The Life of Bon: Y'all ready to get book clubbed?

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Y'all ready to get book clubbed?


Ever since the idea popped in my head two days ago to do a blogging book club I have thought of nothing else.

Okay, that's a lie.  I've thought about a lot of other things like why does it snow so much, how do all my clothes get dirty so fast, ice cream with or without hot fudge?  BUT what I was trying to say is that I'm excited for the idea of a blog book club. Crazy excited. When I first threw the idea out there to the masses in blog land I was almost positive I would get one meager comment back saying, "Uh... yah, I might participate if I have absolutely nothing going on, but you know.  Don't count on it."  I was floored when so many intelligent, thoughtful women replied back, "Freak yah!  Let's get this online book club going!"  And so we shall, ladies!

At first I thought about starting the book club in June when I'm on break and have time to breathe but then I thought for a second and just decided that was one of the stupidest ideas I've had for awhile.  Who wants to wait until June?  Let's get this going now!  February, watch your butts, we're coming for you!

The coolest way to do the book club is definitely to have its members choose the books.  Looks like we've got some decisions to make!  Everybody who wants to can leave a comment on this post suggesting a book(s) that they would want to read for a book club. At the beginning of next week, when we've gotten a good list of books, I will do a blog post with the list of all the potential book club books.  Every reader can then vote for their three favorite books.  But only three.  Don't get greedy with your votes, y'hear?  The top eleven voted books will be our reads for 2013- one book for each month February through December.  Sounds easy enough, right?!?

A couple of things to think about when suggesting books.

a.  Keep it PG-13...ish...  This one's hard to put a strict rule on, but just use your judgment. I am pretty comfortable with the levels of what I read, but so that we can reach as wide an audience as possible let's refrain from heaps of f words and graphic sex scenes.  What I'm trying to say is no trash.  There's a difference in books that may have difficult scenes but have great purpose to them and just plain dirty nonsense.  We don't want none of that.  Sorry, Fifty Shades.  You're for private book clubs that are definitely much spicier than this one. (And yes, I just called Fifty Shades dirty nonsense.  I'm awaiting the blogger outcry.)

b.  Book suggestions should be a good mix between scholarly and entertaining.  I love Shakesepare,  but we're not going to be reading Macbeth around here.  Too tough to hack alone.  On the reverse side, I don't want to read Twilight.  What we want is a good mi- something that will challenge us intellectually but not bore us to tears.

c.  Not too long.  We're only going to have a month to read each book, so I would say not to attempt anything that is more than 400 pages or so.  We don't want to kill ourselves off here.

And now, to start the suggesting off, here are some of my "suggestions"- books I think would be oodles of fun to read and discuss online with smart, sassy women like yourselves.

1. Life of Pi- Loved the movie, been dying to read the book.
2. Glass Castle- Read this probably 8 years ago, a memoir about a child growing up in poverty.  Fast read and thought provoking.
3. A Thousand Spendid Suns- One of my all time faves about repressed women in Afghanistan.  Spicy!
4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close- I heard the movie was super lame, but I love the book.  Very unique way of writing it and told from the viewpoint of a very thoughtful eight year old.
5. The Fault in Our Stars- All I know is I've seen it on a lot of best of lists and I am dying to read it. Apparently it has something to do with cancer and it will make you bawl your eyes out.
6. The God of Small Things  I really know nothing about this book except for that I have heard it was good.
7. Gone Girl-  Again, I have heard it mentioned a lot, but don't know what it is about at all.
8. The Help- One of my favorite books ever.  I would read it again in a heartbeat if this book club forced me to it.
9. Room- I haven't read it, but it's about a lady who is locked up with her kid for a bunch of years.  Or something similar?
10. Sense and Sensibility.  Or some other Jane Austen book.  I haven't attempted Jane Austen since high school.  I hated her then, but am looking to give her a second chance.
11. Five People you Meet in Heaven- By Mitch Albom, who wrote Tuesdays with Morrie.  One of the feel good types of book.
12. We Need to Talk about Kevin- I like the title.

Now it's your turn!   Throw out a couple of suggestions.  And if you like somebody else's suggestion, second it!  The more nods one book gets the more likely that it'll be on the list to choose from for our book club.

Eee gats!, isn't this exciting?  And yes, I'm finding a way to work Eee, gats! into my daily writing escapades.  BE PROUD OF ME, PEOPLE! 

83 comments:

  1. Once you've got a good list happening why don't you use Survey Monkey or something similar to see which is most popular? Very easy to set up.

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  2. I'm in! I've read half of the books you mentioned above! And I loved Cutting for Stone that you pictured!

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  3. I would love to do this! One of my goals for the year is to read at least one book a month, so this would be absolutely perfect. One of my favorite books is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. It is historical fiction aimed at a younger audience but it is so moving and wonderful that it appeals to all.

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  4. Great start!

    I second "We Need to Talk about Kevin"- it came up during a lunch convo at work the other week.

    One of my resolutions was to read 6 non-fiction books during 2013 so I'm not sure if I could participate EVERY month but I would sure love to try!

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  5. We Need to Talk About Kevin is one of my favorites. It might be bordering R-Rated in parts, but it's tastefully done in my opinion. It's SUCH a good book and perfectly timed for a discussion with Sandy Hook and everything. I think the conversations would be very powerful. My very favorite article is Jodi Piccoult and I strongly recommend anything she's written. My favorites are (Second Glance, My Sister's Keeper, The Pact, and Perfect Match) to name just a few. I'd love to participate in book club.

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  6. *author is Jodi Piccoult. Not article! And while I'm at it, another great book is The Wednesday Sisters and Firefly Lane. I've also been wanting to read The Room.

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  7. A few of my favorite fiction books are "The History of Love" and "Ender's Game." If you want to talk non fiction, "The know-it-all" by AJ Jacobs is really good.

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  8. A few of my favorite fiction books are "The History of Love" and "Ender's Game." If you want to talk non fiction, "The know-it-all" by AJ Jacobs is really good.

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  9. LOVED The Fault in Our Stars so so SO much! And loved The Help so much too! All of these suggestions sound really great. Can't wait to see which is chosen :)

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  10. I haven't read any of the books you listed, I attempted Room but just couldn't get on to it. I've seen the film We Need To Talk About Kevin and would definitely be up for reading the book. The Night Circus is meant to be really good. I'd like to participate although it may not be every month.

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  11. Great this is happening! I've read some on your list but not all.
    My ideas (some ive read some i havent):
    birdsong- Sebastian Faulkes
    Atonement - Ian McEwan
    Notes on a Scandal - Zoe Hellar
    I Capture the Castle - Dodi Smith
    Dinner at the Homesick resturaunt - Anne Tyler
    After you'd gone - Maggie O'Farrell (and this Bon is the one i really have to rave about, its so beautiful)!
    Can't wait to get reading! x

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  12. I just got Life of Pi & Gone Girl, so I'd love to see them on the list.

    Suggestions - I'd love to see something by Margaret Atwood on the list. I love 'The Blind Assassin', although 'Oryx and Crake' could be a good one as well.

    I second the Anne Tyler nomination, although I prefer St. Maybe.

    I want to read Erik Larson's "In the Garden of Beasts" but his last one "Devil in the White City" is great as well.

    Alice Walker's "Temple of my Familiar" is another one I love and wouldn't mind reading again.

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  13. Lovng your book choices! I am lame and cannot think of any off the top pf my head, but I cannot wait to see what everyone else suggests and get this started!

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  14. Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown .. It's definitely has some tough scenes and sexual content but nothing too graphic and the moral of the story is so overwhelmingly powerful and motivational. Plus it's an autobiography, which I love!

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  15. Ok... I have a series suggestion to make... because they are the best books, my absolute favorites...from an author that writes with such a beautifully high caliber. They probably won't fit into the month time frame, but they are worth reading.

    The Outlander series, by Diana Gabaldon.

    Actually... the very first book, Outlander, might do well for a month-long time slot. The page count is somewhere in the 600's, but you get so hooked into the story that it's easy to blow through all those pages. =)

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  16. 1. Extremely loud and incredibly close
    2. Firefly Lane
    3. Mum's list
    Love this idea!!

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  17. I'm reading Life of Pi now - I haven't seen the movie, so I don't know what to expect, but its going a little slow for me. I've read both The Glass Castle and Room and they are both great, interesting books!

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  18. I am in! Gone Girl was amazing and I highly recommend it. Off the top of my head I think "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch would be a good one.

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  19. the friday night kitting club was awesome (i totally cried at the end)

    eat pray love was another awesome book as well

    bloom by kelle hampton was AMAZING, like need a highlighter amazing

    safe haven by nicholas sparks - what can i say i'm a hopeless romantic - but the movie comes out in feb!!

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  20. I'm not a huge Danielle Steele fan, so I was a bit skeptical diving into one of her books. However "Sisters" came highly recommended so I gave it a shot. I LOVED IT!

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  21. I would love to give Jane Austen another chance too!

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  22. Love this! I, too, would read The Help again in a heartbeat...one of my favorites!

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  23. EEEEE yay books! I'm such a nerd.

    The Fault in Our Stars is brilliant. Only, don't read it if you are doing National Novel Writing Month because it will make you want to quit writing cause you're all "I HAVE SO MANY EMOTIONS AND I'LL NEVER WRITE ANYTHING THAT BEAUTIFUL EVER!"

    I'm really interest in The Life of Pi, The Help, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

    I would also be up for reading Sense and Sensibility cause I LOVE Jane Austen and always up for reading (or re-reading in this case) one of her stories.

    And ditto with 50 Shades. Thank you.

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  24. I'm in :)
    It's been so long since I've gotten to read a good book! I'm interested in the We need to talk about Kevin book. It sounds good. Can't wait to see what books are chosen!

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  25. I've read over half of your suggestions, but they're all SO GOOD. Awesome choices.

    Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys is a young adult WWII novel, and it's absolutely beautiful.

    The Fault in Our Stars is absolutely amazing, but I love anything by John Green.

    The Silver Linings Playbook, maybe? I know it's a movie now, but I've heard the book was good. Not really sure about how appropriate the content is since I haven't read it..

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  26. I can't think of any off the top of my head, so I'll leave it to the others to make suggestions. There are already so many great ones! I could totally re-read The Help. I also want to give Jane Austen another chance. I haven't tried since high school either, but I love the BBC version of Sense and Sensibility, so I know I like the story...I guess the writing was just not my style back in the day. If these books are too popular, I may have to actually buy rather than place myself on a waiting list with over 45 people which takes about 4 months to go through. ;)

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  27. Anonymous8:20 AM

    Hello Bon! I have nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award. Come check out my post that features you! http://pynkkrush.blogspot.com/2013/01/versatile-blogger-award.html

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  28. I liked the help
    Secret life of bees
    The winner by David baldacci

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  29. I'm definitely in on this!!

    Actually, I just read "Room" and "Gone Girl" in the last few weeks, as I got them for Christmas, but both are really good books. Definitely would recommend them.

    Don't really know what other books to suggest right now, but I'm interested to see what everyone else comes up with!

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  30. The Art of Racing in the Rain is amazing for dog lovers & Angry Housewives Eating BonBons is great for a good laugh!

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  31. So exciting!

    Inside Out Girl - Tish Cohen.
    Rachel, an overprotective single mother meets Len, the father of a curious, learning disabled 10 year old. To the chagrin of Rachel's children, who are about to be linked to the most mocked girl in school, Len & Rachel begin dating. (Taken straight from the back of the book. Oh yeah.)

    Very touching, thought provoking story. Not sure if it would be too easy of a read, though.

    She's Come Undone - Wally Lamb
    Dolores Price is 13, wise mouthed but wounded, having bid her childhood goodbye. She spends the next few years nourishing herself with Mallomars, potato chips, and pepsi that her anxious mouther supplies. When she finally orbits into young womanhood at 257 pounds, Dolores is no stronger and life is no kinder. But this time she's determined to rise to the occasion and give herself one more chance before she really goes under.

    It's been years since I've read this one... and I remember a few graphic sex scenes (at least, I thought they were at the time.) and a lot of it is her in "fat girl" therapy. It's definitely different.

    Can't wait to see the list and get started!!!

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  32. So excited! How about Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt or Water for Elephants?

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  33. I want to read The Great Gatsby before the movie comes out :)

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  34. This is AWESOME! I made a resolution to read a book each month, so thanks for making this resolution as good as done with this book club!
    My votes:
    The Goose Girl
    Confessions of a Shopaholic (sooo hilarious!)
    Life of Pi (never read it, but want to)
    Seriously, I'm kidding by Ellen Degeneres (just because I love her and it's probably funny)
    and Hunger Games... (because I loved the movie and want to read the book finally haha)

    Can't wait!

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    1. The hunger games trilogy is amazing. Very thought provoking. I felt that reading all three of them made a wonderful "bigger picture". We could really learn a lot from this.

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  35. Room is a great book! A little different from your description though!

    Redeeming Love is my all-time favorite book. It's one of those books that everyone could have read in a week!

    So excited about blog book club! Thanks for starting it!

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  36. I really want to read Fault in Our Stars, so that'd be my first choice.
    I'd love to discuss Gone Girl as well.
    To add a new one to the list: Age of Miracles (Karen Thompson Walker).
    Can't wait to see what's chosen!

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  37. Memoirs of a Geisha and 1000 Splendid Suns are my two favorite books of all time! Also I want to read Go Girl, my sister keeps raving about it.

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  38. I just finished Gone Girl! I enjoyed it! I'm in fit the book club!

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  39. Gone Girl and Life of Pi are on my list of books I want to read.

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  40. I've always wanted to do a book club on Wuthering Heights and Love in the Time of Cholera. I had no one to talk to about them!! And they're my faaaaavorites!!

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  41. We Need to Talk About Kevin is an amazing book (and rally relevant to our current crazy world). I will still with you and I would read it again.

    I also suggest Sister- Roasmund Lupton. Similar to Gone Girl in that it's a mystery but better!!

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  42. Anonymous11:56 AM

    I love this idea! Gone Girl was a great suspenseful book with an interesting format. Highly recommend!

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  43. Would love to participate. I've heard good things about Gone Girl!

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  44. Anonymous1:16 PM

    So excited about this!!
    I think all those books sound interesting. The Help is one of my favorite books EVER and I would love to read it again.
    ~Ann

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  45. I'M IN!

    I read Lolita and Picture of Dorian Grey in college.. they were both very good and thought provoking!

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  46. So exciting. My picks are the shoemakers wife, Jane Austen, glass castle, gone girl, and one child

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  47. Would LOVE to read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Help, and Five People You Meet in Heaven (from your list). I've also been wanting to read The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein!

    This is exciting!

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  48. Anonymous7:07 PM

    My nominations are:
    1000 Splendid Suns
    Pictures of Dorian Gray
    Wuthering Heights
    The History of Love
    The Handmaids Tale
    All Quiet on the Western Front
    A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (you have me intrigued)

    I haven't read these yet but I've wanted to for a long time.

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  49. GREAT book choices! I'm down like four flat tires! Can't wait to start! Also, I love your writing style. New follower and I can't wait to read more!

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  50. Oh my! I'm in trouble. I already have a huge want-to-read list and now I've just added a bunch more. Too many books, too little time.

    I've just found your blog from a comment on mine. Thank you. I am now following you on your journey as well. I can't wait to go back and read all your past posts.

    http://southerngrrrlz.blogspot.com

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  51. This sounds awesome! I'll let that Fifty Shades hit slide ;) (I'm still perplexed as to why so many people think it's so terribly written...it is erotica after all).

    Anyway, I've been hearing a lot about Gone Girl and I'd like to read it. So that would be one of my picks. I'll have to try to think of some others as well.

    Thanks for joining my blog - I'm signing up here as well. Glad to meet you!

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  52. Hey, I just got your comment on my blog, so I stopped by. The book club sounds awesome! I LOVE to read. I like all your choices except Jane Austen. Like you, I tried it before and couldn't get into it and afraid I would hate it. I read The Help - awesome book. Have heard a lot about Gone Girl. Glass Castle sounds really interesting. I'm following you now. I want to try the book club out. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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  53. Ok, my first question is, where do you find the time to actually read?! WOW! The second question I have is, can you read be a story? :)

    Thank you for dropping by my blog and now I'm YOUR newest follower. :D

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  54. Hello, Bonnie - (my newest follower) ;-}
    Thank You for your kind comments about my BoxCard - I'm glad you 'found me' today and am curious as to how you did?!! Happy to have you! You are creative in other ways... I poked around your blog and it's Nice! I have an Ed. Degree, but haven't taught in a while. Good for you. Regarding your Book Club, I've really enjoyed Kate Morton's first three books and am in her newest 4th, The Secret Keeper, all of which have history/mystery/romance! All are on Audiobook, also, which is great for busy schedules... Will look forward to seeing what happens here - ;-} Following...
    Lynden
    http://aneleganttouch-lynden.blogspot.com
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/An-Elegant-Touch-/162889457132788

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  55. Oh, what a lovely idea! I second "The Book Thief". Two books I've recently read and LOVED:
    "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay and "The Snow Child" by Eowyn Ivey. And there is "The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver.

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  56. I like everyone of those books!! am reading Moby Dick now...taking me longer than I thought.

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  57. Love all the books you've commented above, and am excited to connect with you. Have followed your site too! Thanks for sharing!

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  58. I second...

    Life of Pi
    Glass Castle (I have this but haven't opened it)
    A Thousand Spendid Suns (one of my favorite books ever)
    The Fault in Our Stars (I've been wanting to read this!)
    Gone Girl (I've been wanting to read this too)
    The Help (great book!)

    Suggesting...

    Ender's Game
    Room
    Little Women

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  59. I'm so excited for this!

    I've been dying to read Gone Girl!
    I would also be up for re-reading The Help or The Great Gatsby.
    I'm also up for The Hunger Games! Love that series

    My suggestions:
    Divergent by Veronica Roth
    Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

    Both have been on my to read list for awhile.

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  60. What a great idea! You have some really great suggestions up there- I have been meaning to read Life of Pi for years now, and what with the movie and all, now seems like a good time to do it!

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  61. Most of the books listed here are my fav's.

    Great to meet ya bon and following you back :)

    cheers to a new journey!

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  62. What a phenomenal idea!! I would love to do this. I really like some of the books you have suggested...most are ones that I really wanted to read anyway. Columbine is a really fantastically written book...it might be too long for this club, but it is definitely on my "must-read" books when i offer suggestions. i am very thankful that you are keeping it pg-13 as well. good call!

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  63. Just read Room and Gone Girl. Very good! And Glass Castle is my all time favorite. Her writing is so smooth and eloquent I just love it.

    But I like the sound of the Kevin book.

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  64. Ps you should create a button for Bon's book club asap.

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  65. What a lovely idea! I so wish I could join right now, but time is a bit limited for me when it comes to book reading, that I am afraid I would not keep up.

    I did just finish JK Rowling's The Casual Vacancy. That one was pretty good. Very thought provoking and speaks a lot of truths about how different social classes are viewed in society.

    Thanks for stopping by Theresa's Mixed Nuts. I am happy to be following along here too!

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  66. Heck yeah!

    Several that have been mentioned I have read and loved:

    -The Book Thief [lost a lot of sleep over it]
    - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close [one of the most interesting/unique books I've read[
    - The Glass Castle [or her book about her grandmother "Half Broke Horses"]
    - The Help [obviously]
    - A Thousand Splendid Suns

    I haven't read but have heard good things about "Devil in the White City"

    Would like to suggest:
    - Still Alice [haven't read but heard good things]
    - My Antonia [read in college and would love to read again]
    - THe Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society [has been on my 'to read' list for years. I've heard people who love books love this one]
    -These is My Words

    I could go on, but looks like we have plenty to choose from!

    Thanks for doing this!
    Kels
    -

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  67. The Help was AMAZING, made me laugh and cry.

    Just finished Gone Girl and I actually posted a review on it (no spoilers).

    We Need To Talk About Kevin is SO well written and good, but it's hard to get into at first and the end will make you depressed for a week.

    Good luck picking!

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  68. I definitely want to be part of this!!! I'm up for any book!

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  69. I'm not going to be very helpful here but I am IN!! Love this!!

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  70. I haven't read all the comments, but one book I would love to discuss with others is Outliers. Its crazy interesting, about how people become super successful, like Bill Gates, the Beatles, and professional hockey players. Since I've read it, I just want to make everyone read it so I can talk about it! Its a very fun read, despite it being non-fiction. :)

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  71. These are great suggestions. I loved The Help. I liked Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. It wasn't my favorite, but it was good. There are a ton of books on this list that I do want to read. I can't wait to get this book club going! So exciting!

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  72. Oh my goodness, this is the most exciting thing I've heard so far this month! I'M IN! Definitely in! Also, Fifty Shades IS absolutely dirty nonsense.

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  73. These is my words and life as we knew it

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  74. I love the idea of a book club. Count me in! Gone Girl is a great book. I have also heard The Fault In My Stars is amazing. I can't wait to see what book it will be :)

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  75. I don't have a blog, but I'm totally in! I'm currently reading "East of Eden" and I'm obsessssed. I also heard "Unbroken" is awesome.

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  76. Lots and lots of great suggestions and many that are on my to-read list already (fault, Jane Austen, Great Gatsby and others).

    Some of my old-time favorites are the Ya-Ya Sisterhood series, The Color Purple, The Joy Luck Club or The Bonesetter's Daughter.

    I can also speak highly of Gone Girl...and it's a great conversation starter.

    A couple more recent favorites are Bloom (a memoir, but great conversation piece!), and My Name is Memory and The Art of Fielding (this one is probably a little long though).

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  77. We Need To Talk About Kevin is one of my all time favorite books. I even wrote to the author, yeah, I'm that geeky. I hope that one gets picked!!!

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  78. "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" is one of my favorite books. Along with lots of the other ones that have been mentioned.

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  79. I'm definitely in. No suggestions right now. Can't wait!

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  80. I'm definitely in. No suggestions right now. Can't wait!

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  81. i think i'm late to the party, but if suggestions are still being taken, i offer these (that have been waiting patiently for me to pick them back up after having been brought home from the bookstore):

    thanks for the memories, if you could see me now and there's no place like here by cecelia ahern.

    persuastion by jane austen.

    the perks of being a wallflower by chbosky.

    i see you everywhere by julia glass.

    the guernsey... society by shaffer.

    love is a miz tape by rob sheffield.

    and of the titles mentioned in the comments, i'd be interested to read silver linings playbook and the history of love.

    (the help and redeeming love exceed the suggested page count, but i'd be game for them as well.)

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