Constant Reader discussion
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Welcome to Constant Reader
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Barbara
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Jul 24, 2019 10:58AM
Welcome, Ann! I do hope you join in on the discussions. That is the way to get the most fun from this group
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Keshav wrote: "Hey everyone! I have been a member for a couple of months now but I have been mainly just lurking around. But that changes now :D. I'm from Delhi, India. I'm a Literature graduate pursuing MA. I'..."
Welcome, Keshav. I hope Constant Reader can inject some fun of reading for you.
Welcome, Keshav! We love having new members but particularly international ones. Constant Reader truly added to my pleasure in reading. Hope it does the same for you.
Hello All,My name is Kiki, and I live in gorgeous Ojai, California. I have traveled all over the world singing opera, which I love very much, but I am semi-retired from the opera stage now. I went to UC Berkeley and obtained a degree in Advanced Biosciences, and I now work in medical research. Very different, but I love it. I have two sisters, and two brothers. I was the fourth child born, one year before the youngest.
I love the classics, literary fiction, some nonfiction, and mysteries. I am especially partial to the "Inspector Lynley" mysteries of Elizabeth George, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment - the 21st - in 2021.
I don't think I have a favorite author. I like so many.
I love intelligent discussions of books, which is why I wanted to join this group, the outdoors, flower gardening and arranging, opera (of course), and animals, especially cats and dogs.
I do not like bickering about any subject, small minded people, and cooking. I am a terrible cook! If I can't eat something raw, I usually don't eat it unless someone else is willing to cook.
I look forward to participating in this group, though I probably can't read every book you discuss, even though they all sound very interesting! :)
Welcome! I love your introduction, and hope you find everything you are looking for here. (There are occasional posts to a cooking thread down there that you may want to avoid!)Tonya
You sound like a good fit for Constant Reader!
Tonya wrote: "Welcome! I love your introduction, and hope you find everything you are looking for here. (There are occasional posts to a cooking thread down there that you may want to avoid!)Tonya"
Thank you, Tonya. I don't mind reading about cooking, just doing it. Luckily for me, I have a partner who is an amateur gourmet cook, though in recent years, he's simplified our meals a bit for health reasons. Whenever we're in a new city, he loves to pick up a few cookbooks to take home since he's very interested in regional cooking. While he's browsing the cookbooks, I'm usually browsing in the literary fiction section. From time-to-time we have to get rid of books we know we won't read by donating them to a library or hospital. I'm lucky to have him as a partner or I might be seriously malnourished or living on Ensure or something similar! Thank you again for the lovely welcome.
Ruth wrote: "You sound like a good fit for Constant Reader!"Thank you, Ruth. I hope I am. Thank you for the welcome.
Let me add my welcome, Kiki. So nice to have you here. I graduated from Cal, too, but now I live in Asheville, NC, another beautiful place in the world. I hope you take part in our discussions.
Welcome, Kiki. Very nice to have you join us. I started reading the Lynsey series a short while ago and enjoy them, too although I’ve only read the first three so far.
Thank you Sherry and Donna. I have been to Asheville, NC, and I thought it was extremely beautiful. Don't you have a famous mansion there that is open to the public? My partner, John, and I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway. Just gorgeous.Donna, I hope you love "Inspector Lynley" as much as I do. A GREAT DELIVERANCE is wonderful, but in my humble opinion, the books get better and better. The characters evolve and grow and change. Enjoy!
Yes, Kiki, The Biltmore Estate is open to the public as long as you give them lots of money :) It is beautiful, though, and very popular.
Sherry wrote: "Yes, Kiki, The Biltmore Estate is open to the public as long as you give them lots of money :) It is beautiful, though, and very popular."Thank you, Sherry. That's the one I was thinking of. I've always wanted to go inside, but I've not given them any money, and neither has my partner, John, so...we didn't go inside. ;) We really didn't even see the outside. But the Blue Ridge Parkway was spectacular. A little out of our way, but well worth it. I love that part of North Carolina.
Martha, thank you very much for the welcome.
I'm Justin from NY. I just got into classics this year, after reading Les Misérables. My wife and I are both falling down the reading rabbit hole, though with different literature preferences. I'm excited to participate in the group - thanks for letting me join!One question: are we to read the book for the book club before the month it is assigned, or during? For example, are we to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn before March or during March?
I just joined the group and am looking forward to reading some of the classics with you.A bit about me.
A Ph.D. in English Lit. A professor of English for nearly two decades before moving into administration. I retired in 2013 after serving as VP for Academic Services for 5 years. I joined Goodreads in 2016. My interest in reading runs the gamut from the classics, to mythology, to nature books, to anthropology (I'm pretty sure I want to be an anthropologist in my next life), to non-fiction, to feminism, to contemporary novels, to poetry.
I love reading and writing. Wrote two books of non-fiction while I was teaching and have written three novels since my retirement. All my books focus on women in mythology. I started writing book reviews when I joined goodreads. I write because I enjoy it and because it is the only way I can remember what I've read. I think I have 400+ book reviews by now. I post them on goodreads and on my website.
I just finished a re-read of Hardy's The Mayor of Casterbridge. I looked at some of the reviews and saw one of my goodreads friends mentioned this group in her review. (Hello, Sue!) So I looked you up and here I am.
I browsed your discussion threads and am intrigued by your poetry thread. Can anyone post a poem for discussion? Also, I see you're reading Moon Tiger. I read it a while back and loved it. I've also read her How It All Began and enjoyed that, too.
I see you've read and discussed some great books. I regret not finding you sooner since I would have loved to participate in the books we read in common. I've had Deacon King Kong on my TBR for a while and am looking forward to joining the discussion with this group.
That's it for now. Thanks for having me.
Welcome Tamara! I hope you have found a home here--it does seem likely. You can start a Poetry topic discussion (or any discussion) at will.Classics is probably where I least participate, but the nice thing is that everything is 'at will." Your introduction--"women in mythology-- forced me to think (very fondly!) of Circe. Did you read it?
Glad to see you, Tamara. And yes, you can post a poem if you wish.
Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you and to participating in the discussions.
Tonya wrote: "Your introduction--"women in mythology-- forced me to think (very fondly!) of Circe. Did you read it?..."Yes, I did read Circe. I wasn't that keen on it, to be honest. I have always envisioned Circe to be independent, empowered, self-sufficient, and self-confident. I love the way she lets Odysseus sail off into the sunset without so much as shedding a single tear.
I was disappointed in her portrayal in the novel. She is reduced in stature, full of self-doubt, and lacks self-confidence. She is so totally dependent on men for her identity that she willingly diminishes her power to be with the man she loves. As I said in my review: "I was hoping for a wild and untamable Circe. Instead, I got the Little Mermaid." I much preferred Miller's The Song of Achilles.
Sorry. I hope I'm not ruining it for you, Tonya. I know a lot of people liked it. It would make for a pretty dull world if we all had the same opinion of the books we read :)
Ruth wrote: "Glad to see you, Tamara. And yes, you can post a poem if you wish."Quick question about the book club: are we to read the book before the month it is assigned, or during? That is, does discussion open on the 1st or on the 15th of each month.
Justin wrote: "Ruth wrote: "Glad to see you, Tamara. And yes, you can post a poem if you wish."Quick question about the book club: are we to read the book before the month it is assigned, or during? That is, do..."
For the Reading List books, the discussion begins on the 15th of the month, and there will be spoilers, so it's best to have already read the book by then. The Classics discussions start on the 1st, so same thing applies. Best to have already read the book.
Tamara, Completely agree re: dull world. The real difference here is that I never thought of Circe at all; the gods (collectively) are a bunch of severely flawed, goofy, poorly behaved, immoral, juvenile power-trippers to me. Before I started the book I would have probably remembered her as part of the Ulysses saga, and maybe the pigs? Hard to remember exactly, so there was much to enjoy and adore about the book.
Hello--Daniel here. I was a member back in the day when Constant Reader was its own site, circa 2000. Life and work pulled me away. I have been a chemistry and English high school teacher, an assistant principal at both a high school and junior high school, and a high school principal. I am currently a district testing supervisor looking forward to retirement at the end of June.My wife, also a principal, retired last June and, ostensibly, is waiting for me to join her in travel and new pursuits. I have two children. My son is finishing his Master's in Library Science at the University of Iowa and my daughter is finishing her second year in finance/accounting at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette.
I am a voracious reader--isn't everyone on Constant Reader a "constant" Reader? I read three books at a time: One fiction, one non-fiction, and one poetry/drama. I am currently re-reading "epics" (currently re-reading Moby-Dick or, the Whale), my "poetry" (The Aeneid) and participating in a "Dewey Decimal Challenge" devised by my son, wherein you select a work from each category. While he has broken his down to the tenths of the system (10 books for each of the 10 categories--so 100 books), I refrained from such dedication and pick one from each of the ten (currently reading In Gods We Trust: The Evolutionary Landscape of Religion). It's been fascinating reading, a way to exit my comfort mode and challenge myself.
Really, I've been on Goodreads for a decade and only recently saw a post by Ruth. Never dawned on me the group was here the whole time. It's good to be back.
Hi Daniel. I remember you from back in the day; sheesh I think your kids were in elementary school back then. I'm not as active with Constant Reader as I once was, busy life gets in the way, but it's nice to pop in here and see old friends. I am trying to participate in at least the short story discussions this year.Theresa
Welcome back from me, too, Dan. I always hope that everyone comes back to CR. It doesn’t always happen but the percentages are pretty good. Glad you made it.
Both Warbasse and Dan back among us in the past week or so - holy cow!
Lynn wrote: "Both Warbasse and Dan back among us in the past week or so - holy cow!"Yay! Now where’s Haggart?
So nice to hear from you again, Daniel. I hope you'll be able to participate again. It sounds like you and your family have been very busy. I think you're going to love retirement.
I remember you very well, too! Really look forward to "hearing" your take again!
Hello everyone,I am Lincee and I love travel, food and learning. I published my first book and am learning how to navigate this literary landscape. I never thought it would be such an emotional and mental rollercoaster. Anyone else feel this way? My gym workouts and resistance to chocolate are my biggest challenges. I have to pray every day otherwise I will stuff my face with chocolate and cry at the gym.
Welcome, Lincee. We look forward to hearing from you.
Dan wrote: "Welcome, Lincee. We look forward to hearing from you."Thank you for the welcome Dan! : )
Hello everyone, I've posted recently in "What I'm currently reading," but thought I'd introduce myself here as well. I'm a writer and a dedicated reader living in Vancouver, Canada. I decided to participate more in this group after starting an in-person book group, which has been so much fun! I am usually reading several books at once--fiction and non-fiction mostly--and really enjoy talking about books that make me think about the world differently. Every once in a while I try to read in a more structured way (Russian classics, for example, or all of Proust). It doesn't last. There are just so many books out there! I look forward to engaging with an online group of smart readers who can steer me toward great books. Thank you and best to all.
Welcome, Rachel! This is a very special group of people and it sounds like you'll fit right in. We look forward to hearing more from you!
Lynn wrote: "Welcome, Rachel! This is a very special group of people and it sounds like you'll fit right in. We look forward to hearing more from you!" Thank you so much, Lynn. I look forward to getting to know people here, and anticipate adding to my long 'To Read' list!
Welcome from me too, Rachel. I'm pretty sure you will like it here. And you live in one of my favorite cities in the world.
Thanks, Barbara! I'm always happy to welcome visitors to Vancouver for a coffee or a beach walk, so let me know if you ever make it to my city.
Hi, my name is Catherine and I am from Ireland. I am a longtime lurker on Goodreads, but I have been wanting to get more involved. I have bachelors degree in English and have just completed an MPhil in contemporary literature so I have been reading pretty constantly for the last few years but now I’m starting to get back into making my own choices and reading for pleasure. I really enjoy the community aspect of reading and learning about other readers’ perspectives on books I have read, but I’m the kind of person who freezes up in group situations. I think online book clubs are a good way of bridging that gap and I am really interested in what I have read of this page so far. I am looking forward to reading through the threads and learning more about how it worksMy current favourite book is ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ - Shirley Jackson, but I have so many, and the last book that I read was ‘Disgrace’ - JM Coetzee.
Welcome, Catherine! I love Ireland. I look forward to your contributions here as you get acquainted with the site. Maybe you'd like to join us in reading another Shirley Jackson book - We Have Always Lived in the Castle. The discussion will start on Oct. 15, but discussions never end around here, so feel free to join in, even if you're not ready right on the 15th.
I would love to start reading along with everyone else as I have been meaning to dig deeper into Jackson’s work. I will be ready and looking forward to learning from the discussions.
Welcome, Catherine! I've always preferred Constant Reader to in-person book groups for a variety of reasons. We're very glad to have you here. And, like Lynn, I love your country.
Welcome, Catherine. I’m a huge fan of Coetzee and have read most of his works. I’d love to know what you thought of DISGRACE.
Constant Reader
Books mentioned in this topic
The Mill on the Floss (other topics)The Gap in the Curtain (other topics)
Eggshells (other topics)
The Haunting of Hill House (other topics)
An Experiment with Time (other topics)
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