spoko’s Comments (group member since Mar 05, 2021)

spoko’s comments from the EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club group.

Hello EHRTBM readers and welcome to your September updates!

Nominations for our November 2025 group reads are open—nominate (or second other nominations) in the appropriate nomination thread by September 16 to count. Please note that members are limited to one nomination, but you can second as many as you’d like.

This month, we are reading the following books:
📕 Classics: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, nominated by Bella (Rhysand’s Version) (School Semi-Hiatus)
📘 Modern Classic/Popular: Girl with the Pearl Earring, nominated by Lea
📙 Bookshelf Catch-Up: Sense and Sensibility, nominated by Renata

Check out group discussions in the Currently Reading folder.

Voting has ended for the October selections, and up next we will be reading:
📕 Classics: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, nominated by Linda
📘 Modern Classic/Popular: The Bluest Eye, nominated by Rora
📙 Bookshelf Catch-Up: Something Wicked This Way Comes, nominated by Renata

CHALLENGES
▶ House Challenge Join a house and compete to read the most. House selection is going on now; the challenge begins October 1!
▶ Relay Race Reading Challenge Last year we read 367,988 pages together. Log your pages with each book read to help us beat that this year!
▶ TBR Revival Challenge Each quarter will feature a different theme to help get those books you've been meaning to read read. The theme for July–September is “5 books from the Group Bookshelf.”
▶ Bingo Reading Challenge You can go for Bingo, Mix-it-Up or Blackout!
▶ Pick-It-For-Me Relay Challenge This game does what it says on the tin. Come try the fun way to choose your next great read.

OTHER GROUP ANNOUNCEMENTS
⦁ Any questions, comments or suggestions? Please add your voice to our ongoing discussion in the General Support, Questions and Suggestions thread.
⦁ If you like to discuss in a smaller group and in more detail, we have posted a Buddy Read Notice Board. Follow this thread for buddy requests or post your own requests.
⦁ Threads are open for all previously read books, so continue to catch up as suits you. Check out group discussion in the following folders:
    Classic Reads
    Modern Classics/Popular Reads
    Long Reads
⦁ Welcome to our new members. Introduce yourself here and check out some of our discussions for those who want to get to know their fellow group members!
⦁ Check out ongoing discussions in the For Fun section!

Happy Reading!

“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.”
“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”
“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master—that’s all.”
   ❧ Lewis Carroll


(This message was also sent by private message to all members.)

This is one of those books that I actually have read, but my embarrassment is that I don’t remember much about it! I’m not able to re-read it at the moment, but I’m planning to lurk in the discussion in the hopes that it will prompt me to re-read it, and/or to remember it better.

I second Kindred.

I nominate The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin (106 p., pub. 1963).

I nominate The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens (304 p., pub. 2014).

And I second The Namesake.

This begins our group discussion of our Modern book selection, Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, nominated by Lea.

This discussion will be full of SPOILERS.

Did you enjoy the book? What stood out to you? When you first started reading Girl with the Pearl Earring, did you have any assumptions or expectations about Griet’s story? How did those change as you read it? What questions were you left with?

This begins our group discussion of our Classics book selection, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, nominated by Bella (Rhysand’s Version) (School Semi-Hiatus).

This discussion will be full of SPOILERS.

Did you enjoy the play? What stood out to you? How did Shakespeare’s magical, fantastical setting influence your reading experience? Did it make the story feel more vibrant and alive, or did it distract from the human conflicts? Have you seen the play performed, and if so, do you find that that affects your reading of it? What questions were you left with?

Sense and Sensibility has been selected as the Catch-Up title for September 2025. Please feel free to continue with points from previous discussion, or bring up something new!

Do remember that this is the SPOILER thread, in case you would prefer to finish reading before proceeding here.

Thanks everyone—nominations are now closed, and the polls are open! Help us pick the next Catch-Up read by casting your vote here.

Thanks everyone—nominations are now closed, and the polls are open! Help us pick the next Classic read by casting your vote here.

Thanks everyone—nominations are now closed, and the polls are open! Help us pick the next Modern read by casting your vote here.

This may not be the best candidate for your first audiobook. The narrative is radically non-linear, and the second-person narration probably doesn't help. The best advice I would have is to not worry about what actually happens. It’s not a plot-driven book. What I got from it was much more the characters themselves, and especially their relationships. There are really powerful, pivotal events, but I think you’ll get them without figuring out where they fit in the overall plot.

As one example, I was really struck by the scene when they try to go buy oxtail, and simply cannot communicate it with the butchers. I just felt the utter humiliation in that moment, and then his resolve:

That night I promised myself I’d never be wordless when you needed me to speak for you. So began my career as our family’s official interpreter. From then on, I would fill in our blanks, our silences, stutters, whenever I could. I code switched. I took off our language and wore my English, like a mask, so that others would see my face, and therefore yours.

By this point we know how physically abusive she has been, and we’ve seen her misguided attempt to toughen him up to confront his bullies. But you also see the vulnerability. I was so touched by his urge to protect her in that moment, and so many moments going forward. It’s so much about them & their relationship, though, rather than about what’s specifically happening.

I second Frankenstein.

Megan wrote: “I tried to read this book, but after the very graphic description of animal abuse early on, I could not continue. I know that “trigger warnings” can be a bit overdone, but in this case, it would be...”

That scene was really tough to get through, I agree.

I nominate The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (213 p., pub. 2019). Last read January 2021.

I second The Bluest Eye and nominate This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel (338 p., pub. 2017).

Wow, great nominations so far. I second The Yellow Wall-Paper, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Things Fall Apart, and Night.

This begins our group discussion of our Modern book selection, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, nominated by spoko.

This discussion will be full of SPOILERS.

Did you enjoy the book? What stood out to you? Vuong’s writing style is quite distinctive—did you find it impactful, or distracting? Were there particular lines or passages that stayed with you? What questions were you left with?

This begins our group discussion of our Classics book selection, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl, nominated by Renata.

This discussion will be full of SPOILERS.

Did you enjoy the book? What stood out to you? Dahl’s writing style is known for its mixture of darkness and whimsy—how well do you think that worked in this book? What questions were you left with?

The Alchemist has been selected as the Catch-Up title for August 2025. Please feel free to continue with points from previous discussion, or bring up something new!

Do remember that this is the SPOILER thread, in case you would prefer to finish reading before proceeding here.