Are you ready for a Challenge?

[JayeIIe]

Well, folks, I re-read Ender's Game last week and Ender's Shadow this week. I don't know how often you all read the book that brought us all here in the first place, but it had been awhile for me. So, I'm extending a challenge.

I dare you (especially you oldbies) to re-read EG and ES. Read more of the series(es) if you want, but my challenge is those two. I challenge you to rediscover your love and to post intelligent things in the other sections of pweb.

I know most of you read books on a regular basis, so I challenge you to put EG and ES next in the queue.

I think we can have a bit of a renaissance here if we all do it (or even if many of us do it).

[megxers]

Oooh, I like this idea. I actually re-read Ender's Game twice over the summer (thus me re-finding pweb after casual browsing in my Shadow series days), but hey, it has been 9 months However, I do remember not loving it as much anymore, which was pretty disappointing. Also, I am attempting to read Card's Stonefather right now after finding it randomly and have no love for it, so maybe I should go back to basics!

[Gravity Defier]

post intelligent things in the other sections of pweb.

I am not being at all facetious when I say this may be harder than it seems. Unless we're okay with some/a lot of rehashing of discussions.

At any rate, I'll do my best to give this a shot. It's been almost 2 years since EG and much, much longer for ES.

[Mich]

But I just reread them a few years ago... *sigh* I suppose I can try.

Also, this is what I start singing every time I see this thread.

[Young Val]

It's one of my "comfort books."

I reread it once a year or so.

[JayeIIe]

post intelligent things in the other sections of pweb.

I am not being at all facetious when I say this may be harder than it seems. Unless we're okay with some/a lot of rehashing of discussions.

At any rate, I'll do my best to give this a shot. It's been almost 2 years since EG and much, much longer for ES.

First off, I freaking love that the word of the month around here is facetious.

Secondly, I don't think it's bad to rehash some old arguments. You have no idea what new directions things are going to go in.
Hey, maybe I'm off my rocker here. Maybe no one will post or care. I just thought I'd throw down the gauntlet.

Thirdly, my reasons are kinda selfish. I recently rediscovered my old love and I'm going to be posting a bit more in the other sections, I'd just love it if others would join me.

[starlooker]

post intelligent things in the other sections of pweb.

I am not being at all facetious when I say this may be harder than it seems. Unless we're okay with some/a lot of rehashing of discussions.

Why not be okay with that?

And, if you really feel the discussion is played out or uninteresting, then just don't contribute/follow it. If enough people feel that way, it'll naturally fall away. That is not the worst thing in the world.

Honestly, I really do not understand why people get so annoyed when things are posted that are similar in some way to something someone once posted long ago. It just does not compute for me. That was something I actually was really happy about when the Pweb 2.0 crash happened -- that we wouldn't have a bunch of people telling new folks whenever they posted about a topic, "Learn to use the search feature!" (Or, if they did, to "Stop bumping random threads!") Yes, anything taken to excess is annoying, and, yes, using the search feature is a courtesy. But, really, bringing up previously discussed topics is not in and of itself such an awful thing. You never know what might come from it.

There are dozens of possible angles/jokes/arguments/tangents/interactions that can occur from any given topic. If different people are interacting, there may be something new contributed or phrased in a newly memorable way. I mean, yes, it does get annoying/obnoxious when a person has a personal soapbox that they pound over and over and over with increasing condescension and nothing new to say any time a given topic is brought up (not that pweb has ever had anyone do that, of course!) -- but that's more of a problem with individuals, and not with the topic/discussion being reintroduced.

(By the way, my annoyance about this is not directed at you, Alea, or specifically at anyone else. I've been thinking this for years, and it seemed as relevant a time as any to mention it.)

~~~

As far as the challenge itself goes -- I'm willing to find a copy of Ender's Game and reread it (and, for that matter, SftD). And I'll read the first page of ES again and see at that point if I'm willing to finish it. I've developed such a bad taste in my mouth from OSC's later works that I'm not sure how that'll go. But, meh, why not try?

[Gravity Defier]

First off, I freaking love that the word of the month around here is facetious.

I had this student a few years ago who pronounced it face-tie-us; it's been a favorite word ever since. It was good of Caspian to remind me of this.

[Eaquae Legit]

I was actually midway through Speaker for the Dead when you posted this, Jan. And somehow I found myself curious again about how the rest of the story goes. I enjoy Speaker so much that I will pick it up as a comfort read and then just stick with that. But it's time for a re-read, and I've already found one continuity error I don't remember noticing before.

I'm sure when I'm done I will go back and read Ender's Game as well.

[neo-dragon]

I can't promise that I'll re-read any of the books in the immediate future. I actually plan out what books I'm going to read months in advance, and things I've already read (multiple times) don't usually jump ahead in the queue. I'm always up for discussion though.

[JayeIIe]

I'm so happy I got on a kick - I didn't know until a couple days ago that you're in the acknowledgements for Ender in Exile, Jason!

[Gravity Defier]

An attempted ETA that didn't go through before and I was in a hurry: Kirsten, no rebuttal from me though I was going to attempt to respond to what you said. There was/is a concern on my part (very minor, very insignificant) that no one would actually go beyond re-reading it. I know this is Jan's pet project but I like it, really am excited by the idea of some oldies sitting down to read and discuss (even as I try to figure out how I'm going to with all the stuff that seems to be popping up this month), and would be a little crushed to see nothing come of it. I don't know if my comment was coming from a concern that others would use the "been there, done that" as an excuse not to bother or if I would. But as I said above, no rebuttal. I don't disagree, even if I'm a snot and sometimes do get annoyed at rehashing or new threads for ones that already exist. What can I say, I'm an unnecessarily complicated creature.

[neo-dragon]

I'm so happy I got on a kick - I didn't know until a couple days ago that you're in the acknowledgements for Ender in Exile, Jason!

I'm much too modest brag about that, or the similar acknowledgment in SotG, or the signed copies of each that OSC sent me.

[megxers]

So I need help with this task . A friend just lent me the first of the comics, so should I read them both at the same time, just read the comics, or re-read the book & then read the comics? DECISIONS.

[zeroguy]

post intelligent things in the other sections of pweb.

I am not being at all facetious when I say this may be harder than it seems. Unless we're okay with some/a lot of rehashing of discussions.

Why not be okay with that?

And, if you really feel the discussion is played out or uninteresting, then just don't contribute/follow it.

That's why it's hard to get the discussions going. It feels like we've been there before, so... contributions lessen. I've stopped looking in Enderverse at all.

[Jeesh_girl15]

It's been a few months. I guess it wouldn't hurt to reread them while I'm waiting for my other books to actually come out in stores.

[Jayelle]

The first of my foray into Ender discussion. Also, my return to non-clone me.

[Graff^]

You all should be like me and read the series(s) in a never-ending cycle. But I guess you all have lives.

[thoughtreader]

I actually started re-reading EG on my breaks at work a few weeks ago and am please o say I finished today.... now for intelligent discussion...
that must wait until I don't have to be up for work in 5 hours