2010-2011 Nominations
As with last year we’re taking nominations for what should be on our reading list for the upcoming terms. Just put your nominations in the comments below (or if you’re more comfortable, email them to me directly. I’ll be automatically including stuff that was mentioned for this summer. I’ll put a poll up with our possible selections in a couple of weeks. Also, we’ve decided to include poetry this year so nominate away!
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Let’s get some Brits on here, eh? I vote Nick Hornby (A Long Way Down, Fever Pitch, or his newest, Juliet, Naked); Jeanette Winterson (Sexing the Cherry, Art and Lies, or her new one, which would keep up our post-apocalypse theme, The Stone Gods); or another Ishiguro, particularly his newest, the one with the forthcoming movie adaptation, Never Let Me Go.
Conversely (or as well), there’s been a bit of discussion on FB about the fawning over Franzen and the usefulness/sexism of the term “Great American Novelist.” It might be interesting to read some Jodi Picoult or Jennifer Weiner, who jumped into the fray complaining about being under-respected.
Sarah
September 3, 2010 at 6:41 pm
A couple of novels written by women I’d like to throw into the mix are Olive Kittredge by Elizabeth Strout and We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates.
Two by men I’d be interested in reading with you all are Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer and The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. JSF’s wife, Nicole Krauss, is also a great writer (apparently introduced by someone who knew both their writing and thought their work so similar they just had to meet). Though I’ve already read it, I would love to re-read The History of Love (by Krauss). So lovely. She has written at least one more that I have not read, called Man Walks Into a Room. She also has a new one due out in October called Great House, Amazon tells me.
Katie
September 3, 2010 at 9:14 pm
I’m not really too interested in re-reading White Tiger after all, maybe replace that with The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, which I actually am extremely interested in reading.
Katie
September 3, 2010 at 9:22 pm
I read an early Krauss novel that she co-wrote with another woman but haven’t read any of her solo stuff. I’d second the motion to read something by her.
Sarah
September 4, 2010 at 12:08 am
I am going to reread Octavia Butler’s Kindred soon, so will toss that out if anyone is interested.
Golding’s Lord of the Flies was advocated in our last meeting. I’d love to do that.
I’d like to do at least one novel continuing the dystopian theme of our past (LotF isn’t really dystopian in my book). I mentioned Zamiatin’s WE before, but it’s a bit early (1922) and I’m hoping the modernism group does it, so I’ll forgo that as a suggestion here. I think either The Wanting Seed or A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess would be a good choice. If someone seconds either of those, please feel free to drop the other one from the final calculations, Nick.
I’d also like to read something by Beckett, but the novels are probably a no-go for actually getting people to work through them during the school year. I’m thinking it might be interesting to read one or 2 or 3 short plays and then watch the filmed version(s) (of 5-15 minutes usually) at a meeting. This would keep the load light and would work well for a term-end meeting. I’ve got a few in mind (Play, Act without Words, Catastrophe), but would be happy with most anything. You can see the list of those on film here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beckett_on_Film
Last, Paolo Bacigalupi’s The WIndup Girl just co-won the Hugo for best science fiction novel. He’s a major rising star in the field and will likely be read outside of SF circles in the near future (and probably taught in courses focusing on environment/globalization). I’d like to do 2 short stories that could be chosen by some consensus (I’ll just pick 2 if no one has suggestions and this is of interest to others).
TL;DR:
Octavia Butler – Kindred
William Golding – Lord of the Flies
Anthony Burgess – A Clockwork Orange OR The Wanting Seed
Samuel Beckett – Short Plays
Paolo Bacigalupi – Short story selections (TBD)
shane
September 10, 2010 at 4:55 am
Drop the Burgess and add Zamyatin’s We instead please!
shane
September 20, 2010 at 8:39 pm
Here are the selections that didn’t make the cut this summer:
Ooku by Fumi Yoshinaga
The Passion of New Eve
The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman
Everything is Illuminated
The Pillowman
Nick
September 16, 2010 at 5:48 pm
One more:
Reflections in a Golden Eye
Nick
September 16, 2010 at 5:51 pm
So I wasn’t here last year–was a dystopian theme declared or just sort of developed as you went along? I had noticed, but didn’t realize it was an acknowledged thing. Are you planning on continuing that this year? Sorry I had to leave the last meeting early. I had an appointment that couldn’t be rescheduled.
Based on suggestions so far, my preferred combination of influences would be to read a Nicole Krauss novel, the new Hornby, stories by Bacigalupi, either plays by Beckett or The Pillowman, and Never Let Me Go. Also I think Winterson would be fun. How many are we trying to choose?
Katie
September 16, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Katie – the dystopian theme just developed out of common interests and need not be continued (though I would like to, obviously). We did Oryx and Crake, Brave New World, Watchmen, The Year of the Flood, Fahrenheit 451, and Cat’s Cradle, all of which fit to some degree.
shane
September 16, 2010 at 10:42 pm
I’d kind of like to read “Letters to Wendy’s” with some smart people. I’d also be curious to hear whether you guys thought is dystopic in any way. It’s “poetry” to some, “flash fiction” to others, and might be a good way to get some post-45 genre questions on the table, too.
Maggie
September 17, 2010 at 5:49 pm
thought it*
Maggie
September 17, 2010 at 5:50 pm
Plays:
The Pillowman (Martin McDonagh)
Blasted (Sarah Kane)
(Both of these are semi-dystopian, by the way.)
August: Osage Country (Tracy Letts)
I love the idea of Beckett, too; any Beckett suits me. Perhaps pairing Beckett and Artaud for extra weirdness?
Novels:
The Abstinence Teacher (Tom Perrotta)
Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys)
Short Stories:
Selections from Shirley Jackson (besides or including “The Lottery”)
Selections from Graham Greene
Selections from Jamaica Kincaid
Graphic Novels:
Shutter Island (adaptation, but still)
Taylor
September 17, 2010 at 6:04 pm
I’d sign up for Letters to Wendy’s.
Nick is there anything in particular that you’re wanting to read?
How are we going to narrow these down?
xo
Katie
September 17, 2010 at 6:24 pm
Considering that 2/3 of the summer reading selections were my picks, I don’t have much to add to the list. I’ll toss Joan Didion out there since I’d like to read more of her stuff (though I don’t have a good title in mind for a selection). I’d also be interested in doing E.L. Doctorow’s Book of Daniel.
As for narrowing it down, I suggest that we do a poll where everyone gets 5 votes and then go with the top 7. This will leave two slots open for the year that we can fill in later. This would allow any new members to get to nominate/vote for something during the year and it’d also allow us to respond to the “next big thing” should it rear it’s ponderous head during the year.
Nick
September 17, 2010 at 6:42 pm
*its (stoopid apostrophe).
Nick
September 17, 2010 at 9:30 pm
*Shakes his ponderous head*
Nick
September 17, 2010 at 9:31 pm
My suggestions are going to be feminist science fiction since I have a breadth exam on the subject next year, and this would help me gear up for that:
* Octavia Butler – Kindred (I’m with Shane on that) or Dawn (first of the Lilith’s Brood trilogy)
* Ursula K. LeGuin – Left Hand of Darkness
* Margaret Atwood – A Handmaid’s Tale
* Joanna Russ – The Female Man
* Marge Piercy – Woman on the Edge of Time
I’d also take Angela Carter or Jeanette Winterson
Jenée Wilde
September 17, 2010 at 7:28 pm
I want to toss one more selection into the mix:
The Programme Era: Postwar Fiction and the Rise of Creative Writing by Mark McGurl.
I think Katie mentioned this one ages ago and it fell off my radar. This would be criticism as opposed to lit, but I think it makes an intriguing study. It’s likely too long to do in its entirety, but maybe we could do a chapter or two if it gets selected. I’m posting a review of it (which points out a number of limitations) as its own entry on the blog.
Nick
September 19, 2010 at 7:45 pm
If the group doesn’t want to read this one, Nick–you and I should do it anyway (in the winter…after I’m past orals).
Katie
September 19, 2010 at 10:37 pm
Note: The modernism group is doing Beckett but they’re not doing “WE.” If other Post-45ers are flexible, I would strongly second the motion to read We (or at least throw it into the voting pool). I’ll also second Wide Sargasso Sea.
Sarah
September 20, 2010 at 3:34 pm
yeah, sigh, let’s add WE.
shane
September 20, 2010 at 8:37 pm