New book. This one from Abbie

So, it's Abbie's turn to pick and her choice is:

A Fisherman of the Inland Sea by Ursula LeGuin

B&N has this to say about it:

The winner of the Pushcart Prize, the Kafka Award, and the National Book Award, Ursula K. Le Guin has created a profound and transformational literature. The award-winning stories in A Fisherman of the Inland Sea range from the everyday to the outer limits of experience, where the quantum uncertainties of space and time are resolved only in the depths of the human heart. Astonishing in their diversity and power, they exhibit both the artistry of a major writer at the height of her powers and the humanity of a mature artist confronting the world with her gift of wonder still intact.

Book THREE.

So.. it's Gretta's turn to pick a book. Her pick is:



Mans Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl From B&N:

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of those he treated in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl's theory—known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos ("meaning")—holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.



Not a terribly cheerful sounding synopsis. But it does sound incredibly interesting. Happy reading.

New book!

Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides

All the synopses that I found were too long to put here. It's about a hermaphrodite. So yeah... There you go.

Mel recommends this book because "It's good." It did win the Pulitzer Prize... so she's probably right. Happy reading!

On deck...

Well, the first book was a pretty big success I'd say. And the next one will be thrown out in the near future. Mel is picking next, and will present it in the next week or two.

A few reminders: if you want to receive an email for new comments as they're posted, just let me know. Also, if you ever want to post anything here independent of the current conversation, just email it to me (i.e. book websites or thoughts) and I'll put it up here for you.


Happy Reading kids...

I'll leave you with a cat fighting a watermelon. It was going to be Puppies Dressed as Cats... but NBC sucks.

First book... go!

Jen throws out the first book for our reading pleasure:

The Hunger Games

~ Suzanne Collins


Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place.

Jen says we should read it because:

"Read it because it's good. I can't think of any real intellectual comments to make."

So.. go forth, read it. Comments here on what you think.. feel free to post during reading or after you've read it. Fair warning on spoilers/plot points, if you're going to give something away, let folks know you're going to; that way they can wait till they've read it.

The List.

Ok. So, the list of people who have informed me they will be participating is as follows. Feel free to introduce yourselves in the comments section, for those who don't know each other.

Abbie W.
Laurie F.
Mary B.
Jen R.
Natalie H.
Greta T.
Joanna K.
Mel S.
Brandon W.
Emily F.

Jen R. will pick the first Book.... which means Mel is up after that, then Greta. Post coming next Wednesday about what the book is.

If you're not on the list, let me know, the more the merrier.

Bookkeeping (he he)

I can set the blog up to email you whenever a comment is posted to the entry. If you want this to happen, just let me know what email address you want it sent to.

Also, keep in mind that this is a group experiment: if you have any suggestions on the way anything is done, throw them out there.