Vintage Tales discussion

Hey guys, I decided to go ahead and open the nominations thread so we can post our nominations for our January Group Read. When we have 6 or 7, I'll close the nominations and set up the poll so we can vote for it.

Please get your nominations in by December 13th so we can have time to vote, thanks!

I'd like to nominate Little Women

I'd like to nominate The Bacchae by Euripides

awesome beth! anyone else?

Between review books, upcoming common reads in groups I moderate, a scheduled buddy read, and books I've put a personal priority on reading, my reading plans are already scheduled up at least into next summer. But I've read Little Women at least twice, and could join in discussing it in January if that's the book the group picks.

Well I'd like to nominate The Hobbit, if that counts as a classic for this group, does it? Just say if it doesn't.

I've been wanting to reread it for ages, and now the third part of the film is out seems a good time to me :)

I've enjoyed the "second chance" two catch-up reads I've done this time though, and could really do with another as there are several reads for this group I didn't get around to. Don't suppose we could do another month like that could we? Or make this one last two months again perhaps?

I don't seem to be the only one who finds it hard to do all the reads we want ;)

I think it does count Jean. :) and if ya'll want to, we could do the second chance reads last until January and make these the February group read nominations. Just let me know.

I'd like that personally - February would suit me just fine :) I already seem to have lots of things I want to read for January.

okay awesome then! these will be for February then. so come back in January to add February group read nominations

Great! Thanks Amber! Pressure's off now ... ;)

Hey Noam I will add yours to the rest of the nominations for February then. and will post the poll soon.

Amber originally started this thread to invite nominations/suggestions for what book to do as a common read a year ago, in January 2015. Now that we're looking to do a common read this March, and to make that an annual feature for the group, I thought we might make this a more general, permanent thread, where we can share our ideas anytime about what to pick for a common read.. (We can at least try that idea out and see if it suits.)

There are a LOT of classics on my to-read shelf (and if I've already read a book the group wants to pick, and can remember it well enough to discuss, I'll chime in on that one, too!). So I'm probably open to virtually anything we choose. It's probably a good idea, though, to pick an author we haven't previously done, in the interests of variety. Authors who've already been represented in common reads in this group are: Jane Austen (Northanger Abbey); James M. Barrie (Peter Pan) Richard Doddridge Blackmore (Lorna Doone; Agatha Christie (Murder at the Vicarage); Charles Dickens (A Christmas Carol, Oliver Twist); Ayn Rand (Anthem); William Shakespeare (A Midsummer Night's Dream); Mary Shelley (Frankenstein); Robert Louis Stevenson (Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde); and Oscar Wilde (The Picture of Dorian Gray).

One thing I've been trying to do with my reading, in the last couple of years, is be more serious about following up on the many series I've started. There aren't too many classics that are part of a series; but one classical series that I've read in erratically over the years is James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales. I've never read The Deerslayer (1841), which is chronologically the first volume of the series, though not the first one to be written. I'll suggest that one as one title we can put in the poll.

Of the ten authors whose work we've read together previously in this group, all but one (Ayn Rand, who was an American writer, though Russian-born) have been British. There's something to be said for consciously trying to cultivate a bit more balance, and picking an American classical author this time. (That could be a point in favor of The Deerslayer, since Cooper was of course a quintessentially American writer.)

Has anyone ever read White Fang ? Was just curious as i have never read it but it is a classic i would def check out so am nominating it as our common read

Yes, Amber, I have read (and liked) White Fang! My review is here: www.goodreads.com/review/show/15332224 . That's actually a review of an omnibus edition of both that novel and The Call of the Wild; I reviewed them together (although I actually read them as separate books) because they're so closely related in subject matter. White Fang is a pretty quick read, and would be a great choice. Having read it already, if the group picks it for a common read, I can readily join in the discussion. I might own a copy (I'll have to check my shelves); but the BC library has a copy in any case.

Amber, I have a question for you: would you consider To Kill a Mockingbird (published in 1960) old enough to count as a "classic?" If so, I think I'd be more inclined to nominate that one for this particular poll than The Deerslayer. It's been on my to-read shelf forever, and this might be a good time to work it in.

Yeah I think it definitely is a classic read. def nominate it.

Will do, Amber!

Well, the poll is now up; it'll run through Feb. 14, and I've sent out a general invitation to the group to vote. The link to the poll is included in that message, but I'll repeat it here: www.goodreads.com/poll/show/129728-wh... . You can also find it just by clicking "Polls" in the links at the top of the group home page; it'll be the first poll listed.

IMO, I think we have two good choices here! I'd be happy with either one, so I probably won't vote unless there's a tie impending.

It's official; White Fang took the lead early in our poll, and never lost it. With 15 people voting, it got nine votes, to only six for To Kill a Mockingbird. So, White Fang will be our common read in March! I'll try to have a discussion thread up on the first of the month.

Awesome! Cant wait to read it then. :-)

Amber recently suggested, on another thread, that we do a common read in September, and nominated Daddy-Long-Legs (1912) by American author Jean Webster. I'm game to do a read in September; we'll need, in that case, to do a poll around the beginning of August to choose the book. A poll with one nominee is a bit of an oxymoron; so it's not too early to be brainstorming about what else we might want to consider! What classics are on your to-read shelf, crying for attention?

Amber, I've browsed your to-read shelf just now, and noted that you also have Anne of Green Gables and Jamaica Inn there. Would you be game to read either of those in September? They're both excellent reads. I've read both of them, and could join in the discussion easily, if the group chooses either one of them to read together.

That would be cool. Anne of Green gables is in my ereader already.

Sounds good, Amber! We'll put that one in the poll, then.

The poll is now up, and will run through Aug. 14. Here's the link: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1... . I'll send out a general message to all of the members, too, inviting everyone to vote.

I voted. :)

I saw, Amber! We've got four votes already, so it's looking good.

awesome!

The poll results are officially in, and Daddy-Long-Legs edged Anne of Green Gables, with four votes to three. So, it will be our common read this September. I'd never heard of Jean Webster until Amber suggested this book, so I'll be exploring a new author. I hope all those (and others too, of course!) who voted for this book will take part in this read and discussion!

Well I found out about her through the mother daughter book club book series where the book was mentioned as one of their reads in the book Dear Pen Pal. I will borrow it through the ebooks library come September.

Discussion has wound down on Daddy-Long-Legs by now (though the read officially continues through the month), but I think we'd all agree that we had a rewarding reading experience, and an enjoyable discussion! Since the September time frame seems to work well, is everyone content to plan on doing a common read as a group every September? (That doesn't mean you agree to participate every September --people's individual circumstances and schedules will vary from year to year-- just that you're okay with the group doing one each year at that time.)

Sounds good to me.

That would be awesome Werner!

Since all of the feedback has been favorable, we'll plan on that, then. September will become the month for our regular annual common read, rather than March. (Of course, that doesn't mean people can't propose common reads at other times, too!)

It will be September before we know it, and that's the month of our group's annual common read. So, it's not too early to begin seriously brainstorming about what book to choose. I'll try to get a poll up early next month, so those participating will have plenty of time to secure their copies of the selected book by September.

To get the ball rolling, I'll suggest The Scarlet Pimpernel (1905) by Emma Orczy. That's been on my to-read list forever, and I think it might generate discussion.

I would like to nominate She by H. Rider Haggard, hich sounds like fun read to me.

She is on my to-read shelf, along with the author's King Solomon's Mines. I've never read anything by Haggard except his outstanding short story "Black Heart and White Heart: A Zulu Idyll" (which is included in the excellent anthology Tales Before Tolkien: The Roots of Modern Fantasy). If the group picks that one, I'll be just as happy with that choice as with my own nomination!

I would like to nominate Anne of Green Gables

The poll to pick next month's common read is now up, at this link: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1... , and a general invitation to vote sent to all group members; it will run through Sunday, Aug. 13. We've got three great nominations this year; I'd be happy to join in discussing any of them! (I've already read --and greatly liked-- Ann of Green Gables, so I think I can join in discussing that one intelligently without a reread.)

I would like to nominate Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville.

Russell wrote: "I would like to nominate Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville."

That's a great suggestion, and gets our brainstorming for next year off to an early start, which is always a good thing!

So far, in the current poll, we have a two-way tie between Anne of Green Gables and The Scarlet Pimpernel, each with four votes. She has just one; and these results have been unchanged for a couple of days, at least. I'm hoping the poll will produce a clear winner before it runs out; but it will stay active through this weekend, so there's still time to avoid having to have a run-off poll!

When the poll ended, the vote totals were unchanged from the figures in my message above. So, with a two-way tie for the top spot, we were forced into a run-off poll. That's up now, and will run through Sunday, Aug. 20. Hopefully by then, we'll have a clear winner; and that should allow enough time for everyone who wants to join in the read to secure a copy of whichever book is chosen!

Anne of Green Gables emerged as the winner of the run-off poll, with six votes to three for The Scarlet Pimpernel. (As of yesterday afternoon, it was ahead five to four; I switched my vote then just to prevent us from winding up with another tie at the last minute!) So, those who choose to take part will be reading the famous Canadian classic next month. I'll join in the discussion myself.

Given its relatively strong showing this time, I definitely think The Scarlet Pimpernel should be in next year's poll as well.

Given that our group's annual (voluntary) common read is planned for September, it's time to start thinking seriously about what we might read. Russell has already put Alexis de Tocqueville's nonfiction classic, Democracy in America, on the table as a suggestion.

The Scarlet Pimpernel was the runner-up in the poll last year; and I said at that time that I was in favor of giving it a second chance in this year's poll. However, I've since then had some second thoughts about that; I'm concerned that it might be too controversial for a group read. (In the Western world, our present Left vs. Right political divisions come down to us directly from the French Revolution, and like author Orczy, many of us take strong positions about the historical events based on our ideological orientation.)

Rather than the latter book, I'd be inclined to suggest Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Bridge of San Luis Rey. I read it more than 40 years ago, but I've recently been wanting to read it again. It's pretty short, and would probably be a fairly quick read for most of us.

So far, our suggested titles are: The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder, and Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville. Is everyone satisfied with those two selections, or does anyone have another? (I hope to get the poll up on Aug. 1.)

I would like to nominate The Prisoner Of Zenda by Anthony Hope.

We'll put that one in the poll too, Rosemarie!

The poll is now up, at this link: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1... , and will run through Aug. 12 (the Sunday after next). I also sent out a general Goodreads message to all group members about this. I'll plan to post the poll results sometime on Aug. 13. That should give everyone who wants to participate time to obtain a copy.