EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club discussion

Hello all!

We've been discussing in the group's Suggestion Box and we're thinking of starting some themed months! Given the international membership of the group, as well as the tendency to focus on books in English, we would like to have one of the first themes be focused on National Literature outside of American or English.

Please nominate and/or second a nation or language or both that you would like to focus on. It would be helpful to include some books from the nationality you suggest in order for others to get an idea of options. I'll start off with some suggestions below:

Russian Literature and some potential BOTM examples...
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

French Literature and some potential BOTM examples...
ex. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
The Stranger by Albert Camus

Japanese Literature and some potential BOTM examples...
ex. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata

Just to clarify, we are NOT seconding books at this time, only seconding National Literatures. Books are provided as a sample of nominations if/when one of the nationalities is selected as our BOTM category. Thanks!

Turkish Literature
Snow or My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk

Indian Literature
The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh
The 3 Mistakes of My Life by Chetan Bhagat

Greek Literature
Mother Ash by Alexis Stamatis

:) I own most of these books and except of Snow I even read them.

Spanish Literature
The Shadow of the Wind

Russian Literature
Anna Karenina

French Literature
Les Liaisons dangereuses

Chinese Literature
Rickshaw Boy

German literature
ex. The Clown by Heinrich Böll
Cassandra by Christa Wolf

Dutch literature
ex. Beyond Sleep by Willem Frederik Hermans
The Assault by Harry Mulisch

Japanese literature
ex. The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon

Brazilian literature
ex. The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector

Excellent, Kasey! :-)

This is not only another of many steps always improving the experience of the group, but also a result of always discussing ideas with everyone.

But, hey, everybody, you have to second nominations! :-)

The four more seconded will then go into a poll, just in the same way as books!

Like "I second Klingon literature.", for example. :-)

Marcos wrote: "But, hey, everybody, you have to second nominations! :-)

The four more seconded will then go into a poll, just in the same way as books!

Like "I second Klingon literature.", for example. :-)"

Kasey wrote in her first post "Please nominate a nation or language or both" and nothing about seconding, so I assumed this was only about nominating for now?

Yes, lethe, you're right! :-)

But that was the conclusion of the discussion she linked to. She was quite synthetical here, so I went on so as to add some more info! :-)

if we are seconding I will second the glass palace

Are we seconding the book? I thought we were just seconding the nation or language as of right now...if that's the case then Russian, French, and Japanese have all already been seconded and book examples included.

Yes, for now, we're seconding literatures - not books.

I made a good-humoured comment with Klingon, but the example for real should've been "I second Russian literature", "I second Dutch literature", etc.

But Kyra is right as well, Russian, French, and Japanese literatures have been seconded.

The inclusion of books, at this stage, is like making a case for that nomination, with examples of possible reads, in order to attract secondings for that nominated literature.

Spanish literature:
The Shadow of the Wind
The House of the Spirits
Days of the Deer

French literature:
Around the World in Eighty Days
Journey to the Center of the Earth

Chinese literature:
Rickshaw Boy
The Three-Body Problem
Monkey: The Journey to the West

Japanese literature:
Snow Country
Death in Midsummer and Other Stories

German literature:
The Neverending Story

Yikes I was unclear. Yea please second, and second the nationality you wish to focus on. I wanted people to add books so others had a feel for what would be in the running if a certain nationality was chosen so as to better decide which you second.
My fault, wasn't clear. Editing first post.

All's well that ends well! :-)

If anyone is willing to read the longer version of the proposition, it is in the Suggestion Box, as Kasey said. But if going through all the discussion sounds too lengthy, just read it in message # 183 here:

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

Or just keep nominating and seconding! :-)

I would like to second two French books mentioned: The Stranger and Chodleros de Laclos Les Liasions Dangereuses

I will second French Literature

I am a big fan of George Simenon and Irène Némirovsky

Also a fan of French and Russian literatures, but they're huge and I'm in exploratory mood! :-)

So far, I'll second

German literature
For example, The Tin Drum, by Günter Grass. (Nobel prize winner)

Dutch literature
I want to read Harry Mulisch and just got very interested in suggested The Assault.

Japanese literature
Wow!
Could also be Kenzaburō Ōe. (Nobel prize winner)

Turkish literature
Some Orhan Pamuk on my shelf, like The Museum of Innocence. (Nobel prize winner)

Seconding Japanese literature.

I love this idea! This group is so awesome because it is always growing and trying out new things!

I will second Japanese, Turkish, Dutch, and Chinese :)
Really I want to second them all but that is not every helpful so, there are 4.

I am seconding Japanese and French literature.

This is great!

So far I second French, Russian and German literature and nominate Nigerian literature: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

I will second Japanese and Nigerian Literature

I’ll second French and Russian literature.

I will second Russian, French and Japanese literature.
As a Dutchie, I also second Dutch lit :D (@Marcos and Lethe, thanks for nominating Mulisch, he is one of my favorite Dutch writers, I especially love his 'Two Women and The Discovery of Heaven, one of my favorite books ever.

I would like to nominate
- Algerian literature :
The Seine Was Red: Paris, October 1961 for example
and authors like Assia Djebar

Malou wrote: "thanks for nominating Mulisch, he is one of my favorite Dutch writers, I especially love his 'Two Women and The Discovery of Heaven, one of my favorite books ever."

Oh yes, Two Women is great! The Discovery of Heaven is on my "ooit" list ;)

I'll second Russian, Dutch and Japanese literature!

I'll second Japanese literature.

i second german literature

i would like to nominate
german literature
The Tin Drum

czech literature
Witch Hammer
Saturnin

French and German lit for me please!

Tina wrote: "Also, please don't read authors like Chetan Bhagat and Amitav thinking it's national literature/classics. It is basically trash."

You are of course entitled to your own opinion, but so are others, and books do not have to be based on 7000 years old history to be worth reading.

That said, I do think Amitav Ghosh is not eligible for this theme, because his books were originally written in English, and it seems Chetan Bhagat's are too (is that what you mean by trash?).

Well, yes, works originally written in English are not eligible this time. Just because we're seeking some diversity in other languages.

So, literatures like Australian, Indian, Canadian, Jamaican, most probably can't be nominated, especially if the examples that come up are of books originally written in English.

But Canadian literature in the French language, classical Indian literature (like Mahabharata and Ramayana) or Indian literature written in any of the Indian languages (I'm no expert, but I read they're 22), like Hindi, or authors like Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali writer, and other similar literatures are certainly eligible.

Anyway, we're still nominating and seconding only literatures, remember that! Books still come as examples, which are excellent to arise opportunities for clarification like this.

In a second step, when a literature is chosen in a poll, then we'll start nominating books within that one.

lethe wrote: "Oh yes, Two Women is great! The Discovery of Heaven is on my "ooit" list ;)"

"ooit" meaning "one day, perhaps, I'll read this"? :-)

Marcos wrote: "lethe wrote: "Oh yes, Two Women is great! The Discovery of Heaven is on my "ooit" list ;)"

"ooit" meaning "one day, perhaps, I'll read this"? :-)"

Yes, but I intend it to be "really" and not "perhaps" ;-)

The book is waiting patiently in the library, so it will be there when I am ready. But it would be a nice incentive if it won a nomination :-)

Tina wrote: "Sorry if I sounded offensive. It's just, I thought this group was meant for reading classics. Just because a book is popular doesn't make it a classic."

Agreed with that last statement, but this group also reads modern classics/popular reads (1970 and after), see f.e. this folder: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

So books that are currently popular or being hyped can be nominated too (in the right thread) :)

lethe wrote: "Tina wrote: "Agreed with that last statemen..."
Tina wrote: "... there are plenty of Indian authors who re..."

Yes, thanks, Iethe. Just to clarify, the National Literature we end up choosing will be a theme for both BOTM categories so we would choose a book published before 1970 and a book published 1970 and after, both from the same nation.
Tina, ever single author you mentioned I hadn't heard of - makes me confident that this could be a great theme for the group!! Looking up all your recommendations now...

I second German, Russian and Brazilian/Portuguese literature. Santiago or de Assisis

Well, a second supporter of literature in the Portuguese language! :-)

Thanks lethe and Jennifer for seconding Brazilian literature! I'm not seconding it this time only because I was the one starting with the idea of national literatures out of the English language.

I thought better to second other literatures and, if you all like the idea and we have other rounds like this, I'll then nominate it and send suggestions.

Seconding Russian and French.

I think those two are actually the best to start with, cause of many easy to find and appealing examples.

If it's legal to include three, I'd second Portuguese as well.

I second Algerian and Nigerian literature.

I also nominate Armenian literature:
The Fool by Raffi

I second Turkish (particularly Orhan Pamuk) and French.

Rachel, Orhan Pamuk is Turkish literature, not Russian.

So, please make it clearer wether you are seconding Russian or Turkish literature.

I recommend Samoan/New Zealander author Albert Wendt's "The Leaves of the Banyan Tree" also entitled "The Banyan"

Elizabeth A.G. wrote: "I recommend Samoan/New Zealander author Albert Wendt's "The Leaves of the Banyan Tree" also entitled "The Banyan""

Looks like this was originally written in English? Also, we're not recommending specific books yet, just providing examples in non-English literatures.

So you can recommend Samoan literature.

Marcos wrote: "Rachel, Orhan Pamuk is Turkish literature, not Russian.

So, please make it clearer wether you are seconding Russian or Turkish literature."

My apologies. I am seconding Turkish and French.

Yikes this is a scary group. After reading this thread I am wondering what I am getting into. I am sorry I misunderstood the second process. I will second Indian and Japanese literature.

I second Spanish and German literature.

I'll add another second for German literature.

Renee wrote: "Yikes this is a scary group. After reading this thread I am wondering what I am getting into. I am sorry I misunderstood the second process. I will second Indian and Japanese literature."

Nah, we're not scary! :)

Since this is a new reading category, it takes some getting used to for everybody.

Renee wrote: "After reading this thread I am wondering what I am getting into."

How about an amazing universe of stories, ideas, cultures, wisdom, imagination? :-)

I second Japanese literature!