Indonesians Who Love English Books discussion

Well hello, lovely people. Thanks for stopping by this thread. As you can probably surmise from the title, this thread is for nominating books for our monthly group reads.

What is a group read? Group read (or read-along) is when we – as a collective – read one book together within a time span of one month. A thread will be created under our Book Discussions section for posts regarding the selected book. We will then discuss, contemplate and muse about the book to each other. Sounds fun, right?

This is how we do it; majority rules. Genres and titles are chosen through a voting system that any of our members can participate in. Not sure how? Here’s the 411:

New genre/theme is announced as early as the 1st of the previous month. It is chosen from among the top voted entries on our ongoing poll. We might decide to choose a new book that is coming out if it is highly anticipated, and we might also recycle from previously-chosen genre after 6 months period.

During the first week of the month, the call for nominations is open. You may nominate any book you think fits into the genre/theme of the month, except books that also have in them elements of genre/theme of the previous month’s group read (to prevent genre burn-out). If you come across any nominees of which you approve (either by having read them or checked out the synopsis), go ahead and second them.

My co-moderators and I then mull over all the nominees thrown in and seconded, and come up with a list of official nominees (ideally 3-5 books) on which we will be voting by as early as the 8th of the previous month. Considerations include (in an order of importance):

1. Endorsements from other members

2. Availability in local bookstores (Unless it just came out, paperbacks are generally preferable)

3. Length (Sub-400 pages are better and less burdening)

4. Discussion-worthiness

5. Our humble opinions

A winning book is announced as early as the 15th of the previous month, giving you guys two weeks time to grab a copy. Don’t worry about missing out as we will send out messages to all members. We start reading at the start of the month.

Why should you join a group read?

> You may discover your next favorite book.

> You’ll be exposed to many different genres that you might not have chosen by yourself (read widely!)

>You’ll be able to have engaging conversations and intellectual stimulations with other bright, articulate, interesting people.

> You’ll be able to make new friends (Spoiler: lifelong connections).

And really, there are plenty more. We don’t want to spoil it for you. Come join our group reads and experience them for yourself!

I have two sitting at home that I haven't been able to read in ages, maybe if we make it a group read I'll have more motivation to start:

'The Inheritance of Loss' by Kiran Desai
'Midwives' by Chris Bohjalian

Not sure which one is more readily available in Indo.

I'm not sure whether I could got my hand on 'Room' soon (there is queue in library for this book). I've already read 'The Inheritance of Loss' but will love participating in book discussion.

I've read Room but if you guys want to read that I'm fine and I'll join the discussion.
I haven't read The Inheritance of Loss and Midwives, are they available in Periplus/Kino?

Yes, "Room" will be okay. I have the e-book version at least. Hehe....

Will it be for June reading?

Is the e-book version available anywhere for free? :)

Christy: Yes, i downloaded it already... I forgot in which site though.. If you need it I can send it to your e-mail... Just inbox me!! :)

really not want to spoil anything but can someone explain what this book generally about? please, no spoiler... :)

really ashamed that i never heard of the author nor the book.

@ Matthews M. : Room is one of the most hyped book in 2011 booker shorlist, it loosely based on or inspired by Josef Fritzl case.

The Inheritance of Loss is 2007 booker prize winner that explores the effect of colonialism in India.

@Indres: a quick googling informed me about what the book will be about.

@Rachel: I'll pass this one. prefer a "happier" theme. :)

"happier" is a loose term meaning not confined to romance only.

this one makes me happy just reading about successful "nerds"


this one amaze me, so does



this one makes me imagining what world that those guys living in.

in short, "happier" theme to me doesn't make me somehow depressed reading them.

EDIT:
back to topic, i support you all that want to read "Room" but i might not be able to join the discussion since i wouldn't be reading it.

none taken. :)

good thing we share something in common.

Room is about a boy who lived with his mother in a room and he thought Room was the whole universe. He believed that everything on TV is just a made-up thing until one day he discover there's a world outside Room.
It's a family story.

May I join? :)
I'll vote for Room. I've heard a lot of amazing reviews about that book. It is fun to read this book together. Thank you :)

Same to Ana,
May I join into this discussion also and have a vote for a book to read in this club?
And I'll vote for .
I've read this book synopsizes and it's quite interesting. It looks like gonna be fun if we read this book together. Thanks =)

@Amang: I will join you once I get my copy from library (around mid June).

Hi Rachel, should we have different thread for 'Room' or it's okay to have discussion here?

Amang wrote: "Anyone interested to join me reading Room together? The font size is around 5-6 point, hopefully I will not miss the story of Jack."

Amang, how to join read Room with you?

Can i join the discussion too? Hope could get my hands on the book (Room) by next week...

Hey! Sorry guys for being M.I.A, are we all agreed on Room? I see it all the time in periplus and I don't think it's that pricey (definitely not over 100k). So if everyone is in agreement, I'll set it for our July read. How does that sound? :)

And Matthews, for our next read, we'll try for a more 'happier' feel :)

And of course anyone can join!

We'll have a separate thread for it of course :)

I just noticed from the other threads that many people have started reading Room already. Do we all just want to start now? Or wait till July? If you want to start now, I'll pick up my copy tomorrow :)

Are we going to read this book together? I just picked it up from the library.

I've already finished it and waiting for discussion. Should we begin it (chapter by chapter)?

Me too (just finished it). So?

I'm not sure I still remember what's going on chapter by chapter.

What's the general impression do you guys have about the book?

I like the book. I don't quite understand why some people think it's a chick-lit. It definitely is not. I think it offers quite a fresh point of view and storyline.

The book didn't impressed me, I even considered to drop it in the middle of chapter two.

The storyline is nothing new for me, it's like a combination of Fritzl case and Duggard case. As a fresh point of view, yes it's fresh but I find it actually makes me unable to relate to any characters in this book.

Well, it's new done as fiction. I didn't really follow those real life cases (I heard about them), since crime news is just not my cup of tea, so maybe I had fresher eyes when I started.

I also originally thought I wouldn't like it, but I find the whole story very optimistic, which make it likable. I didn't fall in love with any of the characters myself, but that doesn't bother me. If there are stories I find difficult to relate, it is those that are character driven with not enough plotlines, and this novel serves me the other way around. So overall, I'm quite happy with this book.

You have an advantage by not knowing the detail of Fritzl and Duggard case. When I read this book, I couldn't stop thinking, oh now she took this from Fritzl case, and this detail from Duggard...and this is from Natasha.

I could see why you enjoy the book and why I don't. For me, liking and able to relate to character in a story is important, otherwise it's quite hard for me to enjoy it.

In the end of the day, it's back to personal taste.

Now that I think about it again, most of my favourite books actually have characters who are flawed and not very likeable, such as Lolita, The Reader, Perfume, Hideous Kinky, etc. Maybe there is something wrong with me.... hahaha

It seems like the conversation started first in NL time, eh? I've read two books with children as narrator, Vernon 'God' Little's DBC Pierce and Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and i love them both. They're hilarious and refreshing, but not with Room's narrator, Jack. I don't mind flawed characters nor the fact that the author stole the plot from real life stories, after all, what is originality? But one thing that bother me quite a lot is that the characters in this book is lacked of believability and for me that's the major put off

In what way do you think it's lack believability?

Coqueline wrote: "In what way do you think it's lack believability?" the logic of which one(s) are real which one(s) are fantasy (according to his ma). she pretends that the world consist of the room only and what they saw on tv are fantasies, and yet every week they asked for (sometimes new and those fantasies) stuff to be delivered to the room. for me the analogy would be like we asked for foods and toys from the outer space. for a kid as smart as jack, i just don't understand why he buy it. And i also wonder why Jack never had curiosity with the outer world and only once try to peek on Old Nick (i believe 5 years old would do things 100 times until they finally obey and stop, but yeah, it could be just my child).

Let's talk about chapter one (the chapter where everyday life in the room is detailed). What kind of impression that you get? Do you think the chapter is interesting?

I don't like it, I feel it too long. But, then again, in my teenager year I have unhealthy obsession to gather information about serial killers, so probably I was already over this kind of things (kidnapping, dungeon, jail, etc) .

@Enci & Coq: my child is 4 yo and she also love to have rigid schedule and has specific affinity for things (for example: this shirt only could be wear with this skirt, or the blue fork only could be used with green spoon etc). While she enjoy trying new things, she wants to observed how it to be done first before trying it for the first time.

So, it little bit surprised me how easily Jack could be convinced to go to "outer space" by his mum and doing that without his mum...I found it out of his character.

Indres wrote: "Let's talk about chapter one (the chapter where everyday life in the room is detailed). What kind of impression that you get? Do you think the chapter is interesting?

I don't like it, I feel it to..."

I agree. It's tedious

I think I did give a wide leeway on Jack's believability because in my eyes he's a child with developmental issue (though not intelligence-wise). I also have a 5 year old, but I didn't think I could compare the two.

Coqueline wrote: "I think I did give a wide leeway on Jack's believability because in my eyes he's a child with developmental issue (though not intelligence-wise). I also have a 5 year old, but I didn't think I coul..."

I don't think i am trying to compare and from what Indres said, i believe she's only pointing out the lack of consistency on Jack's character. I believe that all children have the basic characteristic that makes them what they are, and one of it is healthy dose of curiosity that helps and stimulate them to learn through their senses. In the case of developmental problem, it could be too fast, too slow, or just different reaction to the sensory perception. For Jack with his intelligence, it's just weird that he never questioned/challenge what his ma said. But again, i am not an expert on child development, so CMIIW. In Mark Haddon's book (this one is a comparison) the narrator is a child with autism, but i found him believable, mostly because i guess Mark Haddon had work with children with autism a lot to understand and transfer the knowledge into his book.

I love Mark Haddon book, because I can really relate to Christopher being somehow autistic myself.

I think children as people in general can be as they are with so many various reasons, motivations, personality and developmental background. Maybe because he is intelligent that he understood what's going on and didn't need to ask too much questions. Maybe it's denial, and maybe it feels safer to just not think about the unthinkable. I guess I didn't really look at it very critically, but the characters never felt incongruously out of place enough to bother me.

Now, if a book is using some scientific explanation for story lines that I know not to be true, I'd be really annoyed... hahaha I guess we are all looking for different things in what we read and enjoy.

Coqueline wrote: "I love Mark Haddon book, because I can really relate to Christopher being somehow autistic myself.

I think children as people in general can be as they are with so many various reasons, motivation..."

Haha..of course not, if i want scientific stuff i won't read fiction. For me believable is enough, even for unbelievable things (like Calvino did). Somehow if the writers any good he/she can explain things without being pedantic :p, but i agree that your points are possible too, and maybe i am just being too critical :)

Sorry for lack clarity in my comment, yes, I want to point out that Jack character is inconsistent and it bother me. I felt that there is two Jacks.

The other thing that bother me, I read a lot about domestic violence. No doubt, Jack is a child that grow up in those kind situation. The children in those kind environment has distinct characters and Jack has none of it.

Hey guys, I'm sorry I was MIA again (finished my thesis defense and I've now officially obtained my degree in communication science, yay!). Since you guys have practically finished reading Room and have started discussing it here, you can continue to do so. However next time, we'll have a thread for each book discussion. Anywho, discuss away :)

And for a new book read, how about The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera? :)

I read that book years ago and was none too impressed. But maybe if you guys start discussing it I will remember what it was about and why I didn't think highly of it (honestly I don't remember what it was about ).

I couldn't help to point you to this link: http://betterbooktitles.com/post/4441...

How apt, since Tereza always screams when she's making love.

Hmm maybe that's it. I didn't give a flying fuck about any of
the characters.

Indres wrote: "I couldn't help to point you to this link: http://betterbooktitles.com/post/4441...

How apt, since Tereza always screams when she's making love."

I love the book, i gave it 5 stars. For some, i have to admit it could be slow and nagging book. Should we made a new thread for it? Or i think it haven't been decided which book is elected for the discussion?

Well technically it hasn't been elected, but I could make a thread just for any random book discussions. How does that sound?

What about The Help by Kathryn Stockett? I heard it's good.

I think it's better to choose a book that nobody (or max. only two person in this group) has read.

I agree. I take it that more than 2 of you have read The Unbearable Lightness of Being, so scratch that one out.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett?

If not, any ideas? What genre would you all like?