October 2009
9 posts
Any thoughts on Parts 1 or 2?
Activity is a little light, though I know quite a few of you are reading Hunger. I’ll have a little more to say about part one and then compose my thoughts on part two in the next couple of days. I’ve finished the book already - it’s a short read - and that certainly colors my thoughts on the earlier sections.
Remember, if you want to post your thoughts, comments, or analysis,...
Part 1 - Schrodinger's cat chases himself around...
I like reading pieces written in the first person. It’s often like a guided tour through a story. But what I find interesting here is Hamsun’s twist. Narration usually helps the reader move through a story. The guidance provides context and explanation of an uncharted landscape. But what Hamsun does it not so much narrate a story but an existence. We are forced into HP’s...
Who else is caught up on "Hunger" and wants to...
Hunger, part 1 - PRE-initial impression
readingclub:
Even before I read the first sentence of this book I had already begun contemplating my experience with it. When I arrived at the bookstore shelf I had a choice, not between two covers, but between two translations of the book. The feeling that overtook me was familiar, particularly from a re-reading of one of Kundera’s books a few years ago that had been re-translated. I felt a bit...
Hunger, part 1 - PRE-initial impression
Even before I read the first sentence of this book I had already begun contemplating my experience with it. When I arrived at the bookstore shelf I had a choice, not between two covers, but between two translations of the book. The feeling that overtook me was familiar, particularly from a re-reading of one of Kundera’s books a few years ago that had been re-translated. I felt a bit...
Reminder on submissions
If you’ve got some thoughts on the first part of Hunger, please submit them here. Let’s get a good dialog going.
Hunger, part 1 - initial impression
I finished the first part at lunch today and want to take a day or so to let some of my thinking crystallize before saying much, but I wanted to share a few first thoughts.
What strikes me most about the book is how modern the protagonist feels despite being written 120 years ago. I know this guy; we all know this guy. Today he’d be drinking PBRs and posting sporadically to his highly...
For reading/discussing this week
Let’s plan to get through part 1 of Hunger this week. That should be a reasonable length for everyone, provides a clean breaking point, and will give us plenty to discuss.
Our first book for the reading club is...
Voting is closed! The winner is…
No. Lemme show you the voting first. And let me tell you how nice it is to be the last to vote. :)
I included every book selection made but one - the Bible1 - including books I had no interest in reading and books I’d already read and disliked quite a bit. I’m administering this tumblog but I’m not in charge. This is a free forum. Of...
September 2009
5 posts
Final Book Ballot →
Voting closes tomorrow. Tomorrow night, I’ll tally the votes, stuff the box, and give you a completely transparent accounting of the results. If you have a book preference, speak now (or, you know, before tomorrow night) or forever hold your peas.
Final Book Ballot →
Another reminder that voting closes this Wednesday. So if you want to participate and don’t want to read that book1, vote, vote, vote.
1 For all values of that.
Final Book Ballot →
Don’t forget to go pick your top three book choices. Voting’s open until next Wednesday and we’ll start reading the Monday after.
Final Book Ballot
Sorry for the delay but vacation was quickly followed by new software launch and many, many extra hours at work. I’m just digging out now.
Anyway, here is the list of candidate books. If you want to read along, answer back with your top three choices in ranked order. So if your first choice is Herzog, second choice Infinite Jest, and third choice Tropic of Cancer, simply reply to the...
Update with current book suggestions
It’s been a week, so I thought I’d keep everyone updated with the current list of book suggestions and a reminder to pipe in with any others you’d like to see us consider for our first read. We’ve gotten a few really excellent suggestions, which in turn inspired me to tack a few more on the end. I figure we’ll give it the rest of this week for people to suggest some...
August 2009
2 posts
Book Club: New and Improved with Question Power
I’ve launched a sub-Tumblr we can use as a communal space for an online book club. I figure we’ll start in two or three weeks so we’ll have time to get the word out and everyone will have time to get the book we’re going to read and finish up any books still in progress.
The blog takes submissions, so anyone who wants to say something about each week’s reading can...
Tumblr Book Club
Okay. I have no idea what we should read, when we should start, or how badly this is all going to fall apart. I predict we’ll get most of the way through one book and start to lose people to real life commitments. As for a second book…well…that would be a nice surprise. :)
Anyway, reblog this for others to see and please answer with a few book suggestions.
My one recommendation is that we not...