Between the Lines discussion

Please post your suggestions for monthly themes in this thread.

Translated works
Classic themed literature (Russian, French, English, etc.)
True Crime
Ethnic theme (hispanic, african, asian, indian, etc.)
Diaries/Journals
Travels/Exploration
Royalty Themed (kings, Queens, etc.)

These are great. Keep them coming!

Bios/memoirs
Media
Inventions/Inventors

Short Stories
Mythology
Epics

Fiona wrote: "I've added everyone's suggestions to my first post...

When we have this group sorted out we'll put them through a randomiser to pick the theme."

That's a great idea Fiona - thanks!

Utopia

Holocaust (although I suppose this can be considered WWII but I guess not all WWII books focus strictly on the Holocaust)both fiction and nonfiction

LOL, i was going to put that and kept thinking dysUtopia. Duh!

Women Writers
20th Century
Historical Fiction
Gay/Lesbian Lit.
Counter-Culture

Books by GoodReads authors
Books published by a small press
Epistolary novels (books written in letter form)
Books from an Asian country
Books from a Latin American country
Books with unreliable narrators
Books on Donald Barthelme's syllabus
Books about a family

Young Adult Genre

Banned Books (as reported by the American Library Association)

"medical" books, both fiction and non.

All of these ideas are great, everyone. I'm getting very excited about this and all the other changes to the group. I really think themed reading is going to add a nice element to our group.

Japanese contemporary fiction.

Nature writers;
Costa Award winners (used to be the Whitbread Award);
Orange Prize winners (books written by women from all over the world);

I like to read the books that made the shortlist for both the above awards.

FYI the shortlist for the Orange Prize, to be announced on June 9, 2010 are:

Hilary Mantel - Wolf Hall
Lorrie Moore - The Gate at the Stairs
Barbara Kingsolver - The Lacuna
Rosie Alison - The Very Thought of You
Attica Locke - Black Water Rising
Monique Roffey - The White Woman on the Green Bicycle

I'm re-posting ideas from above that I really like:

mental illness
short stories
Books with unreliable narrators
banned books
Epistolary novels (books written in letter form)
contemporary fiction from across the world

What about comparing two short stories or brief novels from writers of the same era, but with different cultural or personal perspectives? For example, comparing British and American (or American and Japanese) novels set in WWII.

Heather's post made me think of books that are related, sometimes on purpose, when the author of the second book intends to, or by their theme. For example, Lord of the Flies and Adrift in the Pacific: Two Years Holiday