Book Snails Book Group discussion

Hey! Please take a quick moment and tell us a little about yourself; what brought you to the group, what books you'd like to read soon; your reading pace; favorite authors/titles. Feel free to invite your friends to the Book Snails!

Hi Everyone! My name is Julie (we have three Julie's in this group so far, that's pretty awesome!) and I am a young 43! I worked in the Accounting field for about 23 years when I decided I was done working in an office. I wanted to see what else the world might have for me. It's been two years since I have been home with our 11 year old son and I love it. I homeschool him and also explore my interests as well. I love gardening and am just learning how to can my veggies. I am also a gamer. WHAT?!?! You are too old to game!!!! Nope! I love it. Another passion is to read when I can. And there's never enough time for it. I saw this group when I was looking on goodreads.com for some book ideas. I had only been on here one other time and I didn't even know they had book clubs until I typed into google for online book clubs and goodreads.com popped up. Everything about the description that Allison had made, I knew this was the group for me. I am looking forward to reading and discussing books with all of you. And I love all kinds of books except pointless romance novels or explicit horror. Other than those, throw anything at me. PS I wrote my first book with my best friend. I am so proud of it. Have to still go through and make corrections, but still pretty cool to have done it. I think I might do another one!!

WOW!!! I talk too much! Sorry!!!

PSS - Don't forget to write about yourself Allison!!! :-)

Julie, you don't talk too much! That's what this thread is for. I hope more members take advantage of these discussions. It's how we're going to get to know each other. Our common theme is books. From there, we can really take off--and might find we have other things in common.

You gave a great introduction. A few things I would like to inquire about: your gaming life, for instance, which is stinkin' awesome, the details of your homeschooling schedule (I hope to homeschool someday), and of course the book you've written with your friend. All of these discussions will have to wait for tomorrow, as my eyes are closing involuntarily right now lol. I certainly want to learn more about you and everyone else!

I hope to find the time to introduce myself sometime this weekend. I'm not very exciting but I try to be ;-P

I have always loved books, and sort of collect them. I have way more books than I will ever be able to read :) I recently bought several new releases that I hope to read before they are not new releases anymore! I would describe myself as a very thorough reader (which tends to turn me into a snail) because I don't skim or fly over the words. I have noticed my daughter (15 years old) can get through a novel sized book in a matter of hours, not sure how she does it! I also tend to flip back and reread passages that I feel I need to review to remind me of small details of the story. The other reason I am a snail with my books is that I don't read for extended periods of time... Just a little here and there throughout the day. If a book is very, very good I will find ways to read lots more often though. I like chick lit and women's fiction, especially historical. I don't care for science fiction or dystopian. Besides book, I am a stay at home mom and I enjoy crafts.

Hi! I'm Sammantha's from western NY. I'm a really slow reader since I sometimes have to reread things several times to understand it. I have two furbabies, Kiely my chihuahua and Giselle my degu. I enjoy reading young adult and fantasy the most right now.

Hi!! My name is Mostafa I'm from Egypt living in Dubai. I'm new to reading but I'm liking it, i like to read self help books

Hilary wrote: "I have always loved books, and sort of collect them. I have way more books than I will ever be able to read :) I recently bought several new releases that I hope to read before they are not new rel..."

Hi Hilary! I chuckled when I read your introduction. I always have to check back and review items. I don't know if it's me getting older or if it's the family interrupting me (how dare I have reading time!! LOL) for some request.

I am a stay at home Mom as well. We have an 11 year old son and I have an 18 year old step-daughter. She is at basic training right now. Crazy how fast the kids grow up!

Glad you are here from a fellow Snail-pace reader!

Sammantha wrote: "Hi! I'm Sammantha's from western NY. I'm a really slow reader since I sometimes have to reread things several times to understand it. I have two furbabies, Kiely my chihuahua and Giselle my degu. I..."

Hi Sammantha! You have a degu - that is cool! I had three rats, but my son and I were allergic to them so we had to donate them to a school classroom. Even though they are classified as a rodent like the degu, their personalities are awesome. They make great pets!! Just don't tell my two cats that. They didn't understand why they couldn't eat them! :-)

Thanks for introducing yourself! We can't wait to start our first read!

Mostafa wrote: "Hi!! My name is Mostafa I'm from Egypt living in Dubai. I'm new to reading but I'm liking it, i like to read self help books"

Hi Mostafa! We are so happy that you joined the group! It's never too late to start reading. Self-help books are great. I also enjoy reading them as well. If you have any books that you would like us to read, please let us know. We take votes in this group and love suggestions.

Thanks so much for introducing yourself!!

Julie wrote: Hi Mostafa! We are so happy that you joined the group!..."

Thanks Julie

Thanks for sharing some info about yourselves, everyone! We look forward to chatting more with you all soon...

Hi all...(I apologize ahead of time for the book of an intro you're about to read)

I'm Allison, your humble book nerd/co-moderator! I started this group about a week ago and I'm tickled it's taking off. So happy to see so many people! (And to the guys in the group...I know it might feel like you're swimming in a sea of estrogen...but we're thinking of you too, so thanks for joining the Snails! We will generate books geared to your interests as well. We're an all-inclusive group and the majority vote prevails!)

I'm 29 years old (or young? sometimes I can't tell which lol). I'm still living at home with my parents; no shame--I made some stupid choices in my younger years and foolishly spent my time. You live, you learn! I'm a senior at Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama studying Journalism with a minor in Psychology. I've changed my major for the last time...(since 2005, when I graduated from high school), I've considered the following majors: English, Creative Writing, Technical Writing, Criminal Justice, Criminology, Psychology, and finally I've settled on Journalism. I feel that I'm a rather strong writer and I have dreams of publication...so that's where I am right now. (I was published in a 2002 poetry anthology but I don't consider that much of an achievement because I had to pay to get my poem in the book!) So, I'm down to a few remaining semesters and then I'm done!

People ask me what I want to do in the Journalism field, and to be honest I'm still figuring that out. My goal is to find any position in the print journalism field where I can strengthen my editing/proofreading skills. I would like to eventually be an editor at a publishing house/small press somewhere in the world... I am very observant of typos and errors in everyday conversations (even text messages) so I feel that I would make a good editor. No joke, I'm meticulously editing this comment as I go. Last year I took an intense Fundamentals of Journalism course and since then I've been eyeing EVERYTHING I read with a carefully circumspect eye! It's just another expression of my OCD tendencies, so I've got that going for me! Haha ;-)

When I'm not inside my little literature/writing bubble, I enjoy many things: music, singing (I grew up on Celine Dion so I tend to belt and amplify lol), my cat, good movies, social media, a good cup of coffee (I'm addicted), rainy days, sleeping, etc. I have too many interests outside of school to list here, but I read and "research" topics of interest in my spare time. Right now I'm interested in learning more about broadcast journalism and podcasting. I think it's amazing what we're doing with technology these days! I'm always listening to something, whether it's Pandora music radio, podcasts on my phone, or audio books!

I'm going to Michigan to see my fiance August 6-13 and I'm so excited! We have plans to marry in the not-too-distant future, and the best part is that we love AND like each other! :-)

Ok, I'm getting tired of talking about myself. If you have any questions/comments...please share them! I'm here for the interactions, bookish or otherwise!

Hope you are enjoying the group so far--and please, invite your Snail friends to the group. The more the merrier!

Your Bookish Friend,
Allison

29 is definitely young! :-) . I am so glad you started this book club. It was much needed so we had a place to enjoy our reads at a comfortable pace. Congrats on your engagement.

29 doesn't always FEEL young. (I think I'm sweating the big 3-0 milestone lol). I'm glad I started the group too, pleases me to see others benefiting from a space like this. Thank you! I'm very happy ;-)

Hey. I'm Rebekah. I'm from Northern NY and I'm 31. My feeling towards reading is similar to my feelings towards food: I'll try anything once...maybe twice, to give it the benefit of the doubt. (Except Sea Urchin...never again!) So because of that, I read all over the board. I don't know if I have any particular favorites when it comes to authors or genres. When I headed to college, I lost my time to pleasure read...and just lost the love of reading, I guess. I have slowly worked my way back and am pleased to have found out that I'm not actually a slow reader, I had just been reading things I really hated. I do still think I am a bit on the slow side, even when I am devouring what I am reading, but that is because I am comparing myself to my mother who can read a 400+ page book in an evening. That was a bit of a ramble, but there you go, that's me!

Hey there Rebekah, and welcome! Yay, someone who's close to my age! Glad to hear you're up for anything (at least once) and we'll never encourage you to give Sea Urchin another try lol. We're pleased you found the group and we hope we don't read TOO slowly for you. (I sincerely hope people don't lose their patience with us, and that they can supplement their reading here with other book group reads or whatnot). Glad your zest for pleasure reading is back, and your mother sounds like a speed reader to me!

Allison wrote: "Hey there Rebekah, and welcome!..."
Yeah, she is definitely a speed reader. And no, I don't think I will be bored. When it comes to readalongs/buddy reads, I always feel so pressured, there never seems enough time. So something more relaxed, slower paced, will be a nice way to read with pals without feelings stressed.

Hi, I'm James. And my favorite type of books to read our post apocalyptic books of a dystopian future or AK science-fiction

James wrote: "Hi, I'm James. And my favorite type of books to read our post apocalyptic books of a dystopian future or AK science-fiction"

Love those as well James! I haven't read too many of them so if you have any suggestions on some novels that you really liked, I would love some suggestions.

Thanks!!

By the way, everyone, James (Kris) is my fiance! Love you babe!

Bekah wrote: "Allison wrote: "Hey there Rebekah, and welcome!..."
Yeah, she is definitely a speed reader. And no, I don't think I will be bored. When it comes to readalongs/buddy reads, I always feel so pressure..."

The pressure is OFF!

James wrote: "Hi, I'm James. And my favorite type of books to read our post apocalyptic books of a dystopian future or AK science-fiction"

Hey James...muah! LOL

Glad to see James and possibly some other sci-fi readers here!

I'm "StarMan" from the southern USA. My favorite genre is science fiction of most any kind: hard sci-fi, artificial intelligence, post-apocalyptic, starship, aliens, military, etc.

Second-favorite would be paranormal/horror. Sadly, good sci-fi+horror books are a bit rare, but I keep looking. I also enjoy a good YA or crime/thriller novel, or the occasional random read (non-fiction, self-help, humor, organization, juvenile).

I swap books with a few folks ages 16 to 80+, to keep things interesting. I prefer printed books, but also use 2 eReaders -- the b&w "e-ink" kind that have weeks/months of battery life, and are much easier on the eyes than color LCD screens.

In my spare time, I write. I did NanoWriMo.org the last 3 Novembers, and am editing the 3 "novels" I sped-wrote. I'm also a virtual world scripter/programmer and a medical software consultant.

I usually finish a book in one or two sittings, but please don't kick me out of this group for that. I'm glad that anyone reads -- slowly, quickly, poorly, obsessively, or otherwise... just NOT while driving, please.

Hey StarMan! Don't worry, we're not kicking people out of the group simply because they read faster than the Snails. We are so glad you wanted to join!

Thanks for sharing your favorite genres with us. So happy to see a variety of genres in the group; it would get boring fast if we all wanted to read just one type of book! My fiance (James, a.k.a. Kris) reads predominately in the sci-fi/fantasy/horror genre (and also enjoys graphic novels) so I figure you two might be exchanging book ideas/suggestions!

You have 2 e-readers? Wow. I had no idea the black and white e-readers had such great battery life. I know that I will never replace my Nook when it finally dies; it's not a very good product lol.

Great to hear we have another writer among us! I've heard great things about NanoWriMo but don't think I'm disciplined enough to participate! Are you hoping to be published or are you writing just for pleasure? Please tell us more about what a "virtual world scripter/programmer" does!

No reading while driving lol. No, I hope that NO ONE is doing that!

Hey! I'm Kelsey. I work as a librarian at a science/tech college in my hometown. My grandmother taught me to read at the age of 3, because she was tired of me asking her to read the same books over and over and over :) I've always had a talent for writing and languages. I've taught myself French and German, am working on Norwegian and Russian, and am working on a book right now, too. I hope to become a well known historical fiction author someday.

Going off of that, I also love history, primarily WWII, but I love the American Revolution and Civil War, Ancient History, European History, the 20's-50's, and the Victorian Era.

I also love love love hockey. The New York Rangers are my boys! I like baseball too, and am a fan of the New York Mets. Sports has always been a big part of my life, as has music. I can play the trumpet, bass and acoustic guitar, drums, and piano. In high school I was in orchestra, jazz band, choir, and a swing choir. We traveled around the east coast in competitions and have won awards!

The books I read most tend to be classics and historical fiction. My favorite author of all time is F. Scott Fitzgerald. I have every book/short story he's every published, and a collection of the letters he's written, too. My favorite historical figure of all time is the Marquis de Lafayette. I have every single biography written about him too!

I'm usually a fast reader, but with work now, I'm lucky if I finish two books a month. When I was in college, I averaged about 34 books a year. Now it's probably more around 20-25.

Aside from that, I really like going to museums, shopping, watching sports, watching movies, hanging out with friends, the usual!

It's great to meet everyone!

Hi Kelsey!! You have my dream job!! I always wanted to be a librarian, but life took me on a different path. I still fantasize about it every now and then. I think that's why I can spend hours upon hours at a library if I ever had the time. I just found four books by F. Scott Fitzgerald in my closet yesterday when I was book hunting. I will have to read them and give him a try! I know that I read The Great Gatsby in high school, but that's been a while so I will re-read it now at the age of 43. I bet I will appreciate it more. So glad you are in the group! Thanks so much for sharing!

I'm a Gen-Xer, by the way (older than Millenial, younger than Baby Boomer).

Lots of interesting people here already...

Sammantha: I like YA and fantasy books as well. And chihuahas, when they're being quiet.

Ex-accounting Julie: Glad you found a new path. Do we need to number the Julies here?

Hilary: Good to have readers here who focus on the details (and collect books)!

Mostafa across-the-sea: What's your favorite self-help book? (I like ones on organizing/decluttering).

Bekah: You sound like the most adventurous reader among us. Food vs. books; good analogy :)

James: You obviously are a man of excellent taste -- in book genres, and ladies.


Allison, one of our bookish moderators:

It's awesome that you're a Journalism major + Psych minor; that's a great combo for an aspiring writer/editor/publisher/alcoholic. (I'm kidding on one of those!). But please don't proofread me too harshly here. Hopefully my fiction writing is more carefully edited than my GR posts.

I have an English minor (by accident), and picked the wrong major too many times. I often wish I had listened to an English professor years ago, who encouraged non-English majors to reconsider our options:

"Sure," he said, "the world needs good folks in science and medicine and business. But by God, we really need people who can write!"

Your published poetry counts! You are already a writer -- especially if you write something every day, or close to it. Maybe we'll get to read your poems (and more) before long. Hint, hint!

I should read more graphic novels, like your fiancé does. There are lots of great ones out there. The last one I remember reading was a post-apocalyptic one:


Y: The Last Man

Here's a quick "How well do you know your fiancé?" quiz:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
► Which does he like best: Star Wars, Star Trek, or Firefly?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And 2 questions for you, Allison:

► Which model Nook eReader do you have/dislike, so I can avoid it?
► What was your favorite (or most useful) college course?


* * *

Yes ma'am, I plan to finish editing 1 or more of my novels, and seek publication. Fingers crossed for both of us, and any other writers out there. National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo.org) rocks, and I recommend it even if you think you can't commit. It's great practice for something all writers should do: Write Every Day (or almost daily); don't wait for the muse to slap your noggin. NaNoWriMo is not just a solo writing frenzy in November. There are (optional) discussion forums, writing buddies, and resources on the website, much like here on GoodReads.com. It's free, it's fun, it's maddening. It's difficult and very rewarding. Some folks consider NaNoWriMo a gimmick; I say it's a clever one.

Short answer about "virtual world scripter/programmer": I write code that makes things happen in virtual worlds like Second Life, InWorldz, or Kitely. Mostly I make useful or fun gadgets, or help produce special effects and automation for live shows in-world. I won't bore you with the details, but it's kind of fun.... 50% creativity, 50% writing and debugging lines of code, often while Skype-chatting with friends from all over the world. It's more of a side-gig/hobby than a job.

Thanks for starting this fun group...

SNAIL POWER... it's about the journey scenery, not the speedometer.

Allison wrote: "James wrote: "Hi, I'm James. And my favorite type of books to read our post apocalyptic books of a dystopian future or AK science-fiction"

Hey James...muah! LOL"

Hey, none of that here!! LOL :-)

Uh oh, we have a librarian among us (Kelsey). Everyone be on your best behavior, and no bending those books too far.

Kidding, glad we have an expert here. I grew up in a library (and skipped kindergarten entirely), which explains much of what is right/wrong with me.

What's the modern term for "librarian"?
"Information Specialist," maybe?

Hey Starman, thank you for the compliments. Allison is a terrific lady, and I foresee her going for in the writing field. I know we both hope so, as well as we both hope to one day soon coauthor a book together. Whether it'll be a sci-fi novel or crime novel is yet to be determined, but heck, why not both right? Y'all seem like seriously hard core read-olohics on here. I only hope I can keep up. I'm currently in the middle of several post apocalyptic books, and need to finish one of them soon! Lol. I'm reading Robert Kirkman's the walking dead series of novella, as well as a random zombie novel called Empire, by David Dunwoody. And Allison and I are doing our Long Distance Book Buddy read of the Hunger Games. Sure, they are not All Time classics, but we're trying to branch out. Her more so, than I. Thanks babe ;-)

Hey StarMan! I basically grew up in a library too. As a kid I must have gone to the library three days a week, if not more, so becoming a librarian was kind of a no brainer.

And technically I'm a "library associate". The college I work for gets really fancy, with titles such as "library liaison". We don't have anyone called "information specialist" though, so who knows!

Kelsey wrote: "Hey! I'm Kelsey. I work as a librarian at a science/tech college in my hometown. My grandmother taught me to read at the age of 3, because she was tired of me asking her to read the same books over..."

Wow, Kelsey--where do I start? I'm in awe of your aspirations and talents. Anyone who can pick up new languages like that...wow, just wow. And all your other skills, with musical instruments...and you're working on a book?! I feel inadequate...lol.

Your historical interests are so specific, you must do a lot of research and reading! I wish I had paid more attention in my history classes...although I don't think public schools are necessarily interested in presenting a truthful picture of some historical moments.

F. Scott Fitzgerald. Unfortunately, I have only read The Great Gatsby but I want to read The Beautiful and Damned sooner rather than later. I think I would like him if I read more of his work.

If you read anywhere near 20-25 books a year, you're still reading quite a bit! Don't discount how much reading you're actually doing, that's impressive!

Thanks for sharing. Hope to *see* you around here often!

StarMan wrote: "I'm a Gen-Xer, by the way (older than Millenial, younger than Baby Boomer).

Lots of interesting people here already...

Sammantha: I like YA and fantasy books as well. And chihuahas, when they're..."

StarMan,

Thanks for saying "hello" to fellow members individually...how thoughtful! It seems nobody takes the time to do that anymore.

I hope I can make something of the Journalism major + Psychology minor...my parents are looking kinda worried, like "what the hell kind of job are you going to get in this area with that degree?" And I'm concerned about that too, for this area doesn't seem to provide many avenues for me. Not that I won't go where life takes me, I've already done some of that, and wouldn't hesitate to do it again in the future. Thanks for your enthusiasm on the subject...I'm hoping the aspiring writer inside of me doesn't turn out more empty bottles than pages! Just kidding, I'm continuing the fun vibe you've started...LOL.

Your English professor is write (I mean, right lol): the world needs people who can read and write well, and generate new and interesting thoughts/concepts. I believe that readers/writers truly are the mad geniuses of this world. Most definitely mad...but there's always a bit of genius in the madness.

I haven't written poetry in several years, so I don't know if I should call myself a poet...I was into poetry for a while growing up, but now I've put it aside. Don't really know why, I keep trying to get back into it...

Y: The Last Man, that's Brian K. Vaughan. I've read 4 of his Saga graphic novels...I really enjoy his writing.

Here's a quick "How well do you know your fiancé?" quiz:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
► Which does he like best: Star Wars, Star Trek, or Firefly?

Kris, you'll have to answer this to settle the question: I'm guessing Star Trek...??? What the heck is Firefly?

(He made a Star Trek reference tonight on the phone ;-P)

And 2 questions for you, Allison:

► Which model Nook eReader do you have/dislike, so I can avoid it?

I have the NOOKColor, model number: BNRV200, serial number: 2012340017792008. I bought it January 2012, so maybe they've improved since then. I have disliked it since the beginning; slow and very inefficient. At least that's my experience.

► What was your favorite (or most useful) college course?

I've taken so many wonderful college courses over the years, but most recently I'd say the Fundamentals of Journalism and Newswriting courses. I had the same great (and accomplished) professor for both courses, and I learned much from her. I feel these courses were instrumental in cementing my desire to continue with this major.

Good luck with your writing and publication. I might try NaNoWriMo sometime. It sounds intense but fun.

Your side gig/hobby sounds like fun...do you work alongside graphic designers? Speaking of virtual worlds, I just joined Habitica...have you heard of it? Maybe it's not a virtual world in the typical sense...maybe I'm not using the correct term for it...but it's a productivity app that is pretty neat. I suspect there's much code involved!

I'm so glad I started this group, it's led me to some awesome people already!

Talk soon! Snail Power!

Julie wrote: "Allison wrote: "James wrote: "Hi, I'm James. And my favorite type of books to read our post apocalyptic books of a dystopian future or AK science-fiction"

Hey James...muah! LOL"

Hey, none of that..."

Ok...we'll keep it professional! You hear that, Kris? ;-)

StarMan wrote: "Uh oh, we have a librarian among us (Kelsey). Everyone be on your best behavior, and no bending those books too far.

Kidding, glad we have an expert here. I grew up in a library (and skipped kinde..."

"Information Specialist" sounds pretty fabulous to me.

James wrote: "Hey Starman, thank you for the compliments. Allison is a terrific lady, and I foresee her going for in the writing field. I know we both hope so, as well as we both hope to one day soon coauthor a ..."

You spoil me Kris...thanks for being so sweet. Don't worry, there's no competition...if you have a few minutes to look around, do, and if you don't, no one's judging. I'm so glad you're interested enough to join! As for our Long Distance Book Buddy Read, I'm paused until I can get my audio book file back! My OverDrive app is being stupid...

Julie wrote: "Hi Everyone! My name is Julie (we have three Julie's in this group so far, that's pretty awesome!) and I am a young 43! I worked in the Accounting field for about 23 years when I decided I was done..."

I'm a gamer too and I'm 47. Sometimes it just feels good to blow stuff up!

Hi everyone my name is Abel a 16 year old living in California. I became a book lover about two years ago, which I regret not being earlier. I'm not a very slow reader unless I'm not enjoying the book or I'm busy. I can finish a book in 2-7 days if I really enjoy the story, I mostly read books in about 2-3 weeks.

ABEL, welcome to the Snails :) What kind of books are you liking so far?

GAMERS LAURA & JULIE: Y'all sound fun! Blowing stuff up (in games or at the shooting range) are great stress relievers in modern life. Sadly, in real life, it's no longer socially acceptable to whack idiots with a club. There sure are a lot of lady gamers these days, though I'm not sure CandyCrush or PokemonGo counts ;p

What's your favorite platform (PC/XBox/PS3/etc?), and your fave game? I love old 80s arcade games. The best modern game I've played recently is The Last of Us (PS3/PS4)... a post-apocalyptic adventure/survival game.

Hi im Kori, im 22 and from scotland. Ive been into reading since i was very young, but due to being a uni student with alot of stuff to get done my reading has slowed down. I am a big fan of fantasy but will generally read anything, although not really romance. I am also into gaming and dancing.

Salutations
My name is Ariana and I'm 17 turning 18 very soon!!! I'm from Australia and I love books :)
I suck at intros

Allison wrote: "Your side gig/hobby sounds like fun...do you work alongside graphic designers? Speaking of virtual worlds, I just joined Habitica...have you heard of it?..."

I usually work alone when I script (program) stuff in virtual worlds like Second Life (SL). Sometimes I work on projects with friends in-world who specialize in building, design, or 3D modeling.

Habitica looks interesting, and a little bit like a virtual world. To non-gamers, I usually describe Second Life (SL) and its spin-offs as:

Sort of like The Sims... but with real people behind the characters/avatars, and unlimited possibilities. Or like WarCraft, without all the war and goals and quests. You can do anything you want in SL. It's sort of hard to explain it until you play it... imagine real life duplicated, but with infinite and crazy possibilities (and a bit of a learning curve before it gets really fun). At any given time, there many thousands or people playing.

Mostly I'd rather read a book (or write something) than play virtual worlds for hours, but sometimes it's fun to get in there and create stuff, or socialize with friends. And it's free to play, unless you buy a premium account, or buy stuff in-world (there are tons of freebies). There are book clubs, vampire clans, dance clubs, beaches, and everything else in SL.

Hi I'm Elizabeth, I'm 32 & I'm from Northern California. I just got married in June so my life was consumed with wedding planning & DYI cause I'm crazy. I finally have my time back & I need to catch up on some books. I love fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, suspense, historical fiction, etc. I'm not a huge fan of romance but I'll read almost anything if it's strongly suggested. Other then that, I'm a big gamer. I have an obsession with the Lego games & I play WoW. I work for a co-op as a receptionist. My husband & I hope to start a family soon & possibly move to Oregon in a few years. What else, I'm super crafty (DIY wedding people), PokemonGo is a new obsession, I love writing lists, love to cook, garden....so much.

I'm enjoying reading a bit about everyone. Let's see...‎

I'm another Gen X-er. I don't have an interesting job, but it pays the bills and supports my book addiction. For now.‎ 

I love fantasy and horror (and some sci-fi), and I also love a lot of classics. As might be expected, I adore classics in the horror or speculative fiction vein.

I've gotten into the habit of only reading things I'm pretty sure I'll really like. ‎My GR average rating tells me that I do a pretty good job of that. ‎Why waste precious reading time on anything else? 
‎
I have an unnaturally enthusiastic appreciation of language. This is my excuse for being a slow reader. I also visualize everything.

‎I'm too modest to consider myself an artist (obviously not professionally, but even otherwise), but I have artistic tendencies. This also applies to writing.

‎I have eclectic taste in music (I'll elaborate a bit in the music thread). I enjoy concerts, theatre, museums, hockey games (I'm a Blackhawks fan), movies, dancing, art. I admit I have geeky tendencies. I won't get into that. At least, not any further than I already have. 

I'm single (blissfully, after my last relationship). I have two kitties.‎

Abel wrote: "Hi everyone my name is Abel a 16 year old living in California. I became a book lover about two years ago, which I regret not being earlier. I'm not a very slow reader unless I'm not enjoying the b..."

Hello Abel, glad you've joined the group! Happy to have you and we look forward to sharing great books with you.

Kori wrote: "Hi im Kori, im 22 and from scotland. Ive been into reading since i was very young, but due to being a uni student with alot of stuff to get done my reading has slowed down. I am a big fan of fantas..."

Hey Kori, glad you've found the group! I'm also a college student and it's hard to find time to get my pleasure reading in these days. I'm really struggling with it; that's why I thought the Book Snails would be a good idea. Take a look around and enjoy yourself!

Ariana wrote: "Salutations
My name is Ariana and I'm 17 turning 18 very soon!!! I'm from Australia and I love books :)
I suck at intros "

Hey Ariana! Happy almost birthday; we'll be sure to wish you a very special day. Where in Australia are you from? I want to visit there so very much.

And another Gen X-er.

Everyone here is so nice. I'm usually nice, but I tend to be a bit morbid and lack social graces.

I've had a few careers. Started off as a writer/production slave and got pushed into radio for about 15 years. When that wasn't fun any more, I went to work at a magazine. Then all the magazines started folding, so I went back to school and became an RN. After several years in the ER, I got sick and had to take a job with more normal hours. I manage an apartment complex now with hopes of getting over my fear of debt and finishing my master's degree.

I'm a big football fan. The season is starting soon, so my reading speed will drastically decline. Allison, you couldn't have started this group at a better time. Go Bears!

StarMan, I'm using a PS4 now. The Last of Us is one of my favorites. Right now, I'm playing Doom. Horror genre games are my favorite.

There's The Sceptics' Book Club here in L.A. I'm the organizer and we meet monthly and mainly read non-fiction. If anyone lives nearby, you're welcome to drop in.

I also enjoy street photography, crocheting, movies and my critters. I have two cats and traded in a husband for a pug. Total bargain.