my mind you have so many books that I've been meaning to read/ want to read! I have narrowed it down to The Winner's Curse and The Handmaid's Tale, I can't make up my mind on what to pick..."

Hey Annie!

Both good choices! I think it really depends on your reading mood. If you are up for something more thoughtful or want to read a light YA.
"The handmaid's tale" was intriguing and thought-provoking and at the same time not easy to digest. I really stuck with me for a while after I finished it and I had to take my time reading it. If I remember right I also found that it dragged a little somewhere around the middle. But nevertheless it's a great book.
I liked "The winner's curse", because the heroine is not as stereotype as in other YA series. She is always scheming and strategizing - using her brain instead of unrealistic bodily skills. Plus it is well written and the worldbuilding is nice.

I think I will go with "Cress", as I was able to borrow it from a friend and therefore have a physical copy available. But I might pick up my ebook version of "The night circus" as well, bescause I really wanted to read it in the first half of 2018.

Hi Samlin!

I decided to go for Winner's Curse and will go back to The Handmaid's Tale' when I have more time to digest it.

I started the Winner's Curse two days ago and I think I should be done tonight, as I couldn't put it down last night after what happened... Yes, I also like Kestrel and Arin, it's nice to see that you can still be a heroine without needing to have amazing combat skills. Looks like I'll be reading the rest of the series as I want to know what will happen next!

I hope you enjoy Cress! Yes, definitely try and get a copy of 'The Night Circus' it's a beautiful read :)

Hi Samlin,

I have now finished both 'The Winner's Curse' and 'The Winner's Crime'. I have started on the third one, I didn't know that this series would be so addictive!

Happy Reding!

Dear Mion,

I just finished The Guest Cat and I thought it was a enjoyable short story. I enjoyed the author's poetic and descriptive writing style. His writing captured my attention and reading of the couple and the cat's emotional relationship was an enjoyable journey. I have not read any cultural Japanese books before and I think this was a great book to get introduced to the genre. This was a sweet little story I would recommend.

Best,

Kristina

Hi Leonie,

How are you getting on with Room?

I am struggling with Miss Peregrine to be honest - I'm only about 100 pages in and can't really get into it. I'm going to push to finish it by the end of the month!

Chloe

Hi DollisMarry!

I was wondering how you were liking Everything, Everything? I finished Help for the Haunted and I really enjoyed it.

DollisMarry 4/5
Me 5/5

Hi Ann

I finished We should all be feminists today. I didn't realize it was so short. I share all of Adichie's opinions on feminism and really the book was just as good as the reviews suggest. I rated it 5 stars.

Dear Aadhithya,

It's a wild and crazy summer! (spring, actually). Haven't had time for much reading, sadly, so I won't be finishing the Wind up Bird Chronicles anytime soon. But i'm about 10% in so far!

Hi Leonie,

Apologies but I've had to give up with Miss Peregrine - I just can't do it. It's so unlike me to struggle to read a book but I just cannot get into it!

I hope you've got on better with Room?

Chloe wrote: "Apologies but I've had to give up with Miss Peregrine - I just can't do it. It's so unlike me to struggle to read a book but I just cannot get into it!"

That's too bad it wasn't an enjoyable read for you. But I'm totally with you on stopping a read if I'm not enjoying it. I have a pretty big DNF bookshelf as I do that quite a bit. With so many books on my TBR list I just figure there's more satisifying reads that await me ;)

I watched the Miss Peregrine's.. movie and enjoyed it, I bought book 2 to read, but haven't jumped into it yet.

I hope your next read is more enjoyable for you :)

Hi Taylor!

So, I decided to read a different book from your shelf ;) I had read several heavier/dystopian novels already this month, so I wanted a lighter more fantasy book. So, I chose Unearthly , a paranormal angels themed book.

I enjoyed it! I wouldn't have chosen a book like this normally, so I'm really happy to have tried something different. I was engaged reading it, I thought it was a unique storyline. It felt a bit young for me personally, but I can see teens really enjoying this one a lot, hence the many 4* and 5* ratings! I liked the characters all enough that I think I'd even read the next in the series at some point too.

So thanks for introducing me to this series.

I hope you're enjoying The Raven Boys!