Jo’s Comments (group member since Mar 09, 2013)

Jo’s comments from the The Book Vipers group.

On the subject of Robert Macfarlane a) he is a parent at my daughters school (not relevant but interesting fact!) and b) his book Underland is Book of the Week on BBC R4 next week.

List updated, to here. Thread now closed for voting in Polls

Apologies for confusion over "Pre and Post 1900". From the next Classics Read, there will be no Pre or Post, so To Kill a Mockingbird and World of Strangers can be nominated then.

This thread is now closed. Voting will open in polls.

Hi Gisela, Tale of Two Cities has already been seconded, and unfortunately World of Strangers is not Pre1900 - please do nominate it next time around when we are dropping the distinction between Pre and Post 1900.

List updated to here.

Becky wrote: "I'll nominate Evelina"

I'll second that.

The nominations thread for the 2nd Quarter 2019 Non-Fiction Read is now open, please suggest your book choices below.

Please remember that:
1. We do not allow self-promotion or self-published books.
2. All books need to be seconded by someone else in order to get to the voting stage and
3. Nominations must be readily available in as many formats as possible at a reasonable price.

This thread will remain open until the 8th March and then will be closed for voting. The joint runners up from last time go through automatically, so do not need to be nominated or seconded.



There are no categories, so feel free to nominate whatever you want. Either nominate or second a book, not both.

Nominated:

The Quantum Universe: Everything That Can Happen Does Happen
"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures of a Curious Character
Chernobyl: History of a Tragedy
Cosmos


Nominated and Seconded:

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End (from last poll)
Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics (from last poll)
A Time of Gifts

The nominations thread for the April & May Classics Read (PRE 1900) is now open, please suggest your book choices below.

All books need to be seconded by someone else in order to get to the voting stage.

The Warden automatically goes forward to the poll as it was runner-up last time, and does not need to be nominated or seconded.

This thread will remain open until 7th March and then will be closed for voting.

Nominated:

Crime and Punishment


Nominated and Seconded:

The Warden
A Tale of Two Cities
Evelina
Hard Times

Up to date, to here.

Tony wrote: "I second I Claudius."

Hi Tony, you can second I Claudius, but technically it doesn't need seconding as it has automatically gone through, in case you wanted to make another nomination or second someone else's nomination once they've made one.

The nominations thread for the March 2019 Fiction Read is now open, please suggest your book choices below. This read will stay open through April as well, to allow longer for people to read and comment.

Please remember that:
1. We do not allow self-promotion or self-published books.
2. All books need to be seconded by someone else in order to get to the voting stage and
3. Nominations must be readily available in as many formats as possible at a reasonable price.

This thread will remain open until the 9th February and then will be closed for voting.

I, Claudius goes through from the last Fiction poll as runner up.

Either nominate or second a book, but please not both.

Nominated:

The Guts
On The Black Hill


Nominated and Seconded:

I, Claudius
It Can't Happen Here
He Said/She Said
The Power
Three Daughters of Eve

I’m waiting for this to come in at the library!

The Basingstoke Carnage has been the talk of Twitter tonight (if you follow Brian Cox) - will they won’t they cancel his show tonight. Lots of cross people who couldn’t get into town but “the show must go on”!!

I'm reading Let Me Lie and listening to A Gentleman in Moscow

I am reading The Sober Diaries: How one woman stopped drinking and started living to spur me on through Dry January.

Really is quite a sobering read, the author was in all sorts of bother from her long term over drinking. I'm not in that category, but it's a really good reminder as to why cutting back/cutting it out is a good thing. She's pretty much the same age as me, similar family life and set up etc, so it feels very relevant.

Also now listening to Dear Mrs. Bird which is off to a good start.

Yes Paul it did, but sadly not for me.

Paul - you’ll read it in a couple of hours, I flew through it.

On the reading front I have NOT finished, (ie I have given up on) Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle. It was my second attempt - just could not get to grips with it and though I do not like to stop part way through, life is too short and my shelf is groaning with books I really want to read!

Becky, I loved that book. I laughed, cried, crossed my legs A LOT. I see where you are coming from, but I think that it is just that sheer level of frustration - it's a key message and one that didn't bother me.

Henry Marsh, likewise, in Do No Harm (and I've subsequently listened to him give a lecture) shares the anger and frustration of how he perceives the NHS as an organisation (not its individual practitioners) is losing its main striving purpose.

Recommend it as a read to anyone.

Pat wrote: "I loved The lumineries. However Booker is usually awful."

Pat - I did as well, though yes, other experiences less enjoyable (given up in other words and now don't bother!)

Well done Paul, so you are reading all six on that list then?!