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Saffron 
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Joined: 01 Apr 2008
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Location: Northern Virginia
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 Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 7:43 am Post subject:
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| Penelope wrote: |
I'd like to do 'short stories' - but in my opinion there is no one who can hold a candle to 'Albert Camus' in this genre.
I find with short stories - they either stay with you forever because they are so powerful. Most, I think, are very forgettable. None of Camus's stories are forgettable. |
I completely agree about short stories. I'd be up for Albert Camus. Anybody else?
Saffron |
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| Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 7:43 am Post subject: Please help to support this site
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Celinio
Getting comfortable
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| Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 2:42 pm Post subject: Love in the time of Cholera
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May i suggest this book by Gabriel Garcia Marquez for discussion ?
It was published in 1985, and tells a story of unrequited love. It takes place between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, in the Carribean.
I am almost done reading it. It has very interesting point of views regarding unrequited love. |
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Ophelia
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Chris OConnor
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| Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 11:17 pm Post subject:
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I've just read through this entire thread and see many great suggestions. In an effort to get a fiction book announced in a timely fashion I am thinking we should skip the polling process and just have a discussion right here and now.
Ophelia and I have discussed the idea of doing a new fiction book every single month. I don't want to overwhelm or underwhelm people. What are your thoughts on a "Book of the Month?"
I really love the short story idea. "Best American Short Stories of 2007' sounded like a fantastic suggestion too. Was that Saffron that made this suggestion?
http://www.amazon.com/Best-American-Short-Stories-2007/dp/0618713476/r ef=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210479227&sr=8-1
Let's figure out a fiction book as soon as possible! |
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Ophelia
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| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 1:07 am Post subject:
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About short stories:
Ralph (who suggested Somerset Maugham) and Penelope (who suggested Camus):
I don't read many short stories so I don't have an opinion so far.
You would make a stronger case for those authors by giving a link to a particular collection of stories at amazon.com. |
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Biomachine
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Joined: 06 May 2008
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| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 4:41 am Post subject:
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I would be willing to read Albert Camus.
My suggestion for a book with short stories is Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse.
| Amazon wrote: |
| Famine, Death, War, and Pestilence: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the harbingers of Armageddon - these are our guides through the Wastelands... From the Book of Revelations to The Road Warrior; from A Canticle for Leibowitz to The Road, storytellers have long imagined the end of the world, weaving tales of catastrophe, chaos, and calamity. Gathering together the best post-apocalyptic literature of the last two decades from many of today's most renowned authors of speculative fiction, including George R.R. Martin, Gene Wolfe, Orson Scott Card, Carol Emshwiller, Jonathan Lethem, Octavia E. Butler, and Stephen King, Wastelands explores the scientific, psychological, and philosophical questions of what it means to remain human in the wake of Armageddon. |
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Lilith
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Joined: 02 May 2008
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 3:35 pm Post subject:
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I like the idea of having a different book each month. If we can decide on one a month ahead of time, we can read or begin to read it prior to the discussion, which I think will help move the discussions along. So I am up for "Book of the Month."
I am not a big fan of short stories - I will try to get whatever we decide on but will refrain making comments re: which ones, as I am not really excited about discussing a number of different short stories.
I find it interesting that most people suggest books thay have already read. I'd rather find something new so that I can learn about and explore a new book, rather than re-hash one I have alredy experienced. I do not mean to be critical, it's just an observation.
That said, another one on my list is Snow Falling from Cedars (and no, I haven't read it yet). Not only was it an interesting time in America, but there are some issues in that book that I believe are still relevant, based on my understanding of the subject matter:
http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Falling-Cedars-David-Guterson/dp/067976402X
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Amazon.com
This is the kind of book where you can smell and hear and see the fictional world the writer has created, so palpably does the atmosphere come through. Set on an island in the straits north of Puget Sound, in Washington, where everyone is either a fisherman or a berry farmer, the story is nominally about a murder trial. But since it's set in the 1950s, lingering memories of World War II, internment camps and racism helps fuel suspicion of a Japanese-American fisherman, a lifelong resident of the islands. It's a great story, but the primary pleasure of the book is Guterson's renderings of the people and the place. |
Just my thoughts on this Monday -
Lilith |
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Ophelia
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 3:50 pm Post subject:
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Penelope, Saffron and Biomachine mentioned short stories by Camus.
I've looked this up, there are a lot of references and I wouldn't know which to pick.
Can you please give titles? |
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Saffron
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Joined: 01 Apr 2008
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 4:07 pm Post subject:
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| Chris OConnor wrote: |
Ophelia and I have discussed the idea of doing a new fiction book every single month. I don't want to overwhelm or underwhelm people. What are your thoughts on a "Book of the Month?"
I really love the short story idea. "Best American Short Stories of 2007' sounded like a fantastic suggestion too. Was that Saffron that made this suggestion?
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I think a book a month is very reasonable. And yes, the Best American was my suggestion.
Saffron |
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Saffron
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| Posted: Mon May 12, 2008 4:15 pm Post subject:
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| Lilith wrote: |
I find it interesting that most people suggest books thay have already read. I'd rather find something new so that I can learn about and explore a new book, rather than re-hash one I have alredy experienced. I do not mean to be critical, it's just an observation.
That said, another one on my list is Snow Falling from Cedars (and no, I haven't read it yet).
Lilith |
I have made the same observation about people recomending books they've already read. I, like you, would rather read something new to me. I have read Snow Falling on Cedars. It is one of my all time favorite books. It was one of those books that all day long you long to get back to. When I got to the end I slowed down, not wanting it to end.
Ophelia: I have no idea which Camus collection to read. I'll have to do some investigating.
Saffron |
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