It’s hard to choose! I have A Manual for Cleaning Women and have started it. The very short stories have substance, but these stories are not gentle. I also received an audio library copy of Fates and Furies CD just today. Several others are intriguing and off my radar, so I’ll add them to my too-long list, in order.
^ Good to know about The Secret Chord. I’ll remove it.
I didn’t get any additional info from my daughter on Fates and Furies except her “excellent” comment, so that’s not much to go on! I do recognize that it got mixed reviews on Amazon (I didn’t read them–I always wait until after I’ve finished a book–but I noticed it wasn’t a 5-star selection).
I’m fine with anything on the list – I have not read any of the choices.
Fates And Furies by Lauren Groff
Duet: The Meursault Investigation By Kamel Daoud (translated by John Cullen) and The Stranger by Albert Camus
Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey
A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart
Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis.
P.S. Here’s the link to the Obama story that SJCM mentioned: https://newrepublic.com/minutes/125408/barack-obamas-favorite-book-2015-lauren-groffs-fates-furies
No brilliant ideas, but more links to more books suggestions (more for future reference than for right now):
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/11/books/the-top-books-of-2015.html?ref=arts appeared today in the Arts section of the NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2015.html?rref=books/review&module=Ribbon&version=context®ion=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Sunday%20Book%20Review&pgtype=Multimedia (appeared back in November in the Books section of the NY Times.)
I’d rather not read short stories - so would really prefer we don’t do A Manual for Cleaning Women. I guess that’s a veto. Oh and just saying - I gave you guys what looked like a bodice ripper in my big list! 
This is my list in order of interest:
Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey
Duet: The Meursault Investigation By Kamel Daoud (translated by John Cullen) and The Stranger by Albert Camus
Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis.
The Turner House By Angela Flournoy
Fates And Furies by Lauren Groff
Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg
Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart
I always look at Amazon reviews, lol. For anyone who might be mourning the loss of a bodice-ripper from our list, one Amazon reader states that the people in Fates and Furies have “porn quality sex.”
I’d prefer it if we chose another book, but I must admit that I am curious, based on the above comment and also on Obama’s and Mary’s daughter’s endorsement.
I remember once Bill Clinton said his favorite novel was Prince of Tides. I hated that book. I like Obama more than Clinton, though.
The New Yorker review for *Fates and Furies *was much, much less positive than the New York Times review which is why it tumbled down my list - well that and reference to breaking the fourth wall. I haven’t read the Amazon reviews.
I hope President Obama doesn’t pass the book along to Malia and Sasha–at least not just yet! As for my daughter (in her 30s), I don’t think she even notices such things. Different generation. I find that with movies, too–I will sometimes mention to my kids that a certain film had a gratuitous amount of sex, and they look at me blankly, like they recall no such thing.
I’ll tell you what: Let’s pull Fates and Furies for now, but I’ll read it over our “break” and if it is marvelous and I’m dying to discuss it with you all, I’ll throw it back in for April.
Now we have a very short list! Go ahead and re-rank your choices.
Duet: The Meursault Investigation By Kamel Daoud (translated by John Cullen) and The Stranger by Albert Camus
Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey
Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart
Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis.
If none of the above are appealing enough, there’s no rule that says we can’t start over. Just a reminder: In addition to old classics and new releases, there is that inbetween phase of good books that maybe you never got around to reading or wished you had read with a group. We’ve had good luck with that in the past (e.g. Lonesome Dove, Possession, Things Fall Apart, etc.) Looking at my bookshelves, I’ve got a mish-mash of things like A River Runs Through It, Snow Falling on Cedars, The Bell Jar, etc. I’m open to anything.
I hated the movie–ugh, it was awful. I had issues with the book, but it would have made great fodder for discussion.
Glad Fates and Furies is off list if reviews are so weak. Good call Mary
I’m most interested in the duet, but other than that I don’t have strong preferences for any of the choices.
In case anyone has any concerns, the duet, should it be chosen, would be short. Each book is only about 150 pages.
The duet is short, plus I have never read any Camus at all, and I feel like I should.
I was just looking over my “Want to Read” list on GoodReads. A very mixed bag, but an interesting little book that jumped out at me was Mr Weston’s Good Wine by T. F. Powys. No idea where I heard about it or who suggested it!
I am not proposing this book, I am curious if anyone read it.
Our Souls At Night- was recommended in a book discussion group last month, and it turns up on this list.
Yet , Another end of year list -
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/the-best-fiction-books-of-2015/2015/11/18/1d754430-7902-11e5-b9c1-f03c48c96ac2_story.html
Also, did anyone else read The Green Road, by Anne Enright? Another book on this list? Just curious, not proposing.
I hated The Stranger, but I read him in high school in French. I really like The Plague which I read on my own, when I was older. I don’t expect to like it much better this time around, but it’s one of those seminal books that you ought to read if you haven’t already. In any even I’m very interested in the duet. The reviews really made me want to read the new book and I haven’t read any author from the Arab world which is a reason to choose it.
That said I think my ordered list is:
1.Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey
2.Duet: The Meursault Investigation By Kamel Daoud (translated by John Cullen) and The Stranger by Albert Camus
3.Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis.
I read two other books by Enright a little over a year ago, and though I believe I liked them all right, I don’t remember a thing about them!
Elizabeth is Missing
Girl Waits With Gun
15 Dogs
I listened to Our Souls at Night. I thought it was beautiful. It makes one think about loneliness in aging, especially with the loss of a spouse; the transition of childrens’ roles with those of their parents as caretakers; and what is appropriate in elder care; human needs of contact, regardless of age, in sharing conversation, touch, and presence.
I’d still love to read Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner with this group.
I’ll just repost my list minus the vetoed titles.
I could go for that!
Crossing to Safety looks good.
Crossing to Safety -
I’m confused as to what’s on our list and what’s not. (See what happens when I’m gone all day: I can’t catch up with you guys.)
My revised list:
(Is Crossing to Safety on the list? I caught that Fates and Furies no longer is. I’m dragging my feet on the dog book though I’m not vetoing it. I am in such a reading slump, I’m not sure that I should even be adding my two cents. I promise you that they’re not worth it.)
I read *Crossing to Safety * ages ago and remember liking it very much. I always meant to read something else - *Angle of Repose * is the one that I think was even more well known, but never got around to it.