Group Read

When is the next group read/discussion going to be?

I've been wanting to read the whole list for a while, but I just don't have the motivation :-/

I always like a group read. What do you want to read?
--BJ

How about something under 300 pages?

I'd definitely be up for a fairly short group read - I have such a back log to fight against :)

Short would be perfect!
--BJ

I'm in. Let's come up with some ideas/suggestions. Here are some of mine, just to get started:

Cry, the Beloved Country Alan Paton
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Arthur Conan Doyle
Ethan Frome Edith Wharton

I haven't read any of those, so they all interest me. Another short book that I have (but lots of people have already read) is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon.
--BJ

I've read Curious Incident and it is very good. It got bumped from the 2010 list, however, which does not matter to me since I am sticking with the 2008 list. Let's see what other suggestions come up and then maybe we can figure out a method for deciding.

I would be interested in a group read. The only title that has been thrown out so far that I haven't read is Cry, the Beloved Country (so that would be my choice).

If I may be so bold to throw out some titles for consideration that are on my TBR pile and are short...
The Sea by John Banville
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe

These are from the 2006 edition, and I am not sure if they have hung on or not. And I don't know if any of these would make good discussion books...

Hi!

I´m very interested in a group read as well. Many good suggestions!

My suggestion is The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing. This book has been in my TBR pile for a long time. I think a group read would be perfect for this type of book, since I suppose it is a bit tough to get started on.

I'd be interested in the Lessing - I read the other two of hers on the list last year and loved them.

I also have The Sea floating around somewhere in the house, so that would be a good excuse to pick it up.

I've also heard loads of good things about Cry, the beloved country so I'd be happy to give that a go as well.

I'd consider reading Cry the Beloved Country. It's been on my TBR forever, and everyone raves about it, but every time I pick it up I just can't. I don't even get the cover open. Isn't that terrible? Maybe a group read is just what I need.

#12 I totally understand that feeling... I'm kinda waiting for a group read/someone to make me pick up Grapes of Wrath again... sigh.

The Spy who came in from the Cold (2006/2008/2010 ed) is a quick read!

Also some of Steinbeck's books... Of Mice and Men (2006/2008 ed) Cannery Row (2006 ed)

Others: Sexing the Cherry, If on a Winter's Night a Traveler

I second Sherlock Holmes, The picture of Dorian Gray, Cry the Beloved Country.

I have read The Sea and wouldn't want to inflict it on anyone but it is a quick read and I'd be happy to discuss it; might be cathartic.

Cannery Row or Sexing the Cherry would both be interesting.

I think everyone is waiting for Whiterabbit to come back and bring this to a conclusion.

I'll vote for The Picture of Dorian Gray just for the selfish reason that's it currently resides in my mount tbr pile.....

I have created a poll at misterpoll.com to help us decide which book we might want to read as a group. Sorry, I could not link it, but here is the URL to enter the poll:

http//www.misterpoll.com/polls/488623

Maybe someone who is more computer literate than I am could help create a link.

Anyway, the poll is open for voting for one week. Vote for as many books as you like, but once you enter the mrpoll site, vote only one time. Hopefully we can get this list down to one or two books that most of us would be interested in.

I look forward to the results.

#18> If you just put the URL in the body of your message, the wonders behind LT talk will automatically make that a link.

It's failed above, because you forgot the very important colon in the URL. Try this:

http://www.misterpoll.com/polls/488623

ETA: Although Mr Poll says that poll is closed?

Thank you, Wookie!! Those pesky colons!8(

I think I fixed the "closed" problem on the poll. You should be able to vote now. I will watch this message board throughout the day since this is the first poll I've set up and I frankly don't know what I'm doing. Thanks again for your help.

Nice job on the poll george1295. I am looking forward to getting started on a group read. Thank you for taking the initiative and organizing this!

Mygirl--It looks like the poll is working now. Thanks for voting. As you can see, Wookie stepped in and gave me a couple of pointers so I had to go back and tweak the poll a little bit. Who knows, this might become a regular thing. At the rate we're going we'll all be well over 100 before we finish the LIST!

Thanks for setting that all up, george1295. I'm refraining from voting because I have an abysmal track record at joining in on discussions, but I like the selection! I'm watching the results with great interest. :)

I've just checked the poll results page: Cry, the Beloved Country is in the lead. Disappointing for me as I've read this book and voted for Sherlock Holmes but CTBC is a wonderful book. Still, there's a few more voting days left.... maybe Sherlock Holmes will stage a last minute surge to the front.

Is this going to be a monthly read?

For another group I'm in (Monthly Author Reads) when we vote we are voting for the next two months so the two authors that get the most votes are picked for the next two months. It's so the whole voting thing isn't every month. What does everyone think about that?

I *think* I have a copy of Cry, the Beloved Country somewhere. I seem to remember finding one second hand many (many!) years ago, but if it's on a shelf, it's on one that hasn't been catalogued onto LT as yet. (Got halfway through the house...)

I think monthly reads is a bit too much - already with the monthly author reads, group reads literature, my own bookgroup, etc. Especially if we were ever to choose a chunky book: all these seem to be on the shorter side, which is a nice relief. I'd suggest quarterly-ish.

But feel free to ignore me, I'm not planning on taking part in discussions. I'm just a bossy boots. ;)

You're right, Wookie, you are indeed a bossy boots.

I'm going to finally read Cry, the Beloved Country if it is indeed the winner of this esteemed contest, but I'd like some leeway to fit it into my other reading.

I agree that a bit of flexibility would be usefull - I always seem to overfill on monthly group reads etc. I have my copy of Cry out of the library an ready to go though and it does look quite short. Maybe we do this one in month and then re-evaluate for the next one if it's longer?

Another idea is to do what they do on the 75 book challenge board (and I'm sure on many other boards as well) is make it an informal group read. The book will have it's own thread/page and group members can participate when they want. The thread will die a natural death when the interested members have finished reading and discussing.

I for one am interested in reading both Sherlock Holmes (which I own in my TBR pile) and Cry, the Beloved Country (which I got out from the library last week) :)

And that way people won't miss out because they have already read the selected book and don't wish to read it again etc.

1001 (or 1283 or whatever the total number is) threads, each for a different book? Scary :)

not really what I meant to imply lol... just whenever a number of people express an interest in reading the same one.

It appears that Cry, The Beloved Country got the most votes. For those who want to stick around for the group read, let's plan on finishing it up by mid-August. If we get done before that, since it is a short book, we will see if there is interest in another group read.

Otherwise, everyone check back on this string around early August or so and we will see what interest there may be in going forward.

I am reading my copy even as we speak,..email,.....string,......whatever this is. Stay in touch group.

I have it on reserve at the library now, and I will pick it up Monday.
--BJ

Cool. I am really looking forward to this. I plowed into my copy this weekend. I gotta say, I like the way this guy writes.

Cry the Beloved Country is the first book I read this year, and it is excellent. It is a short book, and I think that it can be read fairly quickly if you choose. It's written in very simple language--like a fable almost.

I listened to this one on Books on Tape. The writing is like poetry, just amazing. It was worth hearing every single word. Books that are less beautifully written (even if good in other ways) don't always hold up so well on Books on Tape.

I finished the book last night. Excellent choice. I'll offer comment on the individual sections throughout the month so I don't ruin it for anyone.

I thought Section I was well developed. The characters were developed very well. I felt like I knew who Paton was describing and talking about. The story moved along well. As a reader, I could tell that Pastor Kumalo is headed for problems when he embarks on his journey to Johannesburg. The story improved, I thought, as it wound its way, turning and twisting, downward.

I just finished Book One. It is beautifully written and heartbreaking. I liked this quote:
But there is only one thing that has power completely, and that is love. Because when a man loves, he seeks no power, and therefore he has power.
--BJ

Book Two (Small Spoiler)

Since I have a library book that I will need to return soon, I wanted to post a few thoughts on book 2. The writing continues to be beautiful, though heartbreaking. I thought the scene between Kumalo and Jarvis was powerful and also the one between Kumalo and his son at the end of the section. Here is another quote that I liked:
He had come to tell his brother that power corrupts, that a man who fights for justice must himself be cleansed and purified, that love is greater than force.
--BJ

My last quote from Book Three:

I have learned that kindness and love can pay for pain and suffering.

I am sorry that I had to return this book to the library. This is a book that I would love to own.
--BJ

I'm running a bit behind, so just finished Book 1 last night.

I'm conflicted... at first I was not keen, I have to admit it. I found that something about the writing grated - it felt overly poetisised (yes I'm making up words...) and the very short sentences wore on me. Plus I almost wanted to give Kumalo a bit of a slap...

But once I got past my first gripes... wow! It does grow on one doesn't it! The language gets more complex as he moves into the city environment - I'm now wondering if that was intentional... plus the story develops very quickly and very well, as other people have already said. There is an inevitable pain about the whole thing that makes it strangely compelling.

It is compelling. I had both of my girls read it, too, before I had to return it to the library.
--BJ