You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

I'm curious about other readers' experiences with noticing unexpected connections between books you've just read and books you're currently reading. Though not all the time, I do notice this often enough that I've wished on numerous occasions that we had a thread for recording such instances.

For example, a book i just finished reading was The Cruelest Month. The next book i began reading was Too Late to Die, and coincidentally about 4 chapters in, the author refers to April being the cruelest month. That was a fun coincidence, I thought : )

I expect that this must happen to others, and I'm interested in hearing about such coincidences. So please share them here!

I know I've had such coincidences, but I also forget them again. Good idea to record them here :)

Me too, Peggy! I see some really striking coincidences sometimes, but then I forget them. Here we can record and enjoy them together.

I swear we used to have a thread for this as I know we've talked about it a number of times in other threads. It is fascinating. Connections between books is one thing but I also find other connections occur too. Recently, I have been writing coursework for a course I'm on and came across and I used the word extrapolate in it. I've not thought of the word in years let alone come across in much that I read. Then the current book I'm reading, The Nix, had it in there.

I swear I noticed a connection between The Nix and Slade House too but I can't for the life of me remember what it was now. If there was one at all. lol.

I've had quite a few of these connections, but I've forgotten them now. It's nice to have a thread where we can record them.

Specific, uncommon words are another way that I've seen connections between books too, Sarah. Our brains, I think, are wired to see such connections. Satisfying to note and fun to share.

Great idea, TJ. I love to find connections, and it would be great to have a thread to share and record them.

Ooooo this happens to me
ALL. THE. TIME!

Sarah wrote: "I swear we used to have a thread for this as I know we've talked about it a number of times in other threads."

Me too! But we obviously can't find them so new thread!

Nice new profile pic, Almeta!

I know that it has happened to me, I just can't remember. Hopefully I can remember that we have this thread the next time it happens. Hehehe!

What were we talking about?

Poodles... it was poodles... right?

Poodles.. Puddles.. Coffee! There's the solution. It will wake me up at the very least.

Rusalka wrote: "Nice new profile pic, Almeta!"

Thank you Rusalka. Friends and I have been talking about plastic and oceans lately, so when I saw this picture I had to use it!

This coincidence isn't between books. It's about a book.

I'm currently reading December. Up until the chapter I finished reading last night, it was vague about what was going on. Things started to fall into place with the last chapter and the sinister nature of the story really hit home. The last sentence of the chapter was an impassioned plea for something to be removed from a man's house. I thought, "OMG!" as the import of that last sentence hit me.

And the lights went out! There was a weird green glow in my bedroom, and I totally freaked. The timing of the two couldn't have been planned better. I cautiously crawled out of bed and tried to turn the light on in my closet. Nothing. Bathroom - nothing. The power had gone out. The green glow was the telephone LED lights that must have come on with the power surge.

Power was out for a couple of hours. Normally, that wouldn't have bothered me. It was just that it was spooky the way it happened.

That is an eerie coincidence, Janice!

We often talk about tippling in this thread in regard to drinking, especially during topplers as we've have some drink related tasks in the past. I always thought that was YLTO made up word sort of like "toppler," but I've read it in at least 3 books now! And used in the same context we use it. Just last week tippling was used in Where'd You Go, Bernadette.

So I don't know if that qualifies as a coincidence, but I'm counting it since "tippling" is a word I didn't know before joining this group.

I'd call that a coincidence, Kimey!

I like that one Kimey. Some of what we do here is totally normal and based on reality ;-)

Perfect timing Janice. Can you imagine if it had been a couple sentences earlier. How annoying to have to wait 2 hours to read them.

I'd likely use the flashlight on my iPhone, or light a candle. I've done lots of reading by candle light over the years.

My latest book-related coincidence came up yesterday whilst reading, The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony. So a new elephant came on the scene that Anthony christens "Enfant Terrible." ET for short. Coincidentally, this same day we had tickets to a Philip Glass production of "Les Enfants Terrible" by San Francisco Opera Parallele. Had to post of course.

Fun! Are you enjoying The Elephant Whisperer?

I am enjoying it very much, Janice. And the writing improves as the book progresses. Cool to witness the author's​ growth.

I'm so sorry tho that Lawrence Anthony died at age 61 from a heart attack in 2012. The world lost a tremendous champion to it's endangered, struggling species.

Very sad. I'll pick his book up if I come across it.

I have been reading and learning about logic as prep for a course I'm going to be doing next year. In particular I have been learning about logical fallacies and the burden of truth. In Kafka on the Shore one of the characters proposes a theory to another character and they reply "But that's your theory, not mine. So I have no responsibility for it, right?", and the other returns with "Exactly. The person who proposes the theory is the one who has to prove it." Spooky coincidence!

It's like a confirmation of what you've been learning only in a fictional setting.

Janice wrote: "It's like a confirmation of what you've been learning only in a fictional setting."

Completely. I do like it when that happens. Gives a nice example of it at work. And it's not so dry as a textbook.

It's been a while since anyone has posted here.

I finished The Persimmon Tree the other day. The two main characters are Nick and Anna.

I've started two books since, one on audiobook and the other on Kindle. The main character of the Kindle book is Nick. The main character on the audiobook has an assumed name of Anna.

Cool! I love coincidences. I have a pretty good head for them but I also have the memory of a goldfish so they don’t stick in very long.

I love it when that happens, Janice. It happened several times last year.

Abby - LOL!

I love when this happens! It always makes me smile.

About a month ago a friend in another GR group was looking for someone who had read Tess of the D'Urbervilles because she was reading it and had questions. I'd never heard about it (even I knew who Thomas Hardy was) but her comments got me engaged and I decided it would be my next classic when I am done with the one I'm reading. I let her know because she didn't find anyone to talk about the book, and she is glad and waiting for me.
Now, last book I read was A Prayer for Owen Meany and Tess of the D'Urbervilles is mentioned and some aspects of it discussed.
I am currently reading The Shadow of the Wind and yesterday Tess of the D'Urbervilles was mentioned by one of the characters.
I think I really have to get to it soon!

Sandra wrote: "I love when this happens! It always makes me smile.

About a month ago a friend in another GR group was looking for someone who had read Tess of the D'Urbervilles because she was read..."

It's calling to you!

I really need to read it sometime soon too... But i agree, for a book that's not really studied as a Classic, it sure pops up everywhere!

I have wanted to read Tess for a long time too, Sandra. I have seen it mentioned in other books too and I always look to see if I have it on my TBR list. Yep, it’s there. 😊

I have Tess as well. I put it on my "owned but likely won't read" shelf. I might respond to my arm being twisted if someone does a buddy read.

Lol, Janice. That is a great name for a shelf.

Now I feel the responsibility. I've already made Cherie read a couple of classics last year.

I was reading Don Quixote and Leviathan Wakes at the same time. Rocinante is the name of Don Quixote's horse and the characters in Leviathan Wakes name their spaceship Rocinante. That was so fun! I love connections!

And it's such an unusual name too! Welcome to YLTO, Kayla. :)

Oh, my arm! I think Tess is waving to us come on, Sandra and Janice. My shelf is named “classics-to-be-read”.

Lol. Now I feel like a bully!

I have always a classic on the go, but it generally takes me a couple of months or more to finish them. I am right now 20% done with Great Expectations, but neglecting it badly because I have a pile of library books to read before the due date. When I am done with it (probably in a couple of months) I will let you know if I am starting Tess, and you can decide if you are in the mood to join me or not.

Ok, Sandra. I will see if I can line up a copy. I think I have one somewhere, but I will be ready when you are, if that is what you want to read next. I like Hardy’s writing, but he can be hard to start some times. I think I had to give a run at the last one about three times before it stuck.

Sounds like a plan. :)

Sounds good to me too.

I was listening to The Art of Racing in the Rain on audio in the morning while I was making banana pancakes and the character in the book also decided he was going to have pancakes at the same time.

...and now I want pancakes!

Good book - go Enzo 😊

Lol, I imagine your surprise, Graine, standing in the kitchen with the batter in your hands.

I just finished reading the last of the Sandhamn Mysteries Buried in Secret and the heading on several chapters indicated a day in the month of August. What was odd was that I was reading the chapters on the days indicated: from August 9 through to August 14. It was almost like living in the book.

Grainne wrote: "I was listening to The Art of Racing in the Rain on audio in the morning while I was making banana pancakes and the character in the book also decided he was going to have pancakes a..."

You're an inspiration, Grainne!