Tutored reads - the hook-up thread!

Hi, all.

Wondering what tutored reads are? Read this.

This thread is where tutors and tutees can find each other. Readers wanting assistance can ask for it here; potential tutors should check this thread regularly to see if they're needed.

Please list organised tutored reads on this thread as well as on the wiki.

I'm looking for a tutor for Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. I'd like to start January 1st but could wait a bit longer. I tried this one but couldn't get past the first chapter or two. I'm probably going to shoot for one chapter per day but it might be one chapter every other day.

2: This illustrates one of the problems we're going to have with tutored reads, so let's dive in. I read the book and thought I understood most of it. I got the Regency setting, the Romanticism thing, a lot of the Faerie stuff, and some of the Napoleonic Wars stuff (though I've never been into wars enough to follow battle plans, let alone alternative battle plans ...). But, there was also a lot of stuff that I found very mysterious. I assumed that mostly she just made that up for the woo-woo factor (or sensawonda, if you prefer).

So, the first question is: Did she indeed just make a lot of stuff up, or do you need a better tutor?

If she did just make up a lot of stuff to wow the reader, is that the stuff that's bothering you, in which case, maybe it's not the type of book you're going to like even with a tutor?

It was years ago, so can't remember why I struggled with it. Mostly because of how dense the writing was, I think? I have no problem with woo-woo stuff. I'm going into this understanding it's a fantasy book. My favorite genre is fantasy and I "get" woo-woo. What I struggle with is dense, "Victorian" writing.

4: Okay, then I'll give it a go if you don't find a better tutor. It'll be good incentive to get The Ladies of Grace Adieu off my backlog.

I'd love someone to be the lyzard to my squeakychu (so to speak) when it comes to Shakespeare's Sonnets. I have made a vow to read them in 2012, but the edition I have is completely unannotated, and my heart quails at tackling it alone.

As for when to start, I am completely open. Anytime between January and December!

I want to read Neal Stephenson's Anathem... That's a very specific knowledge pool I suspect, and I'm not exactly sure how someone could help me with it. I just know that while I normally have no problem with sci/fi and alternate worlds and histories, this one isn't sticking.

I'd also be interested in an Anathem tutored read - I tried to start it the other day, but was a bit overwhelmed.

#9: I was going to volunteer to help with that one, Samantha, but then realized with school starting next week, I would probably not be able to do it in the 6 week time frame. Sorry.

#11: I hope you can find a tutor!

>9 Samantha_kathy: I have never heard of that book, but I do know a fair bit about the American Civil War. So I can try to answer any history-related questions you might have.

I was planning to do a shared read of Maps of Time with another LTer this year, but she has had to back out due to RL pressures. I'd still like to read the book, but don't want to attempt it on my own. My LT friend has a science background which I felt comfortable with, since my own background is business. Are there any science/history/evolution-types out there who would be willing to help me with this book? I'm flexible on a start time.

#16 Samantha, thanks for the offer! I had a little trouble getting the book, too, so I'm not surprised that you aren't able. My only fear with you not being able to follow along is that I won't recognize the question I need to ask, but I'm willing to give it a try if you are. I'm not in a particular hurry for this. In fact, I would prefer to wait a little while to have a chance to finish up several lingering big books that I'm still working on. Maybe March? or even April.

Your world history project sounds fascinating, and I would love to hear more about it. I've often dreamed of doing the same thing. I majored in business when I needed a job, but now that I'm out of school I wish I were more educated in history. So I've spent the last 30 years trying to self-educate.

I don't know what the protocol is now. Do we make our plans here in public so that any other interested people can join in, or do we go off and huddle in a corner somewhere?

16-17: Morphy and I huddled in profile comments. Once we had things set we followed the instructions on the administration thread to set up our thread and revise the wiki.

BTW, I've been following Samantha_kathy's history reading and think she will be an excellent tutor.

I am interested in a tutored read of Cervantes' Don Quixote (probably the Grossman translation since I can get that easily from my local library). I can't do it in January/February, but if we can get it on the calendar, I can do it any time later in the year.

I'd like to read this, but for some reason am intimidated by the length combined with my ignorance of Spanish history & literature.

#20 - Not the same as getting a tutor to assist you with your read, Markon, but the 12 in 12 Category Challenge Group is embarking on a year long group read of Don Quixote if you are interested in checking it out. I'm not involved but if you want to go and see what they are doing:

Here's the link

Hi! Welcome to the first Weekly Thread Summary And Bump.

At the moment we have one tutored read underway, for Jonathan Strange And Mr Norrell - follow along here.

We are also seeking tutors for:

- Shakespeare's sonnets
- Anathem by Neal Stephenson
- North And South by John Jakes (NOT Elizabeth Gaskell!) - possibly sorted?
- Maps Of Time by David Christian - possibly sorted?
- Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

And we are also trying to figure out exactly what people need with respect to A Tale Of Two Cities - stay tuned! :)

Maps of Time by David Christian IS settled - Samantha_kathy will be tutoring me on this book beginning in March. I will add it to the wiki a little closer to our target date and will start a thread as we begin the read.

Thanks for providing this opportunity - I'm excited to have help with this book!

Excellent! Thank you both for providing that information.

Thanks Judy (DeltaQueen) for the link to the 12 in 12 Don Quixote challenge. I'll see whether I can follow along on that.

Weekly Thread Summary And Bump

Tutored reads underway:

Jonathan Strange And Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - thread here.
North And South by John Jakes - thread here.

Future tutored reads:

Maps Of Time by David Christian

Still seeking tutors for:
Shakespeare's sonnets
Anathem by Neal Stephenson
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (NB: see note about 12 in 12 challenge #27)

Interested in reading A Tale Of Two Cities either as part of a group read or as a tutored read? Please see this thread.

I've volunteered for the sonnets! Timetable and thread are TBD.

Thank you for the update! - hope it goes well.

This may be unconventional to offer to be a tutor pre-emptively, but I'd like to help anyone who is interested in reading any comics/graphic novels/manga. I've talked to so many people who were curious about a certain work but found the form itself a struggle to contend with. I could also suggest works for people who aren't yet sure which graphic novel to try.

Does this fit under the "tutor" idea, or should it be its own thread?

No, that's perfectly fine - although you could certainly start a thread as well for anyone looking for help with where to start. Please add yourself to the wiki. Thanks for volunteering!

Liz, I would definitely like to read at least one other Jane Austen novel with you, seeing as how you helped me enjoy Emma so much when I followed along Madeline's tutoring experience. We already talked about this a little bit last year, before the tutored reads were made official as I'm almost sure you remember. I read four of her major novels in 2011; S&S, P&P, MP and Emma of course, and would like to read Persuasion and Northanger Abbey as well, both of which I have on audiobooks (which makes quoting sections a bit trickier, though I could get paper or eBook versions to help me with that). It could be one or the other novel, or perhaps both if we have time, though I am in no big rush either.

For Northanger Abbey, I would like to read at least one Gothic novel first, preferably The Mysteries of Udolpho since I believe there are references to this book in NA. I doubt I'll be able to fit in TMoU this year what with everything else... Heather (souloftherose) and yourself already told me it was not necessary to do any preparation, but I'll let the expert weigh in on this once and for all so we can decide which of the two we should tackle first. Best for me would be September or later...

Hi, Ilana. I am more than happy to talk you through any or all Austens, and I'm pretty much free to start whenever you like. You have a good familiarity with Austen already so I don't think the order matters too much. (I'm neurotic, so naturally I'd stick with chronological order!)

As for Udolpho, that is quite a major undertaking - much greater than Northanger Abbey itself - and I really don't think it's necessary for enjoyment or understanding of NA, as long as you have a grasp of the conventions of the Gothic novel. Perhaps Heather could weigh in here with her experience in reading it? A lot depends, I think, on your feeling about 18th century literature.

Of course...I guess I could always tutor you through Udolpho... :)

Ilana/Smiler and I are planning a tutored read for Wolf Hall sometime between now and midsummer, as her heavy reading schedule dictates! Will post an update when we kick off for anyone who wants to follow along with the adventures of Thomas Cromwell, et. al.

My RL book club will be discussing Wolf Hall the end of June. I'll be interested in the online discussion!

#34 as long as you have a grasp of the conventions of the Gothic novel

A lot depends, I think, on your feeling about 18th century literature

Liz, I can answer that easily:

No grasp whatsoever.

I wouldn't know how I feel about 18th century literature as don't recall ever reading any. :-\

#35 One thing is for sure: it'll probably take me quite a while to get through Wolf Hall as I'll no doubt have many questions. If I can manage it, I wouldn't mind fitting in one or two books before then to have at least a little bit more understanding of the goings on. I have The Autobiography of Henry VIII, would that be helpful at all? It's quite massive though, so other suggestions are welcome.

I got Wolf Hall for Christmas, so I'll definitely have an eye out for that thread!

If only there were a list for that ;-)

#40 -- yes, I've got the Hutchinson bio from the library and plan to read it soonish; def. before Ilana and I embark on our adventure. I'm reasonably good on Tudor history and Cromwell's role in the 1530s; less so on his life. Ilana, the margaret george novel is a real tome!!! but very compelling. You'd probably find it more readable than Mantel. It covers the whole of Henry's reign, however, and has a particular view of "the king's great matter" (aka the divorce) so bear in mind that's the author's view, not necc. a real insight into henry's mind.

#40 That's a great suggestion, thank you. I've added Thomas Cromwell to my BookDepository wishlist for now and will probably get it soon-ish.

I tried reading Wolf Hall once and only read 100 pages. I'm not even sure how I managed to read that many, because I had no idea what was going on!

#41 That is so cool! I didn't know about that feature. I've been on LT since 2007, and not a day goes by that I don't discover something new that you can do on this site!

#42 Suz, I know—the Margaret George is a doorstopper. As are all her other books, as I understand. Based on what you're saying, it seems there would be a logical sequence if I were to read The Autobiography first, to have a good overview the man and his reign and the main characters that surrounded him, followed by Thomas Cromwell, after which I should be ready for Wolf Hall—and you can have fun quizzing me as we go along to see if I'd paid attention as I was reading the two previous books! :-)

#33 & 34 Ilana, there are references to Udolpho in Northanger Abbey but I don't think you need to have read Udolpho to appreciate NA. In fact I'm a bit wary of recommending you read Udolpho before NA because Udolpho is so long and written in a very different style to NA (and one I found quite hard to get into) and I don't want you to be put off from reading NA because of Udolpho.

If you'd really like to read a gothic novel before tackling NA then I'd recommend The Castle of Otranto which I found quite easy to read and is very short (although, IMO, it is rather silly). Otherwise, something like this wikipedia article (so glad wikipedia is back up) has a good list of the standard elements of gothic fiction. Or perhaps during the tutored read of NA you could ask the tutor to point out references to gothic fiction as you go along?

Does that help any?

Weekly Thread Summary And Bump

Tutored reads under way:

Jonathan Strange And Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - thread here.
North And South by John Jakes - thread here.

Future tutored reads:

Shakespeare's sonnets
Maps Of Time by David Christian
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Still seeking tutors for:

Anathem by Neal Stephenson
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (NB: see note about 12 in 12 challenge #27)

Interested in reading A Tale Of Two Cities either as part of a group read or as a tutored read? Don't forget to weigh in on this thread.

I love to read contemporary gothic novels and hope to extend myself by reading The Castle of Otranto, a book which was published in 1764 (!).

I'm not great with older fiction so I need an understanding tutor who would delight in tutoring me through this classic which is considered the first gothic novel (Source: wikipedia).

In order to begin, I would first need to obtain a copy of this book. When that happens, I'll let my tutor know.

Thanks, in advance.

I would be very happy to tutor you through The Castle Of Otranto, Madeline, and Ilana too, if she would like to join in. I'm available any time you'd like to start. I will need to get hold of a copy too - I haven't read it for a long time, so I will need to read it fresh to do this properly - fun!

Hooray!!! I couldn't ask for a better tutor, Liz. I'll be taking that book slow and easy....just as I did in the past. :)

It would be fine for Ilana to jump in there as well. Thank you both. I'lll let you both know when I am able to find a copy of that book.

Whoo!! Looking forward to it!

Me, too!

I really liked Castle of Otranto when I read it a couple of years ago and agree that it's a really easy read (at least the version I have, which is Oxford). I'd love to follow along with the conversation, as I don't know if I'll have time to reread it.

> 51

Lurkers will be welcome!

I'll lurk as well. I read the book 2 years ago and didn't know what to make of it. For myself I called it "Lord Manfred's Mood Swings" and quite enjoyed it, but it would be great to get some background information on it.

I might lurk and/or re-read too. It's probably 30 years since I last read it and I'm quite sure lots of it passed me by.

> 53, 54

Hooray. Lots of lurkers! Now...I need to find a copy of that book!

UnrulySun and kgodey, I'm a little late to the game ( I just joined last week :) ), but if you're still looking for a tutored read for Anathem , I might be able to help.

I haven't read the book yet ( although it looks really interesting and I've added it to my to-read list )

I majored in Computer Science ( minored in Math ) and also have a background in Physics ( My brother's working on his PHD and I can always ask him any questions that I get stumped on )

I'm new to LT and tutored reads, but if you think I could be of assistance let me know :)

#44 Heather, thank you for weighing in. I'll gladly put off Udolpho to another year, considering how much reading I've already got planned in 2012, with several major (i.e. huge) novels already slotted for group reads.

#47 Liz, I'll be happy to follow along with the Castle of Otranto tutored read. Madeline is a perfect tutee to follow too, since she asks so many questions I wouldn't necessarily think of bringing up, but which are really helpful. I know it's a tiny novel, but I'll probably follow Madeline's pacing too, which I assume will be quite... unhurried, which will suit me just fine. Just putting it out there that I'm thinking of downloading the book from Project Guttenberg. The most recent copy they have at the library is from 1964 and I'm not keen on brown pages...

56: Thanks for the offer! I'm interested; let's wait to see what kgodey wants to do.

I'm hoping to read The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene later this year. From my understanding of it, it's at least partly about string theory...and I haven't even taken high school-level physics (or calculus, for that matter). Anyone up for that, perhaps sometime this summer? :)

Hi bell7 :)

After we do Anathem, I'd be happy to do The Elegant Universe

59: The Elegant Universe is about string theory, but there's no math in it.

56, 58: I'm definitely interested. I can't start until the second week of February at least, though. Would that be okay?

I might read along on Anathem--it's on my tbr pile as we speak. Might also download The Castle of Otranto and follow along.

62: Sounds fine, I am pretty much always ready. :)

> 63

It would be fun to have you follow along, Roni.

>60 LinuxLefty: Sounds good to me! I don't have a date in mind, other than knowing it has to be after April because I have a whole bunch of nonfiction I have to read. I'll be back after that to set up a firmer date that works for both of us.

>61 qebo: Yeah, it's not always just the math, though. Technically A Brief History of Time had only one equation, but I still had to ask an engineer friend who had taken more than one physics course some questions about it. Maybe it'll turn out I only have a few questions, but I would like the hand-holding to make it a little less intimidating. :)

62, 63:

UnrulySun and kgodey ( and ronincats if you're interested :) ),

I've set up a tutored read thread here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/131533

Let me know what your thoughts are!

Looks fine but a couple thoughts:

Do we have a start date? I think second week in Feb is good for both of us.

Have you read over the current tutored reads to see how it goes, the format, etc? I think I'd like to just take it at our own pace, with us asking questions as we come to them. It will be harder with 2 people, but I think a loose schedule will keep us caught up without one getting ahead and/or spoilers on the thread.

I'm excited!

Re: 68 UnrulySun

For a start date, I was thinking Feb 6th

I'm flexible on the format and pace; just let me know what you want :)

It is a feature of the tutored reads that the tutee(s) sets the reading pace, not the tutor; no-one should feel rushed or pressured. There is no problem in general terms with having more than one tutee on a thread, but if anyone begins to pull away, so that their questions and comments would constitute spoilers for the others, a second thread should be set up.

Ah ... thanks for clarifying that; that makes sense.

I've set up a thread for Anathem and I can set up another if we need it

Anathem sounds wonderful; I'm thinking hard about breaking my resolve to limit my book buying so I can lurk along.

The Elegant Universe also sounds elegant and I would love to join in on that one.

So are there any Thomas Mann gurus out there?? I have been meaning to read The Magic Mountain for eons, but after reading Death in Venice and a short story by Mann last year, realize that I managed to miss a lot of the allusions and symbolism. I'm very open as to timing and would be quite happy to leave this until later in the year, when hopefully work and other stuff is a bit better organized, but I wanted to throw the idea into the hopper.

There was a group read of The Magic Mountain in the Le Salon group last year, and the leader, Macumbeira, posted incredibly interesting information about it over the course of a month or two. You can find the first thread here and scroll through the chatter for the nuggets of information. It continues for several more threads.

I have read many of his books and am currently reading Joseph and His Brothers, but know almost nothing of his background. I just read him and don't ask questions (very bad, I know). I'll ask in the German group if anyone feels up to it, but it's not a very active place.

#74: Crossposting - okay, this will clearly be the better way.

Just an idea...

I'm wondering if there should be a wiki which delineates the pros and cons of a tutored read versus a group read. Such a wiki might help those who are in a quandry about which form of assisted reading to choose.

Weekly Thread Summary And Bump

Lots of activity this week, which is good to see!

Ongoing tutored reads:

Jonathan Strange And Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - thread here.
North And South by John Jakes - thread here.
The Castle Of Otranto by Horace Walpole - thread here.

Future tutored reads:

Shakespeare's sonnets
Maps Of Time by David Christian
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Anathem by Neal Stephenson
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene
A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Seeking tutors for:

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (NB: see note about 12 in 12 challenge #27)
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann

Are we on track to start Anathem soon? I know the 6th was our original date but have we heard from kgodey?

Re: 80

kgodey said the 6th would work for her

Weekly Thread Summary And Bump

Late this week, sorry!

Completed tutored read:

The Castle Of Otranto by Horace Walpole - thread.

Ongoing tutored reads:

Jonathan Strange And Mr Norell by Susanna Clarke - thread.
North And South by John Jakes - thread.

Imminent tutored reads:

Anathem by Neal Stephenson
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Future tutored reads:

Shakespeare's sonnets
Maps Of Time by David Christian
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene
A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Seeking tutors for:

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (NB: see note about 12 in 12 challenge #27)
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann

80, 81: I'm okay to start Anathem whenever!

OK then, let's start now! Hopefully we will stay sort of together as we go, so just post questions on the thread and don't worry about the other person. Sound good?

84: Sounds good to me.

*hangs head in shame*

I just impulse bought the Visual Editions newish version of Tristram Shandy, which I have been coveting for ages because of the beautiful book design, and also because I have a feeling that I am going to enjoy the playful nature of the book.

But I also know that there's a big chance I could get distracted by Shiny & New before the book arrives, and when it does get here, never get around to actually reading it. I think a tutored read might help me stay on track, and also give me a good chance to talk about the book.

I'm looking to start reading sometime in March or April at the earliest, depending when the Book Depository gets the book to me. It's a long book, so I don't know how much time would need to be spent on it.

Weekly Thread Summary And Bump

Seeking tutors for:

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (NB: see note about 12 in 12 challenge #27)
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne

Ongoing tutored reads:

Jonathan Strange And Mr Norell by Susanna Clarke - thread.
North And South by John Jakes - thread.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - thread.
Anathem by Neal Stephenson - thread.

Future tutored reads:

Shakespeare's sonnets
Maps Of Time by David Christian
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene
A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Clermont by Regina Maria Roche

Completed tutored read:

The Castle Of Otranto by Horace Walpole - thread.

Bump. :)

Can't wait any longer to get started on Maps of Time. Thread here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/133035#

Weekly Thread Summary And Bump

Seeking tutors for:

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (NB: see note about 12 in 12 challenge #27)
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann

Ongoing tutored reads:

Jonathan Strange And Mr Norell by Susanna Clarke - thread.
North And South by John Jakes - thread.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - thread.
Anathem by Neal Stephenson - thread.
Maps Of Time by David Christian - thread.

Future tutored reads:

Shakespeare's sonnets
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene
A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Clermont by Regina Maria Roche
Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne

Completed tutored read:

The Castle Of Otranto by Horace Walpole - thread.

Bump.

I'm thrilled to announce that Cynara and I are starting our tutored read of Shakespeare's Sonnets. You'll find the thread here. Please join us!

In April in the Green Dragon for Morphy's Mighty Monthly Magical Reads, we are reading A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare. I think it would be cool if we could get someone to tutor me while I read it so I could reference it in the reading thread.

> 93

I think it would be cool if we could get someone to tutor me while I read it so I could reference it in the reading thread.

Morphy, that is an excellent idea - to have a tutored read run in tandem with your group read. What a wonderful reference for others who want to dig deeper into that work and yet are shy about having their own individual tutored thread! It would be just a hop, skip, and jump to lurk on your thread, Morphy.

I've read A Midsummer Night's Dream many times, and I'd be glad to help. I might need a co-tutor, though.

Yay, A Midsummer Night's Dream! I love that play.

I'll set it up on the 1st and you and whoever else volunteers can be co-tutors! Thanks.

Oh! I forgot I'm going to be out of the country from April 3rd to 11th, and my internet access will be iffy. You'll probably have to find someone else :-( Sorry!

Rats!

I'd volunteer, but I'm already wedded to the sonnets & don't want to split my focus. I'll follow it with interest, though!

Oh, by the way: Will Shakespeare's sonnets - the tutoring thread.

Weekly Thread Summary And Bump

It's very exciting to have so much activity here at the moment, on the back of a few quiet weeks. I'm particularly delighted to see people expanding the tutored reads to take in poetry and (hopefully) plays.

In addition, for the first time a tutored read has been "picked up" by a new participant. Now that Madeline (SqueakyChu) completed her tutored read of Northanger Abbey, Ilana (Smiler69) has begun using the threads to ask her own, additional questions.

Seeking tutors for:

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (NB: see note about 12 in 12 challenge #27)
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

Ongoing tutored reads:

Jonathan Strange And Mr Norell by Susanna Clarke - thread.
North And South by John Jakes - thread.
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - thread.
Anathem by Neal Stephenson - thread.
Maps Of Time by David Christian - thread.
The Sonnets by William Shakespeare - thread.

Future tutored reads:

Persuasion by Jane Austen
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene
A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Clermont by Regina Maria Roche
The Life And Opinions Of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne

Completed tutored reads:

The Castle Of Otranto by Horace Walpole
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen**

The Anathem tutored read appears to be done. :)

I completed Northanger Abbey last night and absolutely loved it, and following the tutoring thread added a lot to my appreciation of it. I didn't post many questions because Madeline basically covered everything and more. In fact, as I was reading (listening, actually), whenever I came across something I wasn't sure of, I'd think "I'm sure Madeline already asked about this" and sure enough, there was an answer from Liz waiting for me on the thread! I'm really nervous about getting tutored myself because there is no way I'll be anywhere as exhaustive as Madeline. Plus I'm so used to looking things up on the (online) dictionary and Wikipedia that it doesn't come naturally to ask questions!

That being said, Liz, I'll be happy to pick up Persuasion soon—either in April or May...

>>#103

That finished in a rush! I hope all participants benefitted from the experience.

>>#104

I'm glad - it's a nice example of the existing threads being used as a resource. You need to learn not to be shy about asking your own questions, though! :)

May would be good - I seem to be booked for April...ulp!

May it is then. I've got David Copperfield in April anyway, which will probably take up a good chunk of the month, albeit on audio format. I'll probably find all kinds of menial tasks to do during the month to give me lots of listening opportunities for that one! Persuasion by comparison is a walk in the park!

> 104

One of the reasons that I'm so "exhaustive" in my questioning is that I do not read anything other than the work in which I'm being tutored. That means no introductions, no prefaces, no wikipedia quickie look-ups, no book reviews - at least until I'm completely through the book. That's simply my own preference.

This does several things. It allows me to learn what I can from the text itself and have lots of questions with which I can engage my tutor. As you see, perhaps my questions and, more importantly, my tutor's answers help others as well.

Ilana, I'm really happy that you enjoyed Northanger Abbey as well as the tutoring session about that book. Now I even think I'd be up for yet another JA novel in the future. I'm thinking about maybe Pride and Prejudice (...after Clermont, of course!), but not for a while as I have other more pressing things filling the weeks ahead.

>104 Smiler69: I'm a big Google looker-up, too. So what I'm doing for Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is that anytime I would normally go to Google, I ask on the thread instead. Gives some conversation starters.

Madeline and Morphi, sorry it took me so long to respond! I've not been very active on LT lately, what with trying to fit in more in my day. So hard to find the right balance! I don't know how people with full-time jobs manage to be so active here. I'm open to suggestions!

#107 Madeline, I like to read a book with very little information going in too. I'll read the back cover or a short synopsis, but sometimes not even that. While I do look up a word here or there occasionally, I'm actually pretty lazy about doing that, so either will try to guess as best I can, or move on and continue in my ignorance. I'm just lazy about stopping and taking notes as I read, for one thing because I'm such a slow reader and keep having to go back on whole paragraphs sometimes because I either don't understand what I've just read, or get distracted (a combo of both probably!) that I then don't want to slow myself down even more by taking notes. But I WILL force myself to do take notes when comes my turn for a tutored read to get as much as possible out of the experience and also so others can benefit from reading the threads too.

#108 anytime I would normally go to Google, I ask on the thread instead.

That's a great idea. That's what I'll be doing too then.

> 109

I then don't want to slow myself down even more by taking notes.

That's the thing about my tutored reads. I go into them cold. I look nothing up. I just jot down the questions I want to ask as I come across something pertinent while I am reading. If I didn't do that, I could never come back to the exact spots that had the statements I was puzzling over. That information seems to disappear immediately after I read it. I simply want to catch it before it disappears. :)

#109, 110 Ditto, ditto. I am absolutely loving my tutored read. I usually never stop to look anything up - except occasionally a word definition, and I never take notes or jot down questions. When the subject is difficult for me, I often get so confused and frustrated that I simply quit reading. But with the tutored read, I know there is someone who can answer questions and explain difficult points, so it is fun and easy to mark places in the text that I want to ask about. No more frustration! And I am actually learning stuff, which is exciting, too!

> 111

Sandy, you picked one tough read, but I'm trying to follow as much as I can of the book you're working on!

My favorite ongoing tutored read for the moment, though, is the one of Shakespeare's sonnets with Cynara tutoring rosalita. Who'd ever have thought I'd be reading sonnets by Shakespeare?! Those two make it so much fun - even for a lurker! :)

>112 SqueakyChu: I know! Now if I could just find someone for A Midsummer Night's Dream which I'm starting next week.

>112 SqueakyChu:
(Turns pink!)

Let me chime in as a tutor here.

One of the things my writing group has learned after years of being together is that bored readers see details, engaged readers see the big picture. When someone starts scribbling questions in the margins and underling things while we're reading, we know we've bored someone. The question is whether the reader is bored because they lack context or because the story itself is failing to engage them.

Most of the tutored reads have been for people who lack the context to read the book. However, at least two of them, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and Anathem have been of books where the story failed to engage that particular reader until deep in the book (notice how the questions died off as the reader got more into the story).

I found it difficult as a tutor to help much with the "not engaged" problem. I thought that Morphy's problem was going to be the sweeping Victorian novel construction. However, it was really just that she didn't find the characters and the world-building engaging. I could do all her wikipedia work for her, but I also knew that the definition of those words wasn't important to the the story. (Later in the thread you can see me saying the equivalent of "You don't need to know that. Just move along to the next chapter and see if it's more to your liking.)

So, unless you know that you're missing context (as samantha-kathy knows she doesn't know enough about the US Civil War to make sense of the Jakes book), you might find you don't want to so much write down your questions, as explore with your tutor whether you need more context to understand the story or is it that you just find this section of the story boring. I think the most help I and the lurkers were to Morphy was to tell her we thought there was material later in the book she would enjoy. A less ambitious reader might be well served by seeing that they just don't like books of a certain kind and that they can stop expending effort on reading them.

#112 I haven't read the Shakespeare thread yet - I'll check it out right away. I've enjoyed all of the other tutored reads that I've lurked on.

#115 You've put into words the reasons I had for not "getting" the tutored reads concept until I realized I could use it to get through the non-fiction book I wanted to read. For a novel, I think the most valuable help (for me) would be an introductory segment, similar to what they do on TCM before they start the movie. Some contextual information, pertinent details about setting or characters, and things to be watching for in the story. And then encouragement to "just keep going" in the boggy parts.

However it evolves, I think the tutored reads is a wonderful idea. Whoever thought of it deserves a medal!

It was Madeline's idea to expand on her private tutoring for Emma.

There was a very positive response when we put out feelers about a tutored reads capacity last year, but of course we had no idea how (or if) it would work in practice, and I guess we're still finding that out.

Obviously in some cases it does turn out to be more about a reader needing moral support than actual tutoring, but in others it's clear that the tutee is getting real benefits from the experience. I'm thrilled with the way that the sonnets tutoring is going - although I suppose that begs the question of whether classic literature best lends itself to being treated this way. On the other hand, I think the Maps Of Time tutoring, which is about as far along the literary spectrum as you can get, is also going well.

There was a very positive response when we put out feelers about a tutored reads capacity last year, but of course we had no idea how (or if) it would work in practice, and I guess we're still finding that out.

I'm nervous that mine's going to be boring/awful! (it should be starting soon - I've had a horrible week for my chronic pain and haven't been able to read much, so I'm behind schedule) I'm really excited about going into the process knowing that someone else has definitely read the book, knows quite a bit about the context, and will be able to discuss different elements with me (and maybe has access to a good dictionary, since i've been cut off from the online OED). I am also hoping that by spreading it out and looking more closely at the elements, I'll get a fuller enjoyment and understanding, and I'm not sure that's something I'd be able to do on my own. I've always done better when I can reflect on others' comments, or if I know I'm going to be talking about the reading later.

I've been carrying around my book for days now, because I'm pretty excited about it. Plus, it's a really fascinating edition, with fluorescent orange ink and other intriguing design elements.

If anyone else has been curious and not read it yet or has read it and would like to chime in once things get started, the book is Tristram Shandy. And the Visual Editions version is amazing. I took cellphone pics of it today, but they're pretty awful. See - http://twitpic.com/92x6xz and http://twitpic.com/92wlix

> 116

*gatefully accepts medal from Sandy*

:)

#119 Smile for the camera!

:D

Thanks for that - it's great to hear from someone who's been on both sides of the tutoring.

In other news, the thread for the tutored read of Tristram Shandy - me tutoring Keri (keristars) - has been set up - here. Feel free to join us!

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I bought a copy of The Fabric of the Cosmos, and I'd really love some help in May or June or July or August. I see that somebody else mentioned The Elegant Universe, but *FoC* is the one I have on hand. Is there any help for me?

July or later sounds like perfect timing, S_k! Thank you for considering it.

Morphy, if you haven't found a tutor by April 12, I am all yours.

Peggy, re the Brian Greene, go prod my buddy chexmix, aka Glenn. He knows lots about this stuff, stars 'n all.

The Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell tutored read is complete.

I need to spend less time on LT and more time on RL, so I won't be able to do another one until late fall. Should I take myself off the wikithing until I'm available again?

I can help out with The Fabric of the Cosmos or The Elegant Universe. The "dr" in drneutron is real... :)

>>#130 I wouldn't worry about it - if someone asks for you specifically either here or by PM you can clarify your availability then.

>128 norabelle414: norabelle414, I've already started. I've read Act 1, Scene 1. Do you need to wait until then?

>128 norabelle414: again

It seems we have someone who really knows Shakespeare over in the Green Dragon where we are doing the group read, so if you can't, it's no biggie.

>135 Morphidae: I'm leaving on a trip today and I won't have reliable internet until I get back on the 12th. So you should go ahead if you've found someone else.

>131 drneutron: It looks like LinuxLefty has been removed as a member, so I'd love it if you'd tutor me for The Elegant Universe. I have some reading I have to do this month for an award, so I'm thinking May or June when I have time to really give it some time & attention. Would that work for you?

I'm interested in lurking along with both The Elegant Universe and/or The Fabric of the Cosmos. The string theory in Anathem has me a bit bemused.

So much awesomeness to choose from on this thread! As well as on all the 75'er's group reads.

There is - and you remind me that it is past time for:

Weekly Thread Summary And Bump

The tutored reads are EXPLODING!! Here's a summary of the current activity:

Seeking tutors for:

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (NB: see note about 12 in 12 challenge #27)
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann

Ongoing tutored reads:

North And South by John Jakes - thread.
Maps Of Time by David Christian - thread.
The Sonnets by William Shakespeare - thread.
The Life And Opinions Of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne - thread.

Future tutored reads:

Persuasion by Jane Austen
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene
A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Clermont by Regina Maria Roche
The Fabric Of The Cosmos by Brian Greene
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

Completed tutored reads:

The Castle Of Otranto by Horace Walpole
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Jonathan Strange And Mr Norell by Susanna Clarke
Anathem by Neal Stephenson

I'm interested in lurking along with both The Elegant Universe and/or The Fabric of the Cosmos.

Ditto. I have both, and I've partially read both, but haven't made it all through.

Sure. I'm up for The Elegant Universe in May or June. Let's talk by PM and arrange it.

If you guys haven't started The Elegant Universe--that's one I've been looking to read...

>142 The_Hibernator: Thanks, your post reminded me to follow up on this. We've decided to start over Memorial Day weekend (I'll try to have read the first chapter and post my first batch of questions on Monday) and start at a pace of about a chapter every two days to start out with.

Other lurkers welcome too, of course!

I apologise to everyone for my extended neglect of this thread (stupid real life!) - it is certainly past time for a tidy-up of our current status, and to encourage people to go on using this thread to ask for and find assistance.

While do have some ongoing and upcoming tutored reads, we also have a number which have been suspended for one reason or another (I say again - stupid real life!). However, as far as I am aware none of these have been abandoned, and should be resuming when it is convenient for both parties.

I am not aware that anyone is actively seeking a tutor at the moment, but if so, please call attention to it!

So---

Thread Up-Date

Ongoing tutored reads:

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - thread here.
The Elegant Universe by Brian Greeme - thread here.
Clermont by Regina Maria Roche - thread here.

Suspended tutored reads:

The Sonnets by William Shakespeare - thread here.
Maps Of Time by David Christian - thread here.
North And South by John Jakes - thread here.
The Life And Opinions Of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne - thread here.

Future tutored reads:

A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Warden by Anthony Trollope
The Fabric Of The Cosmos by Brian Greene
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

Completed tutored reads:

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
The Castle Of Otranto by Horace Walpole
Jonathan Strange And Mr Norell by Susanna Clarke
Anathem by Neal Stephenson
Persuasion by Jane Austen

Yes! Over at Shakespeare's Sonnets, we have a tentative plan to resume at the end of the month.

Thanks for checking in, guys!

If the Midsummer Night's Dream is mine, that's been canceled.

Thanks, Morphy, I'll remove it from the list.

Would anyone be able to tutor a read of Voss? Several years ago I tried reading The Twyborn Affair but just couldn't make it through, because I had such little idea what was going on.

I don't think Rosa will mind my confirming that we're firing up the Shakespeare's Sonnets tutored read as of next week! Join us for laughs, poetry analysis, life & times of W.S., and scholarly discussion of the sexy bits. What will that fair youth do next?

I'm looking for a tutor for Milton's Paradise Lost. This year I have already tried an audiobook AND an ebook version, but I didn't get as much out of it as I would like. I've purchased a copy of the Norton Critical Edition of PL and was hoping someone would help me through. The earliest I would be able to start is mid-August. My dad also wants to read along, and we're happy to have others join in the discussion as long as it's not a burden on the tutor.

Anybody?

152: I'll be ready to go with Paradise Lost when Hibernator is. I'll probably take it pretty slow, but I am retired and have plenty of time to look at it. Besides the 17th century English, it's pretty dense stuff, and I'm bound to be missing a lot without some discussion.

Ilana and I have wrapped up our tutored read of Wolf Hall and she has -- *woot woot* finished the tone!

If anyone is interested in doing a tutored read of Bring Up the Bodies, would be happy to do that, although prob not starting before mid-August.

> 152, 153

Mind if I join?

Hey Jonathan....nobody's offered to tutor us... (I'm not particularly surprised, but I thought I'd try anyway!) So it looks like we're on our own. My dad and I plan on reading it pretty slowly, and reading supplemental material along the way. If you want to join in, I could start a discussion thread.

> 156

Please do! I'd love to read it. I'm sure there are commentaries or companion volumes. There are two I see on amazon - one by Francis Blessington and one by C. S. Lewis.

By the way, LizzieD and I started our thread for The Fabric of the Cosmos here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/140388

I started a Paradise Lost discussion thread for anyone who's interested in following it (without a tutor). http://www.librarything.com/topic/140583

I'm willing to add myself as a tutor, but I'm curious about an issue I haven't seen come up: what are the standards for having expertise in a field?

I'm a religious studies major, focusing on Cheistian spirituality, Zen Buddhism, and psychology of religion. I've also done a lot of academic study of the Bible. I've also studied philosophy quite a bit. But I wouldn't call myself a specialist in any of these fields. Would I be useful?

I guess what I would say is that I'm happy to do a tutored read, but I'm not sure if I'm useful to others.

Are there any plans for tutored reads - literature in 2013?

Hi, Karen.

Whoops! I've been very neglectful of this thread lately, mea culpa!

At the moment I'm only aware of the plans that involve me - there will be a tutored / group read of A Tale Of Two Cities in December which will be led by Heather, and in the New Year I will be helping Ilana with the first volume (at least) of Love-Letters Between A Nobleman And His Sister. I should also be doing a Gothic novel yet to be determined with Madeline, and I would love to think that the tutored read of Barchester Towers would lead on to Doctor Thorne. :)

There is no particular schedule about the tutored reads - people just arrange them as convenient for the tutee and tutor, and others join in if they wish.

I gather you're interested in "classics"? Anything in particular?

I'm a classics and Boooker prize girl at the moment - at least those are the two categories I have lists for Lyzard. I'm in the mood for some George Eliot next year I think - Daniel Deronda maybe or Mill on the Floss. I haven't read Dr Thorne yet so I cd join you on that one too.

There will be a new tutored read thread for the New Year, so once that is in place you'll be able to post your tutoring needs and sort out a time to suit yourself - see you there! :)

...unless you're looking to start in December or January, in which case I guess you'd use this one!

>164 lyzard:: There will be a new tutored read thread for the New Year
In fact there will be a whole new 75 books group for the new year. It usually gets set up sometime in December, and then things get a little crazy around here as people set up their new year threads.

I wish people would wait until the very end of December before setting up new threads for the next year's group; it was impossible to keep up with old and new threads simultaneously.

Yeah, and I hate diluting the year-end wrapups from 2012 with the 2013 startup madness. I'll not be starting the group until after the 15th of December at the very least. May wait a bit longer if I'm feeling ornery. :)

It wouldn't even occur to me to start a 2013 thread until the last couple days of December, at the earliest. But I guess some people enjoy the anticipation of a new year of reading.

I recommend being ornery, Jim!!

Personally, I would wait until 2013 to start the 2013 threads. What a concept!

I'm not sure what I'll be choosing to read for the end of this month or December. There are certain books I know I'll probably read both months, but there are several more that I will choose on whims.

I see the people making detailed lists in the 13 for 13 challenge and I am gobsmacked. It's not a bad thing. I am not going to insist my way is right or a detailed reading list is right, but when I see the lists it is really driven home to me to me how different people are.

I have a list of books that I want to read, and I have themes that I sort of plan on, but I don't like making lists of books like that because I KNOW I'm going to change my mind within a month or two. :p I DO make lists for what I'm going to read for the next month, but even those never stay where there're supposed to! I am quite impressed with the people over in the 13 for 13 challenge. :)

I can't even decide what I'm going to read in the next two weeks let alone the next year. Way too organised for me...