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 story line 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 November 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 read Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman for the themed read and discussed it in the thread for themed reads.

There were quite a few stories of varying length in this anthology and I had mixed reactions to them. My 3 star rating is an average of my enjoyment of the various stories. My favourite was the last, and the longest - Black Dog.

I read The Whole Art of Detection: Lost Mysteries of Sherlock Holmes and discussed in the general thread. Probably about a 3 star read. I thought the language and style very good in relation to Doyle's but I thought the stories to lack originality. Not to say they weren't original they just felt similar to Doyle's in such a way that I felt like I've read all this before.

I read Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell and discussed in the discussion thread. I also was the discussion leader.

All these stories had some magical elements and gave the reader a lot to think about. It wasn't always clear, what the author intended to tell us but eventually this isn't necessary. So, I liked that theses stories made my mind spin around. But anyway, i did not enjoy the process of reading these stories. I guess this is due to the strange topics these stories comprised. I would give the stories between 1 (one story was really unnecessary) and 3.5 stars for an overall rating of 3 stars.

I read The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr and discussed this book in the discussion thread.

I enjoyed the majority of the stories in this collection, but what will stay with me the most is the descriptive writing - it was so good to the point where, at times, I felt like I was actually there. I also liked the relationships portrayed within each story and the focus around nature.

A solid 3*s and I will definitely be picking up All the Light We Cannot See.

I read The Shell Collector and discussed it in the discussion thread. Loved Doerr's depiction of nature and writing - he is a master of the short story genre - quite amazing. His characters were all interesting individuals and different. 4 stars! Also facilitated the group discussion.

I read The Shell Collector and participated in the discussion on the group thread. The stories were good, but the book did nothing to influence my opinion on short story collections. I doubt that any of the stories will stay with me for long. Doerr’s writing is wonderfully descriptive, and the book was enjoyable simply for the reading experience.

I also read Christmas at the Vinyl Cafe and commented in the appropriate thread. The stories were written by a popular Canadian personality, and had a wonderful Canadian flavour. Stuart McLean was a truly great storyteller, and because his delivery was everything, reading these stories was a different experience. I particularly enjoyed the heart-warming stories.

I read both of the group read books chosen for this month and discussed them in the appropriate threads. I also read an alternate selection that happened to come up for my yearly challenge at the same time.

I read Vampires in the Lemon Grove first. There were several stories which I enjoyed. I thought the author's imagination at the story lines quite varied, but most of them I did not understand, if there was a point. I liked the magical realism element. It was definitely helpful to see other people's point of view in the discussion threads.

I read The Shell Collector after I had completely finished the first group book. I did not want to get mixed up between the two. Of the two group reads, I enjoyed the stories in this one the most. That is not to say that I enjoyed all of them. The two writers have a totally different style and slant to their stories and characters. Again, the group discussion on the individual stories was quite helpful in the interpretation. I enjoyed all of the view points. After being exposed to Anthony Doerr now, I am looking forward to reading his book All the Light We Cannot See.

The third book that I read was Tenth of December. I had selected this title for my yearly challenge because of the month in the title. I had forgotten until I started reading it, that it was a book of short stories. In contrast to the two group read books, this one was my least favorite. I had to make myself read several of the stories after the initial few at the beginning. The writing was very simple, but the style was just too strange on some of them. None had any very endearing characters. The plots were simple but strange. I think I like strange less and less as I get older. The author is a college teacher and is known for his short stories so I am interested in reading his first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo.

I read 3 out of 8 stories of Vampires in the Lemon Grove, and discussed them in the thread. I gave up and didn't rate the book. The stories are kind of weird, that it is not a problem per se, but I feel that although they are meant to be thought provoking, they were just unpleasant. I don't think I will give it another try in the future.

I read 6 out of eight stories in Vampires in the Lemon Grove, and I discussed all of the stories that I read. At some point, though, I gave up. I liked some of the stories, but I hated others. The stories were very different from each other, so as I started a new story it took a while to tell if it was a story I would like, or if it was just too unpleasant, and not something I wanted to think about. I enjoyed the discussion. The other readers seemed to share many of my feelings, and many of us were unsure what various stories "meant," or if they had a point. I enjoyed reading other people's speculation about what parts of the stories might mean. Other readers shared insights or guesses that had not occurred to me. I know I was not the only reader to give up on this book before the end. I am glad I read as much of it as I did. It was interesting to see how others reacted.

I finished The Shell Collector and discussed it in the thread dedicated to the book.

On the whole I really enjoyed this collection of stories. Though a couple of the stories fell a little flat for me I loved the connections and common themes the author waeves through each of the stories.

I read Ghost Stories of an Antiquary and discussed it in the Short Stories thread.

Though the horror was not depicted literally, it was insinuated and the stories were enjoyable with 'Number 13', 'The Mezzotint' and 'The Lost Hearts' being my favorites

I finished The Shell Collector and discussed it in the dedicated sthread.

Overall it was 50/50. I like three of the stories best, two at beginning of the book and the last one. Even though I didn't dislike the others they were not as interesting to me.
I was introduced to the writing style of Anthony Doerr and I liked it! I could really picture the landscapes and the scenes unfolding in the stories.
Since it was 50/50, I stayed in the middle in my rating as well with 3 stars.

I read The Shell Collector and have discussed it in the appropriate thread. Overall, I’m giving the book a rating of 4 for imagination and excellent writing. However, I found the stories to be mostly unpleasant and depressing, so I can’t say I exactly enjoyed reading them. I’m glad I finished a few days ago, and have moved on to novels I’ve wanted to read. I’m just not a short story person.

Debra wrote: "I read The Shell Collector and have discussed it in the appropriate thread. Overall, I’m giving the book a rating of 4 for imagination and excellent writing. However, I found the stories to be most..."

Please only report once you have discussed the book in the relevant thread. I know you mentioned popping back to comment further (although I don't see that now in your post so you may have edited it since I saw it first). Please add your comments to the relevant thread and come back here to let me know you've participated in the discussion. Badges are awarded for the participation in group reads rather than the completion of the book like the challenges.

I read The Shell Collector and discussed it in that thread. Doerr's writing and story-telling ability are impressive, but the stories were difficult to read at times and left me feeling sad on the whole. I prefer fiction writing that is more uplifting. That's one of my motivations for reading is as a diversion from real life and its many disappointments and tragedies. Despite this, I still rated the book 4 stars based on the strength of the author's writing facility. He made me care about the characters in almost every story, which more often than not doesn't happen for me in reading short stories. Hence I tend to avoid short stories in general. I'm glad to have read The Shell Collector and participated in this challenge. Good discussions! Thanks Lilisa for a great job leading!

I finished Vampires in the Lemon Grove on April 28th and have added some of my notes to the discussion set up for the book.,

I somehow felt that the stories were all about "being true to your nature", although some of the stories' intentions were a lot more obscure. I gave it a 3 for imagination. Couldn't really go any higher, the stories just weren't that captivating.

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

Thanks Sarah - that's a real cuuuute badge! 😋