July 27, 2010

The Yiddish Policemen's Union, Michael Chabon: August 23

The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel (P.S.)We'll meet at Ruth's house.

Supplemental materials:
  • Chabon interviewed by Kerri Miller for Talking Volumes (2007) about YPU
  • Harper Collins Reading Group Guide
  • NYTimes review of YPU
  • Bio of Chabon from his agency, including links to all kinds of fabulous stuff, including articles and essays Chabon has written and interviews he's given.   
  • Wikipedia entry for Chabon, including this paragraph that I thought was interesting (emphasis added and footnotes omitted):
In a 2002 essay, Chabon decried the state of modern short fiction (including his own), saying that, with rare exceptions, it consisted solely of "the contemporary, quotidian, plotless, moment-of-truth revelatory story." In an apparent reaction against these "plotless [stories] sparkling with epiphanic dew", Chabon's post-2000 work has been marked by an increased interest in genre fiction and plot. While The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay was, like The Mysteries of Pittsburgh and Wonder Boys, an essentially realistic, contemporary novel (whose plot happened to revolve around comic-book superheroes), Chabon's subsequent works — such as The Final Solution, his dabbling with comic-book writing, and the "swashbuckling adventure" of Gentlemen of the Road — have been almost exclusively devoted to mixing aspects of genre and literary fiction. Perhaps the most notable example of this is The Yiddish Policemen's Union, which won five genre awards, including the Hugo award and Nebula award. Chabon seeks to "annihilate" not the genres themselves, but the bias against certain genres of fiction such as fantasy, science fiction and romance.
  • Definition of "noir":  2Of or relating to a genre of crime literature featuring tough, cynical characters and bleak settings.
  • Steph's blog post

June 29, 2010

An American Childhood, Annie Dillard: July 26

An American ChildhoodOur next book is An American Childhood by Annie Dillard.  We'll meet July 26 at TBD Gayle's.

Supplemental Materials

June 14, 2010

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, David Wroblewski: June 28

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel (P.S.)We'll meet at Julie's on June 28.

Supplemental Materials
Edgar Sawtelle: Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Trudy Sawtelle: Gertrude, Queen of Denmark and Hamlet's mother
Claude Sawtelle: Claudius, King of Denmark and Hamlet's paternal uncle
Gar Sawtelle: the late King Hamlet of Denmark and Hamlet's father
Doc Papineau: Polonius, Lord Chamberlain
Glen Papineau: Laertes, son of Polonius
Almondine: Ophelia, daughter of Polonius
Tinder and Baboo: I think they're wrong about this parallel, but they list courtiers Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern (who were spies for Claudius)
Forte: Fortinbras
Essay: Horatio
Updated 6/22/10 to add Chicago Tribune review and Today Show interview.
Updated 6/23/10 to add Wikipedia links for Hamlet characters and forum discussion on Forte.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Mohsin Hamid

by Mohsin Hamid The Reluctant Fundamentalist 1 edition

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Lisa See

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Small Island, Andrea Levy

Small Island: A Novel

A Canticle for Leibowitz, Walter Miller

We'll meet at Julie's house to discuss A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller.

The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell

The SparrowSupplemental materials:

The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (Vintage)Info about The Audacity of Hope or Barack Obama:

Fidelity and Wendell Berry

Fidelity: Five StoriesInfo about Fidelity and/or Wendell Berry:

Wicked, Gregory Maguire

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the WestReading group guides for Wicked and other materials: