EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club discussion

Ready for a new read? Need to reduce your Want-To-Read Bookshelf too?

This game is a fun way to choose your next great book. Let someone else do it for you! Here’s how to play:

1. Look at the latest message. Browse through their Want-To-Read list and select a book.
2. Reply to the message with your book choice, tell why you chose that book, and indicate you are ready for your new assignment too.
3. Check back for the next message, which should provide your book assignment.
4. Read the assigned book and repeat steps 1 to 4.

Remember, only post when you are ready for your next read. This game is a great way to find new books that you might enjoy, reduce your own TBRs, and make new GR friends too.

Ready, set, relay!

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: How do I find a person's Want-To-Read list?
Answer: Click on their name and look in their bookshelves under "to-read". It's usually the 3rd shelf listed.

OK, I will kick this off. It's a new year and I'm ready for a new book. Please check my Want-To-Read list and let me know what I should read next, and why.

***Remember, don't reply unless you are ready for a new book assignment too.***

Hi Renata! Okay, I think this sounds like a fun idea to get your TBR list knocked down while maybe getting some good book recommendations! I think you should read The Dutch House by Ann Patchett next. I read this book and it was a 5 star read for me, really enjoyed it!

Good Morning and Happy New Year JoJo_theDoDo! This sounds like a fun, easy challenge. I'm in. I was going to suggest the Six California Kitchens as I love food writing and live in northern California, but I see it is not getting released until spring of this year so I signed up to get an email from the publisher once it is out. : )
With that, The Second Mrs. Astor sounds fascinating so I think you should read that. Let me know how you like it.

Christy, Happy New Year! I think you should read Just One Damned Thing After Another because -- what a fun series!

To whomever, please pick from my Very Next Up Shelf.

Jennifer, Happy New Year to you too! :)

I checked your shelf and decided to pick The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It's a very special book to me because I rowed in high school and college. However, all my friends have given it 5 stars as well and I noticed you had quite a bit of nonfiction/history on your shelf so I hope you enjoy it too <3

Whoever picks for me, please pick from this shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Fun relay

Cynthia you have some fun ones on your list. I was going to suggest Girl with All the gifts but that is too close to real life lately.

So for a bit more fun Six of Crows.

For whomever is picking for me, please select one from the following shelves
- sitting on my books shelf
- in progress pausing
- library on hold

Thanks

Jennifer, you really have an interesting selection of books there. So many I'd love to read too! But I saw that you haven't read the Midnight Library yet, so I'll choose this one for you. It's one of the best books I have ever read!

To the next person: please choose my book from my physical tbr
Thank you :)

Happy new year, Miriam! I love to help you choose from your physical tbr, as my main goal for january and maybe february is to reduce mine. You have a lot of books that I loved and some that I want to read as well, but I'm gonna suggest The Lord of the Flies, because I really enjoyed it and read it almost in a sitting. Enjoy your reading!

To the next person: please choose from my physical tbr
Thanks 😊

Hi, María! Happy New Year :)
I like your tbr. It is so diverse. This is amazing!
As the first book, I would pick Shirley.

As for me.. I would like any suggestions, where there is a character named Marta (Martha would be ok too). I have some in my tbr, or maybe you would have any other ideas?

Thank you in advance! :)

Happy New year, Marta!
I would suggest And Then There Were None. It's a classic, but because it was such a hit in its time and everyone decided to follow the leader, it may seem a little derivative.

Hi!
I am ready for a new read

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Leslie Ann wrote: "Hi!
I am ready for a new read

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list..."

Hi Leslie Ann. Would you please pick a book for Estefania too? It's part of this relay game. Thanks!

Estefania
Try
Rosemary's Baby it is actually very good!

Hi Leslie - your book is And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman. I read this book last year and loved it! Have a box of tissues handy...

Hi Brittany!

I saw that Night by Elie Wiesel was on your TBR list. Elie is an amazing author, and has written a lot of beautiful pieces. Night can be a bit difficult to read due to how emotionally charged it is and the fact that it is based upon Elie's real life in concentration camps (Trigger warnings: detailed death, death of family, depression, and abuse). However, it is fully worth the time, and easily became one of my favorite novels.

P.s. Please let me know if the trigger warnings seem like something you wouldn't like to read right now, & I'll gladly choose something else as I recognize we have all dealt with a lot of loss these past few years and would like you to have an enjoyable reading experience.

Jessie,

I did a glance through your TBR shelf to see what books I might have read and rated highly. I came across The House in the Cerulean Sea. I absolutely LOVED this book. I read it at the beginning of last year.

Brief Overview: Linus is a case worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He is a rule follower and lives a simply life that he seems content with. His job leads him to investigate an orphanage that sits on a remote island. Supposedly, there are six dangerous kids that live with Arthur, the caretaker. Linus must report back to the Department regularly with his findings so they can determine whether or not to shut down this orphanage.

This book will make you laugh, smile, and think about prejudices that not only adults face - but children as well. Overall it is a really great book and I hope you enjoy it!

To the next person who is picking for me, I am trying to read the books I already have on loan or my personal shelf for another challenge I am doing. Please use this shelf to help me pick my next one :)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Samantha, I liked Klune's more famous book, so I'd like to know what you think of How to Be a Normal Person before I add it to my shelves.

Next person, please pick from my Currently Reading shelf. Some of those have languished for far too long....
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Cheryl,

You should continue with When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo. The Singing Hills Cycle is amazing and I always recommend it to everyone.

Next person, please don’t pick a series for me, I’m not ready for a new long term commitment, would be happier with a one shot :)

This sounds like so much fun!

Nagy Dorina, you should read, The Silent Patient. It was a four-five star read for me and kept me guessing at every turn. :)

Jessica,

You have so many of my top read’ and so many of my favorites on your shelves!!!!

It was hard to choose, but.....you should read Eat, Pray, Love. It’s a fabulous reminder of making yourself a priority and keeping yourself happy!!!!

You have a lot of books that I haven't read, that are on my list too.
I think you should read The Mysterious Affair at Styles. That's how I discovered Agatha Christie and now I can't get enough. I'm actually reading a book of her short stories right now.

Kyra you have a few good ones on to to-read list. I will recommend The Alienist it is a mystery but it won’t be feeling like Agatha Christie except that I remember it being quite “smart”. I hope you enjoy.

Thank you to Mirim for my last recommendation. I devoured The Midnight Library. It was exactly all my favourite aspects in one book!

For whomever is picking for me, please select one from the following shelves
- sitting on my books shelf
- in progress pausing
- library on hold

Jennifer wrote: "Kyra you have a few good ones on to to-read list. I will recommend The Alienist it is a mystery but it won’t be feeling like Agatha Christie except that I remember it being quite “smar..."

For you I have chosen as I am a huge fan of the film, this title stood out to me the most from your shelf. I hope you enjoy it, and can't wait for your review.

to whomever is selecting for me, please choose from my owned tbr shelf. Thank you :)

For you I have chosen Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks! It was a great read and one of my fav Nicholas Sparks books!

For whomever chooses for me, please choose off my books I own Tbr shelf!

Hannah wrote: For whomever chooses for me, please choose off my books I own Tbr shelf!"

Hey Hannah! I made my way down your shelf and I've picked The Light Between Oceans for ya! I read it years ago but the emotional journey it took me on remains in my brain to this day. The writing is incredible, which is something I value highly, and if ya like it once you're done, there's a movie adaptation with Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander in the main roles (Fun fact: the director chose them specifically bc they had such incredible chemistry together- so good, in fact, that they got married a few years later)

As for my pick, for whoever's next: take a look at my Physical TBR tag and see what speaks to ya! (just none of the huge ones please, don't wanna drag the end-of-year slump into 2022 lmao)

Will, I picked for you The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Since it's a children's book, it should be a reasonably quick read, but still thought-provoking... so I hope it gets you out of your slump. I gave it four stars: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Next person, I'm still desperately working on my Currently Reading shelf. I'm actually right in the middle of When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, though, so please pick something else that is languishing.

Finished When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain... it was too short! I am looking at my libraries for the first in the series!

Still need my next suggestion, from my currently reading shelf https://www.goodreads.com/review/list... or, if you're really ambitious, my shelf for ebooks: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list....

Picking for Cheryl was a lengthy business... :-) Long list, but I'm really ambitious! :-)

Cheryl, I notice you have a lot to read already, so I've innovated and picked options, so you can choose one from them!

1. The Door in the Wall, by H G Wells
2. The Luck of Roaring Camp, by Bret Harte

Two short ones. Added bonus: I'll read along with you, if you like.

3. The Innocence of Father Brown, by G.K. Chesterton

A longer, classic one, that I liked when I read it years ago.

------------------------------

Next friend, I'm afraid you'll have a tougher task then I had, as my Want-to-read shelf list is even longer than Cheryl's!! Sorry! :-)

Thinking of ways to make the task easier, you can try:
a) choosing a book from your own country's literature, or any coutry's, my books are on shelves by national literatures.
b) choosing from my "conto" shelf, that is the short story genre shelf. Many tend to be short books.

Also, I'm not in the mood for long reads right now, so please kindly pick a short book, will you? :-)

Kyra wrote: "You have a lot of books that I haven't read, that are on my list too.
I think you should read The Mysterious Affair at Styles. That's how I discovered Agatha Christie and now I can..."

Kyra, thanks for this suggestion. I had so much fun tracking down a copy of the book and started it today- now can't put it down!

Marcos wrote: "Picking for Cheryl was a lengthy business... :-) Long list, but I'm really ambitious! :-)

Cheryl, I notice you have a lot to read already, so I've innovated and picked options, so you can choose o..."

Wow! Marcos you have quite a lot of bookshelves!

I filtered your Want to Read bookshelves by books with the most ratings and picked out a shorter book. One of the books that was a favorite of my children growing up is
A Wrinkle in Time

It's a series as well, so if you enjoy the first book you could always continue reading the rest of the series and watch the movie too.

To the next Pick-it-for-Me Bookish friend, please pick from my
"tbr-bookshelf" - https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

this contains all the books I have at home stacked up everywhere and my goal this year is to get through my physical books.
Thanks! : )

@JoJo_theDoDo....I'll bite on this thread. I choose Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

I read it before I saw the Musical and there are so many more things in it than the musical by far that make it much more interesting in my opinion. It is a unique take on the idea of Oz.

My want to read is a small list because I tend to just grab what catches my attention...so what catches the next person's attention?

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

oh and @Kyra....if you like Agatha Christie? I didn't see any Mary Higgins Clark in your Read list. You should really check out her books...she was who I went to after Agatha Christie. :)

Marcos wrote:

1. The Door in the Wall, by H G Wells
2. The Luck of Roaring Camp, by Bret Harte

Fantastic! I'd love to come back and check in with you as I read them!

Cheryl is busier irl atm. wrote: "Samantha, I liked Klune's more famous book, so I'd like to know what you think of How to Be a Normal Person before I add it to my shelves.."

Okay. I really enjoyed this book! If you are considering it, here is my review that gives a little more into my thoughts. I do my reviews quick so they tend to be all over the place so this is your warning haha. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Pixiegirl105 wrote: "My want to read is a small list because I tend to just grab what catches my attention...so what catches the next person's attention?"

I'm going to give you two options because one is a bit more of a heavy read and if you aren't in that mindset, I don't want that to ruin the book for you.

The Kite Runner was one of my absolute favorite reads last year - and probably of all time. Here is my review on it: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The second option is A Curse So Dark and Lonely. I am a couple books into this series and have been enjoying it. I plan on reading the third in the next few months. Here is my little review on that one: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


Next person: Please pick my next read from this shelf:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...

Finished my pick -- -- wow, what a wonderful and inspiring story!

Samantha, I'm picking A Little Life for you -- one of the few fiction books I've ever given five stars to.

To whomever, please pick from my Very Next Up Shelf.

Thanks to JoJo for picking my last read, The Dutch House. I loved it and will be hunting down more Ann Patchett books in the future. She writes with such compassion!

Jennifer, for you I'm picking The Queen's Gambit. Not only is it our BOTM, but also a great read. Hope you enjoy it.

So I'm ready for my next book. What's it to be?

@ Jennifer...Thank you! I inhaled my book and will be back shortly to request another. This is a fabulous new concept.

Renata wrote: "Thanks to JoJo for picking my last read, The Dutch House. I loved it and will be hunting down more Ann Patchett books in the future. She writes with such compassion!

Jennifer, for ..."

Hey there Renata!

I choose Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail for you as it is one of my all-time favourites and I hope you will love it as much as I did. Looking forward to hear what you're thinking. Happy reading!

Please choose from my https://www.goodreads.com/review/list... Thank you!

I really enjoyed Wild also, good pick!

Becoming by Michelle Obama is a book that I enjoyed, I hope you do too!

Hi Adrienne. I've looked over your favorites, read ratings and generally the types of books on your TBR list. I think you might like When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalinithi. It is a profoundly beautiful book, despite being about death and dying. I used to work at Stanford and his wife came to speak to our Cancer Clinical Trials division after his death. As someone who does admin. work for a county office of education, but has a Master of Divinty degree and has done chaplaincy, I can say this is one of the most honest and heartfelt books I've read. It is written in a matter of fact style with acknowledgement of the grief, but also the joys savored. I hope you will find some beauty in it.

I’m back again! Thank you Taya for your recommendation. It made me finally decide to listen to the audiobook of As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride even though the gifted hardcover was on my bookshelf.

After much deliberation, i pick Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood for Christy.

For whomever is picking for me, please select one from the following shelves
- sitting on my books shelf
- in progress pausing
- library on hold

Thanks Jennifer! I am absolutely loving this relay and look forward to reading that one since it has been on my list for a while

Ok, Marcos, I'm done with your suggestions. The Country of the Blind by Wells did not work for me. But I do thank you for pushing me to read The Luck of Roaring Camp. I have reviewed both.

Jennifer! I have When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times on my to-read lists, too. I'd love to learn what you think of it when you're done (or learn that you've given up).

Hi Cheryl,

My choice for you is Touch of Power by Maria V Snyder. I love her books and hope you do too!

Hi Lindsay,

I saw quite a few books on your shelf that It looks like we both enjoyed.

I loved The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and hope you will too.

Jessie wrote: "Hi Brittany!

I saw that Night by Elie Wiesel was on your TBR list. Elie is an amazing author, and has written a lot of beautiful pieces. Night can be a bit difficult to read due to ho..."

I just finished this book earlier this week (I had to wait a bit for the book to be available at the library). Thank you for the suggestion Jessie. It was heartbreaking, but such an important story.

Betty wrote: "Hi Lindsay,

I saw quite a few books on your shelf that It looks like we both enjoyed.

I loved The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and hope you will too."

Betty, I would love to give you a book pick, but your profile is set to private. I am sending you a friend request.