Bright Young Things discussion

Here's a little fun questionnaire designed to share what we have each enjoyed about 2015 here on BYT....


What BYT group read book did you enjoy the most in 2015?

Which non-BYT group read book did you enjoy the most in 2015?

Which BYT era author did you enjoy the most in 2015?

Which BYT era books or authors do you plan to read in 2016?

How could we make BYT even better?

What else do you want to say?

I will have to think about some of those questions and so might edit this response later, but from checking my ratings at the time of reading:

What BYT group read book did you enjoy the most in 2015?
Non-fiction: Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov
Fiction: Kim by Rudyard Kipling

Which non-BYT book did you enjoy the most in 2015?
Do you mean BYT era book read outside the group?
Non-fiction: Nansen by Roland Huntford (one that did not make the Nobel Challenge list and I read anyway)
Fiction: Under a Glass Bell by Anaïs Nin (a collection of short stories, some of which were excellent)

Which BYT era author did you enjoy the most in 2015?
Vladimir Nabokov and D. H. Lawrence (although I did not think Lady Chatterley's Lover was a five-star book)

Which BYT era books or authors do you plan to read in 2016?
I am hoping to get around to Proust in 2016, in French and English translation, as well as the group books.
I also have The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth on my kindle.

How could we make BYT even better?
Sometimes books are not readily available both sides of the Atlantic so perhaps we could all keep that in mind when nominating, but there is not anything I would want to change about the group.

What else do you want to say?
Here's to another good year in 2016.

Thanks Val - that's a very interesting set of responses. Here are mine….


What BYT group read book did you enjoy the most in 2015?

FICTION: The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
NON- FICTION: The Trigger: Hunting the Assassin Who Brought the World to War by Tim Butcher

^ Both were excellent I thought - and the discussions were enjoyable too


Which non-BYT group read book did you enjoy the most in 2015?


A tricky one to answer as I’ve read some great books however I think it is probably...

Rendezvous at the Russian Tea Rooms: The Spyhunter, the Fashion Designer & the Man From Moscow by Paul Willetts

...which has got the lot and I highly recommend it.

We have a Hot Read thread dedicated to it….

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...


Which BYT era author did you enjoy the most in 2015?

I re-read a couple of books by P.G. Wodehouse, and one that I had never read before.

You probably don’t need me to tell you that P.G. Wodehouse is the funniest writer of the past century. Wodehouse defies superlatives. He is, quite simply, the best comedic writer to ever put pen to paper. I am a confirmed Wodehousian and revel in the man’s comedic genius. I have read numerous books by the great man and all, to one degree or another, are a delight.

So, for me, it has to be…

P.G. Wodehouse


Which BYT era books or authors do you plan to read in 2016?

I must get back to reading W. Somerset Maugham and Nancy Mitford - both writers I have really enjoyed so far but with plenty more books I’ve yet to enjoy in their back catalogue, and whose work I didn't read in 2015


How could we make BYT even better?

I think Val makes an excellent point above.

I'd add that I also am resolved to try to read the books during the month and not in advance. I think it might make for more dynamic and interesting discussions if we are actually reading books together. I tend to read ahead which makes me less inclined to post in the discussions. I am really enjoying reading High Rising by Angela Thirkell this month (though I am not sure anyone else is actually reading it at the same time as me - some have finished it already and I am not sure anyone else (apart from maybe Roisin) is planning to join in).


What else do you want to say?

Here’s to a happy and healthy 2016, with lots more great books and interesting discussions here at BYT

Nigeyb wrote: "I am really enjoying reading High Rising by Angela Thirkell this month (though I am not sure anyone else is actually reading it at the same time as me - some have finished it already and I am not sure anyone else (apart from maybe Roisin) is planning to join in)."

I've just started it & hope to get stuck in to it on Sunday!

Ruth wrote: "I've just started it (High Rising by Angela Thirkell ) & hope to get stuck in to it on Sunday! "


That's great news Ruth. I've just done a little dance of delight.

.
What BYT group read book did you enjoy the most in 2015?

The Trigger: Hunting the Assassin Who Brought the World to War It was fascinating. I enjoyed the blend of WW1 history, recent history, travel, and thepersonal reflections of the author.
That said, there were several of our group reads that I thought were outstanding.

Which non-BYT group read book did you enjoy the most in 2015?

Karl Marx It was informative, well-written, and even funny. I loved it.

Which BYT era author did you enjoy the most in 2015? Somerset Maugham

Which BYT era books or authors do you plan to read in 2016? Plan to read more Maugham, Wodehouse, and Dorothy Sayers. I'm also still on my WW1 commemoration fest.

How could we make BYT even better? I love it as is. I just wish more of our 1000+ members would get involved.

What else do you want to say? I'm going to try to participate more and write more reviews. I set myself a 100 book challenge this year which has kept me so busy reading that I haven't had time to do much reflecting on what I've read. I'll set a more manageable goal for myself in 2016. (Susan, I just don't know how you do it!!)

^ Thanks Barbara - I enjoyed reading that and I agree with everything you say


Barbara wrote: "I just wish more of our 1000+ members would get involved."

I had no idea the group was now over 1000 strong. The last time I looked I recall it was in the six hundreds. An amazing number however, as you say, it is a minuscule number, relative to the total, who are active. Come on the c980 silent BYTers - get involved!

And where is Ally these days? I miss her.

Barbara wrote: "I set myself a 100 book challenge this year which has kept me so busy reading that I haven't had time to do much reflecting on what I've read. I'll set a more manageable goal for myself in 2016. (Susan, I just don't know how you do it!!) "


That sounds eminently sensible. I love reading your reflections Barbara so eagerly await some more expansive ruminations in 2016.

And yes, how does Susan do it? One of the great unsolved mysteries of GoodReads.

: ) Ha! I might just reach my 70. I'm in awe of people like Susan. Her reads are not always quick and easy. I wish that I was a faster reader. Bummer!

I'm going to lower my reading goal slightly next year as well for similar reasons. I actually started to get quite stressed at times trying to keep 'on track' and I hate rushing a book to meet a target!

I also want to read more non-fiction next year which takes me a bit longer.

I can't really answer the questions as I sort of dipped in and out of the group and didn't read many of the group reads this year - something I'm hoping to join in more with next year. But generally what I've enjoyed is putting things into context to get an overall feeling for the era - what was everyday life like in each decade and how did society start changing and why. That's what I'm hoping to follow up on in the year to come, particularly in relation to Mass Observation.

Polybius, The Rise of TheRoman Empire, great book, currently reading about Hannibal, but very detailed might finish that in Jan, perhaps. Then again, I do get distracted and insist on reading several books on the go. : ))

Yes, I prefer to read non-fiction myself and this can take longer. It is important to enjoy reading rather than doing it to reach an unrealistic goal.

Here are my questionnaire answers.

Enjoy, not sure, enjoy is the word, but my favourite BYT read was

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13...

by James Weldon Johnson. A very moving, powerful book and a fairly interesting discussion on passing for white, race laws the US, oh and hair. : )

Favourite non-BYT book was

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25...
by Iain Sinclair

London Overground by Iain Sinclair. Just fantastic! Quite Ballardian! Part travelogue, part history and myth. Great stories about the people and things connected to the areas/stations on the Overground line, many of which I'm familiar with.

Favourite BYT era author was Joseph Roth particularly his

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60...

Just superb! Revealing, interesting. Fascinating incites on local people and observations of the places that he visited. He says of Hitler, that he was given Bavarian justice for his terrorism, 5 years, yet he only served 5 months in jail (Bavarian Justice) and wrote during his time there Mein Kampf...the rest is history...

Must read more Julian Maclaren-Ross, Dorothy L Sayers, more Joseph Roth.

Erm, on mobile devices can't see the link to polls at the bottom of the page. Can moderators make sure that links to polls are added when posting that they are up. I've missed a few and then had to go to an old BOTM thread to find a poll link. : ))

Yes! Goodreads needs to move with the times.

What BYT group read book did you enjoy the most in 2015?

My favourite fiction read was Main Street: The Story of Carol Kennicott by Sinclair Lewis - a wonderful novel which has left me wanting to read more by Lewis. I love the way his portrayal of the small town veers between satire and appreciating its better qualities.

My favourite non-fiction read was probably the wide-ranging Black Diamonds: The Rise and Fall of an English Dynasty by Catherine Bailey. It covers a lot of material, contrasting the lives of the wealthy family with those of the miners and with a massive section about Kathleen Kennedy which isn't altogether relevant, but I found it all interesting.

Which non-BYT group read book did you enjoy the most in 2015?

I've spent a lot of my reading time this year reading my way through Proust's 'In Search of Lost Time' novels in the Moncrieff/Kilmartin/Enright translation and have loved them overall - at times it's been a struggle and some sections have been more compelling than others, but overall this has definitely been the read I will remember most and that has brought the most excitement and enjoyment! Hoping to finish the last novel in the series by the end of the year.

Which BYT era author did you enjoy the most in 2015?

Aside from Proust, I've enjoyed discovering Rex Stout, which I must thank Nigeyb, Jill and others in this group for introducing me to. I didn't care for the first Nero Wolfe novel much but am now hooked!

Which BYT era books or authors do you plan to read in 2016?

I'm not sure yet - my main reading aim for the coming year is to go back to Shakespeare and read and hopefully see any of his plays I haven't read/seen as yet! I haven't really thought about which BYT authors to explore, except that I'm rereading Dorothy L Sayers with another group.

I also hope to write more reviews, even if they are very short due to lack of time.

How could we make BYT even better?

I agree with other comments above that it works better when a book is widely available on both sides of the Atlantic. I also think if occasionally a very popular book or author is chosen as a group read, as well as the lesser-known titles, then it can help to bring in new members.

What else do you want to say?

This is a great group and has introduced me to a lot of great readers and authors - keep up the good work!

Yes it is a good group. Some of the discussions are rather good and I've discovered new authors, some I know of but have never read their books, so thanks BYTs.

Well done to the moderators who have done a good job and treat people with fairness and kindness. Ta!