I'll have to re-read it to have anything worth saying. Last time I re-read a book for this discussion it was The Last Chinese Chef, and we know what that spawned. Anyone up for a trip to Peru?
Well, our discussions are fizzling ...or maybe just plain dead ...but I still get PMs from people saying they are reading the books and enjoying the suggestions, just getting behind or not having time to contribute to a discussion. So, I'll keep taking suggestions and posting books for the time being.
Please continue. I've read them all and enjoyed them all. They are books I never would have found on my own. The quote below from SylviaCaras is exactly how I feel.
Thank you for doing this l'etoile
Quote:
Originally Posted by SylviaCaras
I've read, and enjoyed, several books I would not have otherwise known about, and I've even tracked a couple of the authors to read more of their work.
But I don't have much to comment on, except yes, I liked it, or no, I didn't, or me too. The enjoyment hasn't led me to a lot to say.
10. Reading books that aren't on my short list
9. Not worrying about reading it in the month of listing
8. Suggesting FTWFBC to girlie friends
7. Remembering the canals of Venice and ruins of Rome
6. KalKat's Last Chinese Chef dinner-do
5. Buying books for .99 cents and paying 3.99 for shipping!
4. "I liked it," IS the pen-ultimate, ultra-sleek, minimalist, modern furniture-like book review of the texting future. (44405554445533304448)
3. Keeping my eye out for books that might make an interesting addition to the reading list.
2. Kalkat's Last Chinese Chef dinner-do (yes, it's worth two spaces on the top ten list for the great idea, the great meal, and the graceful organization!)
And, the number One reason I love the FTWFBC................
Elizabeth wrote: ... 4. "I liked it," IS the pen-ultimate, ultra-sleek, minimalist, modern furniture-like book review of the texting future. (44405554445533304448) ...
My granddaughter has abbreviated "I love you" from 1 4 3 (the number of letters in each word) to 8 (1+4+3), our own high five.
I do a lot with email, succinctly, think of myself as the Queen of Terse <grin>.
I'm wrapping Elizabeth's reason number 4 around me!
I just found this post and am wondering how the book club selections work. Are they just suggestions for a good read or is there a discussion? I am as avid a reader as a traveler and would love to see what others are liking.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by catewoman1
I just found this post and am wondering how the book club selections work. Are they just suggestions for a good read or is there a discussion? I am as avid a reader as a traveler and would love to see what others are liking.
Yes, there are discussions ...sort of. If you look at the first post on this thread, I've supplied the links to the discussions next to each book selection.
I'll get the discussion thread started for Bel Canto shortly. And if you have any suggestions for books, feel free to let me know!
I'm male but I hope you don't mind my offering a suggestion: Lost in Translation by Nicole Mones. No relation to the awful Bill Murray film of the same title.
Quote:
Within the first 10 pages we discover that protagonist Alice Mannegan, an interpreter based in Beijing, has a yen for sex with Chinese men. By the time we reach page 20, we've learned that Alice is in full flight from her father, a racist U.S. congressman, and about to start working for Adam Spencer, an American archeologist on the hunt for the missing bones of one of the century's biggest scientific finds: Peking man. Having set the stage, Mones steps back and lets her characters do the work as she proceeds to spin a tale that is part mystery, part love story, and part cultural exchange.
I read this book shortly after graduating college at the suggestion of my advisor, who knew of my interest in Peking Man and Teilhard de Chardin. It was, IMO, pretty good (and I'm very picky about the books I read).
I'm lost in translation; can someone tell me? And, I loved the movie, so I can't wait to read the book!
Of course if the Stars are aligned, we would read a Trip to the Stars and since I really really really liked this book, I'd be happy to lead an on-line or even Skype discussion of it! Of course, it is 499 pages - so it might be a good book to put on your list NOW. We could skip December and have it for January - just an idea...
I'm male but I hope you don't mind my offering a suggestion: Lost in Translation by Nicole Mones. No relation to the awful Bill Murray film of the same title.
I read this book shortly after graduating college at the suggestion of my advisor, who knew of my interest in Peking Man and Teilhard de Chardin. It was, IMO, pretty good (and I'm very picky about the books I read).
A great suggestion! Nicole Mones' "The Last Chinese Chef" was an earlier selection of the book club, and resulted in the SFO Last Chinese Chef DO and included posts to the list by Nicole Mones. Search Community for full coverage of the dinner, and this forum for discussion of the book. You will find it very interesting.
I went to a screening of "Revolutionary Road" on Saturday. Q&A afterwards with Sam Mendes, Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kathy Bates & Michael Shannon afterwards. The movie was quite good, & both K&L should receive Oscar nominations for their roles IMO.
But all of them raved about the Revolutionary Road book itself, and it occurred to me when listening to them that it might make a good read for the FT book club & also my sister's book club. I'm going to buy it & read it during the holidays.
Anyway, just a thought on a future selection. BTW - my sister's book club is currently reading the Three Cups of Tea that you did a few months ago.
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Thanks all for the latest suggestions for book club additions. I will put them all in. (I debated on "A Trip to the Stars" since it's long - about 500 pages - but gave it to Elizabethh after I read it and she love it as much as I did, so on it goes. Just be prepared, it's long, but good.)
I do have a question though ...our discussions have died out. I'm thinking of just having a bit of a running list now of books we'd like to recommend to each other and no more discussion threads. What do you think?
Thanks all for the latest suggestions for book club additions. I will put them all in. (I debated on "A Trip to the Stars" since it's long - about 500 pages - but gave it to Elizabethh after I read it and she love it as much as I did, so on it goes. Just be prepared, it's long, but good.)
I do have a question though ...our discussions have died out. I'm thinking of just having a bit of a running list now of books we'd like to recommend to each other and no more discussion threads. What do you think?
The books have been wonderful! I've enjoyed them all and even read a second or more book from each author. Thank you, please keep up the list and sharing titles.
I find it strange the FT women don't have thousands of book suggestions considering the hours they spend in the air and at airports. Perhaps we are stuck with the offerings at Hudson Books? Returning from Seville I found a REAL bookstore, Alice's Books or something like that in an airport I don't remember, but it had everything. Real books, not just the latest 15 Patterson novels.
Discussion: I don't have much to offer on an intellectual level. Yeah, I liked the book, but by the time the discussion starts I've pretty much moved on and forgotten it. For the last book discussion, I Googled the question and got answers that gave me a better understanding of the question, but I'd already moved on and the book wasn't life changing enough to pursue it further.
The book I had the highest expectations for was "Three Cups of Tea." We heard Greg Mortensen on PBS discussing his project and he was boring and lifeless, but what the heck. We Kindled the book. Mr lili loved it, I was tremendously disappointed. Mortensen's accomplishments are great and I fully support that. But if the book is accurate, he made some major mistakes in so many areas that I couldn't get behind his goal. (i.e., sending building materials to a village without realizing a bridge needed to be built to move the supplies to the village.)
I nominate "The Moonlit Cage" by Linda Holeman. It's a real melodrama, but has a lot of insight into the life of a mid-19th century Afghani Muslim woman. Can't vouch for the accuracy. I got it from a local friend who had it from her book club, and she knew I traveled.
Top 10 Reasons I Love the Book Club
If you look at the first post on this thread, I've supplied the links to the discussions next to each book selection. 
