The Great American Read discussion
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Old Posts 2018
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Get to Know You! 2018
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I remember when Left Behind first came out, people were eating it up, as a mystery, not as something spiritual necessarily. My son really loved Siddhartha, which I didn't remember at all. We talked about it when this list came up.
I picked up the Gilead from the library and I hope I get a chance to read it before I have to bring it back.
Out of all of them, which do you recommend most?
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I live in Dripping Springs Texas in a house that I built with my husband.
We have two 11 year-old rescue dogs. A rottie-australian shep..."
Hi Julie! I'm too old to Rock n Roll too, but if there is wine and a dance floor, you'll catch me dancing like nobody is watching.
We're a rescue dog family too. My son has two rottie-mix dogs and we have a shepherd/golden mix. All the new dogs in my neighborhood are golden retrievers, and as pretty as they are, I'm just a little disappointed.
Hi everybody! I'm Jennifer and I live in Kansas. I'm 33 and I have a degree in History. I love to read, it's my favorite pastime. I am trying to reach my goodreads goal of 100 books but I am behind at the moment so I hope to get back on track.
Welcome, Jennifer!Guys, not sure which thread to post this under, since we don't have a "General chit chat thread". But it's just a way of getting information out.
I'll try to keep it brief.
It has come to our attention (those of use wingeing about the fact that we apparently "sent ourselves" a notice to follow SJP here on GR as she promotes a book that she is publishing) that our email addresses have been visible to others even when our settings indicate "Show my email address to no one."
Mine, in the past, somehow made it into my profile, and I didn't put it there. Some notorious author used it as an opportunity to send me spam, and that's how I found out it was there.
The latest one is: when you send someone a friend request, it says "So and so (email address) would like to be your friend on Goodreads". And discloses your email address, even if you have "show my address to no one" in your settings. This isn't happening to everyone, but is cause for concern. It only happens when you are the one sending out the friend request.
We don't seem to be getting an answer from GR on this (even though that's a personal information security breach). So I thought I'd let you know.
The way to check it is to send someone a request, someone who knows of the issue and is looking for that request, and have them tell you if it's listed. We've been checking each others' and are trying to get the message out to people.
Here's a link to that discussion, in case you'd like to read up on it.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
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Guys, not sure which thread to post this under, since we don't have a "General chit chat thread". But it's just a way of getting information out.
I'll try to keep it brief.
It..."
Geez, our privacy isn't safe anywhere anymore. Thanks for the information.
Linda - Feel free to open up a chit chat topic or privacy topic, or whatever you'd like. I'm trying to catch up on sleep and I'll be back later or tomorrow.
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Hi Jennifer, Welcome!
I'm finding it really interesting to see how our knowledge of history changes over time. New information is discovered, old facts are viewed from a new perspective, and sources of bias are uncovered.
Does your interest in history also translate to an interest in historical fiction? or just the opposite? I'm really attracted to historical fiction, but I have to keep reminding myself that it's fiction.
We're reading some GAR list books together, I hope you can join us in one! Or feel free to make comments on books you already read.
NancyJ wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Hi everybody! I'm Jennifer and I live in Kansas. I'm 33 and I have a degree in History. I love to read, it's my favorite pastime. I am trying to reach my goodreads goal of 100 book..."For future reference, there's a group called "History in Vogue" that reads primarily historical fiction. We've been a bit lazy lately, waiting for Poldark to start up again....but no reading. Which gives me time to read with this group! :D
Hi all! I just joined this group.. I'm a bookseller and I am never without a book in my hand. I'm super busy at the moment (i'm getting ready to launch my book review blog!!) but I will try to participate whenever I can.
Linda Abhors the New GR Design wrote: "Welcome, Jennifer!Guys, not sure which thread to post this under, since we don't have a "General chit chat thread". But it's just a way of getting information out.
I'll try to keep it brief.
It..."
Hey, Linda! I just joined this group. And everyone else, I'm the one who started that thread. I received an email in my personal email box from someone on GR. It was someone whom I had sent a friend request. On my account settings page, it says "share my email with NO ONE." So, yes.. if you would like to participate in this discussion, here is the link: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Crumb wrote: "Linda Abhors the New GR Design wrote: "Welcome, Jennifer!Guys, not sure which thread to post this under, since we don't have a "General chit chat thread". But it's just a way of getting informati..."
HI Crumb......yes, I recognized the pretty lady in your avatar from that thread. Glad you're here.
NancyJ wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Hi everybody! I'm Jennifer and I live in Kansas. I'm 33 and I have a degree in History. I love to read, it's my favorite pastime. I am trying to reach my goodreads goal of 100 book..."Hi Nancy!
Historical fiction is my favorite genre. My favorite eras in history are the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. I especially love WWII historical fiction. I also enjoy circus fiction. I can't wait to get to some of these books on the GAR list.
Linda Abhors the New GR Design wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Hi everybody! I'm Jennifer and I live in Kansas. I'm 33 and I have a degree in History. I love to read, it's my favorite pastime. I am trying to reach my goodreads g..."That group sounds great!
I'm Connie. I'm married, have 3 grown bonus kids, 2 son-in-laws, and 7 grandbabies. I was born and raised in what was once the rural suburbs north of Atlanta, but moved to the southeast side of town when I got married. I love living in my small town but it does not really provide many career opportunities. I have a quite a daily commute, which gives me the opportunity to listen to books that I no longer have time to read. I've been a bookworm since 5 and will read just about anything.
Greetings! Thanks to Loretta for inviting me to this group. I'm from Indianapolis, IN and have lived here my entire life. I'm an appeals coordinator at a law firm, and I'm mom to two teens and a dog named Bruce Lee, and am partner to George for the past 6 years, though we first met in junior high (waaay back when it was still called junior high vs. middle school, so we're old. LOL) I've read approximately half of the books on the list, so will look forward to adding a few more while being a part of this group. My IRL book club has met every month for the past 6 years, and I'm a sporadic participant in several GR groups. I also recently learned of Andrew Luck's book club, so being a fellow resident of Indy have decided to give some of his selections a try, as well. I enjoy reading all formats...print, Kindle, and audio. This year, I'm participating in a reading challenge for the first time and am really enjoying it. Looking forward to making new friends here...cheers!
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I've been reading a lot of WWII fiction too and one of my real life book clubs has read a lot of 1920's books. Have you noticed yet which books on the GAR list fit your favorite eras?
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Welcome Connie! It sounds like you'll fit right in here. I've got serious grandbaby envy. (I had my kids young, and I thought I'd be a young grandmother, but I'm still waiting.) We have a couple group reads going on, so pick one or more and jump right in!
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Hi Jennifer from Indianapolis. Welcome! It looks like we have more than one Jennifer here (maybe 3?) When I joined a goodreads group there was another Nancy in the group, so I added my initial. I'm not as creative as linda abhors....
I'm glad you're here! I'm working on a challenge or two for this group too (when I have time).
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I am a sucker for reading lists. And public television. So GAR has obviously become a fast interest of mine. It has several books that were already on my to read list. It has books i would have never considered reading. And what really took my interest is that it has books I hadn't heard of.
NancyJ wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Hi everybody! I'm Jennifer and I live in Kansas. I'm 33 and I have a degree in History. I love to read, it's my favorite pastime. I am trying to rea..."I think the closest book to fitting any of my favorite eras is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. When I have time, I'll have to check the list in more depth.
NancyJ wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "Greetings! Thanks to Loretta for inviting me to this group. I'm from Indianapolis, IN and have lived here my entire life. I'm an appeals coordinator at a law firm, and I'm mom to t..."Bahaha! Trust me, I'd much prefer to go back to being just "Linda"...sigh! Someone here in town used to drive a van around that said "B_____(car dealership) sold me this lemon." I used to think, "Wow, he reeeeallly got horrible service, if he's still driving that around after several years." Really, it was there for over 1-2 years. So, not giving up the fight yet.
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I am a sucker for reading lists. And public television. So GAR has obviously become a fast interest of mine. It has several bo..."
Hi Joy, Welcome! I found the unfamiliar titles appealing too. It reminded me that I should get out of my comfort zone once in a while. The group read we're starting today - Prayer for Owen Meany - is a little outside my comfort zone, but not as much as sci-fi. What do you want to read on the list?
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The group read we're starting today - Prayer for Owen Meany - is a little outside my comfort zone, but not as much as sci-fi."
Beloved and Rebecca were on my to-read list previously. I'm interested in the Outlander series, because I have heard so much about it. I like historical fiction, but generally stay far away from romance. The outsiders also sparked my interest during the special, because I had lived in Tulsa for several years and still managed to have never heard of it. Tales of the city also looks fasciniating.
And I had always intended to read the wheel of time series but never managed to get around to it. I enjoy sci-fi/fantasy quite a bit, so I had already read most of the other series on the list.
Hello everyone ! I am happy to have found this group and eager to read many of the books on the GAR list. I always a have a current book i am reading. I can't wait to read others opinions on the books that made this list.
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And I had always intended to read the wheel of time series but never managed to get around to it. I enjoy sci-fi/fantasy quite a bit, so I had already read most of the other series on the list.
..."
Which of the sci-fi and fantasy books did you like best?
If it helps, I can't read most romance books, but I loved Outlander. It's great historical fiction, and the romance between the two lead characters is more interesting than most. I especially liked how she applied 1940's medical experience to life in the 1700's. (Though I might be thinking more of book 2 than book 1.)
I've heard Tales of the City described variously as "groundbreaking and funny" and "Like Sex and the City, if Carrie was gay, and the city was SanFrancisco in the 70's."
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Welcome Pamela! You'll find lots of books and opinions here. I hope you can join in on one of our group reads. We're starting A Prayer for Owen Meany now, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn on July 1 (though I couldn't resist starting it early).
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I'm excited to read Outlander and Tales of the City!
Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings are 2 of my all-time favorite series. I used to read LOTR every year over Christmas breaks from school. I also enjoyed Harry Potter and have read through that series several times.
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is also high on my list. I have not read Gulliver's Travels since I was a kid so I plan on re-reading it, but i do remember liking that as well.
I just read Sirens of Titan and liked it immensely. I think it's probably the easiest to get through if you don't read a lot of Sci-fi/Fantasy.
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Great! My son and I are planning to read Sirens of Titan together, though we both have other books ahead of it on our reading lists. When I entered a giveaway, I saw a book I thought he'd like, so I entered his name and address instead of mine. He was thrilled to find that he won something. He's going to join goodreads now because he wants to write his first review.
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That's awesome! There's nothing like free books.
J, Outlander is not a romance (Diana Gabaldon's own words). Rather, it's the story of a marriage. (I own all the books, the Lord John series, her book of short stories, plus The Outlandish Companion I and II) I'm a stickler for historical accuracy, and she has pretty much nailed it.
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I look forward to reading it!
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Well no one is going to mix you up with all the other Lindas on goodreads!
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I agree, though it is still very romantic. I'm up to book 6 (or 7), and I'm learning so much about pre-revolutionary war America that I never knew before. And I'm still enjoying the conversations between Jamie and Clair. (The only thing I'm really tired of is her frequent descriptions of all the colors in his hair.)
Update on the privacy issue:Unless you have your account settings set to "show my email to no one", then you should know that when you ask someone on GR for their friendship, your real name and the email address connected to your account will accompany that request.
Follow the discussion here:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Hi, my name I Pam. I live in Albuquerque, NM. I am semi-retired and am married with 2 daughters and 2 grandsons. I have always loved reading and music! Besides books, my other past time is volunteering with The Southwest Pickers, a non-profit that promotes bluegrass and traditional music in NM. I have been very interested in this PBS show since I first heard about it. I have some favorites on the list but would like to read more of the books and, possibly, find a new favorite. I feel like if I'm voting, I want to be fair and give other books a chance! The books I am most interested in reading are the lesser-known ones, not American classics that I read in high school or have seen the movie, although I would consider reading The Godfather. I look forward to the discussions!
Pam wrote: "Hi, my name I Pam. I live in Albuquerque, NM. I am semi-retired and am married with 2 daughters and 2 grandsons. I have always loved reading and music! Besides books, my other past time is voluntee..."Hi Pam, and welcome to the GAR!
I feel the same way - like I can't vote unless I've read all the books (at least the ones I think I might like - one or two I know I would really dislike, so I'll stay away from those.) But there are lots on the list that aren't my normal cuppa, so I wanted to give them all a chance before I started voting. Which probably means I won't vote, but oh well. I'm really glad for this chance to read books that I've not gotten to in my lifetime. And everything I've read so far has been quite good. Welcome again!
Hi, I'm Cathy. I was an ESL teacher for many years including a year in Japan and currently work at a university in training. I have a teen age daughter who also loves reading. Find it motivating to read the classics with others. Thanks for starting the group!
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Just a heads up-people are still reporting problems with their emails appearing when they request a person's friendship on GR, even when their settings say "Share email with no one".Someone keeps opening threads asking if they are GDPR compliant, and they keep closing those threads, claiming that they are responding to individual emails (which wouldn't solve the problem for the other million of us). The people who are opening threads say that they reported the problem 1-2 mos. ago, and have not received a response.
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Someone keeps..."
Linda, thanks for keeping us up-to-date on these issues. I created a new thread so these posts get more attention.
NancyJ wrote: "Linda Abhors the New GR Design wrote: "Just a heads up-people are still reporting problems with their emails appearing when they request a person's friendship on GR, even when their settings say "S..."Thanks, I saw that and re-posted. If anyone needs help with the spam friend requests, they can ask (the GR Feedback discussion thread is pretty long at this point, so go to the end of that ¨Russian Hack?¨ thread.
Hey everyone! I am glad I found a group like this! I am a bookaholic reader who was extremely excited to see PBS do a special like this, and then devestated that it was a 2 hour episode with nothing until September.I doubt I'll finish all of these books- the three I have finished so far have been average in ratings for me so I took a bit of a break, but I've added the list to my reading goals for the year.
Kim wrote: "Hey everyone! I am glad I found a group like this! I am a bookaholic reader who was extremely excited to see PBS do a special like this, and then devestated that it was a 2 hour episode with nothin..."Welcome!
Since there are so many, I know few people who have the time to commit to all of them. Just join in when/where you can!
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Hi Kim, Welcome! What do you most want to read from the list?
Hi, I’m Dana! I’ve been a member of GoodReads for so long, but it’s been a while since I’ve jumped into a good list and good group! :) When I’m not reading, I’m a full-time musician—singing/piano-playing/mischief-making—and I have a six-year-old son whom is my heart’s delight. It felt appropriate to me to begin the Great American Read today, as it’s Tuesday July 31st, which is Harry Potter’s birthday, and my 20th Anniversary HP reading date!! I’ve had two of the current group reads on a bookshelf for years, and I am glad to finally be reading them; I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer as much as I have!
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Welcome Dana! Which books have been on your list?!
Hi, I'm Charley. I've been a member of goodreads for about 6 years. I am in a few other groups but I liked a lot of the books on this list so I thought I'd join and see how it goes. I've rad both of the books for Sept and have too many books I'm reading this month so I'm looking forward to October. Glad to be here.
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Charley Girl wrote: "Hi, I'm Charley. I've been a member of goodreads for about 6 years. I am in a few other groups but I liked a lot of the books on this list so I thought I'd join and see how it goes.
I've rad both ..."
Seconded, Welcome! We hope to keep going with this group after the GAR programming is over so stick around!
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The Great American Read
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I live in Dripping Springs Texas in a house that I built with my husband.
We have two 11 year-old rescue dogs. A rottie-australian shepherd mix named Rio and a true mutt named Brewster. (The joke is that Brewster is a purebred knucklehead.)
I've always been a reader, and now that the house is pretty much finished, I'm looking for more nice long books to read.