What book for my Book Club?

It's my turn to pick a book for my book club - any suggestions?

In general I like anything that is well written, has strong believable characters, vivid sense of time and place, AND... last but not least... a plot that hangs together and doesn't leave you feeling ripped off and cheated at the end by a stoopid ending that doesn't work. I like writing that is clear, direct, and honest - that manages to say profound things with simple words and a minimum of "cleverness."

Can be either fiction or some sort of first-person autobiographical something-or-other, classic or current.

In short - something really "great", more than just technically "good". The kind of book that stays with you for days!

I missed her this year--for a long time she'd release a new book around my birthday, and I could count on getting it as a gift.

called neuromancer. It has won both the hugo and nebula award. Its a cyber science fiction book. The main charecter is unique in the fact that he doesnt really do alot to affect the outcome of the book. Swept into events that incompass the world he is an agent for major changes but the series of events do not seem to change him and their is a great ending IMHO. Probably not as classic as alot of other books but it is a great read and really makes you think.

Having worked in a library once which contained lots of bizarro old books from that period of history it's interesting to me that someone would really try to get inside the 1700s mind and write about it. You know, instead of some lazy recreation that just takes modern people and plops them down in another century. Think I'll read it regardless of whether book group wants to or not.

I can give you a ton of suggestions but would like a feel for what your group enjoys.

picking things that we don't really like!

"13 moons" by Charles frazier and "into the wild" (before movie came out) were 2 I liked though....

We're all women about 30-60 y.o. but not really Oprah book club material - we're willing to go "darker" and "more complex" in our reading (but not necessarily).

A lot of us have been going thru life crisis types of things and have been drawn to themes of personal struggle & transformation.

Theres that certain something I look for in a book - can tell when an author has truly lived it and felt it. Frank McCourt comes to mind - I really enjoyed that one!

Oh, travel too - nothing beats a good travel book for sheer enjoyment.

1."Eat, Love, Pray" by Elizabeth Gilbert is an easy read but lots of discussion for women.

2. "Snowflower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See is a wonderful discussion book for women--friendship, betrayal, mothers and daughters, etc.

3. "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls is a memoir--my book group compared it to Frank McCourt.

4. "A Thousand White Women, the Diary of May Dodd" by Jim Fergus is a terrific discussion book.

Lately I seem to be spending more time reading about books than reading books! Found a new website called Shelfari.com which is a real attraction for readers.

His Joe Pickett novels stick with me. Read them all and I love Joe. He's a ranger in Wyoming. Characters are the same in many of the books and the plots are tricky and work. The last one I read wasn't about Joe Pickett. It's the newest one out, called BLUE HEAVEN. It was pretty good.

You can see all his stuff at:

http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/B_Authors/Box_C-J.html

Won the Nobel prize, thought-provoking, depressing.

it's something of a followup to "The Pillars of the Earth," which was also good . . . be forewarned, however . . . WWE is over 1000 pages, and it's one of those books that's hard to put down once you've gotten into it . . .

maybe you've done those already tho

Outside of Hemingway, here are some authors that pop into mind; check out their stuff to see if anything appeals:

Jane Smiley

Carl Hiaasen

Margaret Atwood

Carol O'Connell

Barbara Kingsolver

1 Reynolds Price -- The Tongues of Angels

2 Marion Zimmer Bradley -- The Mists of Avalon

3 William Wharton -- A Midnight Clear

and think that meets your criteria.

If you haven't read John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany, I highly recommend it. It has stayed with me for years.

to recommend that book--Owen Meany, that is. It's stuck with me, too. :hi:

Try "High Season," by Jon Loomis. Lots of fun, great characters and setting, well reviewed.

High Season looks like my kind of book. And it's not too long either. I hate anything over 400 pages my arms get tired.

I checked and the library has it. Seems that Mr. Loomis has only one book there.

that Mr. Loomis is a DU lurker.

Like a Steinbeck story..."Grapes of Wrath" or "East of Eden"

The Gate to Women's Country, The Fresco, or
Gibbon's Decline and Fall, all by Sheri S. Tepper.

They're all nominally sci-fi, but in different very
realms.

Gate describes a post-apocalyptic country where
women have become the leaders and they're setting out
to remake the world along slightly-different lines. It
examines those forces that drive societies to war and
how they might be dealt with.

The Fresco is set in our time and describes
first contact with an alien federation. The aliens are
friendlies, though, and offer some rather-creative
solutions to the problems that have been vexing
humanity in recent decades.

Decline and Fall describes a close-knit circle
of seven women and how they react when one of their
own mysteriously vanishes. Along the way, the group is
challenged by various unethical forces that we here
at DU might lump into the rubric "Neocons", but the
analysis is a bit more subtle than the level we usually
manage.

Tepper has written much more, but these exemplify some
of her best work and Mr. Tesha and I both return to
them often. In every case, Tepper's work includes andd
often centers on the theme of a woman as hero.

Tesha

The Fifth Sacred Thing is a speculative fiction
novel set in the near future. A war has taken place,
splitting the United States into a collection of
nation-states. The novel focuses on the San Franciscans
and their struggles against an theocratic, autocratic,
anglo government that has emerged in the Angel City area
(formerly "Los Angeles", but the use of Spanish has now
been banned by that government).

The book straddles the sci-fi and fantasy realms, depending
to some degree on magic, but it's an exciting read the whole
way through and may well change the way you think about
many things, even if you don't believe one bit in the magic.
In particular, it will definitely give you insight into how non-
violent opposition can struggle against violent oppression.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fifth_Sacred_Thing

Tesha

Ecotopia describes an ecological utopia that is
carved out of the northwest portion of the United States.
The book is written through the eyes of William Weston,
a journalist who is sent into wild Ecotopia both to report
back to the rest of the United States about exactly what
has happened in the new nation since their secession and,
sub-rosa, to try and persuade the Ecotopians to re-unite
with the United States.

Although written by a man, Ecotopia is often cited
as the first "Ecofeminist" novel, taking a sharply pro-
woman, pro-ecology point of view throughout.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecotopia



Tesha

by Pat Conroy

I think this is one of the best books I've ever read.

KC

http://www.amazon.com/Beach-Music-Pat-Conroy/dp/0553381539/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203365915&sr=1-1

I have yet to read a Conroy work that I didn't like.

is "Drop City" by T.C. Boyle. I think he is an excellent author, but IMO this is far and away his best.

to me this is the best altho i certainly enjoyed "drop city"

thanks for the recommendation.

Also enjoyed Tortilla Curtain and The Road to Wellville. Haven't read Talk Talk, but it's on my wish list at amazon.

Welcome to DU, Upton. This is a great place to hang out.

What book have you chosen?

by Kent Haruf. Everyone in our book club loved it and that's saying a lot with our group.

januarymagazine.com/fiction/plainsong.html

A good read.