You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

After you have read your chosen book(s) for this month's group theme read, please report in the thread below.

Please state what book you read (and link it), that you discussed it (and where), and briefly summarise what you thought of the book and/or link to your review if you have written one.

Here is an example for how to report your read:
“I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and discussed it in the [Harry Potter/Buddy Read/Other books in theme] thread. I really enjoyed the book. I watched the film first so I already knew the storyline but I was surprised how much I enjoyed the book more as there was more detail involved. Plus I listened to the audio which was narrated by Stephen Fry who is a superb narrator. 4 stars.”

If you read more than one book which fits the theme, please report all your reads in the same post rather than in separate posts.

In order to receive a badge you must:
1. have completed the book(s) before or during January 2016.
2. discussed it in the relevant thread. Discussion must be more than "I read the book and I liked it". Discussion requires something more substantial and analytical of what you read, for example, thoughts, opinions, impact it had on you, what was your favourite part, was it what you expected it to be like etc. You may also like to review the book and post a link to the review in that thread.
3. Report that you have read AND discussed the book in the reporting thread below, along with a brief summary of what you thought.

I finished Oryx and Crake last night. It was really good and my first 5* (already) for 2016. I listened to an audio of this one which was fantastic as well. I dicussed it over in the thread. I'll definitely be moving on to the next in the series.

I need to read The Year of the Flood at some stage, so let me know when you want to move on to it. Glad you enjoyed Oryx and Crake though.

I've read The Sherlockian and discussed it in the discussion thread.
What I liked most about this book is the interaction between the two main characters in the turn of the century timeline.
For me this was definately a crash course in anything Sherlock. I gave it 3 stars.

I decided to read The Nonesuch for this month's theme.
It's by one of my favorite authors, Georgette Heyer.

A nonesuch is a person who is without equal, unrivaled, a paragon.

I think this book is one of my favorites by this author. The hero is confident, yet unassuming. I like his quiet demeanor. He doesn't get easily flustered.

And the heroine is not bad either. She is elegant, capable and can manage a very difficult teenager. Impressive!

The story moves along at a good pace. It's neither rushed nor does it get bogged down.
A solid 4 star book.

Lanelle wrote: "I decided to read The Nonesuch for this month's theme.
It's by one of my favorite authors, Georgette Heyer.

A nonesuch is a person who is without equal, unrivaled, a ..."

This is the thing I love the best about the group reads and challenges here at YLTO, Lanelle. We pick and read different books and without the reporting threads, we would still all be in our own little comfortable corner of our world.

The genre of this book has never really appealed to me, but the story line sounds interesting. I have seen the author's name before, but I have never read any of her books. The information and her background is amazing. A best selling author all of her life with no publicity and no book signing and two new books every year. Who knew!

Sharon wrote: "I've read The Sherlockian and discussed it in the discussion thread.
What I liked most about this book is the interaction between the two main characters in the turn of the century t..."

Glad you liked it, Sharon!

I read The Absolutist for this month's theme and discussed it in the January 2016 unusual unique words thread.

This was a very emotional read and not quite what I expected. I think the most surprising thing was the amount of betrayal throughout the story. That was also what was so devastatingly sad.

It was very well written, the characters were well-defined and even though it would jump back and forth from before the war to during to after the war it flowed very smoothly.
I'm really glad I chose it for this month's theme.

I've read The Sherlockian and gave some of my thoughts in the discussion thread.

This book was originally recommended to me by Cherie. I was on the verge of nominating it, when someone beat me to it.

I enjoyed the read. Thank you Cherie!☺

I read both The Sherlockian and Oryx and Crake this month and have discussed both in the appropriate threads.

Of the two, I think Oryx and Crake was my favorite. I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy!

That said, The Sherlockian was really good as well. I'm glad both were chosen for this month's reads :).

Rusalka wrote: "I need to read The Year of the Flood at some stage, so let me know when you want to move on to it. Glad you enjoyed Oryx and Crake though."

I just saw this now. I've already started listening to it and I'm about 1/2 done. Sorry! It's good though so I think you should get to it!

I ended up reading/listening to The Sherlockian as well and I discussed it in that thread. I enjoyed the dual timelines and mystery. I thought they worked well together and it sparked my interest in reading some Sherlock Holmes books. As an audio, it was really good so I would recommend it if you listen to audio books.

I read The Sherlockian and discussed it in the thread.
I loved that story, gave it a solid 4 stars.
As I usually don't like dual timelines in books, the writing, the rythm with the short chapters and the mystery took precedence over that.
I loved Conan Doyle's part and his hate/love towards Sherlock.
The Sherlock Holmes stories have been on my tbr since forever but now I will certainly read them soon.

I read Oryx and Crake and discussed it in the thread. I gave it 4 stars.
I liked the writing and the story line of the book and will eventually read the rest of the trilogy this year.

I read The Vintner's Luck and have discussed it in the Unusual/Unique Words thread.

This book was a mixed bag for me. I found it a quick and easy read, I enjoyed some of the writing and descriptions and the whole thing was unlike any book I have read before in terms of the storyline. However, the main character was neither likeable nor interesting, most of the other characters were little more than names on the page and some of the philosophical elements were lost on me. It was an enjoyable enough book to read the once but it's not one I will be reading again. I gave it 3 stars.

I read The Sherlockian and discussed it in the thread. I gave it three stars. I thought both plot lines were interesting though I was a bit more intrigued by the Doyle thread than the modern mystery.

I read lots of Sherlock Holmes when I was younger but confess to not knowing too much about the author and I didn't realize ACD had killed Holmes off and then brought him back. It was interesting to see how ACD felt about being so strongly identified with his character. I was also fascinated with the glimpse into Doyle's relationship with Bram Stoker.

I read and discussed Bellwether by Connie Willis. Loved Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog by this author.

This was good but not to that same level. Easy to read and pokes fun of the ivory towers, business admin, and the fadish nature of pop culture.

I liked but did not love this book. A fun, quick read. Good premise.

I read and discussed On Basilisk Station by David Weber. I have been looking forward to starting this series for a long time. I definitely wasn't disappointed although there were a few things that could be better. I can't wait to learn more about Honor Harrington. I enjoyed the writing and descriptions of space travel also explanations of how things were in this future world.

I have read The Sherlockian finished 1/15/16.

I rated the book 3 stars, and have discussed it in the appropriate thread. I enjoyed the book, a decent mystery. Well written, it has been my experience when an author tries to write more than one plot line or jumps back and forth along a time line, they tend to lose my interest and become confusing, but this book succeeded at both, I never lost interest.

Delitealex wrote: "I read and discussed On Basilisk Station by David Weber. I have been looking forward to starting this series for a long time. I definitely wasn't disappointed although there were a ..."

Was this your first David Weber book? I have one of his books on my kindle which I will eventually get around to reading.

I read Leviathan Wakes which was a 5 star read for me. This book I feel has been an eye-opener on the Space Opera genre for me and I will definitely continue to read books set in space. I will be continuing with this series too as it is superb. The characters are interesting and well thought out. The story line is interesting, engaging and I was on the edge of my seat through quite a lot of it. I found it very hard to put the book down especially towards the end of the book as things hotted up. I highly recommend it.

Sarah wrote: "Delitealex wrote: "I read and discussed On Basilisk Station by David Weber. I have been looking forward to starting this series for a long time. I definitely wasn't disappointed alt..."

Yes this was my first David Weber book. Which of his books do you have?

I have Off Armageddon Reef. Several group members have read and recommended the series.

I read Cosmopolis by Don DeLillo

I discussed it in the unique/unusual words thread

It was a very compelling book and quite different. I loved the originality of the story though there where moments in the book that were hard to follow.

Here is a link to my review

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I read and discussed Anathema on the unique/unusual words discussion board. It was an interesting read, being out of my usual reading genre. The characters could have been developed a bit more. The love line was sweet. Book 1 of a series. There was a very interesting twist in the story right at the end - this is one of my favorite writing techniques.

I read last year and it was one of my favourite reads. I really liked the storyline and the development of Jimmy/Snowman.

I find Atwood always borders on the unnerving possibility of things that might happen while remaining grounded in known human behaviours that are familiar and shocking. She is one of my favourtie storytellers.

I participated in the discussion thread (January's BOTM - Oryx and Crake) briefly by letting others know I had read the book and these thoughts on it.

My very short review (at the time) is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm not sure if reading it so far back last year counts or if you want more participation in the discussion thread, but I thought I would post here in case I've met the requirements.

I loved reading others thoughts on it and even picked up a good fantasy role-playing recommend from another reader, so it's all good either way :-)

Tammy wrote: "I read and discussed Anathema on the unique/unusual words discussion board. It was an interesting read, being out of my usual reading genre. The characters could have been developed..."

I too read and discussed Anathema on the unique words discussion thread. I really enjoyed the book. It was my first from Megg Jensen. The characters were lovely. I feel that Reychel was a very strong and compassionate lead character. I really liked her. I will definately continue with the series.

I read The Sherlockian, Oryx and Crake, and Leviathan Wakes. They were all good, unique books. The first two were discussed in the Monthly Read threads, and LW in the Buddy Reads thread.

The Sherlockian was fun, but maybe suffered in comparison to the other two books in terms of talent. Still, I enjoy Sherlock Holmes, and liked the divergent mysteries.

Leviathan Wakes I just couldn't put down. I love Space Opera, and this was action cover to cover.

Oryx and Crake was just amazing writing, about a plausible future, that was chilling. Yet, at it's heart is a sad story of a very lonely man.

Cathie wrote: "I read last year and it was one of my favourite reads. I really liked the storyline and the development of Jimmy/Snowman.

I find Atwood always borders on the unner..."

The badges are awarded for participation in the discussion so it would be great if you could jump in over in the Oryx and Crake thread and discuss it. A few more people have read/are reading it now so there is more discussion taking place now.

Lynda wrote: "I read The Sherlockian, Oryx and Crake, and Leviathan Wakes. They were all good, unique books. The first two were discussed in the Monthly Read threads, a..."

You were busy with unique words in the title this month!

Right!? I think I felt liberated from the Serial Killer Challenge, and went a little nuts with the group reads.

I read Rippler by Cidney Swanson and discussed it in the thread. I really liked it; 4 stars!

Elsbeth wrote: "I read Rippler by Cidney Swanson and discussed it in the thread. I really liked it; 4 stars!"

Can you briefly tell us what you liked about the book?

Sarah wrote: "Elsbeth wrote: "I read Rippler by Cidney Swanson and discussed it in the thread. I really liked it; 4 stars!"

Can you briefly tell us what you liked about the book?"

That's what I did in the other thread. I keep wondering what this thread is about, when you have to repeat the things you've posted in the discussion thread...!

So here it is (again): I just read Rippler by Cidney Swanson. One of the main characters calls Sam's ability to turn invisible 'rippling'. I really liked this book (4 stars). It had an interesting story line. And the pieces from a journal about freaky Nazi experiments make it even more creepy...

The discussion thread is for you to talk about in detail about the book, themes, etc.

The reporting thread is for us mods to have a one stop shop to award badges. You tell us you've finished and we ask you tell us a small amount about what you thought of the book so we know you've read it. Also a nice summary spot so everyone can see what everyone finished reading.

Sorry if you find this onerous. But we find it onerous to read through all the individual comments in 3 different threads (some months this can be close to 500) to make sure we get every single person a badge they have earnt. This way, we have one thread with no real discussion, just reporting, like the challenges.

As Rusalka said, the discussion thread is for detailed discussion of the book. If you've chosen one of the group reads then you should discuss in that thread and discussion tends to be more lengthy because multiple people are reading the same book. If you choose to read a book other than the two chosen, that should be discussed in the other thread. I understand this is trickier to discuss because generally you will be the only person reading that book but it is nonetheless still possible to talk about what you like/dislike about the book, perhaps a brief outline of what it was about, what you thought of the characters, using spoiler tags where necessary. It needs to be more than just "i read x and i liked it". Then once read AND discussed, you report in here. You still need to give a brief outline of what you thought but it doesn't need to be identical or as in detail as what you posted in the other thread. But it still needs to be more than "I read x and liked it".

The badges are awarded for the discussion, not for just reading a book like the challenges are. It's not fair if one person reads and discusses a book in depth whilst another just gives a one line comment about a book they've read, yet both get a badge.

Because i know it's difficult to discuss a book nobody else is reading, i sometimes ask for extra information, like this month, I've asked for people to tell us what the unique word in their title means and how it relates to the book.

If i feel more information is required, i generally ask a question, for example, "what did you like about the book?". I am sorry if you feel you are duplicating information. It does state in the group read instructions what you need to do to qualify for a badge.

This thread is very useful to get recommendations from and a lot of people check the reporting thread over the individual group read threads to see collectively in one place what people read during the month for the theme and what they thought.

I know what this thread is about - so it is easier for you to see who read what, but to again tell what I thought about it, seems a bit double. And that is not what I think of when I see the word 'reporting'. Reporting to me means: telling what I read and why it qualifies (if not obvious). To me, telling what I thought about it, belongs in the other thread.
So that is why this keeps confusing me!

And I don't want to use too much detail in a the other thread, when I've read a book no one else has read (at least this month).

Sorry Elsbeth. I took when you said
Elsbeth wrote: "I keep wondering what this thread is about,"
to mean you didn't know what this thread was about.

Sarah being the Group Read guru expanded and clarified that much better than I could.

While I can understand the semantic issue, I check the top of every reporting thread in the group to double check what I need to do. Every challenge changes for example, so it's always good to check.

Re: discussing a book in the other thread that no one is reading at the time - I get great recs reading those threads and seeing books that people are enjoying. So for myself, reading those threads are a great part of a bookclub. I may not be reading that book now, but I know there will be people to chat with about it when I get there.

The actual definition of the word reporting or what you think it means is kind of irrelevant. This is reporting YLTO style ;-) The rules are there for challenges and group reads and rules also apply to how things are reported. You follow the rules, you qualify for a badge and you get a nice pretty picture on your wall of fame. If you don't follow the rules, you don't get a badge. Simples! I'm sorry if this sounds harsh.

Rusalka and I have already explained why we ask for some information on what you thought of the book in this thread 1) to make it easy for us to give badges (that way i don't have to trawl through the other thread) and 2) for other people to see what has been read in once place and what they thought for recommendation purposes.

So as an example, below you can see what i wrote in the discussion thread and then what i reported:

Discussion:
I have been reading Leviathan Wakes with Lynda and we've been discussing it over in the buddy read thread https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The unusual word is Leviathan. I'd heard the word before and there are a couple books which have this in the title. But I didn't know what it actually meant. A Leviathan is a sea monster. Apparently it was referenced in the Old Testament and in Modern Hebrew it means "whale". So I guess the term is applied to actual creatures like our whales but also to mythical beings like the loch ness monster.

But it seems it was used for the face of Satan in Christianity. Wiki states "The Leviathan of the Middle Ages was used as an image of Satan, endangering both God's creatures—by attempting to eat them—and God's creation—by threatening it with upheaval in the waters of Chaos."

Now after reading this book (most of - I have 50 pages to go), I can see why the authors (yes this book has two authors) chose the title. It is very apt.

I had heard a lot of good things about this book and I have not been disappointed. I have found another fantastic series to get my teeth in to. It is well written with a split POV. It is fast paced and full of action. A nice combination of mystery (at the beginning at least) and science fiction.

Reporting:
I read Leviathan Wakes which was a 5 star read for me. This book I feel has been an eye-opener on the Space Opera genre for me and I will definitely continue to read books set in space. I will be continuing with this series too as it is superb. The characters are interesting and well thought out. The story line is interesting, engaging and I was on the edge of my seat through quite a lot of it. I found it very hard to put the book down especially towards the end of the book as things hotted up. I highly recommend it.

As you can see, I'm not copying everything word for word and it's not duplicating anything. I'm just summarising my thoughts on what i discussed previously. You don't have to write paragraphs in the other thread but we ask for a reasonable level of discussion, then report with a summary in here. If you feel you can't do that, then that's fine. Members don't have to participate in every activity every month - we are very flexible. I for one haven't been able to read a book for this month's challenge as i don't have the time.

Thank you, both, for all the trouble clarifying things! After reading everything you said, it makes a bit more sense.
I hope you didn't see my comments as criticizing, because it wasn't meant that way at all! You all put so much work in this (and the challenges are always great!). And when thinking about 'reporting', I was forgetting the main reason this thread is here, namely for the mods to keep things a little easier.

And I know I don't have to participate in every activity - my goal is to at least do 1 every month (either the challenge or the group read/theme read, whichever works best for me). So this month it is the theme read. (I just can't find a book I want to read with the words from the challenge I found, and well the month is almost over...). :)

Thanks for your patience, Rusalka and Sarah!
(Oh, btw, was my discussion of this book 'reasonable'? ;) Or do you want me to say a little bit more about it?)

Rusalka wrote: "Sorry Elsbeth. I took when you said
Elsbeth wrote: "I keep wondering what this thread is about,"
to mean you didn't know what this thread was about.

Sarah being the Group Read guru expanded and ..."

I know why you thought that - I thought later that I didn't put that right - sorry!

No worries Elsbeth, glad it helped. Sorry Sarah and I kept cross posting at you. But always happy to explain why we do things. Usually it's a mix of many different reasons and experiments, and we all remember bits and pieces of them. So happy to fill in gaps.

No worries, I frequently do that with how I phrase things. Always a pain when someone response before you get to rephrase better. We got there in the end ;)

I'll leave Sarah to answer the Group Theme Read specific question for you :)

Rusalka wrote: "No worries Elsbeth, glad it helped. Sorry Sarah and I kept cross posting at you. But always happy to explain why we do things. Usually it's a mix of many different reasons and experiments, and we a..."

Thanks! :D

We're all good :-)

With regards to what you've written over in the discussion thread. I wasn't so worried about that, it was more that you didn't included a summary here in this thread. Which you have now done, so thank you. Personally, I can never have too much information about a book (except spoilers obviously). We know everyone's time is precious and don't expect an essay or a full on book review. We want the group reads and challenges to be enjoyable and accessible. It's so hard to say what is enough and what isn't enough. I guess a good rule of thumb is to write enough in the discussion thread so that it allows you to summarise down what you thought for reporting in here. I hope that makes sense.

Sarah wrote: "We're all good :-)

With regards to what you've written over in the discussion thread. I wasn't so worried about that, it was more that you didn't included a summary here in this thread. Which you..."

It does, thanks! :D

Just finished Anterograde and put my thoughts over on the discussion thread.

A friends to lover m/m romance that had a lot of potential but fell short unfortunately.

PS - Elsbeth, you're not on your own btw, I struggle with this too :)

Sarah wrote: "Cathie wrote: "I read last year and it was one of my favourite reads. I really liked the storyline and the development of Jimmy/Snowman.

I find Atwood always borde..."

It's all good Sarah. I don't need the badge, was just trying to follow "rules". I enjoy participating when / how I can. The reward for me in reading is reading the book. Thank you all mods for the great work you all do :-)

Whew, I can finally say that I finished reading Oryx and Crake. What a ride and right over the cliff! This was my first Atwood book and I really liked her writing style. I felt sorry for Snowman, but I loved reading all of the "old" words that he kept saying to himself. Yes, I even looked up a few. The story line between Jimmy and Snowman, going back and forth from past to present was very well done, I think. It was well paced and easy to read. The biology and science advances were quite chilling and made me shudder more than once, for sure. I can't wait to start the 2nd book. I am so glad I bought the trilogy instead of just the single book.

I read and discussed The Sherlockian this month. I gave it 4 stars. I liked the way the author developed 2 mysteries (one past, and one present) and the way they converged at some point. It was a great historical fiction too. The author definitively came with a way to explain m;any historical facts in a really engaging story.