Thursday, September 12, 2013

What will we read next?

Hello friends,

I finished Peter Pan last night and will prepare a post about that fine work of literature within the next few days.  I am not going to set a deadline in which you need to read the book and I will post Spoiler Alerts in case you decide to read the posts without having finished the book.  Since this is my first book blog, I am totally open to suggestions on how to make this a more discussion-friendly format.  If deadlines need to be set into place, we can do so, but I know everyone has different schedules, time constraints, and reading paces and I'd like this to be a leisurely pursuit of community. 

That said, I cannot go long without a new book in hand.  I typically read during breakfast, at my lunch break, and at bedtime, some days more, but rarely less.  Since finishing Peter Pan last night, I searched for a new Book Blog book for this morning, but I was running behind and unable to read.  As the blog club is brand new and I am still working on how it will be done, I thought it would be wise to read another book I've read before as sort of a comfort zone thing to get me started.  Listed are a few that I thought would be good starters.  If any jump out at you, please say so and we'll start them together!

  • The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (fiction)

  • The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (nonfiction memoir)

  • Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (historical fiction)

  • The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst (sort of a murder mystery fiction)

  • The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds (fiction)

  • Local Girls by Alice Hoffman (fiction)

  • Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg (fiction)

  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (fiction)

I like them all enough to read again and discuss.  Some of them I've read more than once, some I have not read in years and would like to revisit.  Please read a description of each if you like.  I feel that almost any description of The Rapture of Canaan will have at least one spoiler in it (INCLUDING THE BACK OF THE BOOK) but I give you my guarantee that it's a good read.  It is actually in my purse right now because I was leaning toward it or Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café.  My only hesitation with the latter is that I do not wish for this blog to turn into a debate rather than a discussion. 

What do you think?  Care to cast a vote?

5 comments:

Jenni said...

Out of all of them, The Curious Incident... stood out the most to me.

Interested to hear from others though!

Missy said...

I have been wanting to read The Secret Life of Bees, but since you have read them all, I vote for the one you enjoyed the most.

Loralee Violet said...

That's tough. I enjoyed them all very much. Snow Flower and The Secret Fan may be my favorite of the bunch, but it is ridiculously sad. I love sad books! The Secret Life of Bees is a GREAT book with sad parts and happy parts and excitement and just good old relaxing. The Glass Castle is so intense and weird sometimes that I can hardly believe it's true. The Nobodies Album is by the writer of my favorite novel The Dogs of Babel, which is not on the list yet, but I do plan to review/discuss it eventually. The Nobodies Album is unique in that it is several stories in one. The protagonist is a writer rewriting her published works' endings in the midst of her son being suspected guilty in the murder of his girlfriend. So it's interesting enough... Of all above, I have read The Rapture of Canaan the most times. It is about a curious, fictitious sect of church life run by a somewhat tyrannical man told through the eyes of his granddaughter. It is pretty fascinating. Local Girls was my favorite book when I was in high school, but it isn't Young Adult literature. I haven't read it in a long time, but Hoffman used to be my favorite author. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle stop Café is fun at times and sad at other times. Flagg is a very gifted story teller who almost dares you not to laugh out loud at her books. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is very interesting as it is told from the point of view of an autistic 15 year old boy who discovers a neighborhood dog dead and decides to investigate. I've read it only once, but I read it in one sitting at a bookstore while my sister was at work.

They're all so good I can't decide! I may have to put them all in a hat and choose that way if no one else votes...

Unknown said...

I vote for The Curious Incident...I think it would make for some really interesting discussion.

Loralee Violet said...

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time it is!

Missy, We may read The Secret Life of Bees down the road. Even if we don't, I think you'll really like it!

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