New Book Club- Anyone interested?

[skoolmarm729]

Is anyone interested in starting a book club? I would love to discuss a good novel. I'm open to reading any Oprah Pick/ Lifetime Movie-ish/ NY Times Bestseller novel. I'll re-read a classic or open something new. I am a HS English teacher- so I love just about anything (No romance, fantasy, or sci-fi, sorry.)

Let's pick a book and I'll set up the weekly discussions and topics.

Submit at least 3 titles to vote on

I hope we get a few takers!

[jezzie]

Originally Posted by skoolmarm729

I'm open to reading any Oprah Pick/ Lifetime Movie-ish/ NY Times Bestseller novel. I'll re-read a classic or open something new. I am a HS English teacher- so I love just about anything (No romance, fantasy, or sci-fi, sorry.)

You have described my reading tastes. Plus there is a special place in my heart for schoolteachers.

So if this gets underway I'll more than likely join you. I recently started an older Oprah pick.
Had planned on re-reading Water for Elephants after that. That's not etched in stone though.
.

[jezzie]

Submit at least 3 titles to vote on

1) The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy

2) The Inheritance of Loss - Kiran Desai

3) River, Cross My Heart - by Breena Clarke

=====================================


4) Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

5) The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

6) Life of Pi - Yann Martel

7) A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

[skoolmarm729]

jezzie-- We have similar tastes I have only read # 4 and # 5 from your list. I would be open (and really would look forward to) reading any of the others. Let's wait a few days to see if anyone else is interested. My vote goes for #2.

Thanks, I'm excited already!!

[jezzie]

Originally Posted by skoolmarm729

Let's wait a few days to see if anyone else is interested. My vote goes for #2.

Waiting a few days sounds good to me. (I'm reading #3 right now.)

.

[mjais]

Hi there!

I'm interested in participating. My reading tastes tend toward nonfiction (historical/biographical), classics, and mysteries. Can't honestly say I'm a fan of the Oprah Book Club List though... so if you'll be leaning heavily on Oprah's selections, then I'm not sure my tastes will mesh with yours.

[skoolmarm729]

mjais-
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai- one of jezzie's picks- is a bit of historical fiction. Here is the synopsis:

This stunning second novel from Desai (Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard) is set in mid-1980s India, on the cusp of the Nepalese movement for an independent state. Jemubhai Popatlal, a retired Cambridge-educated judge, lives in Kalimpong, at the foot of the Himalayas, with his orphaned granddaughter, Sai, and his cook. The makeshift family's neighbors include a coterie of Anglophiles who might be savvy readers of V.S. Naipaul but who are, perhaps, less aware of how fragile their own social standing is—at least until a surge of unrest disturbs the region. Jemubhai, with his hunting rifles and English biscuits, becomes an obvious target. Besides threatening their very lives, the revolution also stymies the fledgling romance between 16-year-old Sai and her Nepalese tutor, Gyan. The cook's son, Biju, meanwhile, lives miserably as an illegal alien in New York. All of these characters struggle with their cultural identity and the forces of modernization while trying to maintain their emotional connection to one another. In this alternately comical and contemplative novel, Desai deftly shuttles between first and third worlds, illuminating the pain of exile, the ambiguities of post-colonialism and the blinding desire for a "better life," when one person's wealth means another's poverty.

Let us know what you think. Also, if you know of any other historical fiction novels, I'm sure we'd be open to those as well.

Hope you stick around!

[LJB]

I haven't read a lot of books lately. Maybe this will get me back into it!

[wifezilla]

I am in a rl book club and I really do like to read. The only problem is I have not liked a lot of Oprah books. While my tastes run to sci-fi and fantasy, I loved the Kite Runner, Secret Life of Bees and other interesting books that aren't in my two favorite genres.

I may follow along, but I tend not to recommend books to non-nerds

[jezzie]

Originally Posted by wifezilla

I may follow along, but I tend not to recommend books to non-nerds

Thank you. That's very thoughtful of you.

I enjoyed Secret Life of Bees and it reminded me of an Oprah pick Before Women had Wings.

.

[LJB]

Can anyone recommend me a book? I'm open. Even to Oprah.

[jezzie]

If the eight I have already mentioned don't appeal to you I'd recommend:

Tara Road, Maeve Binchey or Angelas Ashes, Frank McCourt
Both of those were liked by everyone I have recommended them to so far.

If you prefer mysteries or a little more action: The Poet, Michael Connelly

.

[skoolmarm729]

It seems we have a nice sized group beginning to form. Let's do some research, recommend others, and narrow our list. Based on all of our tastes, it still seems that The Inheritance of Loss might be a good fit.

I would like to add these as well:

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Afghan-American novelist Hosseini follows up his bestselling The Kite Runner with another searing epic of Afghanistan in turmoil. The story covers three decades of anti-Soviet jihad, civil war and Taliban tyranny through the lives of two women. Mariam is the scorned illegitimate daughter of a wealthy businessman, forced at age 15 into marrying the 40-year-old Rasheed, who grows increasingly brutal as she fails to produce a child. Eighteen later, Rasheed takes another wife, 14-year-old Laila, a smart and spirited girl whose only other options, after her parents are killed by rocket fire, are prostitution or starvation. Against a backdrop of unending war, Mariam and Laila become allies in an asymmetrical battle with Rasheed, whose violent misogyny—"There was no cursing, no screaming, no pleading, no surprised yelps, only the systematic business of beating and being beaten"—is endorsed by custom and law. Hosseini gives a forceful but nuanced portrait of a patriarchal despotism where women are agonizingly dependent on fathers, husbands and especially sons, the bearing of male children being their sole path to social status. His tale is a powerful, harrowing depiction of Afghanistan, but also a lyrical evocation of the lives and enduring hopes of its resilient characters.

Chicano: A Novel by Richard Vasquez
A bestseller when it was published in 1970 at the height of the Mexican-American civil rights movement, Chicano unfolds the fates and fortunes of the Sandoval family, who flee the chaos and poverty of the Mexican Revolution and begin life anew in the United States.
Patriarch Hector Sandoval works the fields and struggles to provide for his family even as he faces discrimination and injustice. Of his children, only Pete Sandoval is able to create a brighter existence, at least for a time. But when Pete's daughter Mariana falls in love with David, an Anglo student, it sets in motion a clash of cultures. David refuses to marry Mariana, fearing the reaction of his family and friends. Mariana, pregnant with David's child, is trapped between two worlds and shunned by both because of the man she loves. The complications of their relationship speak volumes -- even today -- about the shifting sands of racial politics in America.


It also sounds like we are all open to suggestions-- hopefully we can pull this together by this weekend Have a great day!

[jezzie]

They both sound good.
Especially the second one because my knowledge of Mexican culture is limited.

Please keep in mind that, if you pick one I don't have, I will have to order it.
It shouldn't cause much of a delay. - I usually get books in two - three days.

.

[LJB]

I have to go to the library this weekend! Thanks for the recommendations!

[skoolmarm729]

I'm okay with either Inheritance or Chicano--- if nobody else gives input, it may be just you and I A very "cozy" book club.

[mjais]

Count me in.

The book titles we're considering are:

The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Chicano: A Novel by Richard Vasquez

Is this correct? I'm not partial to any particular title, so I'll let you guys decide on our selection.

Like Jezzie said, I will need time to purchase the book. Just let me know.

[skoolmarm729]

mjais- jezzie and I suggested these titles, why don't you pick?

lora & wifezilla, I hope you both are still in!

I'm so excited-- I'm also a HUGE bookworm and in desperate need of a life

[wifezilla]

Still here

I need to finish "Interview with a Vampire" for my rl bookclub, but after that I am open for suggestions.

[mjais]

I haven't read any of the suggested books. They all sound interesting, so I don't have any hesitation about reading the book that is ultimately chosen.

If I had to pick one in particular, it would be The Inheritance of Loss - mainly because it has India (and it's culture) as a backdrop.

[jezzie]

OK. I have narrowed it down to three. (In no particular order)

Chicano: A Novel by Richard Vasquez

The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy

The Inheritance of Loss - Kiran Desai

I'm willing to read any of the ones mentioned. Or to consider others.

[jezzie]

I figured I'd post/repost the synopsis of each.

The God of Small Things

With sensuous prose, a dreamlike style infused with breathtakingly beautiful images and keen insight into human nature, Roy's debut novel charts fresh territory in the genre of magical, prismatic literature.

Set in Kerala, India, during the late 1960s when Communism rattled the age-old caste system, the story begins with the funeral of young Sophie Mol, the cousin of the novel's protagonists, Rahel and her fraternal twin brother, Estha. In a circuitous and suspenseful narrative, Roy reveals the family tensions that led to the twins' behavior on the fateful night that Sophie drowned.

Beneath the drama of a family tragedy lies a background of local politics, social taboos and the tide of history?all of which come together in a slip of fate, after which a family is irreparably shattered. Roy captures the children's candid observations but clouded understanding of adults' complex emotional lives.

Rahel notices that "at times like these, only the Small Things are ever said. The Big Things lurk unsaid inside."

Plangent with a sad wisdom, the children's view is never oversimplified, and the adult characters reveal their frailties?and in one case, a repulsively evil power?in subtle and complex ways. While Roy's powers of description are formidable, she sometimes succumbs to overwriting, forcing every minute detail to symbolize something bigger, and the pace of the story slows. But these lapses are few, and her powers coalesce magnificently in the book's second half.

Roy's clarity of vision is remarkable, her voice original, her story beautifully constructed and masterfully told.

[jezzie]

Chicano: A Novel

A bestseller when it was published in 1970 at the height of the Mexican-American civil rights movement, Chicano unfolds the fates and fortunes of the Sandoval family, who flee the chaos and poverty of the Mexican Revolution and begin life anew in the United States.

Patriarch Hector Sandoval works the fields and struggles to provide for his family even as he faces discrimination and injustice. Of his children, only Pete Sandoval is able to create a brighter existence, at least for a time.

But when Pete's daughter Mariana falls in love with David, an Anglo student, it sets in motion a clash of cultures. David refuses to marry Mariana, fearing the reaction of his family and friends. Mariana, pregnant with David's child, is trapped between two worlds and shunned by both because of the man she loves.

The complications of their relationship speak volumes -- even today -- about the shifting sands of racial politics in America.

[jezzie]

The Inheritance of Loss

This stunning second novel from Desai (Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard) is set in mid-1980s India, on the cusp of the Nepalese movement for an independent state.

Jemubhai Popatlal, a retired Cambridge-educated judge, lives in Kalimpong, at the foot of the Himalayas, with his orphaned granddaughter, Sai, and his cook.

The makeshift family's neighbors include a coterie of Anglophiles who might be savvy readers of V.S. Naipaul but who are, perhaps, less aware of how fragile their own social standing is—at least until a surge of unrest disturbs the region.

Jemubhai, with his hunting rifles and English biscuits, becomes an obvious target. Besides threatening their very lives, the revolution also stymies the fledgling romance between 16-year-old Sai and her Nepalese tutor, Gyan. The cook's son, Biju, meanwhile, lives miserably as an illegal alien in New York.

All of these characters struggle with their cultural identity and the forces of modernization while trying to maintain their emotional connection to one another.

In this alternately comical and contemplative novel, Desai deftly shuttles between first and third worlds, illuminating the pain of exile, the ambiguities of post-colonialism and the blinding desire for a "better life," when one person's wealth means another's poverty.

[skoolmarm729]

It sounds like we all would be okay with The Inheritance of Loss-- right?? If so, let's all plan on getting our copies and pick a date to begin.

[jezzie]

I've got it already .....
Hopefully the others will check in today.

I just ordered Chicano from Barnes & Noble
At some point I do want to read it.


.

[wifezilla]

Sounds good to me.

[jezzie]

I should be finished with the book I'm reading by Monday evening.
So starting any day next week would work for me.

.

[LJB]

I'll pick a copy up this weekend!

[skoolmarm729]

I am going to begin the thread for us to begin next week. There are 336 pages, so I think I we should break it up into 50-60 page sections per week- taking us about 5 weeks to complete. Is that doable for everybody?

Are we posting here or should I begin a new thread?