Books!

[undyingking]

It's getting round to new suggestions time at our book group. The way this works is: each person suggests 3-5 books, we vote among those which one we like best, and the winners go on the list to be read during the course of the year.

So, can any of you recommend me some books to suggest? Criteria:

• can be new or old;
• can be finction, non, play, or anything else really;
• should be something I'm likely to find interesting (this will be easier for those of you who know me personally);
• and so are the rest of the group, who are quite a mix of types, ages, etc;
• shouldn't be deep-genre, ie. relying on existing knowledge of genre for enjoyment -- but fringe-genre is fine;
• must be readily available in paperback in the UK;
• not too long, people get antsy over about 400 pages;
• in English (although can be a translation of course);
• probably some other things I haven't thought of.

Any ideas?

Comments

[pmcray.livejournal.com]

Anything by Michael Frayn, but especially "Towards the End of Morning", "Headlong" and especially "Sweet Dreams".

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Spookily enough we did Headlong last year (and much enjoyed it), but alas we're not really supposed to repeat an author again so soon.

[pmcray.livejournal.com]

Anything by Evelyn Waugh then, but especially "The Loved One", "Decline and Fall" or a "A Handful of Dust".

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Mm, good idea, Decline and Fall in particular should go down well.

[bibliogirl.livejournal.com]

If you want something a bit unusual, how about Naguib Mahfouz's _Respected Sir_? (Bonus points if any of your members are civil servants.)

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Aha, yes, that sounds just the ticket, thanks!

[bibliogirl.livejournal.com]

I was going to say I'd lend you my copy to have a look at first, but unfortunately it's on the bookshelf now rendered inaccessible by a ludicrously large pile of wooden flooring. Oh well...

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

It seems to be reasonably available.

[bibliogirl.livejournal.com]

Cool. Actually, I might pick up a copy of that edition for myself, as I don't have the other two works -- mine's a stand-alone copy that I bought in Egypt (she posed)

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Get you! ;-)

[cuthbertcross.livejournal.com]

Hey Nostradamus by Douglas Coupland- about the aftermath long-term of a couple seperated by a highschool massacre (she was shot, he wasn't.) Interesting.

Return from the Stars by Stanislaw lem. Really great fringe scifi, about a man who is an astronaut...when he gets back from his 3 month spaceflight the rest of the world is 200 years older and it really shows....

if This Is A Man by Primo Levi. Damn depressing stuff, but fascinating. About the author's experiences as a chemist inside Auschwitz.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Even spookierly enough, Hey Nostradamus was the one book I'd come up with myself so far (as my sister gave me it for Christmas, and I've just finished reading it). Thanks for the other suggestions! -- I suspect If This Is a Man might be a bit depressing to win the popular vote, but no harm trying.

[glittertigger]

I would second the suggestion of If This Is a Man. It really is fascinating and is one of the few books I have re-read.

[secondhand-rick.livejournal.com]

I love finction, me.

Anyway, I'm reading The String of Pearls, which I'm really enjoying, and not just for the way writing has changed, although that alone is fascinating.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Wow, I had no idea that even existed. Excellent! That's going straight on the list.