L.E.a D.s Book Club discussion

Not to take anything away from Guernsey (I don't think we are quite done with it) but should we start on suggestions for our next book?
Thoughts? Suggestions?

We should! I don't have any ideas at the moment, but will see if I can think of any.

I think that Griffin and Sabine had been mentioned to read sometime soon.

Dear Helen and Cassie and anyone else,

Choosing our next book soon will give people a chance to track down affordable options or find libraries with available copies, so yes, let's figure out something now. Cassie, am I right in thinking that you've already read G&S? If so, do you recommend it?

Ruth

Ruth,

I have and I do! The world (within G&S is filled with wonder and magic! (Although, I will include a warning, it will be very hard not to read the second once you finish!)

Cassie

Dear Cassie,

The horror! Think of it — the enjoyment of one book leading to the reading of another! Where will end?

Nevertheless, I am willing to take the risk. Are you willing to read G&S again?

Ruth

Dear Friends,

I've always wanted to read G&S. I'd be ok with that being next.

I could always add a poll to choose, however, if people have other options. I've seen other clubs do that.

Helen

Dear Helen,

Do you want to do a poll? It seems to me that right now we're a small enough group that we can just ask people to chime in by a date if they want a say in the choice. Perhaps we should post a quick note on the Guernsey discussion to make sure everyone is aware that we're looking ahead to the next read. But I don't have an objection to a poll either. I await your thoughts

Eagerly,

Ruth

I've just read Letters from Skye, a new book coming out shortly. Would be interested to hear people's opinions on that one at some point, it seems to be inspired by the Guernsey book but I don't think it quite matches up.

Has anyone read Henrietta's War, speaking of letters during wartime?

Dear Melwyk,

I haven't read _Letters from Skye_, but i just looked it up on Amazon and see why you say it was inspired by the Guernsey book. What did you think of _Skye_? Are you recommending it or is it too derivative?

I haven't read _Henrietta's War_ either I'm afraid, though I looked that one up too. That one sounds a bit more humor-based than _Guernsey_ or _Skye_. Have you read it? What did you think?

Ruth

HelenLee wrote: "Dear Friends,

I've always wanted to read G&S. I'd be ok with that being next.

I could always add a poll to choose, however, if people have other options. I've seen other clubs do that.

Helen"

Dear Epistolary Friends,

For what it's worth, _Griffin & Sabine_ is allegedly winging its way to me. In fact, I was able to get the trilogy for just a few dollars more than the first book alone would have cost, so I did that. That doesn't mean we have to read it next, but i would like it if we read it sometime soon.

Ruth

Hey there all,

I have G&S in hand now, so I'm ready to read if we decide to go with this book next.

Ruth

Dear Epistolary Fans,

I read the G&S trilogy. The third book is dedicated to none other than Annie Barrows, co-author of _The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society_. How serendipitously cool is that?

Ruth

Ruth wrote: "Dear Epistolary Fans,

I read the G&S trilogy. The third book is dedicated to none other than Annie Barrows, co-author of _The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society_. How serendipitously co..."

That is great! I just put the first on hold and will put some of the others on hold (at the library) as well!

I would love to create some correspondence in that vein as we read if anyone is interested?

Cassie,

That sounds like a fantastic project. I'm not sure that my stick-propel drawing skills are up to it, but I'm sure willing to give it a try. How do you propose we start?

Ruth

Dear Friends,
That is super cool that the 3rd book is dedicated to Annie Barrows.
I would definitely like to read the G&S trilogy & possibly part take is in this exchange :)P

Helen

I say we just declare G&S our next book. Shall we start a new discussion section? And if anyone is still interested in Guernsey, I'd love to continue that conversation. We can compare the books.

Ruth

Hi everyone! I just joined the group and see you are looking for your next read. I am the author of a true epistolary story, You Are Loved...an email memoir. If you are interested in it as a group read my co-author Mark and I would be happy to host an author discussion with the group, if you like.

Another epistolary novel is Where Rainbows End by Cecelia Ahern if you like chick lit :-)

Looking forward to being part of your group!

Lisa

If interested, info on the book I mentioned is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16...

Book club discount from us directly and also available
on Kindle and Smashwords.

There is so little community centered on epistolary books that it's exciting to stumble on this group! Looking forward to reading with you, too. :-)

Lisa

Lisa,

Welcome to our little group! We have not been terribly active, but there is always the possibility.

Cassie

Thanks, Cassie! It looks like a nice little group will be reading Griffin & Sabine. I should have my copy this week :-)

Lisa

Hi Lisa!

Let us know when you're ready to discuss. It's lovely to have someone else along for the ride.

Ruth

I'm going to search out G&S too -- should really read it after so many years -- read the 1st volume yrs ago but never the whole trilogy.

Ruth wrote: "Dear Melwyk,

I haven't read _Letters from Skye_, but i just looked it up on Amazon and see why you say it was inspired by the Guernsey book. What did you think of _Skye_? Are you recommending it o..."

Letters From Skye is okay but perhaps a little too similar immediately after Guernsey. Henrietta is much, much lighter; it began as a newspaper column during the war and is more chipper and has a "spirits up" kind of feeling. I did enjoy it, though!

I just joined this group and am excited to read epistolary books with other folks who enjoy that type of writing.

Is there anyone who is up to reading a book this month?

I would love to read a group book this month.

Awesome, Connie!

Do you have a book that you've been wanting to read? If not, you are welcome to look at my epistolary shelf to see if one of those sounds good. I'm willing to re-read any on the list.

I am open for anything.

I've looked at your TBR list, and found Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot. Shall we read that? When do you want to start?

Well, this looks fun and random! Let's Read!

Happy Day,
rift

Hey, Rift. Are you going to be able to join us in reading Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot?

Yep. I am currently between books, and I just got the free kindle sample of Enchanted Chocolate Pot. Sounds like it's time to start a new thread? :)

Happy Day,
rift

Connie and Rift (and whoever else would like to join us), I've started a thread for Sorcery and Cecelia.

Ruth wrote: "Hi Lisa!

Let us know when you're ready to discuss. It's lovely to have someone else along for the ride.

Ruth"

Ruth wrote: "Hi Lisa!

Let us know when you're ready to discuss. It's lovely to have someone else along for the ride.

Ruth"

What a fun book and incredible presentation. As an epistolary (memoir) author I was impressed by the story arc. I haven't gotten rest of the trilogy yet, but I will.

Lisa wrote: "What a fun book and incredible presentation. As an epistolary (memoir) author I was impressed by the story arc. I haven't gotten rest of the trilogy yet, but I will. "

Lisa, do you feel like reading Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot again? It would be great to have your input.

Sounds great! I am flexible as far as discussions go.

Ruth, is there a process for deciding next month's group read?

Hey Lanelle,

We've always been a small enough group just to come to a consensus. Goodreads has a list of epistolaries here:

https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=ep...

And here are some more lists:

http://www.ranker.com/list/epistolary...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

https://www.bustle.com/articles/34809...

https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-b...

https://www.abebooks.com/books/letter...

I can recommend Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Dracula, and the Wilkie Collins books; my sister-in-law has been enjoying Where'd You go, Bernadette?. If you want to go early, we could read Pamela (I don't think I can take Clarissa). And there are two sequels to Sorcery and Cecelia. I'm sure there are other books out there. Do you have anything in mind?

I'm thrilled that this group is picking up steam again. Thank you for reviving it, Lanelle!

Ruth

Ruth, Where'd You Go, Bernadette looks like a good book. I'd be willing to read it.

How about reading a diary or journal book next month? Maybe The Diary of a Nobody, Book of a Thousand Days or I Capture the Castle.

Lanelle,

Honestly, those all look like fantastic choices. I rather want to read them all.

Anyone else want to weigh in? It would be a good idea to give us time to obtain copies.

Ruth

Ruth, you might have to make a decision about next month's book. Good luck :)

Also, could you make this thread first in this section (most important) and unmark The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society thread?

Lanelle,

If you have a favourite among those choices, please weigh in. Otherwise I'm going to start tossing coins.

As for your request, well, I haven't a clue how to do that. Helen, who established this discussion, might, but I haven't heard from her in ages. So if you know how I can switch threads arounds, do tell. Meanwhile, I'll see what I can do to figure it out.

Ruth

As a moderator you can edit all the folders. Hopefully I can guide you through it :)

click on Books We're Reading
click on 'Edit Folders' (top right corner)
click on the 'Edit' button next to the thread you want to change
click in the "mark this topic as important (it will be listed first)" square to make Our Next Book be on top
and then do the same to the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society thread, but to remove the check mark from the square

I picked this month's book :)

But if I had to put in order the four books I mentioned in message 38, they would be:
I Capture the Castle
Where'd You Go, Bernadette
The Diary of a Nobody
Book of a Thousand Days

Lanelle,

Oh, most excellent instructions! I believe I have succeeded in re-arranging the threads.

Let's go with I Capture the Castle, then work our way through the rest of the list.

Ruth

Ruth wrote: "I believe I have succeeded in re-arranging the threads."

Yay!

Ruth, we need a discussion thread for I Capture the Castle.

Done!

How many of us are planning to read this one?

Ruth

Well, we made it all the way through May without discussing I Capture the Castle. Maybe we should move on to the next book. Is anyone interested in reading Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

Lanelle et alia,

My apologies: I had some unexpected and time consuming vicissitudes crop up that kept me away. I'm willing to start Bernadette, but it will take me a while since I am now behind on work.

In the meanwhile, if anyone is interested, I wouldn't mind discussing Castle a bit.

Ruth

I am planning on reading Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters this month. Is anyone interested in reading it with me?