Okay, folks, you’ve got one more day to throw out suggestions for our first book. It’s odd; we’ve had a lot of contemporary fiction listed, but not much older stuff. Huh. Anyway, check out what’s there and see if anything strikes your fancy. You can even read introductory chapters for most of them via their Amazon links. In a day or so I’ll put up a poll and we’ll have all weekend to pick one. Sound good?
Jann
July 24, 2002 — 5:37 pm
I’m ready for whatever gets chosen, I have an older sister so Judy Blume is not unfamiliar territory. I’ve read all the relevant posts and comments now so no more heavy suggestions, although I will say that I too have tried (and so far failed) to read Will Self’s How the Dead Live. Don’t let it put you off Will Self. Great Apes would be perfect for a book group, it’s quite long but very easy reading, absolutely hilarious and not a little bit weird.
Jann
July 24, 2002 — 5:38 pm
Yes, let’s read Great Apes. It’s…Great.
Kris
July 24, 2002 — 5:46 pm
I finally slogged my way through “How the Dead Live”. It sucked. It had some neat ideas… but I just couldn’t get interested in any of the characters or anything that happened. If that’s what the afterlife is like, I don’t ever wanna die. So you’re saying that it’s not a good example of his writing?
Kris
July 24, 2002 — 6:06 pm
By the way Jann – is it going to be difficult for you to get books in English there?
Jann
July 24, 2002 — 6:47 pm
Amazon.co.uk delivers baby…
(and I have far too many with me in boxes, we filled a lorry with our shit. How on earth did you manage to move all yours to Oz?)
Kris
July 24, 2002 — 8:16 pm
We paid, like, five hundred pounds to have ten very large boxes shipped over on a boat. Not fun.
Moire
July 25, 2002 — 2:48 am
Okay… Just in case no one sees my comment left on the earlier Book Group post. Here are my non-contemporary fiction votes (because most contemporary (i.e., Oprah’s Book Club) fiction bores me to death, like that “The Dive From Clausen’s Pier” book that sucked donkey and made me mad):
Kushiel’s Dart, by Jacqueline Carey.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman.
But I’ll read whichever book y’all vote for.
Moire
July 25, 2002 — 2:55 am
Okay… Just in case no one sees my comment left on the earlier Book Group post. Here are my non-contemporary fiction votes (because most contemporary (i.e., Oprah’s Book Club) fiction bores me to death, like that “The Dive From Clausen’s Pier” book that sucked donkey and made me mad):
Kushiel’s Dart, by Jacqueline Carey.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman.
But I’ll read whichever book y’all vote for.
Moire
July 25, 2002 — 2:59 am
Okay… Just in case no one sees my comment left on the earlier Book Group post. Here are my non-contemporary fiction votes (because most contemporary (i.e., Oprah’s Book Club) fiction bores me to death, like that “The Dive From Clausen’s Pier” book that sucked donkey and made me mad):
Kushiel’s Dart, by Jacqueline Carey.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman.
But I’ll read whichever book y’all vote for.
Moire
July 25, 2002 — 3:00 am
What the HELL?? Um. Sorry. I didn’t do that on purpose.
Nicci
July 25, 2002 — 4:24 am
Moire broke the internet. Shame on her.
I’ll read whatever is picked…as long as I can get my grubby little hands on a copy. Yey for book learning!
Bill
July 25, 2002 — 3:13 pm
I read Kushiel’s Dart earlier this year: it’s a little too sexy for me to recommend to someone like my mom (the main character is a courtesan who gets sexual thrills from being punished), but I enjoyed it and read the sequel right away.
Also, I would read just about anything that Neil Gaiman put out, and I’ve heard GREAT things about Coraline. The unabridged audiobook is performed by Gaiman, with music by the Gothic Archies (aka Stephin Merritt’s other band). The price seems pretty reasonable (it’s 3 CDs).
Kris
July 25, 2002 — 3:16 pm
Ooh, I could definitely be up for some Neil Gaiman. I just read “American Gods” and recommended it to the Snook, who’s almost done with it as well. Then when we watched “Princess Mononoke” the other night we were surprised to see that he’d written the English adaptation. So we could definitely be up for some more Gaiman.
I’m going to make a list of all the books that have been suggested along with their Amazon blurb. Then folks can pick which one to start with. Should be up tomorrow.