Welcome to the inaugural B&B Book Club!
Those interested in joining the book club should select a book to read jointly and serially, and be prepared to participate in discussions of the book as we progress through it. Once a book is selected, the discussion leader for that book will post a reading schedule consisting of a chapter or so each week. The discussion circle would then read the scheduled selection and comment and discuss, continuing through the book as though it were being published serially.
Below, I have put forth a few suggestions about which book we could start with initially. My approach would be to proceed through the selected book at the rate of about 10 pages per week.
There is no need to restrict the book club discussion groups to just a single such group. There could be several such groups going simultaneously, each with a different book selection, and with different participants in each group.
If you would like to sign up for a discussion group on one of the three suggestions I have put forth below, post in this thread along with your preferred book. Or suggest a book of your own. I would want to see at least 3 people sign up for one of the suggestions before the group would start.
Note that I have avoided the overly long ("War and Peace") as well as the overtly political ("Atlas Shrugged") in the suggestions below.
My personal selection from the list below is #3 ("A New England Girlhood"). I would think this book, an important source for early American childhood, might appeal to anyone who has or had children or, for that matter, anyone who grew up in America or elsewhere around the world.
Let's see if this idea has legs. Here are my suggestions
1) Willa Cather, "MY ANTONIA"
The story of a pioneer woman on a Nebraska homestead in the late 19th century. (Approx. 250 pages, allow 4-6 months)
2) H.G. Wells, "THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU"
Science fiction story of a mad scientist who attempts to turn animals into human beings on an isolated island. (Approx 100 pages, allow 10 weeks)
3) Lucy Larcom, "A NEW ENGLAND GIRLHOOD"
Autobiographical sketch of a young girl's experiences growing up and working in the mills of Lowell, Massachusetts in the early 19th century. This book is available as a free download at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2293/2293-h/2293-h.html (124 pages in the HTML version, allow 12 weeks)
Those interested in joining the book club should select a book to read jointly and serially, and be prepared to participate in discussions of the book as we progress through it. Once a book is selected, the discussion leader for that book will post a reading schedule consisting of a chapter or so each week. The discussion circle would then read the scheduled selection and comment and discuss, continuing through the book as though it were being published serially.
Below, I have put forth a few suggestions about which book we could start with initially. My approach would be to proceed through the selected book at the rate of about 10 pages per week.
There is no need to restrict the book club discussion groups to just a single such group. There could be several such groups going simultaneously, each with a different book selection, and with different participants in each group.
If you would like to sign up for a discussion group on one of the three suggestions I have put forth below, post in this thread along with your preferred book. Or suggest a book of your own. I would want to see at least 3 people sign up for one of the suggestions before the group would start.
Note that I have avoided the overly long ("War and Peace") as well as the overtly political ("Atlas Shrugged") in the suggestions below.
My personal selection from the list below is #3 ("A New England Girlhood"). I would think this book, an important source for early American childhood, might appeal to anyone who has or had children or, for that matter, anyone who grew up in America or elsewhere around the world.
Let's see if this idea has legs. Here are my suggestions
1) Willa Cather, "MY ANTONIA"
The story of a pioneer woman on a Nebraska homestead in the late 19th century. (Approx. 250 pages, allow 4-6 months)
2) H.G. Wells, "THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU"
Science fiction story of a mad scientist who attempts to turn animals into human beings on an isolated island. (Approx 100 pages, allow 10 weeks)
3) Lucy Larcom, "A NEW ENGLAND GIRLHOOD"
Autobiographical sketch of a young girl's experiences growing up and working in the mills of Lowell, Massachusetts in the early 19th century. This book is available as a free download at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2293/2293-h/2293-h.html (124 pages in the HTML version, allow 12 weeks)