The Bookhouse Boys discussion

The three hosts of the show take turns picking titles to read, but we've been thinking it would be cool to make our fourth picks from suggestions from our group members. Let us know what book you'd like to throw in the ring.
GROUND RULES:
1. It needs to be in English (translations are okay).
2. It needs to be good.

Suggest away!

I have lots of suggestions. I'll have to mete them out if you're going to be asking for more suggestions every 4th book, though. I'll start with the one I read most recently that caused me to describe it to Dave as a modern book that reminded me of Salinger or Fitzgerald: A Company of Three by Varley O'Connor. Don't be put off by the fact that it's about actors and the theater; I almost didn't read it because I thought that would make it really annoying. The characters are people who would be annoying in real life, but they make for a good book. I think this link will take you straight to my personal review of the book: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

We'll probably put up an "upcoming books" reading list with the 5 or 6 novels we'll be reading after Ragtime soon... we'd love to see some more recommendations! For every 10 books or so that get recommended, we'll pick one out and add it to the list. Let us know what books you're most interested in reading in the coming months.

One that I haven't read: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon.
It was okay. I don't think it would really be worth discussing for hours on end. It was entertaining, though. I read it in one sitting.

I too, have read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. I agree, that is not a book one could spend a lot of time discussing.

I have a question about book selection; does it need to be fiction? I just read No Ordinary Times and it has a multitude of discussion points.

I think we're leaning towards fiction at the start because that's our area of interest... the art side of the books more than the plots, that sort of thing. We also wanted to use this as an excuse to bone up on great works we missed or want to revisit.

That said, I can see us getting into some nonfiction down the line. It's an area I don't think any of us are particularly well versed in, and I know there's a TON of interesting stuff out there.

Ragtime, though fiction, contains a lot of nonfiction elements as well... I'd like to get more into that in the second part of our discussion, even though it applies more broadly to the first part. We discussed more of it in Take 1 (aka the take that didn't take), but, screw it, I'm bringing some of that stuff up again tonight because I think it's an important discussion point. :D

Dave wrote: "We discussed more of it in Take 1 (aka the take that didn't take), but, screw it, I'm bringing some of that stuff up again tonight"

Is that tonight?! I have some reading to do!

The LacunaThis is another piece of historical fiction that is excellent. It is the time period following Ragtime and going into the early 50's.

Hmm. More recommendations from me: anything by Tom Robbins will give you a lot to talk about. My particular especial favorites are Jitterbug Perfume, Still Life with Woodpecker, and Skinny Legs and All. I've been procrastinating on reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, which I understand is a pretty dense and intricate read. The Housekeeper and the Professor is really short - you could maybe do it in just one week - but it's ripe for discussion. The Elegance of the Hedgehog is fascinating and very French. And for non-contemporary stuff (still modern, just not from the past 3 decades or so), maybe think about Giovanni's Room?

Heather wrote: "Sherry wrote: "I too, have read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. I agree, that is not a book one could spend a lot of time discussing."

Ah, no worries. It is so hard to know with..."

I have read The Handmaid's Tale. I really like Margaret Atwood and would also suggest,Alias Grace

Jen wrote: More recommendations from me: anything by Tom Robbins will give you a lot to talk about.

Definitely an author that caught my eye (and about whom I have no firsthand knowledge). He seems very divisive, but that could be an asset to discussion! Hopefully we wouldn't come down on different sides of that "argument." ;)

Heather wrote: I just checked out The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood from the library. I know Jason's read it, but maybe I should send it back and throw that in as a suggestion instead.

I've thought about reading another Margaret Atwood book and would like to know if there's another as meaty and interesting as The Handmaid's Tale but I'm not interested in re-reading it.

Heather wrote: "Have you guys perused this ginormous list? Listopia: Best Books of the 20th Century. You guys should all go vote."

No, but that's a great idea. Thanks, Heather!

Heather wrote: "Got another recc... Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie."

I hope my compatriots haven't read that one because I'd be all over it.

Bumping this in hopes of getting a few more recommendations, as we'll likely be picking one soon! Get 'em in now....

What, because you haven't gotten enough already? I believe I personally made about 8 recommendations above! :)

I have never read any Robbins and have always wanted to, so I know where my vote would go. :)

Jen wrote: "What, because you haven't gotten enough already? I believe I personally made about 8 recommendations above! :)"

And thanks very much to you, Heather and Sherry for the suggestions so far. We're trying to coax a few of the other listeners out of their shadowy corners... ;)

So, we decided that the book after Affliction will be a recommended title from our members. And you thought we forgot! Shame on you. : )

We settled on Still Life with Woodpecker for September. Thanks for all your suggestions, everyone!

I win! :) That means I need to get my copy back from a co-worker for Dave to read...

We're investigating claims of political malfeasance and conflict of interest. You never disclosed that you had a personal relationship with one of the moderators!

At this early stage in the podcast/book group, I think everyone here has a personal relationship with one of the mods. *Hi, Ma!*

Ah...yeah, I did. In the intros discussion thread, I stated quite plainly that I was married to him!

Jen wrote: "Ah...yeah, I did. In the intros discussion thread, I stated quite plainly that I was married to him!"
Well there's the problem, right there! When you joined, Dave slammed me up against the Bookhouse wall and told me I'd better not read your posts or look directly at you, unless I wanted my face rearranged. Oddly enough, he said the same thing about his mom. : P

Sounds. JUST. LIKE. HIM. Seriously, what a bruiser I married!