Matthew’s Comments (group member since Mar 08, 2015)

Matthew’s comments from the Reading List Completists group.

We have a winner - a big congrats to to the August 2020 Completist selection The Great Gatsby!



Feel free to read this month and discuss. Or, if you read it in the past, join in the discussion too. Or, if you read before but want to do something really crazy, read it again AND join in the discussion! :)

Or, skip this month . . . whatevs . . . maybe catch up on one of our books from the past you missed out on - the discussion threads are always open!

Discuss our August 2020 Completist Selection here

We have had a good turn out so far, but if you are waiting for the last minute to vote . . . this is it! This is the last minute! Voting ends tonight!

Click to vote:

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...

At this point, Gatsby has a somewhat comfortable lead, but anything can still happen at this point - we have over 200 in the group who haven't voted so there is always a chance for a big swing!

Jessica wrote: "It's very surreal reading those passages about the virus in their present time, isn't it?"

Indeed! I also just read the one about conserving toilet paper. Ha! (and, kind of not a funny HA!)

"'Avoid contact with others as much as possible,' Mary said. 'Keep careful track of any contacts you do have. We're still uncertain of the mode of transmission, but most myxoviruses spread by droplet and direct contact. Wash your hands with soap and water frequently.'

She handed Dunworthy another pink sheet. She was running out of colors. This one was a log, headed 'Contacts,' and under it, 'Name, Address, Type of Contact, Time.'

It was unfortunate that Badri's virus had not had to deal with the CDC. the NHS, and the WIC. It would never have got in the door." p. 97

Lesle wrote: "So we use more than one list?"

Yes - it started with the Time 100 list, but then other lists were suggested overtime. As long as you don't get into the lists that are too overwhelmingly huge, there tends to be a lot of overlap. Also, we found that the Time 100 is pretty limited and missed out on a few other must reads that are on other lists.

Honestly, it is almost as if each list has its own personality!

The link below should take you to the various lists we use - sometimes the List discussion threads get buried if they have not been discussed in awhile:

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

Jessica wrote: "Glad to see you all enjoyed it so much! I'll be starting the audiobook today. Did not know either that there was a movie adaption. I always like to compare those! Indeed, after reading first of course"

Awesome - I hope you enjoy, too!

Eileen wrote: "Okay, for such a long book, it totally didn't feel that way, although it did take me some persistence to get through the first several chapters. Once I got into it, though, I was caught by the beau..."

It took me a few months to read this one, but loved every minute!

Jennifer wrote: "This book is making me very grateful for water and showers...!"

I think that might be every Western! :)

I read this back in 2018 - but here is my review from back then:

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

Lesle wrote: "Matthew I have heard so many different opinions on this one. I will check out your review!"

I think I talked my self through several opinions while writing the review! :)

Carol wrote: "Matthew wrote: "I just realized that I never shared my review! Did anyone else out there read it this past couple months?

I am in the process of reading it, Matthew. I rarely get uninterrupted tim..."

Oh, man! I understand that!

Another Second Chance Completist Poll - August 2020

It has been since April 2019 that we last had a second chance poll. For this month, I have taken all the second place books from the regular polls since the April 2019 poll (not the Big Read Polls) and included them in this poll. It does give us a pretty big selection of books - 12 total!

Any books without votes after 24 hours will be removed from contention.

Happy voting!

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/2...

I just realized that I never shared my review! Did anyone else out there read it this past couple months?

At times it was a little slow and sometimes was hard to follow, but overall an interesting 4 star read!

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

Jessica wrote: "Just look at what happens on page 74, when a group of Americans travelling through England at the time object to the inconvenience of being forced into quarantine. True to form?

"I'm not used to having my civil liberties taken away like this. in America nobody would dream of telling you where you can or can't go."

And over 30 million Americans died during the Pandemic as a result of that sort of thinking, he thought. "I assure you that the quarantine is solely for your protection. ""

Ugh, I just got to this part. Sounds like some people I know in Indiana. And many people I see on the news. Makes me cringe to be an American!

"The Camaro continued into the night along the unfolding highway, and in the clouds hundreds of feet above, living chains of light linked across the heavens" p. 43

Just introduced to Swan - I figure that is pretty important! 😉

"Don't blow up the world till Sunday . . . I've gotta collect my paycheck first." p. 33

"None of the things one frets about ever happen. Something one's never thought of does." p.24