And who,might I ask, are you?

[Diego]

Hi everybody! I'm Diego, 19 years old, and I live in Belgium. I'm studying English linguistics and literature at university, and I'm always looking for new books!

[[deleted user]]

Hi Diego - nice to meet you - I look forward to chatting about new books with you.

[Laurel]

Welcome to the group Diego!

[Mike]

Hello fellow group members! I'm Mike and I live in a quaint home with my wife and my daughter in a small town in New England. I enjoy reading. My favorite genre is historical fiction pertaining to the westward expansion of the USA (also known as "westerns"). I also enjoy reading poetry, action/adventure and non-fiction (biographies, naturalist journals, etc...). I primarily read on a Kindle e-reader. I love my Kindle! I'm looking forward to participating in the group and exploring some new books.

[[deleted user]]

Hi Mike, welcome to the group. I don't think I've ever read a Western (though I've watched quite a few and have harboured a quiet passion for Doc Holliday ever since seeing Tombstone) is there a particular one you'd recommend to the novice?

[Laurel]

Welcome Mike! Nice to meet you :)

[Hilary]

Welcome Mike. I've only read one western, St Agnes Stand by Thomas Edison. A member of my book group chose it and nobody was looking forward to it. However, everyone thought it was a fantastic read. The characters were so well formed you couldn't help but be drawn into their plight. I would heartily recommend it to anyone. Have you read it?

[Mike]

Thanks for the welcome Lee, Laurel and Hilary.

Lee, I really enjoyed reading Louis L'Amour's series of books about the Sackett family (http://www.goodreads.com/series/42120...). The series starts with "Sackett's Land". The story begins around 1600 in the UK. My all time favorite is #4 of the Sackett series, "Jubal Sackett". It is probably the best "Western" novel that I've read. The novel takes place in the USA during the 1620's. Another great read in the series is "The Daybreakers". It is more of a traditional "Western"' taking place in the USA during the 1870's.

Hilary, I have never read "St Agnes Stand" by Thomas Edison. I am adding it to my "to-read" bookshelf. Thanks very much for the recommendation!

[[deleted user]]

Mike - I shall increase my To read list accordingly. Hilary, ditto.
Coincidently, I read an article in praise of True Grit yesterday with an excerpt from the very beginning and very end of the book - it looked excellent - have you read it , Mike?

[Mike]

Lee wrote: "Mike - I shall increase my To read list accordingly. Hilary, ditto.
Coincidently, I read an article in praise of True Grit yesterday with an excerpt from the very beginning and very end of the book..."

I haven't read "True Grit" yet but I have seen both movies. I liked the original movie better than the recent release. I do have the book on my to-read list.

[Ulli]

Hello Everyone!

I'm Ulrike and I live in a small village next to Bordeaux in southwest France (although actually I'm German). I work as a German teacher at junior high after having studied German and English literature.

Since I've started reading at the age of six (or seven, I don't really remember :-)), I've never stopped and I read whenever I can!

I like all kinds of books but some of my favorite books are Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts), The Northern Clemency (Philip Hensher), Out of the Shelter (David Lodge) and The Tin Drum (Günter Grass)

I'm very much looking forward to reading and discussing new books with all of you!!

[[deleted user]]

Hi Ulli - its great to have you with us- please feel free to comment on any and every of our topics or even start a new one.
PS. I've just added Northern Clemency to my to-read list.

[Laurel]

Hi Ulrike - welcome to the group!

[Joy]

Hi Diego, Mike & Ulli.

Ulli - I love David Lodge but have somehow missed the one you mentioned - I'll try to get hold of it. I think my favourite of his is Paradise News

[Ulli]

Hey Joy! I haven't read Paradise News but I've added it to my reading list! Thanks!

[[deleted user]]

Hi all, thank you for allowing just anyone to join your group! I'm a mom, wife, and author who lives in the Southeastern U.S. I see that many of you live in the U.K., so let me just excuse my American-ness by saying that I've always been an anglophile. Most of my favorite authors were/are yours--Dickens, Alexander McCall Smith, Maeve Binchy, Rosamund Pilcher, and on and on. The book you've selected to begin in mid-October convinced me to join--it sounds really interesting!

[Laurel]

Hi Angela, welcome to the group! Hope you enjoy the group read.
What sort of stuff do you write?

[[deleted user]]

Hi Angela - very glad to have you with us- I'm looking forward to Effi Briest too. Do share your thoughts on it with us :0)

[Joy]

Hi Angela - good to meet you.

[[deleted user]]

Angela, forgot to mention that there's still time to join in our vote for our November monthly read ( just click polls on the top right hand side of our home page). We're also nominating books for our Christmassy December read (see Seasonal Reads) and our monthly author is currently John Le Carre. :0)

[Hilary]

Hi Angela, looking forward to your thoughts.

[[deleted user]]

Thank you all for your welcome! Laurel, I write women's contemporary with elements that are romantic, inspirational, and spiritual. I try to write represent 'real life'--or at least I did so in my first book. On my work-in-progress though, I'm writing for the category market, which will be romance.

[Laurel]

Interesting - I think there is a thread somewhere about members own writing so when it's all done you can let us know about it. Good Luck and hope to see you around the group threads :)

[[deleted user]]

There is such a thread and here it is https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
:o)

[Laurel]

Knew I'd seen one somewhere ;)

[[deleted user]]

Thank you!

[Bridget]

Hi Everyone. My name is Bridget, and I live in Alexandria, Virginia, USA, just across the river from Washington DC. I have lived overseas and all over the US, before coming to the DC Metro Area about 10 years ago. I read almost everything. I am looking forward to good recommendations and conversations :)

[Laurel]

Welcome Bridget! Hope you like it here - please feel free to just jump into any of our group reads and/or threads that take your fancy :)

[[deleted user]]

Hi Bridget, nice to have you with us - just to let you know that we've just started a poll to decide on our next quarterly read - just click on polls on the top right of our home page and cast your vote :0)

[Ellie]

Hi Bridget, welcome to the group :)

[Hilary]

So intrigued by your random things I forgot to say hello.

[Tracey]

Hi everyone. I'm Tracey from Newcastle and arrived here following a recommendation. I used to devour books in my teens and 20s and now struggle to get through a handful a year; too many other demands on my time. I've always leaned towards horrors and thrillers but over the past few years have been reading more general fiction and even a couple of biographies! I'm hoping this group will help me push a few more boundaries and encourage me to read more widely.

[Hilary]

Well hello and welcome. Lovely to see you here (I told Tracey we were a group of like minded people).

[Laurel]

Hi Tracey! Nice to see someone else from the North-East here! Welcome to the group :)

[Ellie]

Hi Tracey, and welcome! Look forward to chatting with you, and discussing a few books :)

[[deleted user]]

Hi Tracey - nice to have you with us - we read all sorts here so hopefully you'll find loads of new authors/genres. I'll be sending an e-mail to everyone this evening letting them know what we've got planned for November.

[Joy]

Hello Tracey. Look forward to hearing about your favourite thrillers.

[Holly]

Hi everyone,

I'm Holly, I'm 17, and hoping to start an English Literature degree next September. Providing I get the grades of course. For about 2 years I've been heavily reading the classics, and I hope to greatly increase my reading next year. I've done nearly 40 this year, but my aim for 2014 is 75 books. It probably wont happen, with exams and starting Uni and stuff, but I can at least give it a go!

My favourite books include The Handmaid's Tale, Crime and Punishment and The Scarlet Letter.

[Ellie]

Hi, Holly, and welcome!! I love your enthusiasm and ambition :) I'm sure you'll get the grades you need for Uni. Do you know which one you want to go to?

[[deleted user]]

Hi Holly - lovely to have you with us -Are you doing an Eng Lit A-level at the moment? - you'll have to let us know what books you're reading for it and what you think of them.
Please feel free to comment on any of our threads .As well as our book discussions we have a daily poem (we welcome suggestions), a Samuel Pepys diary entry for 354 years and 1 day ago and loads of other stuff.

[Holly]

Yes, I am. We're currently studying Brideshead Revisited (It's alright. I can't really decide if I like it), Arcadia which I absolutely love, and Songs of Innocence and of Experience, which I'm actually really enjoying, I didn't think I would!

I'm pretty sure we're fitting in As You Like It as well, but that's depending on how long it takes us to finish the Blake poetry.

[Laurel]

Welcome to the group Holly! Good luck with the A-level's and sorting out your place at Uni :)

[Holly]

Thank you so much! :)

[[deleted user]]

Holly wrote: "Yes, I am. We're currently studying Brideshead Revisited (It's alright. I can't really decide if I like it), Arcadia which I absolutely love, and Songs of Innocence and of Experience, which I'm act..."

I really like the sound of Arcadia and have just added it to my to-read list - never really fancied Brideshead Revisted though.

[Holly]

Arcadia, I'd definitely recommend reading. It's a lovely play, with a great bunch of characters and Stoppard is amazingly clever in his writing!

[Joy]

Hi Holly.
I don't know Arcadia but agree that Tom Stoppard is brilliant. Have you seen Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead? It's very clever and funny.

[Bridget]

Welcome Holly! Good luck with exams and enjoy reading the classics - what fun!!!

[Sarah]

Hi everyone! I'm Sarah and live in Berlin, Germany and really liked the idea of a book challenge from 1001 Books to read before you die. I' m looking forward to some new books I usually wouldn't stumble upon!

[Ellie]

Hi Sarah, and welcome to the group; I take it you've seen our monthly Boxall reads section?

[Sarah]

Yes I have! Fontane's great: loved it.