You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

-- Hello! to all fellow avid readers of Team Four :-)

I am setting up this general thread so we can consider our Group Name together.

a few ideas ...
- Circle of Biblio's
- Book Riders
- Book Hoppers
- Book-a-natics
...

Fourth Team

Almeta
Ariane
Caecilia
Casceil
jaxnsmom
Lynda
Peggy
Poongothai
Sarah
Sarah Jigz
Sharon

Thanks for setting up the thread for us, Caecilia.

It looks like we've got a great team!

Almeta - I know you always end up as the captain of your team, and if you're willing to be captain again, we'd be very lucky. But if for whatever reason you can't or don't want to this time, we'll understand (or at least pretend to).

We'll need someone to track the books read for points. No spreadsheet needed this time.

We also need cheerleaders!

Strategy to consider:

If you think you'll be reading more than one book, when you have a list of possibilities, you might want to pick your shortest books. Just be sure they're at least 175 pages.

Reminder

Topplers are for fun, toppling and tippling, chatting and snooping, and even some reading. ☺

Only read the number of books that you're comfortable with, and that real life allows. Don't stress out trying to read more books than you have time for. Even one book helps the team. We have people that read one book, and some that are big speed readers who amaze us all.

jaxnsmom wrote: "Almeta - I know you always end up as the captain of your team, and if you're willing to be captain again, we'd be very lucky. But if for whatever reason you can't or don't want to this time, we'll ..."

I am always willing to be the team leader. Just a reminder though, that I won't be available on those Saturdays, in order to promote any strategies. This may be the time for someone else to come forward.

I enjoy playing around with the graphics and will have the time during the week. So you can definitely count on me as a Cheerleader (and Agitator).

Awarding little badges lends itself well to keeping track of the number of books read.

So I'll go where needed!☺

Team name suggestions:

Four Word Thinkers
For Word Thinkers
Team Four Plays
Fore Cast
Fourth Right
Four Score
Four Sighted
Fore Heads

Hi!! Very excited about this challenge!

I like Four Word Thinkers and Four Score for our team name :)

I can do whatever is needed. I won't be here much the first weekend (toppler starts at 6pm here and I have a birthday in the evening and just got another birthday invitation for Sunday afternoon, grmbl) but I'm not so busy at work right now so I have time to do small things in between work during the week. I can definitely do cheerleading, but I can also do simple tracking if needed.

Hi team mates!
I like Four Score and Fore Heads for the team name ;)

I will be working all week long (including the weekend) so I won't be here much.
I hope to read two books during that time, I still have to see how much pages that makes.

And thanks Peggy for doing the maths and reminding me at what time this thing starts ;) I'll still be at work though

I'll write here my books possibilities:
- Would A Room of One's Own work? I's apparently on man/woman equality... is that a thing?
- Lolita - child abuse?
- The Color Purple - race
- I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban - Islam

******I set up the reporting thread....
Just because I wanted to get my graphic at the top!☺*****

I plan to read 5 books from this list:

Climate Change/Global Warming - Meltdown
Afghanistan - The Kite Runner
Immigrants/Refugees - Little Bee
Science - How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming
Genetic Engineering - My Sister's Keeper
Mental Illness - All the Bright Places
Cloning - Never Let Me Go
Racism Up Your Banners: A Comedy of Controversy

These are my options

The Kite Runner (Islam)
And the Mountains Echoed (Islam)
Half of a Yellow Sun (war and independence)
Sweetsmoke (slavery)
The Dry Grass of August (segregation)
The Story of Beautiful Girl (People with developmental disabilities having babies)
Mornings in Jenin (Israel/Palestine)
Little Bee (refugees)

I think I'll start with Little Bee and see if I can fit another book in.

Hi team!

I like Four Word Thinkers best for our name.

I'm not going to be around on Saturday 20th or Sunday 21st as i will be on a course. I may be able to check in in the evening but not much else, including reading, over the weekend.

I'm hoping to read two books, i have one short one and the other options which i can actually get my hands on are a bit longer. I'll keep searching though.

Re A Room of One's Own. I was considering it but it's a classic which is not ideal for me during a toppler especially. I think it might be too short. The edition which comes up in the search is only 112 pages. Whilst searching for books, i discovered Virgina Woolf on a list of gay authors. One of the topics is about sexuality but not sure if reading a book by a gay author would count as well - J'mom?

Sarah wrote: "Re A Room of One's Own. I was considering it but it's a classic which is not ideal for me during a toppler especially. I think it might be too short. The edition which comes up in the search is onl..."

I would be reading it in French, it is 189 pages long

I like Four Score for a team name, with Four Word Thinkers as a second choice.

I would think A Room of One's Own would count. It is described as follows: "The essay is generally seen as a feminist text, and is noted in its argument for both a literal and figural space for women writers within a literary tradition dominated by patriarchy." By itself, it is too short, at 112 pages. It is often published with other essays by Woolf , and a collection would also qualify, I would think. Everything Woolf wrote, as far as I can tell, had a feminist message. But I would be very wary of assuming that anything "short" is a fast read, especially in this case.

Ariane wrote: "I'll write here my books possibilities:
- Would A Room of One's Own work? I's apparently on man/woman equality... is that a thing? "

Looking at the description, I'm not sure it fits. Since you have four possibilities, I suggest you make this one your last choice and try to go with two of the others.

Almeta wrote: "jaxnsmom wrote: "Almeta - I know you always end up as the captain of your team, and if you're willing to be captain again, we'd be very lucky. But if for whatever reason you can't or don't want to ..."

I don't think the team leader will have many duties since there's no making sure all tasks are done or anything. I'm not even sure we need one. You are, however, responsible for finding proper graphics :p

jaxnsmom wrote: "...I don't think the team leader will have many duties since there's no making sure all tasks are done or anything...."

Yeah, It doesn't sound as though there will be any strategy to promote as a team leader job.

You know that you can count on me for graphics!☺

I don't know what books I'll be reading/listening to. I have several

Games Without Rules: The Often Interrupted History of Afghanistan

The Speechwriter: A Brief Education in Politics

Parrotfish

Will Grayson, Will Grayson

my favourite amongst the names so far is, Four Score :-)
as for the books.. I am posting from the Kindle so cannot post links right now. My books will be:

- Missoula, Rape and The Justice System in a College Town (J. Krakauer) // Sexual Orientation, Rape

- A Little Life (H. Yanagihara) // Addiction, Mental Illness

;-)

PS almost forgot, thank you to Almeta for preparing graphics :-)

Caecilia wrote: "my favourite amongst the names so far is, Four Score :-)
as for the books.. I am posting from the Kindle so cannot post links right now. My books will be:

- Missoula, Rape and The Justice System..."

Aren't you reading A Little Life right now Caecilia? The toppler books should be started and ended within the toppler week, so you can't count book you already started.

Hey team. I'm collecting books and hope to read at least two for the toppler. I think my previous record was four in a week, but books that make me think might not be as quick.

Does this toppler have any scoring rules? I haven't seen any mentioned but could have missed the post.

As Peggy has pointed out Caecilia, we can only start our books at noon EDT on 20th Feb. You can't already have started a book already. For a book to count, it has to be read entirely during the toppler time frame. What i tend to do is put all my books on hold that I'm currently reading when the toppler starts, then focus solely on my toppler reads during that time then once it's over, i return to the books I'd set aside before the toppler.

No scoring rules as yet Sharon although i think each book will gain points and then they'll be bonus poibts awarded afterwards.

It may be that Caecilia has placed her book on the Currently Reading shelf but has not started it yet.

I sometimes do that for my monthly Group Reads and Group Challenges, so that I am reminded that I need to get to them in the week coming up, etc.

I have been "auditioning" books for this toppler: downloading Kindle samples and reading enough to decide whether I'm going to enjoy this book. I figure I will start over from the beginning reading whatever books I settle on. So far, I have picked and purchased Stoned: A Doctor's Case for Medical Marijuana, because I really liked the author's writing style. I have marked Shocked: Adventures in Bringing Back the Recently Dead as a possible, but I have not purchased it yet. (It also deals with ethical issues related to medical situations where keeping someone alive may not be the best thing to do.) I have also rejected a couple of books that looked plausible but didn't grab my attention from the beginning of the sample. Those would be Inequality: What Everyone Needs to Know, which looks a little dry for my taste, and The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry which looked okay but not as interesting as Shocked and Stoned. I also have another possible that I own and have not read, The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You, which is a collection of essays about gender and how people who are transgender or "obviously queer" (author's word choice) cope with the way society treats them. This last book is actually the shortest of the lot, at 192 pages, but again looks less interesting to me personally. I read much faster when I am engaged than when I am not.

Hello. I like Four Word Thinkers too. I do have a few books in mind. The island ones that a few people have mentioned in here plus one about race if I can get it in time. I'll link to them when I get on the laptop tomoz.

Urgh predicted text. Islamic ones that was meant to say

Thank you, Almeta - well, Peggy and Sarah are right. I am currently reading A Little Life. Will pick another book then ;-) Apologies for the confusion.

* * *

- in order to be compliant :-) taking A Little Life off the Toppler shelf. Instead adding ...

- The Vegetarian by Han Kang // Eating disorder, Mental Illness, Discrimination

- Blackass by A. Igoni Barett // Race, Discrimination

to it.

* * *
oh, and.. Almeta ~ envy you for reading "My Sister's Keeper" for the 1st time - it's such a gripping book. I'm so curious to see your comments once you have read it ...

I am posting the links to my books separately, as I have experienced that posts with links often have caused that strange bug.

The Vegetarian
Link:
The Vegetarian

Story: Before the nightmare, Yeong-hye and her husband lived an ordinary life. But when splintering, blood-soaked images start haunting her thoughts, Yeong-hye decides to purge her mind and renounce eating meat. In a country where societal mores are strictly obeyed, Yeong-hye's decision to embrace a more “plant-like” existence is a shocking act of subversion.
Topic: Eating Disorder, Mental Illness, Discrimination

Blackass
Link:
Blackass

Story: Furo Wariboko – born and bred in Lagos – wakes up on the morning of his job interview to discover he has turned into a white man. As he hits the city streets running, still reeling from his new-found condition, Furo finds the dead ends of his life open out before him. As a white man in Nigeria, the world is seemingly his oyster
Topic: Race, Discrimination

Missoula
Link:
Missoula

Story: A DOJ report released in December of 2014 estimates 110,000 women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four are raped each year. Krakauer’s devastating narrative of what happened in Missoula makes clear why rape is so prevalent on American campuses, and why rape victims are so reluctant to report assault.
Topic: Gender-related Discrimination, Sexual Harrassment

The Portable Veblen
The Portable Veblen
Story: Paul—the product of good hippies who were bad parents—finds his ambition soaring. His medical research has led to the development of a device to help minimize battlefield brain trauma—an invention that gets him swept up in a high-stakes deal with the Department of Defense, a Bizarro World that McKenzie satirizes with granular specificity.
Topic: Medical Reasearch, Mental Illness

I'll be interested in what you think of The Vegetarian. I saw it on NetGalley a while back and wondered about it but decided not to request it as I have a few mounting up on my review list.

Lynda, Poongothai, and Sarah Jigz haven't checked in yet. Shall we wait until Wednesday and then vote on our name?

Here are my options:

The Reluctant Fundamentalist 184pg - religion, Islam, fundamentalism
Moth Smoke 256pg - religion, Islam
Purple Hibiscus 307pg - religion, race, politics
The Bridges of Constantine 320pg - politics, race, religion, refugees
Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot 320pg - politics, religion
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan 288pg - cultural differences, arranged marriage
Skin Deep 208pg - mental health (multiple personalities)
Replica 287pg - governmental experiments, cloning
Therapy 304pg - mental health (schizophrenia)

Definitely reading The Reluctant Fundamentalist. If I like the writers style, I'll read his other book Moth Smoke. If not, I will either read Purple Hibiscus or Skin Deep depending on whether I've had enough of real life or not.

Sarah wrote: "I'll be interested in what you think of The Vegetarian. I saw it on NetGalley a while back and wondered about it but decided not to request it as I have a few mounting up on my review list."

:-) thank you, for the comment.
yes - I am very curious, too. but will bravely wait.

I have heard good things about "purple hibiscus" - looking forward to your thoughts.

Almeta wrote: "Lynda, Poongothai, and Sarah Jigz haven't checked in yet. Shall we wait until Wednesday and then vote on our name?"

Sarah Jigz is here - post 27

.. gotta interrupt briefly - Almeta :-) your graphics are ACE.
thank you so much for them.

Almeta wrote: "Lynda, Poongothai, and Sarah Jigz haven't checked in yet. Shall we wait until Wednesday and then vote on our name?"

Sarah Jigz is book shopping in the other group's threads. I think she got stuck in ours with Travis' comment.

I'm here *jumps up and down and waves*

I think I'm only going to devote myself to 1 book for now, being depressed and all, some of the topic won't be very uplifting lol. I'm trying to find one that won't upset me too much.

I saw in the main therad for the toppler that someone said All the Light We Cannot See has genocide in? Would this be accepted?

Sarah - hope you feel better soon...

Caecilia wrote: "Sarah - hope you feel better soon..."

Thanks Caecilia, I've been depressed for just over 4 years now. Recovering but then something always comes up and I relapse. I'm hoping this time round will be different.

Sarah, there is an exception for lighter books if you have a good reason. I think you should pm jmom about it if you want to read something else. There's more info in the general thread.

Excellent suggestion, Peggy.

Peggy wrote: "Sarah, there is an exception for lighter books if you have a good reason. I think you should pm jmom about it if you want to read something else. There's more info in the general thread."

Oh really? Thanks for letting me know.

Sarah, I sympathize. I have been treated for depression off and on most of my adult life, and I am very careful what I read and when I read it. When this topic first got "clarified," I realized that as far as fiction goes, this whole toppler seemed to about the kind of book I usually avoid. That's why I've been sticking to non-fiction and looking for things not likely to upset me. I'm a moderator in another group, and when that group read "All the Light You Cannot See," I did not read it because it sounded depressing to me. You should definitely check with Jmom about alternatives.

I've left her a message, but I'm actually planning on reading that book anyway for the geocache challenge. Sometimes you just can't get away from some topics.

I can defo understand you are going to read things that won't upset you for this challenge. I find non-fiction can sometimes upset me just as much. I may actually read one of my depression books, I never finished, it was interesting and could be very helpful. I have a few non-fiction books for body image as I struggle with that too. So those are options too, more like self-help, but they can qualify surely?

I'm sorry about your depression also Casceil. Have you chosen your books for this challenge yet?

Non-fiction can be very upsetting, I agree. But some of it seems designed to be upsetting and "push people's buttons." Like some fiction is described as "tear-jerkers." The author's tone is very important.

I'm deeply impressed by the sympathy we show each other in here. Feels like more than "just" a group reading books.
:-)

Defintely. I actually don't mind reading some things that people would find depressing. It is saddening, but I find it interesting about the holocaust. I read 'The Book Thief' which was based around it, and I really enjoyed the book even though there were sad things. We'll have to wait and see if Jmom is okay with me reading 'All the Light we cannot see'.

Oh, The Book Thief is such a wonderful book. Sad, yes - but so lovely.

jaxnsmom wrote: "Almeta wrote: "Lynda, Poongothai, and Sarah Jigz haven't checked in yet. Shall we wait until Wednesday and then vote on our name?"

Sarah Jigz is here - post 27"

Oops! 2 Sarahs! Didn't notice change in avatar.