You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

Ahhh! Where has this year gone?! October means to me that I'll be another year older. Booo!! But besides that, I'd like it to be a good month for reading.

Let's get out thinking caps on for what the October group read theme is going to be. Time for nominations!

So if you have an idea for a theme for next month's group read, go ahead and nominate it.

Alternatively, you can second someone else's nomination instead, but that will count as your own nomination, and that theme will be entered twice in random.org - giving the theme an additional chance to make the cut.

Nominations can be seconded multiple times by different people. If you second a nomination, please make clear that is what you are doing. E.g. If I nominate "Books whose title starts with A", you need to state "I second Books whose title starts with A".

Nominations close 10th September.

I would like to nominate books with a Scottish theme (setting, author, etc).

Yikes, October really sounds so end-of-year!

I nominate dual-timeline books :)

Sarah wrote: "Ahhh! Where has this year gone?!"

I know, it has flown by! I heard a Christmas advert on the radio yesterday!

Lisa wrote: "I heard a Christmas advert on the radio yesterday! "

Really? That is bad! That said, I am looking forward to Christmas this year as it was overshadowed by us getting our boat last year. This time we can just chill and I might get more reading done.

Yes, I couldn't believe it when I heard it! I really like Christmas but early September is pushing it! It was for a country house hotel so I suppose they are advertising early to get bookings. Sounds like you will have a much more relaxed Christmas this year Sarah. I can't believe you have nearly had your boat for a year already!

Peggy wrote: "I nominate dual-timeline books :)"

I second this one! I really like dual timeline stories!

Christmas advert even before Halloween! That's crazy!
The year definitively flew away. The problem is that it seems to be happening every year... I'm starting getting worried. :)

Sandra wrote: "The year definitively flew away. The problem is that it seems to be happening every year... I'm starting getting worried. :)"

I know. It's scary!

@Lisa - I can't believe it either. And we've hardly got anything done to the boat it seems like. This weekend the floor should be in in our bedroom. I am very much looking forward to sleeping back in there again.

Lisa wrote: "I know, it has flown by! I heard a Christmas advert on the radio yesterday!"

There should be a law against that. As someone with a late Nov birthday, and Mum and brother not until mid-Dec, we are not allowed to mention Christmas until the 14th Dec.

Great rule Rusalka!

A month or so ago I heard on the news that there was a big UK-warehouse that already had their Christmas department open and ready. We have the Sinterklaas-tradition on December 5th and Sinterklaas-candy has been in the shops for a couple of weeks now. I hate how it's earlier and earlier every year.

Rusalka wrote: "As someone with a late Nov birthday, and Mum and brother not until mid-Dec, we are not allowed to mention Christmas until the 14th Dec. "

Same here. No mention of Christmas until after my birthday in October. I am wishing my birthday was in December now as not being able to talk about it until 14th December sounds amazing!

Lol I wish I didn't have to think of Christmas for a bit but work already has the schedule up for Christmas and we have to write out holiday hours. We either have to work Christmas or New Years

Are you in an office Tasha? I had to work Christmas (not the 25th) and New Years in tourism and in hospitality.

But all offices here shut down from 25th Dec to 2nd Jan. If you're unlucky, there is one day that doesn't fall as a public holiday every 3 years or so and you have to take 1 day leave for 8 days holiday.

I guess you guys don't have Boxing Day. There goes two days.

I think Tasha is a nurse. Am I right?
When I was still working as a nurse we have to choose between Christmas and New Year too.

Nice guess, Yes I am a nurse and we always have to work holidays so it is nice to be able to have one off

Which makes a lot more sense. Sorry, I was wracking my brains, been a long day. And we all love the fact you do *hug*

Rusalka wrote: "Which makes a lot more sense. Sorry, I was wracking my brains, been a long day. And we all love the fact you do *hug*"

thanks :)

I'm not sure what a dual timeline book is. Can someone clarify?

I am guessing it's books over two timelines (or more Peggy?). Such as The Time Traveler's Wife?

That's how I interpreted anyway. Happy to be corrected.

Rusalka wrote: "I am guessing it's books over two timelines (or more Peggy?). Such as The Time Traveler's Wife?

That's how I interpreted anyway. Happy to be corrected."

I was thinking of books with two story lines that fall in different time periods. i.e. Blackberry Winter. Not sure if that's the same as what you were thinking, Rusalka.

What I understand is a novel with interspersed chapters in two different times. Something like Kate Morton's style. The different times can be when a character is old, and the same character in his/her childhood; or one story line being the story of the grandmother of the main character in the second story line. Not sure if I'm making any sense in my explanation...

Ah... both good points. Maybe I'll just shut my face and let Peggy clarify for herself :P

I'm currently reading The Nightingale and the majority is set during WWII, but it flips forward to a current time period periodically with one of the main characters as an old lady. I would loosely classify it as having dual time lines.

We're trying to encourage my dad to go to Hawaii and stay with my sister for Christmas this year, so we've been talking Christmas already. I guess I'd better get my passport so that I can accompany him. The commercialism of Christmas has gotten out of hand. School has just started back for goodness sake!

When October rolls around, I always think Halloween and horror stories. I'm going to nominate "haunted house stories" as a theme.

Ah. Thanks, everyone.

All this talk about that December holiday has me thinking.
I nominate books that happen at Christmastime. (jk)

Lanelle, you're just joking, right?

I want to be scared so I second the haunted house stories.

Casceil wrote: "Lanelle, you're just joking, right?"

Yeah, just kidding!

I nominate titles featuring fears for Halloween. an example -- The Night Circus, because you are afraid of clowns or the dark

Sandra wrote: "What I understand is a novel with interspersed chapters in two different times. Something like Kate Morton's style. The different times can be when a character is old, and the same ..."

I thought of that too. There are so many books out there with dual timelines now. I'm glad Lanelle asked the question!

I like the idea Tasha about fears. We've talked enough about them in YLTO but never had a theme read on them before. That said, perhaps it could be the characters have the fears or the book has a large portion of it about something that people commonly fear (spiders, snakes, clowns, flying, heights) as opposed to us specifically? It's just that if you nominated IT because of a fear of clowns and it won it wouldn't necessarily reflect everyone else's fears.

Tasha☺ wrote: "I nominate titles featuring fears for Halloween. an example -- The Night Circus, because you are afraid of clowns or the dark"

Tasha, I like this. Something you are personally afraid of instead of just a horror story, right?

Kristie wrote: "Tasha☺ wrote: "I nominate titles featuring fears for Halloween. an example -- The Night Circus, because you are afraid of clowns or the dark"

Tasha, I like this. Something you are ..."

yes that is what I was thinking

Sarah wrote: "I like the idea Tasha about fears. We've talked enough about them in YLTO but never had a theme read on them before. That said, perhaps it could be the characters have the fears or the book has a l..."

I like that idea Sarah I guess it is difficult for a specific book but I just thought in case people don't like horror they could read a book about bees, spiders, crowds and aliens or something else they fear

As for dual timelines, my take is there are separate chapters which each tell the tale of that time period. So current day and say 1945. Quite often it's the same characters in both timeframes but not always. Some times it kight be linked to time travel but not always. I say we include all the interpretations to allow for multiple genres.

I am so pleased you were joking Lanelle!

Sarah wrote: "I am so pleased you were joking Lanelle!"

I'll bring it back up in November :)

Yes it does open it up and reading a nice fluffy book about ducks could be someone's own personal horror book. A bit of immersion therapy! It works when we all read a book we like for the "other books in the theme" but not for the two chosen books. I think I said the same thing a few months back when someone nominated books that our mother/grandmother has read.

Fears could work for group books if it can mean either a book about something that the individual reading the book fears or something that many people fear or a book about characters who are very afraid of something. That would make kind of a broad topic, but it could work and would fit with Halloween. As for Sarah's comment on It, I only read half of that book, but I feel confident that just about anyone could find something in that book that they were personally afraid of.

Tasha☺ wrote: "Nice guess, Yes I am a nurse and we always have to work holidays so it is nice to be able to have one off"

I am also a nurse and we rotate which one we work each year. However, in two weeks I am getting out of the hospital and into a doctors office as a nurse practitioner. This means no more nights, weekends, or holidays. *HAPPY DANCE*

The personal fears idea sounds like it would be good for a monthly challenge if it doesn't work for a group read.

I think you're probably right Casceil on It. I love Stephen King but this is one book I'm not too keen to pick up.

Sounds awesome Amanda! Nights were a killer when i worked at a hospital. I like my routines too much for shift work. I bet it will make a big difference for you.

Wow, so many posts! With regarding to dual-time, yes, I was thinking Kate Morton style, so books that have chapters set in one time-period (usually the present or not so long ago) and chapters set in the past. The storylines in both time periods are usually somehow related. But it's okay to make it as broad as we can, like Sarah said, also including time-travel and such. Just books that are set in two different time periods.

Some great ideas, I can't decide yet...

Lanelle, that was funny (Xmas nom). ;)

I agree Tasha. Some great ideas. I'm going to struggle choosing which to second, let alone vote on when it comes to the poll.

Great ideas, everyone! I second the Scottish theme (before it gets washed over by all the talk about dual time lines, scary things and christmas...)! :D
I love Scotland - even though I saw just a little bit more than the capital, Edinburgh (such a beautiful city!!)!

A lot of these ideas sound great; I think I'll be happy with any of them. Personally, I nominate books with a "spooky setting or atmosphere."

I think that would pay tribute to Halloween, be fairly universal, and still leave lots of room for interpretation when it comes time to nominate books :)

I'm going to second fears.

I second the Scottish theme.