SMDB Bookclub: January Selection, Feb Nominations

Cafe Society
1

The January selection will be The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.

Feburary nominations will commence in this thread. Please renominate anything from the previous thread for simplicity sake.

For anyone who isn’t up on it, here is how this works.

In January, anyone interested will read The Handmaid’s Tale. On (or about) Feb 1, I will open a thread to discuss The Handmaid’s Tale. Anyone is welcome to join the discussion, even if you haven’t read the book, but you can’t complain about spoilers.

During January, this thread will be open for nominations for a book to read in Feb and discuss in March. As the nominator of Handmaids Tale, I will pick the next book (based on feedback and interest from this thread). I will be ineligible to nominate the next book. The book can be anything - fiction, non-fiction, current, classic, poetry, prose, essays - if its in written format (and English) its fair game.

Whoever nominates the next book is “in charge” for the Feb/March nominations/discussion cycle. They’ll get to pick the next book - based on nominations and feedback, not one they themselves have nominated - and will “chair” the discussion (which, hopefully, will mean opening the thread and maybe asking some questions).

People are welcome to join if the book interests them, and not join us if the book doesn’t. In other words, there is no committment from month to month.

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What a smashing idea. I’m relatively new to actually paying attention to these boards (thought I registered some time ago) and as soon as I read this post, I immediately went back and did a search to see what books the group had already read. I see that it’s a new idea just starting up now, so I’d like offer a suggestion. Maintain a list of the books that have been previously chosen appended to this type of introductory message, so that in future, people who want it will have that information to hand.

It may be following a little closely on The Handmaid’s Tale to nominate another novel by a female Canadian author, but I’d like to nominate Fall on Your Knees by Ann Marie MacDonald, anyway. It’s a fairly intense book, but not dense or difficult, and rather an intersting read.

3

Is there a list of book that were previously read by the club?

I’d nominate American Gods by Neil Gaiman without that knowledge.

4

Brand new club. So no list. There is a list of books that were nominated here

Sorry, should have done that earlier, but every time I do that link, I have to figure it out again.

5

Ooh! I second the nomination for American Gods. :slight_smile:

6

I have to pass this month… I am up to my ears in the adventures of the Vampire Lestat and his cohorts! ( got FOUR Anne Rice books going right now) But next month I should be untangled.

I’ll third for American Gods… I have it on my shelf just waiting… waiting… waiting…

7

I nominate The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. The book reviewer on NPR had it as book of the year, and I just bought it.

8

I second The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold for the second book.
I just read it and it was incredible.

9

i third the lovely bones. i started it in the bookstore. i may just get it out of the book store if it is voted in.

10

I will join the book club, and for February I would like to suggest A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers, mainly because I just started reading it and the introduction was captivating, and also because it’s old enough that you should be able to find it in your local library.

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I’ll fourth The Lovely Bones.

That was a great book.

I want to get in on the January one, too. I loved The Handmaid’s Tale. That thread will be opened around February 1st, right? Do I need to do anything, or just join in the discussion when it starts?

12

For February, I’ll suggest Carter Beats the Devil. It’s a a great read, a mystery set in early 20th century San Francisco featuring vaudeville magicians, high financiers, and Warren G. Harding. The main character, Carter the Great, was an actual magician, and most of the tricks described in the book are tricks he actually performed. It’s a fun and fascinating book, and is available at my public library at least.

American Gods is awesome, too, though.

13

Just came home from the bookstore with a brand spankin’ new copy of The Handmaid’s Tale. I’ve got to wrap up some other books I’m working on before I begin it, though.

I’ll throw another vote at American Gods. I was just talking to one of my students the other day about Gaiman (she was reading a Sandman collection and I had read some of his other comics work and I was saying that I wanted to read one of his novels.

14

OH wait. I will fifth that nomination for The Lovely Bones. I don’t know what I was thinking. I just read it 2 weeks ago and have been unable to get it out of my head. It is one of the most haunting and most memorable books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.

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Just join the discussion when it starts.

If I go AWOL, someone else can open the discussion around Feb 3rd.

Nice suggestions, everyone. Lots of stuff I want to read. If I get a chance I’ll bring over the suggestions from the other thread.

16

From the previous thread:

Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexis, Nominated by Eonwe

Botany of Desire: A Plant’s Eye View of the World by Michael Pollen, Nominated by twickster47

King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild, Nominated by Kyla

The Overcoat, And Other Short Stories by Gogol, Nominated by The Gaspode

Ball Four By Jim Bouton, Nominated by Wordman

Also nominated, but ineligible because it was brought up by me (unless someone wants to renominated it, but I won’t pick it this time) And They Fought Like Demons: Women Soldiers in the American Civil War by Blanton and Cook.

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What’s American Gods about? I’ve heard of or read most of the others, but don’t know this one.

18

I’ll fourth American Gods - summary at linked page. I wouldn’t call it light reading, but I quite enjoyed it.

I also support Carter Beats the Devil or A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (which was already linked, so I won’t bother).

All of these are at my small-to-medium-sized Midwest city-town library, so they shouldn’t be too hard to find.

19

I’ll second Reservation Blues. I liked it much better then American Gods. I’ll nominate Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick. I haven’t read it yet, and I’ve heard good things.

I Am Legend, by Richard Mattheson, is also incredible. See a great novel by the guy who wrote lots of great Twilight Zone eps… this is my fave vampire novel.

20

I received Handmaid’s Tale for Christmas, so it’s the perfect first book for the club. :slight_smile:

I’m in.