This is a sticky post, so please scroll down for new book reviews.
Okay, so 5-Squared has been going strong now since April, and we have tons of people on here. My question for everyone is - who is interested in continuing on next year? Please leave me a comment or send me an email to let me know if you want to stay or leave. I'm particularly interested in hearing from people who wanted to join but haven't yet had the opportunity to post any reviews.
Goals will of course be set at 25 books this year instead of the pro-rated levels in 2008. If you have a personal goal that's higher than the 25 (for example, my goal is 100 books in 2009) and you want that posted on your book list, also let me know that in your comment. I'll put both on the list. While you're here, take a look at your 2008 goals and see how well you're doing. We're reading so much! It's wonderful!
For those who follow us in Google Reader, please forgive the fact that in a couple weeks, I'll be posting all the new book lists for linking to in 2009. I'll post them dated at the beginning of December, after we get some real reviews in, but I'm sure they'll still show up in Reader. My apologies. I don't know a better way to do it unless I stick the book lists back in April, which seems a bit cumbersome.
I've really enjoyed our group and hope some of you are still enjoying it. Please let me know one way or another what you want to do next year, and if you are still interested in participating.
Also, does anyone have any comments or suggestions on the flow of the webpage? I'm open to all suggestions.
Lastly, if you have reviews for 2008 that you don't get to until 2009, please mention in the review that you read the book in 2008 so I can put in on the appropriate book list. I know sometimes we get behind and don't post our review for awhile after we've finished reading, and that's perfectly fine. I just want to make sure I don't screw everything up.
Thanks everyone!
Amanda
PS - I'd like to add that if anyone new wants to join our blog, please leave a comment here or send me an email as well. I can always sign up new members for 2009.
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39 comments:
I'd like to stay, please! Thanks.
I definitely want to stay too!! Count me in!
There are 16 people listed. Even if they weighed 200 pounds each, that would total only 3200 pounds. There are 2000 pounds in a ton, so we have less than two tons. Is it appropriate to say we have tons of people if we have less than two tons, or is any amount greater than one ton enough to say that we have tons of people?
Oh John. John, John, John...
So, want to keep on for next year?
If there's more than one ton, then I would have to say there are tons of us. But if we gain more people or weight (hope for the former, not the latter), then the weight would increase and we might even be over two tons. But I digress, I think because we're (conceivably) over one ton, then it is tons of people. Of course, Amanda didn't mention the guests and I don't think we should go into their numbers, but I'm sure that would put us over the two tons.
Anywho, I've found this tons of fun and do want to stay on for next year.
Perhaps its worth mentioning that, if we express the weight of our membership in decimals, then tons is always the appropriate word. As in: those 5-squared folks are so dang skinny, I think they weigh, oh, maybe, .7 tons.
BTW, I won't be joining. I have some interpersonal issues with the admin's husband, he's a jerk.
Do I need to beat you up?
Mmm.. that sounds kind of nice...
And for THAT, I'm forcing you to stick around, you jerk.
well, I TOLD you your husband was a jerk...
Sounds like a rough crowd--count me in--I'll help toward your weight quota as well. :P
I cannot commit to a quota of 25 books. I was assigned a goal of 16 this year, but only reported on 9. I can do one a month. I am going to have to leave the 5-Squared blog and sign up for the Square Root of a Gross blog.
No problem John. it was good to have you on here in '08. :)
I'd love to continue. I can read the 25 books, but sometimes I can't do that many reviews. Does that sound lame?
I'll keep you signed up then Marcia. And if you want to do paragraph-long reviews instead of the super long ones some of us resort to, that's fine, too. :)
where's Byron?! what with Jason and your husband calling each other names (and i can relate to multiple personalities), we need Byron in the 2009 challenge. he reads ...um... guy books.
Wait a minute... does that mean I read 'guy' books? I'm not sure what I hope the answer is...
ummm... well, you don't read "Chick Lit". Moby Dick qualifies as a guy book; the jury's still out on anything involving Emily Dickinson. i don't think i'd put ED in the Chick-Lit category though.
;-)
Nothing in the "classics" genre counts as chic-lit, not even Jane Austen. Classics transcend such petty titles. ;)
okay, i admit it. Jane Austen is (genderless) Classic Fiction.
OTOH, "Little Women" or anything else by Weezy Alcott? Chick-Lit. :-)
You know, I'll give you that one (Little Women). It's an early form of chic-lit.
Well, I'm here. I'm just not sure about committing to 25 books. I have slowed down to reading nearly nothing since I got a retail job at the beginning of August.
For another thing, (5-Squared FUN-SPOILER ALERT!) I feel like I don't fit in with this group very well. Recently the comments about disliking genre fiction, and especially the ones about fantasy/sci-fi being mostly arrogant trash have upset me a bit. Nothing like a little percieved elitism to sour the feeling of being a group, IMO.
But whether the disdain for my lack of sophistication is real or imagined, there is so little overlap of interests that I find few reviews to be interesting to me (no offense intended to anyone), and I feel equally that my reviews are absurdly irrelevant to the group.
In the end, I just don't have that connection that I was hoping to find. Weighing the pros and cons, I had kind of decided to stay out in 2009. But then, hamilcar, your request that I stay in does mean something to me.
All I can say is I'm thinking about it. What I need is 5-Squared Lite or something, implying either fewer books set as a goal, much more lowbrow reading selections, or both. That's certainly something I'd feel comfortable with :)
(FUN-SPOILER FINISHED)
Byron, I'm sorry for any offense I might have given you. :( It certainly wasn't intended. I love your reviews and comments and miss them, and I've tried not to nag since I know you've been busy with the job and all. I would love you to stay, but I understand if you decide not to. Let me know whichever way you decide, by comment or you have my email.
(If it makes you feel any better at all, the book I just finished writing is actually a subgenre of science fiction...so I'm only a little bit of a book snob, right? Maybe?)
If you come back, Byron, I promise to reread the Dune series, or the Neuromancer trilogy next year. Have you ever read Neuromancer? It's the bestest.
Right now I feel like an attention-hungry diva. Affirm me! or I'll throw a tantrum!
Well, maybe not that bad. The group hug is nice, but I would like to think I'm not so pathetic that I needed one in the first place.
I'm still thinking about it.
But I'm warning you. I am planning to read a lot of the same stuff, and may be reading a lot of anti-religious books as well, which may offend some 5-squareders. So maybe you should all be trying to run me off while you can...
Hey, like I said, I like your reviews. And anti-religious books are welcome here, just like any other.
I read a book a week. Only problem is that at 38, I thought I had read nearly every book I've ever wanted to, until I found your page.
Thanks for all these reviews.
come back for 2009, Byron!! we need more gender-genre balance here. :-)
furthermore, i've just finished Pratchett's "Thud", and have five more Discworld books sitting on my TBR shelf. i need someone who can give opinions on these.
Jason, a re-read of the Dune series is enticing. i have the first three sitting around here somewhere gathering dust. i know i loved the first one, then was less impressed with the next two.
Guy books rool!! ;-)
What type of books do you typically read Gregoire?
What type of books do you typically read Gregoire?
I only re-started reading modern fiction a few months ago.
My now obsolete old blog has a few book reviews. Generally I was lazy and would just list them all in one post.
http://revnost.blogspot.com/2008/03/future-perfect.html
Like that.
Gregoire - I think it would be great if you joined the blog. I looked quick and saw Calvino. My husband has lots of his books on our shelves, and I've been meaning to read more of them.
As for Byron, I think you should stay - I've been getting bogged down trying to read too much high brow stuff. I'm about to (as in over the next month or 2) review a couple children's books, the Twilight series, and some more cook/entertaining books. And that's not very high brow. I think the more variability in genre, the better.
Just my 2 cents.
I'd be glad to contribute if you'll have me. A review every two weeks will be pretty simple; but bear in mind I don't read the types of books many of you guys and gals do. Much of it will be arcane and probably not-very-interesting.
Okay Gregoire, I will set up a list for you and also send you an invite to the group. I won't set up a 2008 list since it's already mid-December.
So, I've got two books on my desk, given to me by my wife for Christmas. One's by Christopher Hitchens, and the other is by Salman Rushdie.
Just how long I'll last before I piss off all the observant Mormons and Christians around here is an open question. Are you guys sure you want me joining your little clique? If you'd rather not, save me some trouble and just delete me now, lol. I don't want to make enemies where none are necessary.
Gregoire, as long as you stick to the rules of the group - ie, not pushing personal opinions on anyone, not belittling anyone's beliefs - you should be fine. It doesn't matter if you read material that others might not want to read. It DOES matter if you are offensive in your reviews. We try to keep everything polite and civil and open to everyone. :)
Gregoire - Please do review them. FYI, I know of 2 atheists and 2 agnostics in this group, and there could be more. Furthermore, I'm ex-LDS (though I haven't taken my name from the records), I will soon be reading and reviewing "Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why" by Bart Ehrman, and I am also hoping to read "No Man Knows my History" by Fawn Brodie. There are things that can offend me, but religious critique is not among them.
Byron! Does that mean you'll indeed join us for 2009? I hope it does. Let me know, and I'll make a book list for you. :)
Sure, go ahead and add me, I'll give it another try. And then we'll just see what happens...
(cue diabolical laughter here)
Yay!
I've added a book list and count for you, and look forward to hearing more reviews.
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