Introducing the genre challenge

[Angela]

Matterhorn is a very good book, but is taking some time to read. Glad I chose it, though:)

[Liz, Moderator]

Ok, the poll for June's genre is up (and posted on the home page). Get voting (only 5 left now.....)

[Helen]

I've finally got round to the romance. Was that March? Welcome to My World. Miranda Dickinson was 99p on kindle.

[Liz, Moderator]

So to recap on the genres we've read so far:

January 2011: Historical fiction
February 2011: Crime/detective
March 2011: Classics
April 2011: Biography/memoir
May 2011: Sci-fi/dystopian
June 2011: Fantasy
July 2011: YA
August 2011: Magical Realism
September 2011: Humour/comedy
October 2011: Horror/gothic
November 2011: Espionage/spy
December 2011: Short-Stories

January 2012: Non-Fiction
February 2012: Travel/Exploration
March 2012: Romance/Erotica
April 2012: Psychiatry/Madness
May: 2012: War

Still to Read -
Western,
Chemical Fiction,
Poetry,
Gay/lesbian,
Self Help

Westerns are currently at the top of the poll for June, but there's still a week to go before voting closes....

[Nell]

It's interesting and possibly revealing to see the least popular genres in this group :)

[Helen]

I joined Feb 2011 and did every genre last year. This year I haven't! Although I'm now on March, not enjoying it enormously, the lead character is wet.

[Angela]

Helen wrote: "I joined Feb 2011 and did every genre last year. This year I haven't! Although I'm now on March, not enjoying it enormously, the lead character is wet."

I've tried to do all of them this year, but March wasn't successful for me either:)

[Helen]

Just finished it, gave it three stars but really it's probably 2.5. Now starting a travel novel- Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. February.

[Nell]

I started in February this year and have only read four so far. I'll carry on next year though, as it's probably good for me to step out of genres every so often.

[Helen]

At least you are up to date then. I'm counting Radio Times, Road Atlas and teachy stuff for non-fiction! Can't see me doing madness or more war either!

[Nell]

I'm thinking that there must be a funny spoof western that's readable - all suggestions welcome. Always happy with madness though...:)

[Helen]

War - Half Blood Blues Have to love coincidences!

[Liz, Moderator]

BTW, for those of you still soldiering on with the genre challenge, we're doing Western for June - just read (and finished) The Sisters Brothers by Patrick de Witt - good stuff.

[Nell]

I'm going with Close Range by Annie Proulx - it's a collection of short stories so I can dip in and out.

[Nell]

Helen wrote: "War - Half Blood Blues Have to love coincidences!"

I don't get it... Why the coincidence?

[Liz, Moderator]

Helen wrote: "At least you are up to date then. I'm counting Radio Times, Road Atlas and teachy stuff for non-fiction! Can't see me doing madness or more war either!"

Helen - you HAVE to do madness!
The Secret Scripture - is wonderful and not depressing - erhm, though I did cry at the end, but in a good way! ;)

[Helen]

Coincidence as I bought it for a new local book group and it turned out to be set in Germany during the war. I shall look at it Liz.

[Ian, Moderator]

Yeah no wimping out - I had to do dystopia.

[Helen]

Grrrrr!

[Nell]

Helen wrote: "Coincidence as I bought it for a new local book group and it turned out to be set in Germany during the war. "

Ah :)

Close Range is taking a long time to arrive - luckily I have lots to read in the meantime.

[Nell]

It arrived at last and I've read a couple of the short stories. Annie Proulx is a brilliant atmospheric writer, no doubt about that, but the mood is pretty raw and bleak so far.

[Helen]

I'm about a third through The Sisters Brothers, quite interesting.

[Angela]

I'm really enjoying Hannah's Gift by Thomas Eidson.

Will the next poll be coming up soon?

[Liz, Moderator]

Ok, ladies and gents, only 4 genres to go! I've just posted the poll for July, so get you votes in soon :)

[Angela]

Thanks Liz:)

[Nell]

Finished Close Range. A brilliant writer, but just don't anyone ask me to go to Wyoming...

[Nell]

Liz wrote: "Ok, ladies and gents, only 4 genres to go! I've just posted the poll for July, so get you votes in soon :)"

Poetry's winning by one vote so far, which is fine by me as I have dozens of poetry books :)

[Liz, Moderator]

Genre challenge update:
Poetry is leading with 17 votes
Gay & lesbian fiction has 14
Chemical fiction is close on its tail with 13
And Self-help is trailing with 7
Still a couple of days remaining to register your vote ........

[Liz, Moderator]

Nell wrote: "Finished Close Range. A brilliant writer, but just don't anyone ask me to go to Wyoming..."

I loved The Shipping News, but haven't read any of her other books.

I've really enjoyed the genre challenge. It's been liberating, forcing me to pick up books from genres I normally ignore and I've had many great reads along the way. Never thought I'd get along with a western, but I've read two this month and liked them both.

[Susan]

I agree Liz, the genre challenge has been fantastic....I'm a little bit behind, as I'm finding it hard to find a lot of time to read at the moment, still reading my book for 'war', but my western is waiting on the bookshelf, and I'm very interested to see what comes out in top this month....there are still some interesting choices left.

[Bill]

It has been a fun challenge. I think I may struggle a bit with the last genres, but it'll be worth trying to find a book to satisfy each. We are going to start again when we've finished this iteration, aren't we?

[Liz, Moderator]

Bill wrote: "We are going to start again when we've finished this iteration, aren't we? "

There seem to be enough people who want to do it - and as many suggested we'd missed out some essential genres, this time round - I think we probably have to! ;)

[Nell]

We could probably find 12 different genres or at least ones that were modified in some way - eg: Fictional Biography like The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. For fictional purposes the narrator is Ernest Hemmingway's first wife, Hadley Richardson.

It has been a fun challenge - it's been good for me to venture out of my usual genres too.

[Liz, Moderator]

Ok folks, it's Poetry for July.

Hmmm, confession time; I was put off poetry at school, and as a result, I haven't read any since I was 16.....

[Ian, Moderator]

Me too Liz - did lots at uni, put off for life and never been something I've really got my head around. May have to revisit some Wilfred Owen.

[Bill]

I feel the same, but I'll try to read a poem a day or so.. I've got a book of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poems, so we'll see how that goes.. Good luck poetry readers.. :0)

[Em]

Luckily noone actually put me off poetry altogether, I read it by stealth i.e. leave the book lying around the house somewhere - bedside table or dining room for example, then I can read a poem in odd minutes.

I've started The World's Wife by Carol Ann Duffy.

[Liz, Moderator]

Bill wrote: "I feel the same, but I'll try to read a poem a day or so.. I've got a book of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poems, so we'll see how that goes.. Good luck poetry readers.. :0)"

Sounds like a good plan, Bill. I may borrow that idea to get me through the month! And Ian, I'm going for war poets too - I found a 1939 copy of Rupert Brooke's poetry that belonged to my grandfather (poor man, went through both world wars). I'll give that one a go.....

[Danielle]

Just made an account with www.poemhunter.com and read a few poems: two by Edgar Allan Poe and one by Roald Dahl. They give you recommendations as well, properly depending on which poems you add to your list. And they mail you poems as well if you like.

There is this German site where you can listen to both short stories and poems as well. And I suppose there will be poems on Librivox as well.

For me it seems to be more fun hopping around reading or listening to poems than to pick up one book with poems.

[Ian, Moderator]

I think poetry is one of those genres where listening to it read well is immeasurably better than reading it yourself......possibly why it doesn't work that well in schools. Found this website:

http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryar...

About to try some W.H.Auden as I love his poem read by John Hannah at Gareth's funeral in the film 4 Weddings & a Funeral.

[Bill]

Liz wrote: "Bill wrote: "I feel the same, but I'll try to read a poem a day or so.. I've got a book of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poems, so we'll see how that goes.. Good luck poetry readers.. :0)"

Sounds l..."

I'm definitely finding it slow so far. I read about 5 - 10 pages before I go to work. (still working on the first poem) Hope you're enjoying your grandfather's book so far.

[Danielle]

Ian wrote: "I think poetry is one of those genres where listening to it read well is immeasurably better than reading it yourself......possibly why it doesn't work that well in schools. Found this website:

ht..."

Thanks a lot for the tip, Ian! Looks like a very interesting website. It would be interesting for me to check out English poetry; so far the only English poems I was familiar with are those by Edgar Allan Poe - since I love Poe's work a lot. I have to admit that I know very little about English literature in general.

Poetry or literature wasn't discussed during English in school. In fact the only English poem I know from my school days is 'The tiger' by William Blake.

[Ian, Moderator]

Glad to help Danielle.

[Nell]

Having just read and loved The Celtic Twilight: Faerie and Folklore by William Butler Yeats, I'm going to read In the Seven Woods: Being Poems Chiefly of the Irish Heroic Age. I found it online at Sacred Texts :)

[Liz, Moderator]

Time to set up the poll for next month's genre.......

[Bill]

Is it already almost the end of July.. wow!

[Ian, Moderator]

And still no warm, sunny days in Blighty....seem to remember that hot, bright thing back in March sometime. I'll still be voting gay/lesbian again this month.....must read some poetry.

[Angela]

Ian wrote: "And still no warm, sunny days in Blighty....seem to remember that hot, bright thing back in March sometime. I'll still be voting gay/lesbian again this month.....must read some poetry."

Ditto to all of that!

[Nell]

I finished In the Seven Woods: Being Poems Chiefly of the Irish Heroic Age - interesting early poems - magical in places. At least one is very long indeed. Glad I read them though - and the shortish play at the end too...

[Angela]

Slowly reading through an interesting anthology of Second World War poems. It's called The Terrible Rain: The War Poets, 1939-1945.