Wild Things: YA Grown-Up discussion

We will use this thread to keep track of any completed tasks and total points so far. If you would like to continue posting as you did on the last challenge, that is fine (where you would post your list on the Tasks and Discussion Thread and post completed tasks here). You can also post a list here and cross off tasks as you go. If you are going to cross off as you go, it would be a good idea to repost your list each time a new book is crossed off.

Have fun!! I will try to update the Leaderboard as often as I can. :)

*gasp* First post?! Okay, no actual points, but 1/3 of 25 points. Late last night I read a little horror/gothic book, Madame M Presents Creepy Little Bedtime Stories. At first I didn't really think I would work it into the challenge. I don't even have my list done, and I was reading it last night, which didn't feel like the 1st. But then I thought, 'wait a minute. It's well after midnight and I need a horror/gothic book for task 4.25 (I think it is). So even though I didn't love the book, it worked out perfectly!

Total: (1/3)25 points!, 128 pages

Yay! The challenge has officially started now that we have a book finished, even if there aren't points yet! :) Misty, if it was task 4.25, then wouldn't it be 1/3 of 25 points??

Good call. My brain is still trained in the descending order from the last challenge. I remembered it was the last on the list, so I thought, 'Ok, 5 points.' Shoulda known, since it's a 3-booker...
Editing now.

:) Hopefully that isn't too confusing for everyone. I will keep a look out as I do the leaderboard for anyone that doesn't add up correctly.

I finished Forbidden Tales Sword by Da Chen this morning for 1/3 of 2.25. 229 pages. :)

Very cool book. I've read just a couple Asian stories and they seem so extreme. The fights are brutal and precise and the relationships brief but incredibly passionate.

I read Deerskin by Robin McKinley for task 4.15. It is a fairy tale retelling of a very little known tale called Donkeyskin.
This book has been classified as both YA and Adult in several places, but I think that it belongs more in the Adult section the crosses over easily.
I liked this book a lot actually, more than I had originally. I read it the first time in junior high I think, and there is a lot that I missed/don't remember. Although I think it is a book many YA readers could enjoy, I think it is a better read for an older YA audience. It deals with incest, PTSD, 'voluntary' memory loss, etc. Nothin is explicit in this book (which I was very grateful for... No one wants to read detailed incest...) but it does still mention it, and it is obvious what happened. The main character really struggles with what happened, and needs to learn to become whole again.
Reading it before, and now I definitely think the book is better left for more mature YA readers, but that it is something worth reading at either age.

I also finished task 2.10 with Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott. I was having a hard time with where to put this book when I realized totally by chance that she was a GR author!

I liked this book, but wasn't as moved or impressed by it as I expected to be. Worth reading though. It's definitely creepy and upsetting.
I did like the growth she showed toward the end of the book, even as a 'living dead girl'.

I have 25 pts!

I finished Maus I A Survivor's Tale My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman for task 4.10. I tried to contribute to the discussion, but I'm the only one who's posted so far. :( 159 pages.

LEADERBOARD:

Ashley: 25 points
Heather: 10 points; 159 pages

Ashley wrote: "I read Deerskin by Robin McKinley for task 4.15. It is a fairy tale retelling of a very little known tale called Donkeyskin.
This book has been classified as both YA and Adult in several places..."

I am planning on readng Deerskin, though I don't know how I am working it in yet. Donkeyskin is one of my favorite Perrault tales, and also one of the most disturbing ft's I've ever read (probably only topped by The Armless Maiden, an African ft about forced rape...yeah...)

I haven't read the original, but I really want to. Most of Deerskin was lost on me when I read it before, so I am really glad that I reread it. I think it is worth reading, especially since you liked the original.
Although, now I am kicking myself, because I forgot that the Adult to YA transfer was supposed to be a book you've never read before, so I have to switch it to a different task... Sigh. Oh well. I'm glad I reread it!

As mentioned above, I am moving Deerskin, because it doesn't meet all the task requirements. It is now part of a multi-task book, so I now have 10 pts.

I spent the last month/month and a half doing very little reading, and now I can't seem to stop... :)

I finished The Callender Papers by Cynthia Voigt for task 2.15- My older sister's name is Cynthia, and she lived in my household for 16 years plus one...

I also finished 2.5 with The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. (My last name starts with B...)

That gives me 30 pts!

LEADERBOARD:

Ashley: 30 points
Heather: 10 points; 159 pages

2.20 The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares) and City of Bones (Cassandra Clare)

total points: 20

LEADERBOARD:

Ashley: 30 points
Jennifer: 20 points
Heather: 10 points; 159 pages

*Totals as a group: 60 points; 6 books

*Do you guys like seeing the grand totals at the bottom of the Leaderboard? I think it's pretty awesome to see how much we do, but I can leave that off until the challenge is over. Whatever you guys like. :) Also, should I include books in the total for partial completed tasks?

I think it's neat. Shows we're pretty kick-ass! ;D

Haha alright since you are the only feedback, I guess that settles it! :)

Danielle, I am keeping track of partial tasks on my spreadsheet so that wouldn't happen, but I think you are right. Only completed task books will be added.

I like the totals at the bottom Linda Grace!

I completed 4.5. I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Jennifer W gave the Hunger Games five stars, and we are currently discussing the book over on the Monthly Reads thread. :-)

LEADERBOARD:

Ashley: 30 points
Jennifer: 20 points
Heather: 10 points; 159 pages
April: 5 points

Totals as a group: 65 points; 7 books

*No, I'm not going to post the leaderboard EVERY time someone posts a new book. I am just tweaking my spreadsheet until it's perfect. :)

Just finished Shiver (400 pages) by Maggie Stiefvater for task 2.10 (Goodreads author, which was the only place I could fit it). So that's 2 books down, but only one with points. For the sake of less confusion for myself, I'm going to start posting both totals, read and countable.

Read: 2 books, 18 & 1/3points, 528pages

TOTAL: 10 points, 400 pages

I like seeing the group totals at the bottom

Woo-hoo! I'm having fun now!

3.5 - The Underneath by Appelt, Kathi
3.15 - Criss Cross by Perkins, Lynne Rae (2006)
The Higher Power of Lucky by Patron, Susan (2007)
3.20 - A Year Down Yonder by Peck, Richard (winner) and Hope Was There by Bauer, Joan (honor) (2001)
3.25 - Savvy by Law, Ingrid (honor) and The Graveyard Book by Gaiman, Neil (2009)

Reviews and comparisons can be found at /review/list/1331593-lydia?shelf=wild-things-challenge--2

You've read all of these in five days?
*bows*

LEADERBOARD:

Lydia: 65 points
Ashley: 30 points
Jennifer: 20 points
Misty: 10 points; 400 pages
Heather: 10 points; 159 pages
April: 5 points

Totals as a group: 140 points; 15 books

I just finished listening to Stardust, written and read by Neil Gaiman for Task 2.10. He's very good at reading his books.

Total Points: 10
Total Pages: n/a

LEADERBOARD:

Lydia: 65 points
Ashley: 30 points
Jennifer: 20 points
Misty: 10 points; 400 pages
Heather: 10 points; 159 pages
Michelle: 10 points
April: 5 points

Totals as a group: 150 points; 16 books

3.10 Finished my re-read of The Wednesday Wars. It was so great to revisit that book again.

Actually Misty, I have completed more than that -- I'm not working now and thanks to the Miami-Dade Public Library I've got most of my list at home. I also don't sleep much anymore (wait until you get my age -- you will read your heart out!). LOL

Finished up another no-pointer (thought that makes the task 2/3 completed). Read Out Of The Dust (256 pages) by Karen Hesse for task 4.25 (poetry selection). I liked it, but I thought there were times when the prose-poetry was weak. Overall, quick and worth it (and sorta depressing).

Read: 3 books, 26 & 2/3 points, 784 pages

COUNTABLE TOTAL 10 points, 400 pages.

LEADERBOARD:

Lydia: 75 points
Ashley: 30 points
Jennifer: 20 points
Misty: 10 points; 400 pages
Heather: 10 points; 159 pages
Michelle: 10 points
April: 5 points

Totals as a group: 160 points; 17 books

I finished The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins for 2.5 (My last name starts with a C). I also finished City of Glass by Cassandra Clare as my first part of 2.25.

Total Points: 5

LEADERBOARD:

Lydia: 75 points; 2059 pages
Ashley: 30 points; 634 pages
Jennifer: 20 points; 816 pages
Misty: 10 points; 400 pages
Michelle: 10 points; 250 pages
Heather: 10 points; 159 pages
April: 5 points; 374 pages
Linda: 5 points; 374 pages

Totals as a group: 165 points; 5,066 pages; 18 books

*I added pages to everyone's books on my spreadsheet so that we can have a total of pages as well. I just want to see how much we read. I can continue to look up page numbers if you don't post them so don't worry about that! :)

2.15 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain and my brother's name is Mark)
2.20 The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares) and City of Bones (Cassandra Clare)

total points: 35

LEADERBOARD:

Lydia: 75 points; 2,059 pages
Jennifer: 35 poitns; 1,184 pages
Ashley: 30 points; 634 pages
Danielle: 15 points; 374 pages
Michelle: 10 points; 250 pages
Heather: 10 points; 159 pages
Misty: 10 points; 400 pages
April: 5 points; 374 pages
Linda: 5 points; 374 pages

Totals as a group: 195 points; 5,808 pages; 20 books

You can post them. I am keeping track of partial and completed tasks. I want to be able to say how many pages and books we finished, even if the task was never completed by the end of the challenge. :)

Anytime! :) How did you like The Graveyard Book? That is one of my favorites.

I was really excited to read it, and at first I was disappointed. But then they hit a certain point where things start rolling (for me it was ghulheim), and from then on I loved it.

I just finished The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King for task 4.20 (horror is new to me). The book was OK, but it wasn't scary. I think I'll give horror another try.

total points: 10+20=30
total pages: 250+224=474

LEADERBOARD:

Lydia: 75 points; 2,059 pages
Jennifer: 35 points; 1,184 pages
Ashley: 30 points ; 634 pages
Michelle: 30 points; 474 pages
Danielle: 15 points; 374 pages
Misty: 10 points; 400 pages
Heather: 10 points; 159 pages
April: 5 points; 374 pages
Linda: 5 points; 374 pages

Totals as a group: 215 points; 6,032 pages; 21 books

Finished two books last night, get countable points for one of them (unless we start counting half tasks). Finished The Book of Lost Things for task 4.15, and read Love That Dog for 1/2 of task 3.20. I've decided since pages don't matter to use the #s from my books instead of tracking them down, so I have a more accurate picture of what I actually read. So my BLT was a paperback with bonus materials (on fairy tales, Connelly's notes, an interview -- neat stuff), which I also read, so that is BLT 470 and LTD 112.

Totals:
READ: 5 books, 51 & 2/3 points, 1366 pages

COUNTABLE: 2 books, 25 points, 870 pages

Completed:
1.5: What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
1.10: Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier
1.15: Little Men by Louisa May Alcott

Have you ever read a book in verse? I'm not sure I really like it.
Hidier's book is my new absolute favorite! Recommended by April, this is an amazing find, especially is you are interested from a multicultural aspect. Only wish I had an Indian-English dictionary with me.

I've read a few different books in verse, and I tend to like them. I'm not going to lie, it does take some switching over of the brain...

Finished Dr. Sigmundus The Cracked Mirror for 2.10 as Brian Keaney is a GR author. 144 pages

Finished The City of Dreaming Books for 1/2 of 2.20. 456 pages.

Yeah I tend to like the books in verse, too. But I need to get used at first.

Jennifer wrote: "Yeah I tend to like the books in verse, too. But I need to get used at first."

I think my real problem with Sones is how much of a story the book was in verse -- it just seemed to need connectors and detail. I guess my problem was determining where the real beauty in the writing was without/with detail.

1.20: From the first YA Challenge, What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell (281 pgs)

This book caught me a bit unaware -- my mind was anticipating an entirely different direction than where it went. I could easily see this book ending up on a banned books list.

LEADERBOARD:

Lydia: 125 points; 3,353 pages
Jennifer: 35 points; 1,184 pages
Ashley: 30 points; 634 pages
Michelle: 30 points; 474 pages
Misty: 25 points; 870 pages
Danielle: 25 points; 799 pages
Heather: 20 points; 303 pages
April: 5 points; 374 pages
Linda: 5 points; 374 pages

Totals as a group: 300 points; 8,365 pages; 28 books