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I'm gonna say, tentatively, that we'll have maybe two weeks to obtain and read the agreed-upon book?
A month seems excessively long to me; some of us may lose interest in that amount of time, or we may finish the book in two days and forget the details by the time it's time to discuss it.
A week, on the other hand, seems too short. Some of us may not ever be able to get the book in question until payday.
Would a month be better? I welcome your input. I don't know how long it takes some people to read books. i know we all have jobs, so... let me know what you think.
I think book selections can be fiction or nonfiction (there are, for example, some memoirs I'd like to include, eventually). Classic or contemporary.
I personally like a lot of books that came out in the 80s and 90s; I haven't read many new books that have impressed me since the century changed.
Another important thing is that we must choose books that are not too girly, nor too boy-y.
Otherwise, not many people will be interested in participating, and we won't get the diversity of perspectives we're looking for when it comes time to discuss the book.
Last, people who have already read the book are free to participate in the discussion, but must re-read the book in order to do so. Having read it two years ago doesn't count. You have to read it again.
So, I'd welcome any responses to the above guidelines, as well as suggestions on which books we should read. Once we've compiled some suggestions, we can make sort of a reading list. Maybe we can decide upon two months worth of books (which would be four, if we're doing a book every two weeks), and set dates for the discussions.
After the two months, we can re-assess the book club and see if it's fun, if participation is reasonably high, and if we wish to continue it or not.
Here's a few suggestions I have (although I also suggest that we not use more than one of any one person's suggestions, so others will get a chance to share books they like as well). These are not necessarily my all-time favorite books (which tend to be pretty girly), but they're good, solid, well-written books that I believe would appeal to a broader audience, and which are popular enough that nobody should have any trouble obtaining a copy.
1. The World According to Garp, by John Irving, 1978.
Fiction novel.
2. The Devil in the White City, by Erick Larson, 2003
Non-fiction account of the 1893 Chicago World Fair
3. The Mosquito Coast, Paul Theroux, 1982
Fiction novel.
4. Sophie's Choice, William Styron, 1979
Fiction
5. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov, 1955
Fiction.
6. Little, Big, John Crowley, 1981
Fiction/ Fantasy. Winner of the World Fantasy Award, 1982.
I can think of a few others, but I think any of these would be thought-provoking, interesting to a broad readership, and spark off some interesting discussion.
I welcome other suggestions.
I'm gonna say, tentatively, that we'll have maybe two weeks to obtain and read the agreed-upon book?
A month seems excessively long to me; some of us may lose interest in that amount of time, or we may finish the book in two days and forget the details by the time it's time to discuss it.
A week, on the other hand, seems too short. Some of us may not ever be able to get the book in question until payday.
Would a month be better? I welcome your input. I don't know how long it takes some people to read books. i know we all have jobs, so... let me know what you think.
I think book selections can be fiction or nonfiction (there are, for example, some memoirs I'd like to include, eventually). Classic or contemporary.
I personally like a lot of books that came out in the 80s and 90s; I haven't read many new books that have impressed me since the century changed.
Another important thing is that we must choose books that are not too girly, nor too boy-y.
Otherwise, not many people will be interested in participating, and we won't get the diversity of perspectives we're looking for when it comes time to discuss the book.
Last, people who have already read the book are free to participate in the discussion, but must re-read the book in order to do so. Having read it two years ago doesn't count. You have to read it again.
So, I'd welcome any responses to the above guidelines, as well as suggestions on which books we should read. Once we've compiled some suggestions, we can make sort of a reading list. Maybe we can decide upon two months worth of books (which would be four, if we're doing a book every two weeks), and set dates for the discussions.
After the two months, we can re-assess the book club and see if it's fun, if participation is reasonably high, and if we wish to continue it or not.
Here's a few suggestions I have (although I also suggest that we not use more than one of any one person's suggestions, so others will get a chance to share books they like as well). These are not necessarily my all-time favorite books (which tend to be pretty girly), but they're good, solid, well-written books that I believe would appeal to a broader audience, and which are popular enough that nobody should have any trouble obtaining a copy.
1. The World According to Garp, by John Irving, 1978.
Fiction novel.
2. The Devil in the White City, by Erick Larson, 2003
Non-fiction account of the 1893 Chicago World Fair
3. The Mosquito Coast, Paul Theroux, 1982
Fiction novel.
4. Sophie's Choice, William Styron, 1979
Fiction
5. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov, 1955
Fiction.
6. Little, Big, John Crowley, 1981
Fiction/ Fantasy. Winner of the World Fantasy Award, 1982.
I can think of a few others, but I think any of these would be thought-provoking, interesting to a broad readership, and spark off some interesting discussion.
I welcome other suggestions.
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