EoFF Monthly Book Club - Book Suggestions

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03-19-2009, 12:13 AM
Miriel

EoFF Monthly Book Club - Book Suggestions

Alright everyone, so we're gonna start a monthly book club but first we need some reading suggestions.

So please post some recommendations, and try to keep in mind that we're gonna be reading this together as a group, so a book that has worthwhile discussion qualities would be good.

Follow this form, and try to limit your recommendations to 1 or 2 books. Once we have a good list, I'll put up a poll so we can choose a book for April.

Book Title:
Author:
Genre:
Synopsis:
Your reasoning for why we should read this book:

Go go go!
03-19-2009, 12:37 AM
The Man

Title: 2666
Author: Roberto Bolaño
Genre: Hyper-realist fiction
Synopsis/reasoning: A collection of five thematically related stories that converge around the still unsolved murders of hundreds of female factory workers in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico (here represented as Santa Teresa). Clearly intended as Bolaño's magnum opus, this posthumously published work manages to be the most fitting commentary I've found on the state of humanity in the post-9/11 era to date, comparable to the masterworks of authors such as Borges and Pynchon (who are honestly the only two major stylistic predecessors I can even name). As befitting a Bolaño work, there's also quite a lot of reflection on the nature of literature (several major characters are either authors or literary critics). When the English translation came out in 2008 it was named by a number of publications (including Time magazine) as the best novel released that year, and while I still haven't read a number of the other major contenders for that honour, I'm having a hard time imagining anything being better than it. Not exactly light reading though.

Here's the book's entry at The Complete Review. Some of the most insightful reviews linked there come from the Financial Times, Time, and the New York Review of Books.
03-19-2009, 12:53 AM
Caraliz

Book Title: A Game Of Thrones
Author: RR George Martin
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: I don't even know
Your reasoning for why we should read this book: Because I am
03-19-2009, 01:10 AM
The Man

AGoT would also be a good one to do, especially since I'm probably going to re-read the series for whenever Dance comes out.
03-19-2009, 01:26 AM
Yar

Book Title: Hop On Pop
Author: Dr. Seuss
Genre: Children's Fiction
Synopsis: They hop on pop in rhyming fashion!
Your reasoning for why we should read this book: Why shouldn't we!? It was my favorite book as a kid.
03-19-2009, 02:37 AM
Rocket Edge

I was recommended this book by a friend, and he has given me the lend of it. I was going to read it soon, so why not post it here? If its a book that challenges you, then this probably isn't really appropriate I'd imagine, so I dunno...

Book Title: Playing for Pizza
Author: John Grisham
Genre: Football drama
Synopsis: (From what I've been told) A self-centered guy has a nightmare NFL football game and as a result can only find work in the little leagues of Italy in the months that follow. He is embarressed by the standard of football & salary when he gets out there, but overtime he grows to like living there and gets accustomed to their unique way of life. A story of redemption & the many differant paths life can lead. It's a short book, and a somewhat light read. I think it would be good choice to get things going.
Your reasoning for why we should read this book: The appeal is universal, as It looks like a book that anyone can enjoy.
03-19-2009, 02:53 AM
Del Murder

Title: Howl's Moving Castle
Author: Diana Wayne-Jones
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: A girl gets turned into an old woman by a witch and gets a job as a maid in some guy's castle that moves.
Reasoning: It's an easy read which would be good for our first start at this. I've never read it myself but I would like to. I've seen the movie and it was pretty good. Plus it's one of Miriel's favorite books though she might be sick of reading it by now. :D
03-19-2009, 07:44 PM
Darkswordofchaos

Book Title:Eragon
Author:christopher paolini
Genre:Fantasy/action
Synopsis:boy finds dragon dragon is cool he has to defate evil king lots of killing wars kool stuff.
Your reasoning for why we should read this book:Its the best book ive ever read in my opinon. movie sucked balls, but the book is really good. there is three books out with one more to go. its fantasy but not wussy fantasy there is lots of fights/battles in the series all around good books
03-19-2009, 08:03 PM
Goldenboko

Title: Halo
Author: Mastar Chief
Genre: Halo
Synopsis: we should read this b/c mastar chief are cool and fights aliens and doesn't afriad of nything.
03-19-2009, 08:54 PM
~*~Celes~*~

Book Title: Eye of the World
Author: Robert Jordan
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: Pretty similar to your basic Final Fantasy storyline: five people, who are more significant than they think, end up on a big journey to save the world. Only, this journey is spread over a total of 12 books, as well as a prequel that I don't own but definitely wish to read sometime. Very hard to put this book down once you start reading it.
Why we should read this book: Because Rand, the main character, is a total Pimp. Also, because Robert Jordan (R.I.P.) is a genius, and has been often compared to J.R. Tolkien, though his work is nowhere near as confusing. In fact, here...wikipedia article explains it better than i can :p The Wheel of Time - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
03-19-2009, 10:06 PM
Depression Moon

Book Title: The Golden Compass
Author: Philip Pullman
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: It's been a while but I think it was about a world full of humans whose consciencessness and souls in physical representation of an animal. The girl discovers that children have gone missing and she investigates it.

Your reasoning for why we should read this book: I really enjoyed it. It was pretty good, but the other two were meh.

Book Title: Watchmen
Author: Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Genre: Science Fiction
Synopsis:In an alternate 1985 America, costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the "Doomsday Clock" - which charts the USA's tension with the Soviet Union - is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed-up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes.

Your reasoning for why we should read this book: I reall liked it. For those who don't have much background on comic books this is a great place to start. This is one of the few works where crime fighters and super powered beings are seen in such a way.
03-19-2009, 11:01 PM
qwertysaur

Quote:

Originally Posted by Del Murder

Title: Howl's Moving Castle
Author: Diana Wayne-Jones
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: A girl gets turned into an old woman by a witch and gets a job as a maid in some guy's castle that moves.
Reasoning: It's an easy read which would be good for our first start at this. I've never read it myself but I would like to. I've seen the movie and it was pretty good. Plus it's one of Miriel's favorite books though she might be sick of reading it by now. :D

The movie is very different from the Book. xD

Book Title: Good Omens
Author:Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: This book is amazing! It tells of the story of the prelude of the apocalypse, and all the events leading up to it, including the efforts of an angel and demon who want to postpone the end of the world because they like Earth.
Your reasoning for why we should read this book: Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Need I go on?
03-19-2009, 11:42 PM
Polaris

Book Title: "Moon Palace"
Author: Paul Auster
Genre: Romance

Synopsis: Took it from Wikipedia because I didn't want to show spoilers!

"Fogg is an orphan, and his Uncle Victor is his only caretaker. The story begins when Fogg goes to college and lives in a college dormitory. One year later he moves into his own apartment furnished with 1492 books given to him by Uncle Victor. Uncle Victor dies before Fogg finishes college and leaves him without friends, family or money. Fogg becomes an introvert and spends his time reading. He thinks, "Why should I get a job? I have enough to do living through the days." After selling the books in order to earn money Fogg loses his apartment and lives in Central Park. He also meets Kitty Wu and begins a furious romance after he had been rescued from Central Park by his friend Zimmer and Kitty Wu."

Your reasoning for why we should read this book: It's funny, easy to read, you get a totally different perspective and it has a brilliant plot line and a stunning way of writing! It's not complicated I read it in 3/2 days.
03-20-2009, 12:03 AM
Tama2

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~*~Celes~*~

Book Title: Eye of the World
Author: Robert Jordan
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: Pretty similar to your basic Final Fantasy storyline: five people, who are more significant than they think, end up on a big journey to save the world. Only, this journey is spread over a total of 12 books, as well as a prequel that I don't own but definitely wish to read sometime. Very hard to put this book down once you start reading it.
Why we should read this book: Because Rand, the main character, is a total Pimp. Also, because Robert Jordan (R.I.P.) is a genius, and has been often compared to J.R. Tolkien, though his work is nowhere near as confusing. In fact, here...wikipedia article explains it better than i can :p The Wheel of Time - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
03-20-2009, 12:50 AM
Aerith's Knight

Book Title: "The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul"
Author: Douglas Adams
Genre: Sci-fi, Comedy, Fantasy, Detective
Synopsis: When a passenger check-in desk at London's Heathrow Airport disappears in a ball of orange flame, the explosion is deemed an act of God. But which god, wonders holistic detective Dirk Gently? What god would be hanging around Heathrow trying to catch the 3:37 to Oslo? And what has this to do with Dirk's latest--and late-- client, found only this morning with his head revolving atop the hit record "Hot Potato"? Amid the hostile attentions of a stray eagle and the trauma of a very dirty refrigerator, super-sleuth Dirk Gently will once again solve the mysteries of the universe...
Your reasoning for why we should read this book: It's funny, easy to read and not too long. It's perfect for this kind of thing.
03-20-2009, 12:07 PM
Miriel

Book Title: Another Roadside Attraction
Author: Tom Robbins
Genre: Comedy/Fiction
Synopsis: Honestly, I'm not too sure. From what I can gather, it's about the 1960s, gypsies, a former football player, assassins, the Vatican, Jesus Christ, and talking animals.
Your reasoning for why we should read this book: Someone recommended this book to me and the Amazon reviews are fairly glowing. Plus, I've read Tom Robbin's Jitterbug Perfume. And while it was kinda strange and dizzying, I'm pretty sure that I enjoyed it.

Book Title: Survivor: A Novel
Author: Chuck Palahniuk
Genre: Satire/Thriller
Synopsis: A charismatic religious leader, the last surviving member of suicide cult, is alone on an airliner recording his tragicomic life-story into the jet's black box before it crashes into the Australian outback. The whole novel is structured like a countdown to the inevitable crash.
Your reasoning for why we should read this book: Another recommendation, another book with several hundred positive reviews on Amazon.
03-20-2009, 01:52 PM
Rocket Edge

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tama2

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~*~Celes~*~

Book Title: Eye of the World
Author: Robert Jordan
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: Pretty similar to your basic Final Fantasy storyline: five people, who are more significant than they think, end up on a big journey to save the world. Only, this journey is spread over a total of 12 books, as well as a prequel that I don't own but definitely wish to read sometime. Very hard to put this book down once you start reading it.
Why we should read this book: Because Rand, the main character, is a total Pimp. Also, because Robert Jordan (R.I.P.) is a genius, and has been often compared to J.R. Tolkien, though his work is nowhere near as confusing. In fact, here...wikipedia article explains it better than i can :p The Wheel of Time - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That sounds good. :)
03-20-2009, 10:10 PM
The Man

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goldenboko

Title: Halo
Author: Mastar Chief
Genre: Halo
Synopsis: we should read this b/c mastar chief are cool and fights aliens and doesn't afriad of nything.

*halo is a pretty cool guy, eh kills aleins and doesn't afraid of anything.

And anything but Eragon, please. Except Twilight.
03-20-2009, 10:24 PM
Polaris

Those books are really big like with 700 pages or more XD Perhaps we should consider some smaller and with more depth books :(
03-20-2009, 11:06 PM
Del Murder

I agree with Polaris. Something shorter that's an easy read would be good for our first undertaking. Survivor sounds interesting.
03-20-2009, 11:08 PM
Tama2

Call of Cthulhu!
03-20-2009, 11:34 PM
Miriel

Yeah, I don't think it would be a good idea to start a book that's part of a series. Unless you guys are really invested in the idea of reading the entire series in which case, I'm out. :p
03-21-2009, 01:01 AM
Darkswordofchaos

x-men origins

Or some other good graphic novel
03-21-2009, 09:06 AM
The Man

If we do a graphic novel, I'd suggest Watchmen as it's a landmark in the field and a lot of people are probably going to want to read it due to the film anyway. Some of Moore's other stuff, especially From Hell and V for Vendetta, is also well worth recommending and would probably be fairly accessible to people who hadn't read many graphic novels before.
03-22-2009, 11:18 PM
Bunny

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miriel

Yeah, I don't think it would be a good idea to start a book that's part of a series. Unless you guys are really invested in the idea of reading the entire series in which case, I'm out. :p

I've encountered this problem before and my only response is that the suggest book, if part of a series, could serve merely as an introduction to the series itself. The group reads the first book and, if interest is high enough in an individual, they can read the rest of the series by themselves. The book club on GHF did this with my suggestion of The Blade Itself, which went over better than I imagined it would.

The book I'm going to suggest is part of a series but is also a good standalone book. The characters and world don't necessarily go away when the book is finished, but there is a pretty good conclusion to it. In my opinion, anyway.

Synopsis taken from the Wikipedia article.
Book Title: The Lies of Locke Lamora
Author: Scott Lynch
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: It follows the adventures of a group of con artists known as the Gentlemen Bastards. They live in a city called Camorr, heavily based on late medieval Venice. The book is divided into two interspersed stories. In the present time, the Gentlemen Bastards must contend with the Grey King, a powerful figure terrorizing Camorr's criminal community. Every other chapter, however, delves into the history and mythology of Camorr, the Gentlemen Bastards, and especially the protagonist Locke Lamora.
Your reasoning for why we should read this book: It sounds like a pretty standard entry into the fantasy genre and for the most part, it probably is. But the speed in which the book takes off, the characters within the book, and the flowing style of Lynch's writing are something to be fairly admired. I've read a lot of fantasy books and very few have been able to keep my attention like this one. Oh, and it wasn't written by Robert Jordan who was a big smurfing prick.
03-22-2009, 11:37 PM
The Man

The Lies of Locke Lamora was pretty awesome. Still need to read the second and third books in that series.
03-22-2009, 11:42 PM
Bunny

I'm currently reading the second book and it is about as awesome, if not more so, as the first one. Some weaker parts but that's to be expected. Glad to know someone else is reading them.
03-23-2009, 01:11 AM
The Man

Is the third one out yet? I haven't been paying close attention because there were a couple of years where I basically didn't read any fiction at all.
03-23-2009, 01:24 AM
Bunny

Nope. Was supposed to be released last month but was delayed for some reason. Will probably be released sometime this year.

SPAMMY SPAM SPAM SPAM
03-23-2009, 01:28 AM
Shlup

You Suck: A Love Story

It's not so much a love story as a comedy. I read the first two chapters (chapter 2 is like eight lines) and it's lulz.
03-23-2009, 04:03 AM
Bastian

Book Title: The Neverending Story
Author: Michael Ende (English translation: Ralph Mannheim)
Genre: Literature (sometimes Fantasy/Sci-Fi, sometimes Childrens)
Synopsys: A young boy discovers a world of fantasy in the novel he steals from a bookstore. What he doesn't realize is that he is part of the unfolding story and the choices he makes upon entering the story will place his own safety in dire jeopardy.
03-23-2009, 04:26 AM
Miriel

Alrighty, I think we have enough books now. Thanks everyone!