Pam’s Comments (group member since Jul 12, 2018)

Pam’s comments from the Never too Late to Read Classics group.

I’m 30% done with the children’s book Dolphin island and am enjoying it.

I’ve stalled out on Carpentier’s The Lost Steps, unfortunately. It’s extremely descriptive and taking a LONG time to reach the jungle. I’m going to finish a few other books and possibly come back to it. I don’t want to discourage anyone from reading it but the writing isn’t working for me. I like a quicker pace and less description. I read one 2 star review which captured my feelings. Anyone else reading it?

It's great to see so many new members! Welcome Mike, Evelyn and Phoebe!

Welcome Abigail! I would also like to read The Iliad and the Odyssey. I’m sure I studied them in college but maybe not in entirety. So, they are on my list and my bookshelf! There is lots going on in this group. Hope you find something of interest! Be sure to check out the challenges. 📚

Lesle and Cleo- I’m glad you both like the charts! 😃

Here are 2 charts (3D pie and Doughnut) I created using Excel. I was surprised to discover that I had authors from 18 different countries in 2022!

Karin wrote: "I'd love to get the instructions so I can do a couple of author pie charts even if I never do any other personal record keeping."

To create a pie or doughnut chart in Excel, input your categories (e.g. countries) in a column (or you can do rows). In the next column enter your data (number). Highlight the info that you want to graph. Go to Search and type Chart. Select Insert pie or doughnut chart. Next to your chart, click on the paintbrush, plus sign, and filter icons for more formatting options. Click on the title box and add a title and you're done!

Wow, Cleo, sounds like you really put a lot of thought and effort into your journaling and that you are very creative! I think that after you start journaling, you figure out what you care about capturing and how much time you want to invest. I know I’m changing things up this year. Thanks again for all of your ideas!

I analyzed my 2022 reading data and created both a 3D pie chart and a doughnut chart. Super easy to do in Excel. If anyone wants instructions, I can post them. I’m going to play around with it a little and see what else you can do. I’ll post pics later.

Cleo - I like the idea of creating a pie chart of the authors nationality! I was trying to get away from creating a spreadsheet but it would be fairly easy to capture just that info at the end of the year from my GR Read shelf without having to input Title, Author, etc. It’s been years since I’ve used the graphing function in Excel. If I decide to do it, I’ll post a picture. Thanks for the idea!

Spouse

I think all of the books listed are in my library’s Hoopla catalog. I counted 38 titles plus a short story collection! The only one I’ve read is Childhoods End. I found Dolphin Island, a children’s novel, which sounds interesting and I’ll probably read. I’m not sure how many books about Rama I will be interested in. I remember reading the Ender series decades ago and I got burnt out after the 3rd book. I’m not really much of a series reader.

Welcome Martijn! I also hope to read Pasternak.

Sounds good Kathy! That’s a long one. Glad you are joining the discussion!

Jakub- I’m glad to see you are interested in some of these authors! Almost all of the names are new to me. There is only one, Romulo Gallegos, that I had read before this past fall.

Thanks Penelope for letting us in on Washi tape! That also looks fun for scrapbook borders and school posters. I see a trip to Hobby Lobby in my future!

I’m glad to see others interested in trying out journaling! I’ve tried different approaches, including worksheets, over the years but nothing caught on until recently. For me, now, it’s like keeping a photo album or scrapbook where you can document and then revisit your reading journey. Another thing that can be fun to capture is other books you want to read: by the same author or a book/author mentioned in the book or same setting, etc. A deeper dive. Sometimes I look back and think Oh I forgot about wanting to read that!

Welcome Hazel and Jakub! Hope you enjoy discussing books with us! 📚

I don’t remember where I first heard of Zweig. Possibly I was browsing the end of the library shelves and found Chess Story! Shortly after reading it, I overheard 2 men in a restaurant having a literary discussion about him! It was the oddest thing. Not the usual conversation you overhear.

Thank you John for the recommendation of Concierto barroco. It sounds good! I may have to break down and buy some books because my library doesn’t carry as many Latin American authors as I hoped. I’ve found quite a few at used bookstores. Boa sorte with reading in Portuguese! You must be fairly fluent.

Chrissie - Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on The Kingdom of This World! According to Wiki, the book is “embedded with what Carpentier calls "lo real maravilloso" or "the marvelous real"—a concept he introduced to the world of literature (not to be confused with magical realism).” I’m curious what that means! Once I finish The Lost Steps, I’m going to ATTEMPT to read this book in Spanish. I feel like I’m going to get discouraged but I still want to at least try.

Thanks John! I will start with one of your favorites.