Jae Onasi Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Half-inspired by the European salons of the 18th century and half-inspired by Oprah's book club.... Someone had made a suggestion along these lines the other night about this on the chatbox, and I asked again tonight if anyone would be interested in something like a book-of-the-month club. Several people seemed interested, so I thought I'd bring it to the community. Is there enough interest to do something like this? And if so, what kinds of things would you want in a book club? Literary? Not literary? Best-sellers? Sci-fi/fantasy? Something else? If there's enough interest, we can go from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountVerilucus Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 can't say I'll be that commited to it, but I'll drop by and chat if it's a book ive read. Maybe even read the ones you guys pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavlos Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 I'd be interested in experiencing other people's views on books I've read and reading books others recommend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JediMaster12 Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 I find it to be interesting and a good idea Jae. Maybe it would inpire others who form their arguments not to rely on Wikipedia too much. I also see it as a means to expand my reading library though I'm sure my mother would say otherwise I say go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Dravis Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 I read a lot. I think I could handle an extra book a month, just as long as I'm not expected to read romance novels. XD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentScope001 Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 I am currently reading some Nietchzhe's works (Beyond Good and Evil, Twilight of the Idols, Genology of Morals), though with schoolwork, I don't think I'll handle reading a seperate book. But I'll tune into the disucssions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish.Stapler Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 Oh man, I love to read anything and everything in all languages, minus romance novels. I'd love something monthly, it would function as a "Reccommend book, discuss that book for the month, then make a new thread for the next one" right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Achilles Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 I'd gladly take a look at recommendations, but I don't know if I have the bandwidth to commit to a book club right now. Maybe in a few months when I've finished my masters thesis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Devon Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 I'm up to my knees in books about the Russian Revolution right now, but I could fit in another. Seeing a lot of people's insights about one book can be very interesting. Something academic would be nice - I like it when books offer philosophical/historical knowledge. Unless it's something as good as Dune or LotR, I'd rule out sci-fi or fantasy. Those books don't tend to be very educational. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jae Onasi Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 You'd be surprised at some of the things that show up in sci-fi/fantasy novels. C J Cherryh has some very interesting stories that are anything but superficial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Devon Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 You'd be surprised at some of the things that show up in sci-fi/fantasy novels. I know. Dune's a shining example of that. Most tend not to be very educational IMO. But the ones that are tend to be excellent reads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish.Stapler Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 I know. Dune's a shining example of that. Most tend not to be very educational IMO. But the ones that are tend to be excellent reads. Doesn't need to be educational to be entertaining and thought/discussion provoking. Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow and the sequels are prime examples of this (in the sci-fi genre) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Dravis Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Doesn't need to be educational to be entertaining and thought/discussion provoking. Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow and the sequels are prime examples of this (in the sci-fi genre) .I agree. The problem is everyone's read those already! An interesting book on self-determination is Orson Scott Card's A Planet Called Treason, aka Treason. I got it because I really like his other books, but this one's quite fun by itself and few people are likely to have read it here. I suggest we (well, you guys, I just reread it the other day) read that one! It's not very big, but it's kinda trippy at sections and that makes for great fun - and like I said, the main theme is the importance of self-determination, so it's full of philosophy too! I would not really suggest it for younger readers though. It is teen+ I'm thinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jae Onasi Posted March 23, 2007 Author Share Posted March 23, 2007 Yeah, we probably ought to make the proviso that we need to keep it in the PG-13 framework, which will probably limit the options some, but there are plenty of great books that meet that criteria. Of course, this completely rules out any of the bodice-ripper romance novels _I_ read, but, oh, well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Devon Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Doesn't need to be educational to be entertaining and thought/discussion provoking. I would consider something that makes you think educational. And I would suggest Atlas Shrugged for this month's book. I need some time to finish my Russian ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bee Hoon Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 Any books that make a good read. I tend towards comtemporary fiction, some fantasy and humourous sci-fi. What's Atlas Shrugged?=p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavlos Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 I would consider something that makes you think educational. And I would suggest Atlas Shrugged for this month's book. I need some time to finish my Russian ones. If you can recommend that then I can recommend Hamlet . Which, though it isn't a book, is a great work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igyman Posted March 23, 2007 Share Posted March 23, 2007 I've been thinking of starting a book recommendation thread in Ahto, but I see you're way ahead of me Jae. I'm currently reading the Dark Elf trilogy by R.A. Salvatore and am quite enjoying it, but I'll leave the more detailed commenting for the actual book club thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth InSidious Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 Currently reading the four canonical gospels. I'm on Mark at the moment. Once I've finished the gospels (hopefully before Easter), I intend to move on to Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel Dravis Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 ...I intend to move on to Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco.Ouch. I bought that book because I thought it would be interesting, but it turned out to be just a way for the author to go "oooh look how obscure this tidbit of history is and how cleverly I fit it into my book's puzzles!" This resulted in that I didn't care about the characters at all at the end of the book. While the story was sometimes interesting, to me it certainly didn't justify the pain of wading through the rest of it. Eco is unlikely to get another chance from me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jae Onasi Posted March 27, 2007 Author Share Posted March 27, 2007 Foucault's Pendulum is not nearly as interesting as The Name of the Rose. I was rather disappointed in it. I like Luke's gospel best. He seemed to understand women better and mention them more, I imagine being a physician had something to do with it. Well, how about book suggestions then? Shakespeare plays, poetry collections (e.g. Poe or Keats or the Brownings), books (including just plain enjoyable books, no seriousness totally necessary), the Great Books list, all are fair game. Only stipulation is that it can't be rated M/adult, or porn, or anything out of lines with forum rules. It also has to be something someone can reasonably find in a library or bookstore. And it has to be something we can all read within a month with the assumption that we all have lives, so 1000 page tomes are not the best choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emperor Devon Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 When are we getting onto the book of the month? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth InSidious Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Foucault's Pendulum is not nearly as interesting as The Name of the Rose. I was rather disappointed in it. I like Luke's gospel best. He seemed to understand women better and mention them more, I imagine being a physician had something to do with it. Possibly. Personally, I prefer Mark. I think Jesus' humanity is much easier to see, and the frustration and difficulty of life for Him... Well, how about book suggestions then? Shakespeare plays, poetry collections (e.g. Poe or Keats or the Brownings), books (including just plain enjoyable books, no seriousness totally necessary), the Great Books list, all are fair game. Only stipulation is that it can't be rated M/adult, or porn, or anything out of lines with forum rules. It also has to be something someone can reasonably find in a library or bookstore. And it has to be something we can all read within a month with the assumption that we all have lives, so 1000 page tomes are not the best choice. Ethel The Aadvark Goes Quantity Surveying? I'd recommend anything by Wodehouse. He's undoubtedly one of, if not the best writer of the 20th Century, IMO... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavlos Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 so 1000 page tomes are not the best choice. Damn... I'd recommend anything by Wodehouse. He's undoubtedly one of, if not the best writer of the 20th Century, IMO... I disagree. While I think Wodehouse was a talented writer... I believe George Orwell has the one up on him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JediMaster12 Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 I have had a chance to read a personal favorite of mine called To Kill A Mockingbird. I find it to be a sad little truth about the deep South. Set in the Depression era, the narrator of the story is little Jean Louis 'Scout' Finch who speaks of the strong racism and the circumstances of the people within the town Maycomb. A nice insight into the injustices of society revealing the good, the bad and the ugly. A good read if you like the symbolism. Another good set that I like is historic fiction and this is one that will send me runnignto the nearest couch to read it. The North and South trilogy by John Jakes is one of the best I have seen in historic fiction. The trilogy carries on about two familes from different parts of the country, one from the idustries of Pennyslvania and the other from the rice plantations of South Carolina. Set in the decade before the Civil War, it passes through the tensions leading up to seccession, war and Reconstruction. Love, pain, hatred are put at its extremes as two familes struggle to keep a lasting friendship and eventually into one family. Again if you like histroic fiction, this is a good series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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