Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

Starting with our March 2024 nominations we are instituting a few rule changes. Please read this introduction, even if you have been nominating for years.

1. Long Reads will be open to rereading books from the Group Bookshelf. The only restrictions will be that the book must be longer than 600 pages and not read in the last year. The conditions about authors and not nominating the same book in two threads still apply.

2. Old School will allow rereads of Old School books that have not been read the in last three years, and only books that were published before (but not including) 1915 are eligible to be nominated.

3. New School eligible publication dates for books will be 1915-1999.

4. Revisit the Shelf will continue as it has. Most books will be read in one month, but there will occasionally be a longer book that will be read over a two month period.

March 2024 New School group read nominations are now open! Please review the requirements below for book eligibility.

1. Books that have already been featured as group reads are not eligible for nomination. Bookshelf

In the interest of variety, please wait a month to renominate a book that has been in the poll. These are the books from last month's poll that did not win:

Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
My Mortal Enemy by Willa Cather
Memed, My Hawk by Yaşar Kemal
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett
Jealousy, (La Jalousie) by Alain Robbe-Grillet


2. Eligible publication dates for books are 1915 - 1999.

3. When making a nomination, please use "add book/author" link to help moderators and others view the book selected.

4. Only seven books, by seven different authors will move forward to each poll. This will be determined by the number of seconds a book receives. The seven books with the most seconds moves to the poll.

5. One nomination and one second per member will be allowed. A nomination can be changed only until it has been seconded. Once seconded, in fairness to the member making the second, the nomination will stand.

5a. A second can be withdrawn and placed on another choice. This change must in some way be noted in a post such as, "I am withdrawing my second for book A and placing it on book B." It will be easier to moderator to track changes.

6. Only one book per author; in the event of more than one book by the same author is nominated, only the first one to receive a second will be eligible. The nominator of the ruled ineligible book will be able to nominate a replacement or second another already in nomination.

6a. Same author-multiple categories. The same author may be nominated in multiple categories in a single month as long as the nominations are for different books. In the case of identical nominations, precedence will go to the first one to receive a second.

7. Availability Members nominating for a monthly Group Read will need to check that a copy of the text is reasonably available for members, and is available in English. Moderators may disallow a nomination if a copy is not readily available.

Nominations will remain open until the 14th of the month. Polls will open on the 16th and run until the end of the month.

I nominate A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. My edition (not shown on Goodreads) is a paperback book, published by Ballantine Books, c. 1989, 543 pages.

I nominate The Bridge of San Luis Ray by Thornton Wilder, 131 pages, 1927. It has been tried in both New School and Short Story and has always come up short.

I nominate Titus Groan Mervyn Peake 1946 396 pp.

Terry wrote: "I nominate A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. My edition (not shown on Goodreads) is a paperback book, published by Ballantine Books, c. 1989, 543 pages."

Seconded

Sam wrote: "Terry wrote: "I nominate A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. My edition (not shown on Goodreads) is a paperback book, published by Ballantine Books, c. 1989, 543 pages..."

Sam wrote: "Terry wrote: "I nominate A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. My edition (not shown on Goodreads) is a paperback book, published by Ballantine Books, c. 1989, 543 pages..."

Thanks, Sam!

I nominate The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth. First published in 1932, 363 pages.

Bob wrote: "I nominate The Bridge of San Luis Ray by Thornton Wilder, 131 pages, 1927."

Second

Bob wrote: "I nominate The Bridge of San Luis Ray by Thornton Wilder, 131 pages, 1927. It has been tried in both New School and Short Story and has always come up short."

I second

I second The Radetzky March.

I would like to nominate Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, 370 pp, av rating 4.17, first pub 1996

I nominate Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck, 214 pp, 1961, a "classic of North America".

J_BlueFlower wrote: "I would like to nominate Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, 370 pp, av rating 4.17, first pub 1996"

I second this.

I second A Prayer for Owen Meany.

Thanks, Terris!

I nominate Troubles by J.G. Farrell. Published in 1970.

I nominate The Wreath by Sigrid Undset. First puclished 1920. 305 pages.

I nominate In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez (337 p., pub. 1994).

Sam wrote: "I nominate Titus Groan Mervyn Peake 1946 396 pp."

I second Titus Groan.

Thanks Regina.

Wobbley wrote: "I nominate The Wreath by Sigrid Undset. First puclished 1920. 305 pages."

I second The Wreath.

Kimberly wrote: "I nominate The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth. First published in 1932, 363 pages."

I second The Radetzky March.

I second Titus Groan.

Thanks Darren.

I second Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck

spoko wrote: "I nominate In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez (337 p., pub. 1994)."

I second In the Time of the Butterflies

spoko wrote: "I nominate In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez (337 p., pub. 1994)."

Second

spoko wrote: "I nominate In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez (337 p., pub. 1994)."

I second In the Time of Butterflies

J_BlueFlower wrote: "I would like to nominate Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, 370 pp, av rating 4.17, first pub 1996"

I'll second Neverwhere.

Nominations Update

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, 1994, 337 pages
spoko, sabagrey, Hilde, Sue

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, 1989, 543 pages
Terry, Sam, Terris

The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder, 1927, 131 pages
Bob, Heather L, Lynn

Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake, 1946, 396 pages
Sam, Regina, Darren

The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth, 1932, 363 pages
Kimberly, Michaela, Carolien

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, 1996 370 pages
J_BlueFlower, Michele, Angie

Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck, 1961, 214 pages
EvenB, Jane

The Wreath by Sigrid Undset, 1920, 305 pages
Wobbley, Chris

Troubles by J.G. Farrell, 1970, 459 pages
Marilyn

I second Titus Groan

Thanks Kimberly

I second Travels with Charlie.

I second Neverwhere

I second The Bridge of San Luis Rey

I second Radetzky March.

I second The Wreath by Sigrid Undset

I second The Wreath.

I second Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck

I second The Wreath.

I nominate The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

I second Titus Groan

Thaks Chris.

Nominations Update

The Wreath by Sigrid Undset, 1920, 305 pages
Wobbley, Chris, J_BlueFlower, Margaret, Kate

Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake, 1946, 396 pages
Sam, Regina, Darren, Kimberly, Chris

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, 1994, 337 pages
spoko, sabagrey, Hilde, Sue

The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder, 1927, 131 pages
Bob, Heather L, Lynn, Shaina

The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth, 1932, 363 pages
Kimberly, Michaela, Carolien, Jeri

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, 1996 370 pages
J_BlueFlower, Michele, Angie, RJ - Slayer of Trolls

Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck, 1961, 214 pages
EvenB, Jane, Jen, Sara

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, 1989, 543 pages
Terry, Sam, Terris

Troubles by J.G. Farrell, 1970, 459 pages
Marilyn

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima, 1963, 181 pages
Tayjah

I second The Bridge of San Luis Rey

I will second Travels with Charley: In Search of America

Nominations Update

The Wreath by Sigrid Undset, 1920, 305 pages
Wobbley, Chris, J_BlueFlower, Margaret, Kate

Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake, 1946, 396 pages
Sam, Regina, Darren, Kimberly, Chris

The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder, 1927, 131 pages
Bob, Heather L, Lynn, Shaina, Chuck

Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck, 1961, 214 pages
EvenB, Jane, Jen, Sara, Katy

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, 1994, 337 pages
spoko, sabagrey, Hilde, Sue

The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth, 1932, 363 pages
Kimberly, Michaela, Carolien, Jeri

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, 1996 370 pages
J_BlueFlower, Michele, Angie, RJ - Slayer of Trolls

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, 1989, 543 pages
Terry, Sam, Terris

Troubles by J.G. Farrell, 1970, 459 pages
Marilyn

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima, 1963, 181 pages
Tayjah

These books advance to the poll

The Wreath by Sigrid Undset, 1920, 305 pages

Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake, 1946, 396 pages

The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder, 1927, 131 pages

Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck, 1961, 214 pages

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, 1994, 337 pages

The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth, 1932, 363 pages

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, 1996 370 pages