Chris’s Comments (group member since Jan 07, 2016)

Chris’s comments from the MidCoast Libraries Better Reading Bookclub group.

Well played moonshine Murphy, well played.

John, you are most welcome to read non-fiction if you like. We're very eclectic in our tastes, I'm sure. And twelve non-fiction books maybe (maybe) more of a challenge.

That's great news Gaye. My boys have left home now and much as I love seeing them again there's a certain freedom to being empty nesters though that's never an ongoing given these days :). And a good idea to set a realistic target. Everyone counts to that 500 total. Cheers.

Totally agree Tracey and our numbers are trending upwards in a very healthy fashion. I think we must already be the biggest bookclub in Great Lakes. Having said that, the more the merrier so please don't hesitate to invite as many people as you like.

I'm going to add A Man Called Ove to the recommendations list.

There are some flaws with this novel and if you're looking for dark, complex, challenging reads then this may not be for you. But if you do enjoy a novel that richly explores the better side of humanity, it will pay dividends.

There are interesting discussions points, though not necessarily deeply delved into, nor particularly controversial. Having said this I suspect that it would be popular with many bookclubs and I'm sure that for some people it could easily be one of the best novels they've read in a while. It really does grab a hold of you in many good ways. Even for curmudgeons (a word highly relevant to this novel) "A Man Called Ove" may just turn out to be a guilty pleasure.

Thanks Louise for launching this idea with our first group recommendation. And a good one at that.

The only downside I can see to starting this whole thread is that I could end up with a rather daunting must-read list :)

I thought it would be a good idea to set up a folder/forum where people could put their recommendations for others to read, either individually or for bookclubs. Or even their don't-touch-this-with-a-barge-pole titles.
Sure we can get recommendations from Goodreads in general but sometimes that can be a bit overwhelming.
And if you wanted to add a bit of colour (without spoilers) this could help even further. You can still post on Goodreads too, of course.

Cautious is such a versatile word Leslie. You maybe cautious about being overly ambitious and that's totally understandable. I regularly set myself two goals - one I know I should be able to achieve and a secret goal of a bit (sometimes a fair bit) more. I wonder if you have a secret goal.
And then there's the other sort of cautious which involves being very careful before even making a commitment .... And yet here you are as one of our earliest members so I don't think that can apply to you.
Cheers
Chris

Hi trugannini,
That's a great and different suggestion and I'm sure would have some good threads to discuss.
I will pass this on to the organising committee, which has already met once.
The final decision is likely to be made by a group (not yet sorted out but definitely will be a good mix of viewpoints) will the aim of creating a great balance and a thought provoking framework.
I'm really thrilled to get our first suggestion and certainly a new novel to read for me.
Cheers Chris

Hi Elaine,
I love the idea of a literary themed feast. Books and food seem to be the perfect companion.
And I'm sure there are limitless possibilities (and yours sounded great - I'm definitely curious about the matches).
For good ideas it made me think about maybe organising one larger book-food theme possibly annually. There maybe a bit of work to that it still worth considering.
And I think it's also a perfect discussion thread - recipes to pair with books. Might start that one soon.
And finally, thanks for the feedback. Very much appreciated.
Cheers Chris

I share your scepticism but I admire his ambition. I seriously hopes he proves us both wrong and gets bragging rights. Cheers Chris

I only went for 18, so I can empathise. 11 months sounds like you've figured December could be a challenge.
Anyway, with 500 titles as a goal we'll need every title you contribute.
Cheers.

Right, so here's something to set your sites on.
Goodreads has an individual challenge for 2016, which is great and do think about joining that, but how about a Great Lakes Library Better Reading Bookclub challenge?
I'm not sure if this has ever been done before, but that's never been a barrier - more like a temptation.
So, what I'm proposing is that we set a goal, for the whole group of reading 500 books in a year. how does that sound?
Goodreads doesn't have a great framework/tool for doing this but if you do put the books you read this year onto our bookshelf I can track these from now and tally them. I think that should work, even if it is clunky (I have suggested to the Goodreads support that maybe this is a feature they could set up in the future).
I'd also appreciate any feedback on this.

Having set up this group to encourage reading and discussion I'm pondering what the best way is to get people involved and have a bit of fun along the way. I don't want this to end up as one of those good ideas that stagnates.

Here's some thoughts/ideas. I'd appreciate any feedback and also other suggestions:

a) Set a group challenge for the community. Maybe 500 books to read in a year. Does that sound too ambitious?

b) Use it as a forum for people to suggest books we should buy for our bookclub support program.

c) Use it for feedback on our Big Book Night (already happening)

d) Use it as a forum for bookclubs to share titles they really enjoyed

b), c) and d), whilst being useful, aren't really that inventive. Would something like pairing recipes with a novel (I know this sounds a bit strange but it could be fun). Or, for the next month we're looking for your best suggestion to pair a meal with a specific novel.

Anyway, I'm rambling now. What do you reckon?

Last year the Forster FELLAS Bookclub, in conjunction with the Great Lakes Library, ran a fundraising evening for the Great Lakes Education Fund (GLEF). This proved a very successful evening.
The night was based around panel discussions for three different novels - The Secret River (Kate Grenville), Narrow Road to the Deep North (Richard Flanagan) and Our Man in Havana (Graham Greene).
We are going to do the same in 2016 and we need some suggestions for titles. Again, we're going with three titles and for preference we're looking for one classic and two contemporary titles (at least one Australian, two if possible).
This is where you come in. We'd appreciate any suggestions you've got. Do bear in mind that it should be a novel with the sort of themes that would generate plenty of discussion.
Over to you.