<p>SouthJerseyChessMom quoted from the Time Magazine review “Muriel Barbery – An Elegant Quill”:</p>
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Indeed, Elegance can be a bit intimidating when Ren</p>
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<p>No ideas, but I’m willing to give pretty much anything a go. Something a bit light might be a good idea for summer reading, but again I’ll follow where you lead. I’ve enjoyed all the books so far, though for different reasons.</p>
<p>Coming in late–I’ve been traveling for the better part of the last two weeks. Here’s my issue–I really wondered about Paloma’s suicidal tendancies. To me, she didn’t come across as someone who was going to end it all. She never really seemed like someone who had given up on life. She had a very active inner-life and seemed to be suffering from the angst of most precocious pre-teens/teens. I thought the scene where she met with her mother’s therapist was brilliant. </p>
<p>Overall, this wasn’t my favorite book, but I ended up liking it, except for the ending–I’m a sucker for happy endings and this wasn’t. I did go to the dictionary to look up words; I usually don’t need to do so. I found it somewhat annoying, but not enough to abandon the book.</p>
<p>^^ Good to hear from you Bromfield, and anyone else out there who read the book. </p>
<p>I agree with Ignatius, that Barbery didn’t capture a 12 year old “voice” very well, perhaps because she doesn’t have children. It helped that Paloma was so “precocious and brilliant” that I accepted her very “adult/ (at- times- too- mature)” view. </p>
<p>Was it about inter-generation communication? Ignatius mentioned Paloma and Renee’s “kindred spirit”, and I think the journey was about them finding each other. </p>
<p>I found this while researching Barbery, and I think this may explain why so MANY people had problems with the book. Apparently, Paloma’s character emerged later in the writing, and Barbery’s husband encouraged her to develop this character. Perhaps, the disjointed writing that many mention may stem from this. </p>
<p>The manner of writing elegance of the hedgehog</p>
<p>Q: When you were writing, did you move back and forth between the two characters after a few pages, the way the book does? Or did you spend more time with each character before returning to the other?
A: Well, I wrote more than two hundred pages in which there was a single voice, that of Ren</p>
<p>Regarding book suggestions- have enjoyed everything, and, sorry, that I don’t have anything to recommend. Do we have anything left from the original list?</p>
<p>Mary- perhaps this website may be helpful for book selection</p>
<p>[Book</a> Movement](<a href=“http://www.bookmovement.com/app/readingguide/bcbestsellers.php?action=search&qt=&startsWith=&page=0]Book”>http://www.bookmovement.com/app/readingguide/bcbestsellers.php?action=search&qt=&startsWith=&page=0)</p>
<p>^ Great site. Here are a few random suggestions in no particular order (some of these books we’ve mentioned before):</p>
<p>The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton</p>
<p>Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford</p>
<p>The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls</p>
<p>Still Alice by Lisa Genova</p>
<p>Feel free to add other titles to the list. Whatever we pick, our starting date for discussion would be August 1st.</p>
<p>I remembered our last discussion on book choice mixed in with our discussion of The Help. It starts on page 8 and ends on page 11. I find the discussion process interesting in and of itself:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/839908-help-february-cc-book-club-selection-8.html?highlight=CC+book+club[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/839908-help-february-cc-book-club-selection-8.html?highlight=CC+book+club</a></p>
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<p>You bring up a good point. I feel the same about Paloma’s suicidal tendencies. At no point, did I really feel that she would set her apartment on fire and commit suicide.</p>
<p>Have any of you heard of Elaine Newton’s book discussions, which occur in Naples, Florida to a sell out crowd every year. Yes, hundreds of people attend her “book discussions”, and she compiles a reading list each year. </p>
<p>If you are interested
[The</a> Phil?s popular professor, Elaine Newton sees colors in words as much as in art Naples Daily News](<a href=“http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/mar/17/phils-popular-professor-elaine-newton-sees-colors-/]The”>http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/mar/17/phils-popular-professor-elaine-newton-sees-colors-/)
"Elaine Newton is the professor literature lovers never knew existed. If they did, there would be even more pages of people waitlisted to hear her. It’s been happening at the Philharmonic Center for the Arts for nearly 20 years.</p>
<p>“The attendance is huge. It doesn’t fade. It grows. Everybody wants tickets to her lectures,” says Jeanette Montgomery Evert, who’s been attending Newton’s “Critic’s Choice” book discussions for 18 years. "
…</p>
<p>"“Once you’ve been to one, you never want to miss one,” she asserts.</p>
<p>The same goes for the annual April release of Elaine Newton’s summer reading list, which the local Barnes and Noble publishes. Sometimes, says Felicia Santiago, a community relations assistant at Barnes and Noble, the store receives calls from out-of-state bookstores asking about the list because a customer brought it in.</p>
<p>“She is seriously revered here. Naples is an incredibly literary town. They like good literature. Literature with meat,” Santiago adds. “She’s just a magnet for igniting passion for reading literature in other people. You’re waiting for the next book. The next lecture. … She’s an incredible gift to Naples and the Philharmonic.”</p>
<p>Here is this year’s list- most are unknown to me. (not suggesting any of these, just passing this on)
Elaine Newton’s Summer Reading List 2010
April 26, 2010 · Leave a Comment</p>
<p>Critic’s Choice 2010-2011 Summer Reading List</p>
<p>Paul Auster, Invisible*
Laura Barnum, Veracity*
Sarah Blake, The Postmistress
Tracy Chevalier, Remarkable Creatures
Chitra Banergee Divakaruni, One Amazing Thing
E.L. Doctorow, Homer and Langley*
Kim Echlin, The Disappeared*
Tan Twan Eng, The Gift of Rain*
Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, 36 Arguments for the Existence of God
Shilpi Somaya Gowda, Secret Daughter*
Robert Harris, Conspirata
Adam Haslett, Union Atlantic
Zoe Heller, The Believers
Ann Hood, The Red Thread*
Nick Hornsby, Naked Juliet
Ward Just, Exiles in the Garden
Joseph Kertes, Gratitude: A Novel
Barbara Kingsolver, The Lacuna*
Jonathan Lethem, Chronic City
James A. Levine, The Blue Notebook*
Simon Mawer, The Glass Room*
Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin*
Ian McEwan, Solar
Philip Meyer, America Rust
Anchee Min, Pearl of China
Lorrie Moore, A Gate at the Stairs
Lisa Moore, February*
Alice Munro, Too Much Happiness
Orhan Pamuk, The Museum of Innocence
Richard Powers, Generosity: An Enhancement
Cathleen Schine, The Three Weissmanns of Westport*
Lionel Shriver, So Much for That*
Helen Simonson, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand
Mark Spragg, Bone Fire
Colm Toibin, Brooklyn*
William Trevor, Love and Summer</p>
<p>^^^ 
I thought of suggesting Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand - looks like I’m in good company.</p>
<p>A recommendation on one of the best books I’ve read in the last six months thread just caught my eye:</p>
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<p>Also, my local librarians keep recommending The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie - Alan Bradley.</p>
<p>And yet another list: [2010</a> Lariat Reading List | Texas Library Association](<a href=“http://www.txla.org/lariat-list]2010”>Current List - Texas Library Association)</p>
<p>^^ so many books I never heard about on these lists 
Checked out the Texas LIbrary association and see
Mary13’s "The Forgotten Garden’----sounds interesting- has anyone read this one?</p>
<p>The Three Weissmans of Westport is a fun read, particularly if you’re familiar with Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, since it’s a modern-day retelling of that story. Let the Great World Spin is excellent. And Solar, while not up there with McEwan’s best, is certainly worthwhile, as is anything by Ward Just.</p>
<p>From Amazon - The Three Weissmans of Westport- (I hesitate to suggest anything I haven’t read- so not suggesting just presenting more info ) </p>
<p>From Bookmarks Magazine
The seemingly endless parade of Jane Austen adaptations (Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, anyone?) may tempt weary readers to give this book a pass. And, really, who can blame them? Perhaps an exception should be made, however, for The Three Weissmanns of Westport, which most critics hailed as a clever and warmhearted tale about love, life, and the true meaning of family. Schine’s story captures the essence of Austen’s classics, with pages filled with vibrant characters and insightful social commentary. Only the Wall Street Journal thought the novel too derivative. Both funny and sad, The Three Weissmans is the literary version of a delectable desert.</p>
<p>Many people have been recommending Loving Frank by Nancy Horan…
I also second The Glass Castle, since it is on my summer read list.</p>
<p>Ignatius, Have you read “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand” ? This looks interesting, too. </p>
<p>From Publishers Weekly
In her charming debut novel, Simonson tells the tale of Maj. Ernest Pettigrew, an honor-bound Englishman and widower, and the very embodiment of duty and pride. As the novel opens, the major is mourning the loss of his younger brother, Bertie, and attempting to get his hands on Bertie’s antique Churchill shotgun—part of a set that the boys’ father split between them, but which Bertie’s widow doesn’t want to hand over. While the major is eager to reunite the pair for tradition’s sake, his son, Roger, has plans to sell the heirloom set to a collector for a tidy sum. As he frets over the guns, the major’s friendship with Jasmina Ali—the Pakistani widow of the local food shop owner—takes a turn unexpected by the major (but not by readers). The author’s dense, descriptive prose wraps around the reader like a comforting cloak, eventually taking on true page-turner urgency as Simonson nudges the major and Jasmina further along and dangles possibilities about the fate of the major’s beloved firearms. This is a vastly enjoyable traipse through the English countryside and the long-held traditions of the British aristocracy. (M</p>
<p>I really liked Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand.</p>
<p>Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand - Helen Simonson caught my eye on reviewsofbooks.com when it appeared on the home page. The reviews are really good. :)</p>
<p>Here’s the link:</p>
<p>[Book</a> Reviews - Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson](<a href=“http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/major_pettigrews_last_stand/]Book”>http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/major_pettigrews_last_stand/)</p>
<p>I didn’t suggest it earlier because it can be found in hardback only - paperback in Nov. - which makes it pricey, though a kindle edition is available. I find myself checking availability in paperback and on kindle - seems that requests leaned that way previously. I’m fine with whatever though - hardback or paperback. I want the book to be good - format a secondary consideration. :)</p>
<p>Hi All, I would like to join the discussion for future books. What is the book that will be discussed in July? I’ll keep checking this thread to see what gets picked for the August discussion. Thanks.</p>
<p>Hi everybody…just finished a long day of exploring the Great American West. But at least it ended with internet access. A few thoughts:</p>
<p>1) Welcome BUandBC82! We don’t have a selection for July because we read every other month. That gives people the opportunity to read titles that wouldn’t normally be typical bookclub fare. (Or it gives them the opportunity to not read at all, but maybe sit down in front of a marathon “Glee” session instead. :)) Discussion for our next book will begin August 1st.</p>
<p>2) Thanks to all who posted suggestions and book lists above. There are some wonderful choices! If we want a lighter read for the dog days of summer, The Three Weissmans of Westport might be fun, but really, I’m game for anything. (I’ve read Loving Frank, but had mixed feelings about it because I couldn’t stand the main characters. Not the author’s fault–I think Mamah and Frank were probably genuinely self-centered, whiny and annoying.) I’ll post a short list of books for us to vote on in a few days, after all interested parties have had a chance to suggest their favorites. </p>
<p>3) Back to The Elegance of the Hedgehog for a moment…I agree with Bromfield about Paloma’s suicidal tendencies. I think Paloma was “trying on” the guise of a suicidal pyromaniac, but she realized in the end what the reader saw from the start–that it didn’t fit her at all. Yes, she was hurting and lonely and scornful of others; nonetheless, she was very engaged in life–eager to take on the world, rather than walk away from it.</p>