Author Topic: Suggestion Box for Future Book Discussions ~ (Read 271997 times)

JoanP · « **Reply #200 on:** November 02, 2009, 12:30:23 PM »

Polls are now open to choose Bookclub Online titles for JULY and AUGUST Discussion!

VOTE HERE UNTIL JUNE 8!

Title	Author
*Adventures of Huckleberry Finn*	Clemens
*The Lacuna*	Kingsolver
*Frankenstein*	Shelley
*Dracula*	Stoker
*Gulliver's Travels*	Swift
*From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales and Their Tellers*	Warner

Contact: JoanP

mrssherlock · « **Reply #201 on:** November 03, 2009, 03:33:38 PM »

I'm reading a quietly mysterious book;The Broken Teaglass is the debut novel of Emily Arsenault. First it mysterious bercause it reveals the inner worikngs in the preparation of a new dictionary as its two leading characters, are a pair of young 20s post-college editors/lexicographers at the Samuelson Dictionary Pubblishing House. They are intrigued by the scattered thread of citations which suggest dark doings at the Samuelson offices, all referring to the non-existant novel "The Broken Teaglass". There are discussion points on every page as we delve into words, words, words and their definitions. This is a delightful book. Please put it in the list. http://lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com/2009/10/broken-teaglass-by-emily-arsenault.html

JoanK · « **Reply #202 on:** November 03, 2009, 03:38:15 PM »

That does sound delightful.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #203 on:** November 03, 2009, 04:21:57 PM »

The website I included was a mistake. Don't go there. You'll be sorry if you do. While I was browsing this site I added 6, count them, six books to my library reserve list. The only reason I quit at six was because My fingers were cramping from all the typing.

JoanK · « **Reply #204 on:** November 30, 2009, 09:46:36 PM »

We're looking forward to seeing you at the

Holiday Open House

December 1 - 20

JoanP · « **Reply #205 on:** January 30, 2010, 09:40:01 PM »

Spring is just around the corner. Time to consider titles for group discussion in April, May and June. This is always fun -
Are there titles that you would like to reconsider from the last vote? How about The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

Let's add some new ones to the list too. There have been some interesting titles mentioned in some of the General Discussions. We'll have to add them here. We really want to hear from you.

Frybabe · « **Reply #206 on:** January 31, 2010, 09:55:36 AM »

JoanP, poor Edgar is getting long in the tooth on the list. However I am still interested in reading it. Also, still interested in The Forgotten Man and most definitely Staying On. I am afraid to add to the list lest I have too much trouble deciding.

JoanP · « **Reply #207 on:** January 31, 2010, 04:10:02 PM »

Frybabe, will put Edgar riight back on the list - I'm sure there are others who feel the same way you do. He was almost voted in last time as I recall.

I've got a few more titles from the library to add to the list - suggested in the Library and other SL sites. Remember that the titles in the heading are all links to reviews.

We'll take suggestions for another week or so - and then VOTE on top three. Please feel free to post anything you might like to discuss with the group - we're counting on you to come up with the best of the best.

One title mentioned several places - Anne Tyler's Noah's Compass. Have you read it? We have read and discussed several of her books here. This is her 17th or 18th novel - most of them about unexceptional characters [- portrayed in an exceptional way. -

Noah's Compass

JoanP · « **Reply #208 on:** January 31, 2010, 04:36:49 PM »

OK, here's another one - winner of this year's Man Booker prize. Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall. You've got to read the review before you decide that you don't need another book of historical fiction. The Powell's Book's review says it's the BEST piece of fiction she's read this year - and she doesn't even sit on the Man Booker prize selection committee!

Wolf Hall

salan · « **Reply #209 on:** January 31, 2010, 04:48:39 PM »

I have Edgar Sawtelle on my book shelf tbr. It is the March selection for my ftf book club. I have received good reports from those who have read it. Noah's Compass is definitely on my tbr list. I like most of her books. Is Staying on a sequel to the Raj Quartet? If so, I would not care to read it since I have not read the book/books preceding it.
Sally

JoanR · « **Reply #210 on:** January 31, 2010, 04:55:13 PM »

I wonder if it's a good idea to choose books that are very new, especially if they are on the best-seller list. Libraries usually only give you a limited time on those and there are no renewals. We need our discussion books for at least a month -if one is going to count some pre-discussion time. There are surely some of us who don't want to go out and buy a book that may be a one-time read - the price of new books being what it is and retirement incomes dwindling in the face of rising costs and lowering interest rates. I don't mind waiting for a new book to show up on the remainder shelves in the bookstore or in a garage sale or wherever! That's where I find all the best stuff! And our public library is wonderfully well-stocked!

You asked about "Howard's End Is on the Landing" - I think it would make a great discussion but it flies in the face of what I just said, doesn't it? I received my copy over a month ago as a birthday present so it didn't fall prey to the "economy drive"!! We could wait a few months until it's off the new book shelves at the libraries.

I would like to nominate "Possession" as future book discussion. I imagine that there are quite a few folks here who wern't present for that one as well as some who would like to re-visit a terrific book.

JoanP · « **Reply #211 on:** January 31, 2010, 05:09:47 PM »

Salan, I believe you are correct about the Scott book - but will check with Traudee who led that discussion several months ago.

JoanR - that's a very good point ...though I think I MUST have the Howard's End book - perhaps we'd better wait on that one for a while -
I agree - nobody writes like AS Byatt - and it has been a decade since we discussed Possession in the past - and on a different channel too! I'll go find a review and add it to the heading.

Here's a review of Broken Teaglass suggested earlier here -
We love new authors here, as well as Anne Tyler's seasoned writing - here's one that Jackie recommended a while back - thought you might like to read the review - I followed Jackie's advice and did not click the link in her post. Oh, by the way, Jackie is mrssherlock, in case you didn't recognize her...

The Broken Teaglass

Frybabe · « **Reply #212 on:** January 31, 2010, 06:11:45 PM »

Ah, come on JoanP. You've just made me add another book to my ToBuy list. The Broken Teaglass sounds intriguing.

Janice · « **Reply #213 on:** January 31, 2010, 10:26:36 PM »

Shortly after I last posted I had an emergent hospital visit and was in a coma for almost a month, then at a rehab center, then home with therapy, and now I am almost as good as new. I just have a little difficulty with stamina. I can spin wool very well, I can knit only one or two rows at a sitting, but I can read and exercise. I've noticed the book The Forgotten Man. It looks very good and I'm going to check it out the next time I get to the library. The other thing that happened while I was away was the transmission gave out on my car so it sat outside and all the tires got flat. The good news is that it didn't get stolen LOL.

Frybabe · « **Reply #214 on:** January 31, 2010, 10:37:37 PM »

Good heavens Janice. That was one heck of a nap. I am glad you are getting better, back home, and able to join in the discussions once again. I trust the transmission in your car is being fixed. Sometimes it seems just one thing after another doesn't it?

PatH · « **Reply #215 on:** February 01, 2010, 10:04:33 AM »

Salan, Traude said somewhere that "Staying On" stands on it's own, and you don't have to have read "The Raj Quartet" to enjoy it.

pedln · « **Reply #216 on:** February 01, 2010, 10:37:40 AM »

I would like to suggest Bleeding Kansas by Sara Paretsky. Relatively new, it's now our in paperback. (JoanR, remember at the Strand last summer -- I picked up a review copy there.)

This is not a Paretsky V.I. Warshawski mystery, but a multi-faceted novel about families and rivalries, set in rural Kansas (near Lawrence) in contemporary times.

Bleeding Kansas

Another one I'd like to suggest is a golden oldie, published 1978. A Woman of Independent Means by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey. I've read it a few times, not recently, but it pops up in memory frequently. An epistolary novel (I like those) with a strong protagonist, this is set in the U.S. around 1920, before and after. Somewhat biographical -- I think that Bess is Hailey's grandmother. This was a miniseries at one time with Sally Field, and hang it all, I don't think it has captions.

JoanP · « **Reply #217 on:** February 01, 2010, 04:15:16 PM »

Sorry, Frybabe! That's what happens when we start describing books

...Broken Teaglass does sound enticing - (what is a "teaglass?")

{{{Janice!}}} - oh my goodness, you have had quite a time of it! For a month! In a coma for a whole month??? You must have had fun catching up on all that had happened in the world. It is a blessing to have you back with us!

PatH - thank you for that - let's try to get Traudee in here to describe "Staying On" -

Pedln - thank you for those titles - I've put them in the heading. Bleeding Kansas sounds very interesting to me.

serenesheila · « **Reply #218 on:** February 01, 2010, 07:15:24 PM »

I have read "The Forgotten Man", and found it extremely interesting. I would love to reread it, and discuss it here. The forgotten man, is the people who got "lost" during the Great Depression.

Right now, I am reading "Roses", and would love to read, and discuss it here.

Sheila

JoanP · « **Reply #219 on:** February 01, 2010, 07:25:37 PM »

Sheila, will put "Roses" in the list in the header after dinner - thanks for the suggestion. That's another plug for The Forgotten Man...

JudeS · « **Reply #220 on:** February 01, 2010, 08:08:25 PM »

Has anyone else read "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" By Stieg Larsson?
It has been on the paperback Bestseller list for months and months. It is an amazing book written by a Swedish author who tells the story of three generations of a wealthy Swedish family as they are unearthed by an independent and savvy young girl and a crusading journalist who set out to solve a forty year old disappearance of a scion of one of the wealthiest of Sweden's families. This book combines murder mystery, family saga, love story and financial intrigue into a complex novel.

It is a long book ,590 pages, but such a page turner that no one who starts it can put it down.

Sweden and its history come alive in a never to be forgotten story.

marcie · « **Reply #221 on:** February 01, 2010, 09:29:31 PM »

Janice, welcome back. Oh my! You've been through a lot. I'm glad you're able to read books and participate here.

So many (too many!!) of the books mentioned here sound very interesting.

salan · « **Reply #222 on:** February 02, 2010, 06:26:52 AM »

I read The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo. It certainly held my interest. It was well written and had a story line that drew you in. That being said, I also found it darkly depressing and rather brutal at times. I don't want to read it again, and I probably will not read another book by Larson. My sil read the sequel and she felt the same way. It seems to me like most authors I have read from that region (Norway, Sweden, etc.) write rather depressing books. Do any of you feel the same way?
Sally

JoanK · « **Reply #223 on:** February 02, 2010, 02:59:42 PM »

SALAN: yes, I do. And I've heard that people in that region do have problems with depression, more than most of us. Presumably, it's from the long winter's and lack of sunlight.

There are styles, too. The books and movies I've read from Israel lately are rather depressing, too. There is certainly plenty of sun in Israel. I hope it's a style phase.

Mippy · « **Reply #224 on:** February 03, 2010, 11:03:08 AM »

I was not able to finish Wolf Hall by Mantel. Usually I enjoy historical fiction. Having read just about every book by Allison Weir about the Tudors, I found Mantel, in comparison, to be a less readable author.

mrssherlock · « **Reply #225 on:** February 03, 2010, 01:32:47 PM »

i found Wolf Hall to be very easy to put down and hard to pick up again. It's on two-week checkout and can't be renewed so it's unfinished by me, also.

JoanP · « **Reply #226 on:** February 03, 2010, 02:59:27 PM »

Two good reasons not to feature Wolf Hall in a group discussion here. I guess we need to remember that the Man Booker prize awards come from British entrants - those folks can't get enough of Henry VIII!

JoanP · « **Reply #227 on:** February 04, 2010, 12:01:03 AM »

Thanks for keeping your sharp eye on me, Pedln. I need all the help I can get!

mrssherlock · « **Reply #228 on:** February 08, 2010, 03:13:16 PM »

Henry VIII has to be included in the pantheon of those who literally changed the world. It helps that his was such a powerful personality. Martin Luther's Reformation lacks the charismatic principal so is somewhat underrated for its impact. Who else has had such an impact on the whole planet?

salan · « **Reply #229 on:** February 13, 2010, 08:28:09 AM »

I have been hearing alot about Abraham Verghese' book "Cutting for Stone". Have any of you read it? What do you think? One of our librarians said that it was the best book she has read in years.
Sally

mrssherlock · « **Reply #230 on:** February 13, 2010, 03:23:50 PM »

Sally: Sounds like a book I'd like; tell us more, please.

JoanP · « **Reply #231 on:** February 14, 2010, 03:20:56 PM »

Sally, these librarian recommendations are not to be taken lightly, are they? I'd like to hear what some of you who have read it think about "Cutting for Stone."

As promised, the poll to determine our Spring Book Club Online discussions is now open -

We will stay open until Feb. 26.
You may vote once.
Notice the titles in the Suggestion Box heading are linked to reviews.
Note the two different categories:
1. Your first choice
2. All the titles that interest you for future discussion

VOTE HERE - (click this link)

JoanP · « **Reply #232 on:** February 16, 2010, 11:10:19 PM »

Remember, polls will be open until Feb.26!

salan · « **Reply #233 on:** February 17, 2010, 07:24:38 AM »

I have not read "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese, so I can not tell you much about it. I just checked out the summary on Amazon and I am now determined to check it out on Thursday when my ftf book club meets at the library. It was given 41/2 stars out of 5 by readers, and the story line sounds intrigueing. I will let you know after I read it.

I am in one of those strange "reading moods"--I am hungry for a story with a little meat in it, but I am not quite ready for a full course meal! I have a couple of shelves of tbr books, and a goodly number on my tbr list, but none of them seem to appeal to me now. I seem to take my reading genre by spells. I am currently reading Baking Cakes in Kilgali, and Mark Twain's , Pudd'nhead Wilson (for my ftf reading group). I just finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (just so-so in my opinion) and I turned in Moses, American Prophet after reading 100 pages---I just couldn't get into it and gave up. Like I said, I am in a strange reading mood. Have you ever noticed that a lot of what you feel about a book depends on the mood you are in at the time you read it?

Sally

JoanP · « **Reply #234 on:** February 26, 2010, 09:36:56 PM »

I'm a Gemini, Sally - mood changes frequently -
Will wait to hear what you think of "Cutting for Stone" before looking into it - my pile is as high as my moods!

We had a great discussion of Puddn'head several years ago. If you are interested in taking a look at the Archived discussion, I could bring it here for you. We had someone from the Mark Twain Society join the discussion and he shared a lot of information about the author - and the book.

I came in this evening with the result of the preliminary vote for our upcoming indepth Spring Book Club Online discussions.
...

JoanP · « **Reply #235 on:** February 26, 2010, 09:37:15 PM »

February 27- March 7 RUN-OFF VOTE for Spring Group Book Discussions!

Please vote for your first THREE choices from the top five titles you selected in the preliminary vote.
Remember the titles in the heading are linked to reviews.

RERUN VOTE HERE - (click this link)

Title	Author
*When Everything Changed*	Colins
*Staying On*	Scott
*Forgotten Man*	Shlaes
*The Doomsday Book*	Willis
*Story of Edward Sawtelle*	Wroblewski
*Noah's Compass*	Tyler
*Wolf Hall*	Mantel
*The Broken Teaglass*	Arsenault
*Possession*	Byatt
*Bleeding Kansas*	Paretsky
*A Woman of Independent Means*	Hailey
*Roses*	Meacham

straudetwo · « **Reply #236 on:** February 27, 2010, 11:05:14 PM »

Having just voted for the re-run survey, I'll stay right here and mention a few books that have caught my attention.
Two are nonfiction.

1. Original Sinners: A New Interpretation of Genesis by John R. Coats. As the title suggests, this is a personal interpretation of the Book of Genesis.
I saw it in the Boston Globe recently and called the public library. Two bopies are in the system, both were out;my name is on the waiting list.

2. The Red Book by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961), founder of analytical psychology, who eventually broke ranks with Sigmund Freud.
The leather-bound manuscript of 205 pp. is apparently a work of art and contains the author's calligraphy, drawings and copious notes of his self-exploration. It has been hidden from the world for decades. Jung's sons have finally granted access, after much reluctance. The English translation is available from Amazon and B&N. The cost for members is roughly the same = around $114. I haven't called the library about availability yet.

Among the new memoirs are two sequels.
⁋ Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love,
and
⁋ Cleaving by Julie Powell, author of Julie and Julia).

Neither is on my to-be-read list, so this is merely do a mention, not a suggestion.
(I did not like Eat, Pray, Love and never read Julie and Julia.)

The local book group will discuss a mystery in March: Exit Music by Ian Rankin.
The mystery fans among you probably know all about this prolific Scottish writer --- I had never heard of him. But I'm always open to new experiences, enjoy this one and look forward to the discussion.

I know t some of you appreciate Donna Leon and her sleuth, Commissario Guido Brunelli in Venice. Her latest was About Face. Any thoughts?

How wonderful it is to come together here and talk about books !

mrssherlock · « **Reply #237 on:** February 28, 2010, 11:25:07 AM »

It is truly appalling shock to be shown a simple solution to a problem, not havind thought it out enough oneself. From nowon I will vote, in the second round, for the one, two, or three I really want to read and not increase the totals on books I may be too indifferent to to participate in the discussion.

JoanP · « **Reply #238 on:** February 28, 2010, 01:30:01 PM »

Jackie, puzzled - thought that's what we were doing in this second round - voting for the top three titles we would like to discuss in the coming months. I agree with you, Nan, they are all delightful finalists on the short list. ( Jackie, well do all three of the top selected titles. Does that help?)

Traudee, that is an intriguing list. You really out to copy it into the Library discussion! The Jung's Red Book sounds amazing!!! Unfortunately with this economy, most pockets - and most libraries will not be shelling out that kind of money for a single volume. Too bad.

Let us know how your book group's response to Rankin's Exit Music, okay?

JoanK · « **Reply #239 on:** February 28, 2010, 02:12:51 PM »

TRAUDEE: would you like to mention the Rankin and Leon in The Mystery Corner. There are a number of Leon fans there.

My f2f group read a Rankin. Most of us love him (I am the exception -- I find him slow and depressing).

News:

Author Topic: Suggestion Box for Future Book Discussions ~ (Read 271997 times)