21st Century Literature discussion
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How Did You End Up On GR & In This Group? (4/11/21)
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Marc
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Apr 11, 2021 08:41AM
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After discovering in 2010 that my library account didn't track my reading as well as I thought it did (privacy reasons and all that, but that's not what I was looking for), I googled around looking for something that would fit my needs, and I'm still kicking around here more than a decade later.As for this group, I accepted a friend request from Marc a few weeks back, and his group activity showed up often enough in my feed to get me thinking about how my reading of classic literature (anything 50 years or older is fair game) benefits from participating in a group oriented around such. I figured that having that kind of structure would strengthen the reading schemes for contemporary lit that I have in place (which will be the main focus during the later part of the year), so here I am.
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Back in 2007 I wanted a decent database for my books and I didn't like shelfari's interface at all. I discovered the Goodreads app on Facebook and I used that exclusively. Sometime around 2010(?) I got a notification that there is a Goodreads website and the facebook app will be phased out. So I transferred all my data over there.
Later on , I wanted to find a group that had a bookclub but for 21st century lit - a quick search and here I am
I joined GR in 2008 on the recommendation of a friend but I don't think I joined any groups until Around the World in 80 Books several years ago. I believe it was someone in that group who mentioned the Mookse group, and there are a number of folks there that are also members of this group - quite a roundabout way to get here.
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Initially I was just using it to track my own reading and write a few aides-memoir to myself without really expecting anyone to read them, but I started to acquire friends some of whom were active in groups.
At some point in 2015 I stumbled on this group, and was immediately impressed by the statement of intent on the group's homepage. I got drawn into the discussions, got a few suggestions accepted and became one of the group's more active members, and was eventually asked to become a moderator. I enjoy doing that and have no intention of stopping any time soon.
I am now reading more than three times as much as I was back in 2014 (the numbers keep increasing every year however my intentions started), and I am now effectively retired, so I have no excuses not to.
I was not a big reader of new literary fiction until 2014, when I happened to have read 4 of the 5 finalists for the National Book Award, and I thought, really? That's the best of the best in literature? And I wanted to learn more, because I couldn't believe those books were anything of the kind. I mean, they were ok. Then I found this group by searching for it, as well as Mookse, and Tournament of Books, and I started Newest Lit Fic, and I've been happily delighted ever since to be in the company of so many people with so much knowledge and enthusiasm about contemporary fiction. THANK YOU.
Marc wrote: "A belated welcome to the group, Aubrey!"Cheers, Marc. I'm more comfortable with jumping into a conversation I can contribute to than putting myself out there on an introduction board, so thanks for putting up with that.
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Prior to joining, my reading was largely spit between either those chunky classics, or genre. This group helped bring me up to speed on a wider assortment of contemporary literature.
Aubrey wrote: "Marc wrote: "A belated welcome to the group, Aubrey!"Cheers, Marc. I'm more comfortable with jumping into a conversation I can contribute to than putting myself out there on an introduction board..."
Yes, welcome, Aubrey. I'm familiar with you from the Classics book group! Glad you're here.
I joined Goodreads to become involved in a community of readers. I thought I read an average amount, but after comparing notes I really had to step up my game!! Now I read more and really enjoy reading other people’s posts and about their personal reading journeys.As for how I came to this group- it’s a bit embarrassing, but I’m in a trivia league and found that I wasn’t very good at 21st Century Literature, and I was fuming about it a bit. I found this group and saw again how much I have to learn! I look forward to reading the books for this group and to reading people’s ideas about them.
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I think it's fairly common to dislike writing intros/your own bio. We'd much rather you skip the intro but join in the discussions than do an intro and not join the discussions.
But lurkers are welcome, too!
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Ha--this is a great story and reason! Nothing like a little competition to spur learning/improvement.
I joined GR in 2011, after having been in Paperback Swap for several years. I was interested in joining this group because I want to learn more about what’s out there in contemporary lit, and the discussions in this group expose me to books I wouldn't have known about. I’m in several groups: Nature Literature ( not really active there, but I scan the posts) 21st Century, the Mookes and the Gripes, NYRB classics, and two all-french groups, Francophonie and Littérature française du XXIe siècle. I can’t say I’m hugely active in any of these, but I like reading the book-talk not only in this group but in the Mookes group, and note which award-winners the members get jazzed about, but there’s no way I can attempt to read newly published works, so I’m always at least a year behind. The NYRB classics group I’m in is now moribund, which is sad, because it had a moderator there about a year or two ago who put a lot of energy into leading book discussions and we read some wonderful books. (I never would have attempted something as brilliant and complex as Berlin Alexanderplatz had I not done it as a group read). These days, more and more, I’m reading in French (because I’m working on my French) hence the 2 french groups that I lurk in.
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Whitney wrote: "Just went through old GR emails. I seem to have mentally rewritten my history so that I initially joined GR to discuss long, difficult works of literature."We're all unreliable narrators!
I love everyone's stories! I had to do some double checking since my memory is terrible. Apparently I joined Goodreads in 2007 which is longer than I realized! I'd always kept track of the books I read in a little notebook (again, the bad memory!), so had a similar experience as Hugh when a friend I'd always traded books with told me how we could share what books we were reading.
I found this group in June 2018 when Lark told me you were reading Laurus. And I found Lark's group, New Literary Fiction, from the Tournament of Books group, and I found that group from my friend in my in-person book group that's been going for 16 years!
Dang I feel old. :)
Oh, and also like Hugh, this group and Lark's group definitely contributed from my number of books I read per year going from like 25 to 75 a year. Look what you guys made me do! :)
I've been on here almost 11 years. I have no idea how I first heard about GR. I was active on PaperbackSwap for awhile & another book site (that I can't remember the name of). Like Bretnie, I kept track of books I read in a notebook, just title, author, & a star rating. Eventually I transferred that info here.I also have no idea how I found this club initially. I'm guessing I found it through some friends or "likes" made by friends of something posted here & I took a look & joined.
I'm feeling pretty clueless for this question, though!
I started reading more as health issues forced me away from other activities and the reading is my way of fighting mental deterioration. Goodreads followed because I like literary criticism and book discussion. This group came up since a book by Gerald Murnane was going to be discussed.
I don't remember the exact time I discovered Goodreads. I was always a book-lover. When we had the access to internet, Goodreads came along with it naturally. I followed reviews, lists etc. without being a member. As a non-native English speaker I thought my contributions would be very limited. But as you all know Covid-19 happened and I started to read even more. One of those days in the lockdown when I was at the end of the internet, I said why not joining to Goodreads. When it comes this group, couple of friends and reviwers I follow are reading 2021 Booker Prize Longlisted Books as far as I understand. Upon seeing this I asked to myself; Is there a challenge or bookclub I am not aware of related to these books? So I did some stalking on Hugh and Neil's profiles (reviewers I really respect and appreciate) and ended up here.
I am looking forward to discovering wonderful books and lively discussion.
Mod
Welcome to the group.
Hugh wrote: "plainzt wrote: "I don't remember the exact time I discovered Goodreads. I was always a book-lover. When we had the access to internet, Goodreads came along with it naturally. I followed reviews, li..."Thank you so much.
I'm sure it is Marc's fault? I know joining the group is his fault. And the fact that I suffer from tsundoku is his fault because I didn't even know what it was before I 'met' Marc. Marc, is there a different name for collecting ebooks and not reading them?? Because since the pandemic started I now suffer from that also.As for joining Goodreads . . . . I've kept a written journal, actually more of a glorified list, for over 50 years of every book I've ever read since 1968. A little over 10 years ago, somebody asked me for a list of my favorite books. With the written journal, I was able to easily look back but the list grew to my favorite 100 books and then someone else wanted the list and it was difficult to keep it current.
I knew about Goodreads but only used it to look up reviews. But I decided to list my favorite books. After I got started, it developed into a full project and I ended up listing all the books that were in my written journal.
I now have over 130 bookshelf categories and over 8500 books categorized.
As I'm sure with most of us, the pandemic has been difficult for reading and I have not read nearly as much in the last year as in previous years. Hopefully, time will change that.
plainzt wrote: "When it comes this group, couple of friends and reviwers I follow are reading 2021 Booker Prize Longlisted Books as far as I understand. Upon seeing this I asked to myself; Is there a challenge or bookclub I am not aware of related to these books?I read the Bookers every year and start with the Longlist. I would love to join you and your friends?
I set a goal three years ago, during their 50th Anniversary, to read all of the 50+ years of Bookers and have not come close to that yet, lol.
Mod
I joined Goodreads when it was a facebook app. Forgot about it for a while and mostly have used it to track my reading. I joined this group because I want to read more serious fiction, but it's more aspirational than actual. I've loved the discussions when I've actually read the book. All too often belatedly. I think the discussion questions Hugh throws out are thought provoking. Maybe when I retire I'll be more active here.
just was reading GR and find that much of my reading was pre-21st C and want to read more current, also read a lot of translated, a lot of philosophy, which has no particular date... i think Marc invited me but not sure. i use lists of major awards like Nobel, booker, nebula, and what friends are reading as guide to what to read. i try to have some historical sense of genres as well eg. crime, fantastic pulps, radium age sff, gaslight age sff. have been on GR for 11 years though always reading before. have read a lot of fiction, nonfiction, graphics, art books...
