2019 group reads planning thread

SCHEDULED READS

First quarter
January: The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
February: Secondhand Time, by Svetlana Alexievich
March:

Second quarter
April:
May:
June:

Third quarter
July:
August:
September:

Fourth quarter
October:
November:
December

Multi-month reads

The Lord of the Rings trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien - April / May / June
Tom Jones, by Henry Fielding - July / August / September

Year-long reads

Emile Zola: Les Rougon-Macquart series
A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth
The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher: Catch-up thread Year-long read
Pilgrimage, by Dorothy Richardson

SUGGESTED (not yet scheduled) READS

Toni Morrison: The Bluest Eye, The Song of Solomon
Alice Walker: The Color Purple
The Forty Days of Musa Dagh by Franz Werfel
Wizard of the Crow by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
The Empire trilogy by JG Farrell
The Magic Mountain, by Thomas Mann
The Shape of Water, by Guillermo del Toro
The Wheel of Time series, by Robert Jordan
Clarissa, by Samuel Richardson
The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas
David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens
Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray

Has there been a group read of Zola's Les Rougon-Macquart Series?

>2 avatiakh: I don't think so and I'd be interested. I've read a few of them, but would join in on the many that I haven't read.

>2 avatiakh: I'd be tempted to check that series out, too.

I only joined 1 in 2018 (Young Henry of Navarre) but I would like to suggest something by Toni Morrison like The Bluest Eye or Song of Solomon. Perhaps Alice Walker's The Color Purple.

>3 japaul22: >4 rabbitprincess: There's 20 books in the series so I wouldn't want to commit to reading all of them.
I've also got a few large novels that I'll suggest for a group or shared read:
The Forty Days of Musa Dagh by Franz Werfel
Wizard of the Crow by Ngugi wa Thiong'o
The Empire trilogy by JG Farrell - I've read Troubles but have the other two high up in my tbr pile.
Tom Jones by Henry Feilding

>6 avatiakh: We could make it like the Vorkosigan Saga read-along, where everyone just reads whatever book they're at in the series rather than committing to specific books.

Edit: Hm, it turns out that my BF has a copy of Tom Jones, so perhaps I could join you for that one as well.

>6 avatiakh: I'd join Tom Jones. If my idea for classiCAT doesn't get picked, I'll be wanting to suggest some group reads of classics. I've enjoyed having the company for some of the bigger, denser, reads.

I'm pondering a re-read of Lord of the rings. Anyone else?

I'm thinking about Mervin Peake's Gormenghast trilogy. Any interest there?

The other big classic I'm considering is The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann.

>9 majkia: never read any of them. Suppose I ought to at some point.
>10 japaul22: I battled through Gormenghast as a teen. Not entirely sure I got it.
>10 japaul22: I've not read any Mann. As he has a number of entries on the 1001 list, I could be tempted by this one.

>10 japaul22: There was a small number of us that worked our way through the Gormanghast trilogy a few years ago.
I'm currently reading my second Heinrich Mann volume on Henry IV, so his brother, Thomas, will have to wait for me. I got halfway through The Magic Mountain many years ago.

I would defiitely be up for both Tom Jones and Lord of the Rings.

I would be up for a reread of The Lord of the Rings. Actually, I recently finished rereading the first book and would love to discuss it, and I need motivation to get to the second and third books.

I'd also be happy to do rereads of Tom Jones and/or The Magic Mountain. Both are books that I'd first read about 30 years ago and I've been wanting to do rereads of them for a long time now.

I'd be interested in The Fellowship of the Rings.

I'm interested in The forty days of Musa Dagh, which I had never heard of but looks really worthwhile, and another Mann, Dr Faustus.

I think I have everything suggested up top in >1 rabbitprincess:. Let me know if I've missed anything.

>6 avatiakh: The Siege of Krishnapur is one of my favourite books. I liked it even more than Troubles. Happy reading.

I have just finish reading ‘The Fellowship Of The Ring’, so I would be happy to read ‘The Two Towers’. I would like to also nominate ‘The Shape Of Water’ by Guillermo del Toro. I just watched the movie, so now I would like to read the book.

I got about halfway through Magic Mountain and then wandered away from it, so I'd love a groupread to push me through the rest of it.

A year-long group read of the Rougon-Macquart series sounds interesting. I've got The forty days of Musa Dagh on my shelves, too, but I'm not sure when to make room for a book with nearly 1000 pages...

Is anyone interested in Second-hand Time by Svetlana Alexievich? She won the 2015 Nobel Prize. I have read The Unwomanly Face of War and Voices from Chernobyl, which I cannot recommend highly enough.

I was pulling books from the stacks and taking a look at the chunkster, A Suitable Boy (by Vikram Seth.) It turns out the book is divided into 19 sections; and if you read a section every 19 days, you'll be able to finish this 1,454-page novel in 361 days! I've heard from others that have done this as a year-long read that it's fairly accessible in terms of language and style. All I know about it is that it's set in India and has something to do with a pre-arranged marriage. I don't think you've done it before so I would like to nominate it and see if there is interest in a year-long group read.

EDIT: Never mind! I see it was the Second Quarter Group Read in 2017! I missed it though, so I just read it next year on my own :-)

>22 pamelad: I'd definitely be interested in Second hand Time, Pamela. I've got it on my wishlist already, and have The Unwomanly Face of War on my TBR.

>23 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I'd highly recommend A Suitable Boy, Tanya - it's one of my all time favourite books (even speaking as someone who is a bit of a fiction-phobe). I cared about every single character - it was wonderful.

>23 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I did the group read of A suitable boy, thoroughly enjoyed it.

>23 Tanya-dogearedcopy: - That would be a good way to tackle a large book. I had decided a couple of years ago to read Les Miserables by reading "x" number of pages each day, but got fairly bored at the beginning and gave up. I still plan to read it some day - just has to be the right time.

>23 Tanya-dogearedcopy: You could always resurrect the 2017 group thread, or link to it in the 2019 group. We carried over the Vorkosigan Saga read across multiple years :)

I would also recommend A Suitable Boy to anyone who wants to join >23 Tanya-dogearedcopy:, it was an excellent read and is now one of my all time favorite books.

I have also read A Suitable Boy I am not sure spreading it out over a year would be my preferred reading format. But it is well worth reading, however you choose to go about it.

Perhaps The Walking Dead? There are 14 of them, but we could at least get through the first 12.

ETA: Wow - didn't realize how expensive The Walking Dead was. I can't afford that, and the waiting period is too long at my library, so never mind.

Or maybe Dresden Files? Or Discworld?

I would be interested in reading Pilgrimage as a year long read.

Another one that would be good is the Wheel of Time series.

Perhaps Song of Ice and Fire at one every two months?

Seeing it looks like ClassicCat won't make the cut, I'd like to suggest some of the classics that are on my to read list. It would be good to see if there is any interest in any of the following:

Pilgrim's Progress John Bunyan
Tom Jones Henry Fielding
Clarissa Samuel Richardson
The Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas
David Copperfield Charles Dickens
Vanity Fair William Makepeace Thackeray
The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne.

All of them sound a bit dense or long, or both, in which case some company would go down well on some of them, if there was some interest.

>33 Helenliz: I haven't read Tom Jones yet, and it's been a long time since I read Vanity Fair, those would be tempting.

>33 Helenliz: I was already going to read The Scarlet Letter in December as part of my Educated Mind project, but I could put it off till Jan. The others, I've read recently enough. Except Clarissa - if I recall, that's quite a chunkster?

Clarissa had the wrong touchstone. It does not sound like something I want to do to myself.

>36 MarthaJeanne: thanks, corrected. I can understand that... >;-)

>34 MissWatson: Thanks, that's company for two on the list.
>35 The_Hibernator: That sounds like a plan, if you're OK with the slight delay. I'd probably start it over the xmas holidays in that case, and finish into January. I've seen your Educated Mind project and it is very very tempting... I can't resist a good list and I like both the brevity and breadth of that list very much.

>37 Helenliz: I would also be interested in Vanity Fair - I've had that one in the stacks for awhile and would love to get to it next year.

>37 Helenliz: The list isn't that brief. I just decided to read one a month. Thus 12. 😁

>39 The_Hibernator: it's brief compared to things like the 1001 list! Which I also have my eye on (like a fool)

>31 Kristelh: I'd go for Pilgrimage and I'm currently working on The Wheel of Time (and certainly won't finish this year), so I would participate.

>41 LisaMorr:, I would only choose one, that being The Pilgrimage if I can find all of them. I hear The Wheel of Time is good—are you enjoying it?

>42 Kristelh: Yes! I had started reading them when they were first published, but I got bored waiting for the next book to come out and vowed to go back once they were all finished. Now that the series is finished, I've re-started from the beginning (I had previously read the first six, I'm up to #5 right now). And it's awesome! They are just as good as I remember.

It took me a while to get all The Pilgrimage books - found what I was missing at AbeBooks.

>30 The_Hibernator: I'd be up for The Dresden Files - I've been working on them for a bit and I have four sitting on my TBR pile.

>44 LisaMorr: Sounds good. I have only read the first 3 or 4 (I'd have to double check). Would you be wanting to start over again for the sake of continuity, or just pick up the thread whenever I catch up with you? I'd be willing to start back at 1 again, if others (who haven't started them yet) would like to.

>45 The_Hibernator: We may be at a similar place - I finished #5 in May. I'd be glad to pick up the thread when you catch up (and also, I just read 4 and 5 this year, so they are reasonably fresh in my mind and I could comment on them). And if you start from the beginning, I could probably add a comment or two - I don't think I'll be re-reading them though.

>46 LisaMorr: Ok, in that case, I'll see if I can work in 4 and 5 before this year's up. That way, we can just start on 6 in Jan? Unless there are flocks of people who want to start from the beginning...

>47 The_Hibernator: I'd be up for a Dresden Files group read. Like you, I've finished the first 3, but I don't think I'll be able to squeeze in #4 and #5 before January, as I've still got 2018 challenge books to finish. However, I'm OK with the rest of you going ahead with #6, and I'll join in when I'm there.

It would be nice not to discourage new people from joining. Maybe you could make January a catch-up month? Alternatively, you could start a parallel thread for Dresden short stories and graphic novels to keep those who are far into the series busy while the others catch up.

>48 mathgirl40: True! I'd hate to discourage new readers. Let's just hang on a bit and see who else wants to join in, then we can decide what to do from there.

>33 Helenliz: Helen, I'd be interested in Tom Jones, David Copperfield or The Count of Monte Cristo. It has taken me two years to get half-way through Clarissa; it is about 2000 pages, if I recall correctly. I could use a "push" to finish, but it is quite a commitment.

Copperfield would be a re-read for me, but it is such a delightful book that I'd enjoy it. I didn't like Vanity Fair on my first read, so would not be interested in a re-read of it. I know many people love it, but it just didn't resonate with me.

I'm currently half-way through The Scarlet Letter; it is rather short (about 240 pages) compared to the others on your list. Intense, but much easier to read and WAY more interesting than I remember from having to read it in high school. Such a shame that so many people are turned off by this book because of hating it in school, including me, until this re-read!

I heartily endorse David Copperfield, especially because an adaptation directed by Armando Iannucci is coming out soon! It features Peter Capaldi as Mr Micawber and Dev Patel as David Copperfield.

I might join in on Tom Jones or Vanity Fair, the latter of which I can read on Serial Reader.

>47 The_Hibernator: >48 mathgirl40: Great ideas - I like January as a catch-up month, with a parallel thread to read other Dresden material.

>52 LisaMorr: >48 mathgirl40: I think it would be easiest to have two or three catch-up months, with a parallel thread for other Dresden material. It might discourage people to ask them to dedicate their January to reading the first 5 Dresden books. Maybe January a catch-up month for 1-3, and then Paulina and I can have a thread with any newbies for Summer Knight in February and Death Masks in March? Then, Lisa, you can join us in April for Blood Rites?

I am definitely in for Tom Jones, I've read The Scarlet Letter, David Copperfield and The Count of Monte Cristo.

>33 Helenliz: From your list, I'd be interested in Tom Jones or David Copperfield.

>53 The_Hibernator: Sounds fine to me - I'm easy; this plan will help me read more Dresden next year, and that's all good!

I'd very much be interested in reading JG Farrell's Empire trilogy. Two of the three have been sitting on my tbr.

I'm also interested in reading The Magic Mountain.

I'd like to reread A Suitable Boy, but I'm not great at rereading, so don't count on me. I originally read it very quickly, and while I like the idea of a leisurely pace, I'm not sure that this book won't grab each reader at some point and demand that they keep reading - once in, it's a hard one to put down.

I'm also interested in a few in >33 Helenliz:, especially Clarissa and Vanity Fair.

I'm glad there's some interest in The Magic Mountain! Anyone have a preference for the month?

I'm also usually up for any classic I haven't read - Tom Jones would qualify. Clarissa is something I've been meaning to get to and I think a group read would help. I've also just ordered the first Pilgrimage book and that sort of undertaking might also benefit from a group read. I'm not sure I'd commit to both Clarissa and Pilgrimage in one year, though.

Kay, I've read the first two of Farrell's trilogy, but I would join in for the last.

>58 japaul22: I will be reading Pilgrimage next year. I ordered all 4 volumes so will divide it up for 3 months for each volume (course that does depend on size).

I might try to read the first six novellas in Pilgimage next year - the ones in Gutenberg. They don't seem to be long.

I'm up for Pilgrimage; I'm also interested in Clarissa, but that's probably biting off more than I can chew, but If I space it out over the whole year, I think it's something I could squeeze in.

I would probably join a group read of A Suitable Boy if I can find my copy. It would have to be a few months long, at least, though, because it's a big book.

I'm also interested in reading Pilgrimage.

Not yet had any takers for Pilgrim's Progress (why am I not surprised!) so let's scrub that one from the possibles list.

I knew Clarissa was big, I'm not sure I'd realised it was quite *that* big. I'm now having second thoughts on that one myself!

>64 Helenliz: I finished Pilgrim's Progress last year. Wasn't too exciting.

>64 Helenliz: Have read Pilgrim's Progress and its an allegory. I loved it but probably would not want to read again.

>64 Helenliz: Scrubbed! :)

Let me know if there are any others that need to be added up top.

>66 Tess_W: I guess I wasn't impressed because I felt the allegory was too blatant - like preaching instead of showing through a story. Like the way everything was given an obvious name for what he/it represented. It would have been more fun if left open for interpreting.

>68 The_Hibernator: Ah yes, well that would be John Bunyan. He was imprisoned for preaching the gospel when he wrote this and he would be blatant! This book, as many of his other 50+ writings had their basis in his sermons. It was very much a time period piece, Puritan persecution under the Stuart restoration.

>23 Tanya-dogearedcopy: >62 The_Hibernator: I would also be up to read A Suitable Boy next year. I missed the group read this year. I try to read one BIG READ every year so I'm great with it being this one especially if we do it as a year long read. Perhaps a shared read?

>47 The_Hibernator: I'd be interested. But I've only read the first 2. I could probably get through book 3 before next year, but I'm not sure if I could get any further than that. I'd be willing to try if that works better for the group, though.

>70 luvamystery65: What is a “shared read?”

>71 virginiahomeschooler: Check message >53 The_Hibernator:. You have plenty of time to catch up! 😁 As long as you finish the third book in January, you can join us for the group read of the 4th in Feb.

>72 Tanya-dogearedcopy: it's basically a group read but a smaller group. Like reading a book at the same time as your friend does. Usually without a thread but we can create a thread to share thoughts in a central location.

>24 Jackie_K: Perhaps we could do a shared read of Secondhand Time.

No other takers for Mann's Doctor Faustus, so no need to keep it on the list.

Yes, and since we decided on Dresden, you should probably take off Discworld and Song of Ice and Fire.

>75 pamelad: >76 The_Hibernator: Done!

>74 luvamystery65: >62 The_Hibernator: If you guys are both up for it, I was thinking about reviving the 2017 thread. There's nothing there that seems terribly "spoilery," just quite a bit about recommendations to watch the movie "The Viceroy's House" for background. But I could just as easily start a new one with a link to the old thread in the intro post.

>78 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I'm game whatever you decide.

>75 pamelad: I'm really happy to do that! Whenever you want to read it is good with me - I am planning on buying it with Christmas money.

So have we decided on dates for A Suitable Boy?

>81 The_Hibernator: Nothing was decided in terms of dates. I was going to do a year-long read; but the feedback I got was that a year-long schedule might be stretching it out too long. I haven't gone back to the topic but after work today, I'll take a look and propose a couple of alternate timetables.

>82 Tanya-dogearedcopy: For me the year long works great since I'm working full time, going to school and caregiving. I'll follow along but I am likely going to read it on the year long schedule.

I also don't mind the year-long schedule, though I'm flexible.

>83 luvamystery65: and >84 The_Hibernator:

YAY! I recently landed a new job that is pretty intense in terms of hours and mental energy required, so a year-long schedule works for me as well.

I'll set up a thread mid-December. The welcome post will include dates to chime in on each section, and from there we'll see how it all rolls out for us. :-)

>84 The_Hibernator: >85 Tanya-dogearedcopy: Fantastic! I've not been able to keep up around here, but this I can definitely manage. I look forward to it.

Is it getting to that time when we should start putting some months to some of these group reads?

Rachel suggested The Scarlet letter for January, as she was already planning to read it this December. Does anyone have any other suggestions for timings?

>75 pamelad: I'd like to read that, too.

I will be reading Pilgrimmage for the year, starting with volume 1 in January. Do I start a thread for the year long read?

>87 Helenliz: I'd say so! I will update the top post and the main group page as timings are confirmed.

>89 Kristelh: By all means!

>89 Kristelh: I will join in on Pilgrimage

I am interested in both Tom Jones and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Would anyone else like to read the Lord of the Rings over the three months of the 2nd quarter - April, May & June?

And, as The History of Tom Jones is almost a 1,000 pages, I would love to see it read over a number of months as well - say: July, August, September or whichever quarter everyone else would like.

>92 DeltaQueen50: I'm currently re-reading the LOTR as my daughter is also reading it before doing a university paper on Tolkien in January. So I'll just comment when the group read comes around.

Regarding Tom Jones, that suits me.

That sounds like a plan for Tom Jones.

>88 RidgewayGirl: That's good. >80 Jackie_K: So now there are three of us for Second-hand Time.

How about February?

The Dresden Files will be read as

January: catch-up month with thread for short stories, graphic novels, etc.

February: Summer Knight

March: Death Masks

April: Blood Rites

May: Dead Beat

June: Proven Guilty

July: White Night

August: Small Favor

September: Turn Coat

October: Changes

November: Ghost Story

December: Cold Days

I'll probably join you for Secondhand Time.

>95 pamelad: February would work really well for me (it's the only month I'm unlikely to take part in TBRCat). As there are now 4 of us interested, would that elevate it from a shared read to a group read?

>97 The_Hibernator: Good!

>98 Jackie_K: Yes. Let's make it a group read.

>99 pamelad: I would read Secondhand Time

>92 DeltaQueen50: April, May, and June are fine for me for LOTR

>92 DeltaQueen50: The suggested times for LOTR and Tom Jones are fine for me too. I'm hosting a "Road Trip" theme in June for the SFFKIT, and LOTR would be perfect for that!

>101 majkia: & >102 mathgirl40: Excellent, I will pencil April/May/June in for the Lord of the Rings and Tom Jones for July/August/September. I am looking forward to both of these.

February would be fine for Secondhand Time for me.

Anybody mind if we start a thread for the January group read of Scarlet letter? Just staryed it and I have some thoughts.

>105 The_Hibernator: Thanks for letting me know what the group read is! I must have missed the thread that it was listed in.

>105 The_Hibernator: Yes, do go ahead and I'll update the first post and the main group page with the link.

I'll start a thread for the year long Emile Zola: Les Rougon-Macquart series. I don't know how many takers there were if any, but the thread will be there at least.
Give me a day or so to put it together.

>108 avatiakh:, what do you know about this series. Do they need to be read in order.

I think someone mentioned that it isn't too much a 'read in order' series. I'll check that when I'm setting up the thread. I don't know much about the series at all.

>108 avatiakh: There are twenty volumes - wow! I must admit, I have read a few of these not even knowing they were part of a series/sequence. I will have to give them a try in order.

>109 Kristelh: There is a suggested reading order on Wikipedia. As I mentioned above, I have read a few and they were perfectly fine as stand-alones. Germinal, The Ladies' Paradise and The Earth are the ones I have previously read.

______________________________

I created a thread for the "2019 Group Read: A Suitable Boy" for those who may be interested in either reading along or just reading our thread which I will hope not only contain comments/discussion about the book by Vikram Seth, but about Indian culture :-)

>112 Tanya-dogearedcopy: I love books about India! Look forward to this thread!

Put up a Scarlet Letter thread! https://www.librarything.com/topic/301927

Put up a Dresden Files Catch-up thread https://www.librarything.com/topic/301928

Do people still want a supplementary reading material thread for graphic novels and short stories?

Folks following along with the year-long short story collection thread decided on continuing it into 2019, so in case anyone else is interested, I wanted to drop a note here that I've just put up a thread! The top post has the 4, 4.5, and 5 star reads from 2018, too, if you just want to take a look at that :)

https://www.librarything.com/topic/301994

>108 avatiakh:, have you started a thread for the Zola series?

>117 Kristelh: I have started Son Excellence Eugène Rougon as my lunch-time book, so I'm hoping for a thread, too.

>117 Kristelh: >118 MissWatson: Sorry, my bad. I've started my book but not the thread. I've just finished a big dig in my garden and after I take a short rest I'll put the thread up.

>119 avatiakh: No problem!

Les Rougon-Macquart series - year long group read thread here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/302441

>121 avatiakh: Great!

I don't think the thread's been started yet for Secondhand Time, which we're due to read in February (I've started already, which I'm pleased about, as I hadn't realised it was so hefty!). I'm happy to start a thread, but as pamelad made the original suggestion I thought I'd better give her first shot! :)

>123 Jackie_K: Hold off. I will start it soon.

>124 pamelad: No problem! I'm enjoying the book so far, thank you for suggesting it!

The thread for Second-Hand Time is here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/302793

Based on the level of activity of the Dresden Files catch-up thread, I'm going to guess that one thread (with continuations if necessary) can suffice for the whole year. Shall we just make one more thread titled "Dresden Files Year-long Read" and start with The Summer Knight?

>127 The_Hibernator: That's OK for me. I plan to start The summer knight very soon.

I have posted a thread for the Group Read of Tom Jones by Henry Fielding:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/308506#

Does anyone want to add a December group read of Little Women? I'm looking forward to the new movie coming out and thought I'd reread it. Might be fun to discuss a book that was probably a childhood favorite for many of us. And if we see the movie we could discuss that too.

>130 japaul22: I already have it on my list to read as there is a Louisa May Alcott readalong happening on Youtube. So I am in!

>131 JayneCM: Seems like you and I are the only ones interested! Would you like to do an separate thread for this book or just look for and comment on eachother's threads? I'll be fitting this in among my library holds which are pouring in at the moment!

>132 japaul22: I'm happy either way! I, too, have a ton of library books coming in. Not sure why I put so many on hold at once - cannot seem to help myself!

>133 JayneCM: Let's just check in on each other's threads. Then we don't feel pressured to read at a certain pace. Glad you were interested!

>134 japaul22: Sounds good!