Future Group Reading Suggestions

Think you have found a great book that we should all read?

Share the info here.

Provide Title and Author and the reason that you think we should read that particluar book. All suggestions will be considered.

- TT

I have received some suggestions from our lovely members. So...in no particular order, here they are!

visionary_damsel has expressed an interest to nominate books for the group read - thank you!

CutestLilBookworm has suggested The Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber

jdthloue suggested UNDER THE BLACK FLAG by David Cordingley during our Pirate's Book Group Read

i did??? well, blimey! ;-D

silliness aside...i second The Crimson Petal and The White

and am thinking of other titles/authors..so far they are pretty obscure...may be a problem..i will get back to you

Since so far this group seems to be alternating fiction with nonfiction we might try Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz next. It seems to be quite highly rated both on LT and Amazon and looks like it might lead to some good discussion.

I think Confederates in the Attic would certainly provide some discussion. It's been on my TBR pile for a bit and two people have already told me that it's a rather Northern-biased book.

Bias = Controversy
Controversy = Discussion Q.E.D.

:-)

Edit to fix the spelling error I noticed when MusicMom41 copied the text.

#5 TadAD

Bias = Controversey
Controversy = Discussion Q.E.D.

Especially if your "heart" is in the South! :-)

A Heart So White by Javier Marias

Publisher Comments:

Javier Marias's A Heart So White chronicles with unnerving insistence the relentless power of the past. Juan knows little of the interior life of his father Ranz; but when Juan marries, he begins to consider the past anew, and begins to ponder what he doesn't really want to know. Secrecy — its possible convenience, its price, and even its civility — hovers throughout the novel. A Heart So White becomes a sort of anti-detective story of human nature. Intrigue; the sins of the father; the fraudulent and the genuine; marriage and strange repetitions of violence: Marias elegantly sends shafts of inquisitory light into shadows — and on to the costs of ambivalence.

Review:

"A harrowing drama of family secrets and their deepening resonance throughout several involved lives....An unusual style that blends Jamesian introspection and qualification with headlong drama and rapid nonstop sentences." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

A Heart So White is a breathtaking novel about family secrets which chronicles with unnerving insistence the relentless power of the past. Juan knows little of the interior life of his father Ranz; but when Juan marries, he begins to consider the past anew, and begins to ponder what he doesn't really want to know. Secrecy—its possible convenience, its price, and even its civility—hovers throughout the novel. A Heart So White becomes a sort of anti-detective story of human nature. Intrigue; the sins of the father; the fraudulent and the genuine; marriage and strange repetitions of violence: Marías elegantly sends shafts of inquisitory light into shadows— and on to the costs of ambivalence.
Javier Marias writes with a style wholly his own, a liquid use of words that create not only rich images, but experiences in time travel, in plumbing the soul of relationships, of the importance of our individual pasts, of the myriad ways a single instant of time can be metamorphosed by a variety of observors. He is able to write a theme and variations, a prelude and fugue, a sentence so musical that its incredible length serves only to endear us to his luminous mind.

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

Recently been made into a film with Kate Winslett.
There is a comprehensive online guide and lots of resources for discussion.

Review:

For 15-year-old Michael Berg, a chance meeting with an older woman leads to far more than he ever imagined. The woman in question is Hanna, and before long they embark on a passionate, clandestine love affair which leaves Michael both euphoric and confused. For Hanna is not all she seems. Years later, as a law student observing a trial in Germany, Michael is shocked to realize that the person in the dock is Hanna. The woman he had loved is a criminal. Much about her behaviour during the trial does not make sense. But then suddenly, and terribly, it does - Hanna is not only obliged to answer for a horrible crime, she is also desperately concealing an even deeper secret.

'A tender, horrifying novel that shows blazingly well how the Holocaust should be dealt with in fiction. A thriller, a love story and a deeply moving examination of a German conscience' INDEPENDENT SATURDAY MAGAZINE

I read this several years ago, and wouldn't mind doing it again with a group. I remember having a positive impression of the writing, and the plot and characters were quite compelling. It is one of those books that would make a great movie, but which you almost dread seeing what Hollywood will do with it.

I also read The Reader when it first came out. I found it okay--but disappointing. It was a great premise but somehow I didn't think the author took full advantage of it and it fell a little "flat." However, it was extremely popular and lots of people raved about it. I believe it also became an Oprah Pick.

>10 MusicMom41: Carolyn, That's it! If Oprah picked it - it's out! :)

- TT

I normally do not enjoy Oprah's picks, but The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is an exception. I loved it, it's one of my favorite reads for 2008. I don't know if it would be a good group read or not though, I just wanted to take the opportunity to recommend it as an excellent read.

Even among a good number of excellent reads this year, this novel A Heart So White,stands out as my most exciting discovery. It begins with a young woman who has just returned from her honeymoon and kills herself. Sounds like ur typical mystery paperback? Not at all. Fast forward to a hotel room somewhere in Cuba where the protagonist is spending his honeymoon. He happens to look out of the balcony and gets to be mistaken by a woman below for somebody else. It's the guy in the next room, it seems, whom she knew. Trivialities, petty occurrences, chance happenings, but things are not as trivial as they seem to be. He does not yet understand, but there are hints of connections, links between seemingly isolated banalities that reflect darker and more painful truths. Shakespeare's Macbeth provides the underlying theme, and how the author subtly interlaces the complex themes of love, betrayal, and truth into parallels in the story is simply extraordinary. Mariás weaves an intricate mosaic of fragments of stories, effortlessly shuttling between past and present, in rich, evocative prose with wit and a profound insight into our lesser explored inner selves.

This novel is deep, complex, multi-layered, and the author effectively draws us, through the protagonist, into self-reflection through stream-of-consciousness writing. It is certainly not for those who prefer fast, linear narratives. Highly recommended to those who are interested in “thinking” novels. This would be a very good book for group discussion/reading – lots of material there, both in terms of substance and writing style.

- deebee

Even if A Heart So White isn't your typical mystery--I think I could fit it into my Mystery category and it sounds like it would be a good group read.

I'd still like to do Confederates in the Attic but perhaps that wouldn't appeal to people outside the US. It might not appeal to everybody "inside" the US either! :-)

> 14 Carolyn and Tad - I think you have a group of two on Confederates in the Attic!

- TT

Lurking...............

Oh...I've been combing my TBR list, and watching some excellent comments and reviews from my fellow LTers, so I will throw the following into the ring for consideration:

Blindness Jose Saramago
a man and then an entire town go blind- the reviews alone make me want to read this one
Sorry by Gail Jones - a fictional account of con-joined twins
Property by Valerie Martin - a novel of women as slave owners,set in the American South

I've had A Heart So White on my TBR list for a long time now, so I would vote, it that's what we're doing, for A Heart So White.

If its decided not to do A Heart so White my nomination would be Life: A User's Manual by George Perec an absolutely amazing book.

I second tututhefirst for Blindness...

Both Blindness and Life:A Users Manual while worthy contenders seem to me to be too challenging and dark for a group read. My choice out of those mentioned is A Heart so White as it has some great themes and will generate a lot of interest and comments.

However, keep the suggestions coming if you think there is a better choice out there.

- TT

I've read Blindness and would just lurk on that one, but it is an amazing book.

My suggestion:

The Queen of the South
by Arturo Perez-Reverte

I took a peak and it doesn't do anything for me---as today's generation would say "I'm so not into thrillers and chasers at the moment." However, I have so much to read right with 3 challenges and two other group reads, that I was thinking about just lurking on the next one if it wasn't one that really grabbed me. So I'll wait and see..

Tutu, I'm with you on the lurking....

I can't seem to actually finish one of these blasted reads without finding myself side-tracked; pulled away; called away; or generally put out of commission before I can either finish the book (as in the case of Pirate of Exquisite Mind), or comment on the finished book (as with The Coffee Trader). Soooo......whatever you all decide is wonderful; I'll join in if I can!

Would Anyone be interested in The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks?
He writes such wonderful stories and the plot of this one sounds so compelling

Synopsis from Barnes and Noble

Is there really such thing as a lucky charm? The hero of Nicholas Sparks's new novel believes he's found one in the form of a photograph of a smiling woman he's never met, but who he comes to believe holds the key to his destiny. The chain of events that leads to him possessing the photograph and finding the woman pictured in it is the stuff of love stories only a master such as Sparks can write.

I'm just curious....nowhere on this thread do I see the current read suggested or even hinted at. It is not a book I would have plucked off the shelf, but neither does its choice offend me. I just don't see where it was ever suggested by one of the members of the group. So the question is "Who picks the books and what criteria are used to select them?"

26 tutu: Imagine The Tortoise in a room full of books, he flips over on his shell, spins round and round and whichever book his nose is pointing at when he stops spinning is the one that the group gets to read.

OK, I admit it wasn't quite like that, but I am the one choosing the books. I know this thread appears to call for the democratic process, but it is just an illusion to lull you into a false sense of your involvement in the choosing process. :) A bit like politics really.

The criteria is a highly rated book that has to have question notes.
Have we let you down so far?

- TT

TT--i have broad reading tastes, but Margaret Atwood has never been a favorite. I tend to give books a 2nd chance, particularly if I will be able to call upon collective wisdom to draw out something I haven't seen. That said, you will notice from my profile and reading, that sci/fi and fantasy are two things i really don't do well. I'm about 50 pages in, and I'm really having trouble...so I'm going to give it another 50, but I may be leaving after that...It's not pulling me in. Not your fault, but rather I think a 'different strokes for different folks' kinda thing.

>28 tututhefirst: Tutu, I entirely agree with you. I am not sure about Atwood myself. I couldn't get into Cat's Eye but I am hoping The Blind Assassin will be better. We are not compelled to read anything. I thought that it sounded interesting and might generate a lot of discussion. I am not so keen on Sci Fi and fantasy myself. We will see how it goes.

What would your suggestion/s be for a group read?

- TT

Post-The Blind Assassiin, might I venture an early suggestion for the next Highly-Rated Read?

>30 richardderus: ...and the suggestion is?

- TT

>31 TheTortoise: I haven't thought of one yet. I just wanted to know if I could make one.

Some suggestions - just because they are on my "to read" list -

Veronika Decides to Die Paulo Coelho
Oscar and Lucinda Peter Carey
anything by Carol Shields

I suggest:

"The Painted Veil" by Somerset Maugham
"A Prisoner of Birth" by Jeffrey Archer

Both are selections for a summer 2009 book discussion group (off line).

three suggestions (i always overdo things):
The Dollmaker by Harriette Arnow (i read this book many years ago through my Mother's recommendation...one thing she was good for)
Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey.....sublime in story, word, and all the rest...the DVD ain't bad either
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville...totally from left field...but for sci-fi/speculative fiction it can't be beat...there's a lot in here for good discussion...

long time gone, but i'm still Here
Jude

Any Bitter Thing by Monica Wood gets my first vote...definitely a great read, and it makes for a good discussion.

Next would be Olive Kitteridge- this year's Pulitzer another good book club read.

Then I'd still vote for Confederates in the Attic,
but Crimson Petal and the White at between 830 and 910 pages (guess it depends on your edition) is a bit too chunky for me right now.

There's also Mistress of the Art of Death, Water for Elephants, and Still Life or A Rule Against Murder--Lousie Penney just won another Agatha.

oops...almost forgot The Bean Trees by Kingsolver is great!

Ooo! Mistress of the Art of Death would be wonderful!

Elegance of the Hedgehog, anyone?

Of the ones mentioned in this thread, I would like:

Blindness
Confederates in the Attic
Mistress of the Art of Death
Oscar and Lucinda- read before, much loved

Elegance of the Hedgehog looks very interesting.

I think my top three are coming to
MOTAOD
EOTH and CITA

When will the winner be posted and when does the actual reading start? I'd like to be able to factor this into one of my two 999 challenges. she laughs....

I'd like to know when the book read will start. I becoming "human" again and hope I can do this read.

Mistress of the Art of Death would be great for me--I already own it!
Dead Cold by Louise Penny would be good for me too, because that is on my 'To Read" list for this year. I've already read Still Life.

I think a mystery for an early summer read (my recital is over--It's almost summer for me!) would be fun! I need an excuse to relax.

OOOO....let's do a mystery...nothing too dark or heavy....I too have readStill Life so Dead Cold would be great

edited to fix touchstone

I second Blindness.
I've read Elegance of the Hedgehog and it's fabulous - very French though in the sense that it is quite cerebral, verbose with a slight tendency to essay-style digressions. I like that very much, but it's not every one's cup of tea.

If I get a vote, I'm in for Dead Cold aka A Fatal Grace. I have it already. If it's going to be chosen, I'm in for the read!

TT, Please choose A Fatal Grace...pleaseeeee!

I must confess that I have been out of touch for several weeks. I have been stressed out at work - working late and I have been researching for my new magnum opus: At The World's End. So I have not even considered another Group Read.

There seems to be two hot contenders: A Fatal Grace and Mistress of the Art of Death. I have no idea what either of them are about right now but I will check them out and discuss with V_B to see if she is ready for another Group Read.

- TT

OK I have checked them out and Mistress of the Art of Death sounds fabulous. Mystery lovers will get their kick and historical fiction buffs (I am one!) will get theirs. All in favour say Aye!

I hope V_B can find notes and questions, or I'm in trouble!

- TT

Aye...for Mistress of the Art of Death...which i discovered i do own!!! blast these many bookshelves (not)!

Aye, Aye, Sir!

Unfortunately, I think that I have to opt out. With a double 999 I pretty much have my reading set for the rest of the year that's why I was hoping to get one that was already on the list.

Happy Reading!

Count me in...I will have to locate a copy, but that's hardly a problem....

I will look for the book after graduation -- in a week and a half! Yea!!
--BJ

>51 billiejean: billiejean, CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Milord, count me in for Mistress of the Art of Death.

#52 Actually, it is my daughter's graduation. I will pass on your congrats to her. Thanks so much!
--BJ

I'm going to give it a try- any word on a starting date?

Mistress of the Art of Death is approved!

TT, I need to write you a note this weekend regarding the start/end times of this read and some other details that are important. Please DO NOT post a start date until you read my note. This looks to be a GREAT READ!

vintage_books

I just happened to visit a bookstore last Friday and picked this up just in case! :)
--BJ

With the thumbs up from V_B Mistress of the Art of Death it is!

This sounds like an exciting read. Spread the news.

- TT

I very recently read Mistress of the ARt of Death so, while I won't be re-reading it, I will be lurking to see what you all think of it. I liked it.

I already own it and haven't read it yet, so I'm in!

This is one I've been wanting to read since about the time I joined LT. I'm excited!

We will probably only start reading Mistress of the Art of Death in early June, so hang fire until then. Catch up on some of your other reading and clear the decks for early June.

~ TT

Oh. Now he tells me. I read it last night. Now I have to wait two weeks?! Drat!

The Highly-Rated Book Group is like fine wine. The longer you have to wait for things (Book Reads, Prizes, Quizes) the more you enjoy them. :)

Consider yourself a connoisseur of words and the finer things in life, just because you joined our group!

vintage_books

I should be able to participate a bit more in this discussion than the last one. While I enjoyed reading The Blind Assassin I just couldn't seem to write an answer to any of the discussions that made any sense.

Hey everybody...since the "Highly Rated Book Group" decided to discuss Mistress of the Art of Death in JUNE and since I read it last night and since I now CAN'T review it, I finally-at-last wrote my review of the splendiferous The Ladies of Grace Adieu. It's in my "75-Books Challenge" thread in post 127 for those wanting to add a book to their TBR piles.

>65 richardderus:
???
richardderus, I am confused? Of COURSE you can review it any time you please! And you can join in the discussion at your leisure when we post our questions.

We would love to have you join us!

Count me in for Mistress of the Art of Death. I have it on my shelves and was just waiting for an excuse to bump it up to the top of the tbr pile!!

>66 vintage_books: v_b, oh I didn't mean the Dept. of Orwellian Enforcement would come arrest my dog and torture her until I took down my review...just that this is the sort of gun-jumping that makes a group read No Fun, so I don't want to do it. That's all.

>68 richardderus: Here is richard dear in a new guise:ST.RICHARD! Bless!

- TT

>68 richardderus:

Richard, Patron Saint of Biblioholics.....and "Timely"
Book Reviews

...bless you

;-p

#68 ST Richard my dear.....I just peeked (did not read) ---there are already 56 reviews of this opus posted on LT. While I'm certain that yours would be in a league of its own, I certainly don't think you'd be spoiling anything. People who want to know what the book is about, and want to decide whether to join or not, are going to peruse the reviews. If we are participating in this forum and expect surprise from our mysteries, we are going to stay away from anything that might present us with spoilers. So post away!!!

Count me in for The Mistress of the Art of Death. As long as the library keeps it on their shelf.

I found it on abebooks last night for $1 plus shipping. Hard to resist, especially since that bookseller had another book I was looking for.

Barnes & Noble currently has the hardback version of this book available on the remainder table for $5.98. Yay!

vintage_books

Well, things have changed. A book I had on my list, I had to return to the library (I'll get it again later) so I requested MAD and should have it by the beginning of June, so I'm in.

Do we have the timetable yet? I don't want to have to return this one when I'm in the middle of it. Will we have a separate thread?

#74...good to know plus I have a B&N gift card waiting to be used...hopefully one of my local B&Ns will have "Mistress in the Art of Death" in stock.

>76 cyderry: In the past, we linked to a new group for the book being read. And one of the first posts in the new group is a general time line to help people stay in the same general area.

I'm all ready to go with the next book reading!
The Mistress of the Art of Death turned up from Amazon today.
The only thing is I wish I had ordered it from The Book Depository which would have been cheaper for me with the free shipping.

I've starred this thread so if a link to The Mistress of the Art of Death Reading group is placed here I'll see it straight away :-)

ETA I'll spread the word on my other groups.

A new thread for Mistress of the Art of Death will be put up by V_B by Friday. I will post the reading Timetable when the thread is up.

~ TT

#80 TT

Thanks for the "heads up!" By Friday I should be more than ready for a good mystery! :-)

Since I obtained Mistress of the Art of Death today for $6, count me in on the group read!!

I've gotten my copy from the library - I'm on a 3 week schedule!!

Mistress of the Art of Death Book Group info is posted here.

NOTE:
I just finished this book and it is a FANTASTIC READ! You will thoroughly enjoy this book read, with its clever twists and turns. Boy are we going to have fun on this read!

I'm thrilled with the next up pick of Robert Hick's A Separate Country. I noticed a post today that we may want to tuck away to consider for future picks: The National Reading Group has picked a lists of its "Great Group Reads" --the post on BookNAround lists the groups suggestions:

Appassionata by Eva Hoffman (Other Press)
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist (Other Press)
The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë by Syrie James (Avon A)
The House on Fortune Street by Margot Livesey (Harper Perennial)
Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal by Julie Metz (Voice)
While I’m Falling by Laura Moriarty (Hyperion)
Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson (Picador)
Cost by Roxana Robinson (Picador)
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie (Picador)

I confess to being unfamiliar with any of these, but this Highly Rated Book group alway manages to pick winners, so I'll throw them to the collective wisdom for the future.

I've heard really good things about Out Stealing Horses. It's on my TBR list.

> 87 Jasmyn, the only reviewer gives it one star! :)

- TT

>86 tututhefirst: Tutu, as a Bronte fan, I would vote for The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte. The three reviews on LT or all positive and it sounds fascinating. Possiblly nothing new but an original approach is always welcome.

- TT

>88 TheTortoise: I'm trying to remember where I heard about it, but I can't find it anywhere! It is on my TBR list though.....hmmm