VACB Book Club discussion

The concert repertoire has been decided for our February 2017 Concert! Concert title is pending, but the basic idea is "Around the World":

Armenian Dances (Part 1) - Alfred Reed
Festal Scenes - Yasuhide Ito
La Fiesta Mexicana
I. Prelude and Aztec Dance
II. Mass
III. Carnival
Pines of Rome
IV. Pines of the Appian Way

Any book ideas?

Jackie B's Ideas:

Armenia - The Road from Home: A True Story of Courage, Survival, and Hope by David Kherdian (yes, this is about the Genocide. Sorry!)
Japan - Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (or, really, any Murakami book...)
Mexico - Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova (this is supposedly beautiful!)
Pines of Rome - I, Claudius by Robert Graves (Warning: 468 pages of insanity)

Some possibilities:

Two books that I have NOT yet read that might be of interest: The Great Railway Bazaar and Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff.

Two books that I have read but so long ago that I would be interested to read them again: Blue Highways and Roughing It.

Jackie I think that book for Mexico is set in NYC and was definitely written by an Ecuadorian woman, so I think I'll post something else to facebook if that's ok.
Also I tried to read I, Claudius a few months ago and found it too hard to get through, so I may suggest something else for Italy too!

Here's the facebook post/message:
Book Club suggestions from Jackie, Michael, and Kelsey--please comment with your vote/other suggestion!

Japan - Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
Mexico - Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
Italy: The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
Armenia - The Road from Home: A True Story of Courage, Survival, and Hope by David Kherdian (yes, this is about the Genocide. Sorry!)
Travel in general: Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff by Rosemary Mahoney
Travel in general: The Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux

I didn't think to suggest books related to specific countries. Sorry. Note, however, that I could bring along my guitar and sing "Norwegian Wood" but I wouldn't be able to sing it in Japanese.

That's a big plus for Norwegian Wood then in my book :-)

Oh man-- that's a HUGE plus! I would adore that. More singing during book club! :)

It seems like most people, if they have expressed an opinion, have gestured toward "Norwegian Wood", so we should go ahead with that.
HOWEVER.
Murakami can be tough to get through (I've tried with some of his other books and failed), so I will read both that one and "Water for Chocolate" which seems intriguing. So if people start "Norwegian Wood" over the holidays and find it to be a complete slog, you can try "Water for Chocolate" instead as I will be reading that one and we can tell the others about it after they get done complaining about Murakami :)
So "Norwegian Wood" it is? With "Water for Chocolate" as an escape hatch?

You realize, of course, that my comment was tongue-in-cheek based on the fact that "Norwegian Wood" was the first Beatle song I learned to play on my guitar. I know nothing about Murakami so cannot honestly give that title a thumbs up or down. However, I'm willing to read any book that Jackie demands, I mean suggests.

Hahaha. I haven't read any Murakami-- I am interested, though. Honestly, if you don't like it Kelsey, we should totally read Like Water for Chocolate then. It's an amazing book. I already know I love it. ;)

That's probably a lot less complicated.

Ugh ^^^ that's me, Kelsey. I have two goodreads accounts??
Must figure out how to destroy one of my two selves...