Renata’s Comments (group member since Jul 12, 2019)

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

I second The Namesake and
Wild Dark Shore and
The Life We Bury.

I second The 3 Musketeers.

Noek wrote: "I nominate Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann 102 pages
I second The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes"

Noek, this book doesn't quite meet our "well-read" criteria of 50k ratings (see message 1). Is there another classic book you would like to suggest?

I second Thorns & Roses.

I nominate The Godfather by Mario Puzo, 448 pages.

I second Sherlock Holmes and Jean Brodie.

I nominate Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom, 210 pages.

I nominate The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, 180 pages.

This begins a group discussion of our Classic book selection, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, nominated by Linda.
Here you can comment, without spoilers, on any aspects of the book, either before, during, or after reading it.

This begins a group discussion of our Modern book selection, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, nominated by Rora.
Here you can comment, without spoilers, on any aspects of the book, either before, during, or after reading it.

This begins our 2nd group discussion of our Catch-Up book selection, nominated by Renata.
Here you can comment, without spoilers, on any aspects of the book, either before, during, or after reading it.

Tracking through message: 35
🍎Poll Candidate

🍎James (303p) - 7
🍎Bridget Jones’s Diary (288p) - 5
My Year of Rest and Relaxation (289p) - 2
The Elegance of the Hedgehog (325p) - 1
Fourth Wing (517p) - 2
Tuesdays with Morrie (210p) - 3
The Selection (336p)
All the Colors of the Dark (597p)
Intermezzo (454p) - 3
The Secret Life of Bees (302p) - 3
The Shadow of the Wind (487p) - 4
The Namesake (304p) - 3
The Life We Bury (304p) - 4
🍎Wild Dark Shore (298p) - 5

Hi all! Starting up the book-of-the-month suggestions for November 2025 in the MODERN/POPULAR category. Top 4 will be selected for the poll.

Books that qualify for this category:

1. Must have a publication date 1970 or after. For older books, please make your suggestion on the Classics thread.

2. Have not been previously ready by this group. Previously read books can be nominated in the Bookshelf Catch-Up thread. See the group's Bookshelf for previously read books.

3. Be reasonably well-read, with at least 50,000 ratings, to fit the "Everyone Has Read This but Me" claim.

Only one nomination is allowed per person, per category. If you nominate more than one book only your first nomination will be added toward the tracking post. Please continue to second as many nominations that interest you!

Page numbers are now required for every nomination. To find out how many pages a book has; go to the book's page on Goodreads. Look under the section titled "GET A COPY" and above the book's ISBN number.

Nominations end midnight PST September 16.

Tracking through message: 42
🍎Poll Candidate

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (384p) - 4
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (150p) - 4
Cat’s Cradle (306p) - 4
The Sound and the Fury (366p) - 2
🍎The Secret of the Old Clock (210p) - 7
🍎The Godfather (448p) - 5
Hamlet (289p) - 4
The Mayor of Casterbridge (393p) - 2
We Have Always Lived in the Castle (152p) - 3
🍎Pollyanna (304p) - 5
The Three Musketeers (431p) - 4
🍎Appointment with Death (303p) - 6
The Fire Next Time (106p) - 1
Dr. Faustus (64p) - 4

Hi all! Starting up the book-of-the-month suggestions for November 2025 in the CLASSICS category. Top 4 will be selected for the poll.

Books that qualify for this category:

1. Must have a publication date 1969 or before. For newer books, please make your suggestion on the Modern Classic/Popular Reads thread.

2. Have not been previously ready by this group. Previously read books can be nominated in the Bookshelf Catchup thread. See the group's Bookshelf for previously read books.

3. Be reasonably well-read, with at least 50,000 ratings, to fit the "Everyone Has Read This but Me" claim.

Only one nomination is allowed per person, per category. If you nominate more than one book only your first nomination will be added toward the tracking post. Please continue to second as many nominations that interest you!

Page numbers are required for every nomination. To find out how many pages a book has; go to the book's page on Goodreads. look under the section titled "GET A COPY" and above the book's ISBN number.

Nominations end midnight PST September 16.

Tracking through message: 33
🍎Poll Candidate

Madame Bovary (329p) - 3
Flowers for Algernon (311p)
Piranesi (272p) - 2
Catch-22 (453p) - 2
Kindred (288p) - 4
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (180p) - 4
A Court of Thorns and Roses (419p) - 3
All the Light We Cannot See (531p) - 1
Small Great Things (517p) - 3
Crazy Rich Asians (403p) - 4
Watership Down (478p) - 3
Ready Player One (480p)

These books have been re-read within the last 12 months and are ineligible to be nominated:

Something Wicked This Way Comes
Sense and Sensibility
The Alchemist
Northanger Abbey
And Then There Were None
The Princess Bride
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Pride and Prejudice
A Christmas Carol

Hi all! Starting up the book-of-the-month suggestions for November 2025 in the BOOKSHELF CATCH-UP category. Top 4 will be selected for the poll.

For this category, you can nominate any book that the group has previously read. For a list of books that the group has previously read and discussed, please see the Bookshelf HERE.

Books selected as a group reread within the last twelve months are not eligible. See Message 2 below.

Only one nomination is allowed per person, per category. If you nominate more than one book only your first nomination will be added toward the tracking post. Please continue to second as many nominations that interest you!

Page numbers are now required for every nomination. To find out how many pages a book has; go to the book's page on Goodreads. look under the section titled "GET A COPY" and above the book's ISBN number.

Nominations end Midnight PST September 16

I think this book is best read out-loud to a 6-year old. Then it can be enjoyed through their eyes.
The wicked aunt's death by peach was a shocker though. Didn't expect to read that in a kid's book.

Elle wrote: "Hello, I just noticed that there is no Calendar Reading Challenge for 2025. Is it not being continued for this year?"

This challenge simply "fizzled out" and was retired in 2023.

I second Sleepy Hollow.