Reading the Chunksters discussion

I created this thread to help us discuss our current nominations and themes.

1. What do you feel about themed reads in general?

2. What do you think about our current theme - World War I?

3. How conducive/counteractive is it for a solid discussion?

4. What is your nomination and why have you chosen to nominate this novel?

5. What other novels would you like to read or other nominations that you think will pick your interest?

6. If you were asked to lobby for your nomination, what arguments would you provide to encourage others to vote for it?

The questions are non-binding, and if you want to discuss your nominations, you can do it here. Basically, it is a nomination chit-chat thread.

If the thread becomes popular, with each nomination time, I will either start a new one or will delete the other posts to discuss new nominations. I will only keep the first post as it is just a general one.

I don't care what theme is read, usually, but I will say having a theme can be helpful when nominating a read, because otherwise it's so open-ended that it's overwhelming. Plus, it encourages a change in genre every time, so we don't end up reading two Stephen King novels back to back, that kind of thing.

I like the WWI idea: I've read a ton of stuff on WWII, but don't know much about The Great War, which is unfortunate, because it's such an important part of world history.

Alana wrote: "I like the WWI idea: I've read a ton of stuff on WWII, but don't know much about The Great War, which is unfortunate, because it's such an important part of world history."

I'm the same, I love to read about WWII but have not read anything about WWI. I think this is going to be a fun and interesting read.

I like themed reads and WW1 is a good one --- especially since this year is the 100th anniversary of it starting.

A lot of the nominations look really interesting, but I think it will be harder to discuss the non-fiction ones. I could see the discussion focused around ....oh - I didn't know that type of comments.

I love this idea. It gives the reader a chance to select from a more contained grouping of books. I look forward to reading the upcoming selection. Thanks for welcoming me to the group. I look forward to the discussions.

New group member here and eager to get started. I like the idea of themed reads and am very pleased that I got in on the WW1 book. In the past month, I read two books that took place during the Great War (non-chunksters)that I really enjoyed. So I am ready to learn more about that time period.

Will there be a theme for the next classic chunkster as well?

Iselin wrote: "Will there be a theme for the next classic chunkster as well?"

Yep! Zulfiya will be announcing it soon.

Ah good! I can't wait!

Cleo wrote: "Ah good! I can't wait!"

I know, me too!!

I will gladly participate in this read, and I am looking forward to nominations and discussions in the classic chunkster next week.

I was listening to a lecture on Morte d' Arthur, and was surprised to learn that Mallory composed it while he was in prison. As was the current book in another group, Pilgrim's Progress. Which made me wonder whether it might be interesting to have a themed read on "Books written while in prison." There are a surprising number, ranging from The Travels of Marco Polo and Don Quixote to The Gulag Archipelago and Nelson Mandela's Conversations with Myself, and even including O'Henry's short stories. One could even stretch the point a wee bit and include Plato's Crito and Phaedo, which while not written by Socrates, are records of his conversations with others while in prison.

A good idea, Everyman. We can only expand it and add based on the previous penitentiary experience or the books where a main character spends a lot of time in prison, and this part is intrinsic to a plot.