Author Topic: Suggestion Box for Future Book Discussions ~ (Read 283079 times)

marjifay · « **Reply #920 on:** October 15, 2012, 06:02:28 AM »

March Book Club Online Selection:

NOMINATIONS for April Book Club discussion:

(NOTE THAT ALL OF THESE TITLES ARE LINKED TO REVIEWS)

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini

Starlight by Sheila Gibbons

Contact: JoanP

JoanP · « **Reply #921 on:** October 23, 2012, 12:58:11 PM »

Well, we had the vote of the 8 nominated titles and narrowed the list to three. We held a run-off election - only to find the results way to close to call. Here's what we decided to do.

The Hobbit November Book Club Online discussion. Join us today! HERE

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Travels with Herodotus January Book Club Online Discussion by Ryszard Kapuscinski

Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof - for consideration in March (if there is still interest)

ANNIE · « **Reply #922 on:** December 13, 2012, 12:52:51 PM »

Another non-fiction suggestion for whenever.

Maybe February??

First Chapter Excerpts
Crossing the Borders of Time: A True Story of War, Exile, and Love Reclaimed

Leslie Maitland

During the fall that my father was dying, I went back to Europe and found myself seeking my mother's lost love. I say I went back almost as if the world she had fled and the dream she abandoned had also been mine, because I had grown to share the myth of her life. Perhaps it is common for children whose parents survived the Nazi regime to identify with them, to feel a duty to make their lives better. As my mother's handmaiden and avid disciple in an oral tradition, I felt possessed by a history never my own. Still, not as yoked as she was to life's compromises, I would prove more prepared to retrace the past and use it to forge a new future for her. Time was running out on the present, and while my father grew weak in a lonely cave of silent bravado, it pained me to realize he would not even leave us the words that we needed. No deathbed regrets, explanations, or tears. An emotional bandit, he would soon slip away under shadow of night, wearing his boots and his mask. Work as a journalist compelled me to leave New York for a week that October, and I was anguished to lose any day at Dad's side. Yet how fast he would fade I failed to imagine. Nor could I foresee the course of my journey: that an impetuous detour to France from reporting in Germany would send me in search of Roland Arcieri -- the man my mother had loved and lost and mourned all her life. Dreading my father's imminent death and the void he would leave, I took a blind leap of faith into the past, dragging my mother behind me. This is how one Sunday morning in 1990 I came to be visiting Mulhouse, a provincial French city 15 miles from Germany's Rhine River border. With cousins in town, I had visited Mulhouse twice years before. But on this crisp autumn day I was drawn toward a new destination: a 14-story, blue and white stucco building whose boxy design represented what passes too often for modern in Europe. While there was nothing about this unexceptional structure on a street densely shaded by chestnut trees to attract an American tourist, I instantly sensed that this was the place I had always needed to find. I stood at the spot -- the X on a map to a treasure buried by time -- torn by contradictory feelings. I ran a very real risk of discovering something better left hidden, still I could not understand or forgive my failure to look here before. An ache of remorse for all the lost years mingled with nervous excitement. Just up the stairs, I would finally learn what I had always wanted to know. Who was Roland? Where was Roland? What had happened to him in the near 50 years since the cruelties of war had stolen the girl he wanted to marry? I needed to find my mother's grand passion. Love for the dark-eyed Frenchman, whose picture she always kept tucked in her wallet, continued to pulse in her memory, the heartbeat that kept her alive. Excerpted from Crossing the Borders of Time: A True Story of War, Exile, and a Love Reclaimed by Leslie Maitland All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Babi · « **Reply #923 on:** December 14, 2012, 08:53:21 AM »

A very impressive sample, ELLA. I was especially struck by the line, "An emotional bandit, he would soon slip away under shadow of night, wearing his boots and his mask."What more does the book cover, other than this search for a mother's old love?

kidsal · « **Reply #924 on:** January 12, 2013, 05:47:51 AM »

Am I missing a February book???

JoanP · « **Reply #925 on:** January 12, 2013, 06:14:59 AM »

We're working diligently on it, kidsal. Admittedly we're late with the decision. Should let you know in a few days - by Jan. 15.

JudeS · « **Reply #926 on:** January 12, 2013, 09:04:30 AM »

Are we making suggestions for nom-fiction?

If so I would like to suggest the book:"The Hare With the Amber Eyes" by Edmund de Waal.
This is the history of a collection of 265 Japanese Netsuki (tiny figurines carved in ivory, wood, or stone)passed down through five generations from the year 1865 till the present.
We explore the changes in Paris and Vienna during this period with Japan as the source of the figurines .
The family moves from being second only to the Rothchilds in European wealth to total poverty. Yet through the five generations that we get to know the netsuki are somhow preserved.
I can't beleive how much History I learned from this book .
It is written in a delightful yet in depth way that holds your attention from begining to end.

ANNIE · « **Reply #927 on:** January 12, 2013, 11:31:02 AM »

Wow, Jude,
That looks really good. I will peruse my library's online list and see if they have it.

marcie · « **Reply #928 on:** January 12, 2013, 03:36:48 PM »

Jude, thanks for the suggestion of The Hare with the Amber Eyes. It does look good!

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #929 on:** January 12, 2013, 04:33:14 PM »

It does and wonders of wonders it is out in paperback - the Guardian gave it a wonderful review when it was first published.

kidsal · « **Reply #930 on:** January 13, 2013, 05:25:51 AM »

It reminds me of "People of the Book"

JoanP · « **Reply #931 on:** January 15, 2013, 07:54:36 AM »

Yes, it does, doesn't it, kidsal. I was surprised to learn that the author of The Hare with Amber Eyes is not an writer by trade, but a potter. Surprised because he is winning growing numbers of European literary awards for this book abroad. But then not surprised to read that he studied English at Cambridge, though he chose to become a potter, rather than a writer after he graduated.

Here's the big surprise of the morning. We had been looking for a good fiction title for February's Book Club Online - to follow Travels with Herodotus. Until Jude brought The Hare with those amber eyes to our attention - and blew us all away.

Sooo - there are two announcements this morning -

1. The Hare with Amber Eyes is our February Book Club Online selection - please follow the title link to the discussion this morning and say hello - since the suggested emanated from this discussion.

2. We are opening the nominations for Fiction for our March discussion this morning. I'm going to enter one of the top contenders we were considering for February before the hare hopped into our sights. Will Schwabe's End of Your Life Book Club, though not strictly fiction, offers a rich discussion of fiction titles in the mother-son book club of the title. Pedln recommended this book and we all agreed it was worthy of our discussion. The concern at the time was that it was too new and perhaps too difficult to get hold of. Will begin our header of nominations with this title - perhaps you can check your local libraries to see how many copies they carry and the extent of the demand. It looks like a great book club suggestion.

The floor is now open for March Fiction nominations...

marjifay · « **Reply #932 on:** January 15, 2013, 09:53:23 AM »

I'd like to read THE PLAGUE by Albert Camus. Jude recommended it some time ago, and said "By placing the setting of the Novel in North Africa he fooled the Germans who had conquered France into thinking it was about a Plague of sickness. It really was an allegory about the Nazi Regime.
They allowed it to be published while the war was still on and before they ever found out that Camus was working for the French Underground. For those of you who haven't read Camus this is a deceptively dark novel that gave hope to people in their days under the Nazi regime."

Marj

pedln · « **Reply #933 on:** January 15, 2013, 10:15:41 AM »

I've got two titles I'd like to recommend, one read and one on my TBR list, both fairly recent titles from a few years back.

Still Alice, a novel by neuroscientist Lisa Genova is about a woman professor diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers. Rather than saying "I really liked it," perhaps, "I'm glad I read it" is the more appropriate comment. Every time I think of this book, I also think of Tennessee coach Pat Summit.

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton has been recommended to me by friends, one reason being that it's set in the same time frame as Downton Abbey. A book with secrets, the story is told by one of the invisible "help."

JoanP · « **Reply #934 on:** January 15, 2013, 06:45:25 PM »

Thanks for the great nominations, everyone. You're going to make the selection for March a difficult one!

marcie · « **Reply #935 on:** January 27, 2013, 01:05:16 PM »

I'm interested in reading The Phantom of the Opera which I've not read.

"The Phantom of the Opera is undoubtedly a product of nineteenth century history and culture. It follows the conventions of popular serialized fiction with its succession of ‘fillers’ and ‘cliff hangers’, and use of stereotypical situations. Yet there is something both unsettled and unsettling about it. It is a popular novel, yet it takes its cue from elitist Grand Opera. It is a romantic tragedy of sorts but with farcical scenes. It contains all the elements of the pageant, and yet revels in the hidden. As for the main protagonists, they scarcely correspond to the profile of standard heroes and villains. Even those episodes that begin with all the markings of the adventure story have disconcerting outcomes. And although it is a detective story, with an inquisitive reporter as first-person narrator, the mystery is never quite dispelled: it lingers on. While this may help understand why the book originally failed as a work of popular fiction, it also goes some way to explain why several generations of filmmakers, dramatists, novelists and even poets have felt compelled time and time again to revisit, reinterpret and reinvent Leroux’s compelling story and characters."
http://www.mireilleribiere.com/the-phantom-of-the-opera/an-unsettling-unsettled-novel/

marcie · « **Reply #936 on:** January 27, 2013, 01:06:05 PM »

Does anyone else have any nominations before we start voting?

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #937 on:** January 27, 2013, 07:20:44 PM »

great suggestions - already I can see two that I will struggle to decide which would be my first choice.

PatH · « **Reply #938 on:** January 30, 2013, 12:32:22 PM »

Done. I was lucky this time--had clear first and second choices.

Babi · « **Reply #939 on:** January 31, 2013, 09:02:22 AM »

Easy choice for #1. A bit hesitant on #2.

pedln · « **Reply #940 on:** February 02, 2013, 11:36:42 AM »

Same here, Babi. Number 1 was easy, number 2 I had to choose between two I really liked.

kidsal · « **Reply #941 on:** February 12, 2013, 02:34:23 AM »

Did something happen to the vote??

JoanP · « **Reply #942 on:** February 12, 2013, 08:59:44 AM »

No, we have a clear winner-just lining up discussion leaders right now. Stay tuned

JoanP · « **Reply #943 on:** February 14, 2013, 11:59:22 AM »

So pleased to announce our readers' #1 choice for March discussion, Will Schwalbe's "The End of Your Life Book Club" - "the inspiring true story of a son and his mother, who start a “book club” that brings them together as her life comes to a close. Over the next two years, Will and Mary Anne carry on conversations that are both wide-ranging and deeply personal, prompted by an eclectic array of books and a shared passion for reading."

Keep a pen and notepad handy; you will surely hear them discuss titles you wonder how you ever missed! No wonder this book is a best seller, five stars, Amazon pick by the editors as "best book of 2012." We'll be talking about the Schwalbes' story through March and also the titles they discuss in their "bookclub" conversations. Please plan to join us here: The End of Your Life Book Club Discussion

JoanP · « **Reply #944 on:** February 15, 2013, 08:26:44 AM »

Time to start thinking about a good topic for group discussion in April. Fiction, this time...

Frybabe · « **Reply #945 on:** February 15, 2013, 01:12:15 PM »

Oh Gosh! Just when I am cruising my collection for the next book to read.

Okay, how about:
Rafael Sabatini, Scaramouche Adventure
http://www.amazon.com/Scaramouche-Rafael-Sabatini/dp/0451527976

Wilkie Collins, The Moonstone Detective Mystery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moonstone

All Quiet on the Western Front War
http://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Western-Front-Erich-Remarque/dp/0449213943

PatH · « **Reply #946 on:** February 15, 2013, 01:46:28 PM »

Scaramouche--I read it a lifetime ago, wonder how it would seem now.

We discussed The Woman in White on the old site, but I don't think we've ever done The Moonstone. If you haven't read it, you're in for a treat, and it would make for a good discussion--lots of meat there.

Frybabe · « **Reply #947 on:** February 15, 2013, 02:35:15 PM »

I have no idea if Scaramouche would make a good discussion or not, but The Moonstone looks like it will have plenty to talk about. All Quiet on the Western Front I added because I know at least one other person wants to read it too. I tried to list books that were not too long or too short and are widely available in print, e-book and audio. I believe two of them also come in large print. What horrifying prices they want for large print books, and I thought the audible books were expensive.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #948 on:** February 15, 2013, 02:41:39 PM »

I am for - All Quiet on the Western Front

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #949 on:** February 15, 2013, 02:58:09 PM »

I also could do with a good laugh and Stella Gibbons has a great line up of characters - she is likened to Barbara Pym only with less dreary characters as well, it is said she is the twentieth century's answer to Jane Austin.

This one - Starlight - looks like fun...

http://www.amazon.com/Starlight-Vintage-Classics-Stella-Gibbons/dp/009952869X/ref=pd_sim_b_6

Frybabe · « **Reply #950 on:** February 15, 2013, 03:11:15 PM »

I didn't recognize the name until I saw she wrote Cold Comfort Farm.

Babi · « **Reply #951 on:** February 16, 2013, 08:37:56 AM »

I've read one Stella Gibbons book, "Cold Comfort Farm", and it was good. I'm
not certain if I read "The Moonstone" or some other similar story about a
stolen Indian gem. I'm sure there were others, featuring a ruby and perhaps a
diamond.

JoanP · « **Reply #952 on:** February 16, 2013, 09:52:22 AM »

Goodness, already 4-5 titles to consider for April! Will be back this afternoon and enter them into the heading.

Don't forget - we've opened End of Your Life Book Club... This promises to be a rich discussion - I'll bet more titles will occur in this club's reading list too...

PatH · « **Reply #953 on:** February 16, 2013, 01:47:49 PM »

The gem called the moonstone is a yellow diamond, stolen from the eye of an Indian idol.

Frybabe · « **Reply #954 on:** February 16, 2013, 03:36:00 PM »

The the book is misnamed? The gemstone called moonstone has nothing to do with diamonds; it is a feldspar. Here is Google's image page. I've seen the greyish moonstone, but it comes in other colors. To commemorate the astronauts landing on the moon in 1969, Florida named Moonstone as their state gem in 1970.

http://isearch.avg.com/images?s=sideNav&q=moonstone+gemstone&sap=nt&lang=en&mid=fc8afeb655e447d1b5ffcd889880a8e9-291fb84bd40ac22258bbdf87a67f8c5048b9eaf2&cid={b53baf44-530d-417b-baf0-7af721d7384b}&v=14.1.0.10&ds=ts023&d=8%2f26%2f2012+8%3a06%3a23+AM&pr=sa&snd=hdr&pid=avg

PatH · « **Reply #955 on:** February 16, 2013, 07:54:45 PM »

The title gem of the book gets its name from its association with the Hindu god of the moon. Supposedly it waxes and wanes in brilliance with the phases of the moon. So the book is misnamed only in the sense that the title has two meanings, one of which was not intended.

The feldspar moonstones look much more appropriate to the name.

Frybabe · « **Reply #956 on:** February 16, 2013, 09:18:03 PM »

The GReeks and ROmans associated the moonshine with their LUnar GOds. I have no idea why this thing is capitalizing the first two letters. I'm on my KIndle right now. It sure is slow typing with a stylus.

Babi · « **Reply #957 on:** February 17, 2013, 08:58:49 AM »

The moonstones are incredibly beautiful, and remind me of my birthstone, the opal. I find such gems
much lovelier than the diamond. Really, the popularity of the diamond has always somewhat puzzled me.
Lots of sparkle and glitter, of course.

JoanP · « **Reply #958 on:** February 21, 2013, 06:06:10 PM »

Has anyone read any of Kent Haruf's books - Plainsong, Eventide? He's just come out with a new one after a decade since he last published. The new one is called Benediction - some of the characters appeared in the earlier two. I'm interested to hear about those...

Babi · « **Reply #959 on:** February 22, 2013, 09:34:58 AM »

All three what you might call clerical titles. They do appeal to me. What are the books about? What genre, would you say, JOAN?

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Author Topic: Suggestion Box for Future Book Discussions ~ (Read 283079 times)