1 week for nominating any book we are interested in reading
1 week for voting on which book to read
1 week to acquire the book
And then we read!! We’ll figure out the schedule depending on the book.
Nomination ground rules
because i feel like we need some, but please let me know if you want to remove / add anything:
Books levels 15 and down
No graded readers?? Please let me know how you feel about this.
Everyone is welcome to join, even if your reading level is much higher and you just want a chill read. It would also be fun, if we end up deciding on a book that has been translated into another language, to have learners from other languages join, like the Korean in Translation book club.
Nomination Template
Simply copy and paste the below text (not quote) into a reply to nominate.
**Book**: Put a Natively link here!
**Genre**: provide genre if it's clearly stated (mystery/horror/sf/etc), otherwise "general fiction" is fine, or leave blank
**Length**: number of pages, and number of volumes if applicable
**Is there an ebook available?**: yes or no (buying options are visible on the Natively book page)
[details="Summary - Korean"]
you can copy/paste this from wherever you'd like. Please have it in a drop down like shown.
[/details]
[details="Summary - English"]
Optional! Chuck the above summary into DeepL, Google Translate, or the like. Or remove this section.
[/details]
[details="Content warnings if known"]
You can't be expected to know all the content of a book you haven't read yet, but if you know it deals with specific heavy topics, or the author is known for doing so, please include it here.
[/details]
**Why are you nominating this book:** This section is optional, but it's nice to know why someone else is interested in reading a book, and might sway others to vote for it!
Discussion ground rules
I am copying this straight from the Japanese Mystery Novel Book Club because I feel like the same rules should apply, thank you @cat for the template!!)
Spoilers behind spoiler tags
Always mention where you are in the book when discussing, ideally by chapter so people reading different versions have a clear point of reference.
Feel free to read ahead if it’s exciting! But please refrain from spoiling ahead of the appropriate week
If you have a question about grammar, vocab, cultural things, etc - ask! That can be part of the discussion too and I’m sure some folks would be happy to help.
So here we go:
It took me an embarassing amout of time to realise that 요츠바랑 is actually Yotsuba to; which I have heard about in the wanikani forums since the beginner japanese learners seem to be really into it.
And it does seem interesting, and approachable!! So, even though it is not a native Korean book, I think it could be a fun read for an Absolute Beginner Book Club.
Just a reminder that nominations are still very much open
So far we have 1: my own, so the voting will be cut real short, and I’ll get to feel like a despot, a dangerous thing for my ego. Proceed with caution
here is my nomination! i made a typo when first checking its level on natively and stressed myself out whilst trying to determine the level based on the preview on ridi . thankfully i checked again and discovered that it is in the under 15 range!
I voted but don’t let me be the tie breaker if it ends up that way since I’m not sure yet if I’d join in…but I’m available for language questions and help!
It’s a tie!
I’m not sure what to do, I voted but could really go either way. I guess since @bungakushoujo didn’t want to be a tie-breaker, we’re going with 요츠바랑?? And we start reading on Monday 21st?
I’ll try to buy it asap and work out a reading schedule. If anyone has any idea of the size of the chapters, or how to divide the readings, please share with the class, I’m going in completely blind I guess it also depends how long we want to spend on it… So many variables, so little time to think on it!
I’ll report back once I have the book and can see how much text there is on each page.
sorry about that false alarm, i hit reply before actually finishing the post
So, i got the book, and it runs up to 228 pages (the ebook that is).
I worked out a few different reading schedules:
I don’t think we can do 1 chapter a week, as some chapters, especially the earlier ones, are quite long.
So i’m thinking, if we do it in 10 weeks, averaging a little over 20 pages per week, we would finish just in time for 2025! That timeframe scratches a very nice itch in my brain, but I completely understand if 20 pages is still much for an absolute beginner book club. It would also cut the reading at random points.
Another way is to do 1 chapter every 2 weeks.
So here are the options:
option 1: speed
Chapter
Pages
Start Date
End date
1
48
21/10
27/10
2
38
28/10
3/11
3
28
4/11
10/11
4
26
11/11
17/11
5
30
18/11
24/11
6
32
25/11
1/12
7
20
2/12
8/12
option 2: 2025
Chapter
Pages
Start Date
End date
1
24
21/10
27/10
1
24
28/10
3/11
2
19
4/11
10/11
2
19
11/11
17/11
3
28
18/11
24/11
4
20
25/11
1/12
4-5
22 (6+16)
2/12
8/12
5-6
24 (14+10)
9/12
15/12
6
22
16/12
22/12
7
20
23/12
29/12
option 3: 1 chapter-2 weeks
Chapter
Pages
Start Date
End date
1
24
21/10
27/10
1
24
28/10
3/11
2
19
4/11
10/11
2
19
11/11
17/11
3
14
18/11
24/11
3
14
25/11
1/12
4
13
2/12
8/12
4
13
9/12
15/12
5
15
16/12
22/12
5
15
23/12
29/12
6
16
30/12
05/01
6
16
06/01
12/01
7
10
13/01
19/01
7
10
20/01
26/01
Another option is allowing everyone to read at the speed they prefer, making sure to mention the page number when posting in the home thread.
Final poll (I hope!):
Choose your schedule!
speed is my middle name (option 1)
i like a challenge, let’s finish by 2025 (option 2)
this is an absolute beginner book club, let’s not get carried away (option 3)
Since I’m not a beginner, I’ll refrain from voting.
Just thought I’d note that the manga retains the Japanese right-to-left reading direction - I just got the first volume from Ridi and that already threw me off!
Also, if you’re not sure whether you want to join, there’s a free 28-page preview you can look at to get an idea of the language level (you might need to log in to view):
I created the thread for the actual reading. I’m not 100% sure I know the difference between a regular book club and an informal book club, but I’ll just open the one thread, and everyone reading along can comment there. 1 a week seems excessive.
I cleaned up the homethread a bit and added the nomination template.
We already have 2 past nominations: 도라에몽 1 | L9 and 치즈 스위트 홈 01권 | L8 , should they be included this time?
Here’s mine for this round:
Genre: children’s book Length: 80 pages Is there an ebook available?: Yes
Summary - Korean
“너는 서리처럼 작고 눈처럼 부드러워. 겨울이 추워질수록 얼음처럼 단단해질 거야. 햇빛이 너를 비추면 다이아몬드처럼 빛나겠지.” 고양이와 그림책이 외로운 아이들에게 건네는 따스한 위로의 선물! 작은 월셋집으로 이사 오면서 아연이는 많은 것을 잃었다. 아빠는 집을 나가 어딘가를 떠돌고, 엄마는 물류 센터 야간 근무로 늘 피곤에 찌들어 있고, 좋아하는 그림책은 집에 둘 자리가 없어 버리고 왔다. 마음 둘 곳 없던 아연이는 어느 날 그림책이 빼곡 꽂힌 아파트 작은 도서관에 발을 들이면서 비로소 안식처를 찾는다. ‘내 방’처럼 몰래 드나들던 작은 도서관에서 어느 추운 밤 눈부시게 하얀 고양이를 만나는데……. 따스한 글과 그림으로 외로운 아이의 마음을 가만가만 도닥여 주는 아름다운 그림책!
Summary - English
“You are small as frost and soft as snow. As the winter grows colder, you will become hard as ice. When the sun shines on you, you’ll shine like a diamond.” A cat and a picture book bring comfort to lonely children! When they moved to the little Walsett house, Zinzhi lost a lot of things. His father has left home to wander the world, his mother is always tired from her night shift at the warehouse, and his favorite picture books have no place in the house. With nowhere to turn, Zhenyi finds sanctuary in the apartment’s small library, which is lined with picture books. In the small library, which he sneaks in and out of as if it were his own room, he meets a dazzling white cat one cold night. … A beautifully illustrated book that will warm the heart of a lonely child with its heartwarming words and pictures!
Why are you nominating this book: It is short enough that I think I’d be approachable to beginners (or anyone starting to read native content), even though it is a prose book.
The story seems heartwarming, and looking at the preview on Yes24 I really like the art style as well.
. thankfully i checked again and discovered that it is in the under 15 range!
I guess it also depends how long we want to spend on it… So many variables, so little time to think on it!
