The Syndicate

"The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
I'm not gonna lie. This one sounds fucking interesting.

It is. In my altime favourite list.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
Stupid lady wrote one novel and quit and then never ever ever followed up. I hate her.

Actually, To Kill a Mockingbird is a prequel. I don't know if you heard but she had actually written another book about Scout as an adult and publishers told her that they wanted more backstory first. So, she went away and wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. There was only one typed copy of the other book and it got lost. It was recently found and published. So she has two books. Excited to read that one actually.

Neverwhere wrote:

"The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
I'm not gonna lie. This one sounds fucking interesting.

It is. In my altime favourite list.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
Stupid lady wrote one novel and quit and then never ever ever followed up. I hate her.

Actually, To Kill a Mockingbird is a prequel. I don't know if you heard but she had actually written another book about Scout as an adult and publishers told her that they wanted more backstory first. So, she went away and wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. There was only one typed copy of the other book and it got lost. It was recently found and published. So she has two books. Excited to read that one actually.

That's...the gag.

You've had better jokes in past.

Epignosis wrote: "1984" by George Orwell
I was born the year before. Things weren't so bad. Cartoons were the shit.

Epignosis wrote: "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
There's a hint in the title and in the author's last name.

Dunno if this is good or bad.

Epignosis wrote: "Dune" by Frank Herbert
Hot, dry book.

Epignosis wrote: "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
An even hotter, drier book.

I should read this and re-watch the movie.

Epignosis wrote: "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream" by Hunter S. Thompson
And yet another hotter, drier book.

The movie pissed me off, I wonder if the book would do any better.

Epignosis wrote: "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn
Tried to watch the film. Fell asleep. Didn't try to read the book.

Epignosis wrote: "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
From the guy whose wife was always expecting.

Never managed to finish it. :yawn:

Epignosis wrote: "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov
Don't stand so close to me.
"Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Please don't stand so close to me.

Lol where lol is due.

Epignosis wrote: "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides
OH oh OH OHHH OHooooo ah ah ohhho oh WHAT THE FUCK JEFFERY?

I don't remember anything from this.

Epignosis wrote: "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac
I tried to read this six times. Never got past page ten because the guy can't figure out punctua- Oh wait. That's "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy.

Epignosis wrote: "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi
Girl doesn't understand cultural boundaries ANYWHERE

Browsed the book in a library. Like the animation a lot.

Epignosis wrote: "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
Jane Austen needs to stop criticizing me 170 years before I am born.

Epignosis wrote: "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
PO-TEE-WHAT-THE FUCK? One of the stupidest books I have ever read.

Vompatti wrote:

Epignosis wrote: "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger
Serious commentary: Get Salinger's Nine Stories. His novel is good, but he can say more in fewer words.

Absolutely agree.

Epignosis wrote: "The Corrections" by Jonathan Franzen
His publisher accidentally used the label from the editor.

Epignosis wrote: "The Diary of Anne Frank" by Anne Frank
Too much unnecessary teen angst.

Jews wrote:

Epignosis wrote: "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
How many of you took forever to figure out that eyes of TJ Eckleberg was referencing a fucking billboard?

Does not giving a fuck count?

Epignosis wrote: "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien
So much fuss over fucking jewelry.

Epignosis wrote: "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
THERE'S that piece of shit novel with no punctuation.

Man I sure hope Epig never picks up The Autumn of the Patriarch by Marquez.

Epignosis wrote: "The World According to Garp" by John Irving
Not a bad book, but A Prayer for Owen Meany is John Irving's masterwork. Please read it.

Still not translated here.

S~V~S, I think your list is fine.

I was just trying to be helpful & start discussion of what we might read, not a discussion on Western Literature in general and what should and should not be considered high literature.

That said, perhaps we should have 2 or 3 books groups. I don't want to be ridiculed for my tastes in books that I read for entertainment.

Can we possibly get together and decide on a genre?

Ricochet wrote:

Epignosis wrote: "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
There's a hint in the title and in the author's last name.

Dunno if this is good or bad.

It's easily one of the best written books I've ever read, as well as easily being the funniest, so I am not sure either.

Epignosis wrote: "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz
I'm not even going to pretend I've ever heard of this one.

I read something Epi hasn't even heard of. ^_^
idk why its on this list lol It wasn't that great. I don't remember much about it. there was a mongoose in it

My idea for book club was that anyone who wanted to join could pick the books, that way we could get a variety. I like all kinds of books. I just tried two poetry books, and I struggled to finish but did, so I will read everything. I like to read different kinds of books, because for me it's like watching different TV shows. I want a little romance. I want a little mystery. Sometimes I like a really complicated book, and sometimes I want some easy light reading that I can knit or something while reading.

fingersplints wrote:

Epignosis wrote: "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz
I'm not even going to pretend I've ever heard of this one.

I read something Epi hasn't even heard of. ^_^
idk why its on this list lol It wasn't that great. I don't remember much about it. there was a mongoose in it

My idea for book club was that anyone who wanted to join could pick the books, that way we could get a variety. I like all kinds of books. I just tried two poetry books, and I struggled to finish but did, so I will read everything. I like to read different kinds of books, because for me it's like watching different TV shows. I want a little romance. I want a little mystery. Sometimes I like a really complicated book, and sometimes I want some easy light reading that I can knit or something while reading.

Yes, I read that one too. Too bad Epi's never heard of it - it won a Pulitzer and the National Critics Book Award. Epi since you don't like the list of 100 what would you suggest we use?

I'll say this again, I really like the list of 100 books whether it's the one SVS looked at or the Time one. I would be happy reading any of those books, many of them i have read and they were very good. The list presents books that are interesting and it crosses genres. If there are enough people that want to go that route I think we should try it. Maybe a second group could read the classics if that's where their interests are or some other mix of books.

SVS the only problem I have with picking genres is two fold: one, I'm not sure what genre many of these books are in. Bel Canto for example (great book) would it be considered drama? Gone Girl mystery? So I'd need some help with that but more importantly after we chose a genre then what would we do to generate a list of books in that genre? If we would go back to the list of 100 that would make sense. At least the list would limit us so we didn't spend forever trying to agree on a book.

Those are just some top of mind thoughts. Pay no attention to those who are trying to ridicule your reading selections. I'm reading the same kinds of things and I'm sure others here are too.

S~V~S wrote:I was just trying to be helpful & start discussion of what we might read, not a discussion on Western Literature in general and what should and should not be considered high literature.

That said, perhaps we should have 2 or 3 books groups. I don't want to be ridiculed for my tastes in books that I read for entertainment.

Can we possibly get together and decide on a genre?

High literature will surely take on a new meaning here in Oregon in a couple days.

juliets wrote: Epi since you don't like the list of 100 what would you suggest we use?

Hopefully nothing with too much humor. Sheesh! I wasn't ridiculing someone's picks or anybody's suggestions. I was taking satirical and sarcastic jabs at the authors, titles and content of each book in an attempt to get a few chuckles out of people. I only included my actual opinions in a couple of places.

I'm not even in the book club, so I don't really care what anyone chooses to read..

Oh, I thought that earlier reply was a joke - you don't like words. In that case I guess you're right it doesn't matter to you what we do. I'm still curious how you would pick the books. It might be something we haven't thought of.

juliets wrote:Oh, I thought that earlier reply was a joke - you don't like words. In that case I guess you're right it doesn't matter to you what we do. I'm still curious how you would pick the books. It might be something we haven't thought of.

Maybe you all could each nominate one book and then have a little poll in which no one can vote for his or her own pick. Go in order from there. That might be fun.

By the way, I think you all might have a lot to discuss reading this one.

My suggestion for just starting it would be to combine a few best lists and pick a book at random. That way the book would most likely be generally considered good and would be pretty easy for people to find. After seeing how it goes we could go from there.

This is the list I think you should use.

hahhahaha longest books.

A Person I like your idea.

thellama73 wrote:This is the list I think you should use.

I vote Война и мир

fingersplints wrote:

thellama73 wrote:This is the list I think you should use.

I vote Война и мир

Fun fact: мир can mean either "peace" or "world", so maybe the novel is really supposed to be called "War and the World."

Temps perdu sounds more like "time lost/wasted" in my language, which would not be unlike my experience reading the first volume.

That Romance of the Three Kingdoms sounds familiar for some reason. Let's read that.

Epignosis wrote:

Neverwhere wrote:

"The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
I'm not gonna lie. This one sounds fucking interesting.

It is. In my altime favourite list.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
Stupid lady wrote one novel and quit and then never ever ever followed up. I hate her.

Actually, To Kill a Mockingbird is a prequel. I don't know if you heard but she had actually written another book about Scout as an adult and publishers told her that they wanted more backstory first. So, she went away and wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. There was only one typed copy of the other book and it got lost. It was recently found and published. So she has two books. Excited to read that one actually.

That's...the gag.

Note to self: no posting before coffee.

thellama73 wrote:

fingersplints wrote:

thellama73 wrote:This is the list I think you should use.

I vote Война и мир

Fun fact: мир can mean either "peace" or "world", so maybe the novel is really supposed to be called "War and the World."

That is fun.

A Person wrote:My suggestion for just starting it would be to combine a few best lists and pick a book at random. That way the book would most likely be generally considered good and would be pretty easy for people to find. After seeing how it goes we could go from there.

Hrm, randomizing already?

Nah, just kidding. I actually really like this idea

Epignosis wrote:

juliets wrote: Epi since you don't like the list of 100 what would you suggest we use?

Hopefully nothing with too much humor. Sheesh! I wasn't ridiculing someone's picks or anybody's suggestions. I was taking satirical and sarcastic jabs at the authors, titles and content of each book in an attempt to get a few chuckles out of people. I only included my actual opinions in a couple of places.

I'm not even in the book club, so I don't really care what anyone chooses to read..

Juliet tooks about book club, and epi says he isn't in the book club.

ergo, Epi is Benjamin Linus.

thellama73 wrote:This is the list I think you should use.

I want to read Infinite Jest so that isn't too bad an idea.

thellama73 wrote:

fingersplints wrote:

thellama73 wrote:This is the list I think you should use.

I vote Война и мир

Fun fact: мир can mean either "peace" or "world", so maybe the novel is really supposed to be called "War and the World."

It could be a good choice. Llama liked the War part and I'd liked the Peace part, so something for everyone.

I like the idea of each of us suggesting a book and then voting. We could have two rounds of voting, the first to get the top 2-3 picks and the second to form into reading groups, you pick which book you want to read.

Random is a fun idea, but I generally dont reread many books, unless I really love it, and wont read horror, extremely violent books, and some other topics, so I like to choose knowingly.

I like the idea of having a choice because I also don't reread books, nor do i read violent books or romances. I wish SVS would rejoin and throw her opinion out there.

I never left

I don't do romance either (although I did read those ones years ago about the Scottish guy becasue they were kinda sci fi, what was that, Highlander?). I will do violent. I don't particularly like contemporary dramas. I do reread, and I would be happy to reread if I have already read the book we decide on.

I have to think on this~ my initial reaction is to nominate Ulysses, by Joyce. I have never read it. But I have not read alot of things

Neverwhere wrote:
Actually, To Kill a Mockingbird is a prequel. I don't know if you heard but she had actually written another book about Scout as an adult and publishers told her that they wanted more backstory first. So, she went away and wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. There was only one typed copy of the other book and it got lost. It was recently found and published. So she has two books. Excited to read that one actually.

Ooo, I ought to look into this. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my favorites. And, I have to say, I enjoyed The Hunger Games as well. I enjoy dramas mostly. I love books set in the early 1900s. I only made it through the first 60 of SVS's list yesterday and of those, I was most interested in Persepolis and Cutting for Stone.

I already wanted to be a lawyer, but I had To Kill a Mockingbird as a required text in English when I was 16 and it sealed the deal.

I am fine with rereading too. I wouldn't go out of my way to reread many books, but I'd have nothing against rereading one I wouldn't otherwise.

S~V~S what do you mean by "contemporary drama"? Do you have any examples?

Go Set A Watchman, the harper Lee book, is supposed to be coming out in July. I think a new book would be a great way to kick off the book club.

Linki, No examples, i don't read them. Basically relationship type books set in the present. Yawn.

A Person wrote:I am fine with rereading too. I wouldn't go out of my way to reread many books, but I'd have nothing against rereading one I wouldn't otherwise.

same!

S~V~S wrote: I have to think on this~ my initial reaction is to nominate Ulysses, by Joyce. I have never read it. But I have not read alot of things

I read it last year. I don't recommend it.

thellama73 wrote:

S~V~S wrote: I have to think on this~ my initial reaction is to nominate Ulysses, by Joyce. I have never read it. But I have not read alot of things

I read it last year. I don't recommend it.

I took a class on Irish lit. I also don't recommend it. Joyce was a master of short stories. His novels were pretentious twaddle and he knew it.

Perhaps we should begin with Where the Wild Things Are?

Epignosis wrote:

thellama73 wrote:

S~V~S wrote: I have to think on this~ my initial reaction is to nominate Ulysses, by Joyce. I have never read it. But I have not read alot of things

I read it last year. I don't recommend it.

I took a class on Irish lit. I also don't recommend it. Joyce was a master of short stories. His novels were pretentious twaddle and he knew it.

I will just shut up now. Whatever we choose I am sure will be good.

SVS I looked at that Time list and liked the one you posted better, of course thats just me. Also, we need everyone's voice including yours to find the right way to do this. Maybe we should continue throwing out one book each and then vote on what we have. Or we could go with A Persons idea and do a random off the list or an expanded list (we could expand the list by putting things on there that's not already there). I'm real easy how we do it.

Epignosis wrote:

thellama73 wrote:

S~V~S wrote: I have to think on this~ my initial reaction is to nominate Ulysses, by Joyce. I have never read it. But I have not read alot of things

I read it last year. I don't recommend it.

I took a class on Irish lit. I also don't recommend it. Joyce was a master of short stories. His novels were pretentious twaddle and he knew it.

I wouldn't call it book club material (except if we're going full avant-garde), but I'm happy to report it is one of my favourite books. Or it was at least, back when I was 16 and my brain was apparently generating its own brand of opium. I didn't like Dubliners, by comparison.

S~V~S wrote:

Epignosis wrote:

thellama73 wrote:

S~V~S wrote: I have to think on this~ my initial reaction is to nominate Ulysses, by Joyce. I have never read it. But I have not read alot of things

I read it last year. I don't recommend it.

I took a class on Irish lit. I also don't recommend it. Joyce was a master of short stories. His novels were pretentious twaddle and he knew it.

I will just shut up now. Whatever we choose I am sure will be good.

I do actually plan on reading this but probably not for book club. I have a hardcover copy I bought like 15 years ago that I have brought out to read several times. Seriously I brought it out last time I was in NY again with all the others I hadn't read, but I didn't get to it. It was going to come on the last trip to England, but I opted for series I read and will reread instead. ( ASOIAF and HarryPotter hardcovers )
Somehow I feel still I need to read THAT COPY since I have meant to and not so many times, but if it gets picked I think I have it on my iPad too.

I have been meaning to read Interpreter of Maladies which is an award winning book from a few years back that is on the list. I'd also like to read Moneyball which I bought and still haven't read. It's also on the list.

Money ball was good.

You guys let me know what you decide and I will be up for it

I'm not in the book club, but I nominate Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the dog.) It's short, charming, and one of the funniest books I've ever read.

Read it. The first chapters had me dying of laughter, but then I felt it (ironically) went nowhere. Sounds like a good choice, though. Maybe upon a second read...? Maybe if I read it in original? Douglas Adams clicked so well when I read it straight from the source.

I'm not entirely sure I'll be able to join/keep up (I say, glancing stomach-droppingly at the stacks and stacks of books I need to read in order to get this chapter written), but I wanted to throw out there the thought that in my experience (and, for better or for worse, I've got a LOT of experience with the whole organized-and-formalized-discussing-of-books thing) the best discussions about books (or anything, for that matter) are ones that have room for real controversy, real disagreement, and real stakes. People sitting about and commenting on how nice and warm and funny and sweet "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime" was, or how brilliant Mr. Canonical-Author-of-the-Moment is, makes for very boring book club discussion, despite the fact that the reading experience might have been quite lovely. For that reason, I want to suggest that choosing a book that everyone already wants to read, or already knows/suspects they will like, might not result in the most enthralling book club in the world. My preference would be to use the opportunity to read something that challenges me (aesthetically, emotionally, intellectually, politically, whatever), something I wouldn't pick up on my own, and then be able to talk to a group of smart, interesting, diverse people about why it's challenging, and how we're all approaching and dealing with the challenge. A few other students in my program and I are doing exactly this this summer and reading a whole shitload of hard texts together that are important to our work but that we have (for whatever reasons) avoided reading until now. It's been fantastic, and has really opened up for me some texts that were previously either intimidating or inscrutable or just plain unappealing to me, and my relationship to these texts is much richer than it would have been if I was just plugging through them alone. This is pretty much my ideal of a "book club", and what I personally would love to take part in here, and through which I would hope to be exposed to things I wouldn't choose for myself. (Of course, this doesn't make the question of what to read, and how to choose, any clearer....)


....but that's just my preference, and like I said, I may not be able to really participate much. Also, it's summer, and sometimes summer is the time to kick back with something entertaining and enjoyable (which has every bit as much value as something "challenging") and just talk to people about how much fun it is.

Canuck does any book come to mind that might meet your criteria? I think your pov is very interesting and something we should consider as we choose books. (It seems like there are a lot of things to consider as we look for books to read! ).

A few controversial/discussion-worthy books you may want to consider include:

-Mein Kampf
-The Communist Manifesto
-Pretty much any religious text
-Anything by L. Ron Hubbard
-Pretty much any book by a political commentator (Coulter, Krugman, etc.)
-On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life by Charles Darwin

I have read all of those. Except Coulter. I just couldn't. And I probably have not read every religious text, by far. I think we are looking for warm fuzzy literary chat, a bonding experience if you will. We eviscerate each other enough in games

I did enjoy Hubbards sci fi, although he occasionally got heavy handed with his philosophy. I read all of the Wild Card books more than once.