NationStates Jolt Archive

With the success that the political parties had I thought why not have a NS book club? Most of you seem to have decent taste in books and read on at least a 4th grade reading level so why not start one? We'd all pick a book to read then a week or two later we'd discuss it! So whos with me?

Can I be President of the Book Club?

Absolutely. I'm in.

Plus, for my English class we have to do "free reading", so it would help quite a bit with that.

Can I be President of the Book Club?

Maybe. I dont know what you would do but maybe I could think of something after more people show interest.

Well, anyway, I'm in.

Well, anyway, I'm in.

Hooray!

Hooray!

Yes, now that I'm here, you have legitimacy. You arn't seen as a fringe, ultra left-wing revolutionary book club now. :D

Dissonant Cognition recommends the following:

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Brave New World Revisited by Aldous Huxley
Island by Aldous Huxley
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
Like a Splinter in Your Mind: The Philosophy Behind The Matrix Trilogy by Matt Lawrence
The Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet by James Mann
On Liberty by John Stuart Mill
Should We Consent To Be Governed?: A Short Introduction To Political Philosophy by Stephen Nathanson
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith

Dissonant Cognition recommends the following:

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Brave New World Revisited by Aldous Huxley
Island by Aldous Huxley
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
Like a Splinter in Your Mind: The Philosophy Behind The Matrix Trilogy by Matt Lawrence
The Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet by James Mann
On Liberty by John Stuart Mill
Should We Consent To Be Governed: A Short Introduction To Political Philosophy by Stephen Nathanson
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
A Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith

Good choices, incidently I've read most of those. Does this mean you're interested?

Because of the insane reading load at University, and the waist-high stack of books I intend to read on my floor, I can't say I'l read the book.
But I'll be happy to talk about it if I've read it already, or better yet, simply have an ignorant opinion.

Island by Aldous Huxley

If one book is guaranteed to have me cheering on the barbarians at the gate, then this is the one. Possibly the most interminably dull and lifeless utopian work I've ever had the misfortune to subject upon myself.

im in. ;)

one of my favs is Watership Down.

I'm in.

Hey, has anyone read 'The Curious Incident of the Dog at Nighttime?' It's really a facinating book.

Maybe we can start with the odyssey, since im about to do a novel study on it... if so then im definatley in!

This is a good idea. I would join, but I haven't the time right now.

Maybe we can start with the odyssey, since im about to do a novel study on it... if so then im definatley in!

i vote for the odyssey too. i just started it, im only in book 2. that would be a great choice i think...

If one book is guaranteed to have me cheering on the barbarians at the gate, then this is the one. Possibly the most interminably dull and lifeless utopian work I've ever had the misfortune to subject upon myself.

I don't look at Island as some sort of utopian blueprint, but rather as a work that asks one simple question: "Why?" In Brave New World, Huxley describes a society where things like sex, drugs, collectivism, science, and industrialization are put to evil purposes. In Brave New World these things are intended to control and destroy the individual. In Island, however, these exact same things are intended to be used to liberate and edify the individual. Overall, the message seem to me to be that, in and of themselves, sex, drugs, collectivism, science and industrialization are neither good or bad. They simply are. What is important is how they are employed by society, and why they are employed by society. Island implores us to never stop critically analyzing why or for what purpose our society acts ("Attention! Attention!"), and Brave New World shows us what happens when we do stop critically analyzing.

i vote for the odyssey too. i just started it, im only in book 2. that would be a great choice i think...
And its even on my English lecture reading list! perfect!

I reccomend Catch-22 by Joseph Heller -possibly the funniest, most ironic parody every written.

I don't know how often I'd have time for it, but I'd be up to discussing any books that I do happen to read. I might be crazy, but I'd say that my favorite book is Anna Karenina . Anyone else into Tolstoy?

i vote for the odyssey too. i just started it, im only in book 2. that would be a great choice i think...
yah thats 2 for odyssey

I'd like to join, but I don't know if I'd have time to read every book. I certainly couldn't do Anna Karenina in 2 weeks -- I've got a job. I'm guessing it would be a mix of fiction and non-fiction?

I'd like to join, but I don't know if I'd have time to read every book. I certainly couldn't do Anna Karenina in 2 weeks -- I've got a job. I'm guessing it would be a mix of fiction and non-fiction?

Yeah... I hadn't really thought about the timeframe. I did read it in two weeks, but it was in the last two weeks of summer vacation and I had to have a report written on it by the first day of school. I certainly leanred a lesson in procrastination there. Anyway, Tolstoy did have some shorter works that I'd be interested in reading. On another note, I would be interested reading both fiction and non-fiction.

I'm in.

Hey, has anyone read 'The Curious Incident of the Dog at Nighttime?' It's really a facinating book.

yep and I agree. great book.

yah thats 2 for odyssey
Bleh. Been there, done that... atleast twice.

I'm in if I've got the time.

My suggestions would be:

Les miserables (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0140444300/qid=1126680034/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl14/104-4465500-7724749?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) by Victor Hugo
Blindness (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0156007754/qid=1126680085/sr=8-2/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2_xgl14/104-4465500-7724749?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) by Jose Saramago
Kitchen (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0671880187/qid=1126680130/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/104-4465500-7724749?v=glance&s=books) by Banana Yoshimoto
The monument (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0436256738/qid=1126680221/sr=1-12/ref=sr_1_12/104-4465500-7724749?v=glance&s=books) by Erich Loest
Brother of sleep (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0879515953/qid=1126680321/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-4465500-7724749?v=glance&s=books) by Robert Schneider
Foucault's Pendulum (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0345368754/qid=1126680360/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/104-4465500-7724749?v=glance&s=books) by Umberto Eco

Those are among the most amazing books I read so far in my life..

This could be interesting, though currently I have a few book I have to read anyway, so I am constrained by that. Unless somebody wants to discuss Revolutionary Europe by G. Rudé that is :(

Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco

I second that!

(Mainly because I have read it a few times already)

This could be interesting, though currently I have a few book I have to read anyway, so I am constrained by that. Unless somebody wants to discuss Revolutionary Europe by G. Rudé that is :(



I second that!

(Mainly because I have read it a few times already)

It's been a few years since I last read it, but I remember being absolutely fascinated by the gripping story and challenging read.

At the moment I'm trying to fit The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky into my schedule, though with Quantum Mechanics and Statistical Mechanics, it's getting rough.

:bump:

Dissonant Cognition recommends the following:

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Brave New World Revisited by Aldous Huxley
Island by Aldous Huxley
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
Like a Splinter in Your Mind: The Philosophy Behind The Matrix Trilogy by Matt Lawrence
The Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet by James Mann
On Liberty by John Stuart Mill
Should We Consent To Be Governed?: A Short Introduction To Political Philosophy by Stephen Nathanson
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith
What?! Youre such a Heinlein fan and didnt include "Stranger in a strange land? You philistine!!! :mad:

I'd like to do this- but perhaps you could choose shorter, more accessible novels?

And I do mean novels, :)

If you happen to chose a book I can actually find in a luxembourgish library, I'm in. By the way: do I have to read the book in english or may I choose betweem different languages?

I'd like to do this- but perhaps you could choose shorter, more accessible novels?

And I do mean novels, :)
Good point. Nobody is going to read Karamazov in 2 weeks. Should we set an optimum length?

It could prove to be too much of a pain, but we could even break bigger books down. Read 200 pages of Karamazov in two weeks or something more manageable like that. Ultimately though, I think that it should come down to what people want to be reading. I guess what I'm saying is that if there is interest, there is no reason why we shouldn't at least give a bigger book a try sometime.

This thread has earned the Smokey Stamp of Approval for being very unlikely to start a forum fire.

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And as always...

http://img209.exs.cx/img209/2807/pd834lg5kv.jpg

Remember kids, only you can prevent forum fires.

It could prove to be too much of a pain, but we could even break bigger books down. Read 200 pages of Karamazov in two weeks or something more manageable like that. Ultimately though, I think that it should come down to what people want to be reading. I guess what I'm saying is that if there is interest, there is no reason why we shouldn't at least give a bigger book a try sometime.
Yes, that's good, but we wouldn't want to find ourselves parsing out one book for 6 months at a time. At least, I wouldn't. ;)

Why not just find a book, put like a chapter every night or two and hold discussion the following day?

Why not just find a book, put like a chapter every night or two and hold discussion the following day?
I'm pretty new to NS, but even I've sussed -- this is NS General!! It's not the length of the books, it's the crazy, wild, never-ending spirals of discussion we have to worry about. Sure, we could do Bleak House followed by The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, but if we set an *optimal* (not required length) maybe (??) we might actually finish one?

Muravyets:

You do have a good point here about actually finishing a book. Maybe we could set a target of something like 300 pages to get things started. If this thing really takes off or a few dedicated people want to read the longest book ever written then they can start their own thread. idk... just some thoughts I had.

Good idea, I'm interested, but tell me this my boy, how would the fortnightly 'meet' work? More importantly, in the time honered tradition of book groups, how would the wine guzzling work?

Bump:, Im going to try to add a list of members later tonight and maybe we can pick out a book to start reading. Sorry I havent been posting much here but ive had lots of work to do.

Members List
Greater Valia
The South Islands
Vetalia
Secluded Islands
Ravea
M3rcenaries
Kreitzmoorland
Squirrel Brothers
Muntoo
Paradiesonearth

Ok, this is the list of people that I came up with from their posts that I deduced were interested in participating in the book club.

Now to answer some questions...

Good idea, I'm interested, but tell me this my boy, how would the fortnightly 'meet' work? More importantly, in the time honered tradition of book groups, how would the wine guzzling work?

Originally I had it planned that I (or we) would spend some time discussing some books to read then we would pick one and then in one to two weeks (depending on length of book) we would start a thread and discuss it.

Muravyets:

You do have a good point here about actually finishing a book. Maybe we could set a target of something like 300 pages to get things started. If this thing really takes off or a few dedicated people want to read the longest book ever written then they can start their own thread. idk... just some thoughts I had.

For our first book I was thinking of something like 100 years in Solitude. But maybe we should start off with smaller books first. Maybe Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451, 1984, Blood Meridian, The Rat, or some other relatively short book would be better as our first read. Then when the club has been established we could read something like Cryptonomicon or War and Peace.

Why not just find a book, put like a chapter every night or two and hold discussion the following day?

This is a great idea. If this is ok with everyone else then I'd like to hold our discussions in this format.

If you happen to chose a book I can actually find in a luxembourgish library, I'm in. By the way: do I have to read the book in english or may I choose betweem different languages?

It is my intention to have this club be as accessible as possible to all members of NS general. I dont care if you can find a copy of whatever we're reading in German (or whatever you speak there) but you must be able to speak English for the discussions.

I don't know how often I'd have time for it, but I'd be up to discussing any books that I do happen to read. I might be crazy, but I'd say that my favorite book is Anna Karenina . Anyone else into Tolstoy?

Squirrel Brothers makes a good point. If you have read the book we are reading for the week (or month) but are not a member of the club then feel free to post anyways as long as you contribute something to the discussion.

If anyone has any other questions then please feel free to tg me and I will try to answer your questions as soon as possible. Eventually I would like to get your email's so communication will be easier.

I want to be president, so I can begin my devious plots for world domination.

All under the guise of the NS Book Club.

Muahahahahahahahahahaha!

EDIT: How abouts we start with 1984? There are so many references made to it, people should really understand what they mean.

Buahahahahahahaaha

I want to be president, so I can begin my devious plots for world domination.

All under the guise of the NS Book Club.

Muahahahahahahahahahaha!

Done! You are merely a figurehead though! :p

Erm... As my first executive order, as president of the NS book club, I declair we read 1984.

Yeah, power GOOD!

Erm... As my first executive order, as president of the NS book club, I declair we read 1984.

Yeah, power GOOD!

Sounds good! Anyone else wanna ratify this?

Sounds good! Anyone else wanna ratify this?

I can see them on my telescreen...

Because of the insane reading load at University, and the waist-high stack of books I intend to read on my floor, I can't say I'l read the book.
But I'll be happy to talk about it if I've read it already, or better yet, simply have an ignorant opinion.

Same here. Thankfully, it's just textbooks from school I've to read, no books from school. I do have a self-assigned reading list, though, so I'll chime in when/if I'm able.

sounds like fun.......we should read 1421 the year that the chinese discovered america

sounds like fun.......we should read 1421 the year that the chinese discovered america

Thats a good book.

Erm... As my first executive order, as president of the NS book club, I declair we read 1984.

Yeah, power GOOD!

i was born in 1984...

My only issue with breaking books down by chapter for discussion is that later chapters might change our opinions of earlier chapters. Also, in novels, it would be difficult to get into plot and character development if we haven't finished the book yet. Super big books, we can discuss in progress, but in general, I'd rather finish the book first.

Also, if non-members who've read the books can participate, what's the point of being a "member"? Do members only get to suggest books? Or is it just a badge of intellectual superiority? :p

It might not be bad to have members only suggest books. Otherwise, we might get overwhelmed with too many suggestions.

Also, if non-members who've read the books can participate, what's the point of being a "member"? Do members only get to suggest books? Or is it just a badge of intellectual superiority? :p

It might not be bad to have members only suggest books. Otherwise, we might get overwhelmed with too many suggestions.

Yes, only members can participate in the selection process, in addition to that, being a member has other advantages such as being able to put that you're a member in your sig. and the feeling of intellectual superiority over the non-members.

Yes, only members can participate in the selection process, in addition to that, being a member has other advantages such as being able to put that you're a member in your sig. and the feeling of intellectual superiority over the non-members.
Oh, yes, excellent. Well done. :D

I haven't read 1984 in quite a while, so I would agree with that choice.

1984 sounds good to me... when do we start?

excellent I have to do an essay on the techniques in it for my english exam. we got to choose a book we hadn't read out of a list. anyway, why did you think i didn't want to be in the book club?

The Tommyknockers - Stephen King
The Discworld Series - Terry Pratchett
The Bookseller of Kabul -Asne Seierstad
The Christmas Box - Richard Paul Evans
School is Hell - Matt Groening

My recommendations. :D

-Asylum Nova

PS: If you can't tell, I'm in. ^^

The Tommyknockers - Stephen King
The Discworld Series - Terry Pratchett
The Bookseller of Kabul -Asne Seierstad
The Christmas Box - Richard Paul Evans
School is Hell - Matt Groening

My recommendations. :D

-Asylum Nova

PS: If you can't tell, I'm in. ^^

*lol
You can't be seriously suggesting to read the entire Discworld series in a book club? That's 30 books at the moment...

I'm okay with 1984, although we've just read it in class last year....
And I wouldn't mind reading some disc-novels.. ;)
And if you want to read something nice, but not too difficult, I'd suggest any book by Marc Levy. Unfortunately I can't tell you the english titles of his books, as I've only read them in french (sept jours pour une éternité, la prochaine fois, si c'était vrai...)

Ok, its official. The book for the first meeting will be 1984. Since its not a terribly long book I expect all of you to have it read within two weeks at the maximum.

Hey a book club is a fantastic idea. Where do I sign up?


I love books, but never have as much time to read them as I would like.

I highly recommed
The course of honour-Lynsay Davis
Fact/Fictional book based on the events of the reign of the Emperor Vespation
Burnt Alive-Sau'd
True story based on the life of a woman subjected to honour crimes
Wicked, the life and times of the wicked which of the west-can't remember
The title explains it all!

Wild Swans
Watermelon-Marian Keys
Pride and Prejudice
Whuthering Heights
The Ivy Cronicles

I a rake more but I can't remember the titles.

I forgot to mention terry prachet! :eek:
I love Carpe Jugulum

How 'bout we do 1984 and Brave New World and compare the two?

How 'bout we do 1984 and Brave New World and compare the two?

Been there, done that. And Brave New World looks really bad in that comparison, both from a literally and logical structure perspective...

Hey a book club is a fantastic idea. Where do I sign up?


I love books, but never have as much time to read them as I would like.

I highly recommed
The course of honour-Lynsay Davis
Fact/Fictional book based on the events of the reign of the Emperor Vespation
Burnt Alive-Sau'd
True story based on the life of a woman subjected to honour crimes
Wicked, the life and times of the wicked which of the west-can't remember
The title explains it all!

Wild Swans
Watermelon-Marian Keys
Pride and Prejudice
Whuthering Heights
The Ivy Cronicles

I a rake more but I can't remember the titles.

I forgot to mention terry prachet! :eek:
I love Carpe Jugulum

Why is it that you can almost always and with great certainty tell the gender of the reader by the selected books?
;)

ooh my List

Idle thoughs of Idle person - Jerome K Jerome

Three Men in a boat -Jerome K Jerome

Three men on a Bummel- Jerome K Jerome

Odds and Gods - Tom Holt

Biggles of Fighter Squadron- Captain W.E. Johns

King Solomons Mines- H Ryder Haggard

Ok, its official. The book for the first meeting will be 1984. Since its not a terribly long book I expect all of you to have it read within two weeks at the maximum.

So you would start a thread on the 2nd of October to discuss the book?

So you would start a thread on the 2nd of October to discuss the book?

Yes, and BUMP. When I get home from school later today I will most likely start a new thread where I will have a listing for the books we will be reading as well as members, and other information regarding the club. Be sure to have read the book by the second of October. For those of you who have shown interest in the club since I last posted in the new thread tonight I will have you listed as members. If you have any other questions you can send me a tg, or contact me through AIM (ID: Florgenblorken) or MSN (Greater_Valia@hotmail.com).

In conclusion I would like to say thank you to all of you who have shown an interest the club.

Damn Neo-con literature!

Read the communist manifesto. Much better than this shit.

I'm probably going to be lynched for saying this...

I highly recommend any of the Halo books that are out right now, First Strike in particular. I don't give a damn if it was based off of a video game it was a good read.

Damn Neo-con literature!

Read the communist manifesto. Much better than this shit.

I personally thought it was rather droll... Not much good for anything other than a few laughs and a quaint look at such outdated 19th century political ideals like Communism, or Imperialism.

Been there, done that. And Brave New World looks really bad in that comparison, both from a literally and logical structure perspective...

Heck, it makes more sense to look at Zamyatin's We and 1984 than Orwell and Huxley - after all Orwell himself admitted that he based most of his novel off the Russian piece.

I'm probably going to be lynched for saying this...

Yup. I've got the rope, and I'm just waiting on the rest of the bedraggled posse to show their heads...

Heck, it makes more sense to look at Zamyatin's We and 1984 than Orwell and Huxley - after all Orwell himself admitted that he based most of his novel off the Russian piece.

Wow! You read We too? I thought it was much better than a Brave New World and right up there with 1984 (maybe even better imo). I was thinking that after we're done with 1984 we could give We a try if everyone isnt tired of dystopian fiction by then! :P

Quite a few dystopian books mentioned.
Has anyone read "We" by Yevgeny Zamyatin?

I'd like to do this- but perhaps you could choose shorter, more accessible novels?
And I do mean novels, :)
Lincoln by Gore Vidal?

Ok, its official. The book for the first meeting will be 1984. Since its not a terribly long book I expect all of you to have it read within two weeks at the maximum.
May I suggest an alternative? Those of you who have read "1984" should read "Homage to Catalonia" by *ahem* Eric Blair. You might find yourself going "AHA!"

How about the Holy Bible? I'm in if we read the Holy Bible. Not that i'm a christian I just want to see what all the fuss is about.

Wow! You read We too? I thought it was much better than a Brave New World and right up there with 1984 (maybe even better imo). I was thinking that after we're done with 1984 we could give We a try if everyone isnt tired of dystopian fiction by then! :P
Whoops. I really should try to *ahem* read the entire thread before posting... :headbang:

Whoops. I really should try to *ahem* read the entire thread before posting... :headbang:

Don't worry about it. Happens to the best of us! :D

How about the Holy Bible? I'm in if we read the Holy Bible. Not that i'm a christian I just want to see what all the fuss is about.

Erm... no. I'm a Christian but the Bible is far too long for us to read. If you are genuinely interested about it go read it yourself or find a good forum for discussion of the Bible as literature. (yes literature, as in fiction)

I'm in.

Hey, has anyone read 'The Curious Incident of the Dog at Nighttime?' It's really a facinating book.

You piqued my interest. I've got it in my basket for the next time I do an Amazon.com order... :)

I'm probably going to be lynched for saying this...

I highly recommend any of the Halo books that are out right now, First Strike in particular. I don't give a damn if it was based off of a video game it was a good read.

I've never played HALO but Amazon recommended the books to me based on my sci-fi interests.

I'm not goingto lynch you for it... they are good books. Very good sci-fi space opera in my opinion.

:cool:

Here are some suggestions:

Syrup by Max Barry (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0140291873/ref=pd_ir_imp16/104-4101420-3931952?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance)

Light reading, unique and quirky! Personally I liked this better than Jennifer Government.

The Truth Machine by James Halperin (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0345412885/ref=pd_ir_imp73/104-4101420-3931952?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance)

What if you simply could not tell a lie anymore? It would be immediately detected. How would that change society? Interesting story and questions.

The First Immortal by James Halperin (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0345420926/ref=pd_ir_imp72/104-4101420-3931952?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance)

"A family saga spanning 200 years. The catch is that most of the relatives remain on the scene throughout this whole time period, or show up again by the end. This remarkable feat is accomplished through cryogenics, the science of freezing a person in liquid nitrogen shortly before death, with the hope of resurrection at some later date. Ben Smith, born in 1925, marries his high school sweetheart, fathers four children, and becomes an advocate of cryogenics. After his "death," his children squabble among themselves and institute a suit against the estate in an attempt to unfreeze both their father's body and his assets. Each new period is introduced by what reads like a CNN clip of current news through the year 2125. The scientific ideas and possibilities presented capture the imagination, and YAs are sure to ponder and question the images with which they are left. What happens to the soul? Would anyone want to clone dead parents and raise them as their children? How is immortality to be lived?"


The Genesis Code by John Case (Very DaVinci Codesque) (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0345422317/ref=pd_ir_imp74/104-4101420-3931952?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance)

If you liked DaVinci Code, I think you'll like this - very similar style book. Not the same story though, don't worry. Totally different plot, same style and settings though.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0812550706/ref=pd_ir_imp110/104-4101420-3931952?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance)

One of the better all time science fiction books with a twist at the end. Sets up nearly a dozen follow up books by Card, who is an outstanding writer. This book is his masterpiece though, and stands alone just fine.

Inherit The Stars by James Hogan (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0345257049/ref=pd_ir_imp68/104-4101420-3931952?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance)

"The man on the moon was dead. They called him Charlie. He had big eyes, abundant body hair and fairly long nostrils. His skeletal body was found clad in a bright red spacesuit, hidden in a rocky grave. They didn't know who he was, how he got there, or what had killed him. All they knew was that his corpse was 50,000 years old -- and that meant that this man had somehow lived long before he ever could have existed!"

Anthem by Ayn Rand (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0451191137/qid=1127255893/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-4101420-3931952?v=glance&s=books)

"Ayn Rand's Anthem is a short dystopic novel about a man who escapes a society from which all individuality has been squeezed. (The book was published in 1938, a decade before Orwell's 1984.) Anthem provides a good introduction to Rand's philosophy of "objectivism," which is built on individuality, freedom, and reason. Paul Meier is an excellent choice for the novel's first-person narrator--he manages to maintain an urgency in his voice, pleading but never whining, mirroring the main character's struggle against his totalitarian world."

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand - SERIOUS READING ALERT (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0451191145/qid=1127255910/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-4101420-3931952?v=glance&s=books)

"With this acclaimed work and its immortal query, "Who is John Galt?", Ayn Rand found the perfect artistic form to express her vision of existence. Atlas Shrugged made Rand not only one of the most popular novelists of the century, but one of its most influential thinkers.

Atlas Shrugged is the astounding story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world--and did. Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged stretches the boundaries further than any book you have ever read. It is a mystery, not about the murder of a man's body, but about the murder--and rebirth--of man's spirit.

* Atlas Shrugged is the "second most influential book for Americans today" after the Bible, according to a joint survey conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club."

Why is it that you can almost always and with great certainty tell the gender of the reader by the selected books?
;)

Really? You think?

The texts I would nominate would be:

Sheri S Tepper "The Gate to Women's Country" and "Singer From the Sea"
Anne McCaffrey "Restoree" and "The Crystal Singer"
Sharon Shinn "Heart of Gold"
Robin McKinley "Deerskin"
Margaret Atwood "The Handmaid's Tale"
Isaac Asimov "The Foundation Trilogy"
Frank Herbert "Dune"
William Shakespeare "Romeo and Juliet" and "Macbeth".

Would that tell you my gender "with great certainty"?

(I'd go for membership if I were not so insanely busy, right about now...)

I already belong to a book club that meets once a month to discuss an agreed upon book in the back of a small bookstore and it's great. Almost all the books i've read for said club are ones' i never would have read otherwise and most of them i've enjoyed. I am willing to let others choose the titles, please no really long ones, so yes i'm in!

Really? You think?

The texts I would nominate would be:

Sheri S Tepper "The Gate to Women's Country" and "Singer From the Sea"
Anne McCaffrey "Restoree" and "The Crystal Singer"
Sharon Shinn "Heart of Gold"
Robin McKinley "Deerskin"
Margaret Atwood "The Handmaid's Tale"
Isaac Asimov "The Foundation Trilogy"
Frank Herbert "Dune"
William Shakespeare "Romeo and Juliet" and "Macbeth".

Would that tell you my gender "with great certainty"?


I'd guess you were a guy from those selections.

Hawkintom']I'd guess you were a guy from those selections.

Really? What is it about Atwood, Tepper and McKinley that screams manliness?

Also - while I think about it... I though it was that Cabra-type-person who said they were good at that gender thing...

(I'd have replied to this thread sooner, if it hadn't 'evaporated' during my brief 'leave of absence'...)

Walks in with beer & donuts.

Hawkintom']You piqued my interest. I've got it in my basket for the next time I do an Amazon.com order... :)

excellent its really good

Why is it that you can almost always and with great certainty tell the gender of the reader by the selected books?
;)

really, ok put every fantasy book on my list and tell if Im a girl or a guy.

A book club eh? Well, I definatley gotta join this, hopefully I'll have enough time to do some reading though.

We should read 1984.