52 weeks, 52 books discussion

I've had a lot of fun reading with you all this year and am trying to figure if and how we can keep this going next year. Is a book a week too much? Should I throw in more non-fiction? Should I just pick books I love and see if you love them too? Please let me know!

More non-fiction would be great. A book a week is pretty fast paced but I like your format. Folks can read at their own pace and comment when they complete the book. What's great is that you respond whenever they do, no matter if it's weeks later. I've always read down the best-seller list so I say keep it going!!

Jamise wrote: "More non-fiction would be great. A book a week is pretty fast paced but I like your format. Folks can read at their own pace and comment when they complete the book. What's great is that you respon..."

Thanks, Jamise. How many of the group reads would you say you have read? What was your favorite and why?

Catherine wrote: "Jamise wrote: "More non-fiction would be great. A book a week is pretty fast paced but I like your format. Folks can read at their own pace and comment when they complete the book. What's great is ..."

I think I've read 10. However I've downloaded all of the selections on my Kindle, I'm just behind.

Hands down my favorite book that you've picked was Gone Girl. I read it the day it was released. I loved the setting, the characters and the storyline. This sick, twisted & toxic relationship kept me wanting to turn the pages.

I also loved Me Before You, The Fault in Our Stars and The Orphan Train.

I'd like to recommend a great non-fiction book that is being made into a movie: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption..an amazing read!

I started the group late, but I have enjoyed it. I may not read all of the books in the time frame, but I will try. I say keep it going. If you want to make any changes you could have is read a new book every two weeks. However, I enjoy trying to read a new book every week.

Jencey/ wrote: "I like the idea for the group. I agree with Jamise that I have many downloaded but haven't been able to get to them yet."

I've really enjoyed the group, though I haven't been able to keep up as well as I'd have liked. Yes, please keep it going next year. And more non-fiction would be great! :)

I love this group and have a few suggestions:

First of all the group should definitely continue next year, so far I’ve read 14 of the selected books and loved them all, however I do not have time to read them all, I do read other books in between and only select the ones I really want to read. I would say one book a week is too much, maybe 2 books a month? This way we can keep up and read other books if that’s the case. Also even thought I’m not a big fan maybe a few selections from the non-fiction category would be good. Great job Catherine!

I am a very late joiner, but found I had already read some of the books and was introduced to some I wouldn't have read otherwise. I've never been one to check out the best seller lists, so it was fun for me to read what was selected from it.
I love that I can read at my own pace, read some other books as well, and still feel a part of your group. I would love to read whatever you suggest. I've always been partial to word of mouth suggestions from friends and colleagues, and I have loved some self published books I've discovered through amazon or goodreads as well.
Thanks so much!

Btw I've read ten of the books and have another 8 ready to go. Taking a break with a quick read today then onto The Rosie Project tomorrow!

I too am a later joiner, but I have appreciated having books to consider that I might otherwise have missed. I have checked out some books from many weeks back and will read them as I'm able.

I'd like to see the group continue.

Davey wrote: "I started the group late, but I have enjoyed it. I may not read all of the books in the time frame, but I will try. I say keep it going. If you want to make any changes you could have is read a ne..."

Thanks, Davey. I have been thinking about the every two weeks format also.

Elizabeth wrote: "I've really enjoyed the group, though I haven't been able to keep up as well as I'd have liked. Yes, please keep it going next year. And more non-fiction would be great! :)"

Thanks, Elizabeth! Will definitely try to add more non-fiction.

Carla wrote: "I love this group and have a few suggestions:

First of all the group should definitely continue next year, so far I’ve read 14 of the selected books and loved them all, however I do not have time ..."

Thanks, Carla. So far: a book every 2 weeks and some non-fiction seem to be a common thread.

Tracy wrote: "Btw I've read ten of the books and have another 8 ready to go. Taking a break with a quick read today then onto The Rosie Project tomorrow!"

Thanks so much Tracy. Hope you enjoy the Rosie Project!

Charlene wrote: "I too am a later joiner, but I have appreciated having books to consider that I might otherwise have missed. I have checked out some books from many weeks back and will read them as I'm able.

I'd..."

Thanks, Charlene. How did you hear about the group?

I was looking at different groups listed on goodreads and thought I'd drop in to visit and see what it was like.

Charlene wrote: "I was looking at different groups listed on goodreads and thought I'd drop in to visit and see what it was like."

Glad you stuck around :)

I really like the weekly format. It has really challenged me to make reading a priority. I may not be able to keep up all of the time, but when I do have time on my hands I have quite a few books to choose from. I think the mix of bestsellers combined with wildcards has been nice.

for me a book a week is quick...however in 2014 that is my goal is to read a book a week.....

I would love to see the group continue. Like most people, I have not had the time to read all of them but have found a lot of books that I would not normally have read and pushed myself outside of my normal circles which I really like. I also like the feedback from the group. I agree with the 2 books a month idea since it seems to be more realistic for those participating. Bottom line, I'd love to see it continue! :)

i forgot to add, that we have similar tastes in books so the choices have been great....as for non-fiction verses fiction i say try to keep it at a happy medium. otherwise there may be some people dropping out of it....

What about offering a book per week and then letting the group members decide which of two they'd like to read, if they want the two-week period to read their choices?

You might want to list two books for the beginning of the month, and two more mid-month.

This way, those who want to read one per week have 52 suggestions, and others can pick among the lists for their bi-monthly reads....

I would appreciate the flexibility of having fairly advanced notice so that I can get access to the book before everyone else has read it and moved on.

Charlene wrote: "What about offering a book per week and then letting the group members decide which of two they'd like to read, if they want the two-week period to read their choices?

You might want to list two b..."

Yes I was thinking of some variation on this Charlene - I like how you structured it.

Charlene wrote: "What about offering a book per week and then letting the group members decide which of two they'd like to read, if they want the two-week period to read their choices?

I really like this idea. Maybe offer 2 fiction and 2 non-fiction options per month so people who aren't interested in non-fiction can still have plenty of options?

I like the 2 book a month idea, giving a choice of 4 books and keeping it going. I'm already in 4 other book clubs so a book a week has become overwhelming especially since there have been some real stinkers that I hated. I read 3-5 books a week but not having a choice on the book I read along with the other groups I'm in is becoming quite tiring. I'm starting to reach the "But I want to read a book "I" want to read" point of the year. More non-fiction is fine - I read a lot of that already. I like Elizabeth's idea. My favorite read of the year wasn't from this group so there were quite a few I liked a whole lot from this set of books but none have been as good as "Calling Me Home" by Julie Kibler. Wish it had been on the NYT list!

I also came to the group quite late in the year but fortunately had already read some of the books that you had chosen.

For what it's worth, I would like you to keep the 52 books/52 weeks format. I'm not a big fan of non-fiction but if you choose a book I am not interested in reading, I can just choose a different book that week.
Plus, it might be nice to throw in an occasional "oldie but goody" - something we've all read before like "The Bell Jar", "To Kill a Mockingbird" or "East of Eden" for example, as we will probably reread them and that will make for an interesting discussion.

Joining this book club has certainly motivated me to read more and you have introduced me to books that I would not have read otherwise and have thoroughly enjoyed.
Thanks Catherine!

I wasn't able to read them at the same pace as one book a week but I do have several of them requested at my local library. I'm also in a family book club so I've been reading along with that too. I love your format. It would be great to be able to continue next year.

I arrived late to this party but I've read 19 of the books so far and I'm leaving for vacation this week and hope to read another 3 or 4. The selections have stretched my comfort zone a little. I would have never read Orphan Train or The Fault in Our Stars if not for this, but then I would have been spared some books as well. (I think I'm the only one that didn't like The Banks of Certain Rivers) I would love to see this group continue in some way. A thought I just had is if you keep it to every week, have one week a month that is a freebie, doesn't have to be on the NYT list.

I also have a suggestion. Maybe not include anything part of a series. That may cause people to fall behind as well as they will need to read the others before if they haven't already or they joined the group late and aren't able to catch up. Does that make sense?

Erica wrote: "I also have a suggestion. Maybe not include anything part of a series. That may cause people to fall behind as well as they will need to read the others before if they haven't already or they joi..."

Totally agree with you.

I'm so glad to hear the group will not be ending in December. I have read 16 books so far and it is a great way to discover and read books that you may not have considered before. I have read several books that I would not have read without the book club pick and they have been some of my favorites of the year. I really enjoy stopping in every week to see what book has been picked. I won't read them all but I will definitely find out what the book is about.

I too am a late arrival to the group, I've only read 11 of the books so far but have a number of the others on my TBR list. Even though to this point I have been more of a lurker than an active participant, I would love for the group to continue as I like the varied picks. The group has definitely brought some books to my attention that I may not have otherwise read, and I hope to actually start participating more in discussions!

I agree with the suggestion about no series books, but other that that I'm open to ANY type of book including non-fiction. I have two sitting on my shelf in front of me right now to be read - Quiet by Susan Cain and Brand Damage by Larry Linne.

Late joiner as well but have been following your blog on facebook. I really like being able to have a list of good books to choose from (for future reading) and if I've already read it - see what others think of the book - it's always interesting to see the varying opinions of a book you either just love or can't get into. I would like to see 52 books/52 weeks continue and am definitely a fiction reader.

Loving how many great books I've read because of this group.
What about adding in some 'hidden gems' (non best sellers but awesome books we can suggest) next year?
I just picked up Defending Jacob to read. It is a NYT best seller and so far I'm really enjoying it. Will head back to the group's list later this week.

Tracy wrote: "Loving how many great books I've read because of this group.
What about adding in some 'hidden gems' (non best sellers but awesome books we can suggest) next year?
I just picked up Defending Jac..."

I have tried to do that a bit with the wildcard picks, but good suggestion. Loved Defending Jacob!

Catherine, I really appreciate you starting this book group! It was a fantastic idea! I joined pretty close to the beginning & although I have not been able to keep up w/ reading every week's selection due to budget & time constraints (I read a LOT but have many other books on my 'must read' list), I have many of them. 15 so far, I believe. Most of them are books I likely would never have picked up otherwise. Not all of them were good but I loved several & am very happy to have expanded my reading tastes this year.
I would love for you to continue this group next year & concur that altering the format to 2 selections per month, w/ more non-fiction choices thrown in, would be great.

Oh, please continue. I've just joined this group and am checking it out. still. So far, I like everything about it but agree that two weeks format is better,
You have some great choices but suggesting some classics occasionally or just books that are not best sellers would be also quite okay.

Is there/will there be a list of books and authors, the complete 52, as it were? I'd like to find such a list and print it. These different updates and comments get confusing to a late starter like me!

Many thanks for what you do for voracious readers!

Charlene wrote: "Is there/will there be a list of books and authors, the complete 52, as it were? I'd like to find such a list and print it. These different updates and comments get confusing to a late starter li..."

Everything we have read is listed here: http://www.goodreads.com/group/booksh...

Thanks, I probably forgot!

Ema wrote: "Oh, please continue. I've just joined this group and am checking it out. still. So far, I like everything about it but agree that two weeks format is better,
You have some great choices but suggest..."

Thanks, Ema!

Yes, by all means continue!! While I haven't been able to read a book a week, I've certainly followed all the reviews and have noted many of the books on this list as 'to read'. I think the large majority of the books I've read this year have come from this group. I like the variety of books chosen too-some lighter reads and some more heavy ones. Thanks Catherine!!

I've enjoyed the recommendations, even if I haven't had time to read them. Would love a continuance in 2014.

Mell wrote: "I've enjoyed the recommendations, even if I haven't had time to read them. Would love a continuance in 2014."

Thanks, Mell.

I have enjoyed this group and have looked forward to the big reveal every Friday! I admit I haven't read all but it has opened my eyes to types of books that I would not normally read or try! It would be nice yo continue on some level next year

I love this group and I'd be thrilled to see it continue. I also feel 1 book a week is too much as life has a habit of getting in the way, so going to 1 book a month or 2 books a month seems just right! I'm afraid if we list 2 books at the beginning of the month and 2 more later in the month, I'll be scrambling to read all 4 of them (I'm a sucker for a good read!)! I've read 26 books so far and hope to catch up by end of the year (Christmas vacation is going to be cozy with all these good books I have yet to start). Either way, I will certainly be looking forward to seeing what 2014 brings!

Celine wrote: "I love this group and I'd be thrilled to see it continue. I also feel 1 book a week is too much as life has a habit of getting in the way, so going to 1 book a month or 2 books a month seems just r..."

Thanks, Celine!

I am really enjoying this group! I haven't been able to read every book but I did enjoy the ones I did read. I also think 2 books a month would be great! Thanks for the recommendations Catherine!

I've been emjoying the mix of books on this list, especially the addition of a few older books (many of which I had previously read, but it gave me a chance to catch up.)
Because I don't buy most of the books I am often on fairly long wait lists at the library, which means for some of the very popular books I am several months behind on the reading.
I have been agreeably surprised by some of the books on the list. For example, I rarely read Stephen King, but I loved Joyland. Other books I was not familiar with the author but discovered a new favorite like Jon Harrison. Others, like Louise Penny, I would have read on my own so it was nice to get that "pat on the back" feeling for getting to it right away. There have only been two or three books that I haven't been able to get into--in those cases, it's been the wrong book at the wrong time.
I hope we can continue this next year. I like the one a week format, because if I can't get a book right away I have other options to work on.