[2022] 多読/extensive reading challenge

Japanese Language Reading
#1843

Generally not. Aria is basically the only exception. Nearly all the slice of life stuff I actually enjoy is comedy.

For those suggestions:

  • 棺担ぎのクロ is on sale (all but the last volume), so I’ll look into it a bit more tomorrow.
  • あっちこっち is not on sale.
  • GA 芸術科アートデザインクラス is on sale, but I passed on that and another series because I didn’t feel like reading about art stuff.
  • Ａチャンネル is not on sale.
  • けいおん！ is on sale (as well as the spin-offs), but I can’t bring myself to read music manga. I just feel like it wouldn’t be the same without having actual music.
2 Likes
#1844

I downloaded the first volume during a free trial period at one point, but I’m nowhere near ready for the lack of furigana and the heavy-looking dialogue. I have it on “check out one day” list, to see if it’s any good.

I read volume 1 in English a few years ago. I found that I didn’t find interest in a single character, or a single event. Hopefully it’ll turn out better for you.

Ah, I gotta get back to reading this one (English release). I keep pausing on reading it, then I forgot everything that was last going on…

Yeah, having read the manga (English release) after watching the anime, the manga felt a bit lacking in that area. (I still enjoy it, though.)

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#1845

Quite. I’ve got the whole series in English now (though there’s apparently another volume coming at some point with side stories), and I think I really need to sit down and read through the whole thing in one sitting. Or a couple of sittings. For a manga that’s essentially a bunch of little vignettes, there’s a lot of continuity, and I keep forgetting who everyone is.

Plus, I’ve noticed it has a habit of revealing things to the audience on the sly that are actually major plot points, but which not one of the main characters ever learns or realises.

4 Likes
#1846

That’s my biggest problem. Of course that’s because of how split up my reading has been. I don’t know if I’ve even read any since I transitioned from an old tablet to an e-ink reader for manga reading. Can’t read Kuro on there or I’ll miss on the beautiful colors used here and there! I’d like to get back to it, but for now, my English reading’s focused on finishing up the last half of Honey and Clover.

4 Likes
#1847

Lately I am again feeling like my reading speed has improved!

Rambles

I am pretty sure it’s due to all of my reading this year, which is inspired by both this thread and these forums (and book clubs) in general, but the realization of it right now is definitely specifically due to the sweet repetitive silliness that is 乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった. :joy: With work etc being stressful lately this super (SUPER) easy light novel with a good heart and a tendency to repeat entire sections from different POVs is just what I need. Anyway, I am reading it both for longer stretches than I usually read novels (if I’m not in the finishing stretch) and more often, as in, I find more time throughout the day to get in a few pages here and there. This is a habit I’d love to keep going forward, but with other things it takes longer to get into the reading flow and it usually doesn’t feel worth it for short periods. The reading speed/stamina/frequency is affecting my manga reading, too–it’s becoming more natural to read the same one for longer instead of flitting between them (though I still do a lot of flitting). I have four now where it feels normal to read half a volume or more in one sitting. (I also have a couple where I often read 2-5 pages and think it’s enough for the day, lol, but I think that is not a reading stamina problem.) The whole ‘I want to read the next bit so I’ll keep going’ desire has for me almost always been outweighed by ‘Alas my poor brain is overtaxed by all this exhaustion of reading Japanese what a pity’ (which is usually a lie, brain, I see you). Lately the former is starting to win more often! Not as much as I’d like, but definitely on an upward trend!

Finally, if after this I fall into an abyss of only reading garbage, I will know who to blame. (searches for an emoji that makes it clear I’m joking)

11 Likes
#1848

Music? Actually, It’s about drinking tea and eating sweets while in a music clubroom.

8 Likes
#1849

Harikamo’s color pages are always amazing. chiya_emoji

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#1850

:eyes:

checks own bookmeter page
starts to sweat profusely
Wasn’t me.

12 Likes
#1851

I’m actually reading more than usual lately… but since it’s mostly at work I’ve been reading more novels and less manga.

I’ve picked up 涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱 again and that’s been my down-time-at-work read (I’m an ALT)

Finished セーラームーン volume 2! I’ve read so many English editions of Sailor Moon from the 90’s and early 2000’s floppy comics to Smile Magazine to the recent Kodansha English editions, but finally reading it in Japanese is so satisfying. I’m reading the digital editions, though, and they are dense. It’s a little startling how long it takes to read through one volume.

Now I’m going to get back to reading とんがり帽子アトリエ Vol 7. It’s one of my favorite manga right now, but sometimes I like to take a break and read something with furigana. :upside_down_face:

11 Likes
#1852

I had an unexpected burst of reading energy last night and finished two volumes of manga instead of one, which puts me both at 200 for the year and at 4 volumes over my goal pace. I’ve been keeping myself 1-2 volumes over pace for the past several months so 4 feels great. I don’t think I have anything near finishing for after work tonight so I might end today at 3, which is also good.

My brain could use some extra motivation right now, so here are some mini goals:

  1. finish プラネテス by the end of the week
  2. finish 乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった 2 by the end of the week
  3. finish remaining book club reading for the week (セーラームーン, ゆるキャン△, and 魔女の宅急便) before Friday
12 Likes
#1853

Interested to hear what you think of it overall after finishing :raising_hand_woman:

2 Likes
#1854

Got my books from Amazon JP. They sent them a week after I created the order but once shipped the order arrived in a couple of days.

books
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Unfortunately one of the books got damaged :frowning: And you’d think the world’s largest bookstore knows how to package books :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

But anyway, I’m excited to jump in! I guess I’ll start from コンビニ人間 or 氷菓 (sorry guys, I voted for it in the bookclub poll but didn’t get to it back then :disappointed:).

monogatari
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I will leave 西尾維新 for last. I bet it’s going to be a tough read, so I need more practice before I dare tackle it. But to my advantage I’m a big fan of the Monogatari series anime, so I have all the motivation to go through the novels :wink:
giphy

11 Likes
#1855

It’s weird isn’t it. Usually Amazon packages the books really securely. Other times, not so much. If you email them about it they’ll probably refund the cost of that book, if you really care.

3 Likes
#1856

Getting a refund won’t fix the book :frowning_face: and the price is pretty low, so it won’t make me feel better either.

I’m surprised they put the books in a soft plastic bag. They inserted a cardboard sheet for rigidity but it doesn’t protect the corners. Could be a coincidence but I’ve ordered a lot of books from Amazon (US, EU, JP) and it seems that the packaging quality is going down every year.

#1857

I also want to read the Monogatari novels in japanese one day. But I will probably need to get much better at japanese first.

1 Like
#1858

Maybe we can even do a book club for it. I think it should be an interesting read given all the wordplay. Could be something for the advanced book club or a standalone one.

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#1859

Nominate it for the advanced club next!

7 Likes
Advanced Japanese Book Club (Now reading: 本陣殺人事件)
#1860

OK, good idea!

2 Likes
#1861

Guess I’m doing my halfway report a bit late now that I have some time, and just finished the first volume of コノスバ! That put’s me at 4/5 in my original yearly goal, and I’m over 60% both in intermediate book club’s 夜市 and my personal book キノの旅 II. I think I’ll have to up my goal from 5 to at least 10, since soon the total is going to be 6. Maybe even push 12, since my reading speed and habits have both improved a lot ,I feel. I’m also finalizing my Master’s thesis finally (which probably would have completed a lot faster without me escaping to study Japanese all the time, oh well). Let’s see what graduating and work do to my reading.

Haven’t really been feeling the second story in Night Market, but I would feel bad about not finishing it, so I’ll try to push through somehow. Meanwhile I’m thinking about what I should start next. I’m trying to lean towards my physical books, where I’m looking at 青春ブタ野郎 and はたらく魔王さま, maybe 甘城ブリリアントパーク (ignoring book club nominations, trying to save those, Your Name plz). Then again, there is the advanced book club coming up later, as well as the 1Q84 one, so have to gauge my future workload… I guess a poll is in order.

  • 青春ブタ野郎
  • はたらく魔王さま
  • 甘城ブリリアントパーク
  • 時をかける少女
  • SAO
  • You’re trying to read too much.

0 voters

All in all I’m really been having fun with my first half-year of reading. Little by little it becomes smoother. I think people really underestimate how much you have to read even simple stuff for it to really become effortless (obv. not there yet). Though, happy I didn’t really have to look up many words at the end of Konosuba.

10 Likes
#1862

Reading 時をかける少女 would be a waste of your time. It’s too “beginner” level for you and not particularly good either.

6 Likes