June 18, 2007

Book Group Woes

OK, I made a mistake. Make that two mistakes. I picked a difficult first book and a terrible, filthy second book.

To those that have been reading Demons, I'm sorry. This book is too long. I'm mired on page 600-something, and I'm still not sure what, if anything, is going on. Demons is no Crime and Punishment, which remains a personal favorite.

To those that have purchased Absurdistan, I'm double sorry. If you started reading it, I'm even more sorry. It should be renamed "Obscene"istan. Don't get me wrong, this was a clever book, but I couldn't tolerate the unnecessary sexual remarks and bathroom humor. After 30 pages, I filed it where it belongs--directly in the trash. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I never would have selected this book had I known how crass it would be.

So, after two resounding failures, let me invite you to join me over the next few months as we read several great books. Here's the list:

July: Brigham Young: American Moses by Leonard Arrington
August: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
September: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion and A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
October: Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
November: The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan

4 comments:

Spencer Davis said...

Take it from those who formed the Book "Slashie" Art Club, and not the other way around. You can't go wrong with coming of age romances, though they do tend to break your heart.

Ian said...

I finally put Demons down as well, though I didn't make it as far as you did. I found that I was avoiding reading, which is never a good sign. That's too bad that other book is so crass. The plot seemed promising.

Mike Blakesley said...

I must say that I second the comment from Darth Spencer about the romances. The plot to Charly also made for some creative interpretive dancing.

Jayme, I see that you are reading A Wizard of Earthsea. It is one of my favorites, despite the fact that a woman wrote it. It is a darker kind of Harry Potter, I think. Not any joviality, but a lot of intriguing details. Just dont tell anyone your "real" name...

Jayme said...

Mike:

I loved the Wizard of Earthsea. Unfortunately, I lent the book to one of my Deacons. As soon as I get it back, I'll write a review. Now I'm reading Les Miserables.