Link to the survey for 2017-2018

Here is the link to the survey of our books and discussions for this past year:    https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6Q76Y2Q

The Buried Giant, Kazuo Ishiguro - September 24, 2018

We'll meet at Julie's house on September 24 to discuss The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro (who also wrote Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go that we read in earlier years).

Supplemental materials:

• Discussion questions from publisher  
• Television interview (2017) of Kazuo Ighiguro interviewed by a man who must remain nameless but who conducted good interviews, after publication of The Buried Giant
• Television interview, (1995) - same interviewer who shall not be named
• Radio interview (2017) - Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
• Interview, Electric Lit (March 27, 2015)
• Telegraph author profile (October 5, 2017)
• Conversation between Neil Gaiman and Kazuo Ishiguro on the topic of genres, NewStatesman (June 4, 2015)
• Review of The Buried Giant, the Atlantic, March 2015
• Review of The Buried Giant, the New Yorker, March 23, 2015
• Review of The Buried Giant, Washington Post, February 24, 2015

2018 Man Booker Prize Short List

The 2018 Man Booker Prize Short List is out. MPR's The Thread gives short blurbs about each book here.

Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi - August 27, 2018

We'll meet at Connie's house to discuss Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi.

Supplemental materials:

• Publisher's discussion questions
• Washington Post review
• New Yorker review
• NPR review
• Interview with author, NPR Weekend Edition
• Interview with author, The Guardian

As always, if you come across interesting supplemental materials, please send them to me and I will add them to this post.

Difficult Women, Roxane Gay - July 23, 2018

We're meeting July 23 at Karen's to discuss Difficult Women by Roxane Gay.

Supplemental materials:

• Review, The Journal, 
• Review, The Washington Post, January 3, 2017
• Review, The New York Times, January 3, 2017 
• Roxane Gay's website
• Roxane Gay's work published by The Guardian
• Interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air (somewhat focused on Gay's memoir Hunger)
• Interview,  Aukland Writers Festival, Look, Listen & Learn podcast, 2017
• Interview, Kerry Miller, The Thread Book Hour, April 7, 2018

As always, let me know if you come across supplemental materials, so I can add them to the list!

East of Eden, John Steinbeck - June 25, 2018

We'll meet June 25 at Kathy's house to discuss East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

Supplemental materials:

• Short biography of Steinbeck. (Includes notes about his political views.)
• Discussion questions
• "East of Eden: Steinbeck's Proclamation of Human Greatness," David Stewart McCright, Master's Thesis, Iowa State, 1990
• "Inseparability of Good and Evil as a Challenge in John Steinbeck's East of Eden," Eva Kralova, University Review, Vol 7, No. 13 (2013), Alexander Dubcek University of Trencin, Slovak Republic.
• "Cathy Trask, Monstrosity, and Gender-Based Fears in John Steinbeck's East of Eden," Claire Warnick, Master's Thesis, Brigham Young University, 2014
• A Thematic Analysis, Owlcation - short analysis of themes of human nature, choice, change, strength/weakness
• "The Writer Who Said What Hemingway Couldn't," Jackson J. Benson, Los Angeles Times, April 9, 1989.  Interesting discussion of how storytelling style limits the types of stories that can be told.
• "Steinbeck Catches Critical Hell," Oprah.com
• "John Steinbeck: Should he be afraid of Oprah?" Chris Suellentrop, Slate, June 26, 2003
• "Steinbeck in the Schools: East of Eden," San Jose State University, website. (Visit all the sublinks: Setting, Character Census and Descriptions, Plot Synopsis, Critical Reception.

As always, let me know if you come across anything you find useful and I'll add it to this list.  And check back for more later.

The Turner House, Angela Fournoy - May 21, 2018

We met at Ruth's house to discuss The Turner House, by Angela Fournoy.

Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance - April 23, 2018

We'll meet April 23 at Katherine's house to discuss Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance.

Check back for supplemental materials.

The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead - March 26, 2018

We met March 26 at Connie's to discuss The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead.

Citizen: An American Lyric, Claudia Rankine - February 26, 2018

We met February 26 at Kathy's house to discuss Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine.

The Testament of Mary, Tolm Coibin - January 29, 2018

We met January 29 at Julie's house to discuss The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin.

Finding a book when you can't remember the title

This webpage on the New York Library site gives great tips for how to find a book when you're forgotten its title and author.

Etta and Otto and Russell and James, Emma Hooper - January 8, 2018

We'll meet at Kerry's house on January 8, 2018 to discuss Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper.

Supplemental materials:

• Simon and Schuster's Reading Group Guide
• Interview with Emma Hooper, The Bookseller.com:   “I’ve got an obsessive nature when it comes to the rhythm of the words and I’ll have sentences that are perfectly grammatically correct, but it has to have just the right amount of syllables.”
• Interview with Emma Hooper, American Booksellers Assn.
• Review, The Guardian
• Mini review, New York Times
• Review, Chicago Tribune
• Recommendation, Nancy Pearl
• Review, The Irish Times

As always, let me know if you come across interesting materials, and I'll add them here.

November 27, 2017 - The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson

We'll meet November 27 at Kathy's house to discuss The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.

As always, let me know if you come across good supplemental materials and I'll add them here.  Check back later for more supplemental materials.

Supplemental materials (most of which contain SPOILERS):

• Discussion questions from The Gothic Novel Book Club on Goodreads
• Article about new Netflix series based on HoHH, starring Timothy Hutton
• Author Laura Miller's blog post about HoHH with analysis and description of some context for how HoHH is like and not like other ghost stories).
• A blog post from a book club that read HoHH and DID. IT. UP.  Costumes and everything.
• "The Case for Shirley Jackson," New York Times, Charles McGrath, Sept. 30, 2016
• "Shirley Jackson:  A Rather Haunted Life," Washington Post, Elaine Showalter, Sept. 22, 2016

Slate for 2017-2018 and tonight's pitches

November 27:  The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson - at Kathy's house. Start at 6:00.

January 8:  Etta and Otto and Russell and James, Emma Hooper

January 29 (5th Monday):  The Testament of Mary, Colm Toibin

February 26:  Citizen: An American Lyric, Claudia Rankine

March 26:  The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead

April 23:  Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis, J.D. Vance

May 21 (3rd Monday):  The Turner House, Angela Flouroy

June 25:  East of Eden, John Steinbeck

July 23:  Difficult Women, Roxane Gay

August 27:  Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi

September 24:  The Buried Giant, Kazuo Ishiguro

October 22:  BOOK PICKING NIGHT!!!!

Here are our pitches (with votes in parens) from tonight!

Classic Slot (First round classic/Tie-breaking vote classic/General vote)
East of Eden, John Steinbeck - Katherine (34/uncounted)
The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson - Steph (34/uncounted/39)
1984, George Orwell - Kerry (32/not in the voting/6)

General 
Shantarum, Gregory David Roberts - Karen (12)
The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead - Connie (36)
Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi - Suzanne (34)
Hillbilly Elegy, J.D. Vance - Julie (22)
Citizen: An American Lyric, Claudia Rankine - Kerry (28)
Etta and Otto and Russell and James, Emma Hooper - Susan (31)
The Testament of Mary, Tolm Coibin - Steph (36)
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Book Store, Robin Sloane - Suzanne (9)
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, Alison Bechdel - Katherine (9)
The Buried Giant, Kazuo Ishiguro - Julie (46)
The Turner House, Angela Flouroy - Susan (22)
The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen - Steph (6 + handful uncounted)
Difficult Women, Roxane Gay - Katherine (31)
Fortune Smiles, Adam Johnson - Julie (16)
My Name is Lucy Barton, Elizabeth Strout - Susan (5)