There's nothing like a reading challenge to force yourself out of a reading rut. No matter how much you enjoy reading, it sometimes seems as though there's never enough time to settle down with a book; savour the story, and get right to the end. One of the joys of my long commute to and from work when I lived in London, was that it was the only time I got to fit in a few chapters. But since working from home, where everyone believes that anyone who works from home has all the time in the world, I'd fallen into bad reading habits. That is I was very inconsistent in my reading!
So when I heard about the Read Christie challenge at the end of 2022, I decided to participate in this reading challenge for the following year. It sounded like just the opportunity I was looking for. It was a good chance to read more; get back into some Christie classics - and prove that I could actually finish something that I'd started! I am nearing the end of this challenge and it really has been such a fun experience. Not only am I going to continue with this challenge for 2024 but it also got me thinking.... Could I actually set up some kind of reading group or book club that the Nostalgia Pie community could participate in?
Well I've set up the book group - now I'm hoping you'll join in! Nostalgia Pie's Retro Reads Book Club begins next January. We may not be The Pointer Sisters but we're still so excited!
WHAT'S THIS BOOK CLUB ALL ABOUT?
I'm very passionate about books - old and new. I have always been a bit of a bookworm, so for me, reading takes me back to my childhood and teen years when I always had my head stuck in a book. Mind you back then, I had the time for it! As you'll know from an earlier post, I love my retro reads and I'm thankful that many of the books that were on our bookshelves when I was growing up are still here. And I've definitely made it my mission in life to rescue as many old-school titles as possible that are of interest to me and take me back to 'the good ol' days.'
While the initial idea was to read and review these books for the site, I realized that there could be other fellow bookworms who might want to read these books for themselves too. This notion, combined with my enjoyment at participating in the Read Christie Challenge gave me my light-bulb moment and set the wheels in motion to start up an online book group.
GETTING INTO THE COMMUNITY SPIRIT OF THINGS!
One of the things that many of us love about Nostalgia Pie is that feeling of community; connecting with like-minded people, and that buzz of excitement as we share memories about all that was great about yesterday. There's that sense of belonging; community and friendship which sometimes, if we're really lucky, spills out into the real world - as it should! And it's through this site that I've met some truly awesome people, some of whom I'm very fortunate to call friends.
We figured that this book club, albeit an online one, is another way in which we can bring people together through a common interest - a love of books. It's for those who understand that books are more than just literary works - they're a collection of memories. Just as music can evoke memories and take you back to another time and place in the past, books can do the same too. Certain books can take you back to your early years; school days; family events, and other important milestones in your life.
WHAT KIND OF BOOKS WILL YOU COVER?
There'll be a wide variety of genres so - hopefully - there'll be something for everyone. One thing you can be sure of is that they will all be well-known titles from back in the day!
HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT CHOOSING WHICH BOOKS TO READ?
We're choosing well-known retro titles (the more obscure ones will be reviewed by me as part of the Retro Reads Book Review) which should hopefully be fairly easy to get hold of so you shouldn't have to hunt around for them like J.R. Hartley! We're mainly interested in titles published between the 1960s-1990s. But we'll also look at older titles that we may have read at school. Any post-millenium books selected have been chosen because they are very memorable and have some special significance for me.
WILL ANY NEW TITLES BE INCLUDED?
Not, really no. The most recent will likely be from 2010s and will probably be a novel that's connected to my commute into Central London every day in order to get to work! Admittedly this isn't a group for those of you who'd like to read newer releases. I do too, but for this particular group, we're sticking to more 'oldies but goodies.'
CAN MEMBERS MAKE SUGGESTIONS ABOUT WHICH BOOKS TO READ?
Of course! But that said, if we approve your choice and it meets our criteria, there's a possibility that it will end up on next year's list. Once a reading list has been created and posted, it doesn't change unless there's a good reason for it.
SO NO CHANGES CAN BE MADE ONCE A READING LIST HAS BEEN POSTED?
We put a lot of thought into compliing our reading list with suitable book titles, so once it's been posted we will try very hard NOT to make any changes with regards to titles, dates and times in order to avoid confusion and disappointment.
But as we all know, life doesn't always run as smoothly as we'd like it to. So in the event that changes have to be made, we aim to let you know as quickly as possible.
HOW DOES THE BOOK GROUP WORK?
It couldn't be more simple. It's quite similar to the Read Christie challenge but instead of twelve books, we're starting off with just six. So it's ideal for you busy bees! Each book is read and then discussed within a two month period. Towards the end of the two month period, we will 'meet' online to discuss the book.
The 'meeting point' is the Retro Reads Book Group page (Under the 'GROUPS' heading) that's right here at Nostalgia Pie. There will be two time slots on the day that we all get together to discuss the book for a live Q&A sessions. You can, of course, leave comments after the Q&A sessions have ended if you were not able to attend.
HOW DO WE JOIN AND GAIN ACCESS TO THE READING GROUP PAGE?
The Retro Reads Group page is private so in order to join in the fun, you'll have to become a member (it's free!) Being a member means that you'll also be able to gain access to any available free resources.
Anyone who has been approved as a member will be invited by Nostalgia Pie to join the book group. Alternatively members can request to join and wait to be accepted.
WHAT ARE THE BOOK TITLES FOR 2024?
We thought you'd never ask! We've selected what we think are a great bunch of titles to kick start this book group. Information regarding dates and times are included on the reading list which is available to members:
Love Story - Erich Segal
The Reading Group - Elizabeth Noble
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit - Jeanette Winterson
Flowers For Mrs. Harris - Paul Gallico
The Stepford Wives - Ira Levinson
A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett
AND FINALLY...
Remember that we are hosting a book group and NOT necessarily a reading challenge - well not unless you want to challenge yourself! There are no prizes. You will not win a holiday for two or briefcase full of cash presented by a glamourous young lady. Instead you win by knowing that you've read at least one great novel in the year! So you can read all the titles that have been selected or just choose the books that appeal to you.
The first novel, Love Story by Erich Segal will begin 1st January 2024 with the the first Q&A session on 28th February at 1pm and 6pm (EST)
Come on everyone - let's get reading!
Even though I've always been a fan of the film, Love Story, it will be my first time reading the novel which I selected because I've always been a huge fan of author Erich Segal's work. It's very ironic that the first book being read by the Retro Reads group is Love Story, as it was while I was in the middle of writing this post, that we learned that Hollywood acting legend Ryan O'Neal had sadly passed away at the age of 82. Love Story is one of my favourite films, and even if you haven't seen it, you'll definitely have heard of it and remember that bittersweet theme. Ryan O'Neal is remembered for his role in that iconic seventies film as Oliver Barrett IV, although to my mum, he'll always be Rodney Harrington from her one-time favourite soap opera, Peyton Place.
Ryan reunited with his Love Story co-star, Ali MacGraw
RIP Ryan O'Neal.
Photos and GIFS: Angel Noire, Wix and YouTube
Blog graphics: Angel Noire
