Group Read -> September 2025 -> Nomination thread -> Won by Vera by Elizabeth Von Arnim

[Roman Clodia]

Great to know that, Cphe.

I also find Von Arnim a hard author to place - I was confused by Enchanted April as it seems to veer off in all kinds of different direction with some of it feeling quite conservative and in other places more radical and questioning.

Does everyone know that von Arnim was Katherine Mansfield's cousin?

[Nigeyb]

Thanks for your nomination Jan


Thanks Brian for seeking clarification - glad we got that one sorted out

Poll going up now


Nominations

Tono-Bungay by H.G. Wells
Vera by Elizabeth von Arnim
Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K. Jerome
The Ambassadors by Henry James
Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain
Major Barbara by George Bernard Shaw
Twenty Years at Hull House, by Jane Addams

[Nigeyb]

Here you go


Cast your vote, change your vote, just vote....

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...

[Roman Clodia]

Decisions, decisions... (again!) So many books here that I'd love to discuss with you lovely people. I've gone for my first choice but nearly always change my vote once favourites start to emerge.

[G]

This time I am voting early and probably often, since I am hard put to choose.

[Cphe]

@ Alwynne,

I'm the same with Elizabeth Bowen - I have to be in the mood for her books.

[Sam]

I always support my nomination and then change votes if things are tied or if I really want to encourage or discourage a book. Because I have some chunkers already going for July through September, I am leaning toward voting for a shorter book and if I change my vote and right now it will be between Vera and Major Barbara. I just reread Pygmalion and it has spurred me to read more Shaw, not so much for the quality of the plays but for his historic contribution, and I think that is true as well for Elizabeth von Arnim. Another reason I would like to read either of those two books is the fascinating lives of both authors. That said, I am not sure September is the right month for James even though I nominate his books when I've a chance. Some of us still have warm weather and sitting outside under a tree trying to concentrate on a James novel with leaf blowers and lawn mowers, in my ears would be near impossible.

[G]

I've never read Shaw. I saw either Arms and the Man or Man and Superman once, many years ago. So long ago that I can't recall anything about it other than that I didn't like it and wondered what all the fuss about Shaw was. I also saw one staging of Pygmalion, which interested me principally because of My Fair Lady, which I've seen once in the theater, and many times on screen.

This month's nominations is interesting because for me it's divided 50/50 into work I'd really like to read and discuss with you all, and work that I have utterly no interest in at the moment.

[G]

I read Testament of Youth in the early 80's when I was in grad school--so I was only a year or two older than Brittain was when WWI began. I loved it. My copy also contained Testament of Experience and a third work, which if memory serves was Testament of Friendship. The other two did not affect me as much as Youth, but I read and liked them.

[Vesna]

I voted for The Ambassadors. I read a few of HJ novels and many of his short stories from his pre-late period. He revised most them to adjust to his late style and they are now mostly published in these revised versions. It's regrettable because they are much more accessible and masterfully written in the original. Library of America published all his works only in their original versions, which I highly recommend. That said, The Ambassadors is probably the best novel to start with for his later three novels (often touted as "masterpieces") and it was his own favorite. I tried it once, but then leaving it for later. The group/buddy read, I think, would be an excellent opportunity to tackle it.

[Roman Clodia]

Vesna wrote: "I voted for The Ambassadors."

I'm a huge James fan too and of the three late works, The Ambassadors is the only one I haven't read.

Maybe we should think about some James buddy reads in 2026 once we've got Proust under our belts? I don't want to overcommit when we have such a full schedule already. Who would be interested if we did this?

With buddies, it's not a problem to do things outside the twentieth century so we don't have to restrict ourselves.

[Ben]

I am interested, having read a few of the early novels and some short stories, but I am behind with Proust and won't want to take on James until I finish.

[Sam]

Roman Clodia wrote: "Vesna wrote: "I voted for The Ambassadors."

I'm a huge James fan too and of the three late works, The Ambassadors is the only one I haven't read.

Maybe we should think about some James buddy rea..."

I am but hope we include some I haven't read. I saved the Golden Bowl until I finish some of the lesser know novels, and shorter novellas and stories. I find his stories to be very strong but reading too much James in too short a space of time can be discouraging. I find he is an author I enjoy far more when the reading is done and the recollecting process begins. An example is The Real Thing which is 40 or 50 pages. I have not revisited that story in 50 years but in surfaces in my thoughts often. I've not read his first 5 novels nor have I sampled any from this middle period:
The Princess Casamassima (1886)
The Reverberator (1888)
The Tragic Muse (1890)
The Other House (1896)
The Spoils of Poynton (1897)
What Maisie Knew (1897)
The Awkward Age (1899)
The Sacred Fount (1901)

These are lesser known works for the most part but James' fans seem to enjoy them.
BTW, Vesna is accurate about the revisions of the earlier works. Best to read the originals and then the revisions to see what has been changed. LOA editions are nice but I am not sure they are available worldwide.

[Roman Clodia]

Ben wrote: "I am interested, having read a few of the early novels and some short stories, but I am behind with Proust and won't want to take on James until I finish."

Absolutely, I'm not thinking till we're all done with Proust and, as Sam says, we don't want to do too many James too close together - they're heady stuff!

This is more a back-burner thing for the moment - I can set up a James thread if we don't already have one and can chat about what and when there.

I'd particularly appreciate reading James with some Yanks! ;))

[Jan C]

Roman Clodia wrote: "Brian E wrote: "Are the moderators aware that Testament of Youth was published in 1933"

Thanks Brian. Just to clarify, books can always be nominated that are either published in the ..."

I have picked up Daughters of Mars on my Kindle. Haven't read it yet.

[Vesna]

Roman Clodia wrote: "Vesna wrote: "I voted for The Ambassadors."

I'm a huge James fan too and of the three late works, The Ambassadors is the only one I haven't read.

Maybe we should think about some James buddy reads in 2026 once we've got Proust under our belts?..."

Yes, RC! I momentarily forgot that we would be reading James concurrently with Proust which would not be a great idea. I am definitely in for some James buddy reads, I hope including The Ambassadors, in 2026.

Sam, I also didn't read most of those you listed except for The Spoils of Poynton. And I agree with you about The Real Thing!

Penguin published the original versions of some if his works in the past but these were replaced with revised texts in later editions. Among some of the later exceptions is The Aspern Papers and Other Tales, edited by Michael Gorra, an exceptional James scholar, who also made the case for reading HJ in the original versions.

[Nigeyb]

Looking good for Vera…..


Vera 6 votes, 35.3%
Major Barbara 3 votes, 17.6%
Tono-Bungay 2 votes, 11.8%
The Ambassadors 2 votes, 11.8%
Testament of Youth 2 votes, 11.8%
Three Men on the Bummel 1 vote, 5.9%
Twenty Years at Hull-House (The Bedford Series in History and Culture) 1 vote, 5.9%

[Alwynne]

Not sure where to post this but wondering if we have a thread for Pessoa yet? I have my copy now as well as Pessoa: An Experimental Life so good to go!

[Vesna]

Alwynne wrote: "Not sure where to post this but wondering if we have a thread for Pessoa yet? I have my copy now as well as Pessoa: An Experimental Life so good to go!"

Alwynne, here's the link for our buddy read:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I'm just about to finish Proust's Vol. 3 and will start Pessoa this weekend.

[Alwynne]

Vesna wrote: "Alwynne wrote: "Not sure where to post this but wondering if we have a thread for Pessoa yet? I have my copy now as well as Pessoa: An Experimental Life so good to go!"

Alwynne, he..."

Thanks Vesna!

[Nigeyb]

Vera now with an even more commanding lead


24 hours to go and it seems this race is run

[Ben]

I'm pleased that there is an interest in Major Barbara. Shaw was not a great literary talent or a genius of the stage, but a great provocateur and propagandist of controversy. It would be an enjoyable discussion if we do it as a Buddy Read.

[Alwynne]

Ben wrote: "I'm pleased that there is an interest in Major Barbara. Shaw was not a great literary talent or a genius of the stage, but a great provocateur and propagandist of controversy. It would be an enjoya..."

I'd be okay with that.

[Brian E]

Ben wrote: "I'm pleased that there is an interest in Major Barbara ... It would be an enjoyable discussion if we do it as a Buddy Read."

I'd join you in a Buddy Read, Ben. September would be fine for me, although anything after would work too. If it was September, my RTTC reads for the month would include:
Vera
The Inimitable Jeeves &
Major Barbara
an interesting and eclectic group of works, especially as it consists of a novel, short story collection and play.

I really should read something by the Nobel Prize winning Shaw. Shaw's Goodreads blurb says "He is the only person to have been awarded both a Nobel Prize for Literature (1925) and an Oscar (1938)." That was once accurate but needs updating since Oscar winner Bob Dylan got his Nobel in 2016.

[Nigeyb]

Rightio


I'll set up a buddy read for Major Barbara for September 2025 to run alongside the (almost certain) group read for Vera

Poll ends tomorrow

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...


Vera 7 votes, 35.0%
Major Barbara 4 votes, 20.0%
Three Men on the Bummel 3 votes, 15.0%
Tono-Bungay 2 votes, 10.0%
The Ambassadors 2 votes, 10.0%
Testament of Youth 2 votes, 10.0%
Twenty Years at Hull-House (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)



Nominations

Tono-Bungay by H.G. Wells
Vera by Elizabeth von Arnim
Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K. Jerome
The Ambassadors by Henry James
Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain
Major Barbara by George Bernard Shaw
Twenty Years at Hull House by Jane Addams

[Cynda]

I'll join the buddy read of Major Barbara.

[Sam]

Cynda is preoccupied with RL wrote: "I'll join the buddy read of Major Barbara."

Same here

[Kathleen]

Another one for the Major Barbara buddy read. I really enjoy GBS.

[Roman Clodia]

I've never read or seen any GB Shaw and as it's a play am sure I can fit it in - it sounds like it intends to create a discussion.

[Sam]

Roman Clodia wrote: "I've never read or seen any GB Shaw and as it's a play am sure I can fit it in - it sounds like it intends to create a discussion."

I'd suggest a read of Pygmalion at the same time if you can squeeze it in, just to get another perspective on Shaw, who supposedly championed women's rights but writes some very misogynous lines for Henry Higgins in his abuse of Eliza Doolittle.

[Kathleen]

Sam wrote: "Roman Clodia wrote: "I've never read or seen any GB Shaw and as it's a play am sure I can fit it in - it sounds like it intends to create a discussion."

I'd suggest a read of Pygmalion..."

I read his The Intelligent Woman's Guide to Socialism, Capitalism, Sovietism and Fascism, which was an interesting combination of misogyny and feminism!

[Nigeyb]

Results…..


Vera 7 votes, 33.3%
Major Barbara 4 votes, 19.0%
Tono-Bungay 3 votes, 14.3%
Three Men on the Bummel 3 votes, 14.3%
The Ambassadors 2 votes, 9.5%
Testament of Youth 2 votes, 9.5%
Twenty Years at Hull-House (The Bedford Series in History and Culture)

Thanks to everyone who got involved 👏🏼