Fussy is good. How else to narrow down the list?
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Yes, fussy makes the process so much easier!
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
There, There by Tommy Orange
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
OR a memoir (non-fiction, but @CBBBlinker, I donāt think any of them are too depressing):
These Precious Days: Essays by Ann Patchett
Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas
Dreaming in Hindi: Coming Awake in Another Language by Katherine Russell Rich
Any more? Donāt hold back, veto-ers ā the list is still too long for voting.
Iāve already read āThere, Thereā ā so while not a complete veto, it does put the book lower on my list.
Iād put āThe Dutch Houseā as a 1st choice.
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Havenāt read any of the selections,
always appreciate feedback from those of you who have read them,
and can help guide us with decision.
Iāll veto the Anne Pratchett essays. Iād rather read one of her novels (which I havenāt yet).
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My vote is for Dutch House as it is the easiest for me to get.
I forgot to add any explanation for my veto of The Book of Longings. One of my book clubs chose it earlier this year. Reactions ranged from a few strong thumbs up to an equal number of strong thumbs down with a goodly number of āmehā overall. Most considered it a disappointment, more on the miss side of hit and miss. I didnāt read it due to personal time constraints and the fact that Iām not a Sue Monk Kidd fangirl.
@CBBBlinker: Youāll have to let us know how it goes with your book club readers. Iām glad you really like it; nothing worse than sticking with a book you donāt. Iām currently reading a 500 page book for one of my book clubs: good reviews, excellent writing but Iām having the hardest time picking it back up after stopping to do or, if Iām honest, read something else. Iām interested to find out what others in my book club think of it. I know one of the men already said he started it, decided it wasnāt for him, and quit reading. (Book: The Other Bennett Sister)
@ignatius Thanks for the explanation. The schedule for reading āThe Book of Longingsā was to finish by Dec. 9. ClearlyIām a few days behind. I havenāt checked the end-of-book discussion to see if people generally liked it or not; Iāll wait until I finish. I can see why some people may not like the book ā it can mess with your perception of the story of Jesus in the Bible. I do believe watching the Q & A with Sue Monk Kidd is making me like the book more.
Adjusted for two more vetoes: Took off There, There (only a borderline veto, but that was sufficient because of the need to trim) and the Patchett essays:
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
OR a memoir:
Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas
Dreaming in Hindi: Coming Awake in Another Language by Katherine Russell Rich
@ignatius, @CBBBlinker, @silverlady, Iām also good with The Dutch Houseāitās on my shelf and I havenāt read it. Just want to be sure it isnāt on anybodyās veto list before it ends up in our finalist group.
I read The Dutch House and enjoyed it. Not sure I want to read it again, but several of you seem eager to, so itās OK to keep it on the list as far as Iām concerned.
Iām still holding out hope for Cloud Cuckoo Land.
I just took a quick look at Malibu Rising, The Dutch House, and Cloud Cuckoo Land. I liked the look of the first and would be game to give the third a try. The other books donāt much interest me. But Iām a lightweight reader so donāt give me much leverage!
Three titles keep rising to the top (with nary a mention for the others), so letās vote on these:
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
I havenāt read them and would be perfectly happy with any of the above. Iāve read other books by all three authors and Iām pretty sure we canāt go wrong no matter which one is selected.
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
These are the ones that most interest me. (Iām interested in the two memoirs, and will get around to them eventually I hope, but I donāt need to read them as part of the CC bookclub.)
@mathmom, my apologies, I posted before I saw your choices. That means there are four finalists:
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois by HonorƩe Fanonne Jeffers
Top 2 choices: The Dutch House and The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois
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Iām good with any of the above.
My preferred order:
Cloud Cuckoo Land
Malibu Rising
The Dutch House
The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois
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My preferred order:
The Dutch House
Cloud Cuckoo Land
Malibu Rising
The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois
This is because of the availability of the books at my library. The Dutch House is the oldest. I would love to read the others later when my library gets them or they become cheaper on E-Bay.
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Didnāt. Do much research so flexible if someone prefers something else, Iām fine with selection.
But thinking this right now, And it flips back and forth
Malibu Rising
The Dutch house
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I donāt know what order, but Iām fine with all of them. Malibu Rising at the bottom of my list.