Official TCU Book Club

[anna]

Well, after being temporarily separated from my book - owing to the selfless act I was forced to make! (Whilst visiting my mother in hospital before Christmas she asked me to visit the hospital shop to buy her a Sunday paper - she had been rush into hospital and therefore had no reading material to occupy her time - the shop was closed, being a Sunday, and I therefore begrudgingly, no, selflessly offered her my book - of which I had only read as far as chapter 107, and in which I was extremely engrossed) I was reunited with it last week - perfect timing, as I was myself, a hospital outpatient, and therefore found myself requiring reading material to occupy my time. On this, my second 'flick' I finished the book! It drew me in completely, and like Cedric I found it hard to remember that it had not actually been written by a 15 year old autistic boy. Again and again throughout the book my heart went out to his father. I found it especially heartbreaking that Christopher showed his father absolutely no compassion over the death of his wife - Christopher’s own mother.


If anyone would like to borrow my copy, I'd be more than happy to lend it, just shout. (bearing in mind it was my birthday present from Mr J. and therefore holds sentimental value.)
 

[kimanche]

can you do any of the maths tricks?

(is that the most profound comment about this novel yet?)
 

[marke]

Ok, here are my heartfelt apologies (for starting the Official TCU Book Club and then proceeding to be absent from all our meetings, not to mention missing my night to bring brownies and a beverage).

In explanation, I came up with the idea right in the middle of final review preparations at school (during a forum-break I should not have been taking). Following this, I went on vacation with my family during which time I turned off my cellphone and refused to check email or any websites or really anything that was based upon a system of logic that only involved the binary answers of "yes" or "no" (except my IPod, which (of course) is always excluded from my technology fasts).

But, happily, upon my return to the forum, I found that my abscence had not aversely affected the blooming Book Club (or even been duly noted, for that matter).

So from my obsolecense, I offer my unneeded, but nevertheless heartfelt, apologies.

[unknownperson]

Ok, here are my heartfelt apologies (for starting the Official TCU Book Club and then proceeding to be absent from all our meetings, not to mention missing my night to bring brownies and a beverage).

In explanation, I came up with the idea right in the middle of final review preparations at school (during a forum-break I should not have been taking). Following this, I went on vacation with my family during which time I turned off my cellphone and refused to check email or any websites or really anything that was based upon a system of logic that only involved the binary answers of "yes" or "no" (except my IPod, which (of course) is always excluded from my technology fasts).

But, happily, upon my return to the forum, I found that my abscence had not aversely affected the blooming Book Club (or even been duly noted, for that matter).

So from my obsolecense, I offer my unneeded, but nevertheless heartfelt, apologies.

Who are you again Marke?



ohh yeah

[Nathan]

I should come in on the tail of Marke's apology with an explanation of my own. When I originally read Curious Incident last year, it stood out to me as a fantastic and super-enjoyable book, however I cannot, for the life of me, seem to draw up any specific comments to make on why I so enjoyed it.

It seems that all I am left with in response to this book is an uncanny fog of general positiveness and the ability to keep buying it for friends.

Therefore, if you be so moved, let that be my review and let this, if I be so moved, be a reminder that, if left for a time of longer than 6 months, my review of a book will consist of self-amusing sentence building and an uncanny fog of general fogginess.

And let us, if we be so moved, move on.
 

[Rainfall]

ditto (except the reading was not a year ago but about 6 months-ish)

[Zooey]

I remember The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

The boy in it doesn't understand what these symbols mean:
 :huh:          :lol:  :rolleyes:  <_<    :angry:    :unsure:  :blink:


And neither do I.  The next person that uses one makes my shit list.

[kimbo]

 

[hazyz]

sometimes i have  to look up what they mean i think that   should be a smile instead of a laugh. does anyone know what this means  :ph34r:  

[marke]

It obviously means "ph34r."

[skepticaloptimist]

It obviously means "ph34r."

Which, little known fact, is the chromosomal location of the human gene for literacy...

[Iris]

So, any suggestions on another book to read in our little book club? I'm starting Reading Lolita in Tehran. It's one of those books I kept picking up in bookstores and making a note to myself to buy it sometime because it looked so interesting, so I finally just went ahead and bought it. I also recently read Good Omens and would highly recommend it for some good laughs.

[kimanche]

don't know if anyone else is willing to agree with me, but i'd totally recommend david mitchell. i'm saving ghostwritten for a special occasion, because no9 dream was so good. he does this whole murakami/computer games/magic realism thing (i hate magic realism generally) and it just works so well, i ended up screaming a the book. try tebor fischer too! everyone laughed at me when i said finishing 'under the frog' felt like ending a relationship, but i was really bereft when i was done. and everything else i've read of his has been good too.

 

[marke]

Definitely up for starting Book II in the Book Club. I just started Narcissus and Goldmund by Hesse, but am probably too far along to make it a viable option. David Mitchell sounds v. interesting, as I have not read anything of his before. I've been wanting to read Gravity's Rainbow for awhile now but can't seem to get into it every time I start it. The book club might be a good impetus.

We should get a few more suggestions and then put it up for a poll-vote.

[skepticaloptimist]

I just started Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem, and I'm definitely giving it a nomination... rather than try to summarize it, I'll include only an excerpt to strengthen my case:

The alphabet Miss Poobner taught was represented on the wall above her head by a series of personified cartoonlike letters - Mr. A, Eating an Apple; Mrs. B, Buying a Broom; and so on - and something insipid about the parade of grinning letters defeated Dylan's will utterly.  He sensed that no narrative could be constructed that would make Mr. A and Mrs. B do anything other than Eat an Apple or Buy a Broom and he couldn't bear to drag his eyes along the tow of letters atop the chalkboard to discover what it was  that Mr. L or Mrs. T were doomed to do.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/038...4041320-0845509