readers advisory for all discussion

to read one of these unsolicited recommendations as a group?? and then after, we could break down the book, RA style to discuss possible appeal factors like pacing, frame, tone, etc?? i could start up a poll of the books already mentioned, or take further suggestions. it wouldn't be for a while, as i am sure we all have reading commitments, but would anyone besides me have fun doing this?

yes

Sign me up! Mememememe!

yup. I'm game.

Sure!

Sure :)

Let's do it! I'm going to finish my current read today.

okay, great!

i will allow everybody a whole week to put forth suggestions, and then i will compile all suggestions into a poll. good?

and then we will go through and discuss because i think it is easier to talk about some of these characteristics when everyone has read the same material.

I HAVE GOOSEBUMPS!

okay then.

I would like to read: Call It Sleep, The Spectacular Now, Coming from an Off-Key Time, and Elegy for a Fabulous World. I would also say Three Men in a Boat, but I read it already. How about Three Men on the Bummel? Let's read them all...

Galahad at Blandings by P.G. Wodehouse

I think this is a great idea Karen.

Or The Wheels of Chance by H.G. Wells.

The following titles sound good: Call It Sleep and Coming from an Off-Key Time, which I alreadry read and I recommend. I can't comment on Elegy for a Fabulous World because I'm the author. Another book I would recommend: The Line by Olga Grushin.

I'll read Call It Sleep. If I can find a copy. Doesn't look to be much of an issue, actually.

This is a great idea!

Gosh, Looks like many folks have already decided they'd be happy to read Call it Sleep. I have no objection. I read it years ago but remember I thought it classic. If I were going to recommend something, I guess it would be something I hadn't read, but was slim. Perhaps The Noodle Maker by Ma Jian, or Liquidation by Imre Kertész.

liquidation is a great book trish you should read it either way

Can I (very patriotically!) suggest A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry?

I'm in...and Dave, if Call it Sleep is not chosen to read this time around, I'll still put it on my to-read list.

I'm on board with Call It Sleep. My initial thought was Lord of Misrule only because it (a) relatively slim and (b) waiting on my desk.

Vinaya wrote: "Can I (very patriotically!) suggest A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry?"

I have a copy of this waiting for me but I keep finding all sorts stuff that edges it out when I go to start on something new. Wish I could find somebody to tell me how great it is and all of the wonderful things about it to get me motivated to start. :)

Oh, and I really like the green duck! It's a bookduck right?

I haven't read A Fine Balance yet, but I did read his other book, Family Matters, which is really beautifully written. And really, the main reason I suggested it was because I think Indian English literature gets overlooked a lot of times simply because of lack of publicity or exposure. Mistry is one of the lucky few who've gotten recognition outside the country; and he deserves it, too. His writing is beautifully evocative, and he manages to ground it in Indian culture and society without alienating a foreign audience.

And my avatar is supposed to be a bookworm, but I don't feel strongly about it either way, since I got it off Google images. If it looks like a duck... you know how the rest of it goes! :)

I really loved A Fine Balance, but it is LONG. I'd go for Lord of Misrule because it's on my desk as well. Won it from National Book Awards team! Very cool. Maybe the second time I ever won anything.

Sounds like fun. Call It Sleep looks good as does Coming From an Off-key Time. I suppose The Wealth of Nations is unreasonable. (yes).

I suppose The Wealth of Nations is unreasonable. (yes).
Yes.

I don't really have any suggestions in mind but I would definitely like to part take in this discussion in the future.

Trish wrote: " I suppose The Wealth of Nations is unreasonable. (yes).
Yes."

Shocking. Just shocking. So no hope from any of you shaming me into reading it when you all have read it at my suggestion, and within a month at that, and I'm still on page 20 or thereabouts?

Sounds great! I'm not sure about suggestions right now, but I'm game for anything.

Count me in and I'm game for anything, even if it means re-reading something.

I'd like to read "Call it Sleep".

Both Three Men in a Boat and Call it Dreams sound good to me. Also, A Fine Balance is a newer book on my tbr list that might be interesting.

i will set up the poll tomorrow, so if anyone has any last-minute suggestions, get 'em in now!

I've recently heard about this really cool teen vampire book called Twilight? Maybe we could try that?

MUAHAHAHA. I preemptively got Call It Sleep from the library the other day just in case that gets the most votes. Other than that, I have no opinion.