Forum book club - Planning and book selection for Round 2

[C clearly]

We are currently discussing the 4th book in our first round of the Book Club - The Great Westward Walk. I'm still reading it (but for the second time) and I expect others of you are, too. Maybe we've tried to keep up too fast a pace, but there's no reason you have to keep up. The comment threads are always open; here they are:

1. The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook, by David M. Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson
2. To the Field of Stars: A Pilgrim's Journey to Santiago de Compostela, by Kevin A. Codd
3. Walk in a Relaxed Manner, by Joyce Rupp
4. The Great Westward Walk, by Antxon Gonzalex Gabarain

Some of us are also trying to participate in the University of Santiago online course about the Camino, so our reading schedules are busy!. See this thread for discussion of the first module, which just started today.

For the first round of the Forum Book Club, I picked one book, set some criteria, and made a poll to select 3 more.

This time, I am handing the responsibility over to @David Tallan. He will decide how to pick the next 3 or 4 books, we'll do them, and then he will "pass the torch" to someone else to do the next group.

The idea is to:

• Keep the Book Club going on a regular basis, with some time for advance planning and notice
• Bring variety to our approach and encourage members to be involved
• Make it somewhat self-sufficient - i.e. not too dependent on any one person
• Open up to a variety of books (i.e. loosen the criteria that I applied the first time around)

@David Tallan - You have that bibliography to choose from, so what do you suggest?

 

[pamcnm]

I would love to know more about the course some of you are taking, if you care to share.

 

[C clearly]

I would love to know more about the course some of you are taking, if you care to share.

I put a link in this sentence of my post : "See this thread for discussion of the first module, which just started today." You are more than welcome to join!

 

[pamcnm]

Thank you!

 

[David Tallan]

I have a few ideas for themes for a next selection of books to look at:

1. Continuing with memoirs (since those represent by far the greatest quantity of Camino books), we could look at some books co-written by people who walked together. The Year We Seized the Day by Elizabeth Best and Colin Bowles and Buen Camino!: a father-daughter journey from Croagh Patrick to Santiago de Compostela by Natasha and Peter Murtagh are two I am familiar with. If others know one or two more, they can be added.
2. Going with more artistic books: On the Camino is a graphic novel by Jason and there are a couple of nice sketchbook journals - Thirty Days on the CaminoL a pilgrim's sketchbook journal by Alvin Mark Tan and Walking in Watercolor: An artist's pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago by Jennifer Lawson with Patricia Lennon. I'm open to other suggestions.
3. Or we could look at more coffee table books: Being a Pilgrim: Art and ritual on the medieval routes to Santiago by Kathleen Ashley and Marilyn Deegan, The Pilgrim Route to Santiago by Brian and Marcus Tate, and Highways of the Faith: Relics and reliquaries from Jerusalem to Compostela by Marie Madeleine Gauthier are three that I happen to have, but I'm open to other suggestions.

I'm open to other people's ideas for themes as well.

And, of course, with a new round of books we have another opportunity to iterate how we do this book club if people have suggestions for improvements to the mechanics and logistics of it.

 

[Rozenn]

We are currently discussing the 4th book in our first round of the Book Club - The Great Westward Walk. I'm still reading it (but for the second time) and I expect others of you are, too. Maybe we've tried to keep up too fast a pace, but there's no reason you have to keep up. The comment threads are always open; here they are:

1. The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago: The Complete Cultural Handbook, by David M. Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson
2. To the Field of Stars: A Pilgrim's Journey to Santiago de Compostela, by Kevin A. Codd
3. Walk in a Relaxed Manner, by Joyce Rupp
4. The Great Westward Walk, by Antxon Gonzalex Gabarain

Some of us are also trying to participate in the University of Santiago online course about the Camino, so our reading schedules are busy!. See this thread for discussion of the first module, which just started today.

For the first round of the Forum Book Club, I picked one book, set some criteria, and made a poll to select 3 more.

This time, I am handing the responsibility over to @David Tallan. He will decide how to pick the next 3 or 4 books, we'll do them, and then he will "pass the torch" to someone else to do the next group.

The idea is to:

• Keep the Book Club going on a regular basis, with some time for advance planning and notice
• Bring variety to our approach and encourage members to be involved
• Make it somewhat self-sufficient - i.e. not too dependent on any one person
• Open up to a variety of books (i.e. loosen the criteria that I applied the first time around)

@David Tallan - You have that bibliography to choose from, so what do you suggest?

I am reading the Great westward walk .. and also taking part at the online course ! Such a nice way to keep busy and happy ! So far I will surely be a slower reader and a slower student than the majority here but I do my best and takes great joy from this thread ! Thanks for organising it ... gives me a structure to follow !

 

[Rex]

Thanks for the book ideas. I've already read a few of them (previously), but am also interested in the class, so thanks for that thread as well. Just to keep from being stir crazy, with no road running races, bicycle races or trekking allowed in wonderful new places, I'm trying to re-learn French on my own and we also bought a fixer upper house for me to work on. I'll just be glad when the pandemic is over, so I can return to more slothful ways (like sitting in a coffee shop in Kona with my old buddies and lieing about how fast we used to be... in Hawaii, we call that "talking story").

Aloha and Mahalo for the ideas; now back to the books.

Buen Camino... whenever it returns.

 

[Rozenn]

Thanks for the book ideas. I've already read a few of them (previously), but am also interested in the class, so thanks for that thread as well. Just to keep from being stir crazy, with no road running races, bicycle races or trekking allowed in wonderful new places, I'm trying to re-learn French on my own and we also bought a fixer upper house for me to work on. I'll just be glad when the pandemic is over, so I can return to more slothful ways (like sitting in a coffee shop in Kona with my old buddies and lieing about how fast we used to be... in Hawaii, we call that "talking story").

Aloha and Mahalo for the ideas; now back to the books.

Buen Camino... whenever it returns.

Bon courage ! Je suis allée á Hawai en 2014!

 

[Rex]

Bon courage ! Je suis allée á Hawai en 2014!

Bravo! Hawaii est chaleureux et c'est notre maison d'hiver depuis pres de 20 ans. (My French writing needs help from Google Translate!) :>)

 

[gns]

I have a few ideas for themes for a next selection of books to look at:

1. Continuing with memoirs (since those represent by far the greatest quantity of Camino books), we could look at some books co-written by people who walked together. The Year We Seized the Day by Elizabeth Best and Colin Bowles and Buen Camino!: a father-daughter journey from Croagh Patrick to Santiago de Compostela by Natasha and Peter Murtagh are two I am familiar with. If others know one or two more, they can be added.
2. Going with more artistic books: On the Camino is a graphic novel by Jason and there are a couple of nice sketchbook journals - Thirty Days on the CaminoL a pilgrim's sketchbook journal by Alvin Mark Tan and Walking in Watercolor: An artist's pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago by Jennifer Lawson with Patricia Lennon. I'm open to other suggestions.
3. Or we could look at more coffee table books: Being a Pilgrim: Art and ritual on the medieval routes to Santiago by Kathleen Ashley and Marilyn Deegan, The Pilgrim Route to Santiago by Brian and Marcus Tate, and Highways of the Faith: Relics and reliquaries from Jerusalem to Compostela by Marie Madeleine Gauthier are three that I happen to have, but I'm open to other suggestions.

I'm open to other people's ideas for themes as well.

And, of course, with a new round of books we have another opportunity to iterate how we do this book club if people have suggestions for improvements to the mechanics and logistics of it.

I think branching out but unfortunately I think the latter two categories may be harder to find or expensive (the cheapest copy of the Ashley/Deegan book I can find is £180). Maybe a memoir from another route would be a possibility in the next round. Here is one suggestion:

Northward To Santiago: A Curmudgeon On The Camino Portugués: Amazon.co.uk: Tierney, Patrick: 9781838094300: Books

Buy Northward To Santiago: A Curmudgeon On The Camino Portugués by Tierney, Patrick (ISBN: 9781838094300) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[David Tallan]

I think branching out but unfortunately I think the latter two categories may be harder to find or expensive (the cheapest copy of the Ashley/Deegan book I can find is £180). Maybe a memoir from another route would be a possibility in the next round. Here is one suggestion:

Northward To Santiago: A Curmudgeon On The Camino Portugués: Amazon.co.uk: Tierney, Patrick: 9781838094300: Books

Buy Northward To Santiago: A Curmudgeon On The Camino Portugués by Tierney, Patrick (ISBN: 9781838094300) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk

I like the idea of "Other Caminos (than the Frances) memoirs" as a theme. Along with Northward to Santiago I can recommend Sinning Across Spain by Ailsa Piper, which centers on the VDLP.

Any other suggestions in keeping with this theme from others?

 

[Rozenn]

I like the idea of "Other Caminos (than the Frances) memoirs" as a theme. Along with Northward to Santiago I can recommend Sinning Across Spain by Ailsa Piper, which centers on the VDLP.

Any other suggestions in keeping with this theme from others?

I like the idea too of walking other Caminos memoirs or guides the quality of David Gitlitz s !

 

[David Tallan]

I like the idea too of walking other Caminos memoirs or guides the quality of David Gitlitz s !

If you can suggest a few other guides like the one Gitlitz and Davidson wrote, I'm all for that theme! So far, it seems unique.

 

[C clearly]

I like the idea of "Other Caminos (than the Frances) memoirs" as a theme...
...Any other suggestions in keeping with this theme from others?

I like this idea, too. One of the first books I read before walking any camino was Walking the Camino: A modern pilgrimage to Santiago, by Tony Kevin - about his walk on the Mozarabe and Via de la Plata. I very much enjoyed reading it the first time (at least 10 years ago) and have now walked those routes, so I'd like to read it again.

 

[gns]

If you can suggest a few other guides like the one Gitlitz and Davidson wrote, I'm all for that theme! So far, it seems unique.

I would like to put in a word for Roads to Santiago by Cees Nooteboom. I think this might make a nice pairing with Journey to Portugal by Jose Saramago. Whilst it is not a Camino book it is an insightful account of the country and its history.

 

[winemakerfw51]

If you’re looking for books on Caminos other than the Camino Frances, I’d like to suggest mine on the Camino Portugues. Walk by My Side: A Solo Journey to Santiago on the Camino Portugues by John Comando which retells my experiences in fall 2018. It’s available in ebook and paperback, as well as free on Kindle Select.

 

[David Tallan]

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to this. I got a new job and it is taking a lot of my time. And it's hard to think of new books for Round 2, when I haven't finished my Round 1 reading! But it isn't fair to keep you waiting. I'm going to make my selection and set a schedule now.

The winning theme is "Books about Caminos other than the Camino Frances". It wasn't one of the themes I had originally suggested, but it was a good suggestion from the community.

C Clearly suggested three or four books for the round. Given my apparent availability and the incresased time between books, I'm going with three:

1. Sinning Across Spain by Ailsa Piper (ISBN 9780522861396) - Mozarabe to Merida, VDLP from Merida
2. Northbound by Paul McGranaghan (ISBN 978-1973201182) - Camino Portugues
3. The Man with the Camino Tattoo by Dermot Breen (ISBN 978-1-910044-17-9) - Camino del Norte

To give people a bit of time to acquire these the schedule will be:

May 1: Sinning Across Spain
May 15: Northbound
May 29: The Man with the Camino Tattoo

See you in the threads!

 

[gns]

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to this. I got a new job and it is taking a lot of my time. And it's hard to think of new books for Round 2, when I haven't finished my Round 1 reading! But it isn't fair to keep you waiting. I'm going to make my selection and set a schedule now.

The winning theme is "Books about Caminos other than the Camino Frances". It wasn't one of the themes I had originally suggested, but it was a good suggestion from the community.

C Clearly suggested three or four books for the round. Given my apparent availability and the incresased time between books, I'm going with three:

1. Sinning Across Spain by Ailsa Piper (ISBN 9780522861396) - Mozarabe to Merida, VDLP from Merida
2. Northbound by Paul McGranaghan (ISBN 978-1973201182) - Camino Portugues
3. The Man with the Camino Tattoo by Dermot Breen (ISBN 978-1-910044-17-9) - Camino del Norte

To give people a bit of time to acquire these the schedule will be:

May 1: Sinning Across Spain
May 15: Northbound
May 29: The Man with the Camino Tattoo

See you in the threads!

What no nuns!

 

[David Tallan]

What no nuns!

Sinners!

 

[gns]

Sinners!

Maybe the two books should be sold as a job lot.

 

[winemakerfw51]

Northbound s only available in paperback on Amazon...and at a hefty price!!!! Would love to read it. Let me know if there's an e-book version elsewhere

 

[C clearly]

Northbound s only available in paperback on Amazon...and at a hefty price!!!!

I just bought the Kindle version on Amazon for C$5.12 (US$4.10). The paperback seems to be available for US$12.00. But yikes, the Amazon Mexico price is high!

 

[David Tallan]

Northbound s only available in paperback on Amazon...and at a hefty price!!!! Would love to read it. Let me know if there's an e-book version elsewhere

I have the Kindle version, so I assumed it was available. If Amazon Mexico doesn't have it, maybe it is possible to purchase from Amazon.com? I've purchased things from Amazon.com that weren't available from Amazon.ca.

 

[C clearly]

Hi everybody,

I have finished Sinning Across Spain, and posted about it. Now I'm getting ready to read Northbound. I notice that I'm lagging a bit behind the schedule we set, but it seems that everyone else is, as well.

I just wanted to post and say that I still love the Book Club, and hope we can keep it going. But realistically, I have come to realize that we probably need a slower schedule - maybe one book per month. After all, we all have other aspects of our lives, and there are other books to be read! I have several on my shelf waiting, that are not camino-related. I also have Northbound and Tony Kevin's camino book.

What do you think, @David Tallan, and others? Should we change the schedule and start a new book on the first of each month? We could still plan 3 books in advance.

 

[gns]

Hi everybody,

I have finished Sinning Across Spain, and posted about it. Now I'm getting ready to read Northbound. I notice that I'm lagging a bit behind the schedule we set, but it seems that everyone else is, as well.

I just wanted to post and say that I still love the Book Club, and hope we can keep it going. But realistically, I have come to realize that we probably need a slower schedule - maybe one book per month. After all, we all have other aspects of our lives, and there are other books to be read! I have several on my shelf waiting, that are not camino-related. I also have Northbound and Tony Kevin's camino book.

What do you think, @David Tallan, and others? Should we change the schedule and start a new book on the first of each month? We could still plan 3 books in advance.

I think that makes sense. From my own perspective my employment situation is changing (for the better) so I will have less time. It also means the cheap plane ticket to Madrid in September will go to waste alas!

 

[David Tallan]

Hi everybody,

I have finished Sinning Across Spain, and posted about it. Now I'm getting ready to read Northbound. I notice that I'm lagging a bit behind the schedule we set, but it seems that everyone else is, as well.

I just wanted to post and say that I still love the Book Club, and hope we can keep it going. But realistically, I have come to realize that we probably need a slower schedule - maybe one book per month. After all, we all have other aspects of our lives, and there are other books to be read! I have several on my shelf waiting, that are not camino-related. I also have Northbound and Tony Kevin's camino book.

What do you think, @David Tallan, and others? Should we change the schedule and start a new book on the first of each month? We could still plan 3 books in advance.

I am totally up for that!! To be frank, I'm still making my way through The Great Westward Walk and I've been feeling really guilty about my incredible lateness in starting the Northbound thread. I'd be delighted to start that thread on June 1 and now I don't have the weight of guilt feelings for my tardiness hanging over me.

 

[Deleted member 73526]

I'm getting ready to read Northbound.

I've just started it and I'm loving it. So happy to see that I'm not the only one to be behind schedule. I am looking forward to discussing it.

Can I put forward a suggestion for the next reading list -

100 CAMINOS EN 100 RELATOS​

This is a collection of 100 impressions of the Camino - each in 100 words or less. They were collected by the Camino association of Chile. Some of them are by members of this forum (including one by me).
Each story is presented in English, Spanish, and sometimes a third language. The book is available as a free download from this site and as a printed edition from Amazon:

Libro / Book 2020 | Camino de Santiago

en.caminosantiago.cl

It's not a book that you need to read from start to finish, which might make it suitable for folks who have fallen behind ...