2024: brainstorming authors, interest

[Carol]

I'm setting up this separate thread so we can explore, discuss and align on a list of authors we'd focus on in 2024 for 90 days or so at a time. The quantity of authors we select depends on the level of interest and support.

I propose that we start with nominating and seconding (in this thread) authors whose works you want to focus on, read and discuss over 9 - 10 weeks of time. So we're looking at authors who published at least 3 books, and more is ideal. Could be fiction or non-fiction.

You can recommend up to 6 authors, and second as many as you are "serious" about reading and discussing. In my experience, there'll be a natural cut-off indicated by interest. If we don't have at least 4 members interested in an author, it's unlikely we'll have a successful discussion, IMO. Once we've got a sense of how many authors we want to explore, we'll create a calendar that integrates them with our other themes.

Comment 2 will be a running tab of nominations and seconds.

[Carol]

I'm interested in reading 2 or more books by any of these authors.

Zadie Smith
Andrea Levy
Jane Austen
Arundhati Roy

Tag, you're it.

**********

Elif Shafak (Hannah) - +5
Zadie Smith (Carol) - +4
Bernardine Evaristo (Susan) - +2
Andrea Levy (Carol) - +2
Jhumpa Lahiri (CT) - +2
Elena Ferrante (Susan) - +1
Jesmyn Ward (Hannah) - +1
Louise Erdrich (Hannah) - +1
Margaret Atwood (Gail W) - +1
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Gail W) - +1
Zora Neale Hurston (Jen) - +1
Jane Austin (Carol)
Arundhati Roy (Carol)
Emma Donoghue (Susan)
Alice Walker (Hannah)
Marie Benedict (Gail W)
Kathleen George (Gail W)
Elisabeth Strout (CT)
Claire Keegan (CT)

(through message 25)

[Susan]

I would be interested in reading:
Bernardine Evaristo
Emma Donoghue
Elena Ferrante

[Hannah]

Ooo fun. I nominate:

Alice Walker
Elif Shafak
Jesmyn Ward
Louise Erdrich

[Carol]

I second Ferrante, Shafak and Ward.

[Susan]

I second Zadie Smith and Elif Shafak.

[GailW]

I recommend:

Marie Benedict
Margaret Atwood
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Kathleen George - a not so well-known writer, who should be, imho...

[GailW]

My seconds are:

Elif Shafak
Zadie Smith
Louise Erdrich
Andrea Levy

and all of them that I recommended (if that's allowed)...

[Susan]

I second Margaret Atwood.

[Jen]

For me, it’s hard to imagine how successful I’ll be with participating in this type read-along. A lot of these authors interest me and if they get voted through I would love to join.
But for now I’m only comfortable committing a vote for Adichie. Glad to see her name suggested!

[Jen]

I read God of Small Things too long ago to remember it well but I remember it well enough to know it’s too haunting and tragic to reread.
@Carol, I’m curious what other Arundhati Roy you’re interested in. I just never hear much about her other work. Although quotes from her makes the rounds and they are powerful…

[Jen]

I nominate Zora Neale Hurston

[Hannah]

I second Zadie Smith and Bernadine Evaristo

[Crazytourists_books]

Next year I plan to read
Elisabeth Strout
Claire Keegan
(a couple of greek authors that I wish were translated in english)

i also like the idea of reading more

Zadie Smith
Andrea Levi
Bernandine Evaristo
Elif Shafak (although I'm reading my third one in November)

[Carol]

Gail W wrote: "My seconds are:

Elif Shafak
Zadie Smith
Louise Erdrich
Andrea Levy

and all of them that I recommended (if that's allowed)..."

you can only second other noms (so that the numbers represent participating members)

[Carol]

Jen wrote: "I read God of Small Things too long ago to remember it well but I remember it well enough to know it’s too haunting and tragic to reread.
@Carol, I’m curious what other Arundhati Roy you’re interes..."

I haven't read any of her books, and I like that she's written both fiction and nonfiction. So my preliminary Roy TBR, subject to whim, would either start with God of Small Things or The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, but might also include Azadi, her 150 page essay collection on Kashmir, freedom from Hindu Nationalism et al, or her 136-page essays on Capitalism: A Ghost Story or An Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire, her 2003 essay collection on the then-American "Empire". But others may choose differently, of course.

Here's her author page. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

[Carol]

I second Hurston.

[Carol]

Jen wrote: "For me, it’s hard to imagine how successful I’ll be with participating in this type read-along. A lot of these authors interest me and if they get voted through I would love to join.
But for now I’..."

I think you're approaching this sensibly, Jen. It's not about faves as much as who do you really want to read multiple books of, perhaps consecutively. That's a mighty short list for many of us.

[Jen]

Carol wrote: "Jen wrote: "For me, it’s hard to imagine how successful I’ll be with participating in this type read-along. A lot of these authors interest me and if they get voted through I would love to join.
Bu..."

yea, and I'm new here, and joined a couple other groups, and am getting excited by all the different threads of 2024 planning, so I could imagine ending up with too much on my plate, especially as a slow reader...
also, alot of these authors are on my TBR but I haven't read any by them yet. So I hestitate to say already that I wanna read more than one. But Adichie and Hurston, for sure, I'd be down.

[Jen]

Carol wrote: "Jen wrote: "I read God of Small Things too long ago to remember it well but I remember it well enough to know it’s too haunting and tragic to reread.
@Carol, I’m curious what other Arundhati Roy yo..."

Mmm I appreciate the quick summaries. The essays sound cool. If she's not voted through here, I'm definitely keeping her in mind for the nonfiction quarterly or yearlong challenge.

[Claire]

I vote Elif Shafak

[Crazytourists_books]

I almost forgot Jhumpa Lahiri; I think she is wonderful

[Sonia]

Crazytourists_books wrote: "I almost forgot Jhumpa Lahiri; I think she is wonderful"

Good idea. I have only read one from her, Whereabouts. She has a good back catalogue and I think a new one just out.

[Carol]

I second Lahiri. (She is one of a dozen or so authors that I've never read and simultaneously feel much guilt that I haven't read, and she does have a strong back catalogue, indeed.)

[GailW]

I'm in for Lahiri as well. I have not read her but have at least one on my shelf.

[Carol]

Based on the interest level expressed now, we could plan to open up 2 author-specific threads -- one for Elif Shafak and one for Zadie Smith. For those interested in participating, what do you think about reading Shafak together starting mid-January? Would you want some time before re-gathering to explore Zadie Smith? Maybe mid-April or mid-May for that thread, or is later in the year better? If we have many of the same readers, I don't want to burn us out by tackling them one on top of the other.

If we get more interest from additional members in any of the other authors discussed above, we’ll schedule group read threads in a manner akin to a buddy read where we align in the moment around timing that works.

[Jen]

I’m up for Elif Shafak! I just got something by her- it will be my first read of hers.

[Susan]

Personally, I would like some kind of break between the two author reads. Even a month or two would be fine, though.

Looking forward to reading both of these authors! I've only read one book by Shafak before. I'm better read on Zadie Smith but there are still some of hers I haven't got around to yet.

[Carol]

I'm thinking Shafak starts 15 January and runs through end of April. Start Zadie Smith around 15 July and run through end of September? Personally, that fits both my desire to dig in, but also gives me space to be impulsive, participate in other group reads, etc. What do you think?

[Carol]

Jen wrote: "I’m up for Elif Shafak! I just got something by her- it will be my first read of hers."

Which one did you get? I also haven't read her and am psyched, but I was planning to figure out this week which to read first.

[Susan]

I think those dates sound great, Carol.

[Jen]

Carol wrote: "Which one did you get? I also haven't read her and am psyched, but I was planning to figure out ..."

I got 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World by Shafak.

And actually I have Zadie Smith White Teeth en route in another batch order I made. That will be my first read by her as well.

[Crazytourists_books]

Sounds good Carol :)

[Sonia]

Yes I also think the dates Carol proposed look good. Am excited by these two, only read one Zadie Smith (On Beauty) and nothing by Elif Shafak (although I have a copy of 10 Minutes on my shelves).

[Carol]

Thanks, all - then we're locked in for our first two author reads. (We're starting mid-month so as not to conflict with and cannabilize participation in monthly group reads.)

Elif Shafak - starts mid-January and will be active through mid-April. Check out our thread here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Zadie Smith - starts mid-July and will be active through mid-October. I'll open a basic thread after 1 January, but will populate it actively couple of months into Q1 to preserve our start time, but allow for planning.

Buddy Reads are always available where 1 or 2 folks want to align on a book/author and discuss, but this thread will remain open, too, in case - as 2024 progressed - members coalesce behind one of our other nominees or another author entirely.