Books to Consider – February 2008

Ann Patchett: Truth and Beauty – Nonfiction about friendship of two writers.

Doris Lessing – Early work

Liam Callanan – novelist suggested by Maryellen

Edith Wharton bio – suggested by Barbara

Gertrude Bell: The Desert and the Sown – Travel writings of a “female Lawrence of Arabia”

Lampedusa: The Leopard – An Italian novel about the dying Sicilian aristocracy and the rise of democracy

Yourcenar: Memoirs of Hadrian – A novel about the meaning of history and ancient Rome

Anne Enright: The Gathering

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Books to Consider – January 2008

1. Ann Patchett – Truth and Beauty – Nonfiction about friendship of two writers.
2. Marisha Pessi – Special Topics in Calamity Physics – Novel about travels with literary allusions and clever writing.
3. Sarah Waters – The Night Watch – Novel told backwards 1947-1941 covering WW II in Britain
4. Doris Lessing – Early work
5. Liam Callanan – novelist suggested by Maryellen
6. Edith Wharton bio – suggested by Barbara
7. Gertrude Bell – The Desert and the Sown – Travel writings of a “female Lawrence of Arabia”
8. Rubenstein – Stalin’s Children (I’m unable to find it on Amazon) – nonfiction / history

We’re thinking of selecting from among the above list. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, please comment!

What makes a good book club book?

One of our most successful choices was Kafka’s The Trial. Other books that everyone enjoyed reading and fostered lively discussion: Wild Swans, Bel Canto, Love in the Time of Cholera, and The Known World. We also had great discussions about Embers, Lolita and Atonement. So I ask myself, what do these books have in common?

1. Well-written, with style and beauty.
2. Thought-provoking themes and characters.
3. Aside from the Kafka, not too densely written…and aside from Love in the Time of Cholera not terribly long.
4. Accessible, with enough narrative energy to keep us reading.

Needless to say, some great books don’t make good book club books. Example: Almost anything by Dickens–because of the length–or by Faulkner–because of the density of the prose. I wonder how many of us will finish the Henry James?

Our list is here. Someday soon, I’ll add grades and links to my reviews.