Suggestion Box for Future Book Discussions ~

[JoanP]

  December Book Club Online Nominations Now!
 

INSPRIATIONAL rather than Nostalgic:

November Book Club Online:
Tracy Chevalier's Remarkable Creatures      

Contact:  JoanP

[JoanP]

It's almost September, we're on our way with The Good Earth...hopefully you will join us as we take a close look on the first women to win Nobel Prize and whose work is still having an impact today.  We're gathering right here -   The Good Earth by Pearl Buck


Not only are we beginning the September discussion, but it's time to start consideration of an October selection.  We'll start to put your nominations in the heading now.  

[PatH]

What about doing another Jane Austen?  We enjoyed Mansfield Park a while back, and talked a lot about the TV movie of Pride and Prejudice.  Maybe Persuasion?  But they're all good.

[JoanP]

Let's start putting the suggestions in the heading.  Jane Austen does seem to be a SeniorLearn favorite.

What else?

[marcie]

Persuasion would be great!

[BarbStAubrey]

we are going to need more than one book to consider and so I would still like for us to consider The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis or even as one poster said Lord Jim by Kingsley Amis

[ANNIE]

I just finished "The Technologists" by Matthew Pearl.  A historical mystery and quite good.  All about the founding of MIT and Harvard's involvement.  He uses and names many of the people who were truly involved in this history of MIT and then, puts his fictional team of student detectives on the hunt for a violent perpetrator who seems to be trying to destroy Boston.

 From Book Browse:
                                                  BOOK SUMMARY

The acclaimed author of The Dante Club reinvigorates the historical thriller. Matthew Pearl's spellbinding new novel transports readers to tumultuous nineteenth-century Boston, where the word "technology" represents a bold and frightening new concept. The fight for the future will hinge on...

The Technologists

Boston, 1868. The Civil War may be over but a new war has begun, one between the past and the present, tradition and technology. On a former marshy wasteland, the daring Massachusetts Institute of Technology is rising, its mission to harness science for the benefit of all and to open the doors of opportunity to everyone of merit. But in Boston Harbor a fiery cataclysm throws commerce into chaos, as ships' instruments spin inexplicably out of control. Soon after, another mysterious catastrophe devastates the heart of the city. Is it sabotage by scientific means or Nature revolting against man's attempt to control it?

The shocking disasters cast a pall over M.I.T. and provoke assaults from all sides - rival Harvard, labor unions, and a sensationalistic press. With their first graduation and the very survival of their groundbreaking college now in doubt, a band of the Institute's best and brightest students secretly come together to save innocent lives and track down the truth, armed with ingenuity and their unique scientific training.
 
Led by "charity scholar" Marcus Mansfield, a quiet Civil War veteran and one-time machinist struggling to find his footing in rarefied Boston society, the group is rounded out by irrepressible Robert Richards, the bluest of Beacon Hill bluebloods; Edwin Hoyt, class genius; and brilliant freshman Ellen Swallow, the Institute's lone, ostracized female student. Working against their small secret society, from within and without, are the arrayed forces of a stratified culture determined to resist change at all costs and a dark mastermind bent on the utter destruction of the city.
 
Studded with suspense and soaked in the rich historical atmosphere for which its author is renowned, The Technologists is a dazzling journey into a dangerous world not so very far from our own, as the America we know today begins to shimmer into being.

[Frybabe]

Did you mean Joseph Conrad for Lord Jim, Barb?

[BarbStAubrey]

Whoops Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

http://www.amazon.com/Lucky-York-Review-Books-Classics/dp/1590175751/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377799372&sr=1-1&keywords=kingsley+amis+lucky+jim

[marcie]

Annie, I too liked THE TECHNOLOGISTS.

[PatH]

And I've been meaning to read The Technologists, would be pleased to discuss it.

I read Lucky Jim decades ago and liked it.  It would be interesting to see how it wears, whether it is now dated.

[pedln]

Annie, Matthew is a favorite of mine and I"ve been wanting to read The Technologists since way before it published.  It was published either the day before or the day of my MIT grad son's birthday, so that's what he got that February a year ago.    Son has never said aye, yes, or no, but I think he'll soon have to give it up to Mom.

[pedln]

Remember Bruce Frankel and his What Should I Do With the Rest of My Life, featuring seniors who made major accomplishments in their later years, including none other than our Robbie who lead our “ Story of Civilization” for so many years?  He spoke to SeniorLearners who gathered in NY a few years ago.

Also featured in his book was Harry Bernstein, who had always wanted to write about his life, but it wasn't until after his wife died and he was in his 90's that he wrote his first book, The Invisible Wall, about his early childhood in an English village.  The Jews lived on one side of the street and the Gentiles on the other and an imaginary line down the middle of the street seemed like a wall separating them.  After this book was published, Bernstein went on to finish his trilogy.  He died a few years ago at age 100 0r 101.  (Bruce Frankel helped him celebrate his 100th birthday.)

Invisible Wall[/color]

[BarbStAubrey]

Where do we go to vote?

[JoanP]

"VOTE HERE" (click this link) for October Book Club Online


Titles below are linked to reviews or descriptions

Title	Author
Persuasion	Jane Austen
The Technologists	Matthew Pearl
Lucky Jim	Kingsley Amis
The Invisible Wall	Harry Bernstein
Remarkable Creatures	Tracy Chevalier
Master and Commander	Patrick O'Brian

[PatH]

How many are we voting for?  I like to make up my mind before going to the ballot.

[JoanP]

Good question, Pat.  There are two questions in the poll - First - your #1 choice and then the Second question asks for your top three, which will include your first choice as one of the three.

[PatH]

Thanks.  That's a good way of doing it.

[Frybabe]

I voted, but oh, what a tough decision.

[BarbStAubrey]

Yes, I agree, it was tough this time

[PatH]

Indeed.  All of them are books I wouldn't mind discussing.

[bellamarie]

I have never read anything by Matthew Pearl, but  "The Technologists" sounds very interesting to me.

[UKLA13]

I too am intrigued by THE TECHNOLOGISTS, but REMARKABLE CREATURES is a good read also.

oops...did I just give away my votes. 

[JoanP]

   Naah.  We can't tell where your votes went, UKLA...

[JoanP]

Dropped in this morning to let you know of upcoming discussions, resulting from the recent vote for our Book Club Online discussions.  We'll be doing Jane Austen's Persuasion  and Remarkable Creatures in the upcoming months.  Thank you for voting!  Hopefully you will join us in both of these.

Persuasion will begin on October 1 - the Prediscussion has just opened here:  Persuasion Prediscussion - I copied this description from the heading of that discussion:

"Here, Austen abandons the young heroines of her earlier works and presents us with a fully mature woman who fears that her chance of happiness has already passed. Austen finished Persuasion just before her death at age 41. It is her last book, and some feel her best."

We'll begin Remarkable Creatures in November. More about that later...

[Ella Gibbons]

Two good books that I have read recently - our book club here chose them and, although I don't attend as I don't approve of the way in which it is run (chaotic), they seem to pick some good books to discuss.

MUDBOUND by Hillary Jordan ("Downright Breathlesss") - Washington Post

BROTHER, I'M DYING by Edwidge Danticat  -("Magic is Edwidge Danticat who taps on her keyboard to the rhythm of angels.") - Nikki Giovanni   - a truly gifted writer - Ella   Her book "Breath, Eyes, Memory was a National Book Award finalist, I think I read.

[JoanP]

Sound interesting, Ella. Funny  book club...they can pick them , but discussions not so good.

As soon as I get home to computer, will try to find out more about them. Mudbound is ringing a bell, but right  now don't remember what it was about!

[Ella Gibbons]

YEs, true, JOANP.   The group I have just discovered is down to two members; perhaps they will learn that the man who runs the thing (he started it and never fails to remind anyone) is running it into the ground.  He's an arrogant____________.  

Both books are good.  Mudbound (winner of the Bellwether Prize for Fiction - whatever that is!) is the story of two families after WWII trying to survive on a ramshackle farm near a small Southern town, one family white; the other black.

Jordan has a BA in English and political science from Wellesley College and an MFA in creative writing from Columbia   University.  (That's exactly where I am going in my  next life and what I am going to study)  On reading further the Bellweather Prize is awarded biennially to a debut novel that addresses issues of social justice.   (we need a bit of that - a lot of that - in today's world)  A readers' guide in the back of the paperback book.

One of Danticat's books - THE DEW BREAKER was a PEN/Faulkner Award finalist and her other book, BREATH, EYES, MEMORY a National Book Award finalist  The BROTHER book  is a memoir.

[JoanP]

Ella, we're going to consider your suggestions for January or February, as soon as we get the holidays behind us, okay?

December - the holidays - the preparations for the holidays!
In the past, we've spent this holiday month talking about how we celebrate them, the food, the seasonal stories.  One of our Discussion Leaders had an idea for something a little different this year...

from Barbara:

"A thought - how about something different this year - we have done classical Christmas stories and shared our own Christmas pasts as well as, recipes and called it a month of Holiday Memoirs so that the December discussion is like the over-use of holiday decorations, getting old and tiresome - what about doing an inspirational book?-

Here are a some recommendations for inspirational - and I would suggest a novel versus a real life experience - there are so many individuals sharing inspiration and often the real life story is harder to separate the personality from any inspiration we can discuss.

The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho

This allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho is an inspirational bestselling classic - this acts as a metaphor of life as the narrative take us on the journey of a shepherd boy’s quest for treasure.

The Noticer – Andy Andrews

Chock full of wisdom it follows the story of a mysterious old man known as  ‘Jones’ who turns up in people’s lives and notices stuff that they miss, and then gives them the best gift of all; perspective.  Heard it is a page turner.

Walking Through Winter - Edwin Way Teale

Naturalist's Pulitzer Prize-winning fourth book documenting the North American seasons. Edwin Way Teale follows winter diagonally across the country in a 20,000-mile journey from Southern California to Northern Maine. Her other books include, North with the Spring, continue with Journey Into Summer, and finish the year with Autumn Across America.

The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity - Wm. Paul Young

A father's youngest daughter has been abducted during a family vacation. She may have been brutally murdered but she is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his "Great Sadness," the father receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint Exupery:

French classic is a touching fable about love, loneliness and the many trivialities of adult life - great for accumulating inspiring quotes.

What do you think of this idea?  You might want to suggest one of your own.  I can find links for any of the above suggestions that you might be interested in...

Comments? We'd really like to read something together that interests YOU!

[marcie]

I don't think this is a December read but I'd like to nominate DUNE by Frank Herbert for January or later. I'm posting now because I just read a July 2013 article about why DUNE, written in 1965, still matters. The article is at http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2013/07/dune-endures.html  IF YOU HAVEN'T READ DUNE, THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS.

[PatH]

That's a good article, makes a good case, but it's full of spoilers, so anyone who hasn't read Dune should be warned.

I agree Dune would not be a December read.  It's long, and though it sucks you in it's not an easy read.

[Frybabe]

I've read The Alchemist and got nothing out of it.

Dune is interesting. I read the book and have seen both movie/TV versions. I thought the differences between the last two were interesting. Mostly, the first version seemed to emphasize the prophetic/mystic and slowly gained followers and believers; the second emphasized the political power struggle more with the mystics and prophesies used more as a way to gain enough power to overthrow the Harkonen empire. I preferred the first rendition. It will likely take more than a month to read and discuss. Now, off to read your article Marcie.

[BarbStAubrey]

Isn't Dune a series of about 6 or 7 books - something about one of them being The Children of the Dune - is this a science fiction series?

[Frybabe]

Barb, Herbert himself did several (three?) sequels to Dune. His son continued the Dune universe with some too. I don't know how many. Oh, here is the official Dune website with all the books. http://www.dunenovels.com/

[BarbStAubrey]

Thanks Frybabe - so it is science fiction - sounds like with a message for today - golly his name is so close to Ron Hubbard - has anyone read the new book, "Going Clear," that is supposed to be according to the author not so much an exposé but an explanation of Scientology.

[Frybabe]

I don't think I have ever read any of Ron Hubbard's stuff. Didn't he start out as a Scifi writer?

Regarding the Dune sequels, I never read any farther than the first one because reviewers said the others grow "darker". I saw some of the Dune TV miniseries which did follow the other books, and it seems the whole thing pretty much comes full circle with Paul's progeny vying for power and Paul himself feeling omnipotent. Reminds me of the comment someone (forget who) said that power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.

[marjifay]

Ron Hubbard (actually L. Ron Hubbard), besides writing science fiction and fantasy, founded the Church of Scientology and developed a self-help system called Dionetics.
From what I've heard, to join that church costs a lot of money.

Marj

[BarbStAubrey]

Marj have you read the new book that folks are talking about that explains the church of Scientology - the author was on the Evan Smith program explaining his experience as a journalist with the Post getting the information to explain rather then expose only the faults with the church.

[marcie]

Thanks, Pat, for mentioning that the article about the relevance of DUNE has spoilers. I didn't think of that!

[marjifay]

Barb, I'm assuming you mean Going Clear; Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright.  No I haven't yet read it, but it's on my TBR list.  The author has written some interesting books.  Have you read it?

Marj