The Next Best Book Club discussion

Hi everyone!

I thought I would create a thread where we can pool our resources together for those who might need assistance with ideas for a particular reading task.

Feel free to ask for recommendations, or offer up books that you've enjoyed that can help others cross off a song....

I'm stuck on the task, read a book that spans a long period of time.

Meredith wrote: "I'm stuck on the task, read a book that spans a long period of time."

Edward Rutherfurd writes fictional histories of cities, etc based on real events.

Peter Ackroyd has also written a few city biographies.

The Pillars of the Earth may work as I think it spans about 50 years. So does The Thorn Birds.

To Sleep No More and Girl in Hyacinth Blue may work as they have separate but interlinked stories that happen in various time periods (different centuries).

The Mapmaker's Children by Sarah McCoy also takes place in two different time periods and would apply.

I love Cloud Atlas and it definitely spans a long period of time (500-600 years).

A few I haven't read that might fit the bill: One Hundred Years of Solitude and Seveneves -- depending on what you enjoy genre-wise. I believe Seveneves spans 5000 years!

Here by Richard McGuire is pretty amazing, if you enjoy graphic novels. It definitely takes the long view--spans 500 billion years or so!

For a book that takes place mostly at night, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore would be pretty much perfect.

Also potentially The Night Circus although it's been a while since I read it. However, this one would still work for a book with a circus. :)

I'm back. I'm having trouble with the just a touch task. Read a book that uses multiple formats or gimmicks in which to tell it's story.

Thanks.

Cory wrote: "I love Cloud Atlas and it definitely spans a long period of time (500-600 years).

A few I haven't read that might fit the bill: One Hundred Years of Solitude and [book:Sev..."

Cory, I just watched the movie.... total Tarantino style crazy...haha. I didn't get a lot of things, until I read about it after.
Is the book equally confusing? :-)

Meredith wrote: "Read a book that uses multiple formats or gimmicks in which to tell it's story."

Hi, Meredith! Have you read Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad?

Meredith wrote: "I'm back. I'm having trouble with the just a touch task. Read a book that uses multiple formats or gimmicks in which to tell it's story.

Thanks."

You could use The Bohemian Guide to Monogamy - he tells his stories in emails and plays as well as regular short stories.

You could also use Tables Without Chairs #1 which uses lists, reviews, how-to's and other funky stuff as "stories".

While they might not be for everyone, they were both fun to read!!

Funny you should ask. I joined a meet-up in my area that was reading Visit from the Goon Squad. It's a bizarre book. I guess I'll count that. Thanks again, btw, I'm loving the challenge and the puzzles. I haven't done much of the reading, but I'm having fun assigning books to the tasks.

Mimi wrote: "Is the book equally confusing? :-) "

I think it's about equally confusing. The movie intersperses the stories between each other, whereas the book tells half of the first story, then half of the second story and so on up until the whole of the post apocalyptic Hawaii story, then it tells the other half of each story (kind of like reading an onion). Mitchell also uses very different styles and voices for each section, so it would count as a gimmicky book too, I think.

I really like all the different voices, especially in Somni's story. But I think it's like marmite -- you either like it or you don't.

Meredith wrote: "I'm back. I'm having trouble with the just a touch task. Read a book that uses multiple formats or gimmicks in which to tell it's story.

Thanks."

I've picked up a copy of Illuminae and it is made up of images and documents and lists and things. Haven't read it yet.

House of Leaves wasn't my thing, but I know plenty of people who love it. It uses lots of gimmicks and playing with text.

I also have a copy of Ship of Theseus, which looks amazing but gimmicky. I want to read it when I have the time to devote to understanding it.

I need help again with "Pop Song 89" - read a book that is about another book. The closest I can get is a list of books about books. Thanks in advance.

Meredith wrote: "I need help again with "Pop Song 89" - read a book that is about another book. The closest I can get is a list of books about books. Thanks in advance."

The Neverending Story
At Swim Two Birds by Flan O'Brien
Fool by Christopher Moore
Pale Fire by Nabokov

Meredith wrote: "I need help again with "Pop Song 89" - read a book that is about another book. The closest I can get is a list of books about books. Thanks in advance."

Also, I believe M Clifford's The Book would work in this instance as well, since it's all about the influence of The Catcher in the Rye

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7...

It was an amazing read, btw, for anyone who wasn't here on TNBBC when I went gaga over it : )