gogo Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 edit to add poll: Please feel free to vote for more than one option. Poll will close Friday afternoon. Oh, and if Underworld/Pafko at the Wall or the David Foster Wallace option win, we'll decide then whether we want to go for the whole thing on Underworld or the more manageable opening section only; or for DFW, if we want to read both, one or the other, selections from each, etc. See below for discussions of the books included. OK, the first one went fairly well. I don't know if we'll find another book with as much appeal to a wide VC audience, but I think it'd be fun to do it again. I'm opening the call for suggestions for the next time around. If anyone wants to see what books we considered the last time, the old topic is here. Underworld and The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao were the next highest vote-getters, so they'll be in the mix one way or another. Other suggestions? As for the timeline, I think I'll leave the suggestions open for another few days, make it into a poll over the weekend, and then we'll come up with the final decision by late next week. I think I'd like to leave the discussion until maybe the first of November then (or later, if we decide on something particularly lengthy or dense), since not everyone was able to get the book right away last time. So that should leave plenty of time for getting and reading the book. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ms. yvon Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 i'm def interested. i've been wanting to read "oscar wao". i'll cast my vote when the time comes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 i'm afraid that as much as I wanted to, i could not participate. I am reading too much for grad school to read for pleasure. maybe in March when i'm DONE. But i'm glad everyone read Devil in the White City because that is a great book. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VenusStopsTrain2 Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I'm still keen on reading any of the Jodi Picoult books...they are a challenge to your thoughts on situations that you could find yourself in and not know how you'd deal with it til that moment...I know Kidsmoke will agree...I am still enjoying The Devil in the White City...I have had issues with a crazy work schedule but I'm hoping to finish it really soon! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 i'm afraid that as much as I wanted to, i could not participate. I am reading too much for grad school to read for pleasure. maybe in March when i'm DONE. But i'm glad everyone read Devil in the White City because that is a great book.Ditto on all counts. Unless I finish my current "pleasure" read within the next week.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimmyjimmy Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 i'm def interested. i've been wanting to read "oscar wao". i'll cast my vote when the time comes. What she said.I even have "Oscar Wao" awaiting in a pile on my desk.So, yup. "In". Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kimcatch22 Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I'm bogged down with grad school readings but if I ever learn to manage those I'd be in for "Oscar Wao" or something by Murakami. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Are we done with the first one?? I haven't even finished the book yet..... LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
turtlegirl37 Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Underworld and The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao were the next highest vote-getters, so they'll be in the mix one way or another. Other suggestions? I haven't read either of those. Currently, I'm reading To Kill a Mockingbird, which I somehow managed to never read before now. It's awesome. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RaspberryJam Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I just started American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld. She wrote Prep. It is a very thinly veiled account of a certain current first lady. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yermom Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I'm still finishing up The Devil but I'm game on a Book Club Part Deux. I just picked up the Your Brain on Music book last week, so if I can nominate that for the candidates for Book Club II, I do. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gogo Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 I'm still keen on reading any of the Jodi Picoult books...they are a challenge to your thoughts on situations that you could find yourself in and not know how you'd deal with it til that moment...I know Kidsmoke will agree...I'd be in for "Oscar Wao" or something by Murakami.Give me titles, folks! Either of those sound good to me (although at the moment, Oscar Wao is looking like a lock...). I am still enjoying The Devil in the White City...I have had issues with a crazy work schedule but I'm hoping to finish it really soon!Are we done with the first one?? I haven't even finished the book yet.....I'm still finishing up The Devil but I'm game on a Book Club Part Deux.The other thread's not going to be closed or anything. Keep on discussing! And I'm definitely going to put off starting this next one for a while. I haven't read either of those. Currently, I'm reading To Kill a Mockingbird, which I somehow managed to never read before now. It's awesome. I just started American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld. She wrote Prep.I just picked up the Your Brain on Music book last week, so if I can nominate that for the candidates for Book Club II, I do.I'm interested in both of those. They'll be in the poll. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs. Peel Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I even have "Oscar Wao" awaiting in a pile on my desk. So do I. I'm in too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I shouldn't be able to recommend books since I'm not going to participate, but I highly recommend William Manchesters "A world Lit only by fire."From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, searchA World Lit only By Fire Author William ManchesterCountry USALanguage EnglishSubject(s) HistoryPublisher Little, Brown and Company; A Back Bay Book (paperback)Publication date 1992;1993 PaperbackMedia type Print (Hardback, Paperback)Pages 322 (Paperback)ISBN ISBN 0-316-54531-7 (1st edition)= ISBN 0-316-54556-2 (pb) A World Lit Only by Fire (1992) by American historian William Manchester, is an informal history of the European Middle Ages, structured into three sections: The Medieval Mind, The Shattering, and One Man Alone. In the book, Manchester scathingly posits, as the title suggests, that the Middle Ages were ten centuries of technological stagnation, short-sightedness, bloodshed, feudalism, and an oppressive Church wedged between the golden ages of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance. "The Medieval Mind" extensively covers notable occurrences centered in approximately the year 500, including a description of the fall of the Roman Empire. The book further delineates the Dark Ages that immediately followed the collapse of the Roman Empire, including details regarding a number of adverse events that were characteristic of what Manchester regards as a "stark" era. It includes commentary on St. Augustine and the effects he had on medieval civilization. The second section of the book, "The Shattering", is the book's longest section, expanding upon a number of events that Manchester regards as embodying the end of the Middle Ages as well as the early period of the Renaissance. It relates extensive anecdotes regarding a pope from the formidable medieval Borgia family, Pope Alexander VI, focusing on his "wild" celebrations and extensive nepotism. Continuing with his focus in regard to spirituality, Manchester writes on the rise of humanism in the early Renaissance days and its celebration of secularism over piety. The section further covers humanist scholars, and concentrates upon the humanist tendencies of Renaissance leaders such as Michelangelo and Da Vinci. The European nobility of the era are also touched upon in chapters elaborately describing the life and decisions made by England's King Henry VIII. Henry's wives and eventual separation from the Church despite his being once an "ardent Catholic" are treated extensively. The final section of the work, "One Man Alone", is a description of the voyage of the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who circumnavigated the globe. The section expands upon the life and personality of Magellan and his eventual death in the Philippines in an attempt to convert the natives to Catholicism there. Manchester's argument is ultimately that Magellan's voyage was concurrent with and, on several levels, symptomatic of changing ways in which Renaissance people thought. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
austrya Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Oscar Wao gets my vote, since I already have the book. Re: Jodi Piccoult, I don't know that the guys would like her books. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Good Old Neon Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 In honor of his death, I Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kimcatch22 Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 Re: Jodi Piccoult, I don't know that the guys would like her books.Hell, I wouldn't like her books. This isn't gender-exclusive. When are we thinking of starting up this round?edit: nm, I see. Give me titles, folks! Either of those sound good to me (although at the moment, Oscar Wao is looking like a lock...).re: Murakami: After Dark Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RaspberryJam Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 In honor of his death, I Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 I vote for something relatively short, or something at least broken into shorter segments than Devil in the White City was. I fell behind right away with that, and I never caught up. With teaching, I'm pretty swamped, but a collection of essays (I wouldn't mind reading the DFW suggested by others) or short stories (has anyone read the new Jhumpa Lahiri collection yet? I can't remember the title of it...) would be manageable, I think. I'd also like to read Oscar Wao, but again I'm worried about being able to keep up. I'd love to see us do Underworld at some point, but there's absolutely no way I can reread that until I'm not teaching, since I'm teaching three different classes now and will be again in the spring. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wilco LP #7 Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 I'm halfway through Underworld, I'm down if that's the choice. Been nursing it for a while. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
miss jayne Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 I'm up for it....I would like to second good old neon's suggestion...however the oscar book looks interesting too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 Underworld is not short.....not sure I care to re-read it either....maybe the first chapter which is fantastic, but other than that.... LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted October 5, 2008 Share Posted October 5, 2008 The prologue of Underworld was actually published separately as a novella entitled Pafko At the Wall. I'm not sure if it's still in print, but it's a very manageable read (less than 100 pages) and stands fairly well on its own. I'd also argue that it's some of the best prose in contemporary American literature. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gogo Posted October 6, 2008 Author Share Posted October 6, 2008 edit to add poll: Please feel free to vote for more than one option. Poll will close Friday afternoon. Oh, and if Underworld/Pafko at the Wall or the David Foster Wallace option win, we'll decide then whether we want to go for the whole thing on Underworld or the more manageable opening section only; or for DFW, if we want to read both, one or the other, selections from each, etc. See below above for discussions of the books included. The David Foster Wallace option might be a good one, we could do something like one essay a week? Anyway, we'll see how the vote goes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ms. yvon Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 oh, that's a good thought! *voting again...* Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.