TT book reading and discussion club

well, i don't mind
Anna Karenina or Middlesex for Feb
Fahrenheit 451 or The Kite Runner for Jan

I think we should decide before next Monday, though

I really enjoyed Fahrenheit 451 when I was in high school but a year or two ago my husband and I tried reading it out-loud to each other and I found I enjoyed it much less as an adult. Though I'd still probably be willing to give it another chance if that's the book people vote for. I even already have a copy.

hmmm - well, if you've already read it twice, maybe we should plump for something else

well, The Samurai's Garden is quite good. Only 224 pages too.

And the The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is also quite short (226 pages) and well received. Not for everyone though.

Make Friday as a cutting date is good, otherwise we won't be able to pick the book before holiday, since I guess many people are leaving for holiday very soon.

Something short for Jan, so I would support the book recommended by Saan, seems quite good. For Feb, (sounds a bit selfish), but I would recommend again the Middlesex. Because I honestly don't want to read Anna Karenina again in winter time, which might get me more depressed. Although the Middlesex seems long, it is quite fun to read and the author has his very own style of humor. The positive side of this book is that I didn't feel anything depressing when I read it in the first place. Maybe a better choice for winter. And let's leave Anna Karenina for a warmer month, so that I can go out to have a sun bath and get a beer if I am really depressed by the ending, which I guess everyone knows.

BTW, I would like to recommend another book, NOT for the club though. The book is called "who moved my blackberry?" by Martin Lukes, who is a director in the UK division of A&B corp. This is a book with all the emails he wrote in one year to different people, like his wife, sons, colleagues, bosses, etc. And it IS hilarious. It somehow reminds me of the Dilbert Rules. The main character in the book, who also called Martin Lukes, is practically a corporate jerk, but really funny. Can be a nice holiday or flight book, I think.

which one of saan's do you suggest for Jan?
she had 3 or 4 on her list

what do you think to The Kite Runner and to Fahrenheit 251?

Although, I'm not in the book club, read this.
I finished it in 3 days as I wanted to know what happened so badly.
Beautifully written, funny, touching, it reads itself. One of my favourite books and one that I tend to give as a present.
"The Virgin Suicides" is shorter but more complex. It does have the advantage that you can watch the film of the book (which is a good adaptation by Sofia Coppola with a marvellous soundtrack by Air) though. Very enigmatic and moody, full of regret and longing. Marvellous.
It is a style you either love or hate. pootle hated "Middlesex" (although he did try to read it with a hole in his head at the time).

You guys could also give Joe Public a shout. Similiar to Saan's friend, he's a local so you could even have a reading or a q&a.

a hole in his head... in his m*****f***ing head?

I'd be up for Middlesex if Anna Karenina seems too depressing for a winter book. And no, I've never read it and I don't know the ending. I don't let people talk about the endings of likely good books I haven't read around me!

Younvruer, I imagine you are talking about the Labyrinth? It is short but I'm unsure of how long it will take to get here for everybody. Most of the resellers list it as being available in 5-7 or 7-10 days. So for that reason it might not be a good book for January.

we seem to be settling on Middlesex there doesn't seem to be a consensus emerging for January

I still say we should try The Kite Runner
None of us (well, nobody who's posted) has read it, except Butterbean, and she heartily recommended it...

My friend isn't local.

EDIT: Perhaps we should start a poll with all the fairly short, easily available books on it so we can pick one by tomorrow?

I don't know about a poll, no way to check clubbers against TTers. I say Kiterunner, since it's short and easily available. Any strong objections?

Several book club members haven't had much to say on this thread, and I know it's not due to lack of computer access. Losing interest, nothing to say or what?

I'm already on record as saying that threads are a fantastic way to solicit members and set a meeting time, but a lousy way to pick a book, which is why I haven't said much. Also, I'm not that fussy about what we read, though I agree that Anna Karenina in the depths of winter is tough nut to crack.

Bearing that in mind, I'll add my $0.02 and say that Kite Runner for January and Middlesex for February are fine with me. I've read the back covers for both and they look ok. I can say that there is a stack of Kite Runners at English Hugendubel, though I have no idea whether or not Middlesex is easily available.

Well, we weren't getting much done via PM either.

do I see a pet lip quivering and toys dangling over the edge of the pram??

not to f- with your heads too much but Gabriel Garcia Marquez's latest book (first fictional in nearly a decade), Memories of My Melancholy Whores is only 128 pages.

Well if anyone needs to borrow Kite Runner they can borrow mine. I will be at the TB Sunday morning or at The Arc Sunday night so PM me if you need it.

I have already checked the amazon.de that Middlesex can be delivered within one or two days, and you can find all the Hugendubels as well, since it is a bestseller.

As a summary of our discussion, I would see the following arrangement coming along nicely:

January: the Kite Runner (not too long, readily available)
February: Middlesex (a bit longer, readily available)
March: Labyrinth (not too long, with longer time to get the book)

Hopefully within today we can at least make a decision on the book on Jan.

And if I may, I would also suggest a meeting date for January on Jan 22nd, Sunday, around 5pm as usual. The last weekend would be a it difficult for me, since I may go back to China for Chinese New Year, though I am not sure yet.

that sounds good to me, Younvruer

I'm in favour of Jan 22nd, as well

I vote for Younvruer's plan.

i also concur with younvruer's plan. lets start reading.

I'm also content with those book selections and the meeting date.

Yep, sounds good to me too.

Picked up a copy of "Kite Runner" and "Middlesex" at English Hugendubel last night. They've got a nice big stack of each and neither is more than 10€ (or somewhere between three and four beers, depending on where you bought 'em).

The Kite Runner is proving to be a very quick read - I'm already over a third of the way through. This is the first book club choice that I've enjoyed, and there's loads of stuff to discuss in it. Can we pick good books all the time from now on?

Topsy, you'll never make it in the diplomatic corp.

sorry!
yeah, I know...
well, I've learnt to speak my mind, this Canadian bint I know keeps giving me a hard time when I beat around the bush, innit

Book club will be meeting next on March 12, 5:00 P.M. in the Twisted Bavarian. We'll be occupying our usual spot in the room just before the library with the Chet Baker picture and within easy reach of the Guiness tap. We will be discussing Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.

I just want to indicate that nobody has commented on the amusing hyperlinks that I put into the above post (in addition to the two relevant ones). I spent a good four or five minutes thinking them up. Ah, the things I do for you ungrateful little ba$tards.

well, I noticed them last night
I just assumed you'd been overdoing it with the crack again...

aw, that 'guinness' link is dangerous for mindless surfing!

I remember there was some suggestion on last Sunday meeting to postpone the reading of Laybrinth for another month for it takes a bit longer to get hold of. Tess suggested the book Kafka on the Shore by Murakami Haruki. Somehow there wasn't any decision on the meeting, so maybe all the members can discuss about this on this thread.

Oops, I made a mistake. I meant to add a new reply, and now I started a new topic.

Anyway, here is the message for everyone:

I remember there was some suggestion on last Sunday meeting to postpone the reading of Laybrinth for another month for it takes a bit longer to get hold of. Tess suggested the book Kafka on the Shore by Murakami Haruki. Somehow there wasn't any decision on the meeting, so maybe all the members can discuss about this on this thread.

I think it's good that we have the April book in a separate topic.
Keep this thread for Middlesex.
It's fine

I read a handful of reviews... none of them was particularly complimentary.
In fact they all said that it was far from being a masterpiece, and that readers would be better off with "A Wind-up Bird Chronicle" by the same author.
I haven't read anything by Murakami Haruki, so I don't mind giving him a try, but I don't really fancy starting with a book that gets a unanimous slating.

Well, the NYTimes named it one of the top 10 for 2005, but it does appear that most say it's not one of his 'masterpieces'. (Sorry, I hadn't looked in detail and just wanted to do a Murakami, and it's the most recent.) I'd be perfectly happy to discuss Wind Up Bird Chronicle. Do others have any preference or want to suggest something else entirely?

I just finished Kafka on the Shore. I haven't read anything else by Murakami Haruki, but I enjoyed Kafka and think it would certainly make for an interesting discussion. Though I'd be up for reading another of his and joining you all in April

I could possibly plan this far ahead and squeeze a "real" book in between now and April. If I may join you?

I thought the reason we picked The Labyrinth so far ahead of time was that it took a while to get (it only took a week to get to me...that's not so terribly long). Didn't we choose the books in December?

I read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle last summer and really enjoyed it. I'd rather read something new for the book club though.

DDBug--yes, you can join us! The book club is open to anybody who reads the book and shows up.

Actually, I just checked, and The Labrynth is deliverable within 13 days from Amazon.co.uk, which gives us plenty of time to order it and get it read in time for April.
So we should probably just stick with the decision we already made and go with The Labrynth

Amazon.de delivers it in 10-13 days; some of the other sellers do it in a week and cheaper.

I'm looking forward to reading it.

oh goodie - an excuse to go shopping at amazon!!! (this will end up costing me a fortune...) ok - count me in - hopfully the date in April is a day I can actually get out and have nothing else planned... .

Actually, another reason we were thinking of bumping Labrynth back a month because not everyone wants to buy it (you have to admit it's really expensive for a book) and if we give it another month, that will give people the chance to pass it around and share it.

I agree that it is a bit steeply priced!

Saan, do you already have a copy of the book?
Reading your post from yesterday evening, it sounds like you do.

The timing of the next meeting was also set to 17:00 March 12 at TB.

The decision was made to insert the Kafka on the Short - Haruki book into the schedule as no one yet had a copy of the Labyrinth, and Upquark was going to pick up a copy or two in the states cheap. It will just take a bit of time for those to circulate the group, so that was the justification.
But I just checked and that book is 512 pages, so we need some kind of command decision. I don't think me or Showem can start reading the Labyrinth until after the March meeting, as we are travelling a lot in that time. If we don't have copies for the people coming to the meeting, then it makes sense to delay it.

Soz, but I'm not reading another crap 500-odd page book
I guess I could just skip a month, though, if you guys are determined to read it

Topsy - you would have at least 8 weeks to get through it if you start it now... we just need to decide if it isn't too ambitious or if there are any other suggestions.

Well, the fact that it got pretty crap reviews put me off, tbh, even before I saw the length of it...