Fans of Norah Lofts discussion
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Books For Potential Group Discussion Archived 2019
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Sallie
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Jul 26, 2015 01:38PM
59 minutes left I meant!
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Thanks, All...am keeping track.Sallie, do you mean that you only have a certain amount of time to finish a book on Kindle, and then it disappears?
Oh, no, Sylvia. You buy a book to read and it's yours forever. When you're finished reading you transfer the book to your "cloud" on your Kindle. But you can put it back on your "device" if and when you might want to read it again. I just ordered Anne Boleyn by NL -had never known of it, have you?
Thanks for explaining, Sallie. Yes, I do have NL's non-fiction book, "Anne Boleyn" and it is a beautiful, larger size book with many illustrations and an index.
Either is good for me. Hoping to participate this time!
MaryC wrote: "Cassie, I read that ages ago! (Don't you think NL would have given her story a better spin?) Have you also read Slaughter's Song of Ruth?"It has probably been 20 years since I read it so I don't recall too much about it. I liked the book but I do believe that NL could have done any book better than any author so I'm sure that would be the same for this one too. :)
I have both books; my vote is for The Concubine. Do we have someone that would like to serve as leader for whichever book we chose?
Well, that was a conversation stopper, lol!
Ha, Pegs! Everybody's just weighing their options!! I would be willing to do Here Was a Man, IF nobody else is willing. But you all know I am slow and half blind, even with my large print copy. So do everybody a favor and volunteer - that means YOU!
Sallie wrote: "Oh, and a guilt trip, too!"LOL!
Of the two, I would prefer The Concubine to Here Was a Man , but as ever, would be happy with either . I will lead The Concubine if no one else is willing . ( she said with a martyred air )
Lol! As Ann said at the scaffold..."I have such a little neck!"
Sighs and LOLs to you both! When do we start, Barbara?
Barbara wrote: "Of the two, I would prefer The Concubine to Here Was a Man , but as ever, would be happy with either . I will lead The Concubine if no one else is willing . ( she said with a martyred air )"
I would volunteer if I thought you could count on me but I have no confidence that I would be consistent.
Oh, boy.......if consistency is required we're all in trouble....
Well, thank you Cassie that was very kind but I'm guiltily willing to do it -I think I'm overdue to do it too, I have been rather slack , so ....I'll open up shall I? I know it's early , I'll just open a thread and we can decide on a date .Would that be ok with you (and everybody? ?
I think Sylvia had a suggestion going round about starting a read on August 8. Want me to send a notice out to all members if that will work?
Peggy wrote: "I think Sylvia had a suggestion going round about starting a read on August 8. Want me to send a notice out to all members if that will work?"Sure Peggy, that would be great .As you can see, I opened a folder in readiness, and we can use it whenever , whoever leads.
Well, it's the evening of the 5th in the USA, and it's already the 6th in Barbara's land, so whenever you begin, Barbara, we'll all jump in after you! Peg's notice should bring everybody on board who's coming aboard. Wouldn't it be great if at least 50 of our members made at least one comment on this read?
I just discovered and read "Saving Face and Other Stories" by NL. Fun-- stories set in (fairly) modern times--20th century anyway--but taking us back to familiar places. Muchanger, for example. And there is still a lawyer named Turnbull. They've been around since "Wayside Tavern" haven't they?
Karyl - is this the book title? I can't find it on Amazon. Where did you find it? Thanks, Sallie
Sallie wrote: "Karyl - is this the book title? I can't find it on Amazon. Where did you find it? Thanks, Sallie"SO sorry chaps,(Sallie and Karyl I just deleted the last one of your messages, as well as my own -I somehow went to the delete button above instead of the edit below . Apologies again .
I was going to say in mine , Have you looked in the NL Titles thread Sallie? That is where most of the info about titles and alternatives etc is.
And the second part of my message was
Happy New Year !
And the third part was
No rush, but we may want to get reading or re-reading Crown Of Aloes in preparation for our next group read, led by Mary .
Found it! Thanks, Karyl. Got the lasr 10 buck one.
Sallie wrote: "Than ks, will do."Goodo. . You know , I think I was somehow distracted by this horrible new font/presentation that Goodreads is doing . There are pages of complaints - but......
Barbara wrote: "No rush, but we may want to get reading or re-reading Crown Of Aloes in preparation for our next group read, led by Mary."Yes, please don't rush! I still haven't found my old copy and have ordered another one from Amazon. It may arrive as early as tomorrow, but there's no guarantee.
No, I agree Mary, no hurry. The more people who have time to read it and comment when we get to it, the better!
Oh, Barbara, you're always so positive and upbeat!
MaryC wrote: "Oh, Barbara, you're always so positive and upbeat!"Well how nice of you Mary !
I feel a bit optimistic about Crown of Aloes, in terms of participants to the discussion . I think Werner may be interested (if he has the time ) as the religio - political aspects are so compelling.
Well, I would have a window of opportunity to take part in a common read of Crown of Aloes, if we do it in February (which is coming up soon!) The BC library and local public library systems don't have it, but it shouldn't be difficult to borrow a copy through interlibrary loan.
I've ordered the book and should get it this week, so Werner's suggestion of a Feb. start works for me, too.
Gonna try to keep up with the read this time!
It sounds like we're set to start on Feb. 1, then! :-) I'll try to arrange to have a copy of the book in hand by then.
February sounds good! Meanwhile, the copy I ordered came today, and I've started rereading.Now, since I've never led one of these discussions before, what are your thoughts on how we should proceed? Plan to do a chapter or two a day, or what? (There are sixteen chapters, of varying length.)
Another thought: What were your impressions of Queen Isabella before you picked up Crown of Aloes? What did you know about her? I'll go first: I first heard of her in a children's book called Heroes and Holidays, so long ago that it was read to me, and I remember that she "saw the faith in Columbus' eyes." After that, I learned in elementary school that she pawned her jewels to finance his voyage. Until I was about ten, I supposed that she was a queen only because she was King Ferdinand's wife, and I was rather happily surprised to learn that she was in fact one in her own right. Then in my early teens I read Lawrence Schoonover's The Queen's Cross, which it would be interesting to compare with CofA if many others have read it. (Schoonover also wrote The Prisoner of Tordesillas, about Juana la Loca, whom we met in The King's Pleasure.)
Well, back to reading! :)
Oh, I hope we have days of blizzards in February so I'll have a good excuse to just read and read with cups of tea!
MaryC wrote: "February sounds good! Meanwhile, the copy I ordered came today, and I've started rereading.Now, since I've never led one of these discussions before, what are your thoughts on how we should proce..."
Mary, one suggestion I'd make is that for a common read discussion, Crown of Aloes needs a thread of its own. It doesn't have one yet (most NL novels do have their own threads in this group, but this is one of the exceptions!), so you'll need to start one by Feb. 1. (Your question about prior impressions of Isabella would be a good one to pose on the new thread.)
Some groups/discussion leaders handle such discussions according to a fixed schedule (Day 1, Chapters 1-..., etc.); but I've personally never considered it necessary to schedule things that tightly. That's just me, though; some others in the group might like that kind of structure, and it doesn't bother me if we have it.
Werner wrote: "MaryC wrote: "Mary, one suggestion I'd make is that for a common read discussion, Crown of Aloes needs a thread of its own. It doesn't have one yet (most NL novels do have their own threads in this group, but this is one of the exceptions!), so you'll need to start one by Feb. 1." I'm sorry to say that I don't know how! I'll be grateful for any help anyone can give!
Mary, on the group home page, near the top, you'll see the header "Discussion Board." Across from it, just to the left (as you face the screen) of the pictures of the moderators, are some faint links, one of which is "new." Clicking that one takes you to the template for starting a new thread.First, you'll enter a thread title --probably just Crown of Aloes. Then you can use a search function to indicate what book the thread is about; that'll put a link to the Goodreads book description on the thread itself, and vice versa. You'll also be offered a pull-down menu of folder titles to use in identifying which folder you want to put it in; you might go with "NL's Royals," but in any case Barbara or one of the other mods can edit that later if they want to. You then type your first comment in the comment box, hit "save" and the thread is created! It's actually very user friendly, and much simpler and more self-explanatory in practice than it sounds here. (Believe me, if I can do it, you can do it --to say that I'm NOT computer-adept would be putting it mildly! :-) ) You might run into a snag (I ran into my share, as a newbie), but asking questions will always get you help, and you'll ultimately get the job done.
Hi Mary . I can set it up if you get into trouble. And I'll cut and paste your comment above as the start up comment as Werner suggests if you like . It is important it has a thread of it's own as all discussed books do, I do agree.
Werner, thanks for the good input and it was a reminder to me as I usually start the threads on our group reads so it will show up on our home page as the book currently being discussed. I put it under Norah Lofts' Royals with a start date of Feb. 1 but of course, everyone can jump right in. Mary, I like your starting question about what people knew of Queen Isabella before they read this book.
Bless you, Barbara! Let me try first (tomorrow), and if I get too entangled, I'll take you up on your offer.Thank you Peggy!
Peggy, the thread looks good! Here's that link, in case anyone needs it: www.goodreads.com/topic/show/17978043... .
I see from asides on another thread ( the Humour in NL one) that people are beginning to think it is time for another group read. I think so too! And Sylvia's health is much, much improved - yippee - so she is back .
What titles do we fancy ?
This is wonderful news, Syl!! What was the Midas book you mentioned? Is it a contender? (Might be Astly or P. Curtis?)
Thanks, Barbara and Sallie - Yes, I got "rearranged"! I'm ready for a discussion, too! I'm partially blind so will always be slower than the rest of you. Personally, whether we choose to discuss "The Fall of Midas" or not (under Juliet Astley) all NL fans should read it at least once. It is one of her gems, taking place in Norfolk and London in the 19th century. Great characters, of course!
Sounds great! Will try to find it on ebay or amazon. Does it have another title, as some of hers do?
Sylvia, I'm sorry to read of your ongoing health troubles! You must eligible to receive Talking Books, although I've found few NL titles available in any of their formats. BTW, are you by any chance diabetic?
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Fans of Norah Lofts
Books mentioned in this topic
Here Was a Man (other topics)Here Was a Man (other topics)
A Rose for Virtue (other topics)
Crown of Aloes (other topics)
Crown of Aloes (other topics)
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