Backroom Book Club (September)

[Rodion Romanovich]

Continuing the book initiative from last month, perhaps it's time to find a new book of the month? Seeing as August is nearing its end, perhaps we should skip August and come with suggestions for September's book?

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I'll start by nominating "The possessed" by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Short info about the book: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Possessed_%28novel%29

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

An extremely political book, The Possessed is a testimonial of life in Imperial Russia in the late 19th century.

As the revolutionary democrats begin to rise in Russia, different ideologies begin to collide. Dostoevsky casts a critical eye on both the left-wing idealists, exposing their ideas and idealogical foundation as demonic, [1] and the conservative establishment's ineptitude in dealing with those ideas and their social consequences.
[...]
The book has four primary ideological characters: Verkhovensky, Shatov, Stavrogin and Kirilov. Through their philosophies, Dostoevsky describes the political chaos arising in pre Communist Revolution Russia in the late 1800s.

The book is available in digital form here: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/8117

[HoreTore]

Dostoevsky, eh?

I'll raise with Crime and Punishment then.

Wiki info:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Crime and Punishment focuses on the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, an impoverished St. Petersburg student who formulates and executes a plan to kill a hated, unscrupulous pawnbroker for her money, thereby solving his financial problems and at the same time, he argues, ridding the world of evil. Written at fever-heat, Crime and Punishment is considered by many as the first of Dostoevsky's cycle of great novels, which would culminate with his last completed work, The Brothers Karamazov, shortly before his death.

[Tristuskhan]

Russki, uh? I'll go for Varlam SHALAMOV's "Kolyma tales. It's on the same topic our former month's book was, maybe we could compare them?

[Uesugi Kenshin]

Dostoevsky, eh?

I'll raise with Crime and Punishment then.

Wiki info:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Crime and Punishment focuses on the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, an impoverished St. Petersburg student who formulates and executes a plan to kill a hated, unscrupulous pawnbroker for her money, thereby solving his financial problems and at the same time, he argues, ridding the world of evil. Written at fever-heat, Crime and Punishment is considered by many as the first of Dostoevsky's cycle of great novels, which would culminate with his last completed work, The Brothers Karamazov, shortly before his death.

I'll second the nomination of Crime and Punishment.

I just read it for 12 AP English, and though Dostoyevsky is a real pain to get through it was a very interesting book. Though it didn't shape my thoughts quite as much as Guns, Germs, and Steel.

[Marshal Murat]

How about The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne
It's more widely available than the Siberia novel (4,000 days wasn't it?).

I suggest that we re-organize the book club.
1st - Suggest books and second. Poll at the end of the month (31st of August) lasts for 7 (or 5, maybe only 3) days.
2nd - When it is decided, a week to acquire the book. 3 weeks to read it.
3rd - 1st of October+ is a poll and discussion about the book.

[Lord Winter]

I would nomaniate, Blood tears and Folly if we feel like non fiction. Otherwise crime and punishment sounds good for fiction.

[Fragony]

Wild Swans, three daughters of China: Jung Chang

This mia muca's is a work of epic proportions, it's fascinating from beginning to end, and packs no less then 3 generations in that lovely country called China. A small step for a man, a great leap forward for storytelling.

[Tribesman]

How abouthttp://www.amazon.com/As-Used-Famous...239267&sr=1-16 for non-fiction

[Warmaster Horus]

I'm definitely in this month. I missed the last one, so...

Marshal Murat, basically you mean a session takes two months?

[Rodion Romanovich]

I suggest that we re-organize the book club.
1st - Suggest books and second. Poll at the end of the month (31st of August) lasts for 7 (or 5, maybe only 3) days.
2nd - When it is decided, a week to acquire the book. 3 weeks to read it.
3rd - 1st of October+ is a poll and discussion about the book.

Sounds good. The exact time for each part can of course be discussed, but I agree it would be good to have a predetermined schedule for each round

[Goofball]

This may be a little too "pop" for some of you, but I'm in the middle of the new John Irving novel right now and it's excellent. As with all of Irving's work, character development is excellent, and the plot involves a few surprises as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Until_I_Find_You

[Marshal Murat]

The problem with the August (?) book was that some had read it completely, others couldn't find it, and it was a big mess. We all have lives too, and I can't devote a day to reading a specific book, 'cause I got work.

We need to give everyone some lee-way in reading the book. Maybe we could title it 'Fall' book Club or something, but limiting it to a month when we haven't even chosen a book? Something should be done.

[Proletariat]

I agree completely, and I never really said anything, but using the term 'book of the month club' hamstrung our first go around. I like what you've outlined alot, M&M. Good suggestions so far, as well.

[HoreTore]

Why not make actually reading the book one month? And while we're reading it, we decide on next months book, etc...

[Husar]

How abouthttp://www.amazon.com/As-Used-Famous...239267&sr=1-16 for non-fiction

Synopsis
Mark Thomas is one of the UK's most effective and best-known political activists, as well as being a highly successful stand-up comedian. His show, The Mark Thomas Product, ran for six highly acclaimed series on Channel Four. Amazingly, this is his first book. As Used On the Famous Nelson Mandela is a deeply funny, deeply disturbing account of Mark's rampage through the arms trade. Under a fairly flimsy disguise and with the use of some worryingly poor accents, Mark sets off on a journey of discovery in the company of arms dealers, torture victims, politicians, cops, crusties and geeks. The result is a shockingly entertaining read. Embedded within the sharpness of his humour is the truth of an industry fraught with loopholes, complacency and greed; that allows corrupt regimes to kill, maim and displace, but whose deals are often subsidised by the British taxpayer. Hard-hitting, laugh-out-loud funny and extremely unsettling, As Used on the Famous Nelson Mandela is never anything less than compulsive.

Sounds interesting.

[Uesugi Kenshin]

How about The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne
It's more widely available than the Siberia novel (4,000 days wasn't it?).

I suggest that we re-organize the book club.
1st - Suggest books and second. Poll at the end of the month (31st of August) lasts for 7 (or 5, maybe only 3) days.
2nd - When it is decided, a week to acquire the book. 3 weeks to read it.
3rd - 1st of October+ is a poll and discussion about the book.

The Scarlet Letter was good too, it really sheds light on the early craziness that people got up to in the 13 colonies.

[Fragony]

Adding another one,

'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hoesseini. Beautifully written, great characters, incredibly moving piece of work, growing up in soon to be raped afghanistan. It could use some more structure, out of nothing they are fleeing, not a word of ruski's and suddenly they are running, weird.

And GAH to crime and punnishment, it's by far his worst book. The Player and The Idiot are much much better.

[Warmaster Horus]

So? Five days later and we're ready to vote?