Group read plans?

I was urged to wait until the new group started to ask about group reads, so I thought now would be a good time to do so.

I'm hoping to participate in a few group reads.

I like them. Last year we also invited the 75 book challengers to share the wiki so more people would know about the group reads.

I love the group reads and I'm excited to start discussing them.

One thing that was tried last year that I think improved discussion was having a discussion start date so that there could be free discussion without worrying about spoilers. By having a specific date in the month, it makes it more like a "real life" book group discussion and creates a concentrated few days of discussion. Otherwise I find that sometimes the group reads turn into more of a read along and discussion never starts because everyone is waiting to not ruin the plot for everyone still reading.

Certainly different books will work better one way or the other so I'm not proposing that every group read be handled this way, but I think it works well for some books and could be considered as we choose books.

I enjoyed quite a few group reads this year and last. Not coming up with one I can suggest at the moment but would definitely try to participate in them.

I often wind up not joining in even when I intended to, so I don't have high hopes of that changing, lol. But I will watch and wait and see what happens here.

I really enjoyed Mary Barton. Is anyone else interested in reading another of Elizabeth Gaskell's? There are about 20 choices on Gutenberg.

>7 MarthaJeanne: I would be interested in either North and South or Wives and Daughters. I haven't read her yet, but I intend to.

This year, I tended to participate more in the author reads than the book reads, despite my best intentions. So I wouldn't mind seeing a couple of author reads for next year.

A couple of years ago I overdosed on Margaret Atwood, so I'm a bit leary of author reads now.

Either of those books would be interesting. Both are on Gutenberg, so no problem getting them.

I'm interested in North and South. I've read Wives and Daughters.

I don't mind the idea of an author read, but I generally prefer to pick a specific book as I think it tends to lead to better discussion. I've read all of the Gaskell books mentioned, but I like them all and think they'd make good group reads for those who haven't read them.

I have a bunch of books on my shelf that I'd like to do as a group read.

Any takers for

The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

or

The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt

or

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

My favourite of those would be The Children's Book, but my library has them all, and one is also available on Gutenberg, so I would probably at least start any of them.

I'd be interested in The Children's Book.

>11 japaul22: I'd be interested in all three of those but The Children's Book isn't available at any of my local libraries so I won't be able to do that one.
I'd LOVE to have Orlando as a group read. I was considering reading it anyway and I think it'd be a good choice for discussions.

>11 japaul22: I would be interested in any or all of those three, especially Orlando and The Children's Book. This is my first year really setting reading goals for myself and doing the CAT challenge so I would really like to get in on some of the group reads while I'm at!

Great! Glad to see some interest in The Children's Book and Orlando. Let's wait until this thread is a bit more active to see if more are interested and want a say in what month we would read these.

I am planning to re-read Jane Austen next year, if anyone's interested! Right now I am thinking about following the plan of the movie "The Jane Austen Book Club," which is: Emma in February, Mansfield Park in March, Northanger Abbey in April, Pride and Prejudice in May, Sense and Sensibility in June, and Persuasion in July. BUT -- I am totally flexible on months and order! I've just always wanted to do a Jane Austen book club of my very own. :) I'd love to have company, even if you only want to read one or two of the books instead of all six.

>17 christina_reads: I have her Seven Novels from the BN leatherbounds series, so I might be interested there. I'd rather read them the order they are in the book, though, both because I hate flipping around, and because it's chronologically ordered. (That order is Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1815), Northanger Abbey (1818, posthumous), Persuasion (1818, posthumous).) If you want to jump around, I'd probably join in just for Pride and Prejudice or Persuasion.

I have a few classics that I'd like to try to read in 2015.

The Scarlet Letter
Around the World in 80 Days
Gulliver's Travels
The Prince and the Pauper

Would anyone be interested in any of those?

17> Oooo, and reread The Jane Austen Book Club in August? I'd be up for it.

>17 christina_reads: I'm always up for rereading Austen, especially since I bought these beautiful annotated editions published by Harvard press this year. I read Sense and Sensibility this year so probably wouldn't join in on that one, but I might do all/most of the others.

I've got audio versions of all of the Austens (as well as several dead tree versions of each) so I might well be talked into listening to them again. Great fun.

>17 christina_reads: & >18 .Monkey.: I'd like to read one or two of the Austen books I haven't got to yet. So if there is interest in Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park and/or Persuasion I may join in. Depends on what else is going on.

>19 cyderry: The Scarlet Letter and The Prince and the Pauper sound good to me.

>19 cyderry: If I haven't gotten to it before the year is up, I'd go in for Around the World in 80 Days. I've got two of the Verne's left from his Seven Novels that I didn't finish last year and haven't yet gotten back to this year yet either, that being one of them. Still hoping I can get around to them this year, though, but we'll see.

>17 christina_reads: I'd definitely be into the Austen re-reads as well, it's been years since I've read most of her work and I think there are still a couple that I haven't even gotten around to yet! I'd certainly be down with following whatever pattern it takes on.

>20 BookLizard: Yesssss!

>18 .Monkey.: I can certainly be swayed into reading the books in chronological order, if that's what people prefer. At this point, I'm just glad to know there is interest in reading some Austen next year!

I've been meaning to read her for several years now and just not gotten around to it, so a bit of motivation is a good thing. ;)

>18 .Monkey.: That is the order that the books were published, but Northanger Abbey was the first novel that she completed and really should be read first if seeing her progress is important to anyone. Totally doesn't matter to me, but I thought I'd throw it out there! I'm fine with any order.

I'd be in for either The Children's Book or North and South, or both! I've been meaning to read them, so this would be a good push.

I'm also wondering if anyone would want to read something by J. M. Coetzee...I've only read a few, but enjoyed them thoroughly, and most are fairly short reads. Those I read had so much to talk about, and there are a few on the 1,001 list if there are others working their way down it.

I have Mansfield Park on the TBR and would love to reread Sense and Sensibility again!

I'm planning to read Pointed Roofs by Dorothy Richardson for the bingo category "a book published in 1915." Would anyone like to join me?

>29 whitewavedarling: I have Waiting for the Barbarians on my TBR shelf.

>30 rabbitprincess: Painted Roofs is on Gutenberg, so I could try that one.

I would probably read all of the Austen except Northanger Abbey.

I haven't gotten around to much planning for next year yet, but I would be interested in joining in with some of the Jane Austin reads.

>28 japaul22: Ah, I was curious about that actually, with the posthumous. I suppose I might prefer to read that one out of order, but then I wasn't overly fond of the last Gothic parody I read, so maybe it'd be better to read something else first and not have that be the first impression? Such decisions! :P

>29 whitewavedarling: I've got Disgrace on my shelf if you feel like that one.

My 1915 read is almost certainly going to be The Thirty-Nine Steps, in case anyone is interested.

>34 .Monkey.: I was thinking of reading that one, too.

I am trying to read some Austen each year, so I would join in on one or two of the group reads, likely sense and sensibility or Emma.

I think I might read Herland for the 1915 selection, if anyone else wants to join me.

The three I've read by J.M. Coetzee are Waiting for the Barbarians, Age of Iron, and Life and Times of Michael K.. Each one was so worthwhile that I'd probably be up for re-reads, but I'd also hunt down any other Coetzee novel as well, if I don't already have it, and I have a few, so I'm up for whatever :)

I think I am burned out on Austen, though...

>37 whitewavedarling: The only one I've read was The Master of Petersburg, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Hence picking up Disgrace when I saw it on sale. ;)

I wonder if Coetzee would be a good candidate to have a month instead of a specific book since he's written so many books?

36> I might be up for Herland.

>40 BookLizard: It's not very long.

>36 sturlington: I've downloaded Herland, so I could try it.

>11 japaul22: I was at a used book stall today and saw Portrait of a Lady so I guess I'm in.

>37 whitewavedarling: & >38 .Monkey.: I read Disgrace a few years ago and definitely recommend it.

Anyone interested in a group read of the following:

Earnest Hemingway
Agatha Christie
Walden
Haruki Murakami

I could be talked into Walden for May.

I am always up for Agatha Christie!

>44 LittleTaiko: I would be interested in Hemingway or Agatha Christie.

>44 LittleTaiko: I like the sound of all of those, although there isn't much Murakami I haven't read so I'd have to see when it occurs and how much other stuff I have on my plate at the time.

Another one here who's always ready for Agatha Christie!

>44 LittleTaiko: It'd depend a little on the actual books chosen but I'm interested in Hemingway and Christie, too.

I'll probably read a Christie or two during the year but I doubt it'd work for group reads for me, those are very much spur-of-the-moment "I read something long/heavy, now I need a change of pace with something light that I'll finish in a couple hours" reads. And that's a huge no no no!! on Hemingway and Murakami hahahaha.

>51 .Monkey.: Good point about Christie. That's generally how I read her too, so might not be a good idea.

Any interest in starting a dicussion group for non-fiction?

What sort of nonfiction? That is a very big category.

>53 March-Hare: Yeah like MJ said, that's rather non-specific lol. It'd depend on what sort of thing you're talking. There's obviously a lot of people interested in nonfic, given how close it was for the CATs, but you're gonna need more to go on to get people involved. ;)

If what you want is a general nonfiction group, you can find one here: https://www.librarything.com/groups/nonfictionreaders, and there are lots of more specific groups, too.

If what you want are nonfiction group reads in the challenge groups there are quarterly biography reads here, and the quarterly science, religion, history reads in the 75 books challenge group.

Or you can just suggest a few books and see what response you get.

Speaking of both author reads and nonfiction, what about a month of Isaac Asimov

https://www.librarything.com/topic/91374

>57 MarthaJeanne: I don't think I'd read any of his non-fiction, but I have been meaning to read Asimov for years so an author month could be good.

There's also the PResident's group for POTUS bios.

A lot of his nonfiction is very out of date - science goes out of date very fast and he's been dead for over 20 years.

I've just put I. Asimov on my BD Wishlist. That may just be one of my suggestions for a biography read for next year. But we aren't collecting nominations until October.

>53 March-Hare: You might try proposing a nonfiction KIT, since it seemed to have a lot of interest during the CAT discussions!

I'd be up for Hemingway or Haruki Murakami, or Asimov

On another note, am I remembering right that there was a group read for Satanic Verses this year or last year? And, of so...would anyone want to read Joseph Anton as a follow-up? The nonfiction comments got me thinking about...it's the memoir that Rushdie wrote regarding the uproar over Satanic Verses, the political side of the craziness, and his own exile as a result of the work.

I've heard an overwhelming majority of not-so-flattering things about Rushdie's autobio, so I've no plans to read it any time soon.

>62 whitewavedarling: I'd be up for a read of Joseph Anton.

>44 LittleTaiko: & 45 I have Walden and would love to reread.

>44 LittleTaiko: I'm up for Murakami depending on the book. I want to work on my books I own next year. I have The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and 1Q84 that I started but did not finish. It was good but RL got hectic.

>57 MarthaJeanne: I read I, Robot this year by Asimov and I would love to continue with his Robot books. I would also be very interested in a biography of Asimov.

>17 christina_reads: I would definitely join you for some Austen. I wanted to make her a category for next year but I probably won't. I can plug her in to a category though. ;-)

>20 BookLizard: Yes!

I've also been interested in reading A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen by Susannah Carson.

>44 LittleTaiko: I would love to join a read of a Murakami book. I was just thinking this morning that I believe they would be a really good fit for my preferences right now.

>54 MarthaJeanne:
>55 .Monkey.:

Yes, it's broad, so I was thinking it might be a good idea to have a general non-fiction group read/discussion thread. It could be less formal than the 75 group. Just a place (within the 2015 challenge group) for people to find a few others who are interested in reading/discussing the same thing. Reads wouldn't have to be planned out at the beginning of the year and wouldn't require some critical mass of "x" number of people want to read "y" to pass muster. More of a "work in progress" type of thing.

>61 christina_reads:

It would be weighted more towards discussion than is typical of the CATss/KITs.

>17 christina_reads: I'm in for Jane Austen, the whole package ! This year, I've been waiting to see what is proposed before setting my challenge so I'm free to do as I wish :)

>20 BookLizard: I'm game, it sould be fun :)

>66 luvamystery65: Yes, it'll be interesting !

I've had a category this year for fiction over a century old, and that has worked well.

>70 MarthaJeanne: It's a clever way to do it :)

One year I had classics, starting with Austen, but filling it was somehow harder. Is this really a classic? Should I be trying to read Dickens or Tolstoy? Over a century means I can read the bricks, but there is no pressure, which makes it more likely that I will actually do it.

>72 MarthaJeanne: You're right, I'm confronted with the same problem. In some way, by choosing to name it Classics, I feel obligated to read some bricks and it reminds me too much of school reads. There goes the pleasure that I had to read some of these classics ;( I'm adopting your approach from now on ! Thanks for the tip :)

No bricks this year, but I have enjoyed.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/160391#4544597

>74 MarthaJeanne: Yep, interesting mix, it works well ...

Is there a list/wiki somewhere where we can start listing out the topics and assign them to months? If I remember correctly there was something similar last year where people could sign up for the ones that interested them. I'd be happy to set something up if someone can tell me how to create a wiki.

Wouldn't it be better to try and hash things out here before starting a wiki and filling things in?

>68 March-Hare: Start a thread and see what happens. Pretty much the only thing for it, lol. I still think you'll need to have a bit more direction before people will start chiming in with anything; at the least you should toss out your own current ideas of things you plan to read (about) to get things rolling.

I agree with PawsforThought...I think we should wait a while before starting a wiki, because we're still just throwing out suggestions at this point. We haven't necessarily landed on any specific books, and we definitely haven't chosen specific times/months yet! I would think we should settle these issues before creating a wiki.

I think last year the wiki started with a list of nominations, and things were then marked seconded and assigned to time slots. There was no real signing up until the book had a time slot set.

http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/Group_Reads_of_2014#Group_Reads_for_2...

>80 MarthaJeanne: That's true. Maybe it makes sense to have a wiki with nominated books. Then people can sign up for books they are potentially interested in and later a month can be decided on if there is enough interest.

Talking about it within the thread is great, but it gets confusing because there are always several discussions going on at once.

Just to make a little list of the suggested reads so far:

Author reads:
Jane Austen
Haruki Murakami
Isaac Asimov
J. M. Coetzee
Ernest Hemingway
Agatha Christie

Books:
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt
Orlando by Virginia Woolf
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
Pointed Roofs by Dorothy Richardson
The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
Herland Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Walden Henry David Thoreau
Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie

Did I miss anyone?

ETA that I can't read!!! LOL!

>82 PawsforThought: Asimov

I know his biography was suggested but I thought his books were too. If not, I nominate! ;-)

>83 luvamystery65: Asimov is there in the author reads.

Gaskell was more a suggestion to chose one of her books than to do an author read. North and South seems to be the most popular.

>82 PawsforThought: - Thanks for the list! I had completely missed somebody suggesting The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan which is a group read I'd be interested in participating in.

>84 MarthaJeanne: Well, there were suggestions but nothing definite so I put her with the authors.

>85 LittleTaiko: That'd be PolymathicMonkey who mentioned that she was planning on reading it if anyone else wanted to join in and I said I was planning on doing the same.

I will suggest that, as we read Gaskell in July this year, that we read North and South in July next year.

I edited my list post to place Elizabeth Gaskell and North and South among the books.

>85 LittleTaiko: Yup, like Paws said, I mentioned that'd very likely be my 1915 title, in case anyone else was also interested. :) It's one of the few on the 1001 list for that year (and one of two my library actually has).

I'd definitely be in for Murakami, Austen & Coetzee. As far as books go, I've read a few of them before, of which I'd certainly be up for a re-read of North and South. I've been meaning to read Walden for years & The Children's Book is one I wouldn't have considered but would probably be up for on a Group Read.

I would love Austen, Around the World in Eighty Days, Walden. I am good to go.

I came across this version of Sense & Sensibility the other day. Read the book and then follow the directions to get the art.
Cool or what?



Description on Amazon

92> That's pretty cool.

But what if you want to read the book again?

You could unfold the pages, I guess. Or download it from Gutenberg. Luckily it wouldn't be a hard title to find.

I'm glad so many people seem to be interested in reading Austen next year! I'm thinking I will post a general Austen thread in December, where we can decide on a timeline (i.e., which months go with which books). Then there would be a separate thread for each individual novel -- or at least, that's what I'm envisioning right now. Does this sound good to people? Is December too late/early to get the general discussion going?

>96 christina_reads: That sounds good to me!

>96 christina_reads: December is plenty of time for me! Looking forward to it!

>96 christina_reads: It seems fine, I'm looking forward to it :)

I'm up for The Children's Book, I've had it on Mt tbr since it came out.

My suggestions:
The innocents abroad by Mark Twain
The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell - I've read the first book but would like to complete.
The Balkan Trilogy & The Levant Trilogy by Olivia Manning

I have The Balkan Trilogy sitting on my shelf.

>96 christina_reads: Great idea! And I just realized that Northanger Abbey is on my TBR pile too, so I hope to be in for that one as well.

>101 MarthaJeanne: I read The Balkan trilogy years ago and am due for a reread. I haven't read the Levant one.

The Levant one isn't really available to me unless I like Balkan so much I decide to order it.

I listed both trilogies as it could make for a reasonable read through the year - 1 book every second month.

I have The Balkan Trilogy and have read several reviews saying that it's excellent. I'd join a group read of that.

The Jane Austen read also sounds promising. I've read each book before, and a few several times, but chronological order would be interesting.

>105 avatiakh: My copy is bound together, and I would prefer to read it in one go.

I'm looking forward to participating in a group read. This will be a new experience for me. Other than classroom discussions, I've never had the pleasure. Please keep me posted.

Do we have an updated list of suggested GRs?

I just came across A Confederacy of Dunces, a book I have always meant to read and would definitely join if it was as part of a group.

>110 mamzel: Oh, that'd be interesting! I've been meaning to check that out for a while but never got round to it.

There are so many GR suggestions now, I'm going to be swamped just from that!

I'd also be in for A Confederacy of Dunces...

110> I'd be in.

I just wanted to chime in to say that I plan to do about 5 or 6 group reads. I'd be willing to do most of the titles already mentioned, and I don't have any additional titles to suggest. I'll sit back and wait patiently for the schedule to emerge and then choose the books that best fit my schedule and interest level. It's tempting to try to do all of them, but I know that would be a bad idea.

Are people interested in planning months yet?

There was good interest my suggestions of both The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt and Orlando by Virginia Woolf.

I think I only got one taker so far on Portrait of a Lady. I'd like to read that in January as it was a book I intended to get to this year.

Maybe February for The Children's Book and April for Orlando? I really don't care, though, so if someone who is interested has a strong preference, let me know!

January is fine with me for Portrait of a Lady. >14 PawsforThought: also expressed interest.

>116 MarthaJeanne: Great! Let's plan on that and hope we get some more interest as well.

>115 japaul22: January and April work fine with me for Portrait of a Lady and Orlando, respectively.

I meant to stop by this thread before, I'm in for Agatha Christie (always), and I was supposed to read Portrait of a Lady a few times and didn't get around to it.

I might be persuaded to read North and South as well.

Shall we do North and South in July?

We are also collecting group read suggestions in the Biography topic. http://www.librarything.com/topic/179940

We won't vote until November, but we already have 10 books seconded. If your favourite isn't on that list, come add to it.

I'd read Orlando! I already read Portrait of a Lady, though, and much as I adore Henry James, I don't think I'll be reading it again...

Just popping in to see how the scheduling is coming along...

The biography group read vote is going up, starting with http://www.librarything.com/topic/179940#4902847. We have 18 books to chose from!

Will someone who knows how please set up a wiki and let's get this show on the road. It's already November and only a few titles have been paired up with months:

Jan - Portrait of a Lady
Feb - The Children's Book
Apr - Orlando
Jul - North and South

Other suggestions that have gotten some response:

series of Austen reads - books by her and/or about her
Scarlet Letter
Around the World in 80 Days
Prince and the Pauper
something by J M Coetzee (Waiting for Barbarians and Disgrace specifically mentioned)
Pointed Roofs
Thirty-nine Steps
Herland
something by Ernest Hemingway
something by Agatha Christie
Walden
something by Haruki Murikami (Wind-up Bird Chronicles and 1Q84 specifically mentioned)
something by Isaac Asimov
Joseph Anton
The Balkan Trilogy
Confederacy of Dunces

Let's get busy.

Someone suggested May for Walden. Any objections?

Austen people - you need to come up with a schedule so that those of us who want to do only a limited number of specific titles will know when to show up.

What about these other authors? Do we want to choose a particular title, or just have an author read? When? I'm already planning to read Disgrace in January. How about Coetzee in January for those of us not doing Portrait of a Lady?

Lots of other titles on the list, and the majority of the year still open. Start making suggestions.

I'm definitely in for the Austen read and would be happy to organize the threads and so forth. I had been planning to set up a general thread in December, so that any interested people could discuss when we want to read each of the novels. But I can set it up earlier (i.e., now) if desired.

>126 christina_reads: Let's go forward with Austen thread and pick months please.

>126 christina_reads: Go for it!

I plan on reading the I, Robot series this year and possibly dip into The Foundation series. If no one objects I can start a year long Asimov reading thread.

You don't have to read Asimov all year long but if you choose to read something by him you can pop in and share your thoughts.

>129 luvamystery65: Sounds good - be sure to post back here and on the wiki (when it gets set up) so that everyone will know where to find the schedule and can join in on the titles they're interested in

>130 sjmccreary: I wasn't planning on a schedule but rather let anyone who is interested in Asimov just report in what they read and how they liked it. If anyone is interested then they can set up shared reads and then we can move forward with that. I don't think there is going to be a huge amount of people reading to justify a schedule or separate threads for the different series. I do think, however, that if there is a thread people who were initially interested in reading Asimov will give him a try.

I'll post the link here when I set up a thread. Probably this weekend.

I read I, Robot this year and enjoyed the ten stories. I plan to search out the next in the Robot series. If anyone is interested to join me, then we can set up a schedule for that.

May for Walden sounds wonderful.

I plan on reading I. Asimov, and will probably reread a lot of his fiction.

FYI: if any of you participate in the American Authors Challenge, February is Henry James month. I was planning to read The Portrait of a Lady for that challenge.Maybe I will start it at the end of January and finish it in February. :)

>131 luvamystery65: You might also want to post this in the SFFCat thread, where folks may also be planning to read Asimov, such as for the Classics, Nonhumans or Space Opera themes.

>133 MarthaJeanne:

I've got a copy of I, Asimov on the way.

>134 LoisB: I'm not opposed to switching Portrait of a Lady to February and doing The Children's Book in January. What do others think?

>137 japaul22: Fine with me.

>137 japaul22: That would be awesome to coincide with the AAC reading of James in Februrary.

ETA: >135 sturlington: As soon as my thread is up I will go post over there. Thanks. I haven't been following the CATS much.

I'll set up a wiki, since it doesn't look like anyone else said they would?

ETA: Here it is: http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/2015_Group_Reads#Group_Reads_for_2015

>140 majkia: yes, please!

I don't have time to scan the thread and add everything. I added some obvious things, but others will need to go through the books, authors and series nominated and add or subtract as needed.

Also, we could think about coordinating with the British Author Challenge as well as the American Author Challenge.

I added The Children's Book for January, Portrait of a Lady for February, and Orlando for April to the wiki. Those are the three books I suggested, but I'm still open to changes if anyone has an alternative month that would fit better in their reading schedule.

And I added North and South for July and Walden for May. I also removed all the scheduled books from the nominated list.

What does everyone think of an Agatha in August month for Agatha Christie books?

ETA, I would also be interested in Around the World in 80 Days - how about October, to coincide with the date of the wager in the book?

>>144 sjmccreary: that sounds like an appropriate time.

I have set up a general thread for the Jane Austen group read HERE. Whether you're interested in reading all six books or just one, please share your input on how to schedule the group read!

This is all turning out really great!

I'm not sure how much I'll be participating in the Jane Austen readings, because I have so much else I want to dive into (these group reads and the British Authors challenge, and the BingoCat...) But I'd recommend taking a leaf out of "The Jane Austen Book Club"'s book (ha! see what I did there?) and spread it out evenly. I think they did one book per month for six months but I'd recommend one every other month, just to make sure people don't get fed up on dearest Jane.

Thank you for bumping this thread up! Iam in for Portrait of a Lady and I am planning to read a lot of Agatha Christie next year also.

>144 sjmccreary: - Love the Agatha in August plan.

I'm on board for the May Walden read as well.

I also like the Agatha in August plan!

For the people interested in Hemingway - were you more interested in reading one of his more well known works such as The Sun Also Rises or For Whom the Bell Tolls? Or would you be more interested in one of his other books like Winner Take Nothing, a collection of short stories?

I wasn't one of the people who expressed an interest in Hemingway, but I'd be more likely to join in if it were one of his better-known works.

I'll be interested in any Hemingway I've not yet read - the ones I've read are The Old Man and the Sea, The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms and a couple of his short stories so any of his other books/works would be fine with me.
Maybe a choose-your-own-book Hemingway month would be better than a specific book?

>153 PawsforThought: I like the idea of a choose your own Hemingway month. I've read the 3 that you mentioned plus For Whom The Bell Tolls.

Choose your own works for me as well - what time of year? For some strange reason he strikes me as more of an autumn read but I can't really say why.

>155 LittleTaiko: Autumn is wide open right now. I'd say that is a good plan.

I'm always willing to reread A Moveable Feast, but autumn sounds like a time when I'd be most likely to be able to fit it in.

>157 RidgewayGirl: I just finished A Moveable Feast and loved it. I do plan to reread some Hemingways next year, so the group read in the autumn sounds fine to me.

We did a year-long Vorkosigan group read this year. Would anyone be interested in a Liaden Universe group read for a shorter period of time (one or two months, perhaps)? We could time it to fit with one of the SFFFCAT themes; "Other worlds" in August seems like the obvious choice.

The Liaden Universe series is a space opera with over 30 books and many short stories. The publisher, Baen, offers two of the novels and several of the stories as free downloads, so this is convenient for those who might want to give the series a try.

#159 by @mathgirl40> me, me me! At least so long as you provide or otherwise point me to somewhere that shows an order to read them in. I've seen several and I'm confused...

>160 majkia: Sharon Lee, one of the authors, has posted her own thoughts on reading order here. Others have said that going in publication order is generally better than going in chronological order. The two free novels from Baen are actually good places to start. Fledgling works well as a standalone and Agent of Change is the very first book in publication order.

#161 by @mathgirl40> well, heck. no wonder I'm confused! But I'll still join if you do a group read. and I'm hosting Other worlds in the SFF so I can highlight them there.

>159 mathgirl40:
I just downloaded the two freebies to my iPad so I will join you.

>161 mathgirl40: I got Agent of Change and will plan to save it for August.

It sounds like there is enough interest for a Liaden month! Shall we go for August then? We can always leave the thread going if people want to continue into a second month.

I've only read a few of the Liaden books myself and will continue reading them throughout the year, but I will go all out in August. There are enough books that I will certainly not run out of options by then! :)

By the way, the two free books, Agent of Change and Fledgling, can be found in the Baen Free Library.

>165 mathgirl40: I have Agent of Change on Audio so I am interested to give it a go when others are trying it out. Whoop!

I'm also interested in reading some Asimov. Will this be matched to one or more of the SFFFCAT months? February (classic SFF) and December (influential and award-winning SFF) come to mind, but I'm sure there are other months that can accommodate Asimov.

I think I've said so before, but in case I didn't, I'm very interested in Asimov. I was planning on reading him last year but a reading funk put a stop to that plan.

I was just going to start a thread for Asimov year long and see what kind of participation we get. He has such a huge library of books to read. Personally, I am going to continue with the Robot stories but I am also interested in his Foundation series and some of his non-fiction. I won't plow through them though.

Anyone is welcome to come and post about what they are reading and even suggest a format if they would like.

I'll come back and post the link to the thread when I've created it.

Here is the link to the thread. https://www.librarything.com/topic/182787 and I've added it to the wiki

I really enjoyed his Robot series eons ago. I might have to revisit them.

Thanks Sandy for getting us back to talking and planning our group reads for next year. I am very interested in reading Jane Austen, I love the idea of Agatha in August and I would enjoy Hemingway in the Autumn.

I've updated the wiki to list Agatha in August. What month in the fall sounds good for Hemingway? September? Or do we want a quarter-long read?

I've also added Around the World in 80 Days in October and taken Asimov off the nominated list, since a year-long thread has been set up for him.

Are there any other suggestions for scheduling some of the suggested books?

>172 sjmccreary: A quarter of Hemingway sounds nice, but September or October work well too.

>166 luvamystery65: I love the Liaden books. I hope you go for it. I'm up to date with them, but I'd re-read some along the way if there's a group read.

I'm not bothered about when and for how long we read Hemingway, but I doubt I'll read more than one novel/work of his so I hopefully won't need a quarter to get that done.

The Biography group reads are set:

First Quarter Call the Midwife

Second Quarter Thomas Becket

Third Quarter The Black Count

Fourth Quarter I know why the Caged Bird Sings

Can someone add them to the Wiki please. It involves adding the quarters, and gets a bit more complicated than I feel up to.

BTW it is not easy to find the Wiki. The link isn't on the group page yet.

http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/2015_Group_Reads#Group_Reads_for_2015

>176 MarthaJeanne: I agree it's not easy to find the wiki! I keep scrolling through this discussion whenever I want to look at it. Could you edit the first post and add the link there?

Only the person who wrote that post can do that. Only the group administrator can put it in the group page, so we have to wait for them, or continue in another topic including the link there.

>sorry - for some reason I thought you were the original author. Maybe it is time for a continuation.

I updated the wiki: It is here http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/2015_Group_Reads#Biography_Quarterly_...

Just a suggestion. On the Home page there is an option to have a NOTE field. I put shortcuts for the wikis there so I can find them easily. Might be a solution for those you never can find.

>174 jnwelch: I hear there will be more Liaden books coming in 2015, so you should have new material to read. :)

>180 majkia: Thank you.

>181 mathgirl40: Thanks. Can't wait!

I've signed up on the wiki for the group reads that I'm planning to participate in

I just added Hemingway to the wiki for September.

Left myself a placeholder on the wiki for Agatha in August. I will likely either read my audio of Sad Cypress or a book I've flagged for rereading, such as Remembered Death.

I also hope to join the Austen group read for Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park, and maybe Sense and Sensibility as a reread.

For anyone interested in all or part of the Austen group read, there's a vote about scheduling up at the discussion thread.

There's a new vote up at the Austen group read thread! If you have a preference about which novels should be read during which months, let your voice be heard! The vote is over here at message #34.

Can I please get a link to the wiki?

Go to the group page. It's there on the list.

Thanks!

There still seem to be quite a few blank spaces on the Wiki. Anyone have any other ideas?

How about Murakami in March? I want to read a book by Murakami this year and I would be happy to host March's group read. I just recently bought The Strange Library which is short and recent so it would be easily accessible.

Would anybody be interested in reading either Beloved or Their Eyes Were Watching God? I have both these books sitting on my to read pile and I want to get to them. Or we could expand it to a Toni Morrison and/or Zora Neale Hurston group read.

>195 sturlington: Depending on when in the year, I'd definitely be up for either of those. Both are on my TBR for the year.

>194 mamzel: I bought the first two 1Q84 books earlier this year and would love to try them out. No idea if March will prove itself a good month for me and reading but I'd like to try.

>194 mamzel: I have a yearlong Murakami category for 2015 so I will definitely be in.

>195 sturlington: I have Beloved on my TBR list. I read Their Eyes Were Watching God last February for Black History month.

>194 mamzel: I have Norwegian Wood on my shelf, so I'll go for a Murakami month.

>197 PawsforThought: I'd probably join in for Their Eyes Were Watching God.

>194 mamzel: I have 1Q84 and Norwegian Wood so I should be okay to be in. I'm trying to be less structured but I will put a note in my category.

>195 sturlington: Their Eyes Were Watching God was my first read of this year and it was so incredible. I envy you to read it for the first time.

Since it seems like there is some interest in doing both Beloved and Their Eyes Were Watching God, when we would be a good time? February might be good in honor of Black History Month to read one. Other months that don't have group reads thus far are June, November and December. I'm open.

>202 sturlington: Any of those will work for me.

Re: Their Eyes Were Watching God: I will be reading this book in February for an OLLI (adult education) class which I will be taking so that February will be a good month for me.

202> I've read them both before but would be up for a reread. What about Their Eyes Were Watching God in February and Beloved in March for Women's History Month?

>205 BookLizard: That's fine with me. I'll add them to the wiki so we don't forget.

The threads are up for Call the Midwife

http://www.librarything.com/topic/184819 for general chit chat.
http://www.librarything.com/topic/184820 for discussing the book.

I've started a thread for the January group read of The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/185262

If anyone knows how to add it to the wiki, I'd appreciated it as I'm totally illiterate about wikis!

Sooo, has there been any more finalizing of group read plans?

The wiki has the following books/authors filled in but I know there were many more talked about (some rather enthusiastically) here in the thread.

January
The Children's Book - A. S. Byatt

February
Portrait of a Lady - Henry James
Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston

March
Beloved - Toni Morrison

April
Orlando - Virginia Woolf

May
Walden - Henry David Thoreau

July
North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell

August
Liaden Universe series - Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
Agatha Christie author read

September
Ernest Hemingway author read

October
Around the World in 80 Days - Jules Verne

I know the Austen group read is up and running in its own thread and I believe the Asimov one is too so I won't bother with that.
The other books and authors mentioned but without a designated month are as follows:
The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Prince and the Pauper - Mark Twain
J. M. Coetzee
Pointed Roofs - Dorothy Miller Richardson
The Thirty-Nine Steps - John Buchan
Herland - Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Haruki Murakami
Joseph Anton - Salman Rushdie
The Balkan Trilogy - Olivia Manning
A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

The British Author Challenge is doing Salman Rushdie in September so that might be a good time if anyone is interested in reading Joseph Anton.

I am interested in Herland, A Confederacy of Dunces, and J.M. Coetzee.

I'd be interested in The Thirty-Nine Steps.

I would probably read Herland.

I also have Herland sitting on my TBR pile.

I have Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians and The Balkan Trilogy

Would March be a good month for Coetzee?

Great, some interest!

For myself, I'd be interested in The Thirty-Nine Steps, The Scarlet Letter, The Prince and the Pauper and A Confederacy of Dunces. Any takers (more than majkia)?

And please suggest months for the books/authors you're interested in. Doesn't mean anything is set in stone, but it'll help move it all along.

I'll join in on Herland.

>214 MarthaJeanne: March for Coetzee works for me. I have Waiting for the Barbarians, Age of Iron, and Elizabeth Costello.

I'd be up for Joseph Anton in September! (or in other months!) I'd also be up for Coetzee and Murakami in any given months, so March sounds fine to me for Coetzee... Murakami might be a good fit for April, too--I imagine some interesting conversations would pop up from readers who explored Woolf and Murakami in quick succession!

>217 Tara1Reads:, Age of Iron and Waiting for the Barbarians are both great reads! I think my next Coetzee is going to be either Elizabeth Costello or Foe, both of which I have waiting for me!

If there's still interest in Murakami, September would be a good month, as his books fit in very well with the SFFFCAT theme, slipstream and interstitial works.

I'd be interested in Thirty-nine Steps. I'll suggest June since right now there isn't anything else in that spot.

>220 mathgirl40: - I'm interested as I've had 1Q84 in my TBR pile for quite a while now it seems.

ETA: September works for me.

>220 mathgirl40: I'd be happy to join in with Murakami then.

Herland might be good for may, which is the girl power month for sffcat.

>221 LittleTaiko: June for Buchan works for me.

>215 PawsforThought: I would be interested in the Prince and the Pauper

I was wondering if anyone would be interested in a year-long read of Peter Ackroyd's History of England series. There are three books in the series right now (out of a projected six), so I was thinking of devoting 4 months to each book. Thus:

January-April: Foundation: The History of England from Its Earliest Beginnings to the Tudors
May-August: Tudors: The History of England from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I
September-December: Rebellion: The History of England from James I to the Glorious Revolution (also, I think, published as Civil War: The History of England Volume III)

Anyone else interested?

>227 christina_reads: Sounds good to me. I have the first two aleady.

>227 christina_reads: They sounds interesting, but I won't be able to get my hands on them so can't join. (One book covering the entirety of pre-Tudor England and one just for Henry VIII, Mary and Elizabeth? Wow, that's a bit unfair.)

I've added The Thirty-Nine Steps to the June slot on the wiki. Anyone who's interested in joining, please add your names to the list. And feel free to add books to their designated months.

The wiki is here: http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/2015_Group_Reads#Group_Reads_for_2015

224> Herland in May works for me.

>229 PawsforThought: I KNOW! The discrepancy between the amount of time covered in volumes 1 and 2 seems pretty huge!

>228 MarthaJeanne: Great! Let's see if anyone else wants to join in…if not, maybe we can do it as a tandem read and just check in 3 times a year. :)

I added Herland to the wiki for May. It will also count for the SFFCat and fill a BingoDOG square, since it was published in 1915. Also, it's short!

>227 christina_reads:

I might be interested. My local library has the first two ...

>227 christina_reads: I'd be game! Definitely for 3, as that's nice and late in the year. More time to borrow it from my mother, who oddly enough just received it from me as a Christmas present >:D She has Vol 1 as well, but not 2 -- partly because she already has a lot of books about the Tudors to get through first, partly because she just didn't get around to buying it.

There are 6 volumes planned, so 5 starting with the Tudors, plus the "Prequel".

I read that in England just after buying it in 2013. I didn't give a rating or a review, but I think I was looking forward to the next volume. A lot of books got in the way of that, so I shall have to start over.

I'll probably pick up the third volume in April/May when we are there again.

BTW I've combined the US and UK editions. This time the changed title makes sense. Civil War refers to different things in the two countries, as they each had a civil war.

I just have to chime in here and say that anyone who hasn't read Herland absolutely should--I wasn't thinking of re-reading it since I rarely reread anything (unless teaching it), but all the talk of it here has me thinking about it!

>227 christina_reads: I'll give it a go. First book on its way to me.

>236 MarthaJeanne: But how many of the books are out now? I was under the impression that only 3 of the books are currently available, at least in the US. Are more of them being published this year, do you know?

No idea.

>240 MarthaJeanne: Oh OK, I just got confused then! :) At any rate, I've set up a discussion thread for the Peter Ackroyd books here, for anyone who is interested!

>230 PawsforThought: and >233 sturlington: In response to adding things to the Wiki, I am hoping J.M. Coetzee still gets added somewhere. The only idea I've seen thrown out there for him is March. But it looks like November and December could use some filling in. I am a newcomer to this group so I do not want to make any major changes to the Wiki without more of a group consensus.

I've added Murakami to the wiki page under September.

>242 Tara1Reads: You're right. November and December are looking a bit bare, and I'm in no hurry. I'll add Coetzee to November.

Success! Now to add it to my list so I don't forget.

Plus
Here's a link to the Wiki
http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/2015_Group_Reads

>239 christina_reads: I just saw that Ackroyd has a biography of Alfred Hitchcock coming out this year.

>244 MarthaJeanne: Thanks for adding Coetzee to the Wiki!

Stuck myself down for joining the Haruki Murakami group read in September. I still have The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle on my tbr shelves and it fits my chunkster criteria.

>247 AHS-Wolfy: Oh, that's a great one. I think you'll like The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles.

I am up for Pointed Roofs if anyone would like to join in on that in December maybe?

That sounds interesting. I'll join in. For those doing BingoDOG, it was published in 1915.

I've added The Scarlet Letter to March and A Confederacy of Dunces to June on the wiki. If no one has joined me at the start of the respective months I'll remove them from there, but I hope people will join in. And if someone wants to read them but during a different month, I'm flexible.

Anyone else reading Portrait of a Lady in February?

>252 luvamystery65: I'm still planning on it. As I suggested the book, I'll set up the thread in a few days unless someone else does it first!

>252 luvamystery65: I'm going to try!

>253 japaul22: Great! There are some in the 75 group that want in on this one so I'll post the link over in the American Author's Challenge once you've set it up.

>254 PawsforThought: That would be wonderful to have you on board Paws.

>255 luvamystery65: Great! The more the merrier! (and the better the discussion)

>255 luvamystery65: I've requested it from the library so I'll at least have it with me. It remains to be seen whether I actually get around to reading it. We'll see.

>251 PawsforThought: I will join you on A Confederacy of Dunces. I have added myself to the wiki.

>252 luvamystery65: I'm still planning on it.

>258 Tara1Reads: Whohoo! I really want to read that one. Just hope the powers that control my reading will let me.

I've started a discussion thread for the February group read of Portrait of a Lady.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/187185

I'm going to try and fit in The Portrait of a Lady.

>261 japaul22: Thank you! I'll post the link over in the 75 Henry James page of the AAC.

I've also set up a thread for the group read of Their Eyes Were Watching God in February: http://www.librarything.com/topic/187195

For those participating in the Jane Austen group read -- and anyone else who is interested -- the Pride and Prejudice discussion thread is now up: http://www.librarything.com/topic/187942. There will be spoilers!

So according to the Group Reads Wiki, there is a group read of Beloved this month. I can't find a thread for it. Is everyone that signed up still planning on reading it this month? I have my copy from the library.

I am new to LT so let me know if I should make the thread. I am not quite sure whose responsibility this is or if it's more of a whoever-gets-to-it-first kind of thing.

>266 Tara1Reads: I think it's a matter of whoever gets to it first, so feel free! I am planning on reading it this month.

I have made the discussion thread for the March group read of Beloved. The link is here.

Over in the 75ers I started a group read for The Epic of Gilgamesh, anyone in Categories is welcome to join! http://www.librarything.com/topic/188648

Anyone interested in a reread/read of To Kill a Mockingbird in June since Go Set a Watchman is coming out in July?

Here is a link to the thread for the April group read of Orlando by Virginia Woolf.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/189373

>270 BookLizard: Oh you are reading my mind, I just said yesterday to a friend of mine that it has been ages since I read To Kill A Mockingbird. I would definitely be in for a group read in June.

>271 japaul22: Orlando fits for the April RandomCAT

>270 BookLizard: I would be interested as well!

272 & 274> Does June work for you or would May be better?

And should we go ahead and schedule a group read of Go Set a Watchman for August (since it's coming out in the middle of July)? LOL.

Article about the cover art: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/25/watchman-harper-lee-cover-mockingbi... I like the UK cover better.

>275 BookLizard: June definitely works for me. And yes, I think August would be be a good time for Go Set a Watchman. I was lucky enough to be one of the first people to ahem *stalk* the library hold system, so I should have it in August, I think.

I like the US cover.

>275 BookLizard: June works fine for me. But I will most likely read Go Set a Watchman later, for August I have already listed two other group reads. (Feel free to just proceed without me, please.)

I like both covers, maybe with a slight preference for the US one.

276> I was lucky enough to be one of the first people to ahem *stalk* the library hold system

Yay! Another stalker! Although I'm usually stalking Nooks or Kindles from other libraries in the system that only let their members put hold requests on them. Anyone can borrow one if they happen to be available and you can get there on your lunch hour before anyone else does. ;-)

I'm #2 for the eBook. *squee!*

277> I imagine other people will join the discussion when they can. I'll have the thread starred anyway, so I can come back and discuss with you. :-)

The discussion thread for Mansfield Park, part of the year-long Austen group read, is up! http://www.librarything.com/topic/190111

>278 BookLizard: Is it still the plan to read To Kill A Mockingbird this month? I'll see if I can get it from the library today.

281> That is the plan. I have one person ahead of me in the queue at my library.

Thread for To Kill a Mockingbird: http://www.librarything.com/topic/191863.

I keep wanting to write Mockingjay. *sigh*

The thread for discussion of A Confederacy of Dunces can be found here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/191936.

The discussion thread for Sense and Sensibility, part of the year-long Austen group read, is up! http://www.librarything.com/topic/192118

The third quarter threads are up for The Black Count, part of the quarterly biography reads.

General discussion:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/192436

Book discussion with spoilers:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/192437

Anyone interested in reading Bridge of Spies: A True Story of the Cold War by Giles Whittell? Movie comes out in October.

>286 VictoriaPL: I'm potentially up for it! When did you want to read it?

>287 christina_reads: Hi Christina. I have a copy so I can start anytime. I'd like to finish it before the film releases.

>288 VictoriaPL: Would August be too late? I have a few other books in the queue to finish first.

>289 christina_reads: Not at all, Christina, that sounds fine to me. Looking forward to it!
We have our other tandem read in August too - right? The Lure of the Moonflower

>290 VictoriaPL: YES! I'm sooooo excited about it!!!

I am looking forward to our planned "Agatha in August" reads.

I decided to go ahead and set up a thread for this.

Agatha In August

Anyone still interested in a thread about Go Set a Watchman? I read it in one sitting, last night into this morning. Think I need to reread it more slowly to get a real feel for it.

>293 BookLizard: Yes, I don't know when I will be reading it but it will be soon and I am very interested in discussing.

>293 BookLizard: I've read it and I think it would make for great discussion. There have already been several discussions around LT, but I think a dedicated group read thread is a great idea! I know a lot of people are in long library lines to get it, so might be best to wait a bit.

>293 BookLizard: I'm interested, but I'm currently #374 on my library's wait list.

>293 BookLizard: - I'm interested. Read it already and still have all sorts of thoughts about it floating around in my head.

296> That's a long wait list. How many copies do they have?

I put myself back on the wait list at my library - want to read it again.

Should we say September for the group thread? Or is that still too soon?

The Jane Austen group read is discussing Emma this month! Thread (with spoilers) is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/194558.

Is anyone else interested in the proposed Ernest Hemingway Group Read in September?

I am! In fact, I just started Men without Women - a collection of short stories.

Oh good, maybe I will go ahead and set up a thread for it.

Here's the link:

Ernest Hemingway Group Read

I just noticed there's supposed to be a Murakami read this month. It would fit with the current SFFCAT theme.

Speaking for myself, September is already pretty laden with TBRs, and there's already the Hemingway group read. Would anyone be interested in moving the Murakami read to December, which has no group reads associated with it at the moment? The SFFCAT theme for that month is "Influential and Award Winning or Award Nominated" authors and Murakami would certainly fit that category!

I'm fine with moving it to December - it might not fit into my reading then either but there is no way I can work it in this month!

If anyone wants to join in an impromptu Halloween group read of The Haunting of Hill House, please join in here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/196344

Is anyone else reading Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne this month?

So how about that Haruki Murakami group read in December? Some of his work could fit into the December SFFCAT. Anyone interested?

I'm still interested - I have Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage on my shelf to read. Also have 1Q84 but that is one I have slotted for next year.

I created a thread for the Haruki Murakami group read:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/206086