Meriadoc humanodon thenewgreen -- down for another book? I am, but I would really like it if more than (the same) handful of people finished each time. Not a huge deal but would improve the conversation maybe.
Flag, Meriadoc and humanodon: I'm down. My wife just finished a book that she couldn't put down and keeps telling me I have to read. I probably should have listened so I remembered the name ;p -Don't tell her. I'll find out what it was tomorrow. Other than that, it's long but the most entertaining read I've had in the last 5 years was Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell -So good. But it's long. I might suggest some Vonnegut. People love Vonnegut and even if it meant re-reading his work, I'd be down. Meriadoc, maybe you should make a post? Do we know who wanted to go next as moderator?
I was also going to suggest fantasy/sci-fi as a 'break' from the heavy stuff we've tackled lately. Jonathan Strange was a bit long, you're right. Odd book. Vonnegut ... I dunno if I need a reading group to read Vonnegut. Can sit down and read almost any of his books in three hours. Just my two cents. We'll need another big thread to decide anyway. EDIT: I think I was slated to make the next round of posts but I might be making that up.
I'm totally okay with you being the ring master. All valid criticisms of my choices. I like the idea of sic-fi too but you're right, we need a larger discussion to decide. Bring it on. I'd suggest shouting-out to past participants.
humanodon I really want to keep going, but we do need to boost participation, and I think a good way would be something easy and fun that lots of people would be into, so I'm going to suggest a very effective tactic one of my college English professors employed: we should do a graphic novel. Something good and literary, but simple and fun, enough to bring back a lot of the people and bring in new people, and maybe be a good break from the heavy literature and a good segue into something else. Thoughts?
Personally, I love graphic novels and read them fairly often. I have posted things about graphic novels and comics in the past, but they haven't gotten much interest for whatever reason. While I like the idea, another obstacle does come to mind, namely, availability. My local library doesn't carry them, though I imagine a small selection might be available via inter-library loan. I know that university libraries tend to carry more of them, particularly if said universities have strong art or design programs. However, barring that, graphic novels are not exactly cheap and I doubt that buying them would appeal to someone who doesn't already buy them. I do like the idea, and will endorse it if interest can be generated, but I think that the availability thing might be an issue. That said, there are some really, really great graphic novels out there and even very literary comic book series that have been collected into trade paperbacks, for example, Brian Azzarello's 100 Bullets or Neil Gaiman's Sandman. I agree that the stuff we've been reading is dense and heavy and I can certainly see how people who don't seek that kind of stuff on their own, would quickly drop it, so yeah, whatever it is we move on to, fun or pleasure should be a main feature.
Availability and price are problems, however I have no qualms with finding magnet links for .cbr files of them or the like. They're always available, but again who knows if it will bring people in. I'll make a post soon and get a feel for what the people think.
I wouldn't mind; there are some interesting titles on that list we compiled. At this point, I'm out of ideas on how to boost participation. It really seems like the biggest issue is variations in reading speed, followed by remembering to actually read the book. I get that people have stuff going on though. Especially you student types. That said, I am in the middle of reading something, but if deciding on what to read takes even half as long as it has in the past, it shouldn't pose a problem.
Oh, about the guys that won the Nobel in economics a few years ago, right? That seemed like a really interesting story, I'll have to take a look. Secret War is interesting, probably biased but I haven't gotten too far yet. He writes with clarity.