Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

So Greg Iles' Natchez Burning is our upcoming group read book for June 2014, with a hefty 800 pages and ninety-seven chapters!
It is broken into two parts: From what I can tell without a print copy
Part One 1964-1968 includes a prologue and Chapters 1-3
Part Two 2005 includes three segments and chapters 4-97
Monday Chapters 4-32 Tuesday Chapters 33-58 and Wednesday Chapters 59-97. There is also an afterwards.
I am thinking of setting up twelve separate threads like this if agreeable, we don't want them so large they take a week to read between posting, or so many that it is hard to manage the threads...
(Part one)
Chapters 1-3
(Part Two Monday)
Chapters 4-10
Chapters 11-20
Chapters 21-32
(Part two Tuesday)
Chapters 33-40
Chapters 41-47
Chapters 48-58
(Part two Wednesday)
Chapters 59-69
Chapters 70-80
Chapters 81-90
Chapters 91-97
Afterward / Final comments

really looking forward to reading this- i have it on the kindle already!

I just picked Natchez Burning up at the library - audio CD's - thirty of them! I better start sooner than later if I hope to get it read in June - thirty-six hours long! At my usual pace it will take five weeks and doesn't appear to be whispersync for Kindle - Yikes!

I, of course, must read the books before Natchez Burning, to be able to read Natchez Burning. Will start soon :)

LizH wrote: "I, of course, must read the books before Natchez Burning, to be able to read Natchez Burning. Will start soon :)"

That's a tall order, Liz, they are all pretty meaty books. You may suffer from Natchez Fatigue before you get to Natchez Burning. (I won't mention the other Iles book in which Penn surfaces, but which is about a side character in one of the books.)

But that's okay, the thread will be waiting for you when you get there!

Ann wrote: "I just picked Natchez Burning up at the library - audio CD's - thirty of them! I better start sooner than later if I hope to get it read in June - thirty-six hours long! At my usual pace it will ta..."

Yowza, that's a lot of listening! I'm impressed that you got your copy already. I'd better request the audio AND the hard copy, easy to keep track when posting.

We do give ourselves two months to read, so unless you want to be first no sense starting early, Ann.

Oh, and one request, if you'd hold up posting the threads until closer to the start date (or when someone is reading it) I'd appreciate it -- I manage GR by using the "unread posts" button, and they all keep appearing because of the one new unread post so I have to scroll through them to find the posts I can respond to.

Not a big deal, just if you can! Thanks.

Carol: I am definitely waiting on setting up the threads until someone starts it or right at the beginning of June, and I totally agree.
With the clutter of overlapping books under the one thread I have been toying with the idea of giving Natchez Burning it's own folder to help corral those threads as a test. I'll run it by you all for your thoughts.
Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Oh, and one request, if you'd hold up posting the threads until closer to the start date (or when someone is reading it) I'd appreciate it -- I manage GR by using the "unread posts" button, and they all keep appearing because of the one new unread post so I have to scroll through them to find the posts I can respond to."

Ann wrote: "Carol: I am definitely waiting on setting up the threads until someone starts it or right at the beginning of June, and I totally agree.
With the clutter of overlapping books under the one thread ..."

i like the idea of a folder with all the threads in it. i do what carol does- use the unread posts button- and with all the threads, there's a lot of unread posts..:)

Ann, I think creating a folder as a test would be fine. On the one hand, I like being able to go to one folder to find all our group reads (we can't next folders, can we?). On the other hand it would save the overlapping post problem. I wonder what other groups do?

Ann wrote: "I have been toying with the idea of giving Natchez Burning it's own folder to help corral those threads as a test...."

Ok thanks for the feedback! I'll try the separate Natchez Burning folder but wait until later on in the month to be closer to the June start. It will help the Spoilers Welcome folder be less willy nilly!
The new group read book threads will still start out unread - however with a folder, easy to find and check back on them later after having marked them all read (initially, even before reading the book) I have seen this on other groups and it works. We never had so many threads on books going before now - a good "problem" to have, I am enjoying the in depth discussions! ;)

Ann wrote: "We never had so many threads on books going before now - a good "problem" to have, I am enjoying the in depth discussions! ;)
..."

I do too, and it seems to bring in new people to the group, which I hadn't anticipated and which is a very welcome thing. Good thinking on your part, Ann!

I've got The Quiet Game, and since I just finished a book I'm going to put it into the rotation. I think there's three books in between? I want to try to get them done before June but I do understand the warning about getting weary of an otherwise good series cuz of reading too many in a row. I've experienced that. Hmmm, I'll try to mix it up a little.

Bookpage had a nice article on Natchez Burning and its author today.

Also NATCHEZ BURNING just dropped in price for Kindle. $8.99 US.

The price went back up today, I guess it was a one day deal...

Almost done with Quiet Game and LOVING it!!

Rats, I knew I should have gone over to get it. Christina wrote: "The price went back up today, I guess it was a one day deal..."

I won't create all of the twelve discussion threads yet, but have started a 'Group Read - Natchez Burning' folder to corral them, and will add the first chapter 1-3 thread. I'll leave this one here as a bridge to the new location: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

LizH wrote: "Almost done with Quiet Game and LOVING it!!"

Yay!!!!

Ann, I picked up the audio Saturday at the library. It doesn't feel right starting it now bec I still haven't finished Black-Eyed Blonde, our may read. But 30 disks; yikes. I know I won't get through that in the 3 weeks I have it out, and I'm sure I won't be able to renew it, it's sure to have someone waiting. I'll probably have to break down and use an Audible credit when I have to return it. Hmm. maybe I' should start it now after all. I wonder if anyone is reading the hardcover and can help with the chapter summaries..

Ann wrote: "I just picked Natchez Burning up at the library - audio CD's - thirty of them! I better start sooner than later if I hope to get it read in June - thirty-six hours long! At my usual pace it will ta..."

Okay, changed my mind, I am going to listen to one more book before I start Natchez Burning. It feels too early to start and I don't mind being first and posting summaries, but don't want to be so far ahead that no one else is posting. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is probably a quick listen, and I'll be ready to start NB within the week. It will be a good change in mood also.

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Okay, changed my mind, I am going to listen to one more book before I start Natchez Burning. It feels too early to start and I don't mind being first and posting summaries, but don't want to be so..."

i have to finish black eyed blonde- just started it this weekend and am only on chapter 2..lol
natchez burning is up next. it's waiting for me on my kindle

Carol: I took the library audio back yesterday myself and used an audible credit. I also sprang for the kindle copy so I can keep up. If I was still listening directly from the cd's in the car, I wouldn't care but the idea of getting thirty of them on my phone was too daunting. :)
I also picked up another book to listen before starting Natchez Burning. I should time it right at the first of the month. Looking forward to it.

LizH wrote: "I, of course, must read the books before Natchez Burning, to be able to read Natchez Burning. Will start soon :)"

hahaha, I felt the same way. It really bothers me to start mid-series. Although, in this case, I actually opted out of The Devil's Punchbowl. I get very squeamish about certain things, and I thought the graphic dogfighting scenes would bother me.

Will start punchbowl in a few days...

I hope you like The Devil's Punchbowl Liz!
I just saw that there is a book 3.5 coming out as a short story between it and Natchez Burning... I like those and hate them too.
They make me want to read them, they clutter up my FictFact.com lists and they are fairly costly since some authors release 3-4 per book (Divergent for one)

Would love to hear your thoughts on Punchbowl, Liz!

Ann, I hate those point-five books too. Never read them, except I've read one of the Reacher's. But I might have to read a Natchez one to give me a fix until The Bone Tree is out.

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Would love to hear your thoughts on Punchbowl, Liz!

Ann, I hate those point-five books too. Never read them, except I've read one of the Reacher's. But I might have to read a Natchez one to give..."

I read a 3.5 book before i read natchez. you know how they refer to cage's heart attack in natchez? it happened in the .5 book

Oh that's good to know, Sherry. I thought it had happened in the previous book and I just forgot about it.

Where are those .5 books? Can you get them from the library/bookstore, or are they online available in ecopy?

Sherry wrote: "I read a 3.5 book before i read natchez. you know how they refer to cage's heart attack in natchez? it happened in the .5 book ..."

Carol/Bonadie wrote: "Oh that's good to know, Sherry. I thought it had happened in the previous book and I just forgot about it.

Where are those .5 books? Can you get them from the library/bookstore, or are they onli..."

i think they are e-books- cost $1.99

Sometimes my library has the .5 books for Overdrive. I'll have to look for this one and see if they have it. They usually have a long waiting list.

Well, now I have to find the .5 book before I start Natchez!! Haven't started punchbowl yet, but will keep you all posted!!