Intermediate Japanese Book Club // Now Reading: セーラー服と機関銃

Guys, let us know if you agree. Listening to everyone interested in participating is essencial.

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So the goal is to also have different level books for different levels? Sounds nice. I really hope there’ll be enough people for all levels, but only time will tell! :slight_smile:

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Yup. The idea is that a lot of people give up or end up not joining at all simply because their levels are unbalanced with other participants/the book. 3 groups allow us to be more specific on the different Japanese levels, which could mean + participation and useful learning.

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I would be in the Intermediate one =).

Can someone make a voting poll to see how many people we have in each level?
Is that the right tool for this? :thinking:

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Since I have a goal for myself to complete Genki I and Japanese the Manga Way by the end of the year, I’d be interested in joining the beginner book club group at the start of next year so I could attempt to put everything I learned to use. I think others have similar goals so maybe we could get a beginner level group to start together at the beginning of next year?

This would, of course, be in addition to any other groups. I’m not, by any means, suggesting that the beginner group wait until the beginning of the year to read if they want to start now. If no one is interested in my idea, that’s fine too. I’ll be reading regardless. But knowing that a group wants to start with me will certainly help keep me accountable and I wouldn’t be surprised if others felt similarly.

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Do you agree with the new categories for the Japanese book Club v2?

Beginner (N5 and N4)
Intermediate (N3 and lower N2)
Advanced (higher N2 and N1)

  • Yes.
  • No.

0 voters

Would you participate in it?

  • Yes.
  • No.

0 voters

In which categories would you be interested in participating?

  • Beginner (N5 and N4)
  • Intermediate (N3 and lower N2)
  • Advanced (higher N2 and N1)

0 voters

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I would definitely be interested with the additional groups. While they still might be a bit above my level since I’m still an absolute beginner, I think the division of book difficulties will tremendously increase participation for all levels of readers. I know as a beginner I’ve been focusing more on just studying the basics rather than finding reading material, so I can certainly appreciate finding reading material as a group effort. And I’m sure the higher-level readers will also appreciate it for similar reasons.

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I would probably try to participate in intermediate (to challenge myself, since I feel like the only skill I’m developing fast is reading), while also keeping an eye on the discussions in beginner (to learn and repeat).

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I will definitely participate in the beginner group, and keep an eye on the intermediate and buy their books to try challenge myself and test when I’m ready for it =)

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I picked all 3, since I am waaaaayyy underqualified for NO.6, but apparently I like to suffer? Definitely wouldn’t mind feeling halfway competent, though, so I’d be interested in the other levels as well. I’d probably end up deciding mostly based on which book(s) sounded most interesting, regardless of level.

It’s pretty weird to feel like I’m back in kindergarten learning to read for the first time…except much, much, much slower. So maybe more like a kindergartener with a learning disability or two.

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Yeah, I’ll be much more likely to participate in the book club if there’s a Beginner option. Can’t make any promises, depends on the book and my amount of free time, but it’s certainly something I’ll be watching like a hawk.

I don’t see a problem with that :slight_smile: I could even say that choosing a book that challenges you a little and another that is simply too easy but that you enjoy is totally fine :slight_smile:

EDIT: By the way, I’m participating in the beginner group :slight_smile:

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At this moment 9 of 10 wants to join the beginner group :wink:
So we should definitely give it a try! =D

A lot happened while I was asleep…there are still a lot of learners who are not aware of their JLPT level because either they have no interest in taking the exam or they haven’t taken the exam as of yet (for any specific reason). I’m just not sure why the groups can’t be separated into Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced (without reference to JLPT level)? What does this mean for the current people because I have know idea whose going to participate in the current book that now may have opted to do a beginner’s group instead. It would be a lot clearer if people declared their intentions so I will know it’s even worth my time to purchase the next book.

I have not been present in this discussion at all so far because my grammar is somewhere between “nonexistent” and “woeful”, but I’ve been stalking this thread since its creation and I would make a strong effort to participate in a beginner group :laughing: I think that having a halfway-feasible book goal would motivate me to get my grammar on track.

@Ryouki I really like the idea of starting at the end of the year, it’ll give me some time to get my grammar beyond “woeful” xD

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I know several people have already declared their intent/ordered their copy of autumn prison. While I’m not a strong participant in the forums, I have ordered my copy and will try my best to keep up with the rest of you.

They are. The JLPT levels were just a way to help identifying the category. If you check the pool, it says “Beginner (N5 and N4)” etc.

That’s why I made the other 2 pools. Everyone should be on the same boat so that we don’t end up prejudicing someone’s learning. This is just a conversation for now. Everything that was agreed before maintains.

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That happened before this conversation and those who voted in the polls put up earlier. I’m not sure whether they will change their minds. Many people bailed out on No. 6 without saying anything either, I just don’t want the next round to go from a 5-6 person thread to a 1-2 person thread, that’s all.

You made the polls, but it doesn’t explicitly mention about participation in the next book. Is that the intent of the second poll?

That’s why I had the idea of dividing this by Japanese levels. I’m sure that for you having a group where only advanced learners are participating would be more beneficial (if they’re willing to, of course).

No, but it doesn’t imply that the next book will be canceled either. If there’s enough people for the 2nd book, it should happen.