Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:31 — 12.6MB)
In segment one of this week’s episode, we revisit the idea of “reading challenges,” which we originally talked about in BOTNS podcast #4. Challenges are typically posted by a book blogger, who sets some rules and then “challenges” you to read a certain number of books, or books in a particular category, etc.
Some recent challenges that we like:
Japanese Literature Challenge at Dolce Bellezza
Sci-Fi Reading Challenge at the Stage and Canvas blog
A few places to find reading challenges on the web:
A Novel Challenge
Reading Challenges Blog
Reading Challenge Clearinghouse
In Segment 2, we talk about dystopic young adult fiction. One of the most memorable books that Ann read as a kid was House of Stairs by William Sleator, which was dystopic, though Ann didn’t know that term at the time. There are many books in this category that have been published recently, including The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and its sequel, Catching Fire. The Giver by Lois Lowry is a classic dystopic novel that won the Newbery Prize in 1994, and it’s an incredibly powerful novel that adults will enjoy. Candor by Pam Bachorz has just been published, and was inspired by Celebration, Florida, the town that Disney built.
Ann also announces the DystopYA Reading Challenge. We’d love for you to participate. You can find full details here.
In segment 3, Michael talks about Peter and Max, a novel based on the bestselling Fables comic book series. It’s the story of Peter Piper and his older brother Max, who live in the Black Forest and stumble upon some magic. Ann talks about The Maze Runner by James Dashner, a fantastic dystopic novel that had her wishing for a sequel as soon as she finished the book.
(You can listen by using the player at the top of this post. If you’re using Internet Explorer, click twice to listen. If your browser does not support javascript, you won’t see the player; click the link below the player to listen, or right-click to download the episode. If you are receiving this post by email and cannot see the player at the bottom of the message, please visit http://www.booksonthenightstand.com to listen)
_________________________
House of Stairs by William Sleator, Puffin paperback
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Scholastic hardcover
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, Scholastic hardcover
The Giver by Lois Lowry, Laurel-Leaf paperback
Candor by Pam Bachorz, EgmontUSA
Peter & Max by Bill Willingham and Steve Leialoha, Vertigo hardcover
The Maze Runner by James Dashner, Delacorte Books for Young Readers hardcover
Have a comment, question, or book recommendation? Call our voicemail line and wait for the beep. Tell us if we may play your message on a future podcast.
I read The Giver (by Lois Lowry) but I’m not ready to post my review yet. I decided to read the companion books in the trilogy, Gathering Blue and Messenger as well and post comments about the The Giver Trilogy as a whole.
I’m still planning on reading Life as We Knew It (by Susan Beth Pfeffer) and Catching Fire (by Suzanne Collins.)
First of all, I really wish I had listened to this podcast last week when Bill Willingham was here in Israel, for the ICon, because I had never heard of him before and therefore didn’t pay much attention to him or to his comics that were being sold. But now I wish I had taken some time to look at the comics, since Michael made them sound so interesting, though I probably still wouldn’t have spoken to Bill because he would have realized I don’t know anything about his comics. I did get a picture of him though.
Second, I had read The Hunger Games after Anne recommended it a while back and I absolutely loved it. I had never had much interested in dystopic fiction after being forced to read Brave New World and 1984 in school but since reading The Hunger Games I’ve developed a new interest in this genre, particularly the YA books which I don’t find to be quite as dark and hopeless as the adult novels. I actually had just ordered The Unit, which Anne had also recommended and I have been wanting to read every since.
You mentioned some really great books here, which I look forward to reading. I’ve never done a reading challenge before but I think I’ll give it a shot.
At one point, you both wondered what the significance of the number 8 is in terms of Science Fiction. Neal Stephenson mentions in Snow Crash that hackers really love the number; unfortunately, I’m fuzzy on why. I couldn’t find that passage online, but according to the Wikipedia:
“8 is the base of the octal number system, which is mostly used with computers. In octal, one digit represents 3 bits. In modern computers, a byte is a grouping of eight bits, also called an octet.”
Hope that helps.
Once upon a time I was computer programmer (9 years) and the number “8″ is significant to UNIX programs. The number of possible byte values in binary code = 256 and the max byte parameters were set at 512. In order to read the binary code, we would convert it into hexidecimal numbers, which is base-16.
The best analogy I can think of is that hexidecimal is like the diacritical system of pronunciation in language. Diacritics provide an exact value to what we intuitively know. But computers don’t have an intuitive sense or a sense of alphabetical language (theirs is a numerical language) and so the hexidecimal system comes into play. After a while, you could look at a sheet of hexidecimal code (always formatted in two columns of
and read it as if it were in “English!”
Reading this over, I realize I’m about as clear as mud, but yeah, “8″ is huge in the computer world, as well as “0,” “1,” “2.”
Grrr, that smiley face emoticon with sunglasses on was supposed to be an “eight” followed by an “end parenthesis”
Just finished reading The Maze ( and counted it towards the reading challenge). I LOVED it!!! Thanks so much, Ann, for recommending it! Not sure I would have stumbled on it on my own….
The Giver is next on my list….
[...] it’ll be written/published. Guh.I’m so thankful for Books on the Nightstand having the DystopYA challenge because I never would have picked these books up on my own. Not in a million years.Now that [...]
Hello! I was going through your earlier episodes and it really delighted me to hear that you’ve talked about a reading challenge that’s close to my heart, the Japanese Literature Challenge. I first came across this when I was just becoming a reader and Murakami’s fiction has really caught my interest. Nearly a year later in 2009 when I had my own blog, I came across it again and immediately decided to join. It’s been wonderful and many of my closest friends in the blogging community are people I met in this challenge. And of course the host herself, Bellezza, is such a sweet friend.
It amuses me that you made an inquiry about Japanese Sci-fi (which of course there are plenty) but there’s one that I’ve read last year for JLC3, and it’s called Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence: After the Long Goodbye. Michael, if you’re familiar with this Japanese manga/anime franchise, then must have at least heard about it already. I haven’t read the manga but I’m a fan of the anime, which I consider to be one of the most intelligent animated series out there. And so when I discovered this at the bookstore, I felt compelled to pick it up. This book serves as a kind of prequel to the movie sequel and the writing is just beautiful. Looking back at it now, I guess I can compare it to the elegant equations of mathematics (how I wish I had thought of that when I wrote my review). I must say that it’s the first sci-fi book that I’ve read, but it’s one that I like to call literary science fiction, because it did feel very “literary” to me.
I have a review in my blog in case you’re interested in learning a bit more about it:
http://absorbedinwords.blogspot.com/2009/08/review-after-long-goodbye.html
Great episode you two! Keep it up
[...] so thankful for Books on the Nightstand having the DystopYA challenge because I never would have picked these books up on my own. Not in a million [...]