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

Please read through the reporting thread carefully to ensure to report correctly to get your badge/s.

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.

If you lead the discussion, please state this in your post.

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.

Please note, there are THREE different badges that can be obtained for group reads. Those reading and discussing one of the two chosen group reads will receive a colourful badge similar to those for previous group reads. Those reading and discussing any other book in the theme will receive a stamp. The discussion leader for the two chosen group reads will receive a badge stating they led the discussion. Maximum amount of badges you can receive for the group reads is TWO - one for the chosen group read/discussion leader and one for any other book in the theme.

In order to receive a badge you must:
1. have read the book(s) before or during April 2017.
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 started a day early and just finished my book, The Maracot Deep. I discussed in the other book thread.

I wasn't looking forward to reading it and just wanted to get it out of the way. I would never have read if I hadn't needed an undersea book for the year long challenge. But, it was a quick read and much more enjoyable than I expected. I gave it 3 stars.The writing was sometimes a bit more complicated than more modern books and I had to reread a couple of sentences, and there was some technical and biological stuff that I didn't care so much about and didn't feel like looking up, but overall it was an engaging story. Not as action packed as modern adventure or SF books I think (not sure, not my genre really) but still plenty of stuff happening to keep turning the pages and wanting to find out how it all ends.

I read Treasure Island and am discussing in the group read thread. I am also the discussion leader.

I thought this book was just ok. I'm not a fan of classics in general, but have read a couple which I have enjoyed, so I thought I'd give this one a chance. I read the beginning to get a feel for it before starting and thought it would be good. Unfortunately, I thought the beginning was ok and the end too, but the middle was not my taste. There are fighting / battle scenes, which I don't like. Typically, I just skim over those, but I was listening to the audio, so no skimming. Unfortunately, this made a good portion of the book boring to me. Ultimately, I like the idea of the story, but not the actual reading of the story. I ended up giving it 2.5 stars.

What did you read Peggy?

Hahaha oops! How could I forget?

I edited my reporting message ;-)

Can't believe you guys have finished already!!

It was only 200 pages, I started a day early, and I had over 3 hours to kill on a train, so that helped ;-)

I listened to most of the audio on a road trip and finished it off the next day. I wanted to have it done early to lead the discussion.

Finished and discussed my thoughts in the thread for Into the Deep

Unfortunately not for me. It wasn't a terrible book, but a book that lacked originality and found I was bored reading it.

I really enjoyed revisiting Treasure Island, this time in audio. The narrator was such a great find for me. I think I have seen just about every movie version of this book that was ever made. I have added some comments and spoilers in the book thread, and will continue to comment, as more people read the book.

I also read The Wine-Dark Sea as an alternate because I was not sure I was going to get TI, but I really do not need a 2nd badge for this one. It is #16 in the series I have been reading for the past two years.

I read Murder on the Lusitania and discussed it in the appropriate thread.

I gave it 2 stars with the following review:

Not terribly engaging or unique. Tired, predictable plot replete with glaring red herring and full of cliches. No surprises here. And as another reviewer pointed out, the book suffered from countless typos and grammatical errors.

I read Treasure Island and discussed it in its thread for that purpose. I gave it 3 stars.

This classic is one that I had never read as a child, yet the name of Long John Silver and the Jolly Roger was well known to me. It took me a while to settle into the story, but I finished with a smile on my face. It was a fun adventure on the high seas with some rum and a few devious pirates.

I read Murder on the Lusitania and discussed it in its thread. I gave it 3 stars.
I enjoyed the descriptions of characters and the ship itself which was engaging and gave me more of an idea of what travelling during that time period was like. I love mysteries so am a bit biased there but there were some plot problems (characters that weren't necessary, a bit predictable etc.) that kept me from giving it more stars.

I read, discussed, and led the discussion for Murder on the Lusitania. Leading the discussion has been a bit of a challenge, because many people found it hard to get their hands on the book, and others just started late because they wanted to read their cage match book. So in the early part of the month I felt a little like I was talking to myself. But the discussion did get going at some point, and it was fun comparing our different reactions to the book. Debra picked up on clues I didn't, and several of us agreed that one story line was unnecessary and in bad taste, but mostly we seem to have found it a pleasant book. I gave it three stars. The author did a great job in describing the setting and the times.

I read and discussed Murder on the Lusitania with the group. I enjoyed most of the story. We talked about the side plots that we felt were unnecessary and objectionable. Oddly enough, I missed the typos and mistakes that others complained about.

I read and discussed Treasure Island on the group thread. I really like this book and think it is a great introduction to classics for middle school students. There is a wide variety of characters and the plot is engaging. Everyone has heard of one of the main characters Long John Silver, who is evil, crafty, and manipulative but also highly intelligent. Ben Gunn, a comic relief character, is my favorite because he makes me smile at his antics and language.
I enjoyed the book.

I read Murder on the Lusitania and discussed it in the group thread. I thought it was an easy read and very much enjoyed the descriptions of the ship and the people. I do agree that there were some unnecessary characters. The author spent so much time developing each character and he could have used that time to add more detail to the investigation. I think Abigail and Carlotta were my favorite characters!

I read and discussed Treasure Island on the appropriate group thread. I had never read this previously, but had a preconceived notion about the story, which turned out to be quite accurate. I enjoyed the first part of the book the most, and didn't care much for the subsequent adventure. Overall, it was just okay, and I gave it three stars.

I also read Shadow Divers and commented on the appropriate thread. Now this was an true adventure story I did enjoy! I couldn't put the book down. I learned a lot about deep sea diving/divers, shipwreck diving, and German uboats. It was interesting to read about the many inaccuracies discovered in official recordkeeping, and how they affected future assumptions. This was a five star read for me.

I read Treasure Island for a second time after reading people's comments about the book on the discussion thread. I found I had remembered a good portion of the beginning of the book before the adventure began. After that, .....not so much...except the ending. Knowing the ending did cause me not to pay attention to the audio as much with the ever changing situations near the end. It's still a great pirate story and I may have to go back and given the last several chapters a re-listen. Not giving it my full attention took away from the ending.

I posted my comments on the discussion thread earlier today. I absolutely loved this story this first time I read it; I'm glad I had the time to revisit it while it was this months group read.

I read Shadow Divers and discussed it in the appropriate thread. This was an excellent read. I just had to keep reading till I found the answers to the mystery, just like the men who found the u-boat. This book had everything...mystery, adventure, history and presented informative information in an interesting way. It even had a bromance, lol. I was also really impressed with the way the divers put so much time and effort into the research they did to solve this mystery but to also give names to the men lost with this sub. I really admire the respect that they showed to those men.

TrudyAn, I have to say thank you for putting into words my thoughts that I didn't know how to say, when you said It was interesting to read about the many inaccuracies discovered in official recordkeeping, and how they affected future assumptions That was very well said. If no other facts from this book stay with me I'm sure that one will. It kind of makes you look at history in a different way.

Anyway, an excellent and fascinating read.

I read Treasure Island, and not so much discussed as agreed to discussion in its thread. I fear there is something wrong with me as I found myself rooting for the villainous Mr. Silver. A very enjoyable tale of adventure in my books.

I read Murder on the Lusitania. I enjoyed the atmosphere and got a real sense of the time period and the opulence on board. It was a quick, easy read for me. I basically echo what Carla said and also gave the book 3 stars.

I joined in with the discussion thread, although I arrived late, so most things had already been said.

I also made a few comments in the Treasure Island thread. I re-read this last year as part of the geo-caching challenge, so it was still fresh in my memory. And yes, I agree. Silver is definitely the highlight of the book Jenn!

I finished Treasure Island on April 21st and discussed it in the relevant thread.

I enjoyed Jim's adventure but found myself, more often than not, cheering for the much more colorful pirates! Classic story strictly for entertainment.

Badges have been posted. Let me know if I missed you!

Great badge! Thank you.

Thanks Peggy. Love the badge : )

Beautiful badge, Peggy. Thank you!

Thank you for the badges, Peggy.

I'm glad you all like it :)

Thanks Peggy!