What has your book club read?

[janders6]

I'm in a new book club and we're looking for suggestions on what to read. So far we've chosen The Secret Life of Bees and The Time Traveler's Wife. What have you read in your book club? or what are you planning to read?

Thanks!
Joy

[Asha]

correlli's mandolin

the movie is nothing like the book. it is one of the best books i have ever read and it makes for a good discussion. the other ones i have read have escaped my memory bc it was many years ago that i was part of a book club.

[bird_feet]

I recently read Norwegian Wood for a bookclub I participate in. Past books have included Behind the Scenes at the Museum, Good Grief, Madame Bovary, Brick Lane, The Lovely Bones, Bad Girl Creek, The Rice Mother, and My Sister's Keeper.

[Mrs-Mac]

We are always looking for ideas, so this will help.
So far we've read:

Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
Midwives - Chris Bohjalian
Angels & Demons - Dan Brown
The Giver - Lois Lowry
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden (we are all going to see the moive next week!)

[njdiva]

In Search of Satisfaction - J. California Cooper
Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Mystic River (then we watched the movie at the meeting)
Million Little Pieces

[BeachBum]

Here are the ones we've read most recently

Time Traveler's Wife
The Kite Runner
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
My Sister's Keeper

[lawyerlee]

I'm a new member, but last month we read I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith and this month we're reading Puddn'head Wilson by Mark Twain.

[Rosebud]

I'm in the LA CC Book Club and here's our book list so far:

1. The Number One Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith
2. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffengger
3. The Red Tent - Anita Diamant (this is the one we're reading right now)
4. Every Boy's Got One - Meg Cabot
5. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
6. The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
7. LIfe of Pi - Yann Martel
8. The Zahir : A Novel of Obsession - Paulo Coelho


We all really enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife and had a good discussion about it.

Another friend of mine is in a book club and they just read Bee Season. I've also read that one and it was great.

[Irish Elf]

100 Years of Solitude
Kite Runner
Manhatten Transfer
Shadow of the Wind
Until I Find You (Title?)
Million Little Pieces
Charms of an Easy life
Ethan Fromme

Almost reads:
1776
The Historian
The Worst Noel

[linda_loo]

2.28.03- The Nanny Diaries, Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus EK/JH
4.3.03- Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold LG/CG*
5.3.02- Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett MCR/LK
5.30.03- Ella Minnow Pea, by Mark Dunn JH/SG*
7.2.03- The DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown LK/LG*
8.1.03- Life of Pi, by Yann Martel JH/MCR
9.18.03- The Traveller's Gift, Andy Andrews LK/JH*
10.16.03- Wonder When You'll Miss Me, Amanda Davis SG/MCR*
11.13.03- Sister of my Heart, by Chitra Divakaruni LG/EK*
12.16.03- The Autobiography of Santa Claus, by Jeff Guinn CG
1.16.04- Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Gregory Maguire MCR/EK+
2.27.04 - Shanghai Baby, Wei Hui EK/CG+
4.1.04- Shutter Island, Dennis Lehane JH/LG
5.7.04- Angels and Demons, Dan Brown LK/MCR +
6.30.04- What Was She Thinking, Zoe Heller LG/JH
8.16.03- Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden CG/LK*
9.10.04- Kissing in Manhattan, David Schickler MCR/SG *
10.22.04- Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides JH/LG+
12.1.04- The Time Traveller's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger LK/MCR *
2.4.05- A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Moreland, IN, by Haven Kimmel LK(SG)+
3.1.05- The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters, by Elisabeth Robinson LG/JH*
3.24.05- Sweet and Vicious, David Schickler MCR/LK *
4.29.05- Stolen Lives : Twenty Years in a Desert Jail, by Malika Oufkir CG/SG *
6.3.05- Marrying Mozart, Stephanie Cowell JH/LG
6.29.05- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon LK/MCR*
7.25.05 - The Mermaid Chair, Sue Monk Kidd SG/CG*
8.25.05- The Plot Against America, Philip Roth LG/JH+
9.26.05- In Sunlight, in a Beautiful Garden, Kathleen Cambor MC/LK
11.11.05- The Reader, Bernard Schlink CG/SG+
2.10.06- The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini JH/LG

We are getting ready to pick our next 7 books (we have 7 members and each choose one that will be for the next 7 meetings), and I know that Blink is one of the selections. Oh, and ignore the initials, that has to do with who picked/lead and who brought food.

* were pretty well liked by everyone or almost everyone.
+ were not liked by everyone or almost everyone.

HTH!

[janders6]

Thanks, Linda!

[heather 8^)]

Here's a partial list of the books we could remember!

January 2004 The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
February 2004 The Autobiography of Malcolm X
March 2004 A Short History of a Small Place
April 2004 Wicked by Gregory Maquire
May 2004 The Nine Parts of Desire
September 2004 East of Eden by John Steinbeck
October 2004 The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
November 2004 He's Just Not that Into You
January 2005 Ishmael
February 2005 The Dive From Claussen's Pier by Anne Packer
March 2005 This Way Forward with a Broken Heart by Alice Walker
April 2005 The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
May 2005 Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman
June 2005 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
September 2005 Travels by Michael Crichton
October 2005 Needful Things by Stephen King
November 2005 Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
January 2006 The Best Year of Your Life: Dream it, Plan it, Live it by Debbie Ford
February 2006 First Deadly Sin by Laurence Saunders

[Katy]

wow Linda, you guys meet twice a month? We're* lucky if we can get once every 6 - 8 weeks in :o Since this month is an easy Meg Cabot, we're meeting sooner.

* LA CC book club (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=364)

[linda_loo]

you are welcome!

wow Linda, you guys meet twice a month? We're* lucky if we can get once every 6 - 8 weeks in Since this month is an easy Meg Cabot, we're meeting sooner.

nah, usually once a month. We used to just get out our calendars at each meeting, and schedule the next month's meeting, based on when everyone was available. But, that became too difficult to get everyone together. So, now we do the 2nd Friday of each month and sometimes people miss.

[Katy]

We used to just get out our calendars at each meeting, and schedule the next month's meeting, based on when everyone was available. But, that became too difficult to get everyone together. So, now we do the 2nd Friday of each month and sometimes people miss.Yeah, I think this is where we are as well. Maybe we'll consider something like that as well.

[linda_loo]

Funny thing is, not 2 months into our new scheduling, one of the members said she couldn't make it to the meeting... and I think someone was suggesting that we find another date. That didn't fly, though, we are sticking to the set date. I am hoping that it works well for us, in the coming months.

It was getting to be a major PITA to find a date, there were a couple months were we pretty much had to email all the available dates to one person, while she plotted them all in a calendar and found a date. Each time, there was only 1 day that everyone could attend.

[Asha]

January 2005 Ishmael

great book! this could provide for some interesting discussion.

[mom_to_zoe]

My book club tends to read fairly serious contemporary fiction and memoir with the occasional classic thrown in for good measure. Some of our more memorable books include:

Recently (past year or so):
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (Pultizer Prize)
A Tale of Love and Darkeness by Amos Oz (memoir)
Eva Moves the Furniture by Margot Livesay
The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard
Crossing California by Adam Langer
My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Safon
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
The Cave by Jose Saramago
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (memoir)

Past few years:
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman (nonfiction)
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Blind Assasin by Margaret Atwood
When We Were Grown-Ups by Anne Tyler
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugeides

[stacyb]

you'll have to pardon me...i don't have the books handy and am going off memory....i remember book titles and not authors...that should be enough for store clerk to help you out...
katherine (17th century english novel) was phenomenal and made for some great discussion!
wicked...not a big fan
stolen lives....really good
three junes....ok
in her shoes....the movie was actually just as good as the book
lion, witch and the wardrobe...again, makes for some great conversation.
million little pieces...yeah, yeah
right now reading kite runner and i'm cohosting the march meeting!!

does anyone do anything fun or different when hosting? normally our hosts have a little something chocolate, coffee, etc. i wanna do something outside the norm. suggestions??

[heather 8^)]

does anyone do anything fun or different when hosting? normally our hosts have a little something chocolate, coffee, etc. i wanna do something outside the norm. suggestions??

In our club, we all bring something to share and the host provides the wine (a LOT of wine)! When we switched the time to nearer dinner, we decided to pick a theme so that we could have a better shot of everyone's offerings coming together into a real meal. We have chosen themes that blend with the book such as Chinese (when the author went there), English Tea (P&P), Southern cooking (Short History of a Small Place), Healthy cuisine (Best Year of your life/NY's resolutions), etc. This month's theme is "Sinfully Delicious" in honor of a murder mystery (1st Deadly Sin). Sometimes the themes are kinda hard, but it definitely gets the creative juices flowing!

If your group isn't used to bringing things, you could put together your own mini-theme, like a wine&cheeser, a Valentine's Day theme, etc.

[wsusquirrel]

We are just starting this month... our first book:
March -The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble
April - The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

Subscribing to this thread for more ideas...

[wine_o_girlie]

We just started last month and we try to meet every 4 weeks. Our first meeting to discuss a book was last night and I enjoyed it although the book that we read didn't really lend itself to too much discussion (at least for us). I will be looking through this thread for suggestions!

March 2006 - The Space Between Us by Thrity Umragat - ok
April 2006 - The Plot Against America by Philip Roth - really looking forward to this one, hope it will be good for discussion

[chocolate_truffle]

Book clubs are such a great excuse to get together for food, drinks, and conversation! My book club -- the "rowdy readers" -- tends to read a rather eclectic mix of contemporary literature with a few classics thrown in for good measure. We meet monthly, and take turns hosting and leading the discussions. The hostess is responsible for drinks/appetizers/main course/dessert/coffee (yes, we do like to eat, so we tend to go all out) and the discussion leader provides biographical information on the author and a list of study questions to get help get the conversation started.

Here's what's on our reading list for 2006:

THE POWER OF THE DOG by Don Winslow
THE MIRACLE LIFE OF EDGAR MINT by Brady Udall
THE MARCH by E.L. Doctorow
PLAINSONG by Kent Haru
SATURDAY by Ian McEwan
1,000 WHITE WOMEN by Jim Fergus
ANGLE OF REPOSE by Wallace Stegner
WICKED by Gregory Maguire
THE GIFT OF THE JEWS by Thomas Cahill

And, here's what we've read in the past:

THE KNOWN WORLD by Edward P Jones
HOUSEKEEPING by Marilynne Robinson
THE NAMESAKE by Jhumpa Lahiri
THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL by Philippa Gregory
THE KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hosseini
THE SAMURAI'S GARDEN by Gail Tsukiyama
EMPIRE FALLS by Richard Russo
THE HISTORIAN by Elizabeth Kostova
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME by Mark Haddon
SIXTEEN PLEASURES by Robert Hellenga
THE DIRTY GIRLS SOCIAL CLUB by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES by Sue Munk Kidd
ATONEMENT by Ian McEwan
THE PICKUP by Nadine Gordimer
MIDDLESEX by Jeffrey Eugenides
CITY OF LIGHT by Lauren Helfer
THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE by Audrey Niffenegger
THE BIRTH OF VENUS by Sarah Dunant
THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GREY by Oscar Wilde
DON'T LET'S GO TO THE DOGS TONIGHT by Alexandra Fuller

And though our current group has only been together for a couple of years, one of our members has been participating in book clubs forever and was kind enough to share her old reading lists with us.

Past Books/Suggested Reading from other book clubs:

2003-2004 READING LIST
LOVELY BONES & LUCKY by Anne Sebold
DRACULA by Bram Stoker
LOVING / LIVING / PARTY GOING by Henry Green (Penguin Ed.)
THE SIXTEEN PLEASURES by Robert Hellenga
APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA by John O'Hara
HOWARDS END by E.M. Forrester
BLIND ASSASSIN by Margaret Atwood
PORTRAIT OF DORIAN GRAY by Oscar Wilde
ATONEMENT by Ian McEwan
BLUE BAMBOO by Osamu Dazai

2002-2003 READING LIST
AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY, THE by Michael
BEL CANTO by Ann Patchett
CLOUD CHAMBER: A NOVEL by Michael Dorris
CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES, A by John Kennedy Toole
END OF THE AFFAIR by Graham Greene
GOOD EARTH, THE by Pearl S. Buck
GRAPES OF WRATH, THE by John Steinbeck
HEART OF THE BEAST by Joyce Weatherford
SO BIG by Edna Ferber
TALE OF TWO CITIES, A by Charles Dickens

2001-2002 READING LIST
A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS by Dave Eggars
BOWLING ALONE by Robert Putnam
FIG EATER, THE by Jody Shields
GIANT'S HOUSE, THE by Elizabeth McCracken
GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING by Tracy Chevalier
INTERPRETER OF MALADIES by Jhumpa Lahiri
LIFE ON THE MISSISSIPPI by Mark Twain
MAP OF LOVE, THE by Adhaf Soueif
POISONWOOD BIBLE by Barbara Kingsolver
WHO WILL RUN THE FROG HOSPITAL by Lorrie Moore

2000-2001 READING LIST
AHAB'S WIFE or THE STAR-GAZER by Sena Jeter Naslund
ANIL'S GHOST by Michael Ondaatje
ANNA EDES by Dezso Kosztolanyi
BEOWULF translated by Seamus Heaney
BY THE LIGHT OF MY FATHER'S SMILE by Alice Walker
COLD MOUNTAIN by Charles Frazier
THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS by Arundhati Roy
GUNNAR'S DAUGHTER by Sigrid Undset
THE HOURS by Michael Cunningham
THE RED TENT by Anita Diamant

1999-2000 READING LIST
A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND by Flannery O’Connor
A MAN IN FULL by Tom Woolf
A PASSAGE TO INDIA by E.M. Forster
DREAMING IN CUBAN: A NOVEL by Christina Garcia
HOUSE OF SPIRITS by Isabelle Allende
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA by Arthur Golden
SILENT SPRING by Rachel Carson
THE HANDYMAN by Carolyn See
THE READER by Bernhard Schlenk

1998-1999 READING LIST
CHARMING BILLIE by Alice McDermott
DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA YA SISTERHOOD by Rebecca Wells
FAR FROM A MADDING CROWD by Thomas Hardy
PARADISE by Toni Morrison
PERSONAL HISTORY: KATHERINE GRAHAM
PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce
SATANIC VERSES by Salmon Rushdie
TELL ME A RIDDLE by Tillie Olson
VAGABOND by Collette
YELLOW RAFT ON BLUE WATER by Michael Dorris

1997-1998 READING LIST
AGE OF CONSENT, THE by Geoffry Wolff
ANGELA’S ASHES by Frank McCourt
BOOK OF RUTH, THE by Jane Hamilton
CORELLI’S MANDOLIN by Louis De Bernieres
DREAMS OF TRESPASS by Fatima Mernissi
HOUSE ON MANGO STREET, THE by Sandra Cisneros
OPTIMIST’S DAUGHTER, THE by Eudora Welty
PORTRAIT OF A LADY, THE by Henry James
SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS by David Guterson
WRINKLE IN TIME, A by Madelaine L'Engle

1996-1997 READING LIST
ANGLE OF REPOSE by Wallace Stenger
BASTARD OF CAROLINA by Dorothy Allison
COLLECTION OF FAVORITE POEMS
I BEEN IN SORROW’S KITCHEN….by Susan Straight
INDEPENDENCE DAY by Richard Ford
OUT OF AFRICA by Isak Dineson
ROBBER BRIDE, THE by Margaret Atwood
STONES FROM THE RIVER by Ursula Helgi

1995-1996 READING LIST
100 YEARS OF SOLITUDE by Garcia Gabriel Marquez
DINNER AT THE HOMESICK RESTAURANT by Anne Tyler
MADAME de TREYMES/3 STORIES by Edith Wharton
PIGS IN HEAVEN by Barbara Kingsolver
SCARLET LETTER, THE by Nathanial Hawthorne
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee

1994-1995 READING LIST
A ROOM OF ONES OWN by Virgina Woolf
FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Wolstonecraft Shelly
POSSESSION by A.S. Byatt
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY by Jane Austen
SHIPPING NEWS, THE by Annie Proulx
STONES FOR IBARRA by Harriet Doerr
SUMMER by Edith Wharton
THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD Zora Neale Hurston
WOMEN OF SILK by Gail Tsukuyama
WOMEN WARRIOR, THE by Maxine Hong Kingston

[chocolate_truffle]

Wow -- I didn't realize that last post was so long!

[Nanner]

The Hours, Michael Cunningham
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
The Confessions of Max Tivoli, Andrew Sean Greer
Rosie, Anne Lamott
The Virgin Suicides, Jeffrey Eugenides
Lovely Bones, Anne Sebold
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

[Katy]

We tend to have food and drinks at our meetings. It started out as appetizers and wine. But when we had three tubs of humus show up, we switched it up to the hostess cooking something substantial, and everyone else kind of signing up to bring something. This last one was a brunch and that was fun! We're also still new though, so things could still change from meeting to meeting.

[Noniitis]

does anyone do anything fun or different when hosting? normally our hosts have a little something chocolate, coffee, etc. i wanna do something outside the norm. suggestions??

I just hosted our book club for the kite runner last Thursday.

I went to a Afghani restuarant in my town and picked up some hummous, Baba Ghanoush, naan <afghani flat bread so so good!> Sambosa's and Shir Brinji <rice pudding with pistashos> I had wine and Chai tea.

We have read:
The Kite Runner,
Lovely Bones,
The truth Machine
Running with scissors
The Bonesetter's Daughter
A Prayer for Owen Meany
The Red Tent

[Camdynlyn]

I was a member of two book clubs a couple of years ago. We read:

The Red Tent
Secret Life of Bees
Best Friends

and some others I can't remember because I didn't like.

I'm joining the book club for ladies at our Country Club where we are members. This is the first month and there are over 25 ladies scheduled to meet. We have to pay a nominal fee (it goes on our member numbers so I'm not sure what it will be) and we get heavy hor'dourves, tea, coffee and water. Anything from the bar is extra. It is held in one of the meeting rooms at the club. This month, we are reading Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult. I'm a little over halfway done and really liking it. It has a lot of depth.

[Rosebud]

A friend of mine just sent me a list of what her book club has read over the last year or so:

Leap of Faith : Memoirs of an Unexpected Life by Queen Noor
The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason
The Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney
Fortune’s Rock by Anita Shreve
Garlic & Sapphires by Ruth Reichl
Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett
The Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Prep by Curtis Sittenfield
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

She particularly raved to me about "A Year of Magical Thinking" and recommended it for my book club.

[wine_o_girlie]

Our book club's next meeting is next week and we will be deciding on a new book so I am bumping this topic up.

Anyone read anything lately that has provoked good discussion at your book club? I am honestly getting frustrated with mine because we seem to just pick books that "sound interesting" but really there is nothing to discuss at the meetings. Perhaps my expectations are too high but I am not loving this book club like I expected to. Several people seem to want to pick "fluff" books and I just don't understand why they think that will work for a book club. Sigh...

So, has your book club read anything that made for a good discussion at the meeting? Thanks!

[harkinna]

Our best book club book in recent times was Freakonomics! Very interesting and fun to talk about at the meeting...

[Rosebud]

Bumping for EmilyZA. Also, an update on what our book club has read recently:

The Kite Runner - Most of us really liked this book and we did have a good discussion about it.
The Secret Life of Bees - Reaction was mixed to this book.
Life of Pi - Reaction was also mixed to this book.
Conversations with A Fat Girl - Chick lit, but it inspired interesting conversation. We had the author at this meeting, which added a lot to the discussion.
My Year of Meats - Missed the meeting for this book, but I personally loved it and thought it would inspire great discussion.
Everyone Else’s Girl – More chick lit with the author at the meeting. We had a little less to discuss with this one, though.

We're currently reading The Glass Castle. Some other books I've read recently that I think would lend themselves to a book club discussion:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon
English Passengers by Matthew Kneale
Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller
Quarantine by Jim Crace

[EmilyZA]

Thanks so much for bumping, Rosebud03!

I've only been a member of this book club since July (I just moved to the neighborhood.) I think they started the club up early this year.

Since I've been a member, we've read:
- High Crimes by Joseph Finder: Not a good discussion book at all.
- The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls: LOVED this book. Unfortunately I missed the discussion, but everyone who I ran into during the time we were reading loved it.
- The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. Great discussion.

We're currently reading Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. I haven't started it yet.

Next month I will host the discussion, so I get to choose the next book. I'm debating on a few... I'll probably refer to this thread a few times before making my final decision.

Oh, and people were disussing the format of your clubs... Basically someone hosts, and that person makes a few appetizers and a few desserts. Some people bring wine or a snack as well. It's pretty informal. We meet about every six weeks.

[lawyerlee]

We've recently read:

Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer
The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue
On Beauty by Zadie Smith

All three provoked good discussions and were fairly enjoyable to read. :)

For our October meeting, we're reading The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Baynard. I haven't started it yet, but I've been dying to read this. I'm way into Poe and historical fiction, so I was excited that we picked this.

[EmilyZA]

I'm hosting our next book club, and I have to choose the next book that we'll read. I'm a new member, and new to the neighborhood (it's my neighborhood book club) so I want to choose something that people will enjoy and will stir up some good discussion.

If you had to choose ONE book, the best book you've read in your book club, what would it be?

[janders6]

We just read We are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg. It was great, everyone liked it, and it was a fast read.

[Rosebud]

Just bumping this up in response to the current thread on book clubs.

Since the last time I posted our book club has read the following:

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls- Response to this was divided, but it made for great discussion.
A Friend of the Family by Lisa Jewell- Most of us didn't care for this book.

Our next book is Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

[Rosebud]

Bumping for a friend. What else has your book club read lately that you'd recommend to other clubs?

[Oakley]

We read Water for Elephants and I really liked that one!

[Dizzy]

My fave modern book hands down is The Time Traveler's Wife (altho i'm sure you and everyone in your group has read it =)

I read What is the What by Dave Eggers recently and it changed my life. It's an awesome read and can start a really great discussion!

ETA: Just thought I'd pop in and give another vote for Water for Elephants. I'm only 1/2-way done, but I can't put it down.

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss is also astonishingly beautiful and would make for some great discussion. Life of Pi is another good "discussion" book, as is The Confessions of Max Tivoli. The Other Boleyn Girl is a fast, interesting read and can open up discussions regarding that time period, since it's based on actual people (Queen Anne)

I hope that helps!

[LeslieR]

Last month we read The Kite Runner and this month we're reading Charlotte Gray. I only just joined, so I don't know how many other books they've read. I do know they read Rapture of Canaan.

I was in an online book club years ago and we read a good variety of books. Our one rule was that it had to be available in paperback. Just a few that I remember:

Outlander
Memoirs Of A Geisha
Mr. Perfect
Watermelon
One For The Money
Where The Heart Is
Up Island
The Street Lawyer
The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn
The Pilot's Wife
Jewels of the Sun
Fall On Your Knees
Exclusive
Daring To Dream
Coast Road

[shopaholic]

Hopefully this isn't a stupid question but how do you get involved in a book club? Is a group set up by your public library? I would love to join one but don't know where to look/start. (I very rarely read books but I am hoping to change that by trying to read at least 2 books a month).

[LeslieR]

I found my current one through a friend in the MOMS Club. She just started it up herself with another friend.

The online one I was in years ago started pretty much with a "What are you reading?" type thread and progressed into a group after others said they were interested in a book club. We could even start one here! I would be interested.

[shopaholic]

We could even start one here! I would be interested.
I would be interested as well since I am always looking for suggestions. Right now I am just going through this thread and the "what are you reading" thread and making note of books that sound interesting.

[Dizzy]

I would also be interested in an online book club! Currently I just blog about the books I read, but it would be oh-so-nice to actually discuss them =)

[Rosebud]

The book club I belong to actually started on WC back in the day and then moved to CC. We all meet in person once a month/every 6 weeks and it's super fun. I didn't know any of them before the book club. You should post in your local group thread and see if anyone else wants to start a book club! Ours started out with only 3-4 people and has really grown.

You could also check with your local library and see if they know of any book clubs. There's a book club that started at my office and then branched out to include non-work friends of those employees... so just ask around to friends & co-workers and see if they'd be interested.

[Dizzy]

In case anybody is still looking for book club reads, The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly is pretty spectacular. It's a fun read that also offers a lot of great discussion.

[Rosebud]

Our book club just read the following:

March by Geraldine Brooks
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Next up:

Little Chapel on the River: A Pub, a Town and the Search for What Matters Most by Gwendolyn Bounds

[L&D Nurse]

We are reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.