Hi from Yuvie

[Yuvie]

Hi everyone, my name's Yuvie. I'm from Pittsburgh, PA, but I go to college in CT where I'll be a senior this fall. Last summer I had a dream of starting a book group, since all my impressions slip away from me unless I pin them down in writing or discussion, but it seems these things take 1) people, 2) a place to meet, and 3) time.

Even though college seems like a great place to discuss books and ideas and all that, I barely read for pleasure anymore, and when I do I rarely get to have a healthy discussion about it. It would be nice to have a community that wants to talk about books when I want to.

I've had a soft spot for fantasy and the fantastical ever since I can remember, but I love books in any genre. Over the years I've also fallen in love with personal essays and books that make science accessible.

This summer I hope to read more of: the history of soccer, science fiction, modernists and the Bloomsbury group (to see what it's all about), poetry, and whatever else I can get my hands on. I'll be in Utah this summer trekking around a nature preserve (an internship that has absolutely nothing to do with my future as far as I can see but should be fun), but I hope I'll be able to read and discuss some great books with you all over the coming months.

[Ophelia]

Hello again Yuvie,

I think many of us here have had the experience that it's not easy to find people with whom you can discuss books in real life.

Our official selections are shown on the main page, but we also have informal discussions of books chosen by two or three people, in the "Additional Fiction" and "Additional Non Fiction" forums. For example three of us are discussing "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire, and Pres Camacho and I are discussing "Cannibals and Kings" by Marvyn harris.

Which subjects are you studying at college? From what you write they could include English literature...


See you later,

[Chris OConnor]

Welcome to BookTalk, Yuvie.

Starting a book group is easy. But keeping it going is the tricky part. And creating and managing a "real life" book group has all sorts of challenges that I found difficult to overcome. I created BookTalk as an online book discussion group after giving the real life version a shot. Online just works better in my opinion.

[Yuvie]

Yes, I am maybe a little too predictably an English major, although I have no idea what I'll be doing after graduation. I hope I don't get too English major-y in discussions, but that's an occupational hazard, I guess.

[DWill]

A fellow English major is always welcome, so welcome! I thought you did a great job of not sounding English Major-y in your post on Camus; in fact, it made a lot of sense. Keep it coming. Your summer gig sounds great. I wouldn't worry about its connection to your preparation at this point. Where in CT do you go to college? I lived in Storrs during my high school years, but didn't go to UCONN.
DWill

[Yuvie]

Hi DWill, sorry I didn't reply earlier. I go to college down in New Haven, so a bit farther away for CT. (But coming from a bigger state like PA it's hard for me to call any two locations in CT far. )

[DWill]

Yuvie, it would be perfectly okay for you to tell us you go to Yale! I remember from my distant youth that Yale-UCONN football games were a big deal in the state. One thing interests me, though. My impression is that in college English departments these days, students hear about nothing but theory. That may actually not be the reality, though. At any rate, your discussion is refreshingly theory-free.
DWill

[Daisy]

Welcome Yuvie. I am a newbie too, and looking for a virtual reading group. I am looking forward to the discussions on Walden. I've not read it before, or Thoreau for that matter.