Possible E.C. board book club

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 8:31 am

Would anyone be up for starting a book-of-the-month type club on the board? I thought it would be really cool if we picked a book each month and everyone who wanted to could read it and post comments on this thread about it.

A few candidates for September that I would like to propose....

You Can't Be Neutral On A Moving Train by Howard Zinn
The Amazing Advenutures of Kavalier & Klay by Michael Chabon
Grendel by John Gardener
American Tabloid by James Ellroy

taz · Post by **taz** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 9:46 am

Think that'd be a cool idea...was thinking if everyone's interested I can setup a forum just for books/movies maybe?

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 10:19 am

Well, I've already read the Chabon book, so let's do that one.

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 10:37 am

Here's a link for getting copies
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... s&n=507846

Sounds a bit outside my comprehension, the last book I read was the latest Janet Evanovich.

taz · Post by **taz** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 11:08 am

miss buenos aires wrote:Well, I've already read the Chabon book, so let's do that one.

Ditto...

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 11:16 am

Three for Kavalier & Klay!

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 11:17 am

martinfoyle wrote: Sounds a bit outside my comprehension, the last book I read was the latest Janet Evanovich.

You know, she's a Jersey City native.

Post by **BlueChair** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 1:06 pm

Normally I'd definitely be interested in something like this, but I'm taking four English courses this semester, so I have a lot of reading to begin with.

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 1:54 pm

Well, Blue, if you read anything interesting in one of those four classes, you could make everyone else read it and give you paper ideas.

Pov · Post by **Pov** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 4:28 pm

miss buenos aires wrote:Well, I've already read the Chabon book, so let's do that one.

Wait a minute! Isn't the purpose of a book club to get you to read MORE books? Seems counterproductive to me if you start suggesting books you've already read.

How about "Life of Pi?" I forget the name of the author but I'm about to start it.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 5:27 pm

Yann Martel. I think that's right. Lots of people over herer have been reading it, cos the Booker prize has that effect, but everyone I know has loved it. I bought it recently, so would approve of that. But I'm an unbelievably slow reader (mostly cos I spend too much time doing stuff like this, and then my eyes just close over as I climb into bed), and am still reading something else, so am a poor candidate, but would make an effort with Pi if others were into it.

Post by **BlueChair** » Thu Sep 11, 2003 5:57 pm

How about The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles

I'm just starting to read that for my British Fiction Since 1960 course

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 8:08 am

Blue,

The thing is....I would really like to read that book!

Post by **spooky girlfriend** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 8:21 am

We found a book you haven't read ElVez!!

miss buenos aires · Post by **miss buenos aires** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 9:32 am

Pov wrote:Wait a minute! Isn't the purpose of a book club to get you to read MORE books? Seems counterproductive to me if you start suggesting books you've already read.

No, it's not. It's to discuss literature with like-minded people. And considering that one of the main stumbling blocks to book clubs is that nobody reads the book in question, we might as well discuss books we've already read.

The French Lieutenant's Woman is an amazing book, I'd be down for that, too. I love the way the narrative just disintegrates about three quarters of the way through.

Poppet · Post by **Poppet** » Fri Sep 12, 2003 10:42 am

i would LOVE to join you guys. Kavalier and Klay sounds GREAT! amazing, since i had given up on current fiction. and French Lieutenant's Woman sounds good too.

but, no spare time. i can't agree to read a book a month. must do AutoCAD homework. already blew the first quiz.

ya'll have fun. i'll hang out and read your comments.

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Sun Sep 14, 2003 4:52 pm

Well, I usually avoid book clubs -- though it's tempting to suggest "American Tabloid", which I just read!

But, you know, I really sort of have to read "Kavalier and Klay" anyhow, being a recovering (i.e., broke) comic book geek and an admirer of Chabon without actually having read anything of his, other than his treatment for "X-Men." Based on the movie of "Wonder Boys" and that he fact that I saw him at the San Diego Comicon last year and he seemed a total mensch, doing very respectful and sweet panels with the still way too little known genius Will Eisner (the partial model for one of the characters in the book who created "The Spirit" and actually coined the phrase "graphic novel" for his "A Contract with God."). It's such a relief to see a "major writer" covering the comic book world who isn't slumming or "re-appropriating" a la Roy Lichtenstein.

ice nine · Post by **ice nine** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 12:35 am

Has anyone here read the Bible cover to cover? A few years ago I thought I should start reading the Bible because I never had read it before. I wasn't reading it for it's spiritual value or anything like that; I just wanted to see if it was a good book or not. Is it well written? How is the Old Testament different than the New Testament?, etc.

I told my friends I was reading it because when I die and I go to heaven (or wherever) and God asks me if I have read his book I want to say 'yes'.

Well, many years later I have still not read the whole thing. Like most thick books, I started it but have yet to pick it up since. I have read Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus. I was so bored in reading how to build a temple, what animal's blood should be used in sacrifices, and how many days one has to wait in order to be cleansed after sinning I decided to go on to my next book I have always meant to read.

A rope leash · Post by **A rope leash** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 9:26 am

I have only read certain books of the Bible, Genesis, some of the Gospels, and Revelation. Whoever translated it into English was quite a talent.

It's quite difficult to read, and the more I read it the more I'm convinced of it's primitive nature. Abe Lincoln said, "Take what you can of this book as truth, and the balance upon faith". I guess I'll just have to see an ocean parted before I'll believe it. In a way, some of it's like science fiction or fantasy, but we are never asked to believe that Alice in Wonderland is a true story.

By the way, it wasn't until I studied Shakespeare that I could understand much of anything I read in the bible. You have to get into that "old English" mode...

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 6:41 pm

I'm reading Valerie Block's Mind Your Own Business at the moment. Good stuff, interesting use of flashbacks, extremely efficient backstorying, loads more info. in one line than others would in a paragraph. What's her other book like?

Misha · Post by **Misha** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 1:00 am

I'm poking around the message boards, did you guys ever start this book club? Maybe I just need to get poking, I'm interested...I think.

so lacklustre · Post by **so lacklustre** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 5:37 am

I am reading Alexei Sayle's debut novel Overtaken. Quite funny in parts and very readable, I don't like books that are difficult to read (to dim). Do you Statesians know of him?

laughingcrow · Post by **laughingcrow** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 8:02 am

I read the bible.... he dies in the end.

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 8:19 am

We picked up Nickel & Dimed the other day but I still haven't gotten around to reading it. Also, my girlfriend handed me her copy of Eudora Welty's book on writing for me to read. Just been to damn busy lately.

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 8:23 am

Oddly enough, I was thinking about this thread last night, wondering if the book discussion ever got started so I could lurk and learn. Guess it's still in the planning stages. Get busy people!

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Possible E.C. board book club

Possible E.C. board book club

The Bible

A tough one

an old chestnut