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TheSite.org book club
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
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Post edited by JustV on
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I really like that idea. I'm reading a book at the moment called the Book Group and each member chooses a book each month. (I mean they take it in turns.)
The thing is, it's really hard to suggest something if you haven't already read it yourself! Otherwise how would you know if it was any good/good for provoking discussions? I could suggest good books but I would have already read them!
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime - because it sounds interesting and I never got round to reading it.
The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood for the same reason Jim V has stated.
I'm reading a couple at the moment so I would like to nominate either:
Thomas Pynchon - Crying of Lot 49
or
Charles Johnson - Middle Passage
But if another book comes up I'm more than willing to give it a bash.
:thumb:
It's something I have been thinking of reading for while and I was going to suggest it as almost all the books I read for non-academic purposes are either (a) extremely religious or (b) in Portuguese and I can't imagine either would go down too well here!
Also that book is not too thick or tricky looking and I'm a very slow reader so I think I could manage to read that in a month.
I'm in the middle of this as we speak, so it would suit me fine, too :thumb:
However my initial thought was The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Despite having read it far too many times already (and suspecting that a lot of other people may have, too) I still find it utterly gripping and it always makes for fascinating discussion.
Another suggestion/ nomination: Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson
(I've not read it myself though but it's another general interest book that I have been meaning to read).
Are you? I've got really into it. Trying to limit myself because I have a habbit of getting into a book and reading it too fast. Are you enjoying it so far? I really like it, the characters in particular are amazing...seem like they're straight out of Tom Waits' song Singapore.
I've read classic books before and havent really enjoyed them. To me, reading is something I do to unwind and chill out once the baby is in bed, I cant do that with those kind of books.
But yeah I might vote if I see one that interests me.
But yeah. I have no interest in classics and can't ever see myself reading Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice or something like that.
I was just looking on amazon and saw that some of the books are available on CD too so I might just cheat if it looks too hard to read!
I'm really, really enjoying it, I expected it to be an interesting but not actually "entertaining" read - given the subject matter - but, it is. I'm tearing through it, too, which is why it's potentially a good choice for a book club. Though I suppose that depends on whether it grabs you from the start (or not), if you're interested in the philosophical points it raises and also The Middle Passage generally in historical terms.
I agree completely about the characterisation, in particular Calhoun is just so well-developed as a character/narrator without being one of those annoyingly perfect protagonists I can't stand to read about or get involved in caring about. That is what's gripped me, and the fantastic characters were the point on which it was "sold" to me as my next read by the friend I borrowed it from.
I hadn't thought about Singapore, I'm surprised I didn't make the link just given the sea-faring theme, but now you mention it I see what you mean. Ooh, I feel like listening to it now :thumb: