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

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.

I guess I’ll just wait until hear who else will be participating in the next book. Since the poll was just put up, it’ll take time for people to respond. Thanks for clarifying @jprspereira.

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Depending on the reading rate you guys pick I might join the beginner group. I think skill based groups is an interesting idea, but my primary concern is actually time. I just don’t have the vocabulary base to efficiently read longer works while keeping up with the rest of my studies and personal life.

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I’ve also ordered the 2nd book (I’m not a user type that can edit the OP to add my name to say so.) I just rejoined Wanikani after a long absence (and reset my progress), so I’m too late really for the 1st book, but I like the idea of the club.

I also picked all three. Thing is, demarcating the levels makes less difference than what the book is. And it’s very hard to tell what level a book is without reading a fair chunk of it yourself. We did No.6 because it was recommended as easy by native speakers. Turns out it’s not that easy. Autumn Prison is recommended as easy by the JALUP website, but none of us know yet what that means for us. So, yeah, I’m the same as Caracal, I’d probably ignore the level categories and just choose by which book I wanted to read - probably I’d read more than one.

@LucasDesu, I’ve ordered Autumn Prison and will be reading that regardless. I think several other people already have it too. I agree it would be nice to get a feel for how many people are intending to read that - since it’s hopefully already a step easier than No.6.

Edit: A poll to see who is currently intending to read Autumn Prison:

  • Have book and intend to read
  • Don’t have book, but intend to read
  • Don’t intend to read

0 voters

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Wow it’s great to see the thread active again :smiley: I’m all for adjusting the structure of the book club to accommodate learners of all levels. The only thing I’m worried about is groups getting really small after we split the club up - there seems to be a lot of interest for a beginner-level book club but, I think we should pay special attention to interest for the Intermediate and Advanced levels and consider combining them if interest for an Advanced book isn’t high enough.

I’d also like to advocate for a bit more organization - I think it’d be nice if each iteration of the club had a Manager-type person who can be in charge of the OP and keep things running smoothly in general. I also think it’d be cool if there was a Discussion Leader position that changes each week/chapter/etc., who comes up with discussion questions and tries to keep discussion rolling. I imagine more details can be worked out once we hear from more people and decide the direction of the club, but I think we should keep this in mind when deciding how these new clubs will be organized :+1:

(PS - Ima edit the OP so more people can vote in the polls we’ve set up recently)

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I agree as well. That was my initial concern, that the readers in the higher groups will be too pared down. Due to time commitments, I cannot commit to reading large amounts (I still read fairly slow) so combining the intermediate and advanced levels might be a good idea if there’s not enough participation.

More organization does help because it fosters a sense of responsibility and belonging. People are also less likely to ditch if they know others are depending on their participation.

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Yeah, I definitely think it would help with that :+1: I also think that roles like a Discussion Leader can help struggling readers with comprehension and help keep them engaged in the book.

@atrejub - I’ve added you to the OP, glad to have you! Unfortunately the club is undergoing some changes and we might not end up reading Autumn Prison after all. Go ahead and vote in the Autumn Prison interest poll, perhaps it’ll still be used for the Intermediate or Advanced group once we’ve reorganized.

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Or maybe just keep following the next book, but at their own slower pace…

Possibly eventually the second group would be on book 3 while the faster group is on book 5 and approaching 6, but, you know, that would be okay too. *shrugs*

Or yeah, splinter and do an easier one. Or go back and forth between the same book and an easier one. There are many ways to do this.

I wouldn’t want to go that far.

O.o

What if you level up halfway through a book?

I think you’re making it over-complicated.

I’m responding “no” for myself as a personal choice. I actually think it’s a good idea for the thread/group as a whole. However, someone had suggested graded readers, and I personally have no interest in that. I’d rather challenge myself. (So I clicked Beginner and Intermediate for the last question.) I have Yotsuba and NHK News Easy for beginner reading already… I feel like this was called a book club, so we should be reading books! XD

I really like the idea of all of us struggling together. (It’s part of why I participate in things like 48 hour game jams… everyone’s desperately scrambling, but there’s camaraderie in that. : D )

Those are my 2 cents.

That’s why I’ll be reading Autumn Prison even if I go back to school for a Masters and have other reading to do! O.o

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From what I’ve read so far, I don’t think it’s affecting Autumn Prison happening next month? I’m really not sure.

Either way, that’s what I’ll be reading.