Book Nook Cafe discussion

Diana, i don't have an answer for you but i am adding an observation. When i first entered the Book Board World, it seemed it was easier to find reading buddies but now even groups which used to hold them monthly (such as this one) are hard to find. Why?

We've asked ourselves this over the last several years without a satisfactory answer. One contributing factor, at least on my part, is that since entering this online book world the list of books i want to read has increased dramatically, so that i'm pickier about committing to reading books with a buddy. Sadly, though, even when someone wants to buddy up on a book i have on my "wanna read" list, i still don't make the time. So, this isn't a very good answer either.

madrano wrote: "Diana, i don't have an answer for you but i am adding an observation. When i first entered the Book Board World, it seemed it was easier to find reading buddies but now even groups which used to ho..."

Thanks for the reply! I think you are absolutely right. People are pickier and it is hard to coincide with someone on a book to read. Some people are also much more critical about books they read then others (for some, every book is a delight, I noticed). That is why on another goodreads page - book club - I even listed 8 books for others to choose from - to see if any one of them will appeal to them to buddy read. I am still waiting for a reply...

Posting a list of 8 (or more) is a good idea but a real disappointment if no one else is interested. I think several of us have had that happen, i'm sad to say.

I thought of a couple more reasons i am personally hesitant to commit--it's tough for me to read contemporary fiction of more than 300 or so pages. Also, i want to only read books i own or can get from my library's ebook selection because we live on the road (pretty much) and don't want to have to pack books. However, some call to me but, as you'll see, i've kept them to right around 300 pages. And i've kept them fiction but if you want some nonfiction selections, please let me know. (There aren't many of those, i must admit.) PLEASE post your 8 here, too, Diana, maybe we can get something going.

Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal. This just sounds neat. It was recommended by someone here (Amy) who actually also liked the next one, too.

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher. I'm a fan of epistolary novels.

Pym by Mat Johnson. Because i want more about Edgar Allan Poe's The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, which was a bizarre story.

Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald. An online friend read this a few years ago & liked it quite a bit.

Solar by Ian McEwan. I like the few books i've read by him and this one is supposed to be humorous, too.

Comfort Woman by Nora Okja Keller. This one interests me as a fiction looking at the results of one woman who was a forced "Comfort Woman" in WWII.

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa. Another person on this board has mentioned wanting to read this one, too. The premise of an 80 minute memory is intriguing here.

The Shadow-Line by Joseph Conrad because i actually have this in my room at the moment. It's the sole classic i've listed, although that is my favorite fiction genre.

madrano wrote: "Posting a list of 8 (or more) is a good idea but a real disappointment if no one else is interested. I think several of us have had that happen, i'm sad to say.

I thought of a couple more reasons..."

Thanks for your reply, and for sharing your books! Your taste in books is actually similar to mine. I see authors and books on your list which are a bit serious, deep and thought-provoking, and this is also what I am going for in my reading.

I will be interested to buddy read The Housekeeper and the Professor. I don't have it yet, but I can buy it and start reading it very soon. I actually know the real case of one man with some seconds long memory only and have seen the documentary on him (Clive Wearing) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_P7Y... It is just so fascinating. Don't know how much this story will influence by appreciation of the book, though.

I do not guarantee that some books below are under 300 (I actually prefer to read longer titles), but here is my list:

1. The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

2. The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley

3. The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault

4. White Chrysanthemum by Mary Lynn Bracht

5. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

6. At Dusk by Hwang Sok-yong

7. House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus; and

8. Paris Trout by Pete Dexter

*Just an afterthought - all the books that you listed are interesting - I read and enjoyed Ian McEwan too - especially The Children Act recently, and Solar sounds intriguing.

Diana, you hooked me with White Chrysanthemum! My library has it and the story sounds good. I'll note that for some reason the library the book on "hold" for me, even though they have three copies, so i'm not sure what that means as far as when i'll actually get it. I doubt it will be long but i've not had this happen in the past.

Anyone else interested in joining us?

madrano wrote: "Diana, you hooked me with White Chrysanthemum! My library has it and the story sounds good. I'll note that for some reason the library the book on "hold" for me, even though they have three copies,..."

White Chrysanthemum it is then. I like that it is a debut novel and the author is of Korean descent.

Wish I could join in but I am way behind in my other reading commitments. Have fun !

I have set up a thread for you to discuss the book.

Thank you for starting us off for 2019 !

I'm reading all that you put in the thread for this buddy read and it sounds wonderful. I have to see if I can squeeze it in somewhere.

The Book discussion threads are never deleted. So you can join in whenever it suits you.

Thanks :)

I thought by today my eBook would be in but it's not. I'll try calling them if it's not in by the end of the day...wonder if that will help?

I'm grateful book discussion threads are not deleted. Many a time i have completed a book i know the group read and check to see if we agreed or not.

madrano wrote: "I thought by today my eBook would be in but it's not. I'll try calling them if it's not in by the end of the day...wonder if that will help?

I'm grateful book discussion threads are not deleted. M..."

eBooks can be tricky. My understanding is the library can loan it out only a certain number of times than it has to repurchase it. It's not like a paper book where once they purchase it, it's theirs.

I could be wrong but that seems to be the case with my library in NYC.

This was my understanding about eBooks via the library, too. I believe you are correct about the repurchasing. I wish i'd thought of that question before i contacted them.

It turns out the problem for me is that the 3 copies my library has are all checked out. I was thinking they had 3 that were just sitting there. Duh.

I am planning on reading Look Homeward, Angel---Thomas Wolfe next. If you would like to Buddy Read it let me know.

The stunning, classic coming-of-age novel written by one of America's foremost Southern writers

A legendary author on par with William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor, Thomas Wolfe published Look Homeward, Angel, his first novel, about a young man's burning desire to leave his small town and tumultuous family in search of a better life, in 1929. It gave the world proof of his genius and launched a powerful legacy.

The novel follows the trajectory of Eugene Gant, a brilliant and restless young man whose wanderlust and passion shape his adolescent years in rural North Carolina. Wolfe said that Look Homeward, Angel is "a book made out of my life," and his largely autobiographical story about the quest for a greater intellectual life has resonated with and influenced generations of readers, including some of today's most important novelists. Rich with lyrical prose and vivid characterizations, this twentieth-century American classic will capture the hearts and imaginations of every reader

This post just today showed up on my list of "unread" posts. I don't recall seeing it at the time but it would be easy for me to forget since it appears i did not at all reply. The oddity is that i held the book in my hand yesterday wondering if i would ever read it. Weird, that.

Did you read it, Alias? What did you think?

looking for somebody who can relate to my profile.
looking for friends who love to read. I'm a bookworm who is a stay at home housewife.
Reading is what keeps me alive.

looking for a book buddy for Caraval by Stephanie Garber most likely going to be available in August

Caraval—Stephanie Garber. Sounds interesting, Onyx, but i will have to pass, as i’ll be out of the country in August. This is the first of a three-book series, i see.

Caraval

Welcome to Book Nook Cafe, Onyx. Thank you for joining the group.

I have a mile long TBR so I will have to pass. I hope you get someone to read it with. Either way, I look forward to hearing your review of the novel.

madrano wrote: "Caraval—Stephanie Garber. Sounds interesting, Onyx, but i will have to pass, as i’ll be out of the country in August. This is the first of a three-book series, i see."

If you want to schedule a time to chat I have all ears

Onyx wrote: "madrano wrote: "Caraval—Stephanie Garber. Sounds interesting, Onyx, but i will have to pass, as i’ll be out of the country in August. This is the first of a three-..."

I don't read much in this genre, but might be up for joining you. It's available through my library in ~8 weeks, so August would likely work well.

Lindsey wrote: "Onyx wrote: "madrano wrote: "Caraval—Stephanie Garber. Sounds interesting, Onyx, but i will have to pass, as i’ll be out of the country in August. This is the firs..."

That sounds great, I'll try my best to keep in touch

Onyx and Lindsay, give me a heads up a few days before you want to do the Buddy Read and I'll set up a thread for you.

Anyone interested in reading any of these with me

Welcome to Book Nook Cafe, Divisha ! Thank you for joining our group. I hope you find a Book Buddy for one of these books.

I can't join you as I'm doing a bunch of book challenges that keep me quite busy.

If you do get a Buddy, I'll set up a thread for you to discuss the book.

Alias Reader wrote: "Welcome to Book Nook Cafe, Divisha ! Thank you for joining our group. I hope you find a Book Buddy for one of these books.

I can't join you as I'm doing a bunch of book challenges that keep me qu..."

Oh Ok Thank You :) Glad to be a part of the group..

Divisha, while some of the novels are tempting, i'm in the last few months of our 100 Challenge and have around 30 books i need to read. The more challenging ones, of course, as i read the "fun" ones already!

Good luck in finding a book buddy here!

Divisha wrote: "Anyone interested in reading any of these with me
[bookcover:The Numbers Killer|46062441..."

Hi Divisha, I'll gladly buddy read any of these books with you, EXCEPT for See Her Die, which I had already read. Choose one book and I'll see if I can get it where I am.

Sounds great! hmmm I choose Dead Last ;)

Cool. I will set up a thread for you two have a discussion.

Dead Last by Annabel Chase

Alias Reader wrote: "Cool. I will set up a thread for you two have a discussion.

Dead Last by Annabel Chase"
thanks !

Divisha wrote: "Sounds great! hmmm I choose Dead Last ;)"

Dead Last it is! Glad to be on board.

Alias Reader wrote: "Cool. I will set up a thread for you two have a discussion.

Dead Last by Annabel Chase"

Thanks Alias :)

madrano wrote: "Divisha, while some of the novels are tempting, i'm in the last few months of our 100 Challenge and have around 30 books i need to read. The more challenging ones, of course, as i read the "fun" on..."

oh no problem. Good luck for the challenge !

I've set up the thread for your discussion. Enjoy your Buddy Read.

Divisha wrote: "oh no problem. Good luck for the challenge..."

And thank you for sharing those titles.

I hope the book buddying (?) works for you!

Anyone interested in reading or with me...?

I'll have to pass as I'm doing challenges.

Most buddy reads the discussion lasts 2 weeks or more. If you are just looking for a post or two comments you can post about it in the Book Salon thread.

Ok

Divisha wrote: "Anyone interested in reading or with me...?"

I hesitate to read Isaacson again. His Da Vinci book did not deliver for me. If you want we can read Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution. It is a chunky book though.

@Divisha, @anyone,

The books below are my choices for buddy reading. Hope something catches your eye:-

Eat to Beat Your Diet: Burn Fat, Heal Your Metabolism, and Live Longer
Not One Inch: America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate
Beyond the Wall: East Germany, 1949-1990
Grant
The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill
Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood

The choices Luffy and Divisha are suggesting sound tempting. Unfortunately for me, i cannot commit to reading any books at the moment, not even my Challenge List.

However, i thank you both for the interesting titles. Several are now on my TBR.

madrano wrote: "The choices Luffy and Divisha are suggesting sound tempting. Unfortunately for me, i cannot commit to reading any books at the moment, not even my Challenge List.

However, i thank you both for the..."

Cheers :)

Anyone want to read Words in Air: The Complete Correspondence between Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell? I bought it at a secondhand shop a handful of years ago and haven’t yet read it. This was partially because I wanted to pick up their respective poetry volumes to have as companions.

I hope you can find a Buddy to read it with, Laura. I have to pass as I have a mile long TBR stack.

As much as i enjoy poetry, i'm not one to read their letters. I hope you find a reading companion but even if you don't, i'm sure the words in this book will please you. Thanks for asking.

I’m also looking for a reading buddy here! It would be amazing to connect with someone who enjoys similar genres. One of my all-time favorite books is Stephen King's The Shining—the depth of suspense and character development is incredible. It’s one of those books that sticks with you long after you finish.
Interestingly, I’ve found that online communities for other hobbies can also bring people together in unique ways. For example, on https://spins4win.com/ , players connect over their shared love of licensed games and the excitement of interactive challenges. Just like with book discussions, it’s fun to share experiences and meet others with similar interests!

Welcome to Book Nook, Jackson.

I hope you find a book buddy. I agree, reading with a book club or Buddy is really fun.

Good luck with finding a reading buddy, Jackson!

I've enjoyed the chats i've shared over the years with Book Nook Cafe folks. Even when the book was only so-so, the discussion entertained and informed me.

Would love to find a book buddy. I’ve enjoyed Frieda McFadden, Colleen Hoover. I like suspense, fiction, psychological thrillers.