Are you both reading/ listening to about a chapter a day?
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No, not unless I have a lot of time that day. More like a chapter a week, but sometimes I’ll do more or less!
lots of details...
The audiobook chapters are normally 20-30 minutes, and if I’m reading something extensively (no lookups), it normally takes me twice that time (40-60), and if I’m reading intensively, then 60 minutes + depending on how intensively I’m reading (post book 1, normally if I do lookups it’s just around the intro / sweet / ending; but in book 1 for many chapters I made good use of the WK club vocab spreadsheet). For listening I normally do 10-15 minutes in a sitting (day) and for reading 30-45 minutes in a sitting.
So for the audiobook, I might listen to a chapter over the course of 2-3 days. For a book chapter, I’ll probably read a chapter in a weekend. But I’m not reading or listening every day (unless recently soggy is pressing ahead so fast my curiosity to revisit a chapter gets the better of me, lol). Normally if I’m reading a new volume regularly I’ll do something like a chapter a week. Although at times I’ll do more or less. I’m in the middle of Book 4 and progress has been lumpy since I’m reading a lot of other stuff and going back to book 2 as well! I don’t mind, it’s all fun.
And I’m totally flexible about pace if it turns out we can explore these together. I’m enjoying revisiting book 2 in parallel with soggy, so keep us posted when you get there, and it would be a good opportunity to do that again! I’m finding that after a few months have passed my appetite to revisit them is still great. I don’t read everything intensively, and I don’t mine words for srs from these, and I haven’t even listened to the audio books completely for each volume. So I’m enjoying having a fun excuse to go back.
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Cool, I should be able to catch up. I have 3 days off work each week (I work long hours 4 days) most of the time I have is spent reading, gaming or listening to Japanese unless I’m doing textbooks so shouldn’t be too difficult. Not saying I’ll understand what I’m reading properly since it is mostly extensive reading though 
I’ve been trying to read things a chapter a day (since the other books I was reading were shorter chapters) but these may take me a bit longer on working days for catching up. Then I’ll probably sit at the same pace as Soggy til we’re all at the same book/ chapter. 
When the book club was running, I was just finding it too difficult to switch between books and then try to catch up when I was looking up so many words but a lot of this is now at a level I can get the gist of with very few look ups.
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how fun! if you post in the original club threads as you go I think I followed all of them, but feel free to tag me if you have questions. I haven’t revisited bk 1 yet!
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I bet extensive comprehension will get a lot better the more you read of the series. I kind of favor a combo approach myself at the moment- reading ahead a few pages, then going back and reading again with lookups. Especially when I do the second pass the next day, it feels like I gain a lot more comprehension after my brain sleeps on it, even before I do the lookups part.
For reading- going to aim for a chapter a week or so when I start reading book 2.
Listening- just doing whatever haha, I’m trying to get 20hrs this month which is nearly an hour or more on days when I’m doing listening (I listen at work while doing menial tasks) so that’s why I’m listening to a whole chapter at a time.
How about I promise not to go past book 2, and then we can start book 3 around the same time? I only own 3 of the books so far, but if I’m having a lot of fun with them I might get more.
Book 2 chapter 3
Ohhhhhh your hints help a lot. I’m inspired to listen again!!
And here I was being like 今日 ??? 
This is actually another thing I’m running into, that I actually do catch something the first time but then think, nooo, that can’t be right…
Oh, that sounds fun!! Now I’m feeling super interested in how to approach the rest of the series. 
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Thanks, will do 
Yeah, it certainly has with the other books I was reading. I do some intensive reading when not at work (or when on breaks) just because I can’t use my phone or such when at my desk. I do tend to re-read things after a while to see improvements as well so there’s that too.
That’s cool 
I’ll try to match that then once I’m there.
No worries, I only have the full set because I collect stuff (not just books) and I need to have the full set or it feels weird 
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I’m back! Got me so excited that I relistened to the chapter today.
book 2 ch3
First of all, seems like the god is Inari, and the foxes are Inari’s helpers. One of those things that would be obvious and add plenty of context to a Japanese audience, but I didn’t catch that there were foxes involved in this story at all the first time around.
This time through I paused a lot more to look up words, which is more intensive/difficult because I don’t always parse words correctly. But it’s so satisfying when you hit on exactly the right lookup to understand a scene.
I got a lot more of the explanation about her wanting to be popular. Then, for the ending part, she goes to the other Zenitendou, buys something from the spooky other shopkeeper (A can?), opens it, and sees her face reflected back? Then something happens, and she disappears, the other Zenitendou disappears, and I assume she is trapped somewhere. (inside whatever she bought?) Then we see a shinto shrine, (lookup needed for やしろ) and Beniko walks out, and delivers her message to the trapped girl. She said something about how she would remain sleeping until the right customer comes. Which made me think of Jumanji.
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I’m enjoying our Zenitendo plans! I love these stories so it’s fun to have more discussions
bk2 ch 3
This chapter was uniquely difficult for the audiobook only approach
OK your understanding from that is super! You definitely got the right lookups. If I remember that last scene correctly, I imagined it like a compact mirror or something like a tobacco tin, so yeah, a bit like a flat can kind of thing. That’s right she’s promised to get in touch with the most powerful soothsayer which she already is I guess, and she gets sucked into it.
I’ll have to listen/ read again, I imagined Beniko talking to herself and not necessarily to the girl but you could be right! Haha, you’re right, this is totally a jumanji situation.
Haha yes! This started happening to me recently so I thought it must be for you, too!
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Brandon made the first post a wiki so I put in a table to add a home post where if you like you can make one for yourself and use it to put links to discussions of each chapter. Feel free to update it, etc, it’s pretty barebones!
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soggy’s zenitendou home post
Volume 2:
Thoughts/comprehension after listening only:
Chapter 1: Phantom Thief Roll
Chapter 2: Doctor Ramune Kit
Chapter 3: Inari Senbei
Chapter 4: Music Snack
Chapter 5: Revenge Menko
Chapter 6: Hospitali-tea
Thoughts after rereading:
Chapter 1: Phantom Thief Roll
Chapter 2: Doctor Ramune Kit
Chapter 3: Inari Senbei
Chapter 4: Music Snack
Chapter 5: Revenge Menko
Chapter 6: Hospitali-tea
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I think this just happened with me as well on chapter 2 of book 1. Though I think I missed a chunk of story as well because I was reading while tired.
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Ah, I meant to post in here, but I listened to the next chapter!
Book 2 chapter 4: music snack
The ‘music snack’ chapter. Right away I really liked this one, because I’m a classical musician so I was having a lot of fun with the main character not wanting to go to piano lessons because his teacher will get mad at him Too relatable.
Another thing I thought was interesting was him discovering Beniko playing the piano beautifully. For some reason it always surprises me when Beniko is doing any activity other than just being shopkeeper, haha. I remember being surprised in the fishing taikyaki chapter when she was eating taiyaki. I was like, she eats??
I understood all the part about him becoming the prodigy piano player. Then he goes to do a concert, but he can’t play!! It was a little hard to tell, but it seemed to be that the twist is that each music snack is in the shape of a different composer, and you have to eat that composer’s snack to play his pieces? And if you try to play something by a different composer, it won’t work? Am I right?
Then he’s talking to Beniko and he decides that, rather than continue on as the prodigy using the music snacks, he wants to return back to how it was before, when he was a normal kid going to piano lessons. So she gives him a sweet that returns him to the beginning. I thought this was cool, it’s the first time we’ve seen a customer ask for that.
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I just finished book 1 so will make a start of book 2 later (it’s 1am here atm). I was mostly just reading extensively for the last few chapters so think I missed a few things. Hoping to get a chapter of book 2 read later and then hopefully a second chapter the rest of this week to try to catch up
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Take your time! I’m going to start reading book 2 physically as well starting from the beginning.
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book 2 ch 4
I love this chapter, there were so many new situations going on
I totally get this, that is me too!
That’s right! I’m in awe of your listening comprehension!
The only thing you might have missed is a fun little detail about why Beniko is there 
but I won’t give that away, maybe it will be a fun surprise when you read the chapter
I saw you cleaned up the table in the home post and made it pretty, thanks!
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Managed to finish reading chapter 3 and then read chapter 4 of book 2 today (I understood the gist of what was going on and recognised a few obscure words from other sources as well.
For context, I’m not understanding everything, I’m just trying to understand enough to understand the gist of what’s happening. I’ll be re-reading these (possibly after finishing the series) so that I can use them as a gauge for how much I’ve improved over time, just as I did with the ミラーさん novels.
None of these stories are turning out how I expect them to (in a good way, not disappointed) but there seems to be a lesson to learn from each one. I do like how things are panning out though and it keeps me hooked on wanting to find out what happens in the next story 
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Yayy! What are your thoughts on the stories? Do you have a favorite so far?
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I do! So far:
From book 1, chapter 3
ホーンテッドアイス
From book 2, chapter 2
ドクターラムネキット
But chapter 5 in book 2 may be another as I like how this is panning out after the first few pages.
しっぺがえしメンコ
It’s just the chapter names I’ve hidden.
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I finished chapter 5 book 2 last night but kind of lost all contact with the story because I was struggling to focus so didn’t understand much. I plan to finish the book later today then go back and re-read chapter 5 and see how much I missed
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Yay! I’m reading through the first story of book 2 now. I already enjoyed reading the prologue and seeing how much I missed.
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