SE++ Book Club Thread

Raijin Quickfoot

I don't know about everyone else but I love reading a good book and discussing that book with people.

I think it would be fun to have a book club, we pick a book, we all read the book, we then talk about the book together like a family.

I can iron out more details if people are interested but I don't want to spend a bunch of time setting something up and find out nobody cares.

If it sounds like something you might be down for though post in here and say so and if there is enough interest then we'll get started and figure out what book to read.

Psykoma

I'm down for this

Gvzbgul

I am too.

Rainfall

I like book.

Zoel

This sounds like a terrible idea. I'm in.

Tommy2Hands

Are you trying to say that I can't read? I can read! I'll show you!

Kakodaimonos

I'd be up for it.

Can we read my Sonic/StarTrek erotic crossover fanfic as the first book?

Raijin Quickfoot

Absolutely not.

Bluedude152

The fireman is a good book thats out that would be a blast to talk about in chunks

Aphostile

#interest

Kakodaimonos

Maybe something short(ish) for the first go round might not be a bad idea until we figure out pacing.

Raijin Quickfoot

Well, I've got The Water Knife just sitting here waiting to be read....

We could do like a few chapters at a time. Also I would like to do open spoilers. I don't want to have to click on spoilers constantly.

Brolo

BUY MY BOOK BUY AND READ MY FUCKING BOOK

Rainfall

Brolo wrote: »

BUY MY BOOK BUY AND READ MY FUCKING BOOK

I would almost be willing to have this be the inaugural entry into the SE++ garbage book club.

SilverWind

I'm potentially interested! Especially if said book(s) are available in e-format from my local library.

My coworkers are doing a very casual book club, with each member getting to choose a book in turns. We might be doing changing themes for each round as well. This has led to me reading a) a great autobiography (Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs); b) a great fantasy book (Kindred by Octavia Butler--my pick ); c) what is so far a pretty meh book about... I am not sure what it is about yet, Michael Chabon's prose is making me die inside (Telegraph Avenue). A second book club wouldn't be too onerous unless this one is set at a really breakneck pace

Brolo

Rainfall wrote: »

Brolo wrote: »

BUY MY BOOK BUY AND READ MY FUCKING BOOK

I would almost be willing to have this be the inaugural entry into the SE++ garbage book club.

Interesting," muttered Dennagon to himself. "The force of
gravity is 9.8 meters per second squared on this planet, but
not in space. I wonder if ‘space’ actually exists."

His eyes crawled down to the bottom of the page. He did
not want to stray in his thought, for he felt that he had not
read enough today.

Oh well, I'll probably never travel there anyway," he said
to quell his imagination.

The wind flipped a page just as he finished it. At the same
moment, a clutter of footsteps rumbled the terrain. They were
metallic, banging against the stones upon the field and
tearing up the moss upon the dirt. A loud cranking sound
churned as well, wooden and monstrous. However,
Dennagon did not even budge. He knew what was coming
and how to handle it.

A train of human knights with shimmering armor and
horses of aegises adorned marched forth. Wheeling a catapult
amongst their lines, they loaded a boulder. Equipping their
shields, they fell into combative positions, orderly as they
were taught to by their predecessors. Reptilian bones
decorated their tunics, granting them their only source of
bravery in this battle.

And I wonder," pondered Dennagon whilst he continued
browsing, "if these worldly variables are actually constant."

The commanding paladin trotted up front.

Desist beast!" he shouted under his cage-visor helm.
Prepare to be vanquished!"

"Could you attack me later? I'm in the middle of a tome."

They armed their lances.

"Charge, valiant knights! Destroy this abomination!"

With that, they charged forth. Lances pointed, they rushed
to run through their target like they had run through so many
other creatures in their path. Blood boiled in their veins,
fueling their avaricious anger.

Dennagon nonchalantly dropped down from his perched
position to the ground. Without even taking his eyes off his
book, he casually thrust his fist out, punching a hole straight
through the head of one of his enemies as it charged. The
decapitated body still hanging off his forearm, he merely
shifted his fist to the side so that the others could rim into it.
Expectedly, they did, blasting apart their own skulls against
his scaly knuckles.

Shocked, the remaining knights armed their archery
equipment and fired a volley of arrows. Their draconic prey
simply snatched the hilt of his scabbard and ripped out a
sword of pristine green metal. Whirling the blade about, he
deflected the shots, shattering shafts into wooden shards that
spurt across the air in splintered clouds. When they ran out of
ammunition, he thought they would finally leave, but these
humans were a bit dumber than most he had met. They drew
their dose-combat weapons.

Sighing, he set down his book and faced them.

"All right, let's get it over with.“

MY WORK IS TOO GOOD FOR YOUR STUPID BOOK CLUB. (BUT STILL BUY THE BOOK. GET A COPY OR 2 FOR A FRIEND AS WELL.)

Moriveth

I bought a bunch of scifi/adventure books from a Humble Bundle a while back

I read the first chapter of one and it was SO BAD.

Raijin Quickfoot

So definitely enough interest. So let's figure out what book. I'm suggesting The Water Knife by Paolo Baciglupi

Let's try not to suggest anything overly obscure. I don't want people to have to buy a book. I'd prefer books that would be relatively common to borrow from a library.

Tommy2Hands

my suggestion is as follows

JayKaos

My other book club is doing Altered Carbon this month, if this one did the same book it'd save me some time.

Butler For Life #1

I have been known to enjoy books from time to time

I just finished reading the Invitation-Only Zone, about North Korea's abduction project and the Japanese citizens whom they kidnapped

if folks are interested in non-fiction, I have plenty of suggestions!

Or we could do Purity if we wanna experience the shared suffering that can only come from exposure to Jonathan Franzen

SilverWind

I've been meaning to read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Description:

Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.

I'm also eventually going to have to read more of Guy Gavriel Kay, but I don't know what the next book of his is the one I should go for (PSA: Tigana Tigana everyone read Tigana). @Wyborn would probably have an idea.

The Water Knife sounds interesting too though!

nicopernicus

This could be really fun.

Raijin Quickfoot

I'm actually in the process of reading The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman so that's another suggestion

Sir Fabulous

I, too, have read books before and would like to do so again at a mutually agreed upon time.

Madican

This sounds interesting but not sure if it's something I should do, considering when I read or watch something I'm automatically dissecting it into components and examining pieces to see what I can incorporate into my own work. So my criticisms would be drawing on a lot of that.

Tommy2Hands

What about Demon

Gvzbgul

Tommy2Hands wrote: »

What about Demon

You are banned from the SE++ Book Club, you, your children, your childrens' children.

Raijin Quickfoot

Gvzbgul wrote: »

Tommy2Hands wrote: »

What about Demon

You are banned from the SE++ Book Club, you, your children, your childrens' children.

For 3 months

ChicoBlue

I have a book that is pretty Good and it has sex and murder and incest and demon possession and wonders and apocalypse and redemption.

Sir Fabulous

I propose The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a book filled to the brim with twists and surprises.

Desert Leviathan

ChicoBlue wrote: »

I have a book that is pretty Good and it has sex and murder and incest and demon possession and wonders and apocalypse and redemption.

Discussion question: One time (1 Samuel 5), God smote the priests of Dagon the Fish God with hemorrhoids. Then, to get cured of their hemorrhoids, they had to melt down the statue of their fish god, and make it into a bunch of little statues of their swollen buttholes.

In the roughly 3,000 years since, while there has been almost unceasing debate and schisms over the precise makeup of the scriptural canon in both the Jewish and Christian faiths, no major sects seem to have disputed status of these verses. Is this just because this story is fuckin LOL City, or is there another more subtle value that has gone unrecognized?

Tommy2Hands

Okay in all reality though if we could somehow decide on reading material I would be down for a group read of something

A poll could be helpful

jgeis

I would definitely be down for some book clubbin'.

Mr. G

I recommend the new book from Noah Hawley, showrunner of Fargo, which just came out this week, "Before The Fall"

On a foggy summer night, eleven people--ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter--depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are Scott Burroughs--the painter--and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul's family.

With chapters weaving between the aftermath of the crash and the backstories of the passengers and crew members--including a Wall Street titan and his wife, a Texan-born party boy just in from London, a young woman questioning her path in life, and a career pilot--the mystery surrounding the tragedy heightens. As the passengers' intrigues unravel, odd coincidences point to a conspiracy. Was it merely by dumb chance that so many influential people perished? Or was something far more sinister at work? Events soon threaten to spiral out of control in an escalating storm of media outrage and accusations. And while Scott struggles to cope with fame that borders on notoriety, the authorities scramble to salvage the truth from the wreckage.

Amid pulse-quickening suspense, the fragile relationship between Scott and the young boy glows at the heart of this stunning novel, raising questions of fate, human nature, and the inextricable ties that bind us together.

If only because it will motivate me to actually read it

sarukun

I want to do this but I am afraid Inhaven't got enough time.

Fuck it, I'm in.

Goose!

I'm in if its on kindle.

Poorochondriac

Raijin Quickfoot wrote: »

So definitely enough interest. So let's figure out what book. I'm suggesting The Water Knife by Paolo Baciglupi

Let's try not to suggest anything overly obscure. I don't want people to have to buy a book. I'd prefer books that would be relatively common to borrow from a library.

I suggest Infinite Jes--

*dodges incoming carton of eggs*

Poorochondriac

Mr. G wrote: »

I recommend the new book from Noah Hawley, showrunner of Fargo, which just came out this week, "Before The Fall"

On a foggy summer night, eleven people--ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter--depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the plane plunges into the ocean. The only survivors are Scott Burroughs--the painter--and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of an immensely wealthy and powerful media mogul's family.

With chapters weaving between the aftermath of the crash and the backstories of the passengers and crew members--including a Wall Street titan and his wife, a Texan-born party boy just in from London, a young woman questioning her path in life, and a career pilot--the mystery surrounding the tragedy heightens. As the passengers' intrigues unravel, odd coincidences point to a conspiracy. Was it merely by dumb chance that so many influential people perished? Or was something far more sinister at work? Events soon threaten to spiral out of control in an escalating storm of media outrage and accusations. And while Scott struggles to cope with fame that borders on notoriety, the authorities scramble to salvage the truth from the wreckage.

Amid pulse-quickening suspense, the fragile relationship between Scott and the young boy glows at the heart of this stunning novel, raising questions of fate, human nature, and the inextricable ties that bind us together.

If only because it will motivate me to actually read it

My copy's arriving in the next couple of days, so I'd be game for that

Though it does run contrary to Raijin's easily-librarable suggestion

Tommy2Hands

I loved Infinite Jest and would be completely prepared to reread it

Poorochondriac

Tommy2Hands wrote: »

I loved Infinite Jest and would be completely prepared to reread it

Infinite Jest is my favorite book ever and a book club of it would die a horrible death within a week if we were lucky