All About Books discussion

I suggest Human Acts by Han Kang and Accordion Crimes by Annie Proulx, both female authors.

How about The Girls by Emma Cline?

I have created the poll for our April 2018 read- all from female authors. Thank you for the suggestions. Keep them coming!

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

1. Tin Man
2. Human Acts
3. The Clay Girl
4. The Girls
5. We Were the Mulvaneys
6. White Teeth

I nominate Gorilla, My Love by Toni Cade Bambara

Don't forget, there is still time to vote on our poll for April!

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/1...

The poll ends tonight and we currently have a tie! So if you are particularly keen on reading White Teeth or The Girls then it's worth a vote!

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Hi all!

Our poll for May 2018 group read is now up. This month I have selected the runners up from our previous polls plus another couple of books that have been talked about a lot and nominated for various awards.

I have only run the poll for 5 days as I am late starting so vote soon for your choice!

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

Does anybody have any suggests for our June read?

I'll suggest Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

Great choice. I have read that this month but could definitely discuss it

Heather wrote: "Does anybody have any suggests for our June read?"

Do we have a theme, or do we just suggest whatever we want?

No theme. Just like our previous nominations threads but more casual so anything you want.

I do check to make sure there is an audiobook and I check US and UK publication dates but I can always use suggestions in the future if the books aren’t available

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

So how about Here I Am by Jonathan Safran Foer?

I will put those both in this months nomination list

Leslie wrote: "I nominate Gorilla, My Love by Toni Cade Bambara"

Hi Leslie, this book looks brilliant but it's not available on kindle/audiobook so it's readership is limited and I think it's currently out of print in the UK. I am going to look for it in my library though!

I have created a poll for our June 2018 fiction read

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...

The books are:
1. Here I Am
2. Invisible Cities
3. Sing, Unburied, Sing
4. The Music Shop
5. The Keeper of Lost Things
6. Neverwhere

A good variety, I think. Hopefully there will be something to catch your eye

It was a tough choice, I have heard good things about a couple of the books.

Sing Unburied Sing is an amazing book, I just finished it and I think everyone could enjoy it - it has many levels.

So we had a tie, again!

I would suggest that we read one of the books in June and one in July.

June- Sing, Unburied, Sing
July- The Keeper of Lost Things

Would everybody who voted be happy with that or would you prefer a head to head vote to decide Junes book? I will make the final decision tomorrow to allow us time to get the books

I think that looks fine, otherwise we might just end up with a tie again!

The fiction book I'm currently reading is Silas Marner by George Eliot. I read it when I was going for my undergraduate degree. It was required reading but that was a long time ago. I took it up again recently and I'm almost finished. What bothers me is that when I tell people I'm reading Silas Marner they look at me as if I'm crazy. Then with a strange look on their face they ask "Are you enjoying it?" Then it gets even weirder because I say "Yes". It was difficult to get into at first but the story is really good. Her approach to describing her characters, their behavior and the environment in which they live is great. I'm really enjoying it. Moreover, I'm an author and I'm learning from her writing style. I don't know why people think this is so odd.

Heather wrote: "So we had a tie, again!

I would suggest that we read one of the books in June and one in July.

June- Sing, Unburied, Sing
July- The Keeper of Lost Things

Would ..."

This works for me. I'm #1 on a holds list for this book at my library, and there are five copies of the book, but all five people who have checked them out may take the next three weeks to read them... so I wouldn't be able to read it until (almost) July anyway.

ETA: Forgot to mention which book... I'm on hold for The Keeper of Lost Things.

Norton wrote: "The fiction book I'm currently reading is Silas Marner by George Eliot. I read it when I was going for my undergraduate degree. It was required reading but that was a long time ago. I took it up ag..."

Not sure how this topic came up, but I want to say that I really enjoyed Eliot's Silas Marner. She does a wonderful job with all those subtle and nuanced emotions of her characters, and the atmosphere is full of undercurrents and tensions.

Heather wrote: "So we had a tie, again!

I would suggest that we read one of the books in June and one in July.

June- Sing, Unburied, Sing
July- The Keeper of Lost Things

Would ..."

Sounds good. I am happy with that as they were the two books i wanted to win.

Norton wrote: "The fiction book I'm currently reading is Silas Marner by George Eliot. I read it when I was going for my undergraduate degree. It was required reading but that was a long time ago. I took it up ag..."

Norton, I just finished reading Silas Marner. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think it's got a lot of depth to it.
My review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Tamara wrote: "Norton wrote: "The fiction book I'm currently reading is Silas Marner by George Eliot. I read it when I was going for my undergraduate degree. It was required reading but that was a long time ago. ..."

Glad to see you enjoyed it, I'm afraid I have sort of forgotten about while I trying to work on my final essays, need to get back into it.

I'm really sorry that there has not been a group read this month. I have been moving house and incredibly busy at work and haven't had time to log in.

To try and increase participation we are going to move to 6 yearly fiction reads alternating with 6 classics read. Each group read will go on for 2 months.

I will create a slightly delayed poll for our next fiction book today

Not sure if others would be interested in any of these, but I'd like to suggest:

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
The King Must Die by Mary Renault
Regeneration by Pat Barker
The Master by Colm Tóibín

All books I have been meaning to read for a long time - not sure though if most others have already read them

Greg, I, for one, haven't read any of those and probably should. I've especially been meaning to read The Sense of an Ending - eventually - when something prompts me ('prods', is more like it).

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Greg, I, for one, haven't read any of those and probably should. I've especially been meaning to read The Sense of an Ending - eventually - when something prompts me ('prods', is mo..."

My reply thing didn't work, Greg. Everything went into italics for some reason.

PattyMacDotComma wrote: "Greg, I, for one, haven't read any of those and probably should. I've especially been meaning to read The Sense of an Ending - eventually - when something prompts me ('prods', is mo..."

Good to hear Patty! :)

They sound good, I would like to get the fiction read going again but I have already got enough on my plate, would you mind doing it Greg?

Sure Alannah! When does the next fiction read run through - November - December?

I think it was meant to be October to November.

OK, I will make a poll later this week.

Everyone, any more suggestions before I make a poll? Otherwise I will scroll back through the suggestions and pick. If there's something you want to group read, now is a good time to suggest it!

Even if I couldn't see the film that has recently come out, I was intrigued by The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald.
What do you say about that?

Greg, I will be starting Infiltration: A Novel by Yehoshua Kenaz soon - I think it would make for a great group read.

LauraT wrote: "Even if I couldn't see the film that has recently come out, I was intrigued by The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald.
What do you say about that?"

I read it in May. I had such high hopes for it. I don't want to turn you off it, but I really wasn't impressed with it at all. But maybe that's just me.

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

I'll give it a try and let you know what I think Tamara!

If it is not too late, I’d like to suggest This House is Haunted by John Boyne.

Pam wrote: "If it is not too late, I’d like to suggest This House is Haunted by John Boyne."

Just in time Pam! I am going to look through the list of suggestions and make a poll later today. :)

Already placed my vote.

Alannah wrote: "Already placed my vote."

Great Alannah :)

Is anyone reading Invisible Cities?

Joan wrote: "Is anyone reading Invisible Cities?"

Apologies Joan, didn't realise. Here is the link: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Thanks Alannah and Happy 2019!