PLANTMOM- I suggest crow lake first ( loved it) because there is a backstory for Road Ends- Ann Tyler recommended Mary Lawson in an interview and that’s how I discovered her. Enjoyable !
I’m not attracted to The Narrow Road either, mathmom.
I know Elena Ferrante is popular, but I’ve read samples of her prose and they grate on me for some reason.
Sorry for the negativity. 
Edit:
I believe a Penelope Lively duo was suggested not long ago? That was one choice that did appeal to me.
I went ahead and read the recent Lively memoir and didn’t like it much - I do still like her novels though! And the older memoirs are more coherent I think. There were some things in it that were interesting if you’d read all the novels - but not enough.
Just returned from another book club which meets every six weeks. They choose two books - you can read either one or both. Anyway, they just picked *The Goldfinch/i and The Unlikely Spy - Daniel Silva. Feel free to add either to the choices here. (Call me lazy.)
I officially veto The Narrow Road.
'Nuff said. I’m still getting over medical procedures in Cutting for Stone.
Those were the BEST. Loved that book. 
Yes, I think so. But not even a better translation could tempt me toward a do-over!
Here are most of the titles that have been mentioned, with the exception of books that were vetoed, already read by others, etc. That still leaves us with too long a list, so let’s do some chopping (or swapping, if you have thought of other preferable titles).
The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Hild, by Nicola Griffith
Burr by Gore Vidal
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
The Unlikely Spy by Daniel Silva
I veto A Little Life. I would actually do better listing a top five but will watch for other vetoes.
I’ll veto *The Remains of the Day * - I loved it, but I don’t need to reread it. I’d be happy to swap for another book of his!
^^^ Not The Buried Giant - I read it and don’t want to read it again. Definitely didn’t love it.
I’ve read *Anna Karenina/i. I wish it had been in the newest translation–supposed to be wonderful, but I don’t think I’ll be able to commit to rereading again because it’s so long. But, War and Peace? Same for The Goldfinch. It’s dark, and I loved it, but I disappeared for at least a week the first time I read this long book!
I would gladly re-read To the Lighthouse and House of Mirth. I read Goldfinch not too long ago so wouldn’t have to re-read. This doesn’t fit with current list for consideration but has anyone read A Dark-Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine? I’m reading it and really enjoying it.
Hild is described in blurbs as “lush, sweeping.” When I see those adjectives I want to run the other way, I’m afraid.
On a more positive note, a member of my other book club posted the following today about The Fishermen:
My top four (in alphabetical order rather than order of preference):
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain - I put this in my top five because it has starred reviews from BookList, Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus.
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy We came close to choosing it last time.
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Hild by Nicola Griffith - NJTM The word “brilliant” comes before “lush, sweeping” in the blurb I saw. Does the word “brilliant” help or did you already veto the book?
I realize that vetoes will be ongoing and, for all I know, knock out my choices. However I’m leaving for the day in about an hour, so thought I’d go ahead and pick a top four. I actually tried for a top five but couldn’t choose that fifth one. No objections to any and no “oh yea, this one.”
Not an outright veto, but I’m lukewarm.
A review in The New Republic has admiring things to say, but also this:
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/115572/cara-parks-reviews-nicola-griffiths-hild
Beryl Markham, the subject of Circling the Sun has written a well-known and well-regarded autobiography called West With the Night. If I were going to read Circling the Sun, I would want to respect Markham by also reading West With the Night.
West with the Night is a lovely book, which I could read again - it’s not long. It captures East Africa from an ex-pat perspective beautifully. A nice counterpoint to it is Don’t let’s go to the dogs tonight. Similar community but 30 years later. Both made me very nostalgic for my childhood in East Africa.
Last night I downloaded the sample for Circling the Sun.
Love the idea of combining the fictional account with Markham’s bio.
@ignatius you’ll like Goldfinch, a couple friends and I had nice discussion about it while taking our 5 mile walks.
NJTM “Beryl Markham, the subject of Circling the Sun has written a well-known and well-regarded autobiography called West With the Night. If I were going to read Circling the Sun, I would want to respect Markham by also reading West With the Night.”
SJCM “Beryl Markham, the subject of Circling the Sun has written a well-known and well-regarded autobiography called West With the Night. If I were going to read Circling the Sun, I would want to respect Markham by also reading West With the Night.”
I like the idea of a Beryl Markham combo, too!
I’ll bet ignatius would like a Markham duo too, since she’s so fond of sequels and prequels and such.
I don’t participate frequently enough in the book club to feel I’m entitled to any vetoes, but I did want to offer a couple of opinions, for whatever they’re worth. I’m a big fan of Ishiguro’s previous work, but I simply hated The Buried Giant, and I truly believe a majority of the CC book clubbers would feel the same. I’m also one of the small minority that was not at all taken with Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend. I felt the language had the awkardness I often find in translated work and the story was plodding.
For the next selection, I’d like to read a classic, something that would never happen in my IRL book club, or perhaps a piece of non-fiction (has that ever been done?).
Mommaj - I’d be interested in books your real life book club has read- especially those you consider good discussion books-
Thanks for input about My Brilliant Friend-