EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club discussion

Hello all!

Name is Kasey. Born and bred in Boston - big sports fan and now also (hopefully) an avid reader.

Relatively new to Goodreads and quickly realized that I'm WAYYYYYYY behind when it comes to popular/classic/best-selling books, so I decided to start this group in the event that others would want to join in on the fun of what I've deemed "getting caught up".

Goal is to catch up on the classics (the ones we never read in high school, the ones that people re-write a million different ways, the ones that authors quote at the beginning of chapters in their books, etc.) and to read what everyone else is reading these days (aka what I've deemed the "modern" classic and anything else best-selling that everyone and their brother is talking about).
Really, the goal is to be able to talk about books the way everyone else talks about books, to discover the best of the best and, most importantly, uncover some books that truly mean something to us. I have read a few books that I can truly say have changed my life, mostly because they've changed my outlook on life, and sometimes perspective is everything, right?

Hope you can join me - introduce yourself here!

Best,
Kasey

Hello everyone!

My name is Camilla and I live in London, and am doing my PhD in English Literature (so yes, I read a lot). In the past years I have tried to catch up with the classics, so I love getting some new inspiration what to read next! I pretty much read most things (mostly fiction though, not a big non-fiction reader).

Looking forward meeting everyone and discussing the books with you :)

Hi, I'm Sarah!
I'm from northern IL.
I feel like I have read a million books, yet every time I turn around I'm finding something that I "should have read" yet haven't.
Looking forward to this group for that reason.
Thanks Kasey for setting it up :)

P.S. You're welcome, Loretta :) I thought this sounded like something you would like!

Hello. I am Brina. I live in Cincinnati but Chicago will always be home. Until this year when I became more active in Goodreads I only read nonfiction and a few mysteries. Now no matter how much I read I feel there's plenty of books out there I haven't gotten to yet, so this is a great idea for a group. In general, I like nonfiction, historical fiction, mysteries, modern classics, and well written contemporary. Looking forward to participating here.

Also from MA now I live in CO but I'll always be a Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics girl. Patriots items are reviled here so we mostly walk around with Red Sox caps and that's how we identify one another. I'm never got to go to Foxborough or Fenway but I've seen the Pats at Mile High and the Red Sox at Coors Field which is kinda sad but hey its a lot cheaper. The Rockies are not very good but the park seems to sell out when the Red Sox are here. I guess there are enough of us to make it happen.

The one game I got to go to also announced the long awaited opening of Dunkin Donuts out here in Denver, we of course went and had to wait in line for hours. It seemed like everyone in the line was from New England, mostly MA and we we're all wearing Red Sox things lol.

Anyway...I read some of the classics they gave in school but not all. Our school liked to do banned classics that people from other schools don't normally read as far as I can tell, I'm hoping to catch up on some more mainstream reads here and excited to be part of this group!

Hi Loretta - so glad you could join us! Would love any suggestions on classics you have in your tbr pipeline for future months. Also, I've been to Ocean City in NJ many times with the family. Love the boardwalk.

Camilla - a PhD!!! That's amazingly impressive. I can barely speak English and it's my first language so... anyways. I have a feeling a number of books will overlap with things you have already read, and we welcome your expertise!

Hi Sarah - so glad you could join! Let me know of any suggestions you have as well, especially with some of the more modern books. I feel like I have some names in mind but, admittedly, my view of the literature world is pretty narrow to the window displays at Barnes & Noble so would love to know what other people are hearing about and interested in reading!

Brina - we have family friends who are from Chicago, have lived all over the country, but never leave the house without their two vintage Bears jackets. I love it. And NON-FICTION YES I was hoping someone would say they've read a lot of it. Would love ideas here.

Luella - another Boston fan, yes! And my obsession with Dunkin' Donuts is unhealthy, at best. I used to live right next to Fenway Park, back in 2012 during their no-so-great season (before they won the World Series in 2013 - go figure) so we'd always scalp cheap tickets in the Grandstand on weeknights. Best place to sit IMHO since everyone there is on the same page - beer in one hand, Fenway Frank in the other, and lots of unnecessary yelling.

Thanks, again, to all for joining, and invite anyone/everyone you think would be interested in reading along!

Hey y'all, I'm Brady. Originally from the great state of Idaho, I am a huge sports fan...and movie fan...and music fan...and of course book fan. I guess I just really love to obsess over mainstream things. I would almost consider myself the anti-hipster except that using the term hipster is now hipster. I am often full of a lot of energy (like right now) but books are how I calm myself and transition into deep thought. I love analyzing good literature for societal themes of human nature and growing intellect. To me, the Classics hold some of the most important lessons our society needs to learn and I am really getting into Contemporary Classics. I find the term Classic to be awesomely subjective so I will gladly make The Book Thief one of my favorite Classics along with older texts including Crime and Punishment and The Great Gatsby. The inner turmoil of the human conscious is fascinating. Looking forward to some awesome reads and discussions.

I'm a baby boomer. Just thought I'd get that out of the way. Plus I was born and raised in Seattle, so, also just saying there probably is a good reason why film and TV producers think 'Seattle' when considering where to film weird edgy peculiar characters or stories in scripts. For example, a small list:

The 4400
Dead Like Me
iZombie
Reaper
Night Stalker
The Night Strangler
Twin Peaks
The Killing
The X-Files

Last and probably least - the Twilight series

On the other hand, my state legalized the possession of marijuana, 'death panels', gay marriage, long before any other states did it.

On the other other hand, studies STILL show the Pacific Northwest as the biggest producer of serial killers in the world, excluding legal governments.

Hi, everybody!

: )

Hi, my name is Lena. I live in the Texas panhandle with my husband and our 7 year old daughter. By day I am a legal assistant in a small law firm, but when not at work I am an avid reader. I grew up loving books and it has only grown stronger with time. I read most anything and any genre, but have a hard time being "told" what to read. I hated prescribed reading lists in school and now as an adult if something is extremely popular and a "must read" I tend to be skeptical. Too many times the story hasn't lived up to the hype. So...that means I have missed out on many good books that it seems everyone has read (or I don't remember much of ones I MAY have read in school). Therefore I joined this group to get "caught up" with the masses. My other hobbies include traveling and cooking. I collect cookbooks and I LOVE used bookstores, book sales, etc. because I never know what I might find there.

Hi everyone!
My name is Sara and I'm originally from Algeria but currently living in Norway. I'm doing a gap year and will be starting university soon. My new year's resolution was to take up reading as I haven't a read of books and always felt like I'm missing out on something great, and it's true now that I am reading it is great and I'm glad I'm no longer missing out. I love cooking, badminton, volunteering and I'm sure I'll like many other things I haven't tried. I also like to analyse books but I've always been told what to read and told to analyse so I never actually enjoyed it until I subconsciously started to it with the books I chose. When I was creating my to-read list for 2016 I was consulting goodreads a lot and eventually joined and when I saw this group I wanted to join it so I can catch up with company.

Hi Brady! Love to meet another big sports fan. Just wondering who you're home teams are out in Idaho...
My favorite part of reading, I think (b/c it changes all the time), is getting into the mind of another, reading about human nature from another's perspective. Sounds like we agree on this point.

aPriL does feral sometimes - so glad you could join us! Always wanted to visit Seattle, with all the outdoor activities it sounds like my kind of place (despite the serial killers).

Hi Lena - I will say, I have the same hesitance. I read Twilight b/c everyone else seemed to have read it... not so much of a fan. I think the masses sometimes get it right, so we can be choosy :). Also I have recently gotten into cooking and love it! Maybe we can trade some recipes...

Sara - so glad you could join us! Sounds like you're quite the world traveler!! Would love to hear about any books that you're interested in reading.

Glad you all could join us!!

We definitely agree. The human element is the most unpredictable and interesting. The best part about being a sports fan from Idaho is that there are no "home teams" so I get to pick favorites in other ways. My teams are the Colts, Astros, Suns, Avalanche, and Galaxy. Kinda across the board band t each has a special reason why they are my favorite.

Hi Everyone! My name is Ashley and I live on a little island off the east coast of Puerto Rico. I'm in New Hampshire visiting my parents this summer and just bought a hammock so... it seemed like the ideal time to catch up on my "to read" pile. I read a little bit of everything from biographies to police procidurals and this group's reading list looks pretty eclectic. I can't wait!

So happy to find this group! I am a young lawyer who is just now finding the time to get back into reading. I often push aside older books for current ones so I'm excited to integrate this group into my reading life!

Hello.

My name is Heather. I was sorting through Goodreads groups and came upon this one. I've never read Memoirs of a Geisha OR Lord of the Flies but I keep meaning to because everyone else has read them. I thought: wow this group really has my number.

I've exceeded my book budget this month but I think I can find these at the local used bookstore :D

Hello. I'm Leesa and I live in Glasgow, Scotland.
I'm new to goodreads and came across this group which seems like just what I'm looking for. I always want to read classic books but it never happens. I'm also quite a slow reader due to never having the time in the day and falling asleep in bed before I get the book open! So fingers crossed I can keep up with you guys and learn a thing or two along the way :)

Brady - so...... Indianapolis, Houston, Phoenix, Colorado, and .... Galaxy is that MLS? You're all over the place - there's a story there.

Ashley - Awesome you're on the East Coast!!! Go to the beaches... and Portsmouth, NH may be one of my favorite towns. Apparently it has the highest density of bars/breweries in a square mile in the US or something like that... might have made that up.

Brittany - so glad you could join! Very similar to you - I just got back into reading about a year ago or so. Would be interested to hear what's on your classics list!

Heather - I should probably make a budget for books... whoops. And I know what you mean - I feel like there are quite a few of us who haven't read the books a lot of other groups have done already, so hopefully we can all "catch-up" together!

and Leesa - Glad to have you join us! Relatively new to Goodreads myself as well. Let me know if there's anything you're particularly interested in reading and we can incorporate in the polls over the next few months.

Welcome Ashley, Brittany, Heather, and Leesa. What a better way to catch up on reading than in a group. Glad you all joined :)

Welcome everyone!

Yeah, The LA Galaxy is MLS. Definitely a story for each of them.

That's all over the map :) I stick to my Chicago teams only and like the Patriots and Yankees because they're my husband's teams. And those are my only non-Chicago allegiances :)

Hey guys!! I just joined and I was looking for a group that reads the classics. I feel so behind in reading popular books so I want to get caught up

Hi, everyone! My name is Liz, and I live in Austin, TX. This group sounds absolutely perfect for me! I've never been the type of person who wanted to read what everyone else is reading, so I'm quite a bit behind when it comes to anything popular. I just started the Harry Potter series, to give you an idea of how far behind I am. I'm also not a fan of watching movies that I haven't read the book for, so I feel left out in that aspect as well. I'm really looking forward to getting caught up.

Hi, Liz! I have the entire set of Harry Potter books but I have not read a single one yet, although I enjoyed the movies. I also never seem to read, unless pushed, what everybody else was reading. This club has been a push in a good way!

Adam - you sound just like me back in May when this all started. Welcome to the crew!!! Can't wait to hear your opinion on things. Need some more guys up in here.

Liz - I think Harry Potter was the only book I read outside of school growing up (not that I really read all the books in school... whoops). And I also HAVE to read the book before the movie. I feel like it's because reading the book takes effort/time in a way a 2 hr movie never really does... and once I know what happens I don't want to put in the effort of reading the book. Feel ya.

Ashley wrote: "Hi Everyone! My name is Ashley and I live on a little island off the east coast of Puerto Rico. I'm in New Hampshire visiting my parents this summer and just bought a hammock so... it seemed like t..."

Vieques? That's where I grew up so I'm curious.

Hi everyone! My name is Erica and I'm from Australia.
Since the dawn of time I have had a love-hate relationship with classics. It always seems like when I actually do feel like reaching for one, my TBR pile is so big and I feel like it could swallow it me whole and I end up avoiding the classic like the plague. I hope through this group I'll be able to expand on my "have read" list to books other than badly written YA dystopian novels hehe. :)

Hi Erica - welcome to the group! Honestly felt the same way about classics... the language sometimes just makes it too much work to be fun, in my opinion, but I have found some really good ones. Hopefully we'll all read some together! Also just stalked your GR page - what's you rec if I wanted to read manga? never have...

Ooo yay manga! Hmm...I'd say probs go for the one everyone knows which is Death Note. It's about a boy who finds a book and basically if he writes a name of a person in the book, that person will die. It deals with a lot of moral issues on what exactly is wrong or right and the story gets quite dark as it goes on. The art is pretty good and it should be readily available everywhere. I wouldn't suggest buying manga unless you have heaps of money to spare as manga can get quite expensive (there are so many volumes ah) so libraries or websites like kissmanga.com are your best options. Oo one last thing - before reading, make sure you know how to read manga (right-to-left, top-to-bottom)

Goooooooood to know! I would have totally read left to right... and been wicked confused.

Death Note is officially on the to-read list - thanks for the suggestion! will let you know how it goes ;)

Erica wrote: "Ooo yay manga! Hmm...I'd say probs go for the one everyone knows which is Death Note. It's about a boy who finds a book and basically if he writes a name of a person in the book, that person will d..."

The first time I read one I was thoroughly confused because I tried to read it like a normal book. Fortunately a friend of mine pointed out what I had done. I felt really dumb afterwards, lol

Luella wrote: "Ashley wrote: "Hi Everyone! My name is Ashley and I live on a little island off the east coast of Puerto Rico. I'm in New Hampshire visiting my parents this summer and just bought a hammock so... i..."

Really?!?! It's such a small island but I'm amazed by the number of Viequense or family of Viequense I run into in the states. I've only lived there for two years and I'll be back in September. Can't wait for beach and sun!

Kaseadillla wrote: "Portsmouth, NH may be one of my favorite towns. Apparently it has the highest density of bars/breweries in a square mile in the US or something like that."

In 2010 Portsmouth also had the most books per person of any city in the US!!

Hey! I'm here now. I might have read some of these books but probably not. So uh, hidy hi!

The link above is probably a computer virus; don't open it.

Ashley wrote: "Luella wrote: "Ashley wrote: "Hi Everyone! My name is Ashley and I live on a little island off the east coast of Puerto Rico. I'm in New Hampshire visiting my parents this summer and just bought a ..."

I have a hard time objectively talking about the place. I lived there when the Navy was still there, saw the napalm and a number of my family members have had tumors some even cancer. And now the Navy is gone and tourists are trashing the place, like how the Bioluminescent bay flora is getting all messed up. It just makes me sad. There's no winning.

You ever read Usmaíl? I have it on my shelf but I haven't got into it yet.

Hi everyone! I'm Amy. I'm a Canadian living in Italy and I love to read. Reading was my not-think-just-relax time so I always chose books that were easy reads. I now have time to read some classics, since I'm not working while I'm here, so I thought I'd join this group to discuss. Thanks for having me :)

Hi Amy!
I love Italy, where are you living? It's a beautiful country! :)

Hi Leesa! I'm living in Lerici which is a small village near Cinque Terre in the Liguria Region. I love it here. It has been an incredible experience. We've travelled quite a bit since we've lived here. :)

Sounds amazing, I would love to do that. If it wasn't for my cat I think I would! Good for you :) I have enjoyed every book I've read in this group so far so hopefully it will be the same for you!

Hi, Amy! Do you read books in languages other than English? Are English paperback novels available in Italy? (I'm guessing digital English novels would be easily downloadable?) Just curious. I've never been to what my generation sometimes called 'the continent', i.e. Europe.

: )

Actually we have two cats and brought them from Nova Scotia. It was kind of a pain but totally worth it. They are our babies :). And now they know Italian ;).

I read some books in Italian, mostly cookbooks though, and some in French. In our village, there is a book store but there are only Italian books. In nearby cities, you can find some English books but not many. In Florence or Milan, there is a bigger selection. I use my kindle to read English books and some of my friends who are from England or North America have paperbacks which we exchange. It's always a treat when I see English books though.

Hi all, I am an avid reader, averaging 5 or 6 books per month. I read on my iPad (usually Kindle format), and listen to audio books in the car. I like all genres except horror and dystopian themes. I live in Texas with 5 cats and a couple of humans. I'm very fond of the cats. My Goodreads name, Pyewacket, is the cat's name in the movie Bell, Book, and Candle. Feel free to shorten it to "Pye".
Happy reading!

Amy - welcome to the group! I vacationed in Italy last year with a friend and went to Cinque Terre. It was beautiful!!! We both wished we lived in Italy - more than a little jealous that you're there full time.

Pye - welcome as well! I'm moving into a new apartment with a friend of mine who has a cat... never lived with a cat before. Only dogs. Would be happy to get any advice =). And with all the books you've been reading, anything good you think we should try?

Amy wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Amy. I'm a Canadian living in Italy and I love to read. Reading was my not-think-just-relax time so I always chose books that were easy reads. I now have time to read some classics..."

Amy wrote: "Hi Leesa! I'm living in Lerici which is a small village near Cinque Terre in the Liguria Region. I love it here. It has been an incredible experience. We've travelled quite a bit since we've lived ..."

Hi, Amy!
I've been to Italy twice, but not yet to that region. Is it as pretty as all the books say it is?

Pyewacket wrote: "Hi all, I am an avid reader, averaging 5 or 6 books per month. I read on my iPad (usually Kindle format), and listen to audio books in the car. I like all genres except horror and dystopian themes...."

Welcome, Pye!

Pye - I also read 5-6 books a month. Plus I have both Kindle and an IPad! But I dislike only two genres - Romance, and pseudo-genteel-women's flower arrangement finishing school novels such as written by Paula McLain/Helen Simonson/Isabel Allende.

Hello! I certainly have to catch up on my classics so I'm glad that you created this group! It sounds like a good blend of the past and the present so I'm looking forward to joining in as soon as I can. I have way too many TBR piles that accumulate in my house so hopefully they will provide most of the reading (at least they will get some attention). Thanks for creating this space in GoodReads!

Thanks, Haaze! Glad you could join us. Was feeling some big tbr piles myself and couldn't decide if I should start with Classics or Best-Sellers, so I decided to do both! looking forward to discussing books with you!

And welcome, MsG! Haven't considered designating a genre for each month yet, but sounds like a cool idea! Would be interesting to contrast a Classic and more recent book from the same genre in one month. Looking forward to your input

Hello deer bookfriends!
My name is Alina and I´m from Germany. I just finished my education and I have now plenty of time to read. I decided to improve my English with classics because it´s such an important language.
I wanted to join a book club for a long time. Thank you for having me! :)