The Great American Read discussion
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Old Posts 2018
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Get to Know You! 2018
Hi everyone, I'm Cheri. I live in Norwalk Connecticut. I am 65 years old and a retired nurse. and did everything from acute care, visiting nursing, geriatrics. I have been a voracious reader all my life. I started out intending to be an English major so I took several English Lit classes I read everything from historical fiction, some fantasy like Tolkien. The classics like Shakespeare ( I love Hamlet), Dickens, Jame Austen, Outlander, Tayler Caldwell. I also enjoy non-fiction. I don't care for book discussions on Facebook. I am a member but I use it mostly for news. I have a passion for cats and have a large cat family. I have 2 grown children. I am so glad I found this group and look forward to more sharing.
Hi, I'm Dawn. I live in New Jersey with husband and kids. Stephen King is my favorite author, I also love historical fiction and classics. Thanks for the invite Loretta.
Roseanne wrote: "Hi I am Roseanne. I am from Long Island and I am completely obsessed with the Great American Read. I saw the group scrolling through my updates and couldn't resist. I want to read every book on the..."Hi Roseanne!
Tom wrote: "Hi everyone. I'm Tom and I figure that some of these books will peak my interest. Please don't make me read the Twilight series, though."That or the Fifty Shades, lol!
My name is Tom and I thank Loretta for adding me. I haven't watched TV since 2004, so am not sure what this site is about, but if it's about books, I'm in!I'm a book collector and an avid reader. My tastes run from SF to Thrillers to Classics. I'm always looking for reading recommendations. I also dabble at writing.
Thanks for the invite Loretta. I live in Lakeville, MN and looking forward to a long, hot, relaxing summer with lots of reads. I have 3 active kids and make time with print & audio books. I'll read pretty much anything and my TBR list is way too long. I belong to a few GR groups & 3 RL book clubs. I do my best to keep up :)
Happy Friday everyone,
Hi, readers! Thanks for the invitation. I'm Connie and I'm from the Pacific Northwest (Washington) like several of you. I'm old enough to have read a lot of books (of all genres), but still too young to retire and read even more. I look forward to reading more of the GAR because I like the encouragement to read books on my TBR list earlier rather than later. I belong to a few other groups, but at this point I only sporadically do monthly challenges, etc.
Hi! Thanks for the invite, Loretta! I'm Jim from Voorhees (near Philadelphia), NJ. Married for nearly two years to a wonderful woman that I met on Match, I'm a customer service representative working for the US government who loves to read. Though I usually read fiction (and a few classics), I've decided to broaden my horizons this year and read more nonfiction.Jim, who believes that unless you go before you go, you'll need to go while you go. Does a tripod cat have only three legs, or does it hang around shutterbugs?
Hi, my name is Margie and I live in Arizona (formerly California and Georgia). Married for 36 years, 2 children and 2 grandchildren. Thanks for inviting me Loretta. I've read about half the books on the GAR list, and look forward to reading the other half.
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I'm glad you came. I loved when I finally had an empty nest. (Though it didn't last long, my mother moved in shortly after my youngest relocated.) I once had a hammock reading nook in a screened in porch. I loved it.
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Welcome Cat. Wow. I'll bet you were surprised by some of the new titles. I'm really curious about some of the discussions that must have taken place when they selected the books. I wonder why they skipped over the more popular Vonnegut books for instance, and picked a lesser known one.
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Hi Elizabeth, I'm so glad you came by. I just celebrated my 37th. I hope we make it to 50! I've met a lot of gerontology and rehab nurses last year (my mom was in various ICU units for several months), and I know it's really important work.
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What bugs me is that I'm not sure about some of them. I finally decided, yes, I know for sure I read Gulliver's Travels. But I'm second guessing my memory of reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Gone with the Wind because I've seen the movies so many times.
In some case though, the movie is enough for me. My son (and my high school boyfriend) couldn't get to read Lord of the Rings, but I did watch the films.
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I'm from the mountains of NC, and I love to read."
Hi Kelly, I'm glad you came by. We're reading 1984 here too! I keep checking back to make some comments on Eleanor Oliphant, but it's not up yet.
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Tasha wrote: "True! W&P is a huge accomplishment and nothing feels so daunting after reading that. I've read a bunch of the chunksters already (inc W&P) so I'm breathing a little sigh of relief. ;)"
Sheila wrote: "Hi Roseanne. Love your enthusiasm. I feel the same but am kind of Leary of the number of chunksters on that list."
Wow, War and Peace. I'm debating whether or not to make it a summer goal for myself. I want to include the "chunksters" in a challenge - maybe read 1?
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Linda Abhors the New GR Design wrote: ."
That or e Fifty Shades, lol!"
Bruyere wrote: "And don't make me read Wheel of Time. ;)"
I don't think we'll make you read any of those. LOL. Just to be safe though, don't forget to nominate and vote on the books you DO want to read.
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The nominations thread is still open for the June 15 Group Read.
I hope you can join us in reading 1984 and/or Looking for Alaska!
Wow! So many new members since I last logged on yesterday! Welcome to you all. This group is growing so fast, it's going to be so much fun.
Margie wrote: "Hi, my name is Margie and I live in Arizona (formerly California and Georgia). Married for 36 years, 2 children and 2 grandchildren. Thanks for inviting me Loretta. I've read about half the books o..."Hi Margie! It's nice to see you here and to be in a group with you again. Looking forward to connecting again. :)
Hi everyone! My name's Gabriela and I'm from Romania, yet I'm very interested in improving my knowledge on American literature. Mostly, I've read American poetry up until now (Whitman and Poe are my favourite, although Dickinson has a nice style as well), but I would also like to give American prose a try, as I've only read a few American novels. BTW, a big thank you to my Goodreads friend Loretta for inviting me to join this group. Happy reading! 😊
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Please take a minute to look the nominations page and select up to 5 different books that you would want to read for the Group read starting June 15. The poll will be closing soon, so please focus on the books that already have 2 or more votes.
Thanks for inviting me, Loretta.I'm John from Texas. If I don't have a book to read I feel like I'm wasting my life. To me, books are like music - I'll give anything a chance, but if it doesn't sit well with me I'll toss it in the trash in a heartbeat. With hockey season over I'll have extra time to get some of the list read.
Hello everyone. I'm Sue from a Chicago suburb. What a great idea to start this group! I've read about 29 of these books (maybe more but I didn't count the ones I'm not sure of). I decided I was going to try and read as many of the one's I already owned or had on my TBR. I'm reading a A Prayer for Owen Meany right now because I've been wanting to get to it because it's a good friend's favorite book.
Loretta wrote: "Sue wrote: "Hello everyone. I'm Sue from a Chicago suburb. What a great idea to start this group! I've read about 29 of these books (maybe more but I didn't count the ones I'm not sure of). I dec..."
Thanks Loretta!
Hi, i'm Josue. I live in Florida. I've never heard of this list before but when i checked out i saw several books that i've been posponing for a while. I hope this group make me get them read. Im on it!!
@Gabriela - if you have a good book to recommend out of Romania let me know and I would be glad to check it out!
Hi! I'm Patrick. I'm originally from Hale, Michigan but now live in Toledo, Ohio with my wife and two teenage boys. I think I've reached that point where my kids need their space, my wife needs her space, so I'm happy to take my space and meet you all. I'm an attorney, please don't hold that against me. Thanks for the invite, Loretta.
Hi! I am Cindy. I live in South Dakota. I work at the local animal shelter. I think this group is an excellent idea. Thanks for the invite, Loretta. I read anything, mostly classics and mystery. I am dyslexic and taught myself to read in pictures, not upside down and backwards. Reading has become a very special time.
My name is Kelly. I live in CO. My oldest son just graduated college and my youngest just dropped out after Freshman year. Plus I have an extra 18 yo living in my home after his family rejected him when he came out as gay. I read a LOT. And I have already read almost 2/3 of the list. But I will join in on the fun and the discussions as much as possible.
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I decided I was g..."
Welcome Sue. We'll be reading A Prayer for Owen Meany soon as a group too!
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Welcome Josue. That's perfect. It's more fun to read when you can discuss it with others, right?
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That was nice of you to take him in. I don't get how parents can reject their own kid like that. BTW, there are some great books on the list with gay themes or characters. They might help him not feel so alone.
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Hi, this is Chris who has moved around all her life, first as a Navy brat and then my own 26 yrs in the Navy. It was a great life, but must admit I love being semi-retired with the opportunity to indulge my passion for books!! I discovered Goodreads in 2010 and get more involved in using it and participating with groups & challenges every year.
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Hi Susan, I'm in the same boat! There is one really wonderful thing about memory problems... You can re-read a great books and it's almost like the first time!
Hi! My name is Linda and I live in Nevada, reading is my passion, will have to live to at least 150 to cover all the books on my tbr list! Love to crochet and paint rocks (just started), and whenever finances permit I love to travel just about anywhere. In looking over the GAR list, I have read quite a few, so hope to participate in books not read, thank you so much Loretta for the invite, are you my GR’s friend?
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It's my passion too. I have more books on my to-read list than on my read list (though I didn't start writing them down until late in life). Feel free to comment on the threads, and maybe join us in a group read. Welcome!
NancyJ, I have a list of "to read" books that fills 5 5-subject notebooks and grows by the day, because I'm always finding something more I want to read!
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Welcome Parker, you'll fit right in here!
5 notebooks?? Oh my, do you have a short list of your must-reads? Did you also keep track of all the books you've read. I really wish I did that. I have 50+ years of reading partly unaccounted for. At one point I had 1000 on my to-read list, I keep whittling it down, but then it creeps up again. Realistically, some are only there because of old giveaways, or lists of books that might come in handy. I put all 100 of the GAR books in my list so I could create a bookshelf with all of them. I don't intend to read all of them.
It was really helpful to rank order the books on my to-read list.
I do keep track (in my head) of pretty much every book I've ever read. I don't really have a ranked list of my must reads. A lot of it depends on what I'm in the mood for and whether or not our libraries have it (or can get it). I find a lot of fantastic reads by simply browsing shelves at the library and bookstore.I also have a tendency to read books more than once. I stopped counting at 100 for the Harry Potter series. I've read Tamora Pierce's series almost as much. (Unfortunately, her books didn't make it onto the list)
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There really aren't many mysteries on the list. I still haven't read anything by Tamora Pierce, but she's on my list!
I'm re-reading Only Time Will Tell for my local book club. I had forgotten how much I loved it. It was the first in a series, so I reread it several times in preparation for a new release in the series. The first book is still my favorite. I did that with Harry Potter too every summer.
NancyJ wrote: "Sue wrote: "Hello everyone. I'm Sue from a Chicago suburb. What a great idea to start this group! I've read about 29 of these books (maybe more but I didn't count the ones I'm not sure of). I dec..."
Cool! I'm enjoying it.
Hi, My name is John. I'm a theology teacher. Because of TGAR, I've just read The Alchemist and The Sun Also Rises. I'm taking a course on The Brothers Karamazov but I see that Crime and Punishment is the Dostoyevsky book on the list. Look forward to joining some book discussions!
Linda wrote: "Hi! My name is Linda and I live in Nevada, reading is my passion, will have to live to at least 150 to cover all the books on my tbr list! Love to crochet and paint rocks (just started), and whenev..."I don't think Loretta is part of the group anymore. :(
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Welcome John! That's interesting. The Brothers Karamazov must be pretty meaty novel to be taught in a theology course. Or are you taking a literature class? (When I taught in a college we could take courses in other departments for free.) There are several books on spirituality and religion on the GAR list. Or are you reading largely for fun like the rest of us?
A local theology institute is offering a summer audit course on the Brothers and two teachers in my department are taking it! Any books on the GAR list that you think would be good from a theological/spiritual or social justice standpoint, I would appreciate suggestions on...I just read The Alchemist and think it would be great for a spirituality class.
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Well I know they discussed it on the PBS show. There is a link in the PBS folder if you want to watch it online.
I think these have spiritual (or philosophical) themes. There might be more.
Their Eyes were Watching God
A Prayer for Owen Meany
Bless me Ultima
The Shack
Siddhartha
The Alchemist
Maybe -
Gilead
Left Behind
Yeah, Gilead definitely has spiritual themes. The Shack is terrible and I laughed that it actually got on the list. Loved Siddhartha. Left Behind---maybe for evangelicals. But I loved The Leftovers, LOL.
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The Great American Read
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Thanks for the invite, Loretta!
I'll give this a try, because I'm on summer break. I read many classics when I was young, but got away from literature in English when I decided to continue studies in Spanish and French. So most of what I read for work is criticism or in another language.
I'm originally from MI, and lived in WI for graduate work. Now I'm in Rhody, about 1/2 hour from Kristin.
Once September comes, I may turn into a lurker, depending on my load.
I'm also excited that this group is here, since I'm not on Facebook!