Retro Reads discussion

Rules

1 The Book Pool will run from the 1st of January till the 30th Of November 2026. Books started before the 1st of January or finished after the 30th of November will not be counted.
2 Members who want to select books, please do so by the 31st of December - PST. You can only change your mind about the books you have chosen until the 20th of December. (PST) Members who add their books on or after the 21st of December can't change them at all. This is so the planners amongst us can organise their reads. No books can be added after the 31st of December. If you join this group or decide you want to join the Book Pool after the 31st of December, that will be great, but you can't add books to the book pool.
3 Everyone taking part will be given a number - for example I will be #1.
4 Anyone else can still join in after the 1st of January, but can't add books. There is no obligation to read all the books - or any of the books. This includes the books you selected to be part of the pool. This isn't just a fiction book pool - Non fiction, later books in a series, YA & books for older children are all fine!
5 First publication date should be 1900-2000. (We have changed our time period this year)
6 Everyone selects up to 10 books. If someone has already selected one of your choices, please don't select it again.
7 This year I'm putting up numbers, (up to 20) so if people have a particular number they want to be given they can choose it. This will be on a 'first come first served' basis.

#1 Carol She's So Novel
#2 CindySR
#3 Barb in Maryland
#4 Susan in NC
#5 Cphe
#6 Kate
#7 Tania
#8 Mela
#9 Jackie
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14
#15
#16
#17
#18
#19
#20

#1Secret Lives by E.F. Benson
#2The Mating Season by P.G. Wodehouse
#3 Corduroy by Adrian Bell
#4A Murder of Quality by John Le Carré
#5The Chinese Shawl by Patricia Wentworth
#6The Singapore Grip by J.G. Farrell
#7The Financier by Theodore Dreiser
#8I, Claudius by Robert Graves
#9The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton
#10Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45 by Barbara W. Tuchman
#11 Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt
#12 A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
#13 Onions in the Stew by Betty MacDonald
#14 The Body in the Transept by Jeanne M. Dams
#15 Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer
#16 Miss Bunting by Angela Thirkell
#17 A View of the Mountains by Morris Gibson
#18 Hunter's Green by Phyllis A. Whitney
#19 The Trail Driver: A Western Story by Zane Grey
#20 Spring Came On Forever by Bess Streeter Aldrich
#21 Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman
#22 Protector by Larry Niven
#23 Six Days of the Condor by James Grady
#24 Working by Studs Terkel
#25 If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
#26 Coming up for Air by George Orwell
#27 Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
#28 Felicia's Journey by William Trevor
#29 Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
#30 The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike
#31 September by Rosamunde Pilcher
#32 A Wreath of Roses by Elizabeth
Taylor
#33 Here Be Dragons by Stella Gibbons
#34 The Old Bank House by Angela Thirkell
#35 Jutland Cottage by Angela Thirkell
#36 Dark Canyon by Louis L'Amour
#37 HMS Ulysses by Alistair MacLean
#38 The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
#39 The Road to Samarcand by Patrick O'Brian
#40 The Beacon at Alexandria by Gillian Bradshaw
#41 The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry
#42 Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett
#43 Army Without Banners by Ann Stafford
#44 Whaler 'Round the HornStephen W. Meader
#45 Lady Rose and Mrs. Memmary by Ruby Ferguson
#46 Because of the LockwoodsDorothy Whipple
#47 Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple
#48 They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple
#49 The Little Drummer Girl by John Le Carré
#50 The Constant Gardener by John Le Carré
#51 Gun Before Butter by Nicolas Freeling
#52 Epitaph for a Spy by Eric Ambler
#53 The Rector's Daughter by F.M. Mayor
#54 The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie
#55 The Overlanders by Dora Birtles
#56 Not So Quiet... by Helen Zenna Smith
#57 The Woman in the Hall (29) by G.B. Stern
#58 The Blessing by Nancy Mitford
#59 Two People by A.A. Milne
#60 The Mystery of the Purple Bentley
#61 Garden Open Tomorrow by Beverley Nichols
#62 Tortoise By Candlelight by Nina Bawden
#63 The House in Cornwall by Noel Streatfeild
#64 Starlight by Stella Gibbons
#65 Village Story by Celia Buckmaster
#66 Swords and Crowns and Rings by Ruth Park
#67 Zsa Zsa Gábor, My Story by Zsa Zsa Gabor
#68 Trustee from the Toolroom by Nevil Shute
#69 The Shivering Sands by Victoria Holt
#70 Traces of Love by Eileen Chang
#71 The Horizontal Man by Helen Eustis
#72 Woman in the Mirror by Winston Graham
#73 Désirée by Annemarie Selinko
#74 Wings Above The Diamantina aka Wings Above the Claypan by Arthur W. Upfield
#75 A Descant for Gossips by Thea Astley

Im in, fine with whatever number you’ve got! Can I give my 10 books, or too soon?

Susan in NC wrote: "Im in, fine with whatever number you’ve got! Can I give my 10 books, or too soon?"
Oh the sooner the better Susan! - can't wait to see what everyone chooses!

I haven't put my own list down, as I have to whittle it down a bit more!

Will participate - but again I have zilch idea what I'll be reading in 2026.
No doubt a couple of Persephone.

Cphe wrote: "Will participate - but again I have zilch idea what I'll be reading in 2026.
No doubt a couple of Persephone."

I've given you number 5 Cphe. :)

Ok, here’s my 10 (I may change it up, but I’m pretty sure):
1. Secret Lives by E.F. Benson
2. The Mating Season by P.G. Wodehouse
3. The Belfry Murder by Moray Dalton
4. A Murder of Quality by John Le Carré
5. The Chinese Shawl by Patricia Wentworth
6. The Singapore Grip by J.G. Farrell
7. The Financier by Theodore Dreiser
8. I, Claudius by Robert Graves
9. The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton
10. STILLWELL AND THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE IN CHINA, 1911-1945: Including World War II by Barbara W. Tuchman

1. Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt
2. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
3. Onions in the Stew by Betty MacDonald
4. The Body in the Transept by Jeanne M. Dams
5. Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer
6. Miss Bunting: A Novel by Angela Thirkell
7. A View of the Mountains by Morris Gibson
8. Hunter's Green by Phyllis A. Whitney
9. The Trail Driver: A Western Story by Zane Grey
10. Spring Came On Forever by Bess Streeter Aldrich

Bring on 2026!

I’m excited to join again for 2026! Here are my 5 titles. They are all from 1974, the year I graduated from college and married. 😁

1. Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman 1974

2. Protector by Larry Niven 1974

3. Six Days of the Condor by James Grady 1974

4. Working by Studs Turkel 1974

5. If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin 1974

Ok, added for you Kate & Cindy. Tomorrow I'll check if there are any alternative titles. :)

I'm in, but will have to put together my list. Thanks.

1. Coming up for Air by George Orwell (1939)
2. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (1946)
3. Felicia's Journey by William Trevor (1994)
4. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner (1936)
5. The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike (1984)
6. September by Rosamunde Pilcher (1990)
7. A Wreath of Roses by Elizabeth Taylor (1949)
8. Here Be Dragons by Stella Gibbons (1956)
9. The Old Bank House by Angela Thirkell (1949)
10. Jutland Cottage by Angela Thirkell (1953)

I will be so happy to read (or at least try to read) those books finally.

#3 with my 10 titles
1 Dark Canyon by Louis l'Amour
2 HMS Ulysses by Alistair MacLean
3 The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
4 The Road to Samarcand: An Adventure by Patrick O'Brian
5 The Beacon at Alexandria by Gillian Bradshaw
6 The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry
7 Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett
8 Army Without Banners by Ann Stafford
9 Whaler 'Round the Horn by Stephen W Meader
10 Lady Rose and Mrs. Memmary by Ruby Ferguson

A lot of old favorites that need revisiting and a few newbies from the TBR O'Doom.

Barb in Maryland wrote: "#3 with my 10 titles
1 Dark Canyon by Louis l'Amour
2 HMS Ulysses by Alistair MacLean
3 The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
4 [book:The Road to Samarcan..."

lol, I’ve got that same pile!

Susan in NC wrote: "Ok, here’s my 10 (I may change it up, but I’m pretty sure):
1. Secret Lives by E.F. Benson
2. The Mating Season by P.G. Wodehouse
3. [book..."

Carol, apologies, but can I sub in [book:Corduroy|20621210] by Adrian Bell for my #3. The Belfry Murder? Thank you in advance, dearest!

Sorry, tried putting in the title 3x, apparently not entered properly.

Cphe wrote: "Will participate - but again I have zilch idea what I'll be reading in 2026.
No doubt a couple of Persephone."

this is me, no idea about 2026 but I'd like to participate. I may just read and not put books in the pool, I'm just not organized enough to know yet. I'm going on a trip next week which is a Big Hairy Deal to me so after that I might be able to focus.

Kate wrote: "I’m excited to join again for 2026! Here are my 5 titles. They are all from 1974, the year I graduated from college and married. 😁

1. Dance Hall of the Dead by Tony Hillerman 1974

2. Protector by..."


Kate, that’s a lovely way to pick a memorable year of reading!

Barb in Maryland wrote: "#3 with my 10 titles
1 Dark Canyon by Louis l'Amour
2 HMS Ulysses by Alistair MacLean
3 The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
4 The Road to Samarcan..."</i>

@Barb,

[book:HMS Ulysses is one of my all time favourite books (I re read it every couple of years)

See you have included Checkmate and I was tossing up doing the 6 Lymond novels for this challenge !!

Okay,.....very tentatively 2026:

Because of the Lockwoods

Someone at a Distance

They Were Sisters

The Overlanders

The Little Drummer Girl

The Constant Gardener

Gun Before Butter

Epitaph for a Spy

The Rector's Daughter

The Man in the Brown Suit

Cphe wrote: "Barb in Maryland wrote: "#3 with my 10 titles
1 Dark Canyon by Louis l'Amour
2 HMS Ulysses by Alistair MacLean
3 The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
4 [..."

Sounds like Dorothy Dunnett could be your entry in the author pool!

No, I've read both Lymond and Niccolo years ago and did for a mad moment consider Lymond for this....... but on reflection.......no.

I'm not going to participate in the author pool as I intend to do some other projects in 2026.

Cphe wrote: "No, I've read both Lymond and Niccolo years ago and did for a mad moment consider Lymond for this....... but on reflection.......no.

I'm not going to participate in the author pool as I intend to ..."

I hear you, I’ve been wanting to get back to my personal reading projects of a nonfiction a month, and to make a dent in my Victorian doorstop novels TBR list.

And thanks for throwing the Dorothy Whipple books in the pool, I want to read more of her!

Ok, I've changed the book for Susan & added the books in the covers post only for Cphe, Barb & Mela. I'm just going to give my eyes a bit of a rest & then I'll enter them in the title & author thread.

Thank you, Carol! Rest your eyes ;o)

All done!

Jackie, I have put you at #9. :)

thank you, Carol!

I’m going to skip both pools this year. I just have so many books (and ARCs) already on my TBR list. But I’ll be watching everyone else’s lists with interest; I’m always open to finding a good new-to-me book/author.

Peggy wrote: "I’m going to skip both pools this year. I just have so many books (and ARCs) already on my TBR list. But I’ll be watching everyone else’s lists with interest; I’m always open to finding a good new-..."

Thats ok Peggy. If the Author Pool works the way I hope, it should be a good way to catch up. I don't even want to admit how many different authors I could have chosen! :S

Instead of being able to whittle my books down, I've added another two! I'm going to take a good hard look tomorrow.

I have a list.

Not So Quiet by Helen Zenna Smith
The Woman in the Hall by G.B. Stern
The Blessing by Nancy Mitford
Two People by A.A. Milne
The Mystery of the Purple Bentley by Josephine Elder
Garden Open Tomorrow by Beverley Nichols
Tortoise by Candlelight by Nina Bawden
The House in Cornwall by Noel Streatfeild
Starlight by Stella Gibbons
Village Story by Celia Buckmaster

& all done!

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "& all done!"
With 10 books each that's double the work! Well done and thank you! I love the colorful collage of covers.

It is stunning ! Thanks for all your work - and 10 books each means even if less participation, still a nice big pool! Can’t wait to dive in!

Susan in NC wrote: "It is stunning ! Thanks for all your work - and 10 books each means even if less participation, still a nice big pool! Can’t wait to dive in!"

Thanks for your positivity Susan!

I have put my list up - but may have to make one change if I don't get a particular book read by the middle of December!

My Choices
Swords and Crowns and Rings My favourite NZ novelist
Zsa Zsa Gabor: My Story
Trustee from the Toolroom
The Shivering Sands I changed my list where other members had already chosen a particular author - but I made an exception for Victoria Holt. Cindy had already chosen my favourite Holt -Mistress of Mellyn- but former mod here, Tadiana, thought this was her best book, so I have wanted to try it for a while.
Traces of Love &
The Horizontal Man My kindle is getting on & these two are the only ones I paid for still unread.
Woman in the Mirror I have loved Graham's Poldark novels, so I thought I would try this one!
Désirée a favourite from my teens.
Wings Above The Diamantina Upfield's books are now hard to get hold of over here & quite expensive. I was lucky to find this one in a LFL.
A Descant for Gossips

So sadly The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II didn't make the cut. I eliminated because it will be more harrowing than what this group usually reads. I may put it up as a buddy read next year.