Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

I am running out of ideas. This month the Question is what Questions would you like to discuss in the future?

We could ask about genres. Like "What are your favourite scifi novels?", etc.

It might also help with some of the regional prompts on the Bingo/Buffet challenges to ask about regions. Such as: "What are your favourite books from Africa?"

There are lots of genres and lots of regions, so that could take a while. :)

- Who is your favorite author and what was the first book you read by him/her?
- Are there any authors or genres that you feel like you've outgrown?
- Have you ever decided to read a book solely based on the cover? How did it turn out? Share your favorite cover with us!
- Have you met any authors in person? Who was it and what were the circumstances?

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "Have you met any authors in person? Who was it and what were the circumstances?"

This one would be interesting!

How about "What is a classic book?" While we have our group definition of any book published before 2000, people have their ideas about if a book can simply be old or if it should also have some perceived literary value or acclaim. I'm pretty sure this has come up in discussions somewhere but not as a question of the month.

Thanks everyone. Keep the ideas coming please. I see several good questions in our thread so far!! The first one to use may be which authors we have met. That is unique and interesting.

I would like to ask every reader , Which book you would have liked to write, if you were an author?'

which book would you choose to "be" ?
i.e. memorise so that you could recite it to others

Darren wrote: "which book would you choose to "be"
i.e. memorise so that you could recite it to others"

Oh how cool!! like in Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Nidhi wrote: "I would like to ask every reader , Which book you would have liked to write, if you were an author?'"

Also a great idea.

These are great questions, love them. I always thought of asking the members how do you go about writing a review? (and I suppose that question could be interpreted various ways).

Lynn wrote: "Darren wrote: "which book would you choose to "be"
i.e. memorise so that you could recite it to others"

Oh how cool!! like in Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury"

careful - spoiler alert! ;o)

What books or authors are missing on our shelf? I.e. what mega classics we somehow have not read yet.

Top 5 favorite books from 2000 and after.

Strangest reading experience: Due to the book or maybe something that happened while reading.

Wobbley wrote: "We could ask about genres. Like "What are your favourite scifi novels?", etc. ..."

Good idea. Slightly different question: What is your favourite niche genres? For instance it turns out that both Silver and I are fans of cold climates survival in nature stories. (see https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...)

Examples as weird little details you remember for 20+... 30+... 40+.... years while you have forgotten parts of the plot or main characters names. (Example: In Name of the Rose I remember the part about monks copying manuscripts for hours and hours would write a little sigh about being cold or wanting a glass of wine. Re-reading the book about 35 years later it was like I remembered it.)

J_BlueFlower wrote: "Top 5 favorite books from 2000 and after."

Great topic! I love short lists (10-12 or fewer books), especially for titles from the 21st century (IMO, an underrepresented topic in this group)

Lynn wrote: "Darren wrote: "which book would you choose to "be"
i.e. memorise so that you could recite it to others"

Oh how cool!! like in Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury"

That link to the book leads to a page not in English.
Perhaps because of the spelling of "Farenheit" vs. "Fahrenheit"
(the conventional English spelling)

Worth fixing that, Lynn?

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Fahrenheit 451 I think this link goes to an English version.

Lynn wrote: "Fahrenheit 451 I think this link goes to an English version."

Yes, it does. Thanks, Lynn!

Darren wrote: "https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..."

Darren, thanks for this link to the discussion thread about the best fiction of the century so far. Much obliged!

Bill wrote: "Darren wrote: "https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..."

Darren, thanks for this link to the discussion thread about the best fiction of the century..."

you are welcome :o)
there's lots of good recommendations on there
and not just mine! ;o)

Question:

On the list (please vote)
The top 100 classics according to active members of "Catching up on Classics" group
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

What is the top book you have not read? Not going to read? What looks surprising? Did the list inspire?

J_BlueFlower wrote: "What is the top book you have not read? Not going to read? What looks surprising?"

The Remains of the Day. Same. Same. Their Eyes Were Watching God in 25th place.

J_BlueFlower wrote: "What is the top book you have not read? Not going to read? What looks surprising? Did the list inspire?"


Top book I have not read: right at the top, Jane Eyre (but I am proud to say I have read 7 of the top 10)

Not going to read: most of the selections look pretty good but I'm not gonna set the world on fire to get to Heidi

I have to say I'm a little surprised by Harry Potter showing up at #26.

Same here, Jane Eyre, is my top unread book.

I read Pride and Predjudice, but Jane Austen is no longer on my TBR. (I lost a bet and had to read one JA book and P&P was on my bookshelf).

J_BlueFlower wrote: "Examples as weird little details you remember for 20+... 30+... 40+.... years while you have forgotten parts of the plot or main characters names. (Example: In Name of the Rose I remember the part ..."

I think I want to use your question in October and call it "Which books haunt you?"

Starting at the top of the list, I have not read "All Quiet on the Western Front", then "The Odyssey". I think the Odyssey has a chance for me in the next few months.

I just finished reading Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold by Stephen Fry. I really enjoyed it since I've been wanting to get an overview of the Greek and Roman Gods and mythology. I listened to the audio book, narrated by the author. He did a great job, very entertaining. So now, I feel that it's time to approach The Odyssey.

EvenB wrote: "Starting at the top of the list, I have not read "All Quiet on the Western Front", then "The Odyssey". I think the Odyssey has a chance for me in the next few months.

I just finished reading [boo..."

Thank you [book:Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold|35074096] looks like a really good book recommendation.

Do you look at Goodreads average rating? If yes, at what rating do you discard a book?

J_BlueFlower wrote: "Do you look at Goodreads average rating? If yes, at what rating do you discard a book?"


I never look at the averages at all.

Digital or paper, and why. Comfort / atmosphere / cost / shelf space / ecological concerns, quite a lot to discuss.

J_BlueFlower wrote: "Do you look at Goodreads average rating? If yes, at what rating do you discard a book?"

I look at the averages, but they don't correlate much with the books I like. There is no point where I would discard a book that I really want to read, but if I don't know much about the book I am cautious with anything that averages under 4.0.

That might seem to be a high barrier, but I have learned (the hard way) that a lot of people rate books on GoodReads the same way they rate Uber drivers: an automatic 5 star rating unless there is a "problem." Whereas I tend to rate books using a baseline of 3.0 stars and then adjusting the rating based on how much the book "moved the needle" up or down based purely on my own reading enjoyment.

There is only one book below the rating of 3.70 to which I gave 5 stars, and that is Darkness on the Edge of Town.

For nonfiction books, I look at the rating and the number of pages the book contains, then I look whether there are any red flags in the form of a one star rating near the top of the pile.

If that one star rating packs a lot of punch, I don't read that book.

How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States... this book is an example of how I can bodily reject a book based on the first 5 pages.

First, it mentioned the bizarre and irrelevant fact that Mary Wollstonecraft had a lover. Then the author has the gall to build a case for that Manifest Destiny expansionist Daniel Boone. DNFed.

Lynn wrote: "EvenB wrote: "Starting at the top of the list, I have not read "All Quiet on the Western Front", then "The Odyssey". I think the Odyssey has a chance for me in the next few months.

I just finishe..."

I completely agree with EvenB. I listened to Stephen Fry narrate Mythos and Heroes. I enjoyed his narration and humour. I am halfway through Troy and I didn't think I would enjoy it but Fry really knows his stuff and is a brilliant storyteller!