Hello, I’m back! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Shall we pick a book for October? So far, we have just one title on the list, The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer (thanks to @VeryHappy). Anything else we should consider?
Welcome back, Mary!
I am just starting to read a book that was recommended to me, and I am going to throw it into the ring to see what you all think. It’s called The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and already it’s starting to draw me in. I love when that happens!
We read The Shadow of the Wind together already (in 2010), before you joined us! You’ll love it. Don’t read this until AFTER you have finished the book: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/874004-the-shadow-of-the-wind-%C2%96-april-cc-book-club-selection-p1.html
The Heart’s Invisible Furies - John Boyne. This one has been a contender for the last couple times. Strong thumbs up from CC-ers.
The Plot Against America - Philip Roth
The Immortalists - Chloe Benjamin
Little Fires Everywhere - Celeste Ng
American War - Omar El Akkad
All the above have been suggested previously so for a new suggestion:
The Great Believers - Rebecca Makkai
Oh wow, that is so funny!!! Thanks so much 
It might be – ummmmm – timely to read both The Plot against America by Roth and It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis. Although this could easily become a political discussion.
I thought of suggesting Station Eleven, which I finished this week and was enthralled by, but I see y’all discussed it thoroughly a couple of years ago (and reading that thread was a lovely way to spend my Sunday afternoon yesterday). Anyone who hasn’t read it, I highly recommend!
I see you’ve also thought about reading something by Elizabeth Strout, but I don’t think you ever chose one for the group. Anything Is Possible (linked short stories) is one of my all-time favorites, and I don’t think there’s a strong need to read My Name Is Lucy Barton (which I enjoyed much less) to appreciate it.
Of the ones @ignatius mentioned, I’ve read The Heart’s Invisible Furies and was one of its advocates last time around. I still am, but with no urgency. Also willing to give Little Fires Everywhere another try in print form (the audio version was too slow and drony, and I couldn’t finish).
And I’m always looking for new reads, so, whatever you choose, I’ll be here with you.
Oh my, we read the S Lewis book in my bookclub. I couldn’t get past the norm of home life in that era. Many members of the bookclub found his book interesting.
Any 2018 books to throw on the list? I threw in The Great Believers because I thought we should at least consider a new publication or two. (But my mind is blank other than the one suggested and The Immortalists which @mathmom suggested earlier this year.) I’m not unhappy with less recent publications though. We all have books that we’ve missed along the way.
Too easily, I think. I don’t know how we could discuss those books without drawing on present day examples, and then the powers-that-be might nip our discussion in the bud.
My friend published a book that I like, Silent Survivors, Deborah Shilian, md. It is about PTSD from military rapes as well as college rapes, and drugs used on soldiers to increase aggressiveness. I’m not suggesting this as a bookclub reading but well done. I’m currently reading Kristen Hannah’s Great Always, another story about a Viet Vet with PTSD, who moves to Alaska. Deborah’s book is far less sad.
I’ll put out that there was some enthusiasm for Middlemarch if we wanted to do a classic. I have dragged Catch 22 to the beach because I’ve actually never read it, but I am reading vampire/werewolf fantasies set in Atlanta instead.
I returned books to the library tonight and asked the librarian for a good 2018 bookclub recommendation:
How To Stop Time - Matt Haig
I read a book The Radleys by Haig about 8 years ago. I remember liking it.
^@ignatius just looked at good reads reviews of “how to stop time” and saw reference to another book by him- “the Humans” - by Haig. Anyone know about that one ?
Sorry, I don’t have any book to recommend. Perhaps something from these lists will look interesting. We have read many from some of the lists.
http://www.litlovers.com/popular-book-club-books#old
Here is a master list with many links
http://www.bookclubcentral.org/how-to-book-club/find-books-for-a-book-club/
“7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle “
Anyone know about this. Mostly escape reading, page turner. New release, and not sure it has enough meat for discussion but I liked the good reads reviews.
For my “Books on the Beach” (summer only) Book Club we just read “Waking Lions” by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen. There are some instances where the translation from Hebrew was lacking a little, but we had much to discuss.
For those of you looking for historical fiction. Readers list their favorite books, real people, listing favorite reads.
Maybe some gems in here. We have discussed several online.
@mathmom: I was holding out for Middlemarch for our winter book. We usually pick something long to read in January with discussion starting February 1. September is sometimes a busy month for CC parents. Not for me though, so I’m good with suggesting Middlemarch whenever. It’s high on my want-to-read list.
@SouthJerseyChessMom: I haven’t read The Humans but I notice many reviews for How To Stop Time mention it - in a most positive way.