Retro Reads discussion

That sounds like a most productive trip! I am not going to ask if you are all set for the big day, (I don't think anyone is ever all set for that until it is over!) but are you feeling better about all the things that need to be finished?

Hi everyone (& sorry I didn't your last post Critterbee!)

I'm going away tomorrow. My daughter is meant to be getting married on Saturday. I say meant because COVID is now rampant in NZ. The latest is the celebrant's son has it.

After that my sisters will be staying with me for a week, so I may not be around much.

I'll update the Book Pool when I get back.

Stay safe everyone!

Take care, good luck, safe travels! And treasure your visit with your sisters!

Susan in NC wrote: "Take care, good luck, safe travels! And treasure your visit with your sisters!"

I will!

I do hope the wedding comes off, Carol! Weddings are stressful enough without uninvited guests like COVID attending. And have a lovely time with your sisters.

Abigail wrote: "I do hope the wedding comes off, Carol! Weddings are stressful enough without uninvited guests like COVID attending. And have a lovely time with your sisters."

Well, it turns out my sisters are only going to be with me for a couple of nights as Sue has a plumber coming (& you never put off a plumber when they say they can come) So it will be quality time!

See everyone when I get back!

I don't know if we have any members in Florida, but if we do - stay safe!

I used to enjoy retro reads more than other groups here, but it's really slowed down lately.

Does anyone know why?

I can only speak for myself, but I am in too many Goodreads groups and keep getting seduced away from my Retro recreational reading! I would like to read more books on the list but rarely am able to carve out the time. Also, perhaps the book pool format lends itself less to conversation than group reads do.

How about some challenges?

Abigail wrote: "Also, perhaps the book pool format lends itself less to conversation than group reads do"

You are probably right there, but if anyone ever wants to start a thread about a book they have read they are welcome to. Or they can ask me to set the threads up for them. In the Book Pool folder would be best. :)

CindySR wrote: "How about some challenges?"
I look on the Book Pool as a Challenge, Tadiana is intending to do the Christmas Short Stories in December.

If anyone would like to set up another challenge let me know. Or lead a group read.

I'm the only moderator on deck at the moment as Hana hasn't been on Goodreads since March. I miss her like anything & hope she is ok. :( & Tadiana is very busy.

Maybe if Hana isn't back by March 2023 Tadiana & I could look at getting another moderator then.

& as a conversation starter,😀 it looks like Goodreads have withdrawn their (awful) new book page. No doubt it is just for fine tuning but it has been bliss having the old page back.

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "& as a conversation starter,😀 it looks like Goodreads have withdrawn their (awful) new book page. No doubt it is just for fine tuning but it has been bliss having the old page back."

Thank you, I thought something was different, just added a book I’m reading and saw that annoying page was gone!

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "I look on the Book Pool as a Challenge..."

Maybe we can spice it up a bit? For example, choose a certain order to read the pool books, like alphabetical order, or from oldest date published to most recent, or choose our 5 pool books in 5 different genres and then read them genre by genre. Each reader can choose their own procedure or none at all.

January usually gets the ideas cooking for reading plans, anyone up for adding ideas to stir up the Book Pool? 😉

The pool is cool but I did enjoy reading the same book as other members at the same time.

I just published a list of my ten favourite Laugh Out Loud books and realized four of them are Retro Reads (and a fifth just missed the mark, published in 1982). Do you think writers were funnier back then, or is it just me? I would love to hear your recommendations for retro books that made you LOL. Here is my list: https://www.ElinorFlorence.com/blog/t...

CindySR wrote: "Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "I look on the Book Pool as a Challenge..."

Maybe we can spice it up a bit? For example, choose a certain order to read the pool books, like alphabetical order, or fr..."

I like the idea of each reader can choose their own genre or none at all - I’m intrigued about trying to choose different genres…;)

Elinor wrote: "I just published a list of my ten favourite Laugh Out Loud books and realized four of them are Retro Reads (and a fifth just missed the mark, published in 1982). Do you think writers were funnier b..."

Great list, thanks! Several new authors and titles for me. Totally agree with the Wodehouse, I’d say anything by the master! Off the top of my head, Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade made me LOL.

Elinor wrote: " I would love to hear your recommendations for retro books that made you LOL...."

I hardly ever LOL, I mostly smile and softly chuckle. I just perused my read list and found a few retros that really got a guffaw out of me:
All Creatures Great and Small
A Wodehouse Bestiary
A Dog's Life
Catherine, Called Birdy

oops, the last 2 are early 90s.

This was eye-opening, I need to read more lighthearted fare!

CindySR wrote: "Elinor wrote: " I would love to hear your recommendations for retro books that made you LOL...."

I hardly ever LOL, I mostly smile and softly chuckle. I just perused my read list and found a few r..."

Thanks, Cindy! I find that when I am depressed the thing that works is watching funny movies and/or reading funny books.

Cindy, would you be prepared to run the book pool with the changes you suggest? If so, I'll put up a poll & our members can choose which style they would prefer. :)

I prefer (obviously!) my way as I have got through a number of unread books at home - & discovered some new authors.

But we are a democratic bunch here & I am certainly happy for a change to be made if our members prefer it. But I don't have enough time to run it.

Elinor wrote: "CindySR wrote: "Elinor wrote: " I would love to hear your recommendations for retro books that made you LOL...."

I hardly ever LOL, I mostly smile and softly chuckle. I just perused my read list a..."

Same, here!

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "Cindy, would you be prepared to run the book pool with the changes you suggest? If so, I'll put up a poll & our members can choose which style they would prefer. :)

I prefer (obviously!) my way as..."
Hey, Carol, would you still be willing to do the Book Pool 2023 the same as this year? I’m in a couple other groups that have regular monthly reads, sometimes a few books per month, so I like the looser, more flexible set up of the Book Pool as we have been doing it. Plus, like you, I have gotten through some unread books I’d accumulated over the years, and found new authors. If not, I get it, no pressure, just wondering. I guess we’ll take a vote on it!

Oh yes! Love the current format! It's unfortunate that this discussion is split between two posts.

Edit; Here is the other thread. https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

But (at least for the NZ summer) I'm not going to have time to run a more elaborate system.

& if anyone wants to run a book discussion - just ask! Some of our members have done that in the past.

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "Oh yes! Love the current format! It's unfortunate that this discussion is split between two posts.

But (at least for the NZ summer) I'm not going to have time to run a more elaborate system.

& i..."

Great! Thanks!

Susan in NC wrote: " I like the looser, more flexible set up of the Book Pool as we have been doing it...."

That's what I like about it too.

With mod's permission, I can start a different challenge in January, in a different thread, but related to the Book Pool. Just to stir up a bit of interest, like Jackie mentioned.

The Catching Up On Classics group has lots of challenges and they are really popular. I signed up for too many in '22, plus my local library's challenge. Next year I'm slowing it down!

Anyway Carol, what do you think?

I like the idea, but I'll run it past Tadiana first if that's ok. It may be a few days before I get an answer from her. :)

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "I like the idea, but I'll run it past Tadiana first if that's ok. It may be a few days before I get an answer from her. :)"
Ok! I already have a few ideas. ;)

CindySR wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: " I like the looser, more flexible set up of the Book Pool as we have been doing it...."

That's what I like about it too.

With mod's permission, I can start a different challe..."

Oh, CindySR, I’ve been there, overextended on the book challenges! I’m like a kid in a candy store.

There was a group here, Book for All Seasons, that is currently inactive, but Matt used to cook up some interesting challenges, once a quarter. He’d just provide the categories, like “read a book outside your comfort zone”, or “a book with a child protagonist”, and we’d each decide on a book to suit, read and review. Found some interesting authors and titles!

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "I like the idea, but I'll run it past Tadiana first if that's ok. It may be a few days before I get an answer from her. :)"

I know she’s very busy, but please say 👋🏻 to Tadiana!

Susan, the SR in my name means Slow Reader....I don't know what I was thinking, committing to 5 year-long challenges. 😬

The challenges you mentioned are similar to what I have in mind.

CindySR wrote: "Susan, the SR in my name means Slow Reader....I don't know what I was thinking, committing to 5 year-long challenges. 😬

The challenges you mentioned are similar to what I have in mind."

Wow, five challenges, should be CindyBW for Brave Woman! A very wise GR friend told me years ago, read what you want, at your own pace - if it gets to be like homework, you’re overcommitted and overdoing it!

I look forward to seeing what you have in mind for this group.

Elinor wrote: "I just published a list of my ten favourite Laugh Out Loud books and realized four of them are Retro Reads (and a fifth just missed the mark, published in 1982). Do you think writers were funnier b..."

thank you for the link, Elinor, I will check out the ones I haven't read.

I've been following this discussion, and I do have a suggestion which may be over complicated, but there is time to work out if it would be. I checked the pool and there are 75 books in it, which I think means that 15 people put books forward for it. How about, if the people who want to, (and I assume not everyone would), put 1 primary book forward, of their choice of 5, that they would be prepared to lead a discussion on, with no obligation to put a primary book into the mix. That way you could get discussion threads put up for some of the books that nominees are interested in discussing, and possibly even a schedule depending on how many people are prepared to lead a discussion of their chosen book.

I do hope I've made this clear; it is just a suggestion to get a bit more chat about books. I do love the book pool idea, but I let my reading of books in it slide. Have read some great books from it though.

Tania wrote: "I've been following this discussion, and I do have a suggestion which may be over complicated, but there is time to work out if it would be. I checked the pool and there are 75 books in it, which I..."

That is a good idea - could people who are intending to participate in the Book Pool post here if they would be prepared to lead a discussion.

I would be prepared to lead one.

Excellent idea and yes I would lead!

I missed out on most of this discussion because as so often happens, Goodreads dumped me out of the thread. Sigh. I must say I rather liked this year’s Book Pool just as it was (am starting another pool book tomorrow) but I wouldn’t mind having some group reads on the side. I suppose I could lead something, I have in a couple of other groups.

I would be prepared to lead one too.

I heard from Tadiana a couple of days ago. Sorry I have been a bit busy.

What we have decided to do is use Cindy's idea next year, then Tania's in 2024. For 2025 we will have a vote between Cindy's idea, Tania's idea & the way I did it this year.

Hope everyone is ok with this. I will link this discussion to the original thread about this.

I'll just mention to everyone that I might be a bit distracted for the next few days, as I have a great nephew very ill in hospital.

So if I seem a bit fuzzy, that is why!

I am so sorry to hear it! I hope he gets better soon.

Abigail wrote: "I am so sorry to hear it! I hope he gets better soon."

So do I! His grandmother (my sister) is a nurse & she is flying down to support the family tomorrow.

Carol, I am so sorry! Glad your sister can be with them - sending healing positive energy your way❤️‍🩹

Susan in NC wrote: "Carol, I am so sorry! Glad your sister can be with them - sending healing positive energy your way❤️‍🩹"

Thank you! Things have gone so wrong so quickly.

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "Carol, I am so sorry! Glad your sister can be with them - sending healing positive energy your way❤️‍🩹"

Thank you! Things have gone so wrong so quickly."

Oh, dearest, that always makes it so overwhelming - hold tight to each other, your love and support for each other will see you through.

Sending healing vibes!

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "I'll just mention to everyone that I might be a bit distracted for the next few days, as I have a great nephew very ill in hospital.

So if I seem a bit fuzzy, that is why!"

Oh Carol, not good news. Hoping for a good outcome. There's so little one can do but know my heartfelt thoughts are with you, Marty, and your family. xoxo

Nothing worse than seeing a young person struggling for life. All the best to your family, Carol.

FYI, quite a few (though not all) Elizabeth Cadell books are $2.99 for Kindle today.