Book-a-book of the Month Club discussion

Discuss the author - Erin Morgenstern - other things you have read? Will you look for other stories to read by this author? Etc?

I had not heard of her before this book. I don't think she has any other novels. I read an interview with her and she said her next book will be done when she gets it done! I didn't get the impression she was in any kind of hurry. Her writing is very descriptive and I really like this book. I don't usually like fantasy (ha! I know I have said that about YA too, then went on a genre run), but this book is really hard to put down.

After I set up this discussion thread, I noticed that she did not have any other books listed. I am enjoying her writing style so I imagine I would enjoy something else by her. It surprises me that she does not have anything else yet considering how long it has been since this came out.

I was reading an intereview by her and I got the impression that she gets that comment a lot and that "finishing' things is a challenge for her!
I do like the way she writes and would check out another book if and when she finishes one. The thing I read also said that she would not be writing a sequel to The Night Circus.

yeah, i really like the flow of the writing. i would definitely pick up something else she wrote (writes). I'm only about half way through this one, though. The story could still severely dissapoint. There is a lot of mystery and secret stuff going on. The author's own hype may be impossible to live up to.

Joe wrote: "The story could still severely disappoint. There is a lot of mystery and secret stuff going on. The author's own hype may be impossible to live up to. "

Joe - I have noticed in several of your replies on this book it sounds like you are really worried about a let down. I am curious - is there something about this book in the early going that is causing you to worry? A certain pattern you have seen in stories before that ended up letting you down? Recent bad experiences with good novels turned sour by the end?

Haha, I never really thought about it before. I guess I'm sort of sour upfront and guarded when it comes to reading. Mostly because of the time investment with it. I don't think it has anything to do with books in general. I think has to do with media as a whole. There is so much of it and a lot of it starts out as a good idea or has a point of interest but then never really develops or explores the possibilities. That is my opinion. It may be a curse that I have such a hard time just letting myself enjoy something when I'm intimately aware of the process behind it.

I find the same thing when I watch movies. I'm always somewhat judgemental upfront, and then am pleasantly surprised when a movie does better than I had anticipated. More often than not, I'm dissappointed with movies. Plot holes will drive me crazy, but my favorite genre is science fiction (self-punishment).

This book (and several of the books in this group) have gone the other way. I start seeing something that is hard to execute and I get worried. I do have to say that it's more of rooting them on, though. I was hoping that Erin would rise to the challenge and she did. I was worried that a romance between the two challengers would be corny ,and it was a touch, but instead I was pleasantly surprised that it was comprised with as much passion and intrigue as the rest of the 'magic' in the book.

Now that I think about it's just more the language I use to describe my anticipation, anxiety about something. Like I was worried about the romance and know that it would be hard to pull off well, and that many have failed. But also I was anxious and curious to see how it would turn out. It seemed like the obvious thing to happen and I was even more excited at the beginning of the story if it went some very different way.

I feel like I'm just rambling now... so I stop.

I like the rambling - let it all out Joe! :)

I agree with being extra paranoid about story letdowns lately. While there has been a rise in the volume of books, movies, and TV with the advent of digital media, Netflix, e-books etc., it also means that everyone and anyone can put stuff out there. It used to be that a story had to be reviewed and edited and a lot of the junk got filtered out. That does not happen now.

On the flip side, some gems that may not have made it through the review process now are out there for the world to enjoy.

I can summarize this by saying I usually do not like the Best Picture nominees, but there are some great direct to Netflix movies I watch over and over and I recommend to everyone.

That is very true. I think it has taken time for things to adjust with the in-flux of new media. I think that we're coming out of the renaissance of low-bar authorship. I think that is because there is so much of it. There is a sea of things, but there are also a lot of people looking at different parts and we as a social-media society are getting better at weeding out the bad from good. Picking out the good movies, shows, books, music etc and saying "Look what I found. I know 2 people that will like this." and it creates a healthier environment.

It also means that people are having to try harder to get noticed, so the bar is rising through attrition.