Hello there! I hope your week has been lovely. This has been one of those weeks for me where reading slid off the radar. I think the only reading I did was a few chapters a night before bed. There’s no good reason for it, just my brain needing a break I suppose, although I did spend every night watching the Australian Open and that cut into my reading time. I’m about half-way through several books including The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine which is my book group book that we’ll discuss on Thursday. Of course, this one is my first priority right now. It’s a good thing that it is very funny with quirky, realistic characters – and a modern spin on Sense & Sensibility. It is fascinating to see how Schine reinterprets the classic Jane Austen story.
At work I put in a proposal to start a ‘Big Book Discussion’. My idea is to take one chunky book like Anna Karenina or War & Peace and read (and discuss) it over three or four months. I don’t know if any library patrons will be into it, but I’m going to give it a shot and see what happens. We have several successful book groups at the library and a lot of adventurous readers so I’m optimistic that at least a few people will join in. If you have any suggestions for chunksters that would be good for discussion, please let me know!
Enjoy your Sunday!
A Certain Fondness 
I really enjoyed Schine’s modern retelling of Sense and Sensibility! Hoping to get to her new novel, Fin & Lady, soon.
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I’m loving Schine’s book! And I adored Fin & Lady – she is becoming a favorite.
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I enjoyed it also. What about The Brothers Karamazov? Dickens? Wolf Hall?
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All great suggestions, Cynthia – thank you!
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I think that’s a great idea about the chunksters – I certainly need a lot of motivation to start and support to continue what can be a very long journey-type read. Enjoy your week!
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I think I would read more big books if I had someone to read them with so I hope others feel the same.
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What about James Michener? I’ve just come across episodes of the Centennial mini-series, playing on TV, and though it seems very different from the book I remember, it did make me want to pick it up again. Depending on their tolerance for gore, there is also Lonesome Dove, if you want to read American.
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I never would have thought of either Michener or Lonesome Dove, so thank you! I think Lonesome Dove might be interesting since it’s about the West and cattle drives and such and would fit in here in Arizona.
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I think that’s a brilliant idea and I hope people join. Cynthia’s idea of Dickens is a good one, and Vanity Fair could make an interesting discussion.
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I hope so too, Charlie! I think the first meeting will be at the end of March and I’ll let you all know how it goes. I do think Dickens will be up first – probably Bleak House.
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There are many by Dickens that would work, as well as Middlemarch by George Eliot. If you want something contemporary, The Goldfinch is 800 pages long. What a great idea! I hope it takes off. Please let us know how you like your book club book.
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I would love to read The Goldfinch with a group – maybe we’ll do it later in the year when its popularity has waned and there will be copies available. Middlemarch would also be fantastic – thank you!
I will let you know how we liked The Three Weissmanns of Westport.
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