INTRODUCTIONS

DiscussieClub Read 2021

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INTRODUCTIONS

1avaland
Bewerkt: dec 16, 2021, 6:07 am

Please introduce yourself to others in the group. Perhaps you might give us your first name, where you are from, what kind of reading you like, briefly what your plans may be in 2021.

If you are not posting your own reading in a thread here, but are what we affectionately call regular "lurkers" just reading what others post, please consider introducing yourself anyway (and identify yourself as a 'lurker').

AlisonY / Alison / Northern Ireland, UK
AnnieMod / Annie / Bulgarian living in Arizona, USA
arubabookwoman / Deborah / Seattle, WA -->Florida
avaland / Lois / New Hampshire, USA
baswood / Barry / British living in France
BLBera / Beth /
booksfindme / Suzanne / Bakersfield, California, USA
bragan / Betty / New Mexico, USA
Cariola / Deborah / South Central Pennsylvania, USA
cindydavid4 / Cindy / Arizona, USA
dchaikin / Dan / Houston, Texas, US
dianeham / Diane / southern New Jersey, USA
dukedom_enough/ Michael / New Hampshire, USA
edwinbcn / Edwin / Dutch living in China
Eliz_M / / Brooklyn, New York, USA
Eugene41 / Peter / New York City
gsm235 / Greg / Seattle, Washington, USA
janemarieprice / Jane / Chicago, Illinois, USA
japaul22 / Jennifer / Washington, DC
jjmcgaffey / Jen /Alameda, California, USA
johnmorganhere /
Julie_in_the_Library / Julie / Sharon, Massachusetts, USA
karspeak / Karen / Florida panhandle, USA
kelsey.5821 / Kelsey
kidzdoc / Darryl / Atlanta, Georgia, USA
labfs39 / Lisa / Maine, USA
LadyoftheLodge / Cheryl /Indiana, USA
LibraryLover23 / / Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA
lisapeet / Lisa / Bronx, New York, USA
LolaWalser / / Toronto, Ontario, Canada
markon / Ardene /
milda-TX / /
NanaCC / Colleen / Massachusetts, USA
Nickelini / Joyce /Vancouver, Canada
nohrt4me2 / Jean / Michigan, USA
OscarWilde87 /
petra4 / petra / Melbourne, Victoria, AUSTRALIA
porte01 / Terri / Belleville, Ontario, Canada
pmarshall / Penny / New Brunswick, Canada
rachbxl / Rachel / British living in Belgium
raton-liseur / / France?
rhian_of_oz / Rhian / Perth, Western Australia
Robart /Roberto / Montreal, Canada living in Sicily, Italy
sallypursell / Sally / St. Louis, Missouri, USA
sassylassy / / maritime Canada
SandDune / Rhian / Welsh living in England, UK
Shadrach_anki / Anki / New Hampshire, USA
Simone2 / Barbara /
Soumya01 / Soumya / Delhi, India
stretch / Kevin / Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
thorold / Mark /British living in the Netherlands
tonikat / Kat or Toni / Northern UK
torontoc / Cyrel /Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Trifolia / Monica / Belgium
wandering_star /
WelshBookworm/ Laurel / Minnesota, USA

Send me a note if you wish to be included on the member list, or for corrections, additions.

2avaland
Bewerkt: dec 28, 2020, 4:04 pm

As noted on our new thread:

We are Lois (avaland) & Michael (dukedom_enough), both now retired, and living in southern New Hampshire. We met 22 years ago at a literary science fiction convention outside of Boston called "Readercon". Where else would a middle-aged English major with three teen-aged children meet a middle-aged guy whose PhD was named something like: "Homogeneous Nucleation of Condensation in a Cryogenic Shock Tube"? In '98, she sent him an Emily Dickinson poem from an out-of-date Mac and he sent her Wordsworth via a vintage '96 Gateway tower." She's still on a Mac and he's still on Windows.

We have separate virtual libraries here in LT, with significant overlap. But, in reality the book stock, like us, is married.

Michael reads mostly science fiction (a mix of old and new), favorite poetry (Auden, Larkin, Millay, Housman...) and some nonfiction, plus much online content of varying kinds. He hopes he might "read more in the post-Tangerine tyrant era".

I read fiction in any form. I also should note for some of you that I read some crime fiction and sometimes an occasional SF novel. I read a variety of poetry (too many favorites to list), and a eclectic selection of nonfiction. I am a free range reader at this point in my life, no goals but sometimes occasional loose study of a subject, or a blitz through one author's work.

3Verwijderd
dec 25, 2020, 2:13 pm

Jean here. Merry Christmas, happy holidays, or TGIF, as applicable. My bio is on my profile. Have not been able to light on a reading program this year. Taking some time to see what books I have on hand to see if they suggest a theme.

I might do "Authors I Have Avoided Due to Possibly Unfair Prejudices." First on that list would be Charles Dickens (overly sentimental). Then Dean Koontz (formulaic). Then William F. Buckley (wrong political views), whose espionage novels are quite well-regarded.

Looking forward to looking in on everyone this year.

4torontoc
dec 25, 2020, 2:19 pm

Cyrel here. I am a retired visual art teacher. I have been busy with various committees( lots of zoom meeting). I belong to a women's pottery co-op. In the past few months all the members have been working solo in the studio.( we have a schedule)
I have great hope for 2021-in reading and more. I have started to count all the people that I know who have been vaccinated against Covid-that is a good feeling!

5markon
Bewerkt: dec 26, 2020, 6:47 pm

Ardene here. I work in a public library & have loved books & stories all my life. Free range reader is a good description avaland. In genre fiction I read mystery, science fiction and fantasy, but will try anything that sounds interesting.

I'm currently making slow but steady progress in Kintu and Leo Africanus.

Also hoping tomorrow will be sunny & warmer so my dog Milo & I can go for a walk. Here's to another year of reading!

6jjmcgaffey
Bewerkt: jan 1, 2021, 4:17 am

I'm Jennifer; I'm in Alameda, CA. I read almost anything, about half of it SF (speculative fiction - both science fiction and fantasy) and the rest...nonfiction and genre stuff, whatever catches my eye. I'll be starting up a thread soon.

Thread set up - https://www.librarything.com/topic/328045

7thorold
dec 27, 2020, 4:38 am

I’m Mark, originally from the North of England, but I’ve been living in The Hague, Netherlands, for most of my adult life. I retired from professional life a few years ago to spend more time with my books (and travelling, walking, and sailing: lets hope those activities become possible again soon!).

My reading interests are difficult to predict, but often guided to some extent by the quarterly themes of Reading Globally: this quarter we will be doing “small countries”.

I’ll probably be doing an author read-through of some kind as well this year: having gathered a lot of interesting suggestions in the Questions thread, I’m still trying to make my mind up between Toni Morrison and Margaret Drabble. (Which probably means I’ll end up with Willa Cather or Isabel Allende...)

8AlisonY
Bewerkt: dec 29, 2020, 7:53 am

I'm Alison, I'm from Northern Ireland and have been back living here for the past 12 years after living in England on and off for many years. I'm co-founder of a health tech startup which is increasingly taking up way too much of my time and head space, and I'm proud mama to a teen and a tween.

This is my seventh year in CR, and I've no great reading plans for 2021 beyond keeping at it. I probably gravitate mostly towards literary fiction (old and new), but I also enjoy travel writing, memoirs, popular science and other bits and pieces I randomly come across.

9raton-liseur
Bewerkt: dec 28, 2020, 5:21 am

I'm a reading racoon, joining Club Read for the third year. I have been pretty quiet for most of last year, so I'll try to be less ambitious while setting my 2021 thread. Being French, I keep posting my reviews in French, but welcome comments both in French or in English.

I mainly read literary fiction, French or foreign, recent or ageing. I like from time to time a good graphic novel, or a speculative fiction. I also like reading teenagers or young adult fiction.
I consider myself as a "ricochet reader", one read book leading to another one, then another one, with some logic that might be or not be apparent, but there is definitely a link that can be made, or made up.

10cindydavid4
Bewerkt: dec 28, 2020, 6:33 pm

Im Cindy, Retired after 35 years of teaching children with special needs, living in the beautiful Sonoran Desert with my hubby and three cats, and shelves and shelves of books. As a kid there was nothing I wouldnt read, and because of my sis was able to get into the adult books section early :) Over the years my reading has expanded, partly due to my habit of reading a book that leads me to another ......, and mostly because of the amazing readers from Table Talk, Readervill and here! And this group in particular has expanded it even more with global exploration of authors and books. While Ill try anything that looks interesting, I particularly enjoy sci fi/fan, historic fiction, biographies, history, travel and science reads. Keeps me busy and out of trouble.

11LadyoftheLodge
dec 27, 2020, 3:25 pm

Hi there, I am Cheryl, retired from full time work as a teacher and a school principal in public education. I now teach college courses online as part-time faculty for two Christian colleges. I live in beautiful southern Indiana with my husband who is a retired police Sergeant and a Navy veteran, along with our four cats and many shelves of books. I read a lot of cozy mysteries, fiction about Amish people, kids books, and other stuff.

12Verwijderd
dec 27, 2020, 4:02 pm

>11 LadyoftheLodge: My husband, whose father was Amish, read a sci fi about Amish interplanetary colonization. He said the author clearly had some knowledge of the Amish and enjoyed it. Message me if you want me to try to find you the title.

13markon
dec 27, 2020, 7:53 pm

>12 nohrt4me2: Ooh, I'm curious about this one! I've read one where Quakers were doing the colonization.

14karspeak
dec 27, 2020, 8:05 pm

Hi, I'm Karen, living in the panhandle of Florida. This will be my third year in Club Read, and I am very grateful to this group because I get the majority of my reading suggestions from you all. I have a husband and two middle-school aged sons, and I work as a speech pathologist for the local school district. Life is busy! I read a mixture of science-y nonfiction and fiction, which includes a lot of sci-fi, along with a mix of mystery, literary fiction, etc.

15stretch
dec 28, 2020, 10:05 am

I'm Kevin, living Indianapolis, working as an environmental geologist, been a member of CR for some number of years (2010 I think) with a year-long hiatus in there somewhere. Came back last year so yeah hoping for another great year of reading. Which will be chaotically eclectic, with a good dose of Japanese Literature, science-y non-fiction (probably geology related), some soccer stuff, and some more pencil reviews.

16lisapeet
Bewerkt: jan 1, 2021, 11:46 am

Hello, and happy—hopefully happier, anyway—New Year!

I'm lisapeet, real name Lisa Peet—I know, very imaginative—and this is my fourth! year on CR. I live at the very top of New York, NW Bronx, and have lived in various spots around the city since the ink on my high school diploma was dry. I'm in my mid-late-50s now.

I'm married to a guy, have a grown son who is in his third year of med school doing clinical rotations in Brooklyn, and at the moment have four cats. Our dear dog and most beloved old cat died last winter, and we lost two other good cats during 2019, so this is a different crew than we've had most of our time together.

I'm an editor and journalist, covering news about libraries—public, academic, and special (but not K-12). It's as cool a job as it sounds, and also super immersive... you may notice I talk about libraries a lot. I'm also a site proprietor at Bloom, a website that focuses on writers (and others) who first published after age 40, or who radically changed genres. I'm always interested in hearing about authors who fit that bill, so if you've read anyone whom you think I should know about, please drop me a line. I also write book reviews here and there around the web and a fair amount for Library Journal, and would like to get back into longer-form reviewing again at some point. I am not one of those people who found a whole bunch of free time during the pandemic, even with the loss of my very long commute, so I have a lot of aspirations that are still mostly aspirational. But you never know—I've had a lot of things pan out, so hope springs eternal.

I read widely and randomly—literary fiction (including short fiction and work in translation), nonfiction of most kinds (esp. science, history, nature, culture), good historical fiction, some poetry, memoir and biography, essays, literary criticism, graphic novels and collections. I don't read much in the way of genre but do like to go outside my zone and enjoy well-written sf, mysteries, thrillers, etc. YA rarely, but not ruled out.

I also like to bake, write physical letters, sketch, and I really hope to do fun NYC stuff again someday. I miss the galleries, restaurants, museums, stores, all that. I drive a very old car, my politics are left of center, and I like cheese a lot. My 2021 thread is here.

17AnnieMod
dec 28, 2020, 1:02 pm

Hello everyone,

I am Annie, I had been living in the Valley of the Sun in Arizona for the last decade after moving from Bulgaria.

I read pretty much anything but I am a lot more likely to read a genre novel (speculative fiction and thrillers/mystery/crime mainly, westerns and historical novels occasionally) than a contemporary one. I am a serial series reader - and I rarely drop a series I had started.

I like the classics - the Victorians and their contemporaries usually.

Most of my reading is novels but I also like comics, poetry, plays and short stories. Last year I tried to read "A Play a Day" and it got caught into my "2 months of almost not reading and 3 months of not reading at all" phase so this year I will be a bit more conservative and aim for "A Play a Week" (for now) - 10-minutes plays count.

Non-fiction can be tricky - I like reading it but I tend to harp on a topic and stay there for a long time so I am trying to break out of the habit. Maybe my "Read through history" will finally move out from pre-history this year.

I read in three languages: Bulgarian (my native), Russian (my second language although these days my English is much better than my Russian) and English. Most of my reading is in English because of where I live but I make an effort to read in Russian (so I do not forget it even more than I had) and Bulgarian authors are rarely translated...

This is my 11th year here (10th in a row - I skipped one early on) and maybe this is the one I won't drop off the face of the Earth before mid-year.

18booksfindme
dec 28, 2020, 9:13 pm

Hey there,
I’m Suzanne. I own a deli that has been opened and in the same downtown location since 1974, in Bakersfield California
I enjoyed reading the messages above about the others in this group.
I tend to read history related works. Seldom fiction although I love it. I do like biographies usually leans towards modern history and one subject matter lends itself to the other.
I also enjoy military and presidential history-and I’m not so sure why.
During covid I have reacquainted myself with John Steinbeck and really enjoyed it.
I am in a reading group which has too much leverage to the members on subject matter so I do read books I wouldn’t normally choose, it has forced me to branch out a bit. I enjoy it
I’m looking forward to the new year like many of us... Like everyone everywhere
Happy New Year

19kidzdoc
Bewerkt: dec 31, 2020, 8:58 am

I'm Darryl, and I've been a member of Club Read for the past 13 years (right, Lois?). For the past 20 years I've worked as a member of the pediatric hospitalist group that cares for patients hospitalized on the General Pediatrics service in a large (300+ bed) and busy children's hospital in Sandy Springs, Georgia, which is immediately north of Atlanta. In addition to seeing patients we also teach pediatric residents for the two medical schools in Atlanta, Emory and Morehouse, along with family practice residents from two large programs and Emory physician assistant students, which is almost always an enjoyable and stimulating task.

As an African American my reading tends to favor writers from the African diaspora, along with books about medicine, public health and science, and those about the Latinx community, the often maligned and misunderstood minority group in the United States, and as the administrator for the Booker Prize group in LibraryThing I follow the Booker Prize and the Booker International Prize with special interest. I also follow the Reading Globally group closely, and will do so to a much greater degree in 2021, especially in the third quarter of the year when I'll lead the group read of The Lusophone World, which has special interest to me, as I am seriously considering retiring to Portugal later this decade. I've attempted to resuscitate the Medicine group in LibraryThing, but I've only been able to achieve a brief flickering pulse, so I'll try to do so again this year.

My other interests include traveling, especially to Western Europe, and meeting the two or three dozen friends I've made in England, the Netherlands, Portugal and France, who are all members of LibraryThing or relatives or friends of LTers, attending theatre, especially in London, seeing modern art exhibitions, and dining in restaurants serving foods from different countries and cultures (I will work in exchange for pato de ají, paella negra, seafood gumbo, Turkish sea bass, polvo grelhado, Moroccan lamb, or Qabuli pulao). I'm also an avid cook, and I love trying new recipes and posting them on social media.

20SandDune
dec 29, 2020, 12:25 pm

I'm Rhian, originally from Wales, but now living in a smallish town halfway between London and Cambridge in the U.K. I’ve been a member of the 75 Book Challenge for some years, but as I’ll be retiring very early in 2021 I will have a lot more time for bookish activities so thought I’d join Club Read as well.

My husband (aka Mr SandDune) is a teacher and has just stepped down from a senior role at his school, but intends to carry on teaching until at least the summer before retirement. Our son J is studying History at the University of Lancaster in the North of England. We share the house with our dog Daisy.

I read mainly literary fiction, classics, science-fiction and fantasy, as well as some crime fiction. Non-fiction books tend to be memoirs, focused on the environment and nature, or on social issues. 2020 was a difficult year for me reading wise (as I’m sure it was for many) and I’m looking forward to an improvement in 2021.

Apart from reading my hobbies usually include travel (2020 was supposed to include a train trip to Poland), eating-out (last time I ate in a restaurant was in the beginning of March), and going to the theatre. I’m also interested in environmental issues and politics.

21kidzdoc
dec 29, 2020, 12:27 pm

>20 SandDune: Great to see you here, Rhian! Give my best to Mr Sand Dune, J... and Destructive Daisy!

22SandDune
dec 29, 2020, 12:33 pm

>21 kidzdoc: Thanks Darryl! I will do.

23Julie_in_the_Library
dec 29, 2020, 1:38 pm

Hi all,

I'm Julie, from Sharon, MA. This is my second year in Club Read.

I've always loved reading, and mystery and urban fantasy have long been favorite genres, though I also read a lot of other stuff, including nonfiction.

Non-reading hobbies include baking and cooking, D&D, very low-key hiking, taking nature/landscape photos on my phone, and writing.

I have the entirety of Paul Doiron's Mike Bowditch series, courtesy of my dad, so I'll probably continue reading those in 2021, starting with the second one. I also have two new books about ADHD to tackle at some point. *Insert joke about ADHD and planning here*

Other than that, I don't have any specific plans for my 2021 reading, except to read more than I did this past year.

24bragan
Bewerkt: dec 29, 2020, 4:12 pm

Hello, all! I'm Betty, and I've been a member of Club Read for a bit over ten years. Although I find that a little hard to believe, probably due to the fact that, as I age, I seem to be losing all sense of how time works and how much of it is behind me.

I live in New Mexico, USA, where I operate radio telescopes for a living. Although whatever you might be imaging when you hear that, the reality is undoubtedly far less exciting. The science is very cool, though.

I like to describe my reading tastes as "eclectic," if only because it sounds better than "indiscriminate" or "all over the place." I do have a particular leaning towards speculative fiction of various kinds, and I read a lot of non-fiction, as well, but I'll sample darned near anything.

I sort of feel as if I ought to apologize for my somewhat uneven participation in the group. I do post my thoughts on everything I read in my own thread, and I'm always happy to respond to people who stop by there to talk to me. I usually keep Talk up in a tab on my browser, even, so I can see if someone comments there. And yet, I find it hard to keep up with everyone else's threads much of the time, and often by the time I do catch up, I feel shy about responding to conversations that seem to have been ongoing for a while. Maybe my New Year's resolution should be to try to be more social here, but we all know how those tend to go.

I am, in any case, looking forward to a shiny new year of reading! My personal response to the stress of 2020 seems to have involved doing truly staggering amounts of online book shopping, with the excuse that I was supporting booksellers in their time of need. Which I still think is a pretty good excuse, but it did get a little, um, out of control. So my goal for 2021 is just to read lots of books while acquiring considerably fewer of them.

25rhian_of_oz
dec 30, 2020, 4:06 am

Hello I'm Rhian (another one!) from Perth Western Australia and while this is technically my third year is Club Read I was such a poor participant in 2020 I'm not sure it counts.

I read primarily fiction novels though I do occasionally read novellas, short stories and non-fiction. I've found my reading has broadened over the last few years, in part due to a number of BBs from various CRers.

My reading goal for this year is to try and reduce Mount TBR (i.e. read more books than I buy) though I'm not sure how realistic that is. It may also involve culling books I'm not likely to read (e.g. Books 1 and 2 of Game of Thrones) but I am notoriously bad at giving books away. We'll see.

My non-reading goal is to participate more in this group because it is filled with interesting and diverse people.

26SandDune
dec 30, 2020, 4:18 am

>25 rhian_of_oz: Another Rhian - how exciting! I don’t get to meet many these days.

27rhian_of_oz
dec 30, 2020, 4:42 am

>26 SandDune: We're quite rare in Australia too. I remember the first time I spoke to another Rhian on the phone - we couldn't stop giggling.

28thorold
Bewerkt: dec 30, 2020, 5:53 am

>20 SandDune: Welcome to Club Read, Rhian, and (shortly) to retirement. I can recommend both!

Just peaked at the books we share, and I see the two at the top of the list are Feet in chains and Ash on a young man’s sleeve. And I’m not even Welsh...!

29LadyoftheLodge
Bewerkt: dec 30, 2020, 1:37 pm

>24 bragan: I get that about online book shopping! I also like your rationale for supporting book sellers during 2020. That is as good a reason as I can come up with for my book acquisitions.

30avaland
Bewerkt: dec 30, 2020, 3:35 pm

>19 kidzdoc: Something like that, I think we been going for 12 now, and this year coming is the 13th. The group was created for Jan 2009 (although I privately 'seeded' the group in Nov. 2008 and made it public in Dec. 2008)

>20 SandDune: SandDune Also waving a welcome. Like Mark (thorold), I also recommend the group and retirement :-)

>24 bragan: I'm not sure my online & bookshop purchases have outdone the previous year or two. Hmm. I'm not going to think about it (fingers in ears, la lal la). It's a literary prescribed medication (prescribed by me).

31bragan
dec 30, 2020, 6:48 pm

>30 avaland: Yes, book shopping is good for what ails you! Right? :)

32rhian_of_oz
dec 30, 2020, 6:50 pm

>31 bragan: I reckon I can feel my blood pressure drop when I'm in a bookstore or library. Sounds medicinal to me.

33shadrach_anki
dec 31, 2020, 12:46 am

Hello, everyone! I'm Anki, and I live in New Hampshire. This is my fifth year in Club Read; I am looking forward to reading and talking books with everyone again!

My reading tends to gravitate toward genre fiction (fantasy, science fiction, and mystery) and manga/graphic novels, with a sprinkling of non-fiction works over the year. In terms of format, about half my reading is physical books, and the other half is some split of ebooks and audiobooks.

When it comes to my reading goals for 2021, I want to continue reading books that I own, and I really want to cut back on the number of books I buy. Things got, ah, rather out of hand in the latter half of 2020 in terms of book acquisitions, and as a result my owned and unread books list is currently extra overwhelming. I am not typically the sort of person who makes extensive and detailed reading plans, mostly because I have found that when I do make lists of that sort, I am actually making a list of books I won't be reading any time soon. That said, 2021 is shaping up to be the Year of the Buddy Reads, which means...well, it means I have made lists of books I am going to be trying to read each month. Rather ambitious lists, particularly for the beginning of the year. We'll see how it actually ends up playing out.

34tonikat
Bewerkt: dec 31, 2020, 1:39 pm

Hi, I'm Kat or Toni, hence my screen name. I'm from the north of the UK, today the sky is very blue.

When I first started posting it was mainly fiction I think, literary fiction. That's been somewhat reduced lately, but not through a conscious choice. I write, so I read poetry too (much never gets posted about as its bits here and there, maybe I will post more 'as I go'). I'm getting a lot from reading writers' biographies or autobiographies and memoirs. I post quite a lot of articles that I read on my thread as a way to keep a record of them. I also read non fiction, especially philosophy (though a little goes a long way with me, I often don't finish what I start). I'm thinking I'll lighten up some of my reading with more SF, crime and maybe writing on music as I think it helps my reading tick over better. I have a bit more time to read at the moment and hope to increase how much I read without losing quality. I've made some recent progress on working on gender balance in who I read, which I enjoy very much, I notice an impact on me of that, it feels positive to read more female authors than I was. I don't tend to like plans, and definitely don't stick to them, following what my heart feels warm about is a good method for me, I may say more on my thread on some detail. Best wishes to all for a safe and happy New Year.

35baswood
dec 31, 2020, 8:01 am

My name is Barry and my wife says I was born to be retired. I never took to work and spent my time earning a living in local government. Retirement has enabled me to do more of the things I like doing and reading is certainly one of them along with making and playing music. I do like to travel, but because of the environment I haven't flown for fifteen years and so car journeys have limited me a bit (I will never get to America) and probably won't repeat a motorcycle journey I did overland to India and Sri Lanka way back when. Covid 19 has at times limited me to one kilometre from the house and so walking has been circular.

I was born in London England and spent nearly forty years enjoying all that the capitol had to offer. I then moved up north to rural Derbyshire, but this got too busy and so when I retired I moved to South West France to the Gers a department that has no motorway and few people. This year I became naturalised French and one of the reasons was that those fascists in England took away my European identity.

Over the last ten years that I have been on Librarything (got my medal this year, thank you Tim) my reading has become increasingly programmed. I read 100 books last year and reviewed them all and for next year I have already planned my next 100 books (got to travel hopefully). I am also thinking of opening up with a music thread, but for the foreseeable future this will mean CD's and LP's as I can't imagine when I will feel comfortable going to a live performance "GIMMEE THE JAB"

And so lets end with a poem:

Sonnet 1
Festive facists dressed in the old corsage
And they come with a mighty entourage:
Dinner and diktats will all come to pass
over the heads of the poor serving class.
The American gangster and the Eton Mess;
Fat boy fiddlers whiter than driven snow,
Tune up the playbook of songs of duress
To launch again at their crude wild west show.
Bolsheviks can really get up ones nose;
Working within their insidious pride,
Beavering away to find a new rose
Committed to appear at your bedside.
Celebrate, freedom, friendship for now
Worrying not about the holy cow.

36japaul22
dec 31, 2020, 8:47 am

Hi all, I'm Jennifer and I live in Washington, D.C. with my husband and 2 sons, ages 11 and almost 8. I am a professional musician and I play french horn in the U.S. Marine Band.

I've been on LT since 2009, I think, and in Club Read since probably 2011. I read a mix of new novels (largely by women), classics, books from the 1001 books to read before you die list (these almost always push me out of my comfort zone in a good way), nonfiction (usually historical biographies or social history), and the occasional mystery or historical fiction to lighten things up.

There is no way for me to separate my reading from the influences I find on LT anymore. They are completely intertwined. Sometimes I wonder what path my reading would have taken without all of you, but I know it would not be as rich and varied as it is with all of your influence! So thank you - I'm looking forward to another year!

37tonikat
Bewerkt: dec 31, 2020, 8:58 am

>35 baswood: right on Barry. I haven't found another nationality, yet, jobs in Scotland appeal.

38dchaikin
Bewerkt: dec 31, 2020, 1:22 pm

Hi. I’m Dan and think of myself as a suburban boy from South Florida, but i’ve now lived longer in Houston then anywhere else. (I also claim connections to New Orleans, for undergrad, and to Lawrence, Ks, for grad school). Our family has two cranky cats, a loving dog that turns to hell hound if she doesn’t know you, and two kids, both teenagers now. One is driving. (The kids make fun of my Florida origins. I haven’t had the heart to emphasize that tx isn’t all that much an improvement). I’m grateful I survived 2020, that my marriage survived 2020, and that Trump is almost gone. The day we learned Biden won the US election my world view was stripped of a dark shadow I had held onto for 4 years, and I think my reading improved too.

As for reading, Club Read has helped me define my reading. It’s gotten very structured and I’ve gotten to like the structure. This year I hope to learn about Petrarch and maybe Boccaccio. I want to read more Nabokov, Shakespeare, the little Willa Cather I haven’t read yet, the 2020 Booker longlist, and some of those 100 books I bought last year (oops). Unfortunately I haven’t figured out how to balance all that and leave room for the unexpected.

Happy to back in CR for what will be my 13th year. Happy New Year all!

39gsm235
dec 31, 2020, 5:42 pm

I’m Greg. This is my first time in the group. I studied English Literature at the University of Maryland when Reagan was president, but, somehow, I ended up as a computer programmer living near Seattle with my wife, an old hound dog, two cats, and a rabbit. I have a wide range of reading interests from literature, genre fiction, and non-fiction, but I put the kibosh on young adult or romance.
I have been tracking every book I have read since December 1990. It started out on paper, moved to a personal database, and now the complete history is on LibraryThing. I have been listening to unabridged audio books since 1997; I have been reading ebooks since 2002 – before the Kindle.

40jjmcgaffey
Bewerkt: jan 1, 2021, 4:24 am

>12 nohrt4me2: I read an Amish-in-space (well, on another planet, anyway) book recently - Blind Man's Lantern by Allen Kim Lang. Is that the one you were thinking of?

41BLBera
jan 1, 2021, 11:19 am

I'm Beth, and this is my second year on Club Read with a thread although I've been a lurker for years. I am an English instructor at my local community college. I am grateful to have a job during the pandemic, but teaching via Zoom is a challenge, and I will be happy when I can be back with my students, 100% face to face.

My tastes are eclectic although I tend to read more women writers than men, and I am always searching for authors and books I can use in class. One issue that I am deeply concerned about is equity in the classroom, so I am very conscious of choosing books that reflect my very diverse classroom.

I would like to read more from my shelves this year and make space for new books. Last year, more than half of my reading came from the library. It is very hard to resist those shiny new books. I hope to do better this year.

42LibraryLover23
jan 1, 2021, 3:15 pm

Hello, everyone! I've decided to join this group for a change of pace. I live in Lancaster, PA, and have been a member of LT since May of 2008. After all these years of keeping track, I see my average number of books read in a year is between 70-80. I'm a long-time lurker on many threads, but I'll try to be better at commenting, especially if something catches my eye!

I'm still formulating my reading goals for the year, but the never-ending goal of trying to reduce the TBR pile will hold true regardless.

43karspeak
jan 1, 2021, 6:14 pm

44ELiz_M
jan 1, 2021, 8:55 pm

Happy 2021, everyone! I've been an active member of LT since 2013 and have been a member of Club Read for six years. However, I am going to lurk this year.

While I love list-making and reading, I do not enjoy writing and am perpetually behind on reviewing. I don't think I've ever made it all the way through the year. So, my main book-activity will be in the Category Challenge and on Litsy.

For many, many years I have been reading primarily from he 1001-Books-to-Read-Before-You-Die list, Other reads are dictated by my real-life book club (which alternates literary fiction and non-fiction), various reading challenges and, now and again, a novel found on one of your threads.

Aside from reading, my weekdays are spent working from home for a large performing arts organization in NYC and my weekends are for eating brunch out, visiting MoMA or the Met Museum, walking around my Brooklyn neighborhood/Prospect Park, and cooking vegetarian meals for myself and/or baking cookies.

45OscarWilde87
jan 2, 2021, 4:03 am

Hi there! I'm here for my eighth year on CR!
I just love being here and adding to my TBR pile as there are so many good reviews here. I always plan to weigh in on book discussions, but usually don't find the time unfortunately. Most of the time I'm just starring threads I particularly enjoy (and members who I know will be reading things I might like) and trying to read up on every thread in this group. While I won't always post, be sure that I'll be reading.

I'm in my thirties and I work as an English and maths teacher at a German high school. While work constantly gets in my way of reading I find my job quite fulfilling. My reading is all over the board. I enjoy classic literature and non-fiction (especially American history) just as well as popular fiction.

46avaland
Bewerkt: jan 2, 2021, 7:37 am

>33 shadrach_anki: Waving to my fellow New Hampshirite. We can't be more than 8 or so miles away, as the crow flies, can we?

It's so nice to see so many familiar faces...er....names....

>42 LibraryLover23: Welcome to the group!

>45 OscarWilde87: I have two American history books I'd like to get to this year, a new book 1774 :The Long Year of Revolution by Mary Beth Norton, and an old reprint of the 1943 Capitalism and Slavery by Eric Williams. But, we'll see ....

47japaul22
jan 2, 2021, 7:37 am

>44 ELiz_M: I will be sure to keep up with you in the category challenge. I'm a very inconsistent litsy user, but when I'm on I'll catch you there too. I love following your reading!

48shadrach_anki
jan 2, 2021, 9:34 am

>46 avaland: Waving back to you! It might be as high as ten miles, but I doubt it is more than that. As the crow flies, at any rate. When you throw in winding New England roads, the distance increases.

49dchaikin
jan 2, 2021, 10:18 am

>44 ELiz_M: will have to keep closer track of you on Litsy then. You’re always reading fascinating stuff.

50dchaikin
jan 2, 2021, 1:40 pm

>45 OscarWilde87: huh, you are living in Germany? I didn't realize.

51OscarWilde87
jan 2, 2021, 2:14 pm

>46 avaland: I will make sure to check your thread every now and then. Not just for the American history books, though. ;)

>50 dchaikin: Yep, near Cologne, actually. You might know Cologne Cathedral as it is quite famous. At least in Europe, that is... :)

52Nickelini
jan 2, 2021, 2:26 pm

Hi, I'm Joyce and I live in Vancouver, Canada with my husband. Currently my younger daughter is home too -- she attends the University of Victoria, but at the moment it's being held in her bedroom. My older daughter lives in Switzerland and so I am keen to read as many Swiss books as I can find (while avoiding the old dudes). Monday to Friday I work as a fraud investigator, so my reading time isn't as ample as I'd like. That said, I love my job -- I just wish it was part-time.

I read whatever I'm in the mood for, and like to mix it up a bit. I don't read a lot of the fashionable books. This last year I realized I want to read more contemporary translated fiction and have found that most of the books translated into English tend to be the more literary, which I'm less interested in than I was a few years ago. So if anyone knows of any good German chick-lit, please let me know ;-) . Seriously, looiking for suggestions for translated books that are more on the fun side than the literary.

I love lists, so I have an intricately planned reading journal for 2021. I will replicate some of that info here on LT. I used to try to read off my TBR pile as much as possible, but buying books was one of my few pleasures in 2020. I don't feel like stopping yet.

53dchaikin
jan 2, 2021, 2:46 pm

>51 OscarWilde87: i had to look up the cathedral. : )

54avaland
jan 2, 2021, 4:49 pm

Looking forward to following your reading again this year, Joyce.

Did I ever recommend a funny Spanish crime series by Alicia Giménez-Bartlett, translations put out by Europa Editions. There was only three installments when I read them ages ago, but they were amusing. https://www.europaeditions.com/book/9781933372143/dog-day

55thorold
jan 2, 2021, 5:30 pm

>52 Nickelini: Joyce — do you know about Irmgard Keun? She wrote high-quality chicklit in the thirties and made herself unpopular with the Nazis. Most of her books have been translated into English.

56Simone2
jan 3, 2021, 4:41 am

Hi all, I am Barbara and have been keeping track of my reading in Club Read for a few years. I like to follow what others are reading and during the years my tbr has exploded.
I used to be much more active on LT but now I prefer Litsy also because English is not my first language and writing reviews is always a challenge. On Litsy you are only allowed short ones! Looking forward to another year of reading with you!

57kidzdoc
jan 3, 2021, 11:58 am

>51 OscarWilde87: I spent a lovely Sunday in Cologne four or five years ago with my close German friend Bianca (drachenbraut23) during my first visit to Amsterdam. I took a Deutsche Bahn ICE train from Amsterdam Centraal to Köln Hbf, and thought for a second that the train was going to strike the Cathedral after it crossed the Hohenzollern Bridge and pulled into the station. We went to the cathedral first, but there was a church service going on, so I didn't see much of its interior, although it is impressive and overwhelming from the exterior. Taking photos of it was akin to photographing an elephant from close range.

58LolaWalser
Bewerkt: jan 4, 2021, 1:20 am

Hello all, happy new year. I can't remember if I ever had a thread here but I did lurk in the past--very haphazardly and practically not at all in the last few years. In case I manage better this year, here's my mark. :)

Update: joined!

59baswood
jan 4, 2021, 8:24 am

>58 LolaWalser: Be brave Lola - set up a thread

61LolaWalser
jan 4, 2021, 12:59 pm

Gadzooks! I hope more people start joining pronto... did you all know being the last in line feels like a hard full stop? :)

62tonikat
jan 4, 2021, 1:08 pm

>61 LolaWalser: well let me soften it a bit -- and welcome back -- I'm sure there will be more

63LolaWalser
jan 4, 2021, 1:44 pm

>62 tonikat:

Why thank you! :) "65" is no answer to anything...

64Nickelini
jan 4, 2021, 2:58 pm

>54 avaland:

Did I ever recommend a funny Spanish crime series by Alicia Giménez-Bartlett, translations put out by Europa Editions.

I'm not familiar with that author so I'll look her up. I do find that Europa Editions is my best source for what I'm looking for in translated fiction, but I'd like to expand even more (and away from "literature").

>55 thorold:

do you know about Irmgard Keun? She wrote high-quality chicklit in the thirties and made herself unpopular with the Nazis. Most of her books have been translated into English.

LOL I didn't know there was 1930s chicklit. What I'm looking for is contemporary, and the more recent the better. However, that sounds potentially fun, so I'll look into her books.

65Verwijderd
jan 4, 2021, 8:54 pm

>40 jjmcgaffey: No, it was Pennsylvania Omnibus. The other Amish dystopian was When the English Fall. But thanks. I might give my husband a heads up on that.

66sallypursell
jan 5, 2021, 4:35 pm

Hi, all, I'm Sally, and I live in St. Louis, Missouri. This will be my second full year at Club Read. I am retired, but I spent 40 years working as an RN. Before that, I worked in public and academic libraries for about 10 years. I own an unreasonable number of books, in the thousands, and bought far too many last year.

I'm happily married for nearly 50 years, and we have four adult children, and four grandchildren. I have seven siblings, all but one of whom live in St. Louis, too.

I read a fair amount of a variety of things. I like mysteries, science fiction and fantasy, and I like some romance. I do read some literary fiction as well. I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but when I do, I like science and history. I try to read a lot of other threads, but I'd rather be reading. I'm pleased to be here for another year, and very pleased to meet our new readers.

67LadyoftheLodge
jan 6, 2021, 2:36 pm

>66 sallypursell: Hi Sally! Glad to see you here and back again for another year. My book collection also numbers in the thousands, and like you, I bought too many last year. That trend seems to be continuing in 2021 (fortunately or unfortunately).

68kelsey.5821
jan 6, 2021, 9:12 pm

I'm Kelsey. I really enjoy reading, and I thought I'd try this group out!

69sallypursell
jan 6, 2021, 9:13 pm

70sallypursell
jan 6, 2021, 9:14 pm

>68 kelsey.5821: Welcome, Kelsey. I can't wait to see what you read. We are an enthusiastic bunch. Your wishlist is apt to burgeon.

71LadyoftheLodge
jan 8, 2021, 2:25 pm

>68 kelsey.5821: Hi Kelsey, and welcome. I think you will enjoy this group. We are a friendly bunch for the most part.

72arubabookwoman
jan 9, 2021, 3:30 pm

I'm Deborah, a retired tax attorney, Mom of 5 kids, and Grandma to 5 grandkids. In 2020, after 35 years in Seattle, we moved to the Tampa Bay area to be closer to our kids, all of whom had left Seattle for the East Coast and environs. One of our sons, and 2 of the grands are in the area, but because of covid, we haven't been able to see much of them since we arrived in Florida in June. For the past couple of years, our lives have also revolved around a lot of medical issues, as my husband had a bone marrow transplant about 1 1/2 years ago which, though successful, results in ongoing issues.

I love to read, and read eclectically, about 2/3 fiction, 1/3 nonfiction. I try to read as much translated fiction as I can. I mainly read literary fiction, but I read a fair amount of crime and scifi. Last year, for the first time in several years, I managed to review every book I read on my thread. Unfortunately, I didn't make a lot of stellar choices last year (lack of concentration maybe), and I had only 2 five star reads, Swann's Way and Summer by Ali Smith.

I'm a fiber artist, and art is my other passion. I probably do some work on my fiber art everyday, and I also study art history with a group of friends (now by Zoom since I've left Seattle). We are currently doing a very in depth look at Fra Angelico.

73baswood
jan 9, 2021, 6:16 pm

>72 arubabookwoman: I will look forward to your more regular postings.

Interesting that you are studying the work of Fra Angelico one of my favourite renaissance artists. Some time ago I went with a large group of friends to Firenze for a week to look at the frescoes and the statutory. As soon as I had checked into the hotel I dashed over to the Convent of San Marco to see the Fra Angelico frescoes. They were unforgettable delicate almost ethereal, many are set in individual cells and I remember the golden stone backgrounds, but that may have been enhanced by the lighting. For the rest of the week San Marco was closed and I became famous in the group as the only person to get to see those frescoes.

74arubabookwoman
jan 9, 2021, 7:14 pm

>73 baswood: Bas, I am so envious that you got to see the San Marco frescoes in person. Fra Angelico's frescoes are much simplified compared to his panel paintings, but seem to get to the essence of the scenes they are depicting. They were also meant to be seen only by the monks, and so did not need to be loaded up with narrative detail, which the monks would already have known. And (at least the ones in the cells) were not seen by anyone but the monks for 400 years.
My art friends and I are planning an art trip to Italy in 2 to 3 years, and the San Marco frescoes have a top place on the list of things we want to see!

75sallypursell
jan 9, 2021, 7:54 pm

>72 arubabookwoman: Deborah, somehow I had missed that you were so serious about art history. My only daughter was just finishing her master's work in Art History when a hospitalization surprised her, and derailed that degree. Neverthless, she is a serious artist and art historian. She has a website under her name, Amalia Pursell, and a channel on Youtube of "drunken Art History". I find her funny, of course.

76Nickelini
jan 9, 2021, 7:58 pm

>75 sallypursell:
I'm always interested in new YouTube channels and art is one of my favourite subjects so I'll check her out

77arubabookwoman
jan 9, 2021, 9:53 pm

>75 sallypursell: Sally I will check that out! Thanks for letting me know!
None of us are professionals, but we read and research broadly, and discuss and present to each other. We are moving slowly through time, having begun with prehistoric art several years ago, now up to the Italian Renaissance. We did take a break during my husband’s transplant, but are back into pretty seriously again.

78cindydavid4
jan 9, 2021, 10:57 pm

>72 arubabookwoman: We were in Italy many years ago, and I am still stunned but the sight of those frescos. What brillance! Hope to go back to Italy (and Europe) at some point. In the meantime I can enjoy looking at images and reading about them

79SandDune
jan 10, 2021, 6:46 am

>72 arubabookwoman: >73 baswood: I am also someone who very much likes the works of Fra Angelico, although I would not claim to know very much about them. I spent nine months in Firenze when I finished university and at the end of that time I was pretty well informed on Renaissance art, but that was nearly forty years ago and I have forgotten most of what I learnt.

80SassyLassy
jan 10, 2021, 10:59 am

Late to the party as usual, but finally here. I live in Canada by the Atlantic Ocean, where everyday is completely different from the day before.

I've been on LT since 2011, when I first joined to use it as a way of cataloguing my books. I soon became a lurker in several groups, and have been in Club Read since 2012.

This year I am doing the Questions for the Avid Reader, where you get to tell people your thoughts on a variety of reading related questions. If you're new to Club Read and haven't discovered it yet, take a look. If you have any questions you would like to propose, send me a personal message on LT.

I'm also found in the Reading Globally group, and less frequently in Needlearts and Virago Modern Classics.

While my reading is fairly wide, it is not usually very current, preferring the 19th century for some reason.

81LadyoftheLodge
jan 10, 2021, 1:21 pm

>72 arubabookwoman: >80 SassyLassy: Welcome, good to see you here in Club Read.

82Milda-TX
jan 11, 2021, 12:49 am

Hi, I’m Milda. I used to spend time in Talk (back in 2010?) but that led to a huge pile of recommended books on my shelves and not enough time to read them. Now I just keep a reading log here. Maybe when I get through the last book from 2010 I’ll talk to you again. Ha ha ha... Hope you all have a great year!

83avaland
Bewerkt: jan 11, 2021, 7:52 am

>80 SassyLassy: I live in Canada by the Atlantic Ocean, where everyday is completely different from the day before. I love that statement!

84pmarshall
Bewerkt: jan 11, 2021, 11:01 am

Hello, I’m Penny from the province of New Brunswick on Canada’s east coast. I have been a member of Librarything since 2006. I am a retired librarian, having worked in academic, government and public libraries as well as run a publishing company in conjunction with one position.

Mysteries - police and legal procedurals, private investigators, historical, the whole gamut - are my favourite but I also read biographies, literary travel and historical fiction among other things. I like series and enjoy rereading an entire series in order.

I live in a nursing home and have limited mobility and vision so reading is limited to ebooks, mainly Kindle. I do paint with watercolour pencils and oil pastels.

85LadyoftheLodge
jan 11, 2021, 1:44 pm

>84 pmarshall: Hi Penny, it sounds as if you and I read a lot of the same kinds of novels. I also read a lot on my Kindle, much more than I used to do. My work with color is limited to adult coloring books using mainly colored pencils, so I am not as talented as you must be with your art. I am glad to find you here.

86janemarieprice
jan 11, 2021, 2:27 pm

Hi, I am Jane from Chicago. I've been on LT since 2007 and Club Read since 2009 but am much more of a lurker these days. I read mainly fiction - classics, literary, and scifi/fantasy. I am an architect and interior designer so most of my nonfiction is either in that category or some topic of interest for current projects. I am going to see how things go for a bit and then perhaps set up a thread of my own. My reading took a nosedive halfway through last year so still trying to get back into things.

87ELiz_M
jan 11, 2021, 2:31 pm

>86 janemarieprice: Hello, former New Yorker! (And former New Orleaner? Hmm, I should let someone else convey that greeting).

88janemarieprice
jan 11, 2021, 3:04 pm

>87 ELiz_M: Yes, I must say when we first starting working from home my partner and I were like thank god we're not in our tiny Brooklyn place!

89AnnieMod
jan 11, 2021, 3:06 pm

>84 pmarshall: ' I like series and enjoy rereading an entire series in order.'

I knew we had another serial series reader here :)

90NanaCC
jan 13, 2021, 8:26 pm

Hi, I’m Colleen. I moved to the South Shore of Massachusetts from New Jersey at the end of June. I’ve been a Club Read member since 2013. I fell way behind the second half of last year, and just couldn’t catch up. But here I am again.

My go to reading for comfort is mysteries. I have many series that I enjoy, and like a few of you, I have to read them in order.

I’m looking forward to a better year. I can’t see how it could be worse than last year....fingers crossed. Looking forward to the vaccine.

91NanaCC
Bewerkt: jan 14, 2021, 11:01 pm

Duplicate post

92dianeham
jan 16, 2021, 12:38 am

Every year I try to get plugged into a lt group but so far it hasn't stuck. So maybe here and maybe now.

My name is Diane. I live at the Southern most tip of NJ with my husband and our gsd. The Delaware Bay is 1/2 mile away. I am a retired public librarian. I ran the computer system/network for the Cape May County libraries.

My reading slacked off for a couple of years but has picked up again recently. I read mostly ebooks. I like getting ebook samples so I can decide if I want to read it.

I read literary fiction and scifi mostly. Some of my very specific interests in fiction are books about cults, post-apocalyptic novels, time travel and Sri Lanka. I am very interested in Japanese fiction and love Murakami. My biggest nonfiction interest is books about the Amazon.

93Nickelini
jan 16, 2021, 1:30 am

>92 dianeham:
Hi, Diane!
I haven't read any books from Sri Lanka recently but I was crazy about them a few years ago and want to get back to reading more. Such an amazing culture. I'll check out your library

94dianeham
jan 16, 2021, 1:41 am

>93 Nickelini: we have very similar tastes.

95rachbxl
jan 16, 2021, 3:03 am

I don’t know where the first half of January went, but I am here for another year. A belated Happy New Year to you all.

I’m Rachel, originally from the north of England, but living in Belgium for almost 20 years now. I’ve been in CR since the first year, and right from the start it’s been my main source of recommendations. I read almost exclusively fiction (I would like to read more non-fiction but it never happens), a lot of literary fiction although last year, for obvious reasons, saw me reaching for a lot of lighter stuff.

Although I don’t list them all on my thread, I also read a lot of children’s books, reading aloud to my almost-7-year old daughter who, I’m delighted to report, loves books and stories. As well as the longer books which I read to her, we read lots of shorter chapter books together, me one page, her one page - we spent hours doing that during the first lockdown, and we haven’t stopped (although it’s no longer our main activity!)

96AnnieMod
jan 16, 2021, 3:49 am

>92 dianeham: I love well done time travel stories :) Welcome to Club Read! :)

97dianeham
jan 16, 2021, 5:34 am

>96 AnnieMod: thanks Annie

98dchaikin
jan 16, 2021, 3:31 pm

>82 Milda-TX:, >84 pmarshall:, >86 janemarieprice:, >90 NanaCC:, >92 dianeham:, >95 rachbxl: nice to see so many familiar people back this week. Welcome all.

99LolaWalser
jan 16, 2021, 6:59 pm

I'm in Toronto (still, to my great surprise).

100AnnieMod
jan 16, 2021, 7:50 pm

>99 LolaWalser: Right? I was not planning to still be in Phoenix (I was not planning to stay in the States really -- or did not allow myself to plan because of the whole visas situation) a decade after I moved and yet... :)

101LolaWalser
jan 16, 2021, 7:59 pm

>100 AnnieMod:

My current theory is that it's the BOOKS. :) It's them keeping this balloon down!

102avaland
jan 17, 2021, 5:02 am

>99 LolaWalser: I didn't want to presume. :-)

103cindydavid4
jan 17, 2021, 7:25 am

>99 LolaWalser: >100 AnnieMod: >101Oh I was so planning on escaping AZ, and possible the US (at one point thinking I wanted to emigrate to Israel but started college instead) Done lots of traveling over the years and always had the bug to move, but one thing leads to each other and suddenly you have a job, spouse, home friends and family and yes Books that has kept me settled here and making the most of it. Im happy and grateful, and so there we are

104LadyoftheLodge
jan 17, 2021, 12:45 pm

>103 cindydavid4: I really hate to think of moving (again) at some time in the future, to smaller digs or condo, mainly because of having to pack all my books. Been there, done that! I have more than the last time I moved though. We custom designed this house for senior living, but may want to get in closer to town at some point, and also avoid all the home maintenance. We'll see what transpires.

105sallypursell
jan 18, 2021, 11:55 pm

>92 dianeham: Welcome diane, and welcome back to so many others.

106dianeham
jan 19, 2021, 1:03 am

107edwinbcn
jan 23, 2021, 3:04 am

My name is Edwin, I am 54 years old, born in the Netherlands, and I have been living and working in China for more than 20 years. I work as a teacher and textbook author, and have published two textbook series for learning English in China. I now live and work in Nanning, a city about 600 km to the west of Hong Kong, and about 200 km to the north of Hanoi, Vietnam.

I am mainly reading from my unread book collection. Since last year, I have changed to mainly reading classics and so-called modern classics, with some contemporary fiction thrown in. Last year, I started reading more non-fiction and biographies, and will continue with that this year.

108dianeham
jan 23, 2021, 5:26 am

>107 edwinbcn: Welcome Edwin

109AnnieMod
jan 23, 2021, 7:14 am

>107 edwinbcn: I was wondering if your internet will allow you to join again :)

110avaland
jan 23, 2021, 10:43 am

>107 edwinbcn: Yes, nice to see you back, Edwin!

111LadyoftheLodge
jan 24, 2021, 12:11 pm

>107 edwinbcn: Hi Edwin, good to see you here.

112Soumya01
Bewerkt: jan 24, 2021, 1:02 pm

Dit bericht is door zijn auteur gewist.

113Soumya01
jan 24, 2021, 1:04 pm

Hi I am Soumya from Delhi, India! I am 28 years old and I am an event planner. I recently left my job to start my company. Now that I am not working full time, I have a lot more time to read and well, discuss books!

114dchaikin
jan 24, 2021, 9:10 pm

>107 edwinbcn: nice to see you join again.

>113 Soumya01: welcome

115sallypursell
jan 25, 2021, 11:17 am

Hi, edwin!

Welcome, Soumya, you are very welcome. I hope you enjoy it.

116LadyoftheLodge
jan 25, 2021, 11:18 am

>113 Soumya01: Hi there, Soumya. Welcome to the group. I hope you enjoy your reading and being in the Club Read too.

117porte01
Bewerkt: feb 2, 2021, 1:08 pm

Hi everyone. I’m Terri and am brand new to Librarything and am so happy to be here! I retired a year or so ago and am enjoying the freedom to do whatever takes my fancy. 2020 has been difficult as I know it has been for everyone, and in our case, we have had to miss our trip down south for the winter. Instead, I’m cocooning up here in Canada organizing my lists of books and working my way through actually reading as many as I can work in. I love to read Mysteries, Legal Fiction, Crime and Detective Series, Historical Fiction, Biographies, Psychology, Science Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories, and just about everything else. So far in January my favourite read was Crimson Lake by Candice Fox and I’m excited to look forward to working my way through her entire series.

118johnmorganhere
feb 2, 2021, 6:39 am

Hello everyone, I am new here.

119cindydavid4
feb 2, 2021, 10:22 am

welcome to you both!!! eager to hear about your reading!

120LadyoftheLodge
feb 2, 2021, 7:27 pm

>117 porte01: Hi there, Teri! I hope you enjoy retirement--I have never regretted retiring from full-time work. Welcome to the group.

121LadyoftheLodge
feb 2, 2021, 7:27 pm

>118 johnmorganhere: Hi there, tell us about yourself, johnmorganhere.

122sallypursell
feb 2, 2021, 11:10 pm

Hi, Terri, and hi, johnmorganhere. We're glad you are here, and look forward to getting to know you better.

123raton-liseur
feb 3, 2021, 6:46 am

So many new members those days! It's always great to meet new readers. I'm looking forward to seeing what you read. Welcome all!

124avaland
feb 3, 2021, 9:08 am

List at the top of the page with Terri's detail, also Robant was added

125johnmorganhere
feb 3, 2021, 9:48 am

>121 LadyoftheLodge: Hi, thanks for your reply. I am an ordinary guy, I work as a driver. I like to read books. I am here to find new friends and some new books which I havent read yet

126rhian_of_oz
feb 3, 2021, 9:54 am

>125 johnmorganhere: If you are looking for new books you have absolutely come to the right place!

127LadyoftheLodge
feb 3, 2021, 2:06 pm

>125 johnmorganhere: Beware though, you can get lots of good ideas for reading and spend your hard-earned cash on books or e-books. I speak from experience.

128AnnieMod
feb 3, 2021, 2:09 pm

>125 johnmorganhere: Famous last words (the "find new books" part)... Next year you will start your intro the same way we all do: "I really want to read more from my TBR pile but I keep adding more to it so at the end of the year there are more books there than at the start"...

Welcome to Club Read. We don't bite - but book bullets are flying very low around here so duck... or catch them and add them to your TBR ;)

129johnmorganhere
feb 4, 2021, 7:54 am

Thanks a lot for everyone, I will take your advice into account.

130avaland
feb 4, 2021, 7:59 pm

>128 AnnieMod: Annie, you know us all soooooo well. LOL.

131dianeham
feb 8, 2021, 10:56 pm

I was wondering if we could have a What Should I Read Next? topic. I often have several books to choose from and can't decide. Others here may be familiar with some of my choices or just better at making a decision.

132Nickelini
feb 8, 2021, 11:30 pm

>131 dianeham:

I'm happy to chirp in on that . . . the worst thing that would happen is that the thread would just drop down to the bottom . . .

133avaland
feb 9, 2021, 7:56 pm

>131 dianeham: Why don’t you create a thread and try it....

134dianeham
feb 9, 2021, 8:05 pm

>133 avaland: thank you

135Eugene41
feb 21, 2021, 3:06 pm

Hello,
I'm Peter and I think this is the right forum for me. I enjoy reading and would like to hear from other readers on their thoughts about books, and to get their recommendations. I hope this is the correct means to do this (as you can see I'm a little confused about how this site works.)

I'm 69 years old, happily retired, active and interested in many things. During the last 6 years I've been auditing classes at Hunter College, here in New York City. Right now I'm auditing an on-line course in Geology; it's an area I'm never studied before and I find it very interesting.

This year I've read a few novels and short story collections by Jhumpa Lahiri. I find her writing about a particular social class (middle class Indian professionals) to be a very on comfortable and interesting read. Before that I read 'Home' by Marilynne Robinson. I've read most of her fiction (except for 'Jack') and some of her non-fiction essays. I think she is a remarkable writer with an extraordinary sensibility and intelligence though I must also admit that some of the essay writing was very challenging for me to follow.

Right now I reading books by Joseph O'Connor. I really liked 'The Star of the Sea' and I now reading his short story collection: 'True Believers'.

I'm looking for recommendations and I'm interested in hearing about others experiences in reading.

136avaland
feb 21, 2021, 7:15 pm

>135 Eugene41: Welcome, Eugene! Why don’t you create a thread where we can follow your reading. You could paste what you have written here on your thread as a good beginning and others will eventually find you! If you need any help just ask anyone.

137LadyoftheLodge
feb 21, 2021, 7:57 pm

>135 Eugene41: Hi there, and welcome! I think you are in the right place. We are a friendly sort of group. Don't forget to start a new thread if you have not done that yet, so we can follow you.

138sallypursell
feb 21, 2021, 8:25 pm

>135 Eugene41: Eugene, you are in the right place. Start a thread where we can get to know you, if you don't mind. Just log your reading, and tell us your responses, just like those above. When you are ready, start reading a few other threads from Club Read-ers, to see who is most interesting to you. All of that is only if it suits you, of course. We are chatty, I hope we won't scare you off, but you don't have to engage any more than you want to.

139petra4
feb 26, 2021, 1:21 am

>1 avaland: petra4 / petra / Melbourne, Victoria, AUSTRALIA

140petra4
feb 26, 2021, 1:32 am

>6 jjmcgaffey: Hi, I'm Petra from Melbourne, Victoria, AUSTRALIA. Now following your thread :)

141petra4
feb 26, 2021, 1:33 am

>16 lisapeet: Hi, I'm Petra from Melbourne, Victoria, AUSTRALIA. Wanted to let you know that I'm following your thread

142rhian_of_oz
feb 26, 2021, 5:05 am

>139 petra4: Ooh another Aussie, welcome!

143lisapeet
feb 26, 2021, 7:59 am

>141 petra4: Hi Petra, glad to have you aboard!

144jjmcgaffey
feb 27, 2021, 2:17 am

Hi, Petra, welcome!

145avaland
feb 27, 2021, 5:43 am

>139 petra4: Got it! and welcome!

146petra4
feb 28, 2021, 6:01 pm

>144 jjmcgaffey: thank you :)

147petra4
feb 28, 2021, 6:02 pm

>145 avaland: thank you :)

148sallypursell
mrt 3, 2021, 9:28 pm

>141 petra4: Welcome aboard, Petra. I'm looking forward to learning about you. What do you like to read?

149petra4
mrt 4, 2021, 8:49 pm

>148 sallypursell: Thank you.

Reading: Non-fiction, Memoirs, Biographies. If it gets a little too heavy, then switch over to fiction - few laughs, cries etc.

150cindydavid4
mrt 4, 2021, 10:03 pm

Oh Ive read a number of really good bios the last few years. What are your more recent finds? And what kind of non fiction? I go for travel narrativs, history, science

151sallypursell
mrt 4, 2021, 10:41 pm

>150 cindydavid4: cindydavid, I know you weren't addressing me, but I wanted to mention a great biography. I don't read a lot of these; they are not always to my taste. But this one still stays with me, and I read it years ago. It was called The Power Broker and was the story of Robert Moses and his influence over New York, and his invention of the highway systems and the Port Authorities. It was written by Robert A. Caro, and I hear that he has written other noteworthy biographies. Please excuse by intrusion into your conversation.

152cindydavid4
Bewerkt: mrt 5, 2021, 5:15 am

Oh, no intrusion at all, thanks for that. I love books about NY, and vaguely remember his name; that does look very interesting, thanks

Two of my fav recent bios includes becoming dr seuss which is an excellent look at his life and work, and rather relevent to right now. Another is Marmee and Louisa Life and times of Loisa May Alcott. Showing the influence her very active mother was in shaping her writing, and the difficult life and times for women in general Lots I didn't know about her father, her struggles with keeping her family alive, and the many fascinating people who she met and was influenced by along the way.

ETA oh just realized who Caro was - the writer of the several volumed bio of Lyndon Johnson. Yeah, Ill read that for sure!

153ELiz_M
mrt 5, 2021, 7:32 am

>151 sallypursell: The Power Broker is an excellent, excellent book. A little long, but rarely dull.

154gsm235
mrt 5, 2021, 10:03 am

>151 sallypursell: I think the The Power Broker and the LBJ biographies are some of the best non-fiction out there. And if you think the Moses biography was a little long, it had to be cut by 300 or 400 pages before it was published.

155lisapeet
Bewerkt: mrt 5, 2021, 10:14 am

I've been meaning to read The Power Broker for years, because I love NY history. Maybe this will be that year—thanks for the reminder.

But dang, not available in e format? That's a shame.

156LadyoftheLodge
mrt 5, 2021, 11:29 am

>152 cindydavid4: Thanks for these suggestions--I am taking two BBs from your posting! On my TBR list. I have a couple of other books about Dr. Seuss--The Whole Seuss and Nothing But the Seuss is a big one with lots of visuals and very comprehensive.

157petra4
mrt 5, 2021, 10:35 pm

>151 sallypursell: Please excuse my intrusion. Interesting in reading more memoirs/biographies. I've added this one to my wish list. Thank you :)

158avaland
mrt 6, 2021, 6:03 am

If you all wish to continue your book discussion, perhaps you could create a new thread for it, or move it to one of your personal threads?

160sallypursell
mrt 7, 2021, 7:08 pm

>157 petra4: Oh, intrusion doesn't signify, as some would have it. We do that all the time here. It's just that I don't really know cindydavid, and her comment was addressed to a single reader. Otherwise, please, intrude away!

161sallypursell
mrt 7, 2021, 7:09 pm

>158 avaland: Oh dear, I feel bad over this. I didn't even notice. I think we are finished here, thank you, Lois.

162cindydavid4
mrt 7, 2021, 7:20 pm

>158 avaland: ok now I am confused. Was surprised by this post because we do this all the time. But to help them, I posted the link to the 'what are you reading thread'. and no, I addressed both of you. Just trying to help but again I didn't think it was an intrusion. carry on

163petra4
mrt 7, 2021, 8:12 pm

>158 avaland: thank you for letting me know. Still becoming familiar with this site

164petra4
mrt 7, 2021, 8:13 pm

>159 cindydavid4: thank you. I have and will :)

165Jiraiya
mrt 9, 2021, 2:42 am

Hello everyone, I'm Maanav from Mauritius. I haven't yet decided if I'll have my own post. But I intend to contribute to the threads.

Jiraiya /Maanav / Port- Louis/ Mauritius

166Nickelini
mrt 9, 2021, 2:43 am

Hi, Jiraiya! I've never met anyone from Mauritius, I don't think. Even by cyber. Welcome!

167Jiraiya
mrt 9, 2021, 2:43 am

>155 lisapeet:

The Path to Power is also a very good book.

168Jiraiya
mrt 9, 2021, 2:45 am

>166 Nickelini:

Thank you Nickelini. Have a great day and Happy Reading.

169avaland
mrt 9, 2021, 11:40 am

>165 Jiraiya: Welcome, Jiraiya. I hope you do decide to have your own thread. We love to see what everyone reads. Just open a new thread and set it up how you like, and use as you wish, and we'll come visit :-)

Everything I have learned about Mauritius is either from reading Nathacha Appanah or looking up something because she mentions it in one of her books). I've read three of her translated works (oh, I see there is a newly translated one! Must have).

>161 sallypursell: The note was not to make you feel bad (it's not that big of a deal, you know) but when a conversation moves away from introduction and getting to know a new member, it might be distracting for others who check the thread assuming there might be more new people posting.

170Jiraiya
Bewerkt: mrt 9, 2021, 2:51 pm

>169 avaland:

Hi there avaland. Can I take a rain check now... I will post my own thread, but my reading time is limited currently, unlike previous years. I'm reluctantly avowing the fact that I don't know who Appanah is. Mauritius is an okay country, but most of the militant artists are faux or not the best there is on our small island. I intend to read loads of books when I do take the logical step and have my own thread. See you all.

171sallypursell
mrt 10, 2021, 12:23 am

Hello and welcome, Juraiya. We look forward to getting to know you.

172Jiraiya
mrt 10, 2021, 1:42 am

>171 sallypursell:

Thank you, sallypursell.

173lisapeet
mrt 10, 2021, 7:45 am

>167 Jiraiya: Thanks—I've heard that. If I'm going to dip my toe into Caro's big volumes it'll probably be the one about New York, since that's something I read a lot about, but the LBJ book is supposed to be good too.

174AlisonY
mrt 10, 2021, 8:12 am

>165 Jiraiya: Welcome Jiraiya! We honeymooned in Mauritius down in the very south-west corner. It wasn't the luckiest of trips - I had flu the whole of the first week, we'd a lot of rain and I thought I'd lost my husband of a few days when he got smacked in the head by the boom of a sailing boat and catapulted spectacularly out of the boat. However, in the midst of all that I do have fond memories of the place, and especially of the people. We travelled about a bit including visiting your home town of Port-Louis.

175Jiraiya
mrt 10, 2021, 8:37 am

>173 lisapeet: The LBJ series, in my humble opinion, are so far, better than John Adams. As for The Power Broker, it has not been available as an e-book.

176Jiraiya
mrt 10, 2021, 8:48 am

>174 AlisonY: Hi AlisonY. Mauritius is a touristic scam. I should not be badmouthing my own country, what with the Independence Day in 2 days. But only the beaches and maybe some of the weather are worth remembering. On top of that there is a new lockdown. But where are my manners? I hope and wish you and your husband live a happy life together. Are you from the US? On Goodreads a US woman once proposed to me. No chance of that happening here, eh? Happy Reading to you and yours!

177AlisonY
mrt 10, 2021, 9:00 am

>176 Jiraiya: No, I'm from Northern Ireland. And no - I don't think proposals are a thing on CR!!

I do remember being disappointed that the sea in Mauritius was full of massive sea cucumbers. I'm not sure if that's a permanent thing or just happens at certain times of the year, or maybe it was the part of the island we were at, but when you look at the lovely brochures of pristine sand and blue sea you don't imagine that when you wade into the water you'll be squelching those underfoot.

Hope you decide to set up a thread at some point. Be prepared for your wish list to hugely increase here!

178Jiraiya
mrt 10, 2021, 10:04 am

>177 AlisonY: I've never met a sea cucumber, either dead or alive, though I don't know if the former is something culinary. The best beaches with safe lagoons are in the North and Northwest and also a bit to the south east. The south of the island ends in a cliff, no beaches there. So I think you got shortchanged in your experience here. Many of the rivers too flow south and they discourage the growth of coral, which serves to beautify the lagoons. Not going to go National Geographic on you though.

As for a thread, I'll get to it sooner or later. There's no fire. What's this wishlist you mentioned? I thought it was a figurative, intangible set of recommendations. Is there more to it?

179Jiraiya
mrt 10, 2021, 10:16 am

>177 AlisonY:

The Northern Irishman of whom I'm most aware is the late George Best. I believe you're a soccer fan? I follow English football.

180AlisonY
mrt 10, 2021, 1:26 pm

>178 Jiraiya: The wish list is intangible or many people keep one on Amazon, etc. Point being, you will quickly end up adding lots of different books to your 'must read' pile!

>179 Jiraiya: No, not much of a soccer fan here I'm afraid.

181Jiraiya
mrt 10, 2021, 1:32 pm

>180 AlisonY: Looking forward to the wishlist. I'm beginning to think that the level of command of the language is higher here than on many other sites. Your posts confirm that growing opinion.

182Cariola
mrt 10, 2021, 3:42 pm

Well, I came late to the group this year, and I just realized that I forgot to join, so an introduction is definitely in order.

Cariola / Deborah / South Central Pennsylvania

I'm a retired English professor owned by two cats, Jasper and Suki. I have been a LibraryThing member since 2007. I had hoped to write a novel during retirement, but the going has been slow--as has been my reading this past year. This year I am aiming for quality rather than quantity, which is one of the reasons my reading has been off: I keep starting books that don't really interest me. Hopefully that will change soon!

183Jiraiya
mrt 11, 2021, 3:31 am

>182 Cariola: You're writing a novel? Impressive! Most impressive. I want to write a lot of cozy mysteries, to the tune of one each year and release them in Public Domain.

184WelshBookworm
Bewerkt: apr 18, 2021, 4:09 pm

I should NOT be here. I should NOT be sitting at my computer when the sun is shining and it's a balmy 64 degrees outside here in Minnesota and the yard is crying out to be raked and cleaned up. I do NOT need to join another book group or forum. I do NOT need to be reading about reading when I could be, you know, actually READING.

But I was reading the latest LibraryThing newsletter in my email, and it led me here, and I was attracted by two things: the ability to create a thread where I could keep track of my reading plans (like I already do on GoodReads), and the group read of the Wolf Hall trilogy which has been on my radar forever. I've even started it a couple of times.

My name is Laurel. I'm not actually Welsh (unless having Welsh ancestors that came to America in 1638 counts). But I took a medieval Welsh class in graduate school and fell in love with the language and the country, and have whole-heartedly embraced that part of my heritage. I led a Welsh folkdance group here in Minnesota for 25 years, and I have been teaching Welsh since 1994. I'm a member and a past-president of the St. David's Society of Minnesota. Books set in Wales are always on my radar. Oddly enough, the St. David's Society has a book group that I have never participated in!

I am an adult services librarian for the local public library, and I manage 4 book clubs through the library. I participate in two of them. One reads a monthly book selection, for the other group I assign monthly themes and we read whatever we want to that fits that theme. I have found that those themes are a wonderful way to target some of the books in my gigantic TBR ocean and actually read them. I LOVE to make lists, and choose an annual "theme" every year. Last year it was books with Star or Stars in the title. The trouble is, those themes never seem to end, and I keep adding new books to them. I will FOREVER be attracted to "Wife" titles, or titles with names of birds, or "the girl who..." And this year I decided I was going to do "Winter" which might involve rereading Rebecca and its various spin offs as well as books with "winter" in the title. And I'm still reading "star" titles. And books set in Russia. And I want to do an "Odyssey" theme, and a "Wars of the Roses" theme...

I aim to read about 50 books a year, but I'm usually short of that. I wish I could read 100 books a year. I'll need to live to be 300 in order to read everything I want to read. Actually scratch that. I probably add over a hundred books to my want to read list every year. So I need to live forever. Besides the garden, I sing in a couple of choirs, I teach Welsh, I enjoy bird watching, and I do hours and hours of genealogy. I have a genealogy blog that I haven't kept up with. But it's there for when I retire (next year?). And then I want to travel for genealogy and see where my ancestors lived.

So I might create a thread here. I'm not sure I really want to duplicate what I do somewhere else already. And it is supposed to rain later, so I really must go out and do some raking!

185Nickelini
apr 18, 2021, 4:19 pm

Hi, Laurel. Welcome! I look forward to following your reading.

186ELiz_M
Bewerkt: apr 18, 2021, 5:44 pm

>184 WelshBookworm: MN local libraries are the best! Although it was also a special treat when mom took me downtown to the James J. Hill library with an entire beautiful, wooden room full of children's books.

ETA: Technically my mom was probably dropping me off at the central library next door while she went to James J. Hill, but I just remember the more impressively named library.

187cindydavid4
Bewerkt: apr 18, 2021, 6:29 pm

>184 WelshBookworm: But I took a medieval Welsh class in graduate school and fell in love with the language and the country, and have whole-heartedly embraced that part of my heritage. I led a Welsh folkdance group here in Minnesota for 25 years, and I have been teaching Welsh since 1994. I'm a member and a past-president of the St. David's Society of Minnesota. Books set in Wales are always on my radar. Oddly enough, the St. David's Society has a book group that I have never participated in!

Oh my goodness, I learned about Wales when I discovered Here be Dragons in college, by the late great Sharon Kay Penman. Have you read her books? Since reading them Ide wanted to go to Wales. I got a chance to go, while on a trip through GB, and absolutely fell in love. Cardiff, Snowdon, Mons, the castles....Took a coupld of trips since and I could never tire of it. The history of the land is so great, and with such sorrow how it became part of Britain. Would love to pick your brain for other Welsh history or historical fiction books!

I learned while being involved in international folkdancing how much our (american) folkdancing sucn as square, Contra and clogging owes to Welsh, Irish, Scottish and Brit dancing. Miss it now, but have great memories of the dances

ETA come join us in the Wolf Hall discussion when youve read the book or started. BTW did not realize until reading the book, Thomas Cromwells nephew Richard was Welsh and took Cromwells name. He is the great great.....grandfather of Oliver Cromwell a hundred or so later! Never got that connection

188sallypursell
apr 18, 2021, 9:41 pm

Well, hello to Deborah and to Laurel. I'll look forward to seeing you in the threads.

189WelshBookworm
apr 18, 2021, 10:42 pm

>186 ELiz_M: Eliz M, I am in Carver County just southwest of the Twin Cities, but grew up in Minneapolis. I have fond memories of the library when it was in the Longfellow House. I lived near Minnehaha Falls. Are you still in Minnesota?

190WelshBookworm
Bewerkt: apr 18, 2021, 10:51 pm

>187 cindydavid4: Oh yes, I love Sharon Kay Penman's books. I was so sad to learn she had died. I've been to Wales twice. Once was with Welsh Heritage Week when it was held at Nant Gwrtheyrn. And the second time was with a church choir doing a choir exchange. They contacted me because some of them wanted to learn some Welsh before the trip, and since I am a singer, I asked if I could sing with them! Wonderful memories. Speaking of Welsh Heritage Week, it is being planned to be held in Scranton, PA this July (assuming it is safe by then), and since no one from Wales can come to be instructors, they have just asked me if I will come and teach the folk dancing. I am overwhelmed, but honored!

191dchaikin
Bewerkt: apr 18, 2021, 11:34 pm

Welcome Laurel. I hope you can join our Cromwell trilogy group read. Also I hope you consider a thread here, just because I’m curious what you’re reading within these themes.

192cindydavid4
apr 18, 2021, 11:32 pm

>190 WelshBookworm: oh what an amazing experience that trip mustve been! I had the chance to listen to several choirs, and they all moved me. Very excited for yu this summer. Cant wait to hear about it

193SandDune
apr 26, 2021, 2:26 pm

>184 WelshBookworm: Welcome Laurel! How interesting that you have learnt and taught Welsh! I actually am Welsh, but do not speak it at all well I am afraid. My grandparents on my father’s side spoke Welsh as their first language, so my father could speak it, but I can’t really do more than the basics. I have the excuse that I was brought up in a very English speaking part of Wales. I have done the odd class here and there and even considered a course at Nant Gwythryn myself, but not got around to it as yet.

194WelshBookworm
Bewerkt: apr 30, 2021, 6:05 pm

I've added my reading log to the threads - Laurel's 2021 Lists and Leftovers

195sallypursell
mei 2, 2021, 11:07 am

Laurel, I am part Irish, and although it is not the same, of course, I have an interest in Great Britain that is not England. The Myths and History are fascinating. The language confuses me a little. I have a talent for languages. Just a little talent, I confess. I am afraid my life will run out before I get to Welsh, but I find it fascinating, too. I really ought to do German first. I'll be reading your thread.

196cindydavid4
mei 2, 2021, 11:18 pm

>194 WelshBookworm: I have too!

197Yells
Bewerkt: jul 2, 2021, 11:46 pm

After lurking and sporadically posting on other people's threads all year, I figured I should probably introduce myself and maybe even get a thread of my own going again. I am Danielle, avid bibliophile and insurance underwriter from SW Ontario, Canada. I live with hubby Rob and three rather spoiled cats. I've been on LT over 10 years, mostly on the 1001 Book thread, and was quite active on CR for a few years. I stopped in 2018 when real life got crazy and my reading dropped off, but I have been lurking around and occasionally pop my head up with a comment or two. I just realised that I am approaching 100 books read this year so I guess my reading slump is over - yay me!

>184 WelshBookworm: Welcome! My mom's family is Welsh (from somewhere on the border - the name escapes me right now). I've travelled all over England and Scotland but never made it to Wales for some reason. It's definitely on the post-COVID bucket list.

198cindydavid4
jul 2, 2021, 11:25 pm

Welcome, Yells, Ive seen your name around, great to have you here.wow 100 books? I havent dont that since all sci fi/fan all the time in HS. Now it more like 50- 60, and thats fine by me. And as someone who fell in love with wales from a HF, you really must go there sometime. its really glorious

199avaland
jul 6, 2021, 10:03 am

>197 Yells: Welcome! I'm glad you decided to introduce yourself.

200sallypursell
jul 7, 2021, 9:28 pm

>197 Yells: Hi, Yells. Glad to "meet" you.

201JaySA86
Bewerkt: jul 12, 2021, 9:36 am

Hi! New member, Jarrod (JaySA86) here. I'm a South African living in Vietnam. Some of my recent read books are The Stand (current), The Metamorphosis, Ready Player One, The Hate U Give and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. All-time favourites include A Clockwork Orange, American Psycho, 1984, Animal Farm, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

EDIT: I CAN'T BELIEVE I forgot The Picture of Dorian Gray and Tales by Edgar Allan Poe. I hope the book gods do not curse me (nor the Raven 😅).

202kidzdoc
jul 12, 2021, 10:09 am

Welcome to Club Read, Jarrod!

203cindydavid4
jul 12, 2021, 12:14 pm

Great books! Welcom!

204sallypursell
jul 13, 2021, 12:46 am

>201 JaySA86: Welcome to Club Read, Jarrod. We will all look forward to reading your comments.

205JaySA86
jul 15, 2021, 10:15 am

>202 kidzdoc: >203 cindydavid4: >204 sallypursell: Thanks everybody! Looking forward to being a part of this group!

206avaland
jul 15, 2021, 2:20 pm

Welcome, Jared!

207scunliffe
jul 28, 2021, 6:53 pm

Knock, knock it's me, Stephen, stepping cautiously into this group. On one of the Club Read pages (which I can't find again) I saw what I took to be a longish list of books most read by the group as a whole. Since I have read all but three of them I think I can fit in.
I grew up in England, right after WWII, got a Masters in History then started an international career which had nothing to do with History but did allow me to travel and live around the world. After retiring 15 years ago I settled in the American Pacific Northwest, a little north of Seattle. I have avidly read History, fiction and poetry, and am also something of a bibliophile.
My most recent excellent read is Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz, which does what I want most of my reading to do, by taking me to 'other times, other places.'

208jjmcgaffey
jul 28, 2021, 9:00 pm

Welcome, Stephen! I'm curious about your international career - I'm a Foreign Service brat, grew up following my parents around the world.

209AlisonY
jul 29, 2021, 5:47 am

>209 AlisonY: Welcome, Stephen! Sounds like you'll fit right in. We're an eclectic bunch so no doubt you'll find plenty of threads that appeal.

Have you set up a thread yourself?

Noting Palace Walk - I've not heard of that title before and the blurb and comments on Amazon make it sound like a great read.

210scunliffe
jul 29, 2021, 1:28 pm

Unlike your parents, I was in the service of Mammon rather than of my country. I worked for a truly global company, based in Switzerland and some of the best years of my life were spent living in Switzerland, sophisticated and beautiful, with a job that would frequently and literally take me around the world, with the opportunity to spend weekends in new and sometimes exotic cities. Then I had to take real job and was in charge of an American subsidiary for the last ten years of my working life. My first overseas 'posting' had been to Vancouver BC, where I had fallen in love with the Pacific Northwest and to which I have returned, close enough to the border to flee as I would have done if the 2020 election had gone the other way.
It is quite possible to have a robust business career and still remain liberal!

211lisapeet
jul 29, 2021, 2:02 pm

>207 scunliffe: Welcome! Palace Walk is excellent, agreed—I have the other two on my shelf and have been meaning to get to them for ages, though at this point I'd probably better reread the first as well.

212scunliffe
jul 29, 2021, 3:58 pm

>211 lisapeet: If you read a plot summary it might sound like a family soap opera, but its the humanity of the author that brings it alive

213scunliffe
jul 29, 2021, 4:01 pm

>209 AlisonY: Well actually no, I had no thought of setting up a thread myself. But why not? Although I am not sure what would induce anyone to read it.
By the way, is it possible to start a posting and save it as draft to be completed later?

214jjmcgaffey
jul 29, 2021, 7:29 pm

>213 scunliffe: No, not really - unless you trust your browser to remember what you put in the text box (I don't). But you can create a post in a text note on your computer and copy and paste when you're ready to publish.

It's fun to read other people's threads - and that's where most of the book recommendations happen (not as recommendations exactly, but "I read this and it's really good"). You can also track your reading in said thread (how many books, and various stats attached to the reading)...or not, that's entirely up to you.

215cindydavid4
jul 29, 2021, 8:00 pm

>213 scunliffe: you don't need too. Personally I like going to the different threads here to talk books rather than go to each person and say the same thing But thats just me and others will differ (I am on a couple of indiv posts because I like what the poster is reading, generally)

Welcome scunliffe and stephen! cant wait to see what you are reading!

216scunliffe
jul 29, 2021, 8:01 pm

>214 jjmcgaffey: Thank you. Another question if you don't mind....is there an easy way to spot replies to messages that you have posted (and maybe forgotten) across a variety of groups?

217cindydavid4
jul 29, 2021, 8:02 pm

good question, following

218bragan
jul 29, 2021, 8:17 pm

>216 scunliffe: If you click on "your posts," you'll see all the threads that you've posted in, and you can see if there are any unread posts in those threads that might be replies to you. I think that's about the best you can do, though.

Oh, and welcome! :)

219Nickelini
jul 29, 2021, 9:09 pm

>210 scunliffe: I worked for a truly global company, based in Switzerland and some of the best years of my life were spent living in Switzerland, sophisticated and beautiful, with a job that would frequently and literally take me around the world, with the opportunity to spend weekends in new and sometimes exotic cities. Then I had to take real job and was in charge of an American subsidiary for the last ten years of my working life. My first overseas 'posting' had been to Vancouver BC, where I had fallen in love with the Pacific Northwest and to which I have returned, close enough to the border to flee as I would have done if the 2020 election had gone the other way.

Hi, Stephen - it's nice to have an LTer in my corner of the world -- I live in the Vancouver area. And one of my daughters lives in Luzern Switzerland, so we have that in common too. Where do you live in Washington? I have a niece in Blaine.

220AlisonY
jul 30, 2021, 3:13 am

>218 bragan: It also helps to star threads that you are dropping in on - saves searching for them randomly.

If you decide to start a thread we look forward to no doubt taking some book bullets from you. You'll take many yourself from following other people's threads. Club Read reviews have definitely encouraged me to read many books I wouldn't have picked up otherwise.

221scunliffe
jul 30, 2021, 10:13 am

>219 Nickelini: After 15 years of living in and loving Port Townsend we moved just this spring to Edmonds, closer to airport, hospitals, museums, etc and close to one of our daughters who lives here already.
We also have a daughter on Vancouver Island, a son in Squamish, another son in Portland, which all makes an efficient little cluster. Still two outliers though, a son in Toronto and a daughter in Texas. I think that is all but sometimes I lose track.
You ae probably one of the few people on this continent that knows the difference between Luzern and Lausanne, where I used to live. Fortunately I speak French much better than German.

222avaland
jul 30, 2021, 1:45 pm

Welcome, Stephen from both myself and my husband, dukedom_enough (we share a thread). Looking forward to seeing what you read :-)

223arubabookwoman
jul 30, 2021, 6:01 pm

>210 scunliffe: Welcome Stephen! As a 35 year Seattleite, I share your love of the Pacific NW. However all 5 of our kids ended up on the East Coast (taking the grandkids with them), so last year we bit the bullet and moved to Florida. Not sure Florida has "taken" on us yet, though. Port Townsend is a particularly lovely town-how fortunate you were to live there.

224scunliffe
jul 30, 2021, 11:10 pm

>223 arubabookwoman: My grandchildren are sufficiently far flung to make it pointless to follow any of them.
Which, dare I say it, suits me quite well. I have a theory, generally frowned upon, that grandchildren while young are just an impediment to spending good time with their parents, your own children.
I hope to develop a kinder point of view as they get a bit older.

225raton-liseur
Bewerkt: jul 31, 2021, 11:42 am

>207 scunliffe: Welcome scunliffe. Happy to see you mention Naguib Mahfouz, he is a great writter. I've not read the book you mention (althought the most popular among LTers) but a couple of others that I enjoyed.
I'm looking forward to seeing what you read and hope you'll start a thread. It's always fun and enlightening to see what others read and what they think about it. As >214 jjmcgaffey: already mentionned, follow readers' threads are a great source to find new books (even if most of us already own more books than we could possibly read, but that's another debate...). I thinkt that one book out of three that I bought this year is based on a recommandation I got here in Club Read!

Edited to add: Oh, great, I've found your thread!

226kidzdoc
jul 31, 2021, 5:06 pm

Welcome to Club Read, Stephen! I look forward to following you on your reading adventures.

I loved Palace Walk, which earned 5 stars from me.

227Trifolia
dec 6, 2021, 11:57 am

I've been following this group all year and planned to join next year. But my reading vibes are so good right now and my connection with this group so strong that I've decided to start a thread now as a kind of internship, so to speak and then see how it goes.
I've posted the books I've read this year in my thread so you can get an idea of ​​the things I like to read.
To situate myself a bit: I am Monica, a Flemish Belgian who lives in Belgium. I have been a member of LT since 2010 but under a different name (JustJoey4 and monicagovers). My reading preferences are international literature from all corners of the world, modern literature and classics. In stressful times I reach for detectives and thrillers.
I hope to become an active member of this group that has already given me a lot of inspiration and pleasure in reading, reviving contacts with old acquaintances and meeting new reading friends.
You can find my thread here.

228raton-liseur
dec 6, 2021, 12:48 pm

>227 Trifolia: Welcome Trifolia. I'm sure the internship will be successful.
We share a lot of common reading themes (and I think I've read reviews from you under another name some years ago!), so I'll visit your thread and I'm likely to get some reading hints!

229AnnieMod
dec 6, 2021, 1:16 pm

>227 Trifolia: You know, if your plan was to sneak up on the natives, this is counterproductive. Now watch us all flock in to say "hi" because we are so helplessly behind on everything else that new things are shiny and nice looking :)

More seriously though - welcome aboard, get yourself a drink and have fun.

230Trifolia
dec 7, 2021, 1:04 pm