<p>We can start throwing out ideas for our next book at any time. But as always, the current discussion can go on as long as anyone has anything to say!</p>
<p>These two titles appeared last book club but didn’t make the cut. I’m still interested but may be the only one who hasn’t read either by now.</p>
<p>The Light Between Oceans - M. L. Stedman</p>
<p>The Golem and the Jinni - Helene Wecker</p>
<p>The big fall movie looks to be Ender’s Game. How about a duet:</p>
<p>Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow</p>
<p>I’ve heard the movie draws from both books. I read Ender’s Game long ago but want to reread it before the movie. I haven’t read Ender’s Shadow. It would be easy to combine both books in a duet - even during the busy month of September. (*Ender’s Game *is well worth reading if you haven’t by now.)</p>
<p>And just because I like to throw out new titles:</p>
<p>The Curiosity - Stephen P. Kiernan (Science Fiction; love story)</p>
<p>Blood and Beauty - Sarah Dunant (Medieval Italy) Another historical fiction after just discussing one … maybe we want to go a totally different direction … but I thought I’d throw the title out anyway.</p>
<p>Hoping to be able to join in on the October selection! Is it time we considered another classic from the canon?</p>
<p>^ What if we combined Ender’s Game with the classic The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells? I think they would compliment each other nicely and make for an interesting discussion. All modern sci-fi owes a debt of gratitude to Wells and it might be fun to talk about the literary evolution of the alien invasion. The War of the Worlds is very short, only 160 pages, so it would be an easy duet.</p>
<p>I’d love to see us take on The Light Between the Oceans at some point. Another of my recent favorites is The Other Child. Has the Club read Rules of Civility? I’m looking forward to starting The Interestings. </p>
<p>I’d have to think about buying Ender’s Game however. Not crazy about doing anything that puts a penny into Card’s pocket.</p>
<p>Mary: Thumbs up from here on the duet - Ender’s Game and War of the Worlds, I haven’t read War of the Worlds and always wanted to do so. Both books should be easy to check out from the library.</p>
<p>cartera45, I am also very interested in The Light Between Oceans. I already own it and am poised to begin reading. Would love some company.</p>
<p>What’s the story behind Orson Scott Card? I don’t know anything about him.</p>
<p>I already have The Light Between Oceans on my Kindle, but haven’t read it yet. I purchased it after reading the recommendations on “Best Book I’ve Read…” thread here on CC. I would definitely be up for it being our next book club book.</p>
<p>I read Ender’s Game earlier this summer. I liked it, so I would be willing to discuss it here, either with Ender’s Shadow or War of the Worlds. </p>
<p>I also am wondering what’s up with Orson Scott Card??</p>
<p>Has anyone read Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline? I saw it on a book club recommendation list and thought it looked interesting. [Orphan</a> Train: A Novel: Christina Baker Kline: 9780061950728: Amazon.com: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Orphan-Train-Christina-Baker-Kline/dp/0061950726/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376258705&sr=1-2&keywords=the+orphan]Orphan”>http://www.amazon.com/Orphan-Train-Christina-Baker-Kline/dp/0061950726/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376258705&sr=1-2&keywords=the+orphan) </p>
<p>ignatius - I need to look up your other suggestions.</p>
<p>I’d like to re-suggest another book that was considered last time: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.</p>
<p>I have read Americanah and would be happy to re-read it and discuss it. I think group members would like it. It is very readable and appealing…and it is a love story with a happy ending!</p>
<p>Americanah was written by a young Nigerian woman who has spent a lot of time in the US. The book is very contemporary in tone. One of the topics of the novel is race, but the writing is in no way strident or angry; reading the book makes Adichie seem like a cool and agreeable person whom it would be fun to spend time with. She does provide an interesting outlook on race in the US from the point of view of an African person. Parts of the book take place in Nigeria and England.</p>
<p>Here is a link to an NPR interview with the author:</p>
<p>[‘Americanah</a>’ Author Explains ‘Learning’ To Be Black In The U.S. : NPR](<a href=“http://www.npr.org/2013/06/27/195598496/americanah-author-explains-learning-to-be-black-in-the-u-s]'Americanah”>'Americanah' Author Explains 'Learning' To Be Black In The U.S. : NPR)</p>
<p>Recently I noticed that Adichie’s earlier novel, Half of a Yellow Sun, is being made into a movie with Thandie Newton and the wonderful actor (one of my very favorite actors, in fact) Chiwetel Ejiofor. I definitely have that book on my “to read” list.</p>
<p>It’s a political thing. Orson Scott Card opposes gay marriage. Some feel that he should be boycotted. He feels that his remarks (written to a conservative Mormon audience five or so years ago) have been taken out of context by never including the following:</p>
<p>
“Quotes in Context” can be found on his website Hatrack River.
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<p>Me … I’m fairly apolitical. Our household runs the gamut from conservative to liberal to apathetic. We respect the right to hold different viewpoints. So I guess I come at it from a different perspective. He can believe what he chooses and I don’t have to worry about it unless he runs for public office … or otherwise does something dreadful. Anyway, his book is good and the movie’s going to be a big deal, I think.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: Long ago, my children participated in a state library conference where Orson Scott Card was a speaker. He was one of 5 authors introduced by 5 preteens. He stayed after the conference and visited with the youngsters, taking pictures and generally making them feel important. He was the only author of the five that did so … and we’re big fans of at least a couple of the other authors, too. It wasn’t necessary for him to hang around. I found it a kind thing for a busy man to do.</p>
<p>I have no problem with any of the other books suggested, except maybe The Interestings. BookList and Publishers Weekly reviews aren’t too good.</p>
<p>I haven’t come to a conclusion about whether I will read Ender’s Game, but it has nothing to do with politics.</p>
<p>Hmm, I could swear I posted before dinner. I thought The Interestings didn’t sound interesting at all. Love the idea of Ender’s Game with War of the Worlds which I haven’t read, and only know from Orson Well’s dramatization. I do think Ender’s Shadow is worth reading though as well. That said, Card is a pretty troubling character, and I totally respect anyone who says they can’t read him. (I haven’t been able to watch a Woody Allen movie since he ran off with the woman who was practically if not legally his daughter.) Here’s an interesting interview with him: [My</a> favorite author, my worst interview - Salon.com](<a href=“http://www.salon.com/2000/02/03/card/]My”>http://www.salon.com/2000/02/03/card/)</p>
<p>I’ve also seen reviews of Americanah that made it sound intriguing. The Lighthouse book premise reminds me a lot of The Forgotten Garden. That could be a good thing or a bad thing.</p>
<p>cartera45: I just reread my above post and realized that it sort of sounded as though you yourself didn’t like Card for political reasons. I was responding to the questions asked by** Mary** and BUandBC, not your earlier post. The usual complaint - not yours specifically - about Card comes back to his stance on gay marriage. Sorry if my post seemed personal. That was not my intention.</p>
<p>Sometimes when a book has a number of negative reviews on Amazon, I read it anyway. It depends on what the reviewers say. Often, I like books that some people find boring or pretentious.</p>
<p>When it comes to The Light Between the Oceans, there are 43 one-star reviews and 79 two-star reviews on Amazon. Reader-reviewers say things like “unbearably cheesy and insufferable,” “a Hallmark-Hall-of-Fame-type story where the tears are so carefully manipulated by the author that it seems cynical,” “the entire book is over-earnest, melodramatic, and implausible,” “teeming with coy sentimentality,” etc, etc.</p>
<p>I have to admit that those kinds of comments make me want to run the other way!</p>
<p>I’ve given up on reviews when choosing books. I have several friends who are avid readers and I go more with their recommendations. Contrary to my own pattern, I did choose The Interestings based on reviews in the New York Times, The Atlantic and on NPR. I haven’t talked to anyone who has read it. </p>
<p>I checked out the reviews at Amazon for The Light Between the Oceans and while it did get 43 one stars, it also got over 2000 5 stars and over 1000 4 starts. I can’t imagine anyone comparing the writing to a Hallmark Hall of Fame story. I don’t think anyone could legitimately say it wasn’t beautifully written.</p>
<p>I check the number of stars a book has received, but I don’t read the reviews until after I’m done–mostly because there are too many spoilers, but also because tastes vary so greatly. I also find that the reviews don’t predict what might work well for book club. Just a random example: Although it was by no means a masterpiece, we had a ton of fun with 11-22-63, and I’m glad I didn’t read the 139 one-star reviews beforehand: “cringe-inducing”, “awful, amateurish writing”, “one of the worst books I’ve ever read” and even “full of unspeakable gore.” 
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<p>Thank you for filling me in. I lean pretty far to the left, but I don’t think an author’s personal/religious/political views would keep me from reading his or her work. It would be different if the book itself was anti-gay (or racist or misogynistic or whatever), but I don’t believe that’s the case with Ender’s Game.</p>
<p>Your post actually led to a dinner table discussion at our house on the subject of great art/music/literature created throughout history by people with odious views. The good Lord puts talent in the most peculiar places. It reminds me of a line from “The Commitments,” when band members are complaining about their horrible “pig” of a lead singer:</p>
<p>Natalie: Hasn’t got the voice of a pig though. Joey says it belongs to God.
Billy: God should ask for it back.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Here’s where we are so far (minus The Interestings because we already have two “no” votes):</p>
<p>The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman</p>
<p>The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker</p>
<p>Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card and The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells (duet)</p>
<p>The Curiosity by Stephen P. Kiernan </p>
<p>Blood and Beauty by Sarah Dunant </p>
<p>The Other Child by Charlotte Link</p>
<p>Rules of Civility by Amor Towles </p>
<p>Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline</p>
<p>Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie</p>
<p>As usual, let me know if there are any “absolutely nots” on the above list, and that will help me pare it down.</p>
<p>I would prefer not to read The Light Between the Oceans.</p>
<p>I feel the same way about Ender’s Game that you do, Mary. I read the book quite some time ago at the urging of my kids, and I liked it. I guess I wouldn’t mind reading it again, but it would not be at the top of my list.</p>
<p>I’ve read The Golem and the Jinni too. It’s quite good. I recommend it. I would not mind reading it again and discussing it. However, it is sort of a fairy tale, basically, and might not be the very best choice for discussion.</p>
<p>My top three, from what has been suggested so far:</p>
<p>The Other Child
Americanah
Rules of Civility</p>
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</p>
<p>Good post - the end of it made me laugh. The librarian who arranged for Orson Scott Card to speak is gay but really likes Ender’s Game and other of Card’s books. He and I have never discussed Card as a person … but as an author …</p>
<p><a href=“I%20haven’t%20been%20able%20to%20watch%20a%20Woody%20Allen%20movie%20since%20he%20ran%20off%20with%20the%20woman%20who%20was%20practically%20if%20not%20legally%20his%20daughter.”>quote=mathmom</a>
[/quote]
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<p>Me either. </p>
<p>NJTM: I’ve been on the waiting list for Americanah more or less since we finished Things Fall Apart. Good to see a strong recommendation. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wrote the introduction in my edition of Achebe’s African Trilogy and I liked her writing there.</p>
<p>And since I’m feeling chatty today, I thought I’d let you guys know I’m going to book club discussion tonight … first time with this group. They pick two books - unrelated - and you can read both, one, or neither; they meet every six weeks or so. It will be interesting to see how this works, if nothing else. The two books for this discussion are And the Mountains Echoed and City of Women. I read City of Women just because I could get it easily from the library. I did like it but the author had a touch of Simon Mawer (The Glass Room). Liked the plot (read 200 pages yesterday because I had to know how it ends) but his women characters … concerned me … and since it takes place in a city of Women (Berlin, 1943), I spent some time wondering “what the heck”. Still, I can recommend it, if you want a page turner. </p>
<p>My other book club meets once a month. They chose a thriller - Adrenaline by Jeff Abbott. I haven’t read it yet but it looks quick.</p>
<p>Sounds like a lot of book clubs but I don’t know yet about the one tonight, really, and I drift in and out of the other. You guys are definitely my favorite people. I’m always smarter after a CC discussion … plus you’re just plain fun.</p>
<p>Nothing on the above list I won’t read though ones I’m more interested in than others. I see NJTM listed choices … hmm … I’ll come back with mine.</p>
<p>Well, darn, NJTM: No Light Between Oceans 
(I forgive you - LOL)</p>
<p>First choice:</p>
<p>Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card and The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells (duet) I like, like, like our duets and we haven’t done one for a while. War of the Worlds is a big draw here, as I haven’t read it, want to do so, but probably won’t get to it without book club incentive.</p>
<p>Second choices in alphabetical order:</p>
<p>Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie</p>
<p>The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker</p>
<p>The Other Child by Charlotte Link (This does sound good!)</p>
<p>Third choices in alphabetical order:</p>
<p>Blood and Beauty by Sarah Dunant</p>
<p>The Curiosity by Stephen P. Kiernan</p>
<p>Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline</p>
<p>Rules of Civility by Amor Towles</p>
<p>In other words, I’ll read whatever you guys choose.</p>