# SDMB Fiction Club - Catch-22 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 29, 2000, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676 "2000-12-29T17:08:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jester/32/8223_2.png) [@Jester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jester)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/21 "2000-12-29T23:07:12Z")
I’m up for it. I may not be able to keep up with the reading pace, due to tons of outside work, but I’ve read _Catch-22_ before, so I’ll at least attempt to keep up in discussion. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/22 "2000-12-29T23:17:07Z")
Can I play too? I haven’t read this book since high school and a need a reason to read something besides the Boards 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2000, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/23 "2000-12-29T23:32:02Z")
Updated list of discussers: **Gadarene Pucette stuffinb Green Bean MikeG slackergirl Democritus psycat TheVoiceofReason DocDaneeka Milossarian Winkie TroubleAgain Jester chique** Fantastic. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2000, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/24 "2000-12-30T00:32:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jester \* > \*\*I’m up for it. I may not be able to keep up with the reading pace, due to tons of outside work, but I’ve read _Catch-22_ before, so I’ll at least attempt to keep up in discussion. \*\* ::gives him an evil look:: Ohh? Oh sorry. ::reverses the evil look:: I read it too, last year…well not the last 50 pages. I just forgot those. Perhaps i too will attempt to drop in. Or not. Whatever. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Crack\_dOff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@Crack\_dOff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crack_dOff)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2000, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/25 "2000-12-30T01:08:29Z")
This sounds great. I’m in! I haven’t read Catch-22 since I was in jr. high (around 1980). This should be fun. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2000, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/26 "2000-12-30T02:38:45Z")
Getting a literature forum would be a real feather in our cap (although if we asked and didn’t that would be a real black eye.) Maybe we should ask a mod how many posts we need to get our own forum, and they could keep raising it every time we got close. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2000, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/27 "2000-12-30T02:50:13Z")
I would definitely prefer **not** to discuss it section-by-section. I find that format somewhat confusing, and quite limiting to those who have finished the whole book. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2000, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/28 "2000-12-30T03:06:21Z")
Can I play? I’ve got some neato first-hand accounts from my Dad’s pals which I can also add, if appropriate. I agree with **Green Bean** and the others that this particular book defies a section-by-section discussion because of the… formerly unique nature of the narrative. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2000, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/29 "2000-12-30T05:30:53Z")
\ What is apparently a first edition Book Club edition picked up for a quarter at a library book sale. Slipcover in good condition but very slight water damage. \ You mean I’m supposed to READ it? Touch it and manhandle it and dogear the corners and EVERYTHING? ---
**Author:** ![Sophie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/35a633/32.png) [@Sophie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophie)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2000, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/30 "2000-12-30T05:41:27Z")
Awesome. I’m gonna read it, too. It was the next on my list anyway! This ought to be good. ---
**Author:** ![Kallessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kallessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallessa)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2000, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/31 "2000-12-30T06:11:03Z")
Count me in, please. I haven’t read Catch-22 from beginning to end in quite a while. Usually, I pick it up in the middle when I need something to get me through a couple of hours, then get so into the book, I read to the end, and then go to the beginning and read until I get to where I started. Those of you who haven’t read it yet will quickly discover why this is so easy to do with this book–or is that a spoiler? Perhaps instead of section by section we could concentrate on one character for each discrete discussion? Obviously, some discussion of the other characters would come through, but we could try to focus on the specific character, his/her problems/outlook/history, etc. I think this approach could work well with this book, but I’ll go along with the crowd. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2000, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/32 "2000-12-30T08:05:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kallessa \* > I haven’t read Catch-22 from beginning to end in quite a while. Usually, I pick it up in the middle when I need something to get me through a couple of hours, then get so into the book, I read to the end, and then go to the beginning and read until I get to where I started. I do the same thing, **Kallessa**. 🙂 > [@](#): > > Perhaps instead of section by section we could concentrate on one character for each discrete discussion? Obviously, some discussion of the other characters would come through, but we could try to focus on the specific character, his/her problems/outlook/history, etc. I think this approach could work well with this book, but I’ll go along with the crowd. Depends on what people want, I guess. I see the merit in **Green Bean’s** desire to discuss the book as a whole–maybe we can go on specific tangents from there. I do like the idea of analyzing specific characters; hell, I could do a dissertation on most of 'em. _grin_ Does everyone think they can have the book read by next weekend? In the interim, maybe we can have a thread so that people who want to discuss the sections as they’re reading can do so without spoiling it for anyone else. **dropzone** , you’re in; I don’t care what you say. **Zoggie** , **Crack’dOff** , **Scylla** , **Sophie** , **Sofa King** , **Kallessa** , you too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![LifeWillFall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@LifeWillFall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeWillFall)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2000, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/33 "2000-12-30T10:44:26Z")
I’d love to join, I hope I can swing two book clubs. I definetly like the idea of discussing the whole thing insead of section by section. I haven’t read this book yet, but I’m looking forward to it ---
**Author:** ![AndYrAStar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8edcca/32.png) [@AndYrAStar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndYrAStar)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2000, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/34 "2000-12-30T11:01:23Z")
\ me too, me too! I’d rather discuss the whole thing at once also. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2000, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/35 "2000-12-30T11:06:29Z")
I’m in… Haven’t read it in a while - but it is the only “required reading” book from highschool that I actually liked. Multiple threads is probably a good idea for this book -(one limited to a certain # of chapters, and one for the book as a whole). Section by section just will not work for anyone who has read the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![Cumber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@Cumber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumber)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2000, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/36 "2000-12-30T13:17:04Z")
Would be fun, if there was any chance of me keeping up with the reading of it. We shall see. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Demo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demo/32/8472_2.png) [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2001, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/37 "2001-01-02T19:37:59Z")
_BUMP_ I’m on page 107. Christ, I forgot how good this book was! It’s stange, I acually got a lot of “character” from this book, and I’m just now realizing it. ---
**Author:** ![Palandine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/958977/32.png) [@Palandine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palandine)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2001, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/38 "2001-01-02T19:49:18Z")
I’d like to join, too. I haven’t read Catch-22 in a while, but it’s on my shelf. BTW, if you live in St. Louis and listen to The Large Morning Show in the Afternoon on KTRS AM 550 (host’s site is at [http://www.frankopinion.com](http://www.frankopinion.com)), you’ll know that Frank and the gang have been reading s l o w l y through Catch-22 for the better part of a year. I think they’re up to page 100 by now. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mrblue92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@mrblue92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrblue92)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2001, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/39 "2001-01-02T19:50:45Z")
I wish I would have saw this before I started reading _Crime and Punishment_. I have a copy of _Catch-22_ and saw the movie, but never read it. Hmm… Maybe if I concentrate on reading for the next couple weeks I’ll be able to catch up. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2001, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676/40 "2001-01-02T20:07:18Z")
_Ou sont les neigedens d’antan?_ 😃 ::tips hat to **Scylla** ’s Col. Cathcart impression:: Despite the difficulty of discussing this book section-by-section, I think it still might be easier to take a few sections at a time as an organizing principle. Otherwise the discussion just has _too_ much room to wander, IMO. But that’s just my two cents, and I’ll go along with whatever the consensus is. P.S. Say, **Milo** , does this mean you’re going to tell us why you merged two _very_ different characters from this book into your username? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-fiction-club-catch-22/47676.md?page=3)