**Introductions and Re-Introductions

Well, it's not quite 2011 yet, but please introduce yourself or reintroduce yourself to the Club Read community and post a link to your personal thread in Club Read 2011.

Thanks to avaland for founding this group's ancestors back in 2009 and 2010 and to rebeccanyc for her initiative to keep it going in 2011!

Hi, I'm Kris, aka "fannyprice" at LT, aka "F.P. Crawford" at Belletrista.com, our own avaland's web magazine celebrating women's literature from around the world, where I am a sometimes reviewer. Not married but in a long-term relationship, no kids, two kitties - Martin and Mischa - who make everything funnier and fuzzier.

I read and write about the Middle East for a living. I spent my adolescence as an aspiring Kremlinologist, so I've got a special interest in history and literature from Russia and the former Eastern bloc countries. Other random obsessions include language and linguistics, polar exploration, WW1, social histories, dystopias/speculative fiction, and basically anything having to do with England. Also, I collect children's books and am especially fond of the New York Review of Books Children's Collection.

I'm a bit of a dilettante - I love to learn new things and every book I read spurs in me the desire to read a whole different subset of (possibly unrelated) books. I'm a great planner but I often get distracted, which means I've got more unfulfilled reading commitments than I like to acknowledge and entire shelves of books I haven't read.

2010 was an ok reading year for me. I read much less than I wanted/expected to, but I did make some amazing discoveries, mostly thanks to recommendations from readers in this group. I haven't decided if I have reading goals for 2011 yet other than to read more of my owned but unread collection.

My 2011 Club Read Thread

Hi Everyone,
I know some of you by member name and some of you by your real names. I'm a bit daunted about joining this group because all of you read MUCH more than I do. But your threads are very interesting so I'll give it a go. (I was on Club Read 2010 for a while, or was that 2009??)
So, I am Amanda and I am the slow reader in the group.

>2 fannyprice:, Welcome Amanda! And you might be the slow reader, but I am the lazy reader, so no feeling daunted!

But one of the wonderful things about this group is that we each read at our own pace and there is no need to reach a certain number of reads, or whatever. Dozens of quick reads, or one tome -- they're all equally interesting.

>3 amandameale: I have read quite a few of the threads in the 2010 group and think we have had quite a range of readers when it comes to 'numbers'.

Ok, since fannyprice bought it up, I'm avaland, founder and managing editor of the nonprofit literary zine Belletrista.com (made possible really by our advisors and contributors).

I read mostly fiction: almost any kind, but mostly literary and international fiction and short fiction. Not only do I enjoy story but also the art of fiction. I have read more short fiction collections and anthologies in the past couple of years than in years previous. I also particularly enjoy well-done police procedurals, some general mysteries, a bit of science fiction, and some fantasy and cross genre stuff.

I enjoy poetry, classic and contemporary, although I've been reading much more contemporary poetry over the past few years. I don't tend to read poetry cover to cover as one does a novel, so oftentimes my poetry reading does get noted on my thread. I read nonfiction books, essays and articles - subjects range from cultural studies, women's studies, literary criticism, and literature-related topics, New England social history, current events ...etc.

edited to add link to my individual thread

Thanks for setting this up this time around, Rebecca!

I'm Rachel, British, live in Brussels, a linguist by trade. 2010 has been the most disastrous reading year for me so I'm happy to take the existence of Club Read 2011 as a sign it's almost over, with better things just around the corner. I read mainly fiction, and whilst I love a good novel I'm a particular fan of the short story. I only record the books I actually finish but if I made note of partially-read book too there'd be at least some non-fiction - I read non-fiction more slowly and always end up getting distracted.

I'm a some-time contributor to Belletrista.

Hello again, all! I'm Betty (aka bragan). I live in New Mexico, and I'm a radio telescope operator for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which, trust me, is much less exciting than it sounds. I read a lot of stuff that comes under the heading of speculative fiction, and a lot of non-fiction, particularly various kinds of scientific non-fiction, but my tastes are actually very eclectic, and they seem to just get broader as I get older. In particular, I'm reading a lot more "literary" books now than I used to and discovering some great authors along the way.

I'm the first to admit that the quality of a lot of what I read is... variable. But I read fast, and I'm lucky enough to get quite a lot of books read per year, so I'm almost always willing to take a chance on anything that looks like it might be interesting. Sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised!

I also have this terrible book-buying monkey on my back, but let us not speak of that now...

My 2011 thread can be found here.

>7 rachbxl: not true! You are, what I call, a regular contributor to Belletrista!

I'm Rebecca and a more or less lifelong New Yorker. I read opportunistically as the fancy takes me, both fiction and nonfiction.

In fiction, I try to read some new books as well as classics, and I didn't do as well as I would have liked in 2010 at reading globally, something I hope to improve for 2011. Looking at my favorite reads for 2010 (which I will post when it gets closer to the end of the year), I was surprised to see that all my favorites for new fiction were by women. Often my reading is on the grim side, but I like books that are fun too.

In nonfiction, I have been in "evils of the 20th century" mode for much of the past year, with books about Hitler and Stalin, etc. I have a few more I want to read in 2011 and then go back to some of my other nonfiction interests, including contemporary issues, polar exploration, history in general, science, and some biographies.

I really enjoy all the great recommendations I get on LT!

ETA My reading thread.

Hi, I'm Joyce, I live just outside of Vancouver, Canada. I like to travel and buy books, and sometimes I even read some of them. Husband, two daughters, two cats. I write for Belletrista too. I graduated from university last June with a degree in English lit, and now I'm looking for a job.

>9 avaland: Well, I'd like to think so too - but I need to read some books first ;-) I'm working on it.

Hi, I'm Cait, another Canadian member of Club Read, and another Belletrista contributor. In my RL, I'm a high school English teacher, and besides reading, I love to travel, go to the theatre (I'm lucky to live about an hour and a half from Stratford, Ontario, home to a fabulous Shakespearean theatre company), and cook adventurous meals - to varying degrees of success. :)

I read almost exclusively fiction, and in 2011 it is my solemn vow to read as many of my already-owned-but-never-read books as I can. Of course, I make this vow every year, and rarely live up to it... but 2011 will be different!

Hi! I'm Madeline - and probably the only defector of this group! (...but not really. I still visit, although I maintain my reading list elsewhere.)

Not to worry, though, when I left this group for the 75 Books challenge (I'm one of those "chatty" people), I couldn't really leave this group completely. I've always loved the depth of the themed discussions here and like to dip into them whenever I find a theme that especially touches me. I also like to watch the themed reads here for ideas to bring into the 75 books group or for recommendations of books to read for my own pleasure.

I will miss Lois's leadership of this group but am excited that Rebecca is now taking over the reins to keep this group growing. It needs to remain here in its full glory.

I am a registered nurse currently working as a quality auditor for a home health agency. My hobbies are advocacy within the natural food movement (I'm editor of my CSA Newletter), Bookcrossing (I'm an avid Bookcrosser who attends monthly local meetings), reading (Who'd have guessed? Ha!), and online creativity (I'm originator of the TIOLI challenges on the 75 Book group).

I love to read both fiction and nonfiction. My fiction preferences are global literary fiction and postmodern novels.

Wishing all of you a happy holiday season and a fabulous (full of marvelous reads) 2011...

Hi, I'm Jane. I'm an architect and interior designer living in New York. I read mainly fiction, 'classic' literature, fantasy, some sci-fi; a bit of nonfiction, mainly about cities, urbanity, occasionally sports, cookbooks, and travel guides. I'm originally from Louisiana so I read a lot of regional stuff and have a particular interest in southern literature. This year I would like to track more of my extraneous reading - magazines, recipes, I think I'm getting a couple lit review subscriptions for Christmas this year (thanks Mom!). Looking forward to this year!

>13 Cait86:: Cait, you might also want to consider checking out the Books off the Shelf challenge group, if you haven't already. They're pretty good about providing support for reading those books you already own!

Hey y'all, my name is Kevin. I'm a geologist by trade and I'm back for 2011. I tend to read fiction with a touch humor, historical fiction, horror, science fiction, and the occasional contemporary fiction with some deeper thoughts. Last year discovered the graphic novel, which has changed my reading in unexpected ways. But really I'll read whatever happens to comes up that I think will be interesting. Also working with an ADD riddled brain has lead me to read muliple books at the same time. So I'm hoping I can narrow my focus and increase my volume just a bit. Grant it this will have to wait until I've finished the five I currently have going. Then it's one at a time from here on out I swear.

Non-fictional reading is centered around the sciences and early American history, which I define as pre-colonial to about 1908. I know not the most narrow focus, but that's what you get from an ex-history major.

Oh and My Thread is here.

Hi to all the familiar faces out there!

I'm lilisin, aka. C. Lariviere, on Belletrista. I'm the one avaland can always trust on to be the very last person to submit her reviews to Belletrista right at or a few days after deadline. It's a sin. I feel very guilty and yet this will never change. (2011 New Years resolution? Eh.... we'll see. Right, avaland?)

I got out of grad school a year and a half ago with a masters in organic chemistry but I'm now a non-practicing chemist so I just work wherever the job market strikes me.

I'm one of those readers who has a hard time picking up a new book so my book count is rather low but I like it. These last few months in Club Read 2010 I have substituted reading with traveling which I have not felt guilty about. Since July I've been to NYC, France, Switzerland, Barbados, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Colombia and in two weeks I leave for Korea and Japan. Not too shabby I think.

I have also been putting all my efforts into one book: Almost Transparent Blue. I've been reading it for 3 months now. Why is it taking so long? Well, it's the first full-length book I read entirely in Japanese. I've been very excited and all my passion has been into this project. I'm about halfway through and I've learned so much. Truly exciting.

I'm also the founder of Author Theme Reads which is a small group where we focus on one author for the entire year and just read his works. Although we don't talk much, our choice for last year was a big hit. So if you were noticing Stefan Zweig's name pop up everywhere, it's because of that. Come check us out.

Well, that was long. Looking forward to 2011. I'll be in Seoul when the "ball drops". :)

#18 - LOL We share the same sin, lilisin - my reviews are always done at the last possible minute too. Procrastination runs deep. :)

>18 lilisin: and 19, Add me to the guilty reviewers group. (blushes...)

>18 lilisin:, lilisin, have you picked authors for 2011 yet?

19, 20 -
So as long as I beat you guys I'm good, then, right? ;)

20 -
Mario Vargas Llosa has been chosen as our main author for 2011. And the mini-authors will be among the following:
Kobo Abe (Japan)
Jose Saramago (Portugal)
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (Kenya)
JMG Le Clezio (France)

There are three mini-authors in one year so we're still figuring out which one to nix. So, this time we're doing more well known authors but we're following a 20th century author global theme to compare and contrast what each author's focus was on during that time.

I'm thrilled by Vargas Llosa being the main author because I've become a huge fan of his and, even thought I've read a lot of his books, there are still plenty more to read. And I'm also a big Ngūgī fan, but haven't read any of the other three.

Hi, I'm Darryl and I participated in Club Read in 2009 and 2010. I grew up in northern New Jersey and suburban Philadelphia, and I've lived in Atlanta since 1997. I work as a pediatric hospitalist (inpatient pediatrician) for a large children's hospital just north of the city, and in my spare time I like to read international literature and non-fiction books on medicine and science, public health, history and current events, travel within and outside of the US, and meet old and new friends (including several LTers in NYC and London this year). In addition to Club Read, I am active in the 75 Books, Author Theme Reads, Reading Globally and African-American Literature groups, and I have submitted several book reviews to Belletrista in the past 12+ months. My thread is here.

Hi: I'm Linda P and I'm new to Club Read, though I've participated in the 75 book challenges during the past two years, as well as the 999 and 1010 category challenges.

I'm a nonpracticing attorney in Chicagoland and write about employee benefits law (retirement plans, health and other benefits) for a living.

My reading is split between mysteries and nonfiction. Baseball is one of my lifelong passions (I'm a diehard Cubs fan) and I especially enjoy reading about baseball history. Other favorite areas include American history, books about disasters, books about Chicago, and a variety of other nonfiction.

I'll also enjoy talking about nonbook reading, such as interesting newspaper and magazine articles I've read.

My name surprisingly enough is Robert Durick. I am a geriatric crank. My thread is here. My 2010 thread is here. I expect also to be in the 2011 75 Book Challenge.

Robert

Hi, my name is Margaret and I'm new. I was invited to join via PM yesterday (thanks!).

I'm pushing 60, work in a small middle school library, and live in a southern ex-mill town with my Siamese cat.

My profile still says hiking is my second-favorite hobby, but I'm looking for a new interest and leaning towards experimenting with regional/ethnic cooking.

I devour nonfiction, especially natural history and travel narratives.

Here's a link to my reading record: http://www.librarything.com/topic/104477

I work for a small scientific consulting firm outside Boston, Massachusetts, USA. I like to think that I read widely in fiction and nonfiction, but the books most always turn out to be science fiction or fantasy, at least that I report here. I aim for the more literary sides of those genres. I don't write down lists of TBR books because their lengths would be too depressing; there are plenty of books around the house when I want to start one. I read too many political blogs, hence not that many actual books. I am no longer on the Readercon committee: that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I follow or belong to a number of groups, but mainly post here, with Science Fiction Fans being perhaps number two. I'm closing on 60 years old. Thread.

#27 Nearly 60? Well Michael, you and Robert, geriatric crank, should have a lot in common!

Maybe it's time to start the Geriatric Cranks LT group? Threads: "Kids These Days", "It Worked Well Enough Before They Changed It", "Can You Believe What --- Costs Now?"

>28 amandameale: You know, he was only 46 just yesterday...

#30 he was only 46 just yesterday...

So was I! Or maybe the day before yesterday . . .

After three years located mainly over at the 75 book challenge group, I am finally joining up with the big kids. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the 75rs, (and will continue on as a member over there), but I also need to be in a group that is a little smaller, a little bit more intimate and a little more focused on the books. I have sweated over this (figurative sweat only. Hate real life sweat.), but do not want to spend another year just standing on the sidewalk watching what’s going on over here at this playground. So here I am - hoping I can make a decent go of this.
My name is Charlotte and I live and work in southeastern MA, sharing my house with my animal-hating cat, Willie. I used to be a reader, almost exclusively, of Historical Fiction and History, but things have changed so much since joining LT. Now I read almost anything - except poetry (didn't get that poetry appreciation gene). Books are taking over my house and I am trying to figure out what to do when I can't fit in anymore bookcases. Of course, there's always the garage....

Looking forward to 2011 with you guys.

Hi Fourpawz2, glad you've decided to join us! (and another member of the Massachusetts delegation, now totally: 3) Note: "little smaller" is a relative thing:-)

>32 Fourpawz2:: When I couldn't fit any more bookcases into my house, I moved. This may, however, be considered an extreme solution.

Maybe it's time to start the Geriatric Cranks LT group? Threads: "Kids These Days", "It Worked Well Enough Before They Changed It", "Can You Believe What --- Costs Now?"

I'd participate in those threads!

29 -

I'm only 25 but I would definitely join in on those threads. Kids these days! Ugh! 3D movies? I like my movies perfectly fine in 2D, thank you very much!

Oh, don't get me started about 3D movies! The idea that has failed in the past and just keeps failing!

>35 Nickelini: I don't think you qualify as geriatric....YET.

Jumping in here, since several other folks with whom I tend to discuss books & ideas have been posting here, eg kidzdoc and rebeccanyc.

In RL, my name is Suzanne, and while I can live up to my screen name here, I'm more likely to be found squirreled away in a corner, reading. I've been an omnivorous reader since early childhood, graduated to adult books at age 8 or 9 (read CV Wedgwood's books on the English civil war age 10, which I realize is deeply bizarre) and am waging a constant battle to find a place to put my books where they aren't a hazard to life and limb. I grew up mostly in Europe (London & Brussels), am Canadian & US by birth, went to grad school in Japan, and now live in the only place in the world where that background isn't weird -- New York. I'm a professional writer & author (Chasing Goldman Sachs came out in June). I read constantly, both fiction and non-fiction. In fiction, as well as general and literary fiction, I devour mysteries (those that emphasize character development and plot, and don't just rely on short sentences and suspenseful chapter endings to keep the reader engaged), have read historical fiction since childhood and sometimes even dabble in chick lit. My pet peeve is pretentious writing -- an author trying to impress me with how "literary" they are trying to be. (A great book is a great book...) In non-fiction, I read a lot of history, current affairs, travel narratives, etc. My favorite books tend to be those that blend genres, combining history and travel, for instance. I rarely read memoirs (most overdone genre out there, IMO). Even though a lot of science writing can zoom over my head, I still am intrigued by authors like Mary Roach and books on my (ever-growing) TBR list include The Philosophical Breakfast Club and The Invention of Air.

My home is run for the benefit of the resident cats and the resident books. I've been on LT since late 2006, but it's only in the last year that I've been participating in these forums, mostly the 1010 challenge and the 75 group.

And now you see how I earned my cyber-identity...

Hi, Suzanne. Chasing Goldman Sachs has been on my waiting-for-the-paperback wishlist for awhile now. With a 40% coupon I was tempted by the hardcover at Borders recently, but I didn't think I'd be comfortable with a book I intended to read in bed the spine of which would not break. I need a counterbalance to the hagiographic The Partnership and hope that you, in your book, will fill me in on some more recent events.

Robert

Can those of us who are geriatric in spirit join the curmudgeon corner too? ;)

#41 Why not. Personally I would like to see the return of brown paper and string. Every so often I ask my husband: "Do you remember STRING???" Those were the days.

I have decided to join this group (uninvited - hope you don't mind) because you seem like thoughtful people and I'm hoping you'll encourage me to be less lazy in my reading. When I get my teeth into interesting literature and non-fiction I really enjoy it, but am easily led down the gripping byways of crime-fiction which is my favourite fiction 'genre' and shall remain so, but - like chocolate - I can have too much of a good thing and know I would enjoy a more balanced diet.

By the way, I don't agree that there's a clear line to be drawn between 'literature' and 'genre' fiction.... not that anyone here has suggested such a thing.

I don't join 'Challenges' because they don't sound like the thing for a slow reader; I occasionally finish sentences with prepositions, sometimes use exclamation marks and generally play fast and loose with punctuation (and I still use string).

Edited to delete a colloquialism which may have been misunderstood.

After lurking in this group through 2010, I'm joining this year! I feel like this is a better fit for my reading/social style than the challenge threads, although, I do generally read about 75 books (or more) a year.

I read mostly 'classic' works (I have a fairly loose definition of that term) and I'm always open to new suggestions.

Oh and curmudgeon corner sounds like my kind of place

We're pleased to see lurkers join, whether you're cranky or cheerful.

#24, 39: Hi Linda and Suz! I'm glad that you'll both be in Club Read iin 2011.

Hi - I'm going through a "joining" phase! I've signed up both here and at the 75 Book Challenge partly because I'm a natural list-maker, partly for conversation, and partly because I hope the various challenges will help me to make a dent in my paralysingly long wishlist. My taste runs to the classic, the old and the obscure, and I have recently started blogging about what I read.

Oh - and mark me down as another curmudgeon. :)

Glad to see the ranks of curmudgeons are multiplying. I certainly number myself among them! But only in a good way, of course...

~45 has encouraged me to come forward.
My RL name is really Juliette but everyone calls me Julie. My home is a beautiful village in Oxfordshire and I work in primary education.

I admit .... having lurked in 2009 and 2010 I am now taking the plunge. When I entered the LT world back in Febrary 2007 I revelled in the company of bookish friends and have continued to do so in so many, many ways - thank you to all those who know who you are

The challenges really interested and motivated me but I now feel in need of a change and this group has appealed to me. I already journal in my journals (suprise!) with my beloved Father's Parker fountain pen filled with purple ink. This is a natural progression. So... here I am.
As to my reading - a huge variety. Quite often I will read one book which will lead me off into unexpected directions and all sorts of interests catch my eye and off I go. Podcasts, reviews and recs here take me off on unexpected tangents.
Looking forward to becoming a fully fledged member - I am off to click on 'join the group'!

Hi - I'm Katie, a New Yorker living in Texas (classic fish out of water tale?). I read pretty diversely within fiction, but my non-fiction reads tend towards memoirs of traumatic childhoods and social histories. I am setting a goal for myself of reading at least five classics of American or European literature this year, but beyond that, I don't want to set too many limits on what I can and can't read as I tend to prefer to go where the whim takes me.

*waves at Julie*

Oh I'm way late because all I've been reading for the past two weeks are sophomore essays and sophmoric literary journals.

I'm another Jane -- over 60, so I get to join all the curmudgeon groups -- I teach literature and humanities at a community college turned "state college" in Florida. I live in Sarasota; my husband is an actor so I go to LOTS of theatre and movies, and to the ballet as much as I can afford.

I read mostly novels, but somebody better give me Apollo's Angels, the new ballet history for Christmas. I love magical realism, explorations of cultural encounters, and fairy tale/myth adaptations. I haven't yet set up a 2011 thread -- I can't think of another good "j" alliteration that I haven't already used -- coming soon.

Hi, I'm ready to start my first thread for my 2011 reading journal. I'm Jenny-- 5th grade teacher in Atlanta. I like literary fiction and historical fiction and dystopia -- to name a few. :o) looking forward to joining this community

Hello, I haven't previously been a member of Club Read but a quick browse of the 2010 threads has made me eager to join up. Last year I was posting in the 100 books challenge and I may well continue to do so, but hopefully I'll be able to contribute to some of the discussions in this Group in 2011 as well.

I am 33, married, a new(ish) father and live and teach in Karachi, Pakistan. I rarely travel these days, but my childhood was somewhat nomadic, with the longest stretch being spent in Amman, Jordan. I read a fair amount for work and a great deal more on news websites and blogs, so most of my book reading tends to be escapist F&SF fare with a decent amount of history on the side. One of things I hope to do is spend a little more time thinking and writing about various things I'm reading this year, even if that cuts into the actual amount of reading time.

For us curmudgeons, I note the existence of the Pedant's Corner group, which appears to cover a lot of our concerns.

(It's "its," it's not "it's!")

The problem with Pedant's Corner, as far as I can see from a quick glance at the group page, is that they want you to swear on Eats, Shoots and Leaves, a book that drove me crazy.

Gnaw. I'm over there, and I reject Lynne Truss for rejecting the Oxford comma.

Robert

>>55 dukedom_enough: That's "we curmudgeons", surely? :)

I'm a curmudgeon, not a pedant. I reject pedantry, in a curmudgeonly fashion of course!

Hurrah, another nomad -- welcome Ifty! I was just talking to another global nomad today, a kind of Canadian/miscellaneous Middle Easterner, who finished HS in Dubai. "Where are you from?", we discovered, is a question we both dread.

Hi, finally caught up with this thread. I'm a geologist of sorts working in Houston, I'm also a parent of two little ones (but they're growing fast...phew). And I read books.

Back in November of 2009 I read Beowulf on the Beach : What to Love and What to Skip in Literature's 50 Greatest Hits by Jack Murnighan, and then when out and followed his advice to read slower and then went and read several bigger books (along with another group - Le Salon...). Get this, I made a plan and followed it. Weird.

So, this past year I've read Les Miserables (~ 6 weeks), tried Paradise Lost (made it through book 4), Infinite jest (9 weeks), started In Search of Lost Time (read the first two books, one month each), and I'm reading The Brothers Karamazov (going on week 7).

There wasn't much time to read much else.

Then, also, I started reading poetry and that morphed into reading literary reviews...

And I've started reading more than one book at time.

And my TBR is bloating, it's painful how many promising books I'll never get to.

Anyway, this 2010 has all been a rewarding yet strange experience. I'm uncertain what I'll read next year. Lots of ideas - but not sure I can stay focused enough to follow through with any of them. Hopefully I'll carry over this poetry/lit review bit.

(and you guys thought your posts were long)

edited to add a link to my thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/104839

>58 lyzard: We are serious and don't call us Shirley:-)*

OMG, we Club Readers are actually FUNNY! Must be something in the virtual end-of-year water.

*RIP Leslie Neilsen

lyzard@58,

The pronoun is the object of the preposition "For", no? Compare:

"For us, I note..."
"For we, I note..."

I believe this is the "Choosing cases when pronouns are combined with other subjects/objects" example here. I admit I never studied English grammar as a formal subject in school, being slightly too young (but I did learn to spell). So perhaps I'm wrong?

Pedants, start your engines. :-)

>>61 avaland: I just wanted to tell you good luck with your reading in 2011 - we're all counting on you!

For the record, I am a curmudgeon and a pedant - don't say you weren't warned! :)

Is that a perdangeon or a curmuddant?

Inasmuch as it is usually my pedantry that makes me curmudgeonly, I would say a perdangeon.

>64 dukedom_enough:-65, Oooh, but "curmuddant" is so fun to say!

Welcome everyone! It's great to see both familiar and new names here.

#62, I may be wrong, but as an editor i would finish those two sentences in this way:

For us, I note, chocolate is a favorite food. (That is, chocolate is a favorite food for us.)

For we, I note, love chocolate above all else. (Here, "we" is the subject.)

In reality, though, I would change sentence 1 to some variation of sentence 2, because sentence 1 is awkward, although I believe grammatically correct.

Years ago, in applying for a job, I had to take an editing test in which I not only had to correct the errors (easy) but explain what was grammatically wrong in each error (not only difficult but stupid, so I knew I didn't want the job).

i think i'm going to switch over from the 75 books group to this one.
i really like talking about what i read and learning about new books.
i like independent stuff and small presses.
i am currently reading the instructions which may take me into 2011. i am doing a real-time review of it here.

68 > Yikes! -- I'm still trying to teach the difference between its and it's and their and there to college students, no less.

'favourite ' - please note spelling :)) (pedant from UK)

and ~70 - tell me about it! Add to that list your, you're, you are and yours.

What about the misuse of literally? Does that one bug you as much as it does me? And what about unique? What the heck is 'most unique'?

Obviously we are going to need both a curmudgeon thread (dukedom?) and a pedant thread (rebecca?). We can talk about brown paper and string in the one, and the Oxford comma in the other.

>71 juliette07: Julie, honestly, over here we dropped all those 'extra' u's in Boston harbor with the tea.

#62 So Michael, its raining here today. The dog had it's flu shots and would not eat it's dinner. Oh, must go, its getting late.
(Like fingernails scraping on a blackboard?)

>74 amandameale: He's not that bad in person, as you know, but perhaps its something he is suppressing.

#68 -- I would just completely rephrase the whole thing to avoid the issue altogether!

"One thing that we all have in common is our addiction to chocolate."
"All of us, given the choice, would pick chocolate in preference to any other food." (OK, a bit of passive voice there, but permissible.)
or just:
"I note that we're all addicted to chocolate."

janeajones@70,

You have my sympathy!

Fourpawz2@72,

I am *literally* bugged to insanity by that usage.

amandameale@74,

Very painful, but your still using complete sentences, so greater pain is still possible.

Fourpawz2@72,
"Most unique:" in Iain M. Banks' science fiction stories about "The Culture," many spacecraft are controlled by built-in intelligent computers, which choose their own names. One calls itself "Ultimate Ship the Second." Of course, Banks is joking...

#79 - *chuckle*

#73, Sorry, Lois, I won't start a pedant thread. I try to have fun on LT!

#76, Yes, Suzanne, I too would avoid the whole problem by rewriting the sentence and eating lots of chocolate.

>81 rebeccanyc: Yeah, I see what you mean, its funny for awhile ....

I'm Margaret, a retired public librarian from New Jersey. I belong to the 1010, 11 in 11, and various other challenges (U.S. States, Canadian Provinces, Europe, U.S. Presidents). This year I'll have read about 115 books which surprises me, because I'm a slow reader, usually lingering as I read rather than rushing through.

My reading varies widely in both non-fiction and full-length fiction. Since joining LT I've read much more widely in serious and international fiction, but I'm also a fan of Star Wars fiction (post-movies-storyline only) as well as darker mysteries and suspense. I love reading fiction set on Mars and also the science fiction of John Wyndham, who wrote Day of the Triffids. Recently I joined the classic SF group on Yahoo! and will participate in some of their monthly reads.

In non-fiction I concentrate mostly on science (particularly climate change, evolution, paleontology and earth history) and U.S. history, and add other subjects which take my fancy. I'm currently reading Little Princes (trafficked Nepalese children), The Firecracker Boys (the fight to keep Edward Teller from creating ports in Alaska using plutonium bombs), and Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History. A favorite topic is Antarctica, both fiction and non-fiction.

I rarely re-read books, the exceptions being Canticle for Leibowitz, Magister Ludi by Hesse, and Imagining Argentina, all of which I've read several times and will again. A new favorite which will probably join the list is I Heard the Owl Call My Name.

I'm an avid Kindle user, especially for longer books, and also a member of BookMooch. Several times a year I go to local library book sales and pick up interesting titles, many of which I read and most of which end up sent along to other moochers. My permanent print library is fairly small (only a couple of hundred books), because I keep only those books I particularly love or may want to lend or reference.

My (currently) 10-year old niece Caitlin will once again keep track of her reading here with me. She's in 5th grade and pretty much a straight-A student, and she's getting a Kindle for Christmas. So far in 2010 she's read 96 books, some of them quite lengthy.

Our 2011 Club Read thread
Our 2010 Club Read thread
My 1010 Challenge
My 11 in 11 Challenge

Hello, everyone. I've encountered most of you in my 3 1/2 years on LT and one year in Club Read. I am a messy, disorganized, procrastinating yet determined aspiring writer. I have a day job as the contracts attorney for a small business, but I'd rather be paid to read and write, so I am working on two books: a novel and a collection of essays. I am also preparing a blog to roll out early next year, so I'm learning all kinds of snazzy tricks for that.

I increased my nonfiction reading by a large percentage this year, but I have been disappointed in my fiction reading for 2010, so I have devised a 2-year plan to read the books I have accumulated and planned to read over the past three years. Truthfully I've already started and my reading satisfaction has increased greatly. I will list the books in my 2011 thread when I set it up.

At the end of every year I make an awards show to amuse myself and anyone else who cares to be amused.

Hi, I am an aussie/kiwi now firmly ensconced in the UK.

My third year in Club Read.

In 2011 I plan to teach myself Maori. Not sure how this will translate into LT, but would like to keep some sort of record. Also perhaps some books on Maori culture and history, and potentially some Maori novelists Keri Hume is starting to loom large.

I bracket Jeannette Winterson with Hume, neither of which I have read. I think I need to read Winterson in 2011 too.

Also, having recently discovered Denton Welch, I will try to get some more of his works.

And waiting on order at the library is The Blind Owl, maybe my first book in Club Read 2011.

Back again for year three of Club Read. Since the general consensus is "less is more," I will be posting my longer reading comments at two blogs created by fellow LTer DavidX and me. One is Club Balzac - mainly reserved for more seriously meditations on literature @ http://clubbalzac.blogspot.com/ (although I have difficulty sticking to the straight and narrow path of high seriousness) and for those of you who may be familiar with the wacky reading journal of urania, all the folks at the dacha, Great Aunt Martha, and the assorted Mucus clan, news of their wackiness and book reviews thrown in for good measure can be found at the Dark Tea Times @ http://darkteatimes.blogspot.com/. Reviews are often posted there as well. The latest edition just went up yesterday complete with a review of Ursule Mirouët by Honoré de Balzac.

I plan to be back again for a third year. Just this afternoon I have caught up on what you all went through the ensure this place happened this year -- thanks and thanks to Avaland for the whole thing to start with.

Lots of the comments made in that process chimed with me.

I completed fewer whole books this year (2010) and hope to increase that and in doing so post more, of course. I was also on LT less at times. I have avoided the what are you reading threads out of a superstitious (?) belief they may divert me from ever actually finishing what it was I was reading - but, given my low rate of finishing this year, what have I to lose. I read mainly poetry at the moment but also fiction and not as much non-fiction as might be good for me. Hope to see some old CR and LT acquaintances on here as well as some new - and with so few posts I may be pretty new to many of the old and they to me, lets see.

Hi, I am Margaret, and my existing grammar-pedant tendencies were long ago reinforced by a year that I spent working as a proofreader. I am lucky enough to work in an environment where punctuational pedantry is positively welcomed. If I may add a rant to the pedant list: don't you find it mindboggling when people send out final versions of documents where the fonts are mis-matched? what in god's name are they thinking? The impression it makes is so poor, and it is so simple to do a final check. Gah.

Um, yes, back to the books. I like reading (surprise) and my favourite niche topics are polar exploration (hello fanny and rebecca), cities and food. These reflect my personal tastes in real life (except for the polar exploration - I like hearing about it but I hate being cold). In real life I am also keen on the cinema, travelling, and spending time with friends - it's good when two of those combine.

My academic and work background is mostly around Asia, especially China, so I have quite a lot of fiction and non-fiction from that area. I also like memoirs and history (micro- and world history in particular), although in practice I read a lot more fiction than non-.

LT has definitely made me better at reflecting on my reading and has helped me to realise what I like and don't like about books or styles of writing. But the best thing about it has been the fantastic range of recommendations - I am a heavy browser in bookshops but through LT I have found out about all sorts of great books that I would never have heard of otherwise.

I have difficulty controlling my reading interests. An enthusiastic and well-written review will often send me straight off to Amazon whatever the nature of the book. This may explain my TBR cupboards.

My thread is here.

Hi, my name is fuzzy_patters (real name redacted so my students can't find me), and I am a bookaholic. This will be my third year on club read.

I originally joined club read because the number challenges served to discourage me from reading longer books. My reading interests tend to me mostly literary with some nonfiction thrown in, mostly history or sports related because I am a history teacher and a big sports fan. Additionally, I made a decision two years ago, after reading The Idiot to read a Dostoevsky novel every summer because I was completely blown away by that book. Since then, I have also read The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment, which were equally amazing. Other authors whom I really enjoy include Cormac McCarthy and Ernest Hemingway, who I like to say are my favorite living and dead authors. I'm not sure how I will classify them when McCarthy dies.

#89 fuzzy_patters, I love sports books, too, and will be eager to talk about them. I especially love reading about baseball but will pick up books on other sports from time to time, as well.

I'm Caroline/ Caro. I'm a logistics analyst based in Amsterdam but from UK originally. I'm recently married with a 5 month old daughter, she is the reason I've got barely any reading done since August.

I read mostly fantasy and popular science books. In science it's generally books relating to my ancient unused Biology degree. I like that most other people in the group are reading different things and particularly like the reading journal format here with short reviews and occasional discussions- the 50/75s are way too chatty for the time I've got free to keep up with Librarything!

Editted to add- my list is over here

I am krazy4katz and I have joined Club Read for the first time. I am a faculty member in the biological sciences with a love of fiction and good biographies. I was a heavy reader as a child, but not so much in college and graduate school or once I got a "real" job. Since I bought myself a kindle, I have been rediscovering classics and reading many good books. The ability to get what I want (for the most part) whenever I want it has helped me reconnect with books.

I am presently reading Frankenstein. Hope to be done before the first of the year. I was very depressed by it at first, but I am really enjoying the monster's story. His development from a tiny baby (in an intellectual sense) to an adult with a full range of emotions is very well done.

I have 4 cats and a husband. My 2011 thread is here:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/105126

I'm solla and I joined club read sometime in 2009 just after I joined library thing. I work as a computer programmer now, and probably will until I retire in about 5 or 6 years. Most of my career, though, was working with kids and in social services. About five years back, after my daughter found her first teaching job, I joined Teach for America and went to Louisiana for two years. I finally completed my first novel, and I'm now working on what will probably be a novella, very different from the first. The quality of my reading has definitely improved over the past two years due to reading about books on this club read and other groups. Good thing because I ride the bus almost two hours a day to get to and from work in downtown Portland (Or).

My 2011 thread is here http://www.librarything.com/topic/105134&newpost=1#lastmsg

#42 - Amanda - I thought of you today when I received, at work, a gift calendar from a digital media company, which came in an envelope tied up with string! I looked at it and thought, 'do you remember STRING?'. It made my day.

Hello, my name is Keith. I'm 51, a high school science teacher (physics, biology & maybe some chemistry), a father of two teenage children (a late second marriage) and (like many of us I suspect) have both ADD and OCD issues when it comes to reading and books. I participated in the 100 in 2010 group this year (and will again next year), lurked around the club read group a bit, and thought that I might give it a go here. Thanks to Rebecca for setting it up.

my reading thread

>94 wandering_star: wow, you got a package with string on it! We should bring it back as a arts movement and call it "stringpunk"!

Hi, my name's Leigh. I'm so glad 2010 is ending and I get a fresh start in 2011, cause this year was a disaster from a reading perspective. I had a simple 50 goal and then decided to up it to 75 - and I think I managed 15 books overall! So I'm looking forward to joining with this group of avid readers and get my mojo back.

Live in Florida and work on restoring an old old farmhouse in Alabama - working fingers to the bone is probably why I'm not getting my reading in!

Cheers!

#94 Margaret - that is funny. Hooray for string!

>97 leighwh: an ipod/phone loaded with audiobooks might be a help!

This will be my second year in club read but will not be setting up a thread for my reading. 2011 promises to be very busy so reading for pleasure will have to take a back seat (again), but I hope to be joining the discussion here from time to time.

I enjoy world literature as well as non-fiction on a range of subjects - travel and exploration, natural history, contemporary issues, war, history, and anything on food! I also love short stories. I'm no good at reading challenges or fulfilling reading goals and I very much envy those who can plan out their reading way in advance and stick to it.

Hi! I'm June on LT and in RL. I am retiring in June so I don't know how that will effect my reading for 2011. I read mysteries, contemporary novels, nonfiction and will consider other genres except romance and magical realism. I read in my library during the winter (Nov.- Feb. here) and on my porch the remainder of the year. I hope to become more active on LT this summer especially participating in Club Read 2011. I keep a journal of books to read rather than one of books read. Most of my titles come from LT. I will also post a list of possible reads and ask you guys to suggest which I should read next. In addition to reading I like birdwatching, beagles, walking, hiking, gardening and traveling.

Hi June! We have similar interests (if you substitute dachshunds for beagles). One would think that by retiring one would have MORE time to read... but I suspect that it won't work that way (as I look forward to my own retirement 5-8 years from now).

Hello - I have not been a member of this group since it's first year, due to time constraints, etc. But I thought I would give it another go.

I'm Karen, and it is nice to see some familiar 'faces'. My reading is frequently put on hold by too much work and the need to pay attention to family members, teenagers, pets and sundry hanger-ons. Being more of an amateur word-lover than many of you here, I plan to admire and learn.

I like to read just about anything, love to discover new authors and my library expands more from LT suggestions that anything else.

I am enjoying more non-fiction these days, so hope you can tolerate chat about this. I cannot promise to be a busy contributor, but look forward to reading your threads.

Karen, it is nice to see you here! And I read a fair amount of nonfiction too.

Karen - You're back!!! Good to see you!

Hi Karen! I'm thrilled that you'll be joining us again next year. I'm planning to read more science and medicine nonfiction books that have piled up over the past couple of years, so hopefully we can compare notes for some of them. My first nonfiction book of the year will probably be Life Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution by Nick Lane, which won this year's Royal Society Prize for Science Books. One of my partners at work is reading it now, so I'd like to chat with him about it next month.

Have you read The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee? I finished it last week, and it's my favorite nonfiction book of the year.

Thanks Joyce, Rebecca and Darryl.

Darryl - I am in the process of reading the Lane book on my Kindle - feeling very techie with this new device and so far impressed with his writing (I think he won a science award for the book). Thanks for the recommendation of the Mukherjee book, which I will read on your recommend. Here we go already - my TBR pile climbing high after one day with you all again!!!!

>96 avaland:, Does ribbon count? I got a package tied with one of those.

Great to see you, Karen!

Thanks - Lois - I don't know if I can go as far as my own thread, but I will certainly read others.

Hi all, I'm Char and am coming back to Club Read for a third year. I write reviews for Belletrista and contribute to the Belletrista blog 'If Written By A Woman' (which I encourage you all to visit!).

I have soft spots for sci-fi, graphic novels, writing by women and novels written by African authors. I've had a vague focus on Caribbean authors and hope to follow up on this further in 2011.

I have two other reading challenges for 2011. The first is to read less, and to read more deeply. In 2010 I seem to have got obsessed with reaching the magical 100 books in a year mark and feel like I was merely reading to make up the numbers.

Challenge number two is to not buy any new books in 2011. I want to reduce my TBR pile, we're running out of bookshelf space in our small flat and we're in austerity mode since my partner was made redundant. It's going to be tough to stick to this plan, especially as reading Club Read threads adds many, many books to my wishlist!

In RL, I'm 35 and I live in London, UK. I work as a fundraiser for a drug and alcohol charity.

Hello, everyone. I had a brief foray into Club Read 2010, but life ended up being distracting, and I never continued my thread past March. I'm going to give it another shot in 2011, now that I have a shiny new Kindle. I read both fiction and non-fiction, and am slowly working my way through the "1001 Books to Read before You Die" list. I have a tendency to read many lighter, shorter books and then tackle an epic tome once every few months, so if you don't hear from me in a while, it's because I've decided to start Infinite Jest.

>112 littlebones: well, I think you should feel free to report your progress as you go!

I’m MJ -- hi to everyone and thanks to Rebecca et al for launching this group and all the interesting threads!

I was a messy reader pre-LT -- finished maybe 50 books a year and left as many barely started. I developed better reading habits through LT’s 888 and 999 challenges, then came to Club Read 2010 and deepened my pleasure of reading.

I most enjoy mainstream and literary fiction, memoir and science-related nonfiction -- especially debut novels, stories set in workplaces, and books with original styles, structures or premises. This year I want to read a little more history and a few more classics, to pull predominately from my TBRs, and to log other (non-book) reading.

Follow my reading here.

Littlebones - yes, do report your progress. IJ took me 9 weeks last year, but it was a rewarding experience - a reading life marker of sorts.

I'm back for a third try--I failed to get half-way through the year with my Club Read threads in 2009 and 2010, although I did continue to lurk and follow the threads of other members. Lots of familiar names here, diverse reading choices and interesting comments, and I hope I can contribute something.

I expect to indulge my passion for reading world literature (in translation). I also like the classics and literary fiction. I occasionally venture into sci-fi and mysteries. In 2011 I will continue my reading of Zola's Rougon Macquart series-- and maybe even finish.

At 60, I'm a curmudgeon, but not a pedant. I retired from my job as a tax attorney this year to concentrate on my art (fiber art) and being a grandma (for the first time). And maybe read more.

Deborah

I disappeared mid-way through last year, and lurked more often than not. I'm back and hope to be around more consistently this year. I know many of you and hope to meet many more. As noted on my profile, I'm a former editor/reporter for pubs no one will have heard of, a mom, and a volunteer with a local youth group.

I'm currently finishing Brothers Karamazov with Le Salon (a terrific experience) and probably will next read Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff.

It's been 2011 for just over an hour here, and I'm celebrating in the traditional way: by going to Club Read and starting my 2011 thread - which is here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/105952

My name is Tim Jones (no great surprise there), I live in Wellington, New Zealand, and this is my third year in Club Read. I'm not a particularly active member - I use my own thread to record what I've read, and pop into the "What Are You Reading" threads to post updates and check out what other people are reading. That seems to be the level of activity I can manage without burning out.

I have two sides to my interest in books: as a reader, and as a writer. As a reader, I get through between 50 and 60 books a year (52 in 2009, 57 in 2010). The mix seems to be about a quarter poetry, a quarter science fiction, a quarter literary/mainstream fiction, and a quarter nonfiction about whatever topic(s) are top of mind: towards the end of last year, that was Greenland!

In general, the polar regions, cricket, music and energy policy are among those interests reflected in my reading.

I write short fiction, poetry, and latterly novels. I have had two short fiction collections, two poetry collections, and one novel published, and also co-edited a poetry anthology which was published in 2009. The m/s of my third poetry collection is currently with a publisher, and I plan to have the m/s of my second novel ready to go out in early 2011.

I won't talk about my writing further here, unless it directly intersects my reading, but you can find out more about it on my LT profile or on my blog at http://timjonesbooks.blogspot.com

I occasionally review for Belletrista - something I enjoy doing when the right book comes along - and I post author interviews and, occasionally, book reviews on my blog.

Probably time I read something now ... only a sensible person would go to bed at 1.22am ...

I'm Rhian, I'm 49, from Wales originally, but now living about 30 miles north of London with my husband, son (age 10) and cat. I work part-time as the finance manager for a charity. I started a thread in Club Read 2010 but failed miserably in keeping it up so I'm hoping to do better this year.

I like to read literary fiction, classics and some science fiction or fantasy, as well as some non-fiction - mainly science or history. My favourite book in 2010 was The City and the City. I hope to do a course on the Nineteenth Century novel starting in the autumn so I'll be doing a lot of reading over the summer trying to get through the book list. I also hope to read more contemporary Welsh fiction over the coming year.

I was given a Kindle for Christmas, as well as Persephone gift vouchers, so no excuses not to read lots and lots over the coming months.

>118 timjones:, I just woke up an hour ago in Washington, DC. Happy New Year to all the Aussies, Kiwis and other denizens of the future!

Still 6.5 hours to go before 2011 here. Happy New Year, New Zealand, Australia and everyone else in that time zone!

k4k

> 120, 121: Thanks, and Happy New Year to all those who have now entered the year!

Hello and Happy New Year to all!

My name's Rebecca and I was previously to be found in the 50 Book Challenge Group. This year, I want to forget about the numbers and concentrate on some of the longer books I own.

My favourite fiction read of 2010 was Twenty Thousand Streets Under The Sky by Patrick Hamilton and my favourite non-fiction Nothing To Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick.

My Club Read thread for 2011 is here.

>123 Rebeki:, Welcome Rebecca! A lot of people have said great things about Nothing to Envy - I think it's a must-read at this point for me, despite my resolution to reduce the number of new books I buy this year.

Hmm, could we start a Young Curmudgeons group as well? After watching the coverage of those "town hall" meetings last year, I'm wondering what it is with all those reactionary old people? Also, what is it with the string obsession? ;)

I'm Kay, currently living in Greenville, SC with a husband, two children and assorted pets. The question of "where are you from?" is a little fraught for me too; I was born in Washington, but spent my childhood in Canada (Edmonton and London), my university years in Arizona, and then stretches in France (Paris), England (Warwick and Wantage) and Germany (Munich).

I enjoy the company here, as well as how Club Read has shaped my reading. Last year was a fantastic year, reading-wise, leaving me unable to compile a "best of" list that was of a reasonable length. I look forward to continuing the conversation with old friends and discovering new ones. My thread is here:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/104441

Hello, My name is Cyrel and I am a retired art teacher who still does some instructing in the summer for teachers. I have been on LT since 2007 and like many different subjects - historical fiction ( the good kind), novels , history, award winners, memoirs, and more. Sometimes I just need to read a mystery! I get bored with some series when I see repeat plots. I look forward to learning about new authors and sharing my favourites.

Hi, my name is Tracy and I'm a Club Read addict. This is my third year with Club Read, and I'm looking forward to being a more active participant than I was in the last half of 2010. I really enjoy Club Read participants - your focus on good books, your lively discussions and especially all the suggestions for books to read! My TBR pile has grown by leaps and bounds.

I mostly read fiction of the literary and/or historical type. I also like a good mystery. Last year I spent a good four months reading Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series. I don't think I'll devote that kind of time to a series again in 2011, although it was fun to immerse myself in the British Navy of the early 19th century. I hope to read a lot more off my TBR shelves than I did last year, and to have a bit more variety in my reading - different time frames, genres, authors, etc.

I just discovered the Orange January/July group, which is perfect timing because I'm just starting Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel and also want to get to Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna sooner rather than later.

Come visit my Club Read 2011 thread at http://www.librarything.com/topic/104961.

Hey everyone! I stumbled on Club Read 2010 in November or so of last year and figured I'd give it a try, especially because I've gotten rather lazy in during the past few years about logging all of my reading. (I used to do this religiously, and one of my goals for 2011 is to get back on track.)

In my off-LT life I'm an East Asia area specialist, which my taste in nonfiction reading reflects. As far as fiction is concerned, I read a good deal of historical fiction and fantasy, although I pick up anything that intrigues me regardless of genre.

My main reading goal for 2011 is to clear out a good portion of my Want To Read backlog so I can start adding new volumes to it--I'm hoping this group will be a good place to pick up some new recommendations. Cheers!

Undoubtedly you'll pick up good recommendations! That's how most of us got into the mess we're in!

(The one I'm trying to tidy this year.)

Hello all. I'm Rakisha. Although I'm not new to Club Read, it's been a year since I've been here. Here's my 2009 thread http://www.librarything.com/topic/78192

I am a bonafide reading challenge junkie but I'm not big on writing long fancy reviews. I use a blog primarily to track my progress and participate in weekly memes when I get the chance. Last year I managed to complete half of the challenges I signed up for successfully and hope that this year I can do a little better. Here at Club Read, which is much more interactive than my lonely little blog, I can track what I've read and get feedback and suggestions for more good reads from you all.

What do I like to read? Historical fiction, thrillers, contemporary literature, some fantasy...I'm open to exploring different genres and if it's good, it's good. I make a conscious effort to read more international authors and have found some real gems. Thanks to Netflix I am able to watch more foreign films as well which enhances the learning experience.

Looking forward to a wonderful 2011!!

Here is this years thread http://www.librarything.com/topic/106265

Hi book friends old and new -

I have been a member of LT since 2007 and have been tracking my reading on the 50 group, but decided to move here this year. I like the conversation!

I was a bookseller / marketing director for 20 years at an independent group of stores in Milwaukee until they closed in 2009. I feel very fortunate for my time there - what a great job, got lots of free books, and met a ton of amazing authors.

Now my work like consists for two other things that I love: marketing for nonprofits and working for Milwaukee's local first organization.

I am married and have a lovely 9 year old daughter. Our whole family is a family of readers (met my husband at the bookstore).

I don't know what my pattern of reading is. Just read what I am interested in at the time. Take lots of recs (note my wishlist).

Here is my thread from 2010: http://www.librarything.com/topic/80239
And for 2011: http://www.librarything.com/topic/106104

Nancy

Greetings, all. I have been mostly lurking on Talk for the last year or so, positing just occasionally but appreciating several of the threads and postings by members of this group. So, I thought I'd join for 2011.

I read mostly fiction: classics, current best sellers, not so current best sellers, overlooked masterpieces and books that have been appropriately overlooked. Always have a book in my purse, on my bedside table and in the car (and a book on CD in the player) so I have several things going at one time.

I track the number of books I read each year, but don't have a preset goal. My annual reading goal is simply to spend this leisure time pleasantly.

In addition to being a reader, I am a 50 something lawyer living near Pittsburgh.

I look forward to getting to know many of you better this year.

Anne

Hi there my name is Sally and I am 54. I live in Darwin in Australia, have been married for 33 years. We have 2 daughters one of whom is on LT and one who refused to read for 26 years and has just started. Between the two girls we have two grandsons who are total little hookworms despite their tender years.

I am on a few groups here in LT but followed a couple of long time friends in here. Have been lurking for a few weeks but ready to be a social bunny now :)

Looking forward to making new friends here

Hey there! :) I'm Pauline, a Journalism student from the Philippines. I'm 20, amusingly curly (hair or brain - goes both ways, really), and a big reader. I'm not big on paragraphs - I'm more into lists, so here's a get-to-know-me-in-bullets:

* I hate fish.
* My mother named me after a character she read in a book. When I asked her about it for an assignment on where our names came from in 2nd grade, she couldn't recall the book's title or author - all she could remember was that the Pauline character in the book was a detective. It's been a mystery to me ever since. Close call: James Patterson's The Beach House, which unfortunately was written years after I was born.
* I'm the eldest of six (4 girls, 2 boys) and I reckon half of us sibs are big readers. I think.
* I have a folder on my desktop called Attempts at Immortality. It's filled with drafts and ideas for novels, short stories, and skits. Nope, nobody's read them besides me. Yet.
* I have a book blog called The Wannabe Literati.
* This year, I'll be reading through the 1001 lists as well as award-winning books. Yes, such is my attempt in exposing myself to the great reads of the world. Hopefully I can keep it up, though.
* My favorite author is Augusten Burroughs, mainly because I find him so brave for sharing his entire life for the world to read.

Here's my reading list for 2011, and some of my reviews.

Hello,

a belated (re)introduction. I participated in 2009 and much more sporadically in 2010. Perhaps life will permit me to do more posting this year.

I would love to say that my name is Cormac McCarthy or Salman Rushdie but if I said that I would be stretching my overactive imagination. So I will report that my name is Andrew.

After much blood, sweat and tears I do now have a short story accepted in a journal called The Windsor Review and I am continuing to write and send out (and collect dozens of rejections) and I very much hope that this is the breakthrough year when I will regularly report on other acceptances.

Some of you have also read my translations of poetry from the Czech, and perhaps even some of those translations will find a published home. I will also be translating more short stories from Slovak.

I read widely and return to favorites often. Some of my favorites reread last year were Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor and Dostoevsky. I did not read Infinite Jest and I will not read it in 2011 either, I don't think :-).

Because of my hectic life includes a full-time job and attempts to write daily, my reading most recently has consisted of short story masters and anthologies. Some of the ones I am currently learning from are Ron Carlson, Tobias Wolff, Ursula Hegi.

I have a thread here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/105304.

>134 akosikulot-project52:: akosikulot-project52
Hi Pauline, very interesting about your name! If you want to pursue what might have been your mother's book, you could try posting the details you do know in the Name That Book group. Good luck!

Hello,
I'm Depressaholic when I'm here, Andy when I'm elsewhere, and Andrew if you are my mother, which is statistically unlikely.

I was part of Club Read 2009, then had a year off in 2010 for no good reason that I can think of. I read a lot of foreign and translated fiction, some of which I document in the Reading Globally group. I also do some writing for Belletrista.com.

When I'm not on LT I work in one bookshop and volunteer in another, participate in two monthly Book Clubs and blog on my reading for Oxfam. I live in Bristol (UK).

I also like ice cream.

Welcome, Andy. Glad to see you here.

Hello there,

I'm Sarine, a 32 year old Montrealer, but everyone calls me Saro.

I'm so glad that I finally decided to stop overhearing LT conversations and decided to participate. Like most here, I live and breathe books. More specifically, I'm an avid, nay, obsessive reader of classical fiction, old-fashioned mysteries, drama, political philosophy, Victorian poetry, and personal narrative.

Last summer, I started to read Agatha Christie's books in order of publication in an attempt to celebrate her 120th birth anniversary in September 2010. In addition, I have been reading Alain de Botton's essays and creative non-fictional delights, and I have succumbed to the delight that is Alexander McCall Smith's cannon.

On my profile, I state that I am a voracious bookworm, a film geek, a music enthusiast, and a lover of well turned phrases and ideas. At this stage of my life, I want to be exposed to different philosophies and political perceptions with those who enjoy fiery discussions on politics, the state of Canadian film, and everything worth savouring in life.

Happy Reading,
Saro

Hi Saro, welcome.

I am intrigued by your interest in Canadian film. There was a time when I could and did follow it, in the heady days of Mon Oncle Antoine and Les Ordres. But for many reasons I know almost nothing about recent films. What is there, easily available in an Ontario hicktown, that I should know about, that I absolutely HAVE to see?

Just realised that I have forgotten to post on this thread. :)

Hello everyone. I'm Caty, I'm British, 32 and a postgrad student (church history) and occasional bookseller. I am also hoping that I will soon find someone willing to pay me do something interesting all day. (As is my bank manager. Sigh.) In the past I have been a secretary and a history teacher.

Most of my reading is likely to be general and literary fiction, nineteenth and early twentieth century literature, mysteries, historical fiction, history, theology and a bit of fantasy - in approximately that order.

I lurked in Club Read in 2010 - I think I made about four posts all year - so this year I thought I ought to join properly.

Hi everyone. A little bit late to introduce myself, but better late than never:

I'm in my mid-thirties, born in and lived in Greece till 2005 (which explains my level of English), then spent almost 5 years in London, UK (loved it) and just moved to Boston, MA. I'm in a long-term relationship, no kids, no cats. Studied medicine, practiced for a few years but gradually moved to academia and biomedical science.

I can't remember myself without a book next to me and I'm very happy to be among so many other people with the same addiction! I read mainly (but not exclusively) fiction and feel particularly attracted to books that will introduce me to something new: place, era, experience, anything.

While in UK I discovered biographies (my first one was Bruce Chatwin by Nicholas Shakespeare) and will try to read a few, and especially of women, during 2011. My other general aims are to read books about Africa, particularly by African authors, and some of the books included in Guardian's best 1000 novels, but specifically from the Comedy category. This list is divided into Comedy / Crime / Family and Self / Love / Science fiction and Fantasy / State of the Nation / War and Travel books, and while my count in most of categories is between 15 and 25, in Comedy is an impressive 3! Also, and although they are not officially books, I love Granta and keep accumulating old issues from second-hand bookstores.

I'm Barry. I'm also 60 which seems to be a good age for this group.

I'm retired and now can't remember what I did for a living. I was born in London (England) and moved to the countryside of Derbyshire (England) in my 40's, but this still did not give me the peace and quiet that I craved and so I moved to the Gers (S W France) five years ago. It's really quiet here. I'm married and have no children (probably a bit late now).

I looked forward to retirement as a chance to read all those books that I never had time to read when I was working. So here I am and I had better get reading before its too late.

I have my own project of starting from the beginning of readable literature. This for me is the 14th century and last year I finally managed to cope with middle English and have read most of Geoffrey Chaucer. One can't survive on middle English alone and so I will also be reading my share of sci-fi, mystery thrillers, classics and anything else that comes up. I have really enjoyed the reviews I have read on this site, but its not good for my bank balance.

My thread is entitled "From the Beginning. The link is:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/106807

>140 polutropos:: Hi Polutropus:

Thanks for the welcome! A quick peek at your profile tells me that we have a mutual friend in William Saroyan.

As for Canadian film, I was discussing Guy Maddin's "The Saddest Music in the World", "Mon Oncle Antoine", and my own favourite "Margaret's Museum" on Le Salon Litteraire pour le Peuple board. It brings back memories of Quebec's yesteryear, a snapshot of a time that was darkly inviting. As for film choices, I have a few delights for you, but recent they are not (obvious ones at that):

Away from Her
Margaret's Museum
Sunshine (Hungarian, but produced in Canada)
Hokees
Most of Egoyan et al, specially his Where the Truth Lies.

I'm also partial to The Five Senses, The Hanging Garden, and older staples as well like a good Canadian girl.

Saro

Reposting because LT ate half of my post. Perhaps the third time will be the charm.

Hi, I'm Kerry and as I've been lurking in Club Read for the past two years thought I should introduce myself. My main home is the 75 challenge group so I'll continue to just post here from time to time.
I live in Auckland, New Zealand and am a fairly eclectic reader. I've an interest in children's literature and was the administrator for a children's literature trust for several years. My husband is from Israel (avatiakh is Hebrew for watermelon) and we have five children, a beagle and 1 grey cat.
This year my primary focus is to read the works of Bernice Rubens and enjoy the Reading Globally theme reads.

>146 avatiakh:, Kerry, I'm super-excited that you're joining us!

Hi all! I'm Suzanne, and I'm relatively new to Library Thing (March 2010). Just found Club Reads a few days ago and promptly joined. It never occurred to me to lurk. I am still making my way through the threads, and it would seem I'm late to this one as well, but you all are an inspiring bunch. I won't even try to keep up.

San Francisco was my home for most of my life and I moved to the Las Vegas area a few years ago for my health! (Yup! That's my story and I'm sticking with it.) I'm a seriously older woman (exact age not for publication) but I do admit to qualifying for the Geriatric Cranks (still looking for it). Have a BA in English, a master's in librarianship, but it was downhill after that. Have been married and divorced and have become a book devotee almost fulltime -- outside of my daily online poker tournament. Have worked as a librarian (duh!), market researcher, ghost writer, tech writer/editor/rewriter, book reviewer, and I can't remember what else. I'm supposedly retired at this point, but I still do freelance editing, and this actually keeps me busier than I would like to be. Like you all, I'd rather just sit around and read all day.

My reading has been all over the lot, as evidenced by my "library." Lately I'm reading mostly nonfiction, history specifically. I also love literary criticism, books about books, art, travel and whatever intrigues me. I'm a very impulsive book buyer. (Elsewhere, I have admitted to possibly needing a 12-step program.) Have been a sci fi fan but that phase seems to have faded of late. However, several people have mentioned The City and the City, and I've added it to my wishlist just so I won't forget. (Hmm, the Touchstone doesn't work if I type the ampersand. Oh well.)

There are so many interesting-sounding recommendations in this group, that you all may rekindle my interest in fiction. That's actually one of the motivations for joining. I love reading your comments. See ya around!

Welcome! I love San Francisco and it is my dream to move there. I got close once, but now I'm on the other coast, so we'll see.... Also a hold 'em fan. Glad you're here.

Thanks, citygirl! Re San Francisco -- there's no place like it, but at least you are on a coast!

Welcome, Poquette -- on reading your profile, you definitely belong here.