What should we read?

[Lisa]

Hey members! I think I will put a book up for us to read starting in September. What would you guys like to read? Any suggestions?

[Samuel]

Well, IDK what the general genre of this group is but The Great Gatsby is coming out as a movie soon, I think that'd be a good starting place.

[Lisa]

I think that is an excellent suggestion. The Great Gatsby will be the book for the rest of January and February. I'll set up a vote or something for March so send me your suggestion!

[Jenni]

I have plans to read The Great Gatsby at some point, but I recently read Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and Damned and This Side of Paradise, as well as a collection of short stories. I was saving the best for last, but got burned out. I would be willing to read it before the movie comes out in December.

I am also willing to read some MO authors or even biographies of famous Missourians. Besides Twain the only other I can think of is Eugene Field I think he was a poet. My husband reads Jim Butcher books and he lives around KC.

Maybe we can each come up with an interesting selection and Lisa can draw from a hat or something.

[Lea Ann]

I like the idea of reading Missouri authors or books set in Missouri...or the famous Missourians. All of those are good ideas.

[Jenni]

I have to admit, I have never read a Mark Twain book. I read a short story about a pocket watch, and that is all. I do have a copy of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. I have the biography Truman by David McCullough. I lived in St. Joseph as a child, which is a town rich in history. I see Carla has a link in her post above. I'm going to check that out.

[Lea Ann]

Are you guys thinking of a group read or a challenge?

[Jenni]

Carla's link has some great choices. I would be willing to read any of those selections. I was especially drawn to The Water Seeker, but any of them would be fine. I found a list of Missouri authors somewhere the other day, then forgot to bookmark the link.

What is the standard pace for reading together? Is it about 100 pages per week? Is it a whole book in a week? I have never been in a book club before.

[Jenni]

Good question, Lea. I think I understand what a group read is. What is a challenge?

[Lea Ann]

A challenge might be a set number of books or types of books to read. Maybe read 5 Missouri authors this year OR 2 authors, 2 with MO settings, 2 about famous Missourians OR books with settings in different regions in MO. Something like that. You keep track of your challenge and list your books on a discussion thread. It could be anything, really.

I do an A-Z challenge each year with titles and this year I'm doing one called "Count Your Reads" where you read 2 books with 1 word titles, 2 with 2 word titles and so on up to 5 word titles. As you can see, I like the challenges. lol

[Jenni]

Wow, the challenges sound like fun. It allows us to choose our own books, read at our own pace, and share what we've discovered. I really like that! The A-Z challenge and the Count Your Reads also sound like fun!

I think the 2/2/2 MO program you mention would be a good challenge to shoot for. Hopefully we can get some agreement and start reading soon. Maybe as we read more MO books we can come up with a new challenge for next year.

[Jenni]

Carla, I like your choices. I am a classic movie fan and I will most likely read the Jean Harlow selection.

Well, I think we've decided! I guess as we read a selection that meets the challenge we put it on the book shelf and say what we thought of it? So glad we are making progress!

[Lea Ann]

Ooh, Carla, I like that challenge. I've got too many going this year, but that sounds like a fun one.

...so which challenge are we going with? I'm confused. I think it might be a good idea to set up a separate message thread for the challenge.

[Lisa]

Hey all! I have been reading your posts - thank you for all the wonderful suggestions!

How does this sound to you guys:

Each month we will read one book either set in MO or written by a MO author. And, as a yearly challenge, we will each read 50 books - each book set in a different state or by a different state's author. (I'm including D.C. as the 50th place/author). I will work this weekend to set that up and begin placing books on our bookshelf. Please feel free to help me add books! And keep the ideas and suggestions coming!

If this is acceptable to all, I will set this up this weekend. :-) Does anyone have a suggestion for the first book from MO we should read during March?

[Lea Ann]

Something easy to find. Maybe a "classic" MO author or book?

[Jenni]

Carla, yeah, I won't pay $100 for a book either. For that matter, my husband and I are going to get library cards this weekend. I have never read a book more than once so it makes more sense for me to just borrow books.

Lisa, I am game for the reading challenge of 50 books from 50 states (author/setting) plus 1 Missouri book per month. You want to start in March, and I will be ready. I think 50 will be quite a feat for me, but I think this could be good for me.

Is there anything we're supposed to read together as a group? Or do we read at our own pace? If we happen to read a book that somebody else puts on the bookshelf, I guess that could spark some good discussion.

[Jenni]

The Prince and the Pauper sounds great to me... Unless Lisa has something else in mind. It's an odd day at work, will check back in this evening.

[Rebecca]

Hi everyone! Thanks, Lisa, for adding me to the group. I'm game for The Prince and the Pauper. However, I must admit that internet access will be hard for me the next 6 months. I will be working on a ship starting next Friday. So, if you don't hear from me in a timely manner, please bear with me. However, I'll get this on my Kindle now so I'll be ready to start reading it next week.

[Jenni]

I have been helping to add books. I notice a few men have joined the group the past couple days, and I'm having a real hard time finding masculine titles. Since we're Missouri readers, we should find a broad spectrum of books so anybody can enjoy the group. You fellas who have joined might want to add some books too... you all know what you'll read better than I do. Welcome to the Show-me Readers!

[Lisa]

Our March book will be The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain as requested. Keep adding books to our shelves. As you can see I've broken them up by state setting to assist with the challenge. I will set up a vote for the MO April book pick. Please invite other Missourians to join us. Also, I will be adding a discussion board devoted to our challenge and one for our March book!

[Jenni]

I have a question about our challenge books. If I chose a book set in Iowa, do I mark it as "currently reading" in the group, or what? I haven't belonged to a book group before.

[Lisa]

You can if you'd like. When you are finished with it please mark it to read again. I think it will be neat to see what people are reading!

[Lea Ann]

We could start a challenge thread so everyone could keep track of their books for the that particular challenge there (like they do for A-Z lists). That way you could just edit the post and keep adding books as you've finished them.

[Paulette]

I'm new to this group. Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl, Sharp Objects, Dark Places) is a Missouri author. So is Jim Butcher (the Dresden Files). Some other books about Missouri are White Palace and King of the Hill. Both of those books have been made into movies. In Broad Daylight, a Murder in Skidmore, Missouri was made into a tv movie. Then there is Laura Ingalls Wilder who wrote about Missouri. Tennessee Williams wrote The Glass Menagerie and lived in St. Louis. I am sure there is more. There are books about Lewis and Clark, Harry Truman and Jesse James. There is the Pony Express from Independence.

[Nicole]

I would be happy to be involved in online discussions regarding my book if anyone chooses to make it their group read. I am also currently working on book 2 and after book one is finished I would select 1 winner to be my test reader for book 2. (Not only would their insight be considered but they would get their name in the acknowledgements as well!) Be a part of an up and coming missouri author, middle grade/teen fiction series from the beginning!

[Jenni]

Hey Paulette, it is great to meet you! I spent a good portion of my childhood in St. Joseph, and many people think the Pony Express was out of Independence, but it actually originated in St. Joe. The original Pony Express Stables are still standing. We are currently reading Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper. You want to join us? We just got started this past Friday!

[Lisa]

Welcome Paulette! Please feel free to edit the bookshelf and add books to categories.

Nicole - I think it's awesome that you would make that offer! I will absolutely add your book to the MO monthly book list. I would love to do a giveaway as well. I'll get back to you on that. :-)

[Paulette]

I got Prince and the Pauper from the library yesterday so I can start reading it.

[Jenni]

I know we've got almost 2 weeks left in March, but when do you suppose we'll start talking about what to choose for April? I have a book in my wish list that finally made it to the top, and when I discovered it was set in MO I reluctantly waited thinking we might read it in this group. Hopefully it will make it into the Show Me Readers lineup! In the meantime I will hold off reading it.

[Lisa]

So we are coming up on April and that means new book! I hope you are all enjoying The Prince and the Pauper! I definitely am.

Here's what I'm thinking for book choices. I will pick two off of the MO bookshelf and we will vote on them. So if you know of a book, make sure you put it on there! We'll do a monthly theme, just to keep it in order somehow. So this month we did a classic. How about next month we do a mystery. I'll sit down and make up the list for the next year of what genre will be what month so you'll know. So if you know of books set in MO or written by a MO author that are mysteries, put them on the bookshelf! I'll pick two at random and we will vote.

Our other option is to go totally random. I will put all the titles from the MO bookshelf in a randomizer and we will all be surprised!

I'm always open to suggestions so let me know what you think.

[Jenni]

I like random, but GONE GIRL is the one I have been dying to read, which I think is a mystery. It is such a popular book right now, but if you want to put it in a randomizer then that would be fine with me. I will hold off reading as even if it's random it will eventually come around at some point.

[Jenni]

Ok I really feel like a pest and I am sorry for bringing it up again, but are we going to choose an April book for this book group? I would like to have the weekend to look for whatever book it is we decide to read. If you all want to just stick with the 50 state challenge so everybody can read their own thing then that's fine too. I just don't like not knowing what the plan is.

[Lea Ann]

Have we chosen a book yet? If not I may go rogue and chose one on my own. lol Jenni, I'm off now to investigate Gone Girl.

[Lisa]

So for April, lets read Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I will work on the MO bookshelf this month so we have a lot to choose from and for May we can do a vote. In the mean time, invite other MO readers to our group and get started on Gone Girl!

[Jenni]

Yay! Thanks, Lisa! So excited for April!

[Lea Ann]

I've got my copy but I'm not starting it until April 1.

[Jenni]

Yep! Me too! Can't wait till tomorrow! Man, I've been so excited about this book for so long. I hope I'm not disappointed!

[Lisa]

May is just around the corner and with it a new book! We have read a Classic and a Mystery so lets stick with the genre per month theme. Here's what I'm thinking:

1. Fantasy
2. Romance
3. Horror
4. Young Adult
5. Science Fiction
6. Western
7. Non-Fiction
8. Christian
9. Historical Fiction
10. Self-Improvement

I'll randomize that list and then go through our MO list for books that fit that genre. Let me know your thoughts.

[Jenni]

I think that's a fine idea.

[Lea Ann]

Sounds good. I haven't read much in the past two weeks because my schedule has been crazy, but I'm finishing Gone Girl tomorrow if it kills me!

[Jenni]

Hey everybody! So what are we reading in May?

[Lisa]

I'm compiling the list right now. Our theme will be historical fiction. :-) I'm going to put all of the books on the MO list that could be historical fiction in a randomizer so we are surprised! I'll post it tonight!

[Jenni]

Yay! Sounds great!

[Lea Ann]

Historical fiction is my favorite!

[Paulette]

I just found out about a book that happens in Missouri around the St. Louis area. It is supposed to be pretty good. It was introduced by the group leader at by bookclub I belong to at the St. Louis County Library. I have not read it yet but I intend to and I have requested it. It is the first in a series and a mystery/suspense novel.

The author is Irene Hannon Irene Hannon The book is "Vanished"

[Jenni]

Sounds great, Paulette. I'm up for anything.

[Paulette]

My copy of "Vanished" is ready for me to pick up at the library. The author, Irene Hannon lives in Missouri. This book is the first in the "Gardens of Justice" series.

[Lea Ann]

Wow, I just read these last few comments today and just this morning I finished a book by this same author.

[Jenni]

I have Rainbow's End on my "To Read" shelf. I actually own a copy of it among what I call my "tree killer" books. I am certainly willing to read just about anything. I don't know if our leader, Lisa, reads along with us or not. I would like to experience a little more interaction among us MO readers.

[Lea Ann]

Rainbow's End was sweet. A friend gave it to me. She gets to read at work when she's not busy, so she reads A LOT! I get a lot of her books when she's done. Too many, really. I don't have as much time to read, so I can't keep up. My goal this summer is to read some books setting on my bookshelves and clear them out!