VOTE! on future themes!

The thread title is just to get your attention, we're actually looking for a consensus around possible themes rather than a vote count.

Please look at the following themes and tell us which ones intrigue you (you can mention multiple themes which interest you). Let's not just limit ourselves to what's in the TBR pile, ok? These will not be discussed for months, which means one will have all that time to hit library sales or used bookshops, if needed:-) Also, keep in mind that this group encourages one to read not only literature from outside your own country, but translated from a language not your own whenever possible.

Please make any comments (no book recommendations here, please) about these global themes here, but if you have other ideas please post them on the "IDEAS for Theme Reads" thread (Note: Ideas should be global and a reasonable amount of books from other countries should be available under that theme). Apologies that I have not elaborated on all the themes equally. Some are pretty self-explanatory.

Holidays Read a book that has a holiday as a part of the story (i.e. Chinese New Year, Australia Day, Boxing Day, Christmas, Chanukah, Mother's Day, Polish Independence Day...etc)

Imprisonment While imprisonment does not have to be the central theme, it should figure as a major part of the story. (i.e. This Blinding Absence of Light by Tahar Ben Jelloun, True Notebooks by Mark Salzman, Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir)

Aboriginal Peoples Literature written by native Americans, First Nation, Aboriginal Australians, Native Africans...etc.)

Dictators and Other World Leaders or Dictators or Dictatorships

Nature or Being Close to the Land. This is pretty broad, from Petterson's Out Stealing Horses to McGahern's The White Earth to Molly Gloss' Jump-off Creek ...

Work and Workplace novels Either one used as an important element of the novel, perhaps even as theme.

ADDTL NOTE: There has been some interest in a Ghost & Ghoulies theme for October, so we are looking for a volunteer who would be willing to set up the thread and make it a truly global theme. There are plenty of other groups where on can read American vampire and Victorian ghost stories, if you know what I mean.

Aboriginal Peoples gets my vote.

I also vote for Aboriginal Peoples.

Yay!!!

OK, I'll bite ... I can handle the ghosties and ghoulies theme in October...

Dictators and Imprisonment get my vote.

Either aboriginal peoples or dictators. I'm assuming with a category like dictators we would be focused on fiction rather than biography or nonfiction, or is that an incorrect assumption?

Holidays, nature/land and workplace (especially workplace!) appeal to me. I'm neutral on imprisonment (although I perked up at the mention of Mark Salzman). Aboriginals and dictators don't appeal.

So. Aboriginals or dictators will probably stretch me the most and should probably get my vote.

In trying to pick just one, because all appeal to me, the most interesting one for me now would be nature. It's a bit different than our other themes.

NOTE: You can mention any and all that interest you. No need to limit it to just one; we will need a couple of themes for 2009.

>8 arubabookwoman: We started off as a strictly fiction group but have opened it up to allow nonfiction over time. So most of us will go with fiction, although we won't stone anyone who decides to read a biography:-)

>9 detailmuse: The Salzman is excellent(it's a memoir).

Dictators and Other World Leaders or Dictators or Dictatorships!

ETA: The title of the theme could use a little trimming, though...

--> 11

Okay, then here's the line-up:

1st choice: Nature
2nd Choice: Work/workplace Novels*
3rd Choice: Imprisonment

For work novels, I think unusual occupations would be even more interesting!

My vote goes to Dictators and Dictatorships! I would also love to have a Ghoulies and Ghosties read, if someone decides to set it up.

I think I'd most like Nature/land, followed by holidays, followed by aboriginal peoples. Least interested in imprisonment and dictators.

I am most interested in the Dictators theme read.

Holidays,
then workplace novels

Aboriginal peoples and dictators both sound like good themes to me.

I vote for:

Holidays
Nature/Land
Aboriginal People

Nature/Land would interest me most, recommendations of books from other countries and cultures and how they relate to the natural world would be good for discussion and stretch my reading in this area.

As dictators was my suggestion, that would obviously be my first choice. The reason I mentioned on the other thread add Leaders to it, was in case there was any dispute over what counted as a dictator. I would be happy to lead that subject if chosen.

I am also interested in the Aboriginal people and imprisonment.

Not keen on nature theme as I think nature/land is often part of books in a specific country anyway.

I don't mind the holidays or workplace theme, but am not sure that many books exist with these as major themes and might be harder to find relevant books.

>22 sanddancer: Maybe we should call it "Dictators and Despots"

I'm going to leave this thread open for a week or so to solicit as many responses as possible.

>6 wandering_star: wandering_star, are you volunteering or voting?

I'm gutted we ditched mysteries. That would have been my top pick (and I could probably be convinced to volunteer to facilitate)! Otherwise I'm keen for aboriginal lit/nature as themes.

Workplace stories is a really intriguing idea, in my opinion!

Because, in my mind, this means being open to different perspectives on what constitutes "having a job" and what/where the "workplace" is... From investigator or detective (which would open things up to mysteries and crimes, LizT!) to women "working" as mothers or wives, to the life of a soldier, a sex worker, or a farmer, scientist or explorer (which could bring back the nature theme)...

Heck, even being a dictator could be viewed as a job!

(Does he/she approach the task as if they're running a business? Who are the top aides, and the next in line? Has the dictator crafted a solid business empire, or is their organization in danger of collapse? Why; who's the "competition"...?)

Errr. Maybe I'm taking this too far. :)

Well . . . being aboriginal can be work as well. Shamans and medicine men/women all work. Their stories can also bring up environmental issues as well.

I was volunteering. As for voting, I'll put mine in for dictators and dictatorships - should be really interesting, although potentially quite difficult to set up. Although having said that, I can immediately think of two - Ismail Kadare's The Successor and, of course, The Last King of Scotland (so much better than the film, if you haven't read it).

Followed by nature/land.

I read so many dictatorship-related books last year that I don't feel like going there again. I would argue that Non-Native American aboriginal material would stretch us in the way that the Japan read stretched us out of our comfort zones. Although things got heated there for a bit, the discussion was the best I've seen on this forum in the year I've been following and contributing.

yeah, sorry about bumping the mysteries idea for now, but, if it is of any consequence, there is a thread for mysteries from non-English speaking countries in the Crime & Mystery group:-)

>Thanks, Ms. Star I'll pencil the Ghost & Ghoulie theme back into October.

My vote is:

Nature
Holidays
Imprisonment

30> I'm there! Thanks for pointing it out, avaland.

>32 frithuswith: I think I might have been the one to start that thread;-)

I'm still keeping tabs on interest in the themes. Thus far it's tied up for Dictators, Aboriginal lit & Nature/Close to the Land. But we can keep the thread open longer. I don't think we're in any hurry.

Aboriginal people gets my vote. I think that would be an interesting perspective in books.

It seems here that 'aborginal/first people's lit' has edged out the others here.

There seems to be a lot of interest on the theme read idea thread for a theme around the arts. The theme is probably a bit more upbeat than many on our list and considering the gloom around the economic crisis something upbeat, without being necessarily fluff, would be welcome. There is also a plethora of books from many countries that would fall into this category. Does anyone here have any objections to my injecting "aboriginal lit" and "the arts" into the lineup (June & August). And, if so, is anyone interested in volunteering to set up the threads later on*?

We will save Dictators, Despots & Dictatorships and Nature/Closeness to the Land for early 2010 (I know it seems so far away, doesn't it. But we'll be there before you know it!)

*btw, I think I prefer the solicitation of recommendations for theme-related books as Squeakychu did on the African thread, rather than the immense lists of books that have related tags. The latter can be so overwhelming. What do the rest of you think?

>35 avaland: Those themes are fine by me - thanks, Lois.

I'd tend to agree with you on your last comment, about theme-related books, and that's certainly what I'm intending to do with the Poland thread, which I intend to set up any day now.

I'd be willing to handle the Aboriginal literature thread if it has yet to be claimed.

I agree about the recommendations working best.

As I work in the arts, I can't really object to that as a theme but have no ideas about books on this that also tie in with the global theme. Would we still be trying to stick with fiction or would it include non-fiction too?

Just came across this thread and am happy to see that Aboriginal themes has been chosen. Good work when I wasn't looking, everyone!

The themes are fine with me, but I agree that I'm not sure how Art would be used. Would it mean reading about an artist (i.e., Michangelo, Frank Lloyd Wright) or art itself (i.e., Girl in Hyacinth Blue) or both. If non-fiction is discouraged it may be more difficult to find a variety of books.

Art encompasses a lot: music, dance, story telling, painting, drawing, weaving, etc. I can think of lots of fiction in which the arts are central to the story.

>38 sanddancer:, 40, 41 As urania explains, it would be novels in which some form of art is part of the story. Examples would be: The Painter of Shanghai by Jennifer Epstein, A Cup of Light by Nicole Mones (a lot about Chinese porcelain in that one), Music and Silence by Rose Tremain, The Virtuoso by Margriet de Moor, Dancer by Colum McCann, Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin, Song of the Lark by Willa Cather, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (about the power of literature in our lives), The Master by Colm Toibin. . . and so on. The main character could be an artist of some kind or art could play a different role in the story.

Because we began this group as a fiction-centered one, I tend to always think that way, but certainly there are mountains of nonfiction books available. It's a very broad topic, so the 'discussion' may be just a series of our postings. Perhaps a couple of thoughtful questions without being too esoteric would be useful.

>27 urania1: you're on! remember though, this is a global aboriginal lit, so it would include the indigenous peoples across the globe - Australian aboriginals, native Americans, first peoples (CAN), Maori (NZ), black African lit ...etc You might explore definitions of indigenous/aboriginal first. Just some thoughts.

I wouldn't set these threads up more than a month or six weeks ahead though so as not to take too much attention away from the current threads. I'll post the year's list on the group page. June for the arts, August for ab lit. . .

Updated.

month * theme * (setup person/facilitator)

February - Africa (squeakychu)
March - Argentina (depressaholic)
April - Slavery of all kinds (whymaggiemay)
May - Poland (rachbxl)
June - The Arts
July - Polar Regions (to be defined a bit better as we get closer to July, but could include Antarctica, Greenland, plus parts of Canada, Alaska, Norway and Russia) (chrissharpe, trisweather & muddy21)
August - Aboriginal/first peoples literature (kleahey)
September - Portugal (deebee1)
October - Ghosts & Ghoulies (wandering_star)
November - India
December - Translation; translated literature (avaland).

42> I wouldn't set these threads up more than a month or six weeks ahead though so as not to take too much attention away from the current threads.

I agree there has to be a limit, but I think perhaps two months is nicer - it gives plenty of time to get recommendations and order/mooch them. But I am willing to be overruled :-)

>44 frithuswith: 6 weeks/two months, guess there isn't much of a difference really:-)

45> Yeah, I sort of realised that after I'd posted! I blame thesis writing. I'm going to have to string it out for as long as possible to ensure my current pet excuse is still valid ;-)