Next book selection. [ Edited ]

[Peppermill]

For more on Louise Erdich, see her Wikipedia entry.  (The article may not be entirely accurate, but it does give a lengthy list of her published books, at least one of which, Tracks,  I have read.)

Another Native American female writer is Susan Power, e.g., The Grass Dancer.  Interview.  (I am not certain where she lives currently: Princeton?  Twin Cities?)

For other possibilities, scan this list or one of the links among the references at the end. 

Message Edited by Peppermill on 11-06-2008 12:45 PM

[Choisya]

Thanks P and M.  Perhaps those of you who have read female Native American authors could bear them in mind when we next nominate for the LbW reading list?   I feel we have neglected them and I have been wondering too, in this historic week, why it is that Americans have elected a black/mixed-race President but there has never been an election of a Native American one?

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Peppermill wrote:

For more on Louise Erdich, see her Wikipedia entry.  (The article may not be entirely accurate, but it does give a lengthy list of her published books, at least one of which, Tracks,  I have read.)

Another Native American female writer is Susan Power, e.g., The Grass Dancer.  Interview.  (I am not certain where she lives currently: Princeton?  Twin Cities?)

For other possibilities, scan this list or one of the links among the references at the end. 

Message Edited by Peppermill on 11-06-2008 12:45 PM

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[sigkaplori]

Hello

I am a newbie, and I believe I will fit in just fine.  I too often have 5-6,7,8....  books going at once and I am usually reading reviews searching for another book I might like to read.  I thought I was the only one like that....

I just finished Prep by Curtis Sittendfeld, great book and I think all teenagers should read this book with the preface that High School does not have to be as it was for Lee or as she perceived it to be.

I currently have the following books in the works:

The Innocent Man John Grisham - I had to put it down because it started out kind of disturbing.

Send - David Shipley and Will Schwalbe - teaching me how to write e-mails effectively

Salem Falls - Jdoi Picoult

Cranford 0 Elizabeth C. Gaskill

The Tea Oliva Bird Watching Society - Augusta Trobaugh

No Where to run - Mary Jane Clark

And I am heading to the library this afternoon.

I ca't wait to get started in the club.

[Melissa_W Moderator]

Welcome Lori!

Right now we are reading The Gathering by Anne Enright and in December we will start The Mysteries of Udolpho.

[Mally1020]

Hello! I am new to the club and am so excited as Ive always wanted to join a book club. Im sure it will be amazing. Oh my goodness, I have a list almost as long of books I am trying to read all at once also. I also continue to buy more books, haha. I love that you are reading Breaking Dawn. I think everyone on the planet has read or is reading that series; I am on the third book myself. 

[Melissa_W Moderator]

Welcome, Mally!  Will you be joining us for Udolpho?

[Mally1020]

Oh definitely! I already bought it lol.

[Melissa_W Moderator]

I was reading the Times this morning and came across an essay by Joe Queenan about too much praise.

[debbook]

That was so funny, while being true. This quote cracked me up-

"I for one would never want one of my books referred to as “a big dish of Beluga caviar” sailing in “on a sparkling bed of rice, with a mother-of-pearl spoon,” as one of Alice Munro’s once was."

this is why I like reader reviews, or even better a personal recommendation

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pedsphleb wrote:

I was reading the Times this morning and came across an essay by Joe Queenan about too much praise.

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[Everyman]

this is why I like reader reviews, or even better a personal recommendation

I enjoy reader reviews, but I'm not sure they are any more accurate.  In the First Look Book Clubs, for example, the reviews are almost universally four or five stars; is no averge or mediocre book ever chosen for the First Look program?  

But for other reviews, at least readers who hate a book do get a chance to say so (usually anonymously), whereas very few commercial reviews are total pans. 

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debbook wrote:

That was so funny, while being true. This quote cracked me up-

"I for one would never want one of my books referred to as “a big dish of Beluga caviar” sailing in “on a sparkling bed of rice, with a mother-of-pearl spoon,” as one of Alice Munro’s once was."

this is why I like reader reviews, or even better a personal recommendation

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pedsphleb wrote:

I was reading the Times this morning and came across an essay by Joe Queenan about too much praise.

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[debbook]

Maybe for the First Look Club, but on Amazon I find quite a variety of reviews that are very helpful. Also, readers don't have anything to gain or lose, so are much more honest.

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Everyman wrote:

this is why I like reader reviews, or even better a personal recommendation

I enjoy reader reviews, but I'm not sure they are any more accurate.  In the First Look Book Clubs, for example, the reviews are almost universally four or five stars; is no averge or mediocre book ever chosen for the First Look program?  

But for other reviews, at least readers who hate a book do get a chance to say so (usually anonymously), whereas very few commercial reviews are total pans. 

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debbook wrote:

That was so funny, while being true. This quote cracked me up-

"I for one would never want one of my books referred to as “a big dish of Beluga caviar” sailing in “on a sparkling bed of rice, with a mother-of-pearl spoon,” as one of Alice Munro’s once was."

this is why I like reader reviews, or even better a personal recommendation

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pedsphleb wrote:

I was reading the Times this morning and came across an essay by Joe Queenan about too much praise.

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[Melissa_W Moderator]

Yeah, Joe Queenan is a pretty funny guy; I think, though, a lot of praise is either playground back-scratching or an overblown attempt to create a witty/lyrical/worthy of great writer phrase.  On the other hand, reader reviews I don't find to be very accurate, either; I have also found that reader reviews tend not to be cognizant of spoilers or they blatantly copy a publisher's blurb.

A personal reccomendation is always the best

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debbook wrote:

That was so funny, while being true. This quote cracked me up-

"I for one would never want one of my books referred to as “a big dish of Beluga caviar” sailing in “on a sparkling bed of rice, with a mother-of-pearl spoon,” as one of Alice Munro’s once was."

this is why I like reader reviews, or even better a personal recommendation

---

pedsphleb wrote:

I was reading the Times this morning and came across an essay by Joe Queenan about too much praise.

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[Peppermill]

"A personal recommendation is always the best "

Why?  Because they "know" you?  Because you "know" them?  Because you are accountable to each other? ......

(Incidentally, I don't find that the personal recommendation is always good, let alone best, for me -- maybe because I can be eccentric about my reading interests, maybe because reading serves different purposes for me than do my friends -- so their reading interests/preferences don't necessary match mine, maybe because I pick what I read for lots of different reasons, ....)

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pedsphleb wrote:

Yeah, Joe Queenan is a pretty funny guy; I think, though, a lot of praise is either playground back-scratching or an overblown attempt to create a witty/lyrical/worthy of great writer phrase.  On the other hand, reader reviews I don't find to be very accurate, either; I have also found that reader reviews tend not to be cognizant of spoilers or they blatantly copy a publisher's blurb.

A personal reccomendation is always the best

---

debbook wrote:

That was so funny, while being true. This quote cracked me up-

"I for one would never want one of my books referred to as “a big dish of Beluga caviar” sailing in “on a sparkling bed of rice, with a mother-of-pearl spoon,” as one of Alice Munro’s once was."

this is why I like reader reviews, or even better a personal recommendation

---

pedsphleb wrote:

I was reading the Times this morning and came across an essay by Joe Queenan about too much praise.

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[Melissa_W Moderator]

Oh yeah for me at least.  I've found some of the best books that way - my friend Kat, who's also a manager at my bookstore, has similar taste to me but tends to go more for offbeat, unknown writers whereas I read a lot of older/classic books.  Everything she's ever recommended to me was wonderful. 

But to each their own - I have another friend that is completely uninterested in anyone's opinion of a book - friend, enemy, critic, or no - because he prefers to read things with a "clean slate" so-to-speak without others' opinions cluttering up his head.  

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Peppermill wrote:

"A personal recommendation is always the best "

Why?  Because they "know" you?  Because you "know" them?  Because you are accountable to each other? ......

(Incidentally, I don't find that the personal recommendation is always good, let alone best, for me -- maybe because I can be eccentric about my reading interests, maybe because reading serves different purposes for me than do my friends -- so their reading interests/preferences don't necessary match mine, maybe because I pick what I read for lots of different reasons, ....)

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[Peppermill]

"...I have another friend that is completely uninterested in anyone'sopinion of a book - friend, enemy, critic, or no - because he prefers to read things with a "clean slate" so-to-speak without others' opinions cluttering up his head." 

Sounds like your friend could be a "First Look" candidate -- at least, Eman has said that lack of prior comment is, or at least has been, one reason those selections have appealed to him.

Melissa -- thanks for clarifying.    I was probably too harsh if I implied that none of my best recommendations have come from friends -- in fact, I am often quite willing to let my book club colleagues take the lead in our selctions and many of those have been quite wonderful.  Still, I do use all sorts of sources to make my selections and would be hard put to limit the list of prime ones to even three or four.  I keep a reading list for which a single mention somewhere of a book can cause its inclusion, but months later it may disappear from the list for lack of reinforcement or to be replaced by another with "better credentials". 

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pedsphleb wrote:

Oh yeah for me at least.  I've found some of the best books that way - my friend Kat, who's also a manager at my bookstore, has similar taste to me but tends to go more for offbeat, unknown writers whereas I read a lot of older/classic books.  Everything she's ever recommended to me was wonderful. 

But to each their own - I have another friend that is completely uninterested in anyone's opinion of a book - friend, enemy, critic, or no - because he prefers to read things with a "clean slate" so-to-speak without others' opinions cluttering up his head.  

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Peppermill wrote:

"A personal recommendation is always the best "

Why?  Because they "know" you?  Because you "know" them?  Because you are accountable to each other? ......

(Incidentally, I don't find that the personal recommendation is always good, let alone best, for me -- maybe because I can be eccentric about my reading interests, maybe because reading serves different purposes for me than do my friends -- so their reading interests/preferences don't necessary match mine, maybe because I pick what I read for lots of different reasons, ....)

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[Melissa_W Moderator]

For those who are interested, there's a little essay about Louise Erdrich's work on the Bookslut website.

[Ela87]

 have any of you read the book called, "Rediscovering Natalie" ? It is a real good book, course I didn't finish it because I gave it to a friends as a going away present....but really good!

[Peppermill]

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Ela87 wrote:
 have any of you read the book called, "Rediscovering Natalie" ? It is a real good book, course I didn't finish it because I gave it to a friends as a going away present....but really good!

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Ela -- when I put that name into B&N's book search, I don't find it.

Comments, suggestions?

[Melissa_W Moderator]

I ran across this article after I finished culling a box of books from my bookshelves.  It is truly hard to toss.

[dulcinea3]

“Eventually the truth hits home,” Brian Drolet, a television producer in New York, told me. “As the actuarial tables advance, the number of books you’ve got time to read diminishes.”

Oooh, that hurts!

I'm not good at culling, but sometimes I manage to do it.  The most recent episode was when I decided I wasn't so crazy about historical fiction (about Elizabeth I, Anne Boleyn, etc.) and removed all except the ones I haven't read yet.  That made more room for some homeless historical books, like a few by Alison Weir.  The toughest one to get rid of was A Crown for Elizabeth, which was the first book I ever had about her, and so there was some sentimental attachment there.

Message Edited by dulcinea3 on 12-01-2008 08:29 PM