The Obscure Reading Group discussion

Just sent the poll for our October selection. Thanks to those of you who provided such great titles.

Two days to vote. Enjoy!

I really like the look of these options--many to add to the tottering tbr, regardless of which one wins. I'm waiting in suspense!

Great choices! My phone is not conducive to a real thorough review but I look forward to the 3 day weekend to make a selection.

Ken, where is the poll? I seem to have forgotten how to find it or missed a link.

Sue wrote: "Ken, where is the poll? I seem to have forgotten how to find it or missed a link."

Go to the group's homepage and scroll all the way down. There she be!

Sue wrote: "Ken, where is the poll? I seem to have forgotten how to find it or missed a link."

Sue, I tried to find it and couldn't for some reason in my GoodReads iphone app. Had to access the group via a browser screen on my laptop. Once you get to the group, look for "polls" and it will be top of the screen.

Of course, technology varies. That's how it worked for me. Hope you can find it; it's an interesting list. ~yvonne

Yvonne, I never did find it on the app so I went to the website. Looks to me like the much vaunted app is no longer getting support.

Oops, just read your full note and see we found the same result.

Glad you found the Promised Land (er, Poll), Sue.

ROUND TWO'S poll is now ready for voting. We had a clean three for most votes, so that whittles the original ten down nicely.

Nice! A small group of three very different choices. This should be fun, whatever is chosen, and I'm looking forward to it.

Me too. 3 really good options in my opinion.

Classical Thinking Caps

I know it's a busy time of year, but in the week between Christmas and New Year's, I'll be sending an all-members request for nominations for our February book.

Remember, February is the one special book of the three we read a year. It must have a published date of 1899 or earlier, making it a classical gas.

So, yeah. Push those dancing sugar plums a bit to the right in your head so there's room to start brainstorming about books both great and obscure and "classical" that we might share come February.

Ken wrote: "Classical Thinking Caps

I know it's a busy time of year, but in the week between Christmas and New Year's, I'll be sending an all-members request for nominations for our February book.

Remember, ..."

On it, Ken, and thanks for the heads up. Happy holidays!

Happy Christmas Ken and Obscure readers! Look forward to what we come up with for February.

Thank you both, and Merry Christmas to all celebrants here as well!

Merry Christmas Ken and all who are celebrating this week. Enjoy!

This is an interesting exercise, checking if I know when this or that book was published :)

Merry holidays to everybody! Hope to read something interesting with you in February.

Me too. I'm new, and excited to try to grow my brain.

Happy Holidays everyone, and I'm looking forward to reading our obscure classic in February!

The all-call for Feb. nominations went out last night. If you're interested in nominating an obscure classic (1899 publication or sooner, any country as long as available in English), text me your nomination!

And I hope everyone enjoyed Boxing Day slash St. Stephen's Day.

Today and tonight offer the last chance to nominate a classic for February. If you have a pick, text it my way!

Today is DAY TWO of the first round of voting for February's discussion choice.

If you haven't already, visit the ORG's Group Home page and scroll to the bottom where the poll awaits your vote.

Tomorrow will be the one-day, final poll consisting of the Top 3 vote getters.

New Year's Day will feature a title choice slash winner, shiny and new (even though it's dusty and old, being an obscure classic).

Final poll for Feb. book is up.

Thanks, Ken. I love the eclectic set of finalists!

Happy New Year everyone.

Happy New Year, indeed. We pray it every year, and with good reason.

Anyway, today is your last chance to vote on the last poll. We have a real horse race this time, the three books separated by only three votes -- the top two by only ONE vote.

So, yes. Your vote can make a difference, so practice democracy!

We have a winner, don't we?

So I've just ordered the 'Nether World', but I was so excited about 'The Journey to the West' - does anybody want to do this as a side read with me in April or later?

Count me in, Plateresca, that’s the one I was hoping for too. Shooting for April would be perfect.

I might join as well. April is the cruelest month for flowers, but probably not journeys.

Ok. I am in for Journey to the West also. I am the one who suggested it and I was kinda hoping it would be selected too.

Yay, it’s a Journey party!!

Yay! Very much looking forward to reading it with you, then :)

Hi everybody! I'm finishing leading a read in another group and I think we could read the first volume of the 'Journey' in May before the official group read in June, what do you think? And then maybe continue with the next volume in July? Or do you prefer to postpone it all until July, then, not to make this pause?

Plateresca wrote: "Hi everybody! I'm finishing leading a read in another group and I think we could read the first volume of the 'Journey' in May before the official group read in June, what do you think? And then ma..."

I hope some have contacted you about this, Plateresca. My reading commitments (not to mention RL) have complicated my joining such an ambitious project, but I wish that stout party of readers the best!

The June poll is up at the bottom of this group homepage.

To explore the nominees, click COMMENTS AND DETAILS below the poll, then covers of the six individual books under poll.

If you accidentally vote for a book, no worries. Simply click your actual choice after the fact and the software will switch your vote.

Thank you to those who sent in titles.

Plataresca I will read this with you as I had mentioned previously but I would prefer to wait until July. Back in February I had some medical issues and other distractions. I have still not finished the Nether World!

I am still debating whether I will participate this time. The bottom fell out on my reading and I went for more than a month without reading anything just because my schedule was so disrupted. If I decide to participate I will vote.

Darrin wrote: "Plataresca I will read this with you as I had mentioned previously but I would prefer to wait until July."
Excellent, thank you! I will ask you again in July, then :)

I am sorry for your issues and distractions :( I've had a lot of that, too, recently, and I can certainly relate. My best wishes are with you.

Yes Darrin, my wishes to you for a speedy recovery and normalization too. ❤️❤️

Sending my best wishes your way as well, Darrin. Hope you're up and at 'em again soon!

Today is DAY TWO of Round One voting, folks. If you haven't voted, you have till midnight Pacific Time (3 a.m. Eastern Time, and God Knows When if you're here and there and elsewhere in the increasingly-shrinking world).

Tomorrow I'll put the Top 3 vote getters up for a 24-hour run-off.

Instead of Top 3 vote-getters, we have a Top 4 because SAILOR SONG and HERSELF SURPRISED were tied for third place behind HAVOC and REEDS IN THE WIND.

Happy Voting!

Darrin, I too am sending good thoughts your way. Hoping things are going better for you, and that we'll see you back here reading with us soon.

Thanks for the polls and updates, Ken. Some real obscure--to me anyway--choices this time!

Final poll results for June's selection can be seen here.

Thank you for your well wishes everyone. I am basically recovered at this point but am still struggling with getting myself back into my regular reading habit. Even though I voted in round 2 of the recent poll, I have decided to bow out this time but will hope to re-start with all of you later in the year when we pick the next book.

Good luck with your continuing recovery, Darrin. I have found that concentration for reading can take a while but it comes with time and rest.

Glad you're on the mend, Darrin. I think Sue is right, so hope you take the time you need.

Plateresca wrote: "Darrin wrote: "Plataresca I will read this with you as I had mentioned previously but I would prefer to wait until July."
Excellent, thank you! I will ask you again in July, then :)

I am sorry for..."
Plataresca, we talked about reading Journey to the West: The Monkey King's Amazing Adventures and I am still up for it if you are. Would anyone else care to join us? There are also a huge number of editions/translations of this book so I thought it might be best to settle on one that is relatively available to all of us. The edition I linked to earlier is available in our library as is the following edition, The Monkey King: Journey to the West: Wu Cheng'en. Additionally, I noticed this edition is available to me via inter-library loan, The Journey to the West, Volume 1. What are your thoughts? The reason I bring this up is I noticed all are different from one another in terms of page count and they all have different translators.

Darrin, I was just going to write to you about this! :)

Yes, I'm ready to jump in!

I researched various editions when we were first talking about this book, and judging by reviews of different translations, settled upon this one:
The Journey to the West, Volume 1 (and if this goes well, then volumes 2 to 4). As I understand it, editions with the word 'Monkey' in the title are abridged, but I would like to read the full version, even though it will likely take much more time and effort. We could go slowly, though, couldn't we?

Cherisa, I do hope you can join us! ;)

Plateresca wrote: "Cherisa, I do hope you can join us!..."

I'm confused as to which version you are considering to read - seems the enclosed links go to different editions. How many pages (versions are all over the map as to length depending on how abridged each is), and can you tell me the publisher and year.
Thanks!

Cherisa wrote: "Plateresca wrote: "Cherisa, I do hope you can join us!..."

I'm confused as to which version you are considering to read - seems the enclosed links go to different editions. How many pages (version..."
Cherisa, Plateresca wants to read this edition, The Journey to the West, Revised Edition, Volume 1 which I also seem to have access to via Interlibrary Loan but it looks like it is not available to me until the end of July. It is currently checked out.

So that’s Univ of Chicago Press 2013 576 pages