NYRB Classics discussion

Hey guys, I wanted to introduce myself since I am new here at NYRB. My name is Nick and I am new on the job and I just discovered this group. Any interest in doing a book club this month (June)? Or since we are halfway over with June, should we start in July? Any suggestions for books? Since, I'm new, we could pretty much go any direction, backlist or frontlist. And I like all types of books, fiction and non-fiction, English and foreign language, genre or not. Let me know, I am super excited to be here.

Nick

Thought this might be of interest: my link text

It's an interesting article about book clubs.

Hi. I'm new here. Not sure exactly where I should be posting this. I'm just getting the Summer Book today.
What's next on the schedule? I'd like to be able to order it so I don't come in so late.

Thanks.

Jean

Jean wrote: "Hi. I'm new here. Not sure exactly where I should be posting this. I'm just getting the Summer Book today.
What's next on the schedule? I'd like to be able to order it so I don't come in so late.
..."

Hi Jean, welcome.

We haven't got to next month yet. Any suggestions?

Nick

Hi Jean! Hmmm...about next month. I am rather interested in reading The Pilgrim Hawk: A Love Story by Wescott, but we discussed the possibility of reading Skylark and I have acquired a copy. Skylark seems like an autumn book...it even mentions the action takes place in the autumn, and if S. hasn't read it already (or even if she has), then she can participate, too.

I've read The Pilgrim Hawk and would recommend it. I'd be happy to do Skylark as well.

I'd do either of those. I have actually read "The Pilgrim Hawk," but would be happy to do so again, especially as I feel I missed a lot.
cheers

As with S. I have read "The Pilgrim Hawk", but would be happy to read it again, but would also very much like to try "Skylark".

I'll read anything any of you tell me to read.

But I will toss it out there that I have plans to read The Traveller's Tree: A Journey Through the Caribbean Islands soon.

I'm happy to read or reread any that are fairly short, as I have a lot of other reading coming up.It doesn't have to be really short, but just not a tome.

But I will toss it out there that I have plans to read The Traveller's Tree: A Journey Through the Caribbean Islands soon...


Wow, this looks great, too. Would be a great winter read, dreaming about hot sun and water. Since others have already read The Pilgrim Hawk: A Love Story, let's take that off the possibles list, okay?

So two good suggestions so far: Skylark, and The Traveller's Tree: A Journey Through the Caribbean Islands.

I really would be willing to reread The Pilgrim Hawk again if there is enough of a quorum for it, though.

I too would be willing to reread The Pilgrim Hawk, but I would prefer to try Skylark.

I'm thinking maybe we should go for Skylark then, since it was mentioned in some previous discussion as well if I remember rightly.

I'll make a poll for the three titles mentioned so far. When would want it to go up? Today?

Nick

Sounds good to me.

Cphe wrote: "Oops apologies everyone, I didn't notice the introduction thread.

I'm Cphe and I've just discovered these wonderful books and am slowly making my way through the list. I wish all of the titles wer..."

Hi Cphe. Although it's not included in your profile just where "over here" is, I'm guessing from your avatar that it is Australia, which is also where I'm from! I have found that whichever of the titles aren't available from NYRB as ebooks are actually available as ebooks from different publishers, e.g. Vintage Classics or Penguin. This would be because of territorial rights, of course. I haven't found this to be an issue in terms of participating in the discussions or anything. Just a tip :)

I just joined this group after buying myself a one year subscription to the NYRB Classics book club for Christmas. The group seems to have been quite active in the past but not as much anymore. Has anything been posted in the new year? Is it worth staying on, or is the group moreorless defunct now?

Hi Louise!

It has died down quite a bit here, sadly, and though some of us have tried it's been hard to stoke the flames again. It's been a fantastic group, and NYRB Classics deserves a place for its fans to congregate.

I'd love to see it get busy again, so please do not leave. I'd invite you to browse around and comment in threads you find interesting, such as your favorite NYRB books.

And I'd love to know how you came about them and what led you to get a subscription.

I've been a fan for more than a decade, and I try to cover as much of their work as possible. They have some tremendous releases coming this year that I'd love to get excited about with a group!

I will also browse around and try to comment some more to get some things moving :-) !

I'll be reading "stoner" within the next few weeks hopefully!

There are plans for a buddy read of Dante: Poet of the Secular World in a couple of weeks.

Maybe I will look for that thread here.

Thanks Dustincecil and Christopher!

Dustincecil, I hope you'll let us know how you like Stoner. Have you read any John Williams before?

I was going to say that it does seem defunct, but it could always revive. I read some wonderful stuff because of that little extra push to do so when it was most active.

Even just this little bit of conversing has been encouraging!

I read NYRB Classics books all the time, and I'll do better at posting my excitement and thoughts here.

Oh good, from the sounds of it, it seems like this group can be easily revived. I don't plan on leaving as there are quite a few threads I would like to peruse.

And to answer Trevor's question: "And I'd love to know how you came about them and what led you to get a subscription."

Someone in my ManBooker bookclub often mentions his subscription to NYRB Classics and while I was instantly drawn to it, the yearly subscription price of $294 for Canadians (which is close to $400 in Can dollars) sent me scurrying away. I cannot fathom why it is so much more expensive because I have a few US subscriptions and they are never that much more than US. But I digress.....

I did buy all 10 ebooks in the NYRB-Lit group because they were at a low price but I am ashamed to say that they still sit in my ereader unread. It is so hard to find the time to read all the books I want to read, between all my book clubs (two that I moderate) but I was so saddened by the ManBooker Prize's decision to include US books for their prize (and seeing the US dominating right off the bat), that I made a vow to myself to read more International books this year (while also making my way through Proust, in French).

So....I came up with the brilliant idea of buying myself a subscription but having it sent to a friend of mine in CT that I see a few times a year. That way I don't have to pay the exorbitant price, and every time I see her now it's like Christmas :-).

So while I may not read the books during the month that they are sent out, I will get to them at some point. I should be starting Little Reunions soon. I'm really looking forward to that one.

In the past, I have read some Mavis Gallant of course since I'm from Montreal, The Door, Troubles, and Stoner. There are so many books and authors I have never heard of, so I look forward to making new discoveries.

It will be my first, Butcher's Crossing is def. on my list too.

Many trusted GR friends have nothing but good things to say about both!

Thanks Louise, and it's great to meet your acquaintance. And thanks for jumping in here -- we obviously had kind of drifted away, but not far. I think your solution to the expensive shipping to Canada is great!

Dustincecil, I love all three of his novels, so I hope you'll also give Augustus a try.

Please let me know if you all have any suggestions to make this group a bit more active, accessible. I run another group called The Mookse and the Gripes (Louise, you may like it as it focuses a lot on international reading, with plenty of us griping about Americans winning the Booker), and it's quite active. I think it's a bit more active because it's set up in a more flexible way. Perhaps we need more flexible threads that feel a bit more informal and chatty?

On that note, I used to come in and update the "forthcoming" thread and individual book threads once or twice monthly, but that never seemed to go anywhere so, apparently about a year ago, I stopped doing that and those are behind.

However, all individual threads (up to last month's releases) are linked to in several index posts, alphabetical by title. Not the best way to do it, though, I don't think. I think rather than lots of pages for conversations that maybe consolidation is better. Looking for suggestions, because it's nice to see some life in one of my favorite places on the internet!

Trevor wrote: "On that note, I used to come in and update the "forthcoming" thread and individual book threads once or twice monthly, but that never seemed to go anywhere so, apparently about a year ago, I stoppe..."

Trevor,

I used to appreciate your upcoming releases updates, although it must have been hard work with little reward.

It was so neat and efficient, I think some people thought you worked for NYRB.

Thanks Trevor. I will check out The Mookse and the Gripes. Is there a book discussion thread for each Classic? That may be too cumbersome but perhaps, if this isn't done already, open up a new book discussion thread every month to coincide with the classics book club subscription? Members can visit the thread at their leisure when they are reading that particular book

Christopher wrote: "I used to appreciate your upcoming releases updates, although it must have been hard work with little reward.."

It might be a good place to have that book's discussion as well because the very first post tells us about the book, then the discussion could ensue and it could sway more members to join in.

Thanks everyone! I will get the forthcoming thread fixed and keep moving that way for those who are interested. That was a lot of work, but I actually enjoyed it and if even a few people find value in it then it's worth it.

However, I think I'll also be brainstorming some other ways to organize our conversations.

In the meantime, feel free to keep chatting here or find or make another thread for general conversations!

Just wanted to pop in and say it’s great to see the activity! Just picked up a few new NYRB Classics from the winter sale (to add to my significant TBR pile!) so I’m looking forward to future discussions.

Jumping in here because I'm happy to see revival of the NYRB group. I've read 49 of the titles so far, the first was The Dud Avocado in 2011 and most recently All For Nothing, which got my 5-star rating.

Loved all of John Williams's books; they are all so different in setting, time, and characters. My favorite NYRB Classic has been The Book of Ebenezer LePage, which I read twice (so far). Most of my collection is by international authors, many history-based fiction.

I look forward to seeing others' favorites as this revival moves along. Thanks, Trevor, for coming back.

Uh I have the Ebenezer LePage book at home, should get to it soon

I LOVED nightmare alley.

Would love to start reading books with the group again!

Yes, I think a lot of us enjoyed this group and would be happy to start it up again. I'd read any of them, though would probably skim any I've already read. But from the two that people here are currently into, maybe we could choose either the Dante book, which I haven't read but whose author I revere, or the Calinescu book, which I know nothing about, but which I would be happy to give a try.

The Life and Opinions of Zacharias Lichter by Matei Calinescu also happens to be the March book for subscribers.

That adds to the incentive to pick it, I think.

Seana wrote: "That adds to the incentive to pick it, I think."

Well the Dante book is a buddy read or side read.

Two people are definitely going to read it, and anyone else is welcome.

Cool. I am not sure if I can manage it but I might try. I loved Auerbach's Mimesis, and I would really like to know what he has to say about Dante.

Hello,

Another fan of nyrb classics here. I was in the group, but there was no activity so quit. It’s great to see so many members!

My near future reading includes A High Wind in Jamaica.

I’ve been busy at work the last few weeks (and am at a conference all day today also), so I’ve been thinking of ways to stoke the fires here but haven’t had a chance to implement anything. Hopefully soon! But if you have any ideas, just drop them here and we can start pulling things together to get folks talking all things NYRB Classics!

Just to throw something out there, i've got the following NYRB Classics on my soon to read list:

Katalin Street
Morte D'Urban
The Old Man and Me
The Land Breakers
Sheppard Lee, Written by Himself
The Book of Ebenezer Le Page


I've got others, too, but if anyone's interested in reading any of the above, I'll move them higher on my list.

I also wouldn't mind a reread of Stoner!

Hello. Excited this is starting up! I’m down for any pick of a NYRB Book Club read. I have so many I want to read and re-read. How about something from their latest releases?

Berlin Alexanderplatz- Alfred Döblin
All For Nothing- Walter Kempowski
The Life and Opinions of Zacharias Lichter- Matei Calinescu
???

Kevin

I just started Eileen Chang’s Little Reunions, but would be happy with Kempowski or Calinescu as a group read.