The Life of Bon: Book Club 2014

Sunday, December 08, 2013

Book Club 2014


Alright, ladies, it's time to get a head start on 2014 and get our book club selection picked out.  Last year was the first year of Bon's Book Club and I really loved discussing books with all of you.  I like reading best when it is a social activity.  Read AND discuss.  It's how I get the most out of books.  I also loved how the book club last year pushed me to read books I normally wouldn't have read.  Lastly, I feel like as adults who are busy with college, careers, and families it can be really hard to have time to read for pleasure and certainly can be tough to find other adults to talk about our favorite books with.  Book club is the perfect way to get us reading and talking about books.

There are two purposes to this post.  The first purpose is to see how much interest there is in a 2014 book club.  2013's book club started off strong and then dwindled off toward the end of the year.  I know November and December are crazy, so I understand not being able to do the book club but before we for sure decide to do another go of book club, I want to make sure there is an interest  So, if you think you would be interested in reading a book every month and discussing it online let me know.  This certainly doesn't mean that you are locked in for the entire year, it just means that you would possibly have interest in participating for some of the months.

Purpose #2 for this post is to get some ideas out there for books to read during the 2014 book club.  Assuming there is enough interest to do this book thing for another year, there are a couple of changes I will be making to the book club to hopefully make it more successful:

1.  I'll have a link at the top of the blog that link that has all the information about book club.  It will have the dates and book titles for the coming months as well as the reviews for the books we have already read.

2.  At the beginning of the month I will give four or five questions to help gear discussion and that you can be thinking about as you read.  The night before the discussion I'll post the questions again so that if you don't know what to say about the book the questions can give you a few ideas.  Of course you are not limited to writing on these questions, they're just to help if you need them.

3.  Every book club will be a link up.  Ideally you will be able to find and visit the blogs of other book lovers and get some traffic to your own blog.

Your job now is to leave a comment and tell me if you'd be interested in book club and to leave suggestions for books you would want to read in 2014.  If someone has already mentioned a book you want to read, mention it again!  I will take the top 25 books or so that are mentioned most often and created a survey for them.  You will then vote on the 12 books you want to read for 2014.

Just a couple of guidelines:  Suggestions should be PG-13- nothing that is going to make anyone too squirmy or uncomfortable.  It's also probably good if suggestions are kept to about 300 pages.  These books will be read in a month so shouldn't be anything that is impossible to read in that amount of time.  I'd love to get a good variety of fiction and nonfiction, classics and contemporary, etc.  Any suggestion is a good suggestion!

Here are a couple of suggestions to get the party started...

1.  Happiness at Home.  Nonfiction.  Written by the same lady who wrote The Happiness Project. All about being purposeful in finding happiness in every day tasks.  I'd definitely read The Happiness Project again, too, as that was one of my favorites this year.
2.  I am Malala.  Memoir and autobiography.  The story of a girl who speaks out against the Taliban in defense of education and women's rights.
3.  My Story.  Memoir and autobiography.  This is the story of Elizabeth Smart and her kidnapping.  I have heard it's an interesting story, but not terribly well written.
4.  The Light Between Oceans. Fiction.  I have wanted to read this forever after Elizabeth said it is one of her favorites.
5.  The Book Thief.  Fiction.  Narrated by death.  The movie is coming out this year so it makes sense to read it this year.  I didn't LOVE this book, but most people do so it's likely it'd be a good choice for book club.  It's a holocaust book and very heavy.
6.  Z- Fiction.  The story of Zelda Fitzgerald the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald who wrote The Great Gatsby.  I'm a Gatsby freak so this is one of those books I've been really wanting to read.
7.  I'd love to read a class Roald Dahl book like Matilda or James and the Giant Peach or one of my childhood favorites- The BFG.
8.  Lolita- Fiction.  The only thing I know about the book is it's about a romance between a much older man and a young girl.  I feel like it's one I should read just because it's so often talked about and referenced.
9.  Any young adult selection I always like to read a few young adults books, just don't know any good ones that are out right now.  Tell me your favorites (The Fault in our Stars was a total hit in March.)

Alright, your turn!  Give me your suggestions!  I can't wait to see what book ideas you've got floating around in your head.  And if you want to read any of the above books make sure you say so otherwise I doubt we'll be reading them.

Read on!

(P.S.  This month's book club selection is We Need to Talk about Kevin.  It's about the parents of a boy who has shot and killed many of his classmates.  It's fascinating.  We'll be discussing it December 30 so it's not too late to get reading.)

83 comments:

  1. I really really want to participate in your book club this year, it's such a fun and engaging idea! I think #1, #2, #6 and of course any young adult fiction (including Roald Dahl sounds AMAZING)!

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  2. Well, some of these are already on my list (Malala, Happiness at Home) and some I've read (Lolita, Book Thief and the Roald Dahl books) but I am adding Z to the top of my list of books to read now :)

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  3. I'd love to participate! Sounds like fun. All those books sound great!

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  4. I love it! I always find myself wanting to discuss books after I read them but not really having a place to do so. I read Lolita, it was a classic and kind of an odd story so I wouldn't mind reading again.

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  5. I'm super into this! I remember alllllllllllllllllllll the way back when you first had this idea...has it been a whole year!? Super excited. :]]]

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  6. I would realty like to take part in your book club. I would also like to read happiness at home. I am reading the book thief right now and loving it. I also would like to read a classic like Matilda or little women or one of the little house on the prairie books again. I also heard the book the husbands secret was good but wasnt sure if it was already read

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  7. I will participate! And #1, 2 & 3 I REALLY WANT TO READ AND DISCUSS! :)

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  8. What about Freedom Writers?

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  9. I'm definitely interested. I've read The Book Thief and it's great. I Am Malala would be awesome to read as well as Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, The Book of Ruth-Jane Hamilton, and anything from Jhumpa Lahiri. Can't wait!

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  11. If you haven't read anything by Sherman Alexie, you should! Reservation Blues is one of my favorite books of all time.

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  12. I wanna participate! I will pretty much read anything. :) I second the I am Malala book. I would love to read that!

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  13. I'm totally in for Bon's Book Club 2014. I have read The Book Thief and the Fault in Our Stars and loved it totally.
    However, I would love to include Lolita and I am Malala for the book club.

    Super excited...looking so forward to it.

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  14. I don't blog, but I'd still love to read along!

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  15. Count me in! I don't blog, but I left a few comments during this past year of the book club and will so so again! I've read #s 4 & 5, but I probably won't re-read either because I'm sensitive to profanity. I think a throwback classic like a Ronald Dahl would be so fun!

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  16. Count me in! I don't blog, but I left a few comments during this past year of the book club and will so so again! I've read #s 4 & 5, but I probably won't re-read either because I'm sensitive to profanity. I think a throwback classic like a Ronald Dahl would be so fun!

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  17. Interested!
    I would like to see books like:
    "And The Mountains Echoed" by Khaled Housseini
    "World War Z" Max Brooks
    "The Fault in our Stars" would be awesome!
    "Things We Set on Fire" by Deborah Reed

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  18. I would love to be part of the book club. I saw the post last month and got very excited! I might even participate this month for the first time!
    I would love to read The Book Thief, Happiness at Home, and Matilda!
    I don't know what you've already read, but as for some books I can recommend and would like to do for a book club: My Sister's Keeper (or honestly anything by Jodi Picoult), Up the Down Staircase (one of my all-time favorites, and it centers on an English teacher!), or if we're rereading childhood favorites, A Wrinkle in Time.

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  19. I would be interested in participating! This would be a great way to get back into reading for fun and not just for classes!

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  20. Ooh, I'm up for it! I am Malala, Light Between Oceans, and The Book Thief have been on my "to read" list. YES to Dahl! I just asked friends for book recommendations so I have a list a mile long. Some that I'm most looking forward to are Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver, A Life Observed (C. S. Lewis bio) by Brown & Gresham, and The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani. And let's be honest, I'm excited to get my fill of YA and read/re-read both the Hunger Games and Harry Potter series.

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  21. I would love to participate in 2014! #3, 5, 7, 8 and 9 (The eye of minds by James Dashner) would be interesting

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  22. The book thief is one of the best books I've ever read. I had no clue they are making a movie out of it!

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  23. Like you, I teach high school English, and I find I never have (or make) time to read books other than the ones I assign to students. It's like groundhog day for books. I just keep rereading the same ones. Anyway, when I read your book posts this year, I really wanted to join. I think this sounds like a smashing resolution for me. My school is doing a one book, one community read of I Am Malala (for the month of January), so I think that book is a great choice. I'm so excited to read it. If you choose another young adult book for 2014, my students keep talking about Looking for Alaska (yet another John Green book, but who cares if it's equally as good?) Lolita is a powerful book and so disturbing. I loved reading and discussing it in college. I started The Book Thief but had a hard time getting into it. I can always give it another try.

    This comment is too long. I love books. The end.

    -Danielle
    Little Bit of WoWe

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    1. I had a hard time getting into The Book Thief as well, but I'll have to look into Lolita

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  24. I just finished reading "Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness" by Susannah Cahalan. It was the best book I read in 2013. It kept me intrigued and did I mention it is a story about the authors ACTUAL month of madness!? It's really amazing and extremely intriguing.

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    1. I recently started that {along with 20 other books, I'm horrible} I was enjoying it. Might need to revisit it!

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    2. Definitely want to read this one!

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  25. I love reading your book club posts even if I don't participate.

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  26. I definitely want to participate in 2014! You got me to read the fault in our stars last year and I loved it!
    Some suggestions {though you might have already covered them}... Variant, Eye of Minds, The 12 Week Year, Handwiring Happiness, Doctor Sleep, House of Leaves, The Treachery of Beautiful Things, and Divergent. I haven't read these, but they're on my list!

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  27. Have you heard of the Matched series by Ally Condie? It is considered Young Adult Fiction. It closely resembles the Hunger Games trilogy. I just started reading the first one, and I am hooked! I noticed someone else commented and mentioned I am Malala, and I have been dying to read that as well.

    Count me in for the Book Club :)

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    1. I want to read the Matched series too!

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    2. I read the first one and would be interested to read the rest. Also Divergent?

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  28. Happy to participate this year! Some suggestions- The Husband's Secret, Divergent series (any of them!), Morning Glory, The Interestings, Someone Else's Love Story.

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  29. I'm in for book club. The group of local women that I had started a book club with petered out. I've been looking for a new group to join. I would also like to suggest Mrs. Mike

    by Benedict and Nancy Freedman. Although this is an older novel and some would argue a love story, I believe there could be a rich discussion on the strength of women.

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  30. I read every book for your book club this year and truly enjoyed each one! I think the questions to focus on while reading will be very helpful in prompting discussion. My book suggestions would be And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini, The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls, and the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth.

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  31. Yes! I think the improvements that you added will help a lot. It'll help us readers have a better idea of what to talk about, and also help us remember. I know I had an awful time remembering to get the books ahead of time. So many times this month I would try to get the book at the library and it would be out and I was too far down the list to get it in time for book club. But I'm going to do better this time!

    As for book suggestions...I Am Malala and Z I would LOVE to read. I've already read The Book Thief, but I'll totally read it again!

    Now browsing through my "to-read" list on Goodreads/other books I've loved.... anything by Rainbow Rowell. She's fantastic. I read both Eleanor and Park and Fangirl. So cute! Also, Divergent would be interesting with the movie coming out in March. Also, any other John Green book I'm sure would go over well too. I've also been wanting to read Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Grahm (Lorelai from Gilmore Girls!) Another one on my "to-read" list is Code Name Verity. I have heard from EVERYONE it's fantastic. Life After Life I've also heard good things about. I tried reading it once, but I want to give it another go!

    And side note... I'm thinking of hosting a reading wrap up link up post for the end of the year if you're interested. :)

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    1. I totally want to read Someday, Someday Maybe too :)

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    2. I just started it this morning - and it's so cute so far!

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  32. I'm totally down for another year of Book club, I really have been wanting to read The Book Thief :)

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  33. Anonymous8:58 AM

    I'm definitely interested, I don't really mind what we read, book clubs always help me read books I would never choose for myself!

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  34. I'm definitely interested! My friends and I have done an off and on book club for years now, and by 'off and on,' I mean we read one book (maybe two) and hardly find the time to discuss because we all live so far apart. I'd like to get involved in an online club! :)

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  35. I'm so excited to join your book club! I can never get my group of girlfriends to want to do a book club. I would love to read "12 Years a Slave" by Solomon Northup, "And the Mountains Echoed" by Khaled Hosseini, "I am Malala" by Malala Yousafzai, "The Orphan Master's Son " by Adam Johnson, and "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of A Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah.

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  36. I would love to do this! I tried to start a book club at my work but we're all busy nurses working differemt shifts and it never worked out. Some books that would be interesting to read: The Light Between Oceans, The Round House, The Fault in Our Stars, and Dark Places. The Divergent series is also a good one.

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  37. Anonymous10:00 AM

    This is such a good idea!! I love reading and am always looking for something new.

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  38. I am not a blogger, but really enjoyed the 2013 book club. Here are some books on my read list at the moment:
    The Night Circus - by Erin Morgenstern
    Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness - by Susannah Cahalan
    The Time Keeper - by Mitch Albom
    Defending Jacob: A Novel - by William Landay
    Speak - by Laurie Halse Anderson
    Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption - by Laura Hillenbrand
    The Book Theif - by Markus Zusak
    The Husband's Secret - by Liane Moriarty
    Divergent Series

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    1. I'll second The Husband's Secret. Easily the best book I've read all year!

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    2. THE NIGHT CIRCUS IS ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOKS EVER WE NEED TO DO IT!

      (Sorry for the shouting- I get really excited.)

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  39. These are all books I've been meaning to read, actually! Will definitely have to try and join the discussion for many of the months :)

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  40. Anonymous11:03 AM

    I have loved being a part of the book club this year. I know I didn't comment much but I have read every single book and review :) Please Please do it again!!!!

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  41. Definitely second The Book Thief; I just finished it and I loved it!

    I would also like to read the Divergent series, and would HIGHLY recommend Ender's Game (also a series, but I've only read the first one).

    I also really enjoyed Why Have Kids? by Jessica Valenti.

    Feel free to find me on Goodreads!

    https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/787728-alison-toback

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  42. I am interested in reading #1, 3, and 4. I will post some other suggestions later today.

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  43. Yes! I want to participate in a book club next year! I recently paid off the $40 that I owed the Provo library and so my card is back in comission! I actually went to your last book club post and put my name on the waiting list for most of the books that were discussed here. One of my 2014 goals is to read more and this will help!

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  44. I'd love to participate! I will warn you though that I can be a picky book reader and that if the book for that month doesn't speak to me then I'm not very likely to participate. I'm kind of book prejudiced! lol

    Books I've read that would be good:
    Night Road- Kristin Hannah
    Winter Garden- Kristin Hannah
    Ask Me Why I hurt: The Kids Nobody Wants and The Doctor Who Heals Them- Randy Christensen
    Bloom- Kelle Hampton
    Safe Haven- Nicholas Sparks

    I'm reading currently: The Storyteller- Jodi Picoult

    Would Like to Read:
    #1
    The Husband's Secret- Liane Moriarty
    Until I Say Goodbye: A book about living - Susan Spencer-Wendel
    The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II- Denise Kiernan
    The Walk- Richard Paul Evans

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  45. I'm in! I love all the suggestions you have on the post. I haven't had time to free read lately, but I'll make time if I'm involved in something like this! Thanks so much for hosting it!

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  46. I would love to participate in the book club! I just found your blog and love it! I love reading and am always looking for good books to read!

    ashley

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  47. Interested, but the only titles I thought sounded good were ones I'd already read. I think the new structure will help a lot. Goodreads just put out their "best books of 2013" by category, and some of them sound fantastic. Maybe check those for more suggestions?

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  48. I will definitely participate! I was looking for an in-person book club, but this sounds even better because I can participate in my PJs! =)

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  49. I've been pushing myself to make time to read this year so I'm totally up for your Book Club - I was actually a bit gutted I didn't find it until last month! I've read some great book this year but none better than Wonder by RJ Palacio. It's beautiful and so easy to read, I whizzed through it in five hours! I would love to read The Husband's Secret abd The Book Thief, so they're great suggestions. I await the confirmed book club list with interest :) xx

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  50. Also, I think trying to ready any book that is coming out as a film in 2014 is a good idea; Before I Go To Sleep is a great book & the movie is gonna star Nicole Kidman, so I hear!

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  51. I'll second Bloom by Kelle Hampton. Kelle talks about her experience having a child with down syndrome. But what the message really conveys is how to love our challenges. Probably my favorite book!

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  52. Anonymous4:32 PM

    I'm way busy and having a book club online like this is the only way that I could fit it into my schedule, so I'm totally in! And thanks Bonnie for this wonderful idea! Here's the list I would like to read this year:

    I Am Malala sounds good.
    My Story by Elizabeth Smart
    Wicked by Gregory Maguire
    Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
    The Secret Rescue: An Untold Story of American Nurses and Medics Behind Nazi Lines
    Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
    I would love to read any Roald Dahl! My votes would be for either Matilda or The Witches.

    Also, I've read World War Z by Max Brooks and it was really good! I'd read it again.

    *Warning: I suggest that if Lolita is chosen as one of the books that people may want to research the topic a little before reading it. I have also heard that it's a classic, so I wanted to read it. Once I read about 50 reader reviews and several synopsis of the book I realized how much I did NOT want to read it. Just reading about it made my stomach sick. Most agree that the narrator is a pedophile. He does multiple horrible things like that through out the book.

    Let the 2014 book club begin!

    P.S. A button would be so nice! I would always come see what the next books were and I couldn't find them!

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  53. I'd love to participate in 2014. I have too long of a "to-read" list to suggest anything. I know I will be reading "Divergent" before March, but other than that I'm open. (Although, like you, I did not enjoy "The Book Thief.")

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  54. I didn't get to participate this year, so I would like to next. I recommend The Mercy of Thin Air: http://www.ronlyndomingue.com/work.htm . It's a bit like The Time Traveler's Wife!

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  55. I'd really enjoy participating!

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  56. I'm not completely sure yet but it does sound like fun! And it will be interesting to read some books I wouldn't normally read or discover some new ones :) So I'm most likely in I guess. Here are some suggestions:

    The Other Hand - Chris Cleave
    Room - Emma Donoghue
    The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein
    The Diviners - Margaret Laurence
    Franny and Zooey - JD Salinger
    On the Road - Jack Keroucac
    Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell
    Swimming to Elba - Silvia Avallone
    Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
    Uglies - Scott Westerfeld
    Anything by Margaret Atwood

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    1. Anonymous8:32 PM

      I second Eleanor and park!

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    2. Eleanor and Park is adorable - but I'll be honest... I liked her next book Fangirl better. ;-) And I've heard the Uglies series is really good too!

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  57. i'd be totally interested! book thief is one of my all time favorites and i'd love to read it again in a book club setting. high on my list is sister, mother, husband, dog etc by Delia Ephron - it's essays, just to change things up a bit. oh, and for young adult, how about eleanor and park?

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  58. I would love, love, love to be a part of the book club!!!

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  59. I would love to participate in the 2014 book club! All the titles you suggested are good with me - anything you chose will be great. Thanks for hosting!

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  60. I would love love love to be part of the book club. I have really been wanting to read Z. I just finished reading Elizabeth Smart's book. I agree with your analysis, it was really interesting to hear her story but the writing wasn't that great.

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  61. Anonymous4:47 AM

    I'd love to participate! I love books but recently I've neglected reading and this seems like a good idea to get this hobby back in action, so count me in.

    Happiness at Home and The Book Thief sound great...and I've been meaning to read Lolita for such a long time now! One book which I recommend and which left a very lasting impression on my mind is A Child Called It: One Child's Courage To Survive by Dave Pelzer.

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  62. Count me as interested. :) I'm not sure how active I'll be, but I'd like to at least give it a try! Thanks for getting this organized, Bon! Awesome idea~

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  63. I am interested too. I have really wanted to get back into reading and I think joining a book club would be a great way.

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  64. A Concrete Sky by Kristen Jex. I emailed you about it earlier this year.

    http://www.amazon.com/A-Concrete-Sky-Kristen-Jex/dp/0615715117

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  65. I'd love to read the new Amitav Ghosh. I read Sea of Poppies in 2008 and it was just wonderful. I've heard great things about 'Across the Nightingale Floor' by Lian Hearn, and I'd really like to hear your thoughts on 'The Eyre Affair' by Jasper Fforde which has been one of my favourite fantasy novels since I read it in my early teens.

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  66. Anonymous9:58 AM

    Bonnie are you on Goodreads? I'd love to follow you or friend you or whatever you do on that site. I trust your opinions on books.

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  67. I would totally be in for book club! I am in one with a bunch of girlfriends that meet once a month in my city but a virtual one would be so fun to meet people and share conversations about books! I've wanted to read Happiness at Home for quite some time too so I definitely vote for that one!

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  68. I'm keen as beans :)

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  69. I'm keen as beans :)

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  70. I am excited to participate in this book club this year! I read the books last year, but I could never get together a blog post in time! I would absolutely love discussion questions prior to writing my review/discussion. Sometimes I feel so lost as what to write about.

    I book that I read in high school but would love to read again is In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. It may be a little too gruesome at times, but I just remember being completely captivated by the story.

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  71. I totally would ! im up for any book but I love young adult type books !

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