The Anything Goes chit-chat thread (subject to tiny fine-print rules)

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Aw, man - I don't know whether to wish you good luck on the project or not :-)

(OK, I'll be good. Good luck.)

[Saski]

Amy (Other Amy) wrote: "Aw, man - I don't know whether to wish you good luck on the project or not :-)

(OK, I'll be good. Good luck.)"

Thank you!

It's funny, I don't know either, which is good (I tell myself), I'll be happy whatever happens.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

That is good. Flexibility is the key to resilience!

[Traveller]

Hi guys! All my bad and I admit it, so sorry. Well, one good thing that has happened here, is that a core group has developed that do seem to want to discuss books together. I admit that I'm currently pretty tied down in RL, but I love you all and I want this group to continue and work and that includes with Derek still on board.

Yes, we certainly need to restructure, and the 1 book a month suggestion look like a good idea, but people, nobody stopped from starting discussions anyway - members starting discussions is "enabled" in group settings for that specific reason.

Let's brainstorm a bit - why don't we make a section of the group similar to what that Sword and Laser group's setup is like?

[Saski]

Hej Traveller! So good to see you back. :) Although the 'big' project hasn't come in yet, I still would be hard pressed to do more than 1 a month, i.e., that sounds maybe doable.

If I do disappear without warning, you all know my dream job has come and it is nothing personal. :)

[Amy (Other Amy)]

I think that's a good idea, Traveller.

[Traveller]

That's the thing with group such as this. People have varying life circumstances and its hard to co-ordinate things in such a way that everybody can participate at the same time. I thought the 'delayed' format might help with this, but then you don't have that feeling of camaraderie as when people do a read together.

Maybe we should have a format where anybody can post a thread with notes about a book they really found good and worth commenting on, and then maybe a "read-together" every 2 months or so.

I don't know, I'm just throwing some ideas out there.

[Stephen]

I've only joined in a few discussions so far, but I've enjoyed them. I just moved to Moscow to teach English for the year, but in a week or two I think I'll have settled in enough to participate more.

Out of the books currently on the group's list, I recently read The Three Body Problem and could talk more about that. I'm also interested in Memoirs of Hadrian, All the Light We Cannot See, and Cloud Atlas. Although I'm not in St. Petersburg, maybe it's still a good time to reread Notes from the Underground too!

I'm also falling behind on my mash-up challenge. If anyone wants to read any of the books/authors listed there, let me know! ☺

[Linda]

Traveller wrote: "That's the thing with group such as this. People have varying life circumstances and its hard to co-ordinate things in such a way that everybody can participate at the same time. I thought the 'del..."

I think there's nothing wrong with the "delayed" format. I'm in other groups that barely discuss books-heck, one or two don't even bother doing group reads. I have always loved that this is a pretty active group. The other active group that I'm in posts "spoilers" for each reading segment-not cool if I've "almost" caught up to the rest of the group-so I avoid the threads until I've finished a segment.
I don't see how the "delay" detracts from the conversation at all!

[Traveller]

Okay... my problem is that I am prepared to put some moderating work in but lately I have not had time to read, and no use trying to "lead" a discussion if you don't have time to read the books, although you guys are free to start discussions yourselves, of course.

I really like the books that Stephen mentioned there, and would like to get to them myself. I wonder if it would work if I put out a discussion framework for books that more than one member would like to read.

But once again - there is nothing stopping any member from starting a discussion thread in the "member reads" area.
Maybe its a question of most people don't have the time and some don't have the temperament.

Do we have any more takers for any of The Three Body Problem, Memoirs of Hadrian, All the Light We Cannot See, and Cloud Atlas and/or Notes from the Underground ?

I'll post that on the group discussion thread as well.

[Traveller]

Ruth wrote: "Hej Traveller! So good to see you back. :) Although the 'big' project hasn't come in yet, I still would be hard pressed to do more than 1 a month, i.e., that sounds maybe doable.

If I do disappear..."

Please don't pull a Traveler and completely disappear on us, Ruth! You will be sorely missed... just don't follow my example but instead pop in regularly to say hi! :P

[Saski]

Aw, thanks, Traveller! I will do my best :)

[Traveller]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqoV4... This actually had ME in tears by the end....seeing the tears dripping down his face eventually had me going as well. An elegy to the victims of Tokyo 2011.

[Sunija]

Hi All,

Just joined this group, and found it inactive.! :(

[Linda]

I know........our leader in chief was going through some tough times, and we've sort of fizzled. I just double-checked the other day to make certain that I hadn't turned off my notifications for the group. I miss it!

[Saski]

I miss it too, but there is just too much other stuff going on. I hope we can reconvene some time in the future...

[Sunija]

Thanks and Hi Ruth and Linda!
Lot of things are happening in my life too.. may be that's how I came across this group. Will wait :) Take care till then!

[Linda]

It's worth waiting for. I"m in one group that's extemely active, but they talk about anything except books. Another group with a particular focus that does a monthly group read, but hardly anyone posts. When this one's working, it does both. :D

[Jennifer]

Hi everyone!! Maybe we can start a little read on our own and bring some folks back into the fold.

[Stephen]

Happy 2018, everyone!

Let's try to revive this group! Is anyone interested in repeating the Super Mash-up Challenge this year? I'd like to beat my previous record of 12/20. :)

Also, I'm back in grad school, so I will selfishly propose the following books for discussion, if anyone wants to delve into one of them with me:

• Tolstoy, War and Peace
• Dostoevsky, Demons (a.k.a. The Possessed, Devils)
• Dostoevsky, The Adolescent
• Dostoevsky, A Writer's Diary (short works)
• Dickens, David Copperfield
• Dickens, various short works

For something more modern, The Nonexistent Knight has been on my shelf for a while, and since I know several of us like Calvino...

[Saski]

As much as I would like to and say each year this time I'm going to do something Russian, I know me and Russian just isn't happenin'.

[Linda]

I like the idea of reviving the group, though!
I'm deficient in Russian classics, but tbh, they're all big chuckers, and I'm not sure I've time.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

I'm not really able to lead anything right now, but if we get a book selected and someone wants to lead the discussion, I'll do the best I can to join in.

[Stephen]

Despite the rumors, not all Russian literature is dark and bleak, or necessarily that long. ;) I'll have a look at the short stories, and I might try to start a discussion on one of those. If it's just me, that'll at least motivate me to get some reading done early.

[Whitney]

Something from Gogol might hit the "not too long, not too dark and bleak" sweet spot.

[Saski]

If I have it, I'm willing to give it a try...

[Linda]

Stephen wrote: "Despite the rumors, not all Russian literature is dark and bleak, or necessarily that long. ;) I'll have a look at the short stories, and I might try to start a discussion on one of those. If it's ..."

Something under 500 pages (since I"m in a f2f club, as well) would be great! I'm up for it. I miss this group so much.

[Traveller]

Hi guys, sorry for having abandoned you, but I'm semi-back, and we're doing a Proust discussion at the moment, if you'd like to join. https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Proust is big, so he deserves his own group.

After that, we can perhaps look at reviving things here, albeit at a reduced pace from how much we used to do.

[BrokenTune]

Traveller wrote: "Hi guys, sorry for having abandoned you, but I'm semi-back, and we're doing a Proust discussion at the moment, if you'd like to join. https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
..."

I'd definitely be up for a reduced pace revival. :D

[Saski]

I'm afraid I abandoned Proust, Traveler. Just couldn't get into it. But I would still be interested in a group read... :)

[Traveller]

I've always wanted to read Proust, so I kind of committed myself as added motivation. Sadly it's going to take some time to get through it.

In the meantime, is there anything you guys particularly feel like? I'm really in the mood for foreign authors lately. Let's think about it a bit and do a kind of slow-cooker brainstorming for two or three months in the future.

[BrokenTune]

Traveller wrote: "I've always wanted to read Proust, so I kind of committed myself as added motivation. Sadly it's going to take some time to get through it.

In the meantime, is there anything you guys particularly..."

I'm doing an "Around the World" reading project at the moment (and it's a long-term project) so "foreign" books works for me.

I've only had very limited exposure to some of the classic Russian writers so would not mind reading anything in that direction (other than Tolstoy or Chekhov, which are the only two I have read), but I see that these seem to have gotten some love back in 2018 where the previous conversation seems to have trailed off.

Other than that, where do you all want to travel?

[Amy (Other Amy)]

I've ping ponged around a lot lately. Read a lot of Japanese mysteries and First Person Singular: Stories (wonderful! I would totally reread that with a group, but it just came out so accessibility might be an issue with waitlists). One book I've been working on for forever that is really quick actually is The Street of Crocodiles, which is a delight but I stalled for some reason.

I don't know. I am open to suggestions. (That's assuming I regain the ability to just sit down and read a book soon. I was doing great at the beginning of the year but this summer I've hit the wall pretty hard. It will get better soon I'm sure!)

[Traveller]

I'd be on board for a Japanese mystery anytime, give a few names. I have one or two of my own that I'd re-read. I have access to 3 of Bruno Schulz's works, and they look worthwhile exploring. Oh, I'd love to do the short Murakami's you mentioned, Amy, if I can get hold of it.

What's wrong with Tolstoy or Chekov? :P I wouldn't mind doing Anna Karenina, but maybe it's a bit long.

Anyway, so how about Dostoevsky? I'd probs be ok with any Dostoevsky (or Fyodor Dostoyevsky as some people spell him. Preferably Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov or Notes from the Underground.
If you guys come up with a few more suggestions, we can do a poll. :)

And when? I can't do earlier than mid-to-late October.

[Traveller]

There's some East-European and Russian books I've been wanting to do, like Herta Muller'sThe Hunger Angel.

Also, I read The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956 as a kid last, and can't remember a thing, so that would be another suggestion, also maybe his One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.

Also Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev.

And from Viet Nam on the Viet Nam side, Novel Without a Name.

How about going to the French side with George Sand's Indiana?

Or Italian with If This Is a Man by Primo Levi ?
On a similar note, I'd be happy to do All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.
And now I'm so tired I'm keeling over. Laters!

[BrokenTune]

Traveller wrote: "What's wrong with Tolstoy or Chekov? :P"

Just for clarification, there is nothing at all wrong with either of them, but these are the authors I already know.

As much as I enjoyed Anna K., I'm not looking to re-read it any time soon. Nor, before you ask, am I looking to re-read War and Peace. ;P

As for all of the other suggestions - Schulz, Japanese Mysteries, Mueller, ... , Levi, Murakami, Remarque, ... all of them, I'm up for it.

Re Remarque - As good (and gut-wrenching) as All Quiet on the Western Front is, the sequel (The Road Back) is even better.

Re The Hunger Angel, this has been on my TBR forever! I'd love to read it.

Re Japanese mysteries - I have the following on my kindle:

The Tokyo Zodiac Murders
The Inugami Curse
The Honjin Murders

I'm equally happy to try others.

October works for me. :)

[BrokenTune]

Oh, re Indiana, .... I'll need to forego that one, but I'd love to know how other people enjoy the book.

[Traveller]

Brokentune did you just post here? Notifications say you did...

Anyway, ok, Indiana is out, but here are some more suggestions:

Not from around the world if you live in the US, but seen from an unusual perspective, I’ve yet to read Toni Morrison’s Beloved.

Another book with an unusual approach, is Untold Night and Day by Korean author Bae Suah.

Out of the three Japanese novels you mention, Brokentune, The Honjin murders seem to be the best one. Sadly I can’t get hold of any of the 3, but will look around.

Re War and Peace -I definitely agree on that one. It was very good, but … in the time of re-reading it once, I could rather read 6 other novels. :P

An alternate history with an unusual take is The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson. Even though the author is a white American, the book definitely deals with something else.

The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde is another book I’d read so long ago that I’d forgotten it, so I’d be very glad if we can do it sometime.

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

Masks by Fumiko Enchi. <<<-Choose that one!

Ok, just kidding. We must choose books that everyone has access to.

Any other people want to give some suggestions? Amy, Saski?

[BrokenTune]

Traveller wrote: "Brokentune did you just post here? Notifications say you did..."

GR notifications have not been working for a couple of days. Some don't come through at all and some have severe delay.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

I have Crossfire towards the top of my stack, but I had to hunt around for my copy, so I'm not sure how available it is.

[Traveller]

Hmm, I don't see it anywhere. But we seem to currently have an appetite for Japanese and/or mystery. I'm thinking why don't we go Japanese short story to get a feel for different authors without investing too much in something we might not like?

We can keep a look out for unusual/must-read mysteries as well.

[Amy (Other Amy)]

Short stories sound wonderful.

[BrokenTune]

Sounds great!

[Traveller]

Yaye, we're making progress! Now for the facile little task of deciding which short stories. ;)

I actually have quite a lot of compendiums, will check them out for quality, and run them past you in the next few days. :) *happy smile*

[Saski]

I could manage that :)

[Traveller]

Saski wrote: "I could manage that :)"

I was hoping you'd clock in... wonderful.

[Saski]

All depends on availability, which with short stories tends to be easier.

[Traveller]

Well, let's all check our shelves, and post what we have, and then obviously choose what is easiest for all of us to get hold of. I wonder ... would it be cheating to suggest that latest short story collection by Murakami, First Person Singular: Stories

Murakami is so household that he doesn't feel distinctly "Japanese" to me anymore...

Please tell me you guyses haven't read that one yet?

[BrokenTune]

Traveller wrote: "Well, let's all check our shelves, and post what we have, and then obviously choose what is easiest for all of us to get hold of. I wonder ... would it be cheating to suggest that latest short stor..."

I don't think I have read any Murakami, so that would work for me. Also, my library has the book which a bonus.

[Traveller]

Okay... Amy has read it, so nevermind...