Book Club meets TONIGHT and I haven't picked the next one!
August 25, 2010 9:36 AM Subscribe
I'm picking the next book for my reading group, and I need some recommendations.
I'm involved in a book club with a group of people who are all quite different from one another.
We range in education from HS graduates to people with advanced degrees. We range in age from early 20's to mid 50's. Both men and women in the group. We've got both conservatives and liberals.
What we've read so far:
The Crowning Glory of Calla-Lily Ponderby Rebecca Wells. The women enjoyed it, the men were ambivalent. It did have some lovely passages that we enjoyed picking out and discussing.
What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson. While we all complained about the writing style, it DID inspire good discussion about the afterlife and different religions.
Tell Me Your Dreams by Sidney Sheldon. Oh my GOD this book was awful for everyone except the person who picked it.
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. (abridged version). This one was good in theory but almost no one finished it. We mostly talked about class distinctions and how that is mirrored in today's society.
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. This one is up for discussion tonight. We've all liked it and have had to hold back talking about it in regular conversation.
Nonfiction is OK; I thought about choosing The Gift of Fear. My other top contender was Lamb by Christopher Moore, but I'm afraid there are those in our group who would throw it to the floor or burn it the first time Jesus makes a sex joke.
I also thought about something from the YA genre -- Hunger Games maybe?
Our only requirements are no vampires or zombies.
I'm involved in a book club with a group of people who are all quite different from one another.
We range in education from HS graduates to people with advanced degrees. We range in age from early 20's to mid 50's. Both men and women in the group. We've got both conservatives and liberals.
What we've read so far:
The Crowning Glory of Calla-Lily Ponderby Rebecca Wells. The women enjoyed it, the men were ambivalent. It did have some lovely passages that we enjoyed picking out and discussing.
What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson. While we all complained about the writing style, it DID inspire good discussion about the afterlife and different religions.
Tell Me Your Dreams by Sidney Sheldon. Oh my GOD this book was awful for everyone except the person who picked it.
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. (abridged version). This one was good in theory but almost no one finished it. We mostly talked about class distinctions and how that is mirrored in today's society.
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. This one is up for discussion tonight. We've all liked it and have had to hold back talking about it in regular conversation.
Nonfiction is OK; I thought about choosing The Gift of Fear. My other top contender was Lamb by Christopher Moore, but I'm afraid there are those in our group who would throw it to the floor or burn it the first time Jesus makes a sex joke.
I also thought about something from the YA genre -- Hunger Games maybe?
Our only requirements are no vampires or zombies.
I just finished Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove and god damn, it was great. It's long, but it's a fantastic book, super engaging and fun. My wife loved it, too.
posted by COBRA! at 9:42 AM on August 25, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by COBRA! at 9:42 AM on August 25, 2010 [2 favorites]
For non-fiction, my favorite is "The Demon Haunted World" by Carl Sagan. This is the best book I have ever found on the subject of skeptical thinking (and most people could really benefit by learning more about this particular subject).
For fiction, I recommend "The Fresco" by Sherri S. Tepper. I suggested it to a book club that my sister belongs to, and they liked it. It's science fiction, but written in such a way that you don't really have to be a science fiction fan to be able to enjoy it. Although if you are a science fiction fan you'll probably enjoy it even more.
posted by grizzled at 9:47 AM on August 25, 2010
For fiction, I recommend "The Fresco" by Sherri S. Tepper. I suggested it to a book club that my sister belongs to, and they liked it. It's science fiction, but written in such a way that you don't really have to be a science fiction fan to be able to enjoy it. Although if you are a science fiction fan you'll probably enjoy it even more.
posted by grizzled at 9:47 AM on August 25, 2010
The Hunger Games is a great read, but it's much better if read with the other two in the trilogy, so that might be a factor to consider. Graceling by Kristin Cashore is another fantastic YA, and while it has a companion book, each book stands on its own very well.
As far as nonfiction, there are so many fascinating reads out there! Well, you know that, you're in a book club. Some I've loved that I think would be rich fodder for discussion:
-Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. His account of his climb of Mount Everest and the tragedy that occurred. Could spark discussions of moral responsibility and personal choice.
-Blood Done Sign My Name by Timothy Tyson. Southern racism and anti-racism in the South of 1970.
-The Corner by David Simon and Ed Burns. Drugs in the USA, specifically in one neighborhood in Baltimore, MD. There's so much in here, and it's all fantastic.
-Methland by Nick Reding. A quick, interesting, informative, moving read.
posted by epj at 9:52 AM on August 25, 2010
As far as nonfiction, there are so many fascinating reads out there! Well, you know that, you're in a book club. Some I've loved that I think would be rich fodder for discussion:
-Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. His account of his climb of Mount Everest and the tragedy that occurred. Could spark discussions of moral responsibility and personal choice.
-Blood Done Sign My Name by Timothy Tyson. Southern racism and anti-racism in the South of 1970.
-The Corner by David Simon and Ed Burns. Drugs in the USA, specifically in one neighborhood in Baltimore, MD. There's so much in here, and it's all fantastic.
-Methland by Nick Reding. A quick, interesting, informative, moving read.
posted by epj at 9:52 AM on August 25, 2010
I host a book club. The best book we've read over the past year is Anathem by Neal Stephenson. It's long, and a bit difficult to understand in parts, but was thought provoking, and incited some great discussion.
On preview, I second Demon Haunted World.
posted by Tooty McTootsalot at 9:52 AM on August 25, 2010
On preview, I second Demon Haunted World.
posted by Tooty McTootsalot at 9:52 AM on August 25, 2010
Oh, and also one month we did actually read Hunger Games. It was a great book, most of us loved it, but there's not much substance to it, so there's not much to discuss.
posted by Tooty McTootsalot at 9:53 AM on August 25, 2010
posted by Tooty McTootsalot at 9:53 AM on August 25, 2010
Tinkers, by Paul Harding, or perhaps The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 9:53 AM on August 25, 2010
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 9:53 AM on August 25, 2010
How much depth do you want to get into with the discussion? Like, do you expressly want to stay away from debate, or are you willing to get into more probing questions? (I'm not really talking about sharp controversy, just critical discussion.)
Do you want a book that is a bit shorter?
I asked this question a few months ago and got some good responses, though those might be further along the critical spectrum. The rec of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is absolutely on the money, though. It's one of my favorite books, because it's a compelling story that makes you care for the characters without marginalizing the viewpoint of the family's cultural practices. It's very accessible.
Two books that we've enjoyed reading to each other as a couple are A Girl Named Zippy and All Creatures Great and Small. They're both more a series of vignettes or smaller stories, but the characters are wonderful and provide great continuity. I didn't expect to like both of them so much, but they were both funny and touching and had little witty spurts that made me happy.
And one of my very favorites, which might provoke more discussion than those two: A Prayer for Owen Meany. i think this would be interesting in terms of discussing religion, fate, relationships, sacrifice, all that.
posted by Madamina at 9:54 AM on August 25, 2010 [4 favorites]
Do you want a book that is a bit shorter?
I asked this question a few months ago and got some good responses, though those might be further along the critical spectrum. The rec of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is absolutely on the money, though. It's one of my favorite books, because it's a compelling story that makes you care for the characters without marginalizing the viewpoint of the family's cultural practices. It's very accessible.
Two books that we've enjoyed reading to each other as a couple are A Girl Named Zippy and All Creatures Great and Small. They're both more a series of vignettes or smaller stories, but the characters are wonderful and provide great continuity. I didn't expect to like both of them so much, but they were both funny and touching and had little witty spurts that made me happy.
And one of my very favorites, which might provoke more discussion than those two: A Prayer for Owen Meany. i think this would be interesting in terms of discussing religion, fate, relationships, sacrifice, all that.
posted by Madamina at 9:54 AM on August 25, 2010 [4 favorites]
Since you mentioned young adult books, The Book Thief is one that my wife suggested for her book club and that both of us liked. It was marketed as YA here in the US, but evidently as regular adult fiction elsewhere. Also liked by both my wife's book club (women who tend to be older) and myself (not a woman) was Pillars of the Earth which is kind of current with the new miniseries and all; the sequel World Without End is also good. Last year for their annual couples meeting (where the men are invited too) her book club read The Billionaire's Vinegar, which is a good non-fiction choice, especially if there are many wine drinkers in the group.
posted by TedW at 9:55 AM on August 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by TedW at 9:55 AM on August 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
Two of my favorite bookgroup meetings where when we paired Zadie Smith's "On Beauty" with E.M. Forester's "Howard's End. We read Howard's End first, the On Beauty and then another month we watched the Howard's End movie. Recenlt we read The Year of Wonders by Gwendelyn Brooks, it was a quick read but had historical depth. We have been meeting for 8 years, everymonth so we have an extensive list and also bookgroup norms, if you would like to see either memail me.
posted by momochan at 9:57 AM on August 25, 2010
posted by momochan at 9:57 AM on August 25, 2010
I would recommend The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. A group of us have an "unofficial" book club among a group of friends, and male and female, fiction or non fiction, the thing we all love is to read, and this hit home for us. I think Connolly really grasps the idea of "books speaking to people" (in this plot literally) and how many of us seek comfort in the alternative worlds of books. The copy I have also had a book club question list. The only caveat I'd give is that the chapter with the Huntress is CREEPY.
From Amazon:
Thriller writer Connolly (Every Dead Thing) turns from criminal fears to primal fears in this enchanting novel about a 12-year-old English boy, David, who is thrust into a realm where eternal stories and fairy tales assume an often gruesome reality. Books are the magic that speak to David, whose mother has died at the start of WWII after a long debilitating illness. His father remarries, and soon his stepmother is pregnant with yet another interloper who will threaten David's place in his father's life. When a portal to another world opens in time-honored fashion, David enters a land of beasts and monsters where he must undertake a quest if he is to earn his way back out. Connolly echoes many great fairy tales and legends (Little Red Riding Hood, Roland, Hansel and Gretel), but cleverly twists them to his own purposes. Despite horrific elements, this tale is never truly frightening, but is consistently entertaining as David learns lessons of bravery, loyalty and honor that all of us should learn.
posted by librarianamy at 10:00 AM on August 25, 2010
From Amazon:
Thriller writer Connolly (Every Dead Thing) turns from criminal fears to primal fears in this enchanting novel about a 12-year-old English boy, David, who is thrust into a realm where eternal stories and fairy tales assume an often gruesome reality. Books are the magic that speak to David, whose mother has died at the start of WWII after a long debilitating illness. His father remarries, and soon his stepmother is pregnant with yet another interloper who will threaten David's place in his father's life. When a portal to another world opens in time-honored fashion, David enters a land of beasts and monsters where he must undertake a quest if he is to earn his way back out. Connolly echoes many great fairy tales and legends (Little Red Riding Hood, Roland, Hansel and Gretel), but cleverly twists them to his own purposes. Despite horrific elements, this tale is never truly frightening, but is consistently entertaining as David learns lessons of bravery, loyalty and honor that all of us should learn.
posted by librarianamy at 10:00 AM on August 25, 2010
I had a great time with THE HELP by Katharine Stockett. It's a novel people are waxing rhapsodic over that's both an enjoyable read and a vile example of racism itself at the same time!
posted by kidelo at 10:03 AM on August 25, 2010
posted by kidelo at 10:03 AM on August 25, 2010
I second epj, and would recommend "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer. It's a fast, interesting read with the momentum of a great adventure/disaster story (I read it in one night, and I rarely read non-fiction that fast!) and it stuck with me after I finished the book. I really wished I knew somebody who had also read the book so we could have discussed it.
Whatever you pick, have a great book club meeting tonight!
posted by warble at 10:20 AM on August 25, 2010
Whatever you pick, have a great book club meeting tonight!
posted by warble at 10:20 AM on August 25, 2010
There's also IN THE LAKE OF THE WOODS by Tim O'Brien (Amazon description: A politician's career is ruined overnight by revelations of his wartime participation in a village massacre in Vietnam while his personal life is undone by the sudden dissappearance of his wife.).
NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro, who's an English writer creating a haunting story about a group of friends growing up together and confronting the reason behind their strange upbringing and existence. http://www.amazon.com/Never-Let-Me-Kazuo-Ishiguro/dp/1400043395
ATONEMENT by Ian McEwan - told from multiple points of view, it's an engrossing read and deals with the ramifications of a falsehood or a misunderstanding. Set before, during, and after WW2 - I think there's enough there to appeal to men and women alike. Our class group really enjoyed talking about this.
others: CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess, FUN HOME by Alison Bechdel (a wonderful graphic novel that was a finalist for the National Book Award: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fun_Home), THE GHOST MAP by Steven Johnson
Some YA: THE BOOK THIEF by Marcus Zusak, THE GOLDEN COMPASS by Phillip Pullman, UN LUN DUN by China Mieville (cool urban adventure book).
posted by Geameade at 10:26 AM on August 25, 2010
NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro, who's an English writer creating a haunting story about a group of friends growing up together and confronting the reason behind their strange upbringing and existence. http://www.amazon.com/Never-Let-Me-Kazuo-Ishiguro/dp/1400043395
ATONEMENT by Ian McEwan - told from multiple points of view, it's an engrossing read and deals with the ramifications of a falsehood or a misunderstanding. Set before, during, and after WW2 - I think there's enough there to appeal to men and women alike. Our class group really enjoyed talking about this.
others: CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess, FUN HOME by Alison Bechdel (a wonderful graphic novel that was a finalist for the National Book Award: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fun_Home), THE GHOST MAP by Steven Johnson
Some YA: THE BOOK THIEF by Marcus Zusak, THE GOLDEN COMPASS by Phillip Pullman, UN LUN DUN by China Mieville (cool urban adventure book).
posted by Geameade at 10:26 AM on August 25, 2010
I'm going to recommend Adam, Eve, and the Serpent: Sex and Politics in Early Christianity by Elaine Pagels. I think there is a lot in there for discussion in a mixed group - the evolution of traditional gender roles, church history, Roman politics, and gnosticism, to name a few. It primarily examines the writings of accepted saints and canonical texts, so it is not a complete affront to traditionalists, but also discusses the competing philosophies which lost out.
Paradise of the Blind also has aspects that make it worth discussing in a diverse group. The backdrop for the book is communist Vietnam, but the real story is about familial obligations and free will. It is reported to be the first Vietnamese book published in English. It is now banned but widely available in Vietnam.
posted by McGuillicuddy at 10:33 AM on August 25, 2010
Paradise of the Blind also has aspects that make it worth discussing in a diverse group. The backdrop for the book is communist Vietnam, but the real story is about familial obligations and free will. It is reported to be the first Vietnamese book published in English. It is now banned but widely available in Vietnam.
posted by McGuillicuddy at 10:33 AM on August 25, 2010
Seconding Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. The movie is coming out soon, so you can do a read the book/discuss/watch the movie thing. But please don't let yourself get spoiled re: the plot. It's so much better that way.
posted by litnerd at 10:37 AM on August 25, 2010
posted by litnerd at 10:37 AM on August 25, 2010
The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dody. It's funny, it's smart, and it's quick to read.
It's chick-lit before such a genre existed, but the heroine appeals to men and women.
And I also second The Glass Castle, but most men will want to punch the author's father.
posted by Ideefixe at 10:43 AM on August 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
It's chick-lit before such a genre existed, but the heroine appeals to men and women.
And I also second The Glass Castle, but most men will want to punch the author's father.
posted by Ideefixe at 10:43 AM on August 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
I came in to recommend the Book Thief as well. Our favorite book club book from last year.
posted by dpx.mfx at 11:18 AM on August 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by dpx.mfx at 11:18 AM on August 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
The Reader inspired excellent discussion in my group, and also books by Pat Barker, esp. the Regeneration Trilogy.
posted by theora55 at 11:21 AM on August 25, 2010
posted by theora55 at 11:21 AM on August 25, 2010
Seconding The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down.
I think it would be ideal for a book club. It presents two cultures (traditional Hmong and modern scientific Western) with polar opposite viewpoints forced to deal with each other due to a child's medical crisis and presents both sides very sympathetically. Compelling, page-turning, conflict-driven and lots and lots to discuss.
posted by marsha56 at 11:43 AM on August 25, 2010
I think it would be ideal for a book club. It presents two cultures (traditional Hmong and modern scientific Western) with polar opposite viewpoints forced to deal with each other due to a child's medical crisis and presents both sides very sympathetically. Compelling, page-turning, conflict-driven and lots and lots to discuss.
posted by marsha56 at 11:43 AM on August 25, 2010
When I was reading Cloud Atlas: A Novel by David Mitchell I couldn't stop discussing it with total strangers. I think it would be perfect for a book club!
posted by ScotsLament at 11:48 AM on August 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by ScotsLament at 11:48 AM on August 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
">No longer Human by Osamu Dazai
One of the best selling books of all time in Japan. It can be depressing at times, but I promise it will spark very deep discussion regarding what we believe to be human nature, and the victims of our interactions.
posted by seanmhobson1988 at 12:14 PM on August 25, 2010
One of the best selling books of all time in Japan. It can be depressing at times, but I promise it will spark very deep discussion regarding what we believe to be human nature, and the victims of our interactions.
posted by seanmhobson1988 at 12:14 PM on August 25, 2010
Cloud Atlas was remarkable. Just a wonderful accomplishment, and I agree that it'd be a terrific book club read. Similarly, Let the Great World Spin, which came out last year, was a fabulous, moving, beautifully written piece that won all kinds of awards. Both are highly, highly recommended.
posted by AngerBoy at 12:16 PM on August 25, 2010
posted by AngerBoy at 12:16 PM on August 25, 2010
Seconding Let the Great World Spin, it is excellent.
posted by FormerMermaid at 1:06 PM on August 25, 2010
posted by FormerMermaid at 1:06 PM on August 25, 2010
Thirding Never Let Me Go.
My book clubs have done well with Shadow of the Wind and Christ Stopped at Eboli.
I'd also suggest The End of Mr Y as an engaging book with a really interesting conceit and an ending that will... um... provoke strong feelings and discussion.
posted by the latin mouse at 1:17 PM on August 25, 2010
My book clubs have done well with Shadow of the Wind and Christ Stopped at Eboli.
I'd also suggest The End of Mr Y as an engaging book with a really interesting conceit and an ending that will... um... provoke strong feelings and discussion.
posted by the latin mouse at 1:17 PM on August 25, 2010
Lonesome Dove is a great book, but it is huge; I think it might be asking too much of your members.
The Pulitzer Prize winning Empire Falls is better size-wise and a great book for discussion. Plus, it has one of the best female villains of all time!
My husband and I both just read Shadow of the Wind and there are some flaws with the writing, the biggest being a petering out of interest.
The best NF book I've read in a couple of years is Bill Bryson's At Home: A Short History of Private Life but it is not due to be released in the states until Oct. 5.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:28 AM on August 26, 2010
The Pulitzer Prize winning Empire Falls is better size-wise and a great book for discussion. Plus, it has one of the best female villains of all time!
My husband and I both just read Shadow of the Wind and there are some flaws with the writing, the biggest being a petering out of interest.
The best NF book I've read in a couple of years is Bill Bryson's At Home: A Short History of Private Life but it is not due to be released in the states until Oct. 5.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:28 AM on August 26, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions! I ended up choosing The Unit, a YA-esque novel originally published in Sweden.
I filled up my Kindle and library hold account with your suggestions and will definitely use some of them for future meetings of the club!
posted by Mimzy at 5:47 PM on August 26, 2010
I filled up my Kindle and library hold account with your suggestions and will definitely use some of them for future meetings of the club!
posted by Mimzy at 5:47 PM on August 26, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:42 AM on August 25, 2010 [1 favorite]