Constant Reader discussion

Welcome, Cindy. I'm glad you read this Orientation. It goes a long way toward providing a good understanding of the structure of constant reader.

Sherry wrote: "Constant Reader has been in existence since about 1994. It was started by Allen Crocker on the old Prodigy Books and Writing Board. When Prodigy closed down their bulletin board service, we moved t..."

I'm new to Goodreads and was looking for thoughtful literary groups. I'm a fan of Lilian Nattel, and saw that she was a member. So I checked you out, and reading your orientation, this looks like a great group. I'm looking forward to the discussions. Rhea T.

Welcome Rhea T. Look forward to enjoying discussions with you.

Welcome aboard, Rhea.

Welcome from me, too, Rhea. Glad to have you here.

Welcome, Allison. Glad you found us.

Cheers to you too Allison.

Hey im Kirn, ya, im really random and love anything in the fantasy paranormal area. I have werd obsessions sometimes so dont be afraid when i start talking about random oranges :D. Im 16 and i dont like to type much so yea, HI.

Welcome Kirn and Nanette. Glad you found us. Kirn, just to let you know, I don't know that we've ever discussed fantasy paranormal here. We usually talk about literary fiction and classics. I didn't know if you knew there are whole groups here that specialize in paranormal. But I hope you enjoy it here.

Yeah i like literary fiction too. I <3 jane austin and pride and prejudice is in my top favs. I havent gotten into a literary fiction book in a while. and thanks!

Hi Nanette and Kirn just seen new post , wanted to say welcome.

Hi Nanette, welcome.

Hi people thanks for the welcomes

This is very helpful, I'm glad it's here as a jumping-off point. I want to introduce myself to everyone and say how excited I am to have found this forum,

Best,
Daniel

Welcome to Constant Reader, Daniel. Glad to have you here.

The classics and literary fiction are my favorite genres!

And thanks for providing an orientation. I find Goodreads pretty confusing but this was very helpful for a newbie such as myself :)

I'm glad it helped, Llevinso. Welcome to Constant Reader.

Thank you!

I am new to this group. I am very pleased to part of this group and look forward to happy reading.

I'm glad you found us, Reva. I hope you enjoy our discussions.

Happy you have joined us Reva. I am looking forward to you adding your views to the discussions.

Hi Reva,

Looking forward to seeing what you are reading Reva. I have read some of your books as well.

I'm new. Love Goodreads and use it as a way to connect with readers and writers as well as to think about and remember what I've read. It seems interesting. Lots of readers, lots of books. Speaking of that, I'n going to share something Sonya Chung recently posted on her blog. I loved it.
So Much to Read, How to Cope

25 April 2011

A nice piece by Linda Homes at NPR (thanks to Jane for passing along) about the anxiety many of us have these days re: "so much to read, so little time."

Linda Homes makes the argument that the sadness we feel about "what we're missing," because there's just too much good stuff out there, is also a beautiful thing; and that we should resist "culling," which is her term for coping with the volume of choices by mentally eliminating entire categories of art from our "worthwhile" list.

Culling is easy; it implies a huge amount of control and mastery. Surrender, on the other hand, is a little sad. That's the moment you realize you're separated from so much. That's your moment of understanding that you'll miss most of the music and the dancing and the art and the books and the films that there have ever been and ever will be, and right now, there's something being performed somewhere in the world that you're not seeing that you would love.

It's sad, but it's also … great, really. Imagine if you'd seen everything good, or if you knew about everything good. Imagine if you really got to all the recordings and books and movies you're "supposed to see." Imagine you got through everybody's list, until everything you hadn't read didn't really need reading. That would imply that all the cultural value the world has managed to produce since a glob of primordial ooze first picked up a violin is so tiny and insignificant that a single human being can gobble all of it in one lifetime. That would make us failures, I think.

If "well-read" means "not missing anything," then nobody has a chance. If "well-read" means "making a genuine effort to explore thoughtfully," then yes, we can all be well-read. But what we've seen is always going to be a very small cup dipped out of a very big ocean, and turning your back on the ocean to stare into the cup can't change that.

Jane

Jane wrote: "I'm new. Love Goodreads and use it as a way to connect with readers and writers as well as to think about and remember what I've read. ... So Much to Read, How to Cope ... But what we've seen is always going to be a very small cup dipped out of a very big ocean, and turning your back on the ocean to stare into the cup can't change that."

Jane, that's great food for thought! I like the metaphor. Sometimes I feel as if I'm drowning in that ocean of knowledge! I expressed the idea in a light verse several year ago. It's at:
http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/2...

Life is a journey, not a destination. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

So I keep on swimming.

I almost missed the "So much to read" bit since it is posted here in the orientation thread. I don't read this one often since I've been part of the group for a few years now. I'm glad I checked it out and read this piece though. I've a tendency to feel guilty that I haven't read as much as some others. Now, I guess I should appreciate whenever I do dip my toes into the vast rolling ocean.

It occurs to me that the feeling of wanting to read so many books actually keeps me striving to keep on reading. The feeling of trying to catch up is a motivator. It's as if I'm reaching, trying to attain something unattainable.

“Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?”
-Robert Browning

Thanks everyone for such warm welcome. I am enjoying all the book reviews and different perspective on different books, specially the ones I have read.

Jane wrote: "I'm new. Love Goodreads and use it as a way to connect with readers and writers as well as to think about and remember what I've read. It seems interesting. Lots of readers, lots of books. Speaki..."

Thanks for a really interesting post. I would imagine many of us have felt this way from time to time and this philosophy really is a nice way to look at enjoyment of reading and the arts.

Jane wrote: "Speaking of that, I'n going to share something Sonya Chung recently posted on her blog. I loved it. So Much to Read, How to Cope..."

I liked this. Thanks for posting!

Jane wrote: "I'm new. Love Goodreads and use it as a way to connect with readers and writers as well as to think about and remember what I've read. It seems interesting. Lots of readers, lots of books. Speaki..."

Jane, I want to thank you for mentioning Sonya Chug's blog. I'm not really familiar with her but just read a bit there and enjoyed it. I will return.

Hi all,

I'm JT, and I've been a member for a while, but have been away from Goodreads (but not away from reading) for quite a while. So, it seemed appropriate to reintroduce myself! This is a truly wonderful group, and I'm glad and grateful to be a part!

JT

Welcome back, JT.

Thank you Sherry for such a useful information, and greetings to all fellow avid readers from my place in Zaragoza, Spain. It's nice to see how this forum (to call it somehow) has struggled to exist, and has succeeded in conveying this passion for books. Discussing about books is discussing about life, about humanity, about all things human. Hope to keep a respectful and enriching relationship with you all, and also hope to contribute every now and then :-)

Welcome JT and Felipe. Thanks for the kind words.

Well said, Felipe.

Thanks, Ruth and Sherry!

Welcome from me too, JT and Felipe! We hope to hear fromyou in the discussions.

Wow. What a wonderfully organised group! I look forward to hearing lots of suggestions and lively discussion :)

Welcome to our group, Ruby. Glad you found your way here.

Hello everyone, what are we discussing now?

Hi! I am Susan and just found Goodreads and your group last night.
I live in South Florida,am addicted to books and have started 3 book groups here since 2001. I currently am facilitator of a group.
Also a mixed media artist ,and Master Gardener,but reading is my number one passion currently.
Last year my favorite read was The Lacuna by Kingsolver;currently reading The Aguerro Sisters by Cristina Garcia,,,and also reading The Anthropology of Turquoise,and just finished Thornton Wilder's The Bridge At San Luis Rey.
I abhor typing,and have written for several local magazines,mostly about art and travel.
I hope to read great books with you and discuss them and other topics here.
It is a pleasure to meet other readers,and hopefully next year attend a conference! Smiles;Susan C.G.

Hi Susan, welcome to CR. You sound like a great new member.

Welcome from me, too, Susan. Glad you found us.

Hi Susan, welcome aboard.

Thank you all for your greetings! I am excited about sharing with all of you,busy for a few days so I may be absent,but back soon! Smiles to all!

Susan wrote: "Hi! I am Susan and just found Goodreads and your group last night.
I live in South Florida,am addicted to books and have started 3 book groups here since 2001. I currently am facilitator of a group..."

Good to see you here, Susan. I think I am a member of at least one of the Goodreads groups you started up. Glad you've joined us here, too.

Sherry wrote: "Constant Reader has been in existence since about 1994. It was started by Allen Crocker on the old Prodigy Books and Writing Board. When Prodigy closed down their bulletin board service, we moved t..."

I will respect the wishes of this group and respect everyone as members of my household.

Welcome Jennifer. We are always glad to have new members.

Welcome to Constant Reader, Jennifer. Glad you found us.

I cannot find your comment sorry.