spoko’s Comments (group member since Mar 05, 2021)

spoko’s comments from the EVERYONE Has Read This but Me - The Catch-Up Book Club group.

I second Pachinko.

I second Far from the Madding Crowd.

I second David Copperfield.

I nominate The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (291 p., pub. 2003).

And I second My Brilliant Friend.

If you’re through the sections scheduled for June:

⟡ Did Pierre’s exploration of Freemasonry resonate with you?
⟡ Did you find Tolstoy’s philosophical passages engaging, or distracting?
⟡ Why do you suppose Platon had such a profound impact on Pierre?
⟡ As we approach the end of the novel, what lingering questions do you have about the characters and their fates?

This begins our group discussion of our Modern book selection, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, nominated by spoko.

This discussion will be full of SPOILERS.

Did you enjoy the book? What stood out to you? The novel is dominated by the narrator, Ryland Grace—what did you think of him? Did you enjoy him, find him funny, find him annoying? What questions were you left with after finishing the novel?

This begins our group discussion of our Classics book selection, The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde, nominated by Pony.

This discussion will be full of SPOILERS.

Did you enjoy the book? What stood out to you? How well do you think the novel balanced humor and suspense? What questions were you left with?

The Thursday Murder Club has been selected as the Catch-Up title for July 2024. Please feel free to continue with points from previous discussion, or bring up something new!

Do remember that this is the SPOILER thread, in case you would prefer to finish reading before proceeding here.

Quinty (Taylor’s Version) wrote: “there was so much going on yet it wasn’t resolved properly, yet it also felt like there was nothing going on at the same time if that makes sense”

It does make sense, to me. Because while there’s a lot going on, and it’s too much to hold in your brain, at the same time, the actual “stakes” on any individual thread are pretty low. Clearly everything’s going to converge at this particular ending, which makes it harder to care about any of it, truthfully.

Thanks everyone—nominations are now closed, and the polls are open! Help us pick the next Catch-Up read by casting your vote here.

Thanks everyone—nominations are now closed, and the polls are open! Help us pick the next Classic read by casting your vote here.

Thanks everyone—nominations are now closed, and the polls are open! Help us pick the next Modern read by casting your vote here.

Jan wrote: “It would definitely help to have a cast of characters and family trees with timelines.”

As I was reading, I kind of felt like the not-knowing was sort of the point—there are a lot of threaded narratives, and they’re supposed to braid together into the whole of the community. So fair enough, I thought. But by the end it was too much for me even to accept that.

Just finished the book, and was disappointed with the ending. It had gone pretty well until the last act, and then he just piled in so many complexities that I couldn’t keep them all straight. It definitely didn’t seem to need all that, and it made the ending pretty unsatisfying for me.

Up to that point I had been fine with the multiple threads and detailed narrative—it reminded me quite a bit of Deacon King Kong , which I liked. He seems to like drawing insular, finely textured worlds with a lot of interpersonal history, where past secrets inevitably come bubbling back up in the present. It’s a nice style; I just thought it got a bit out of hand here.

I second My Brilliant Friend.

I’ve nominated or seconded this one about a half-dozen times in the past couple of years. Glad to see it finally made the cut!

I’ve already jumped in, and I’m enjoying it. I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting the humor, but I’m loving that.

This begins our group discussion of our Classics book selection, 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, nominated by Renata.

This discussion will be full of SPOILERS.

Did you enjoy the book? What stood out to you? Clarke’s writing style is very sparse and straightforward, with minimal character descriptions or inner thoughts/emotions. How did this affect your reading experience and connection to the characters? Did you feel immersed in the story or disconnected from it? How did you find the book’s balance between technical scientific explanations and more philosophical, abstract concepts? What questions were you left with?

I nominate All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby (341 p., pub. 2023).

I second A Hero of Our Time and Madame Bovary.

If you’re through the sections scheduled for May:

⟡ How did the shift in perspective from the Rostov family to the Bolkonsky family impact your reading experience?
⟡ Are you seeing any parallels/reflections between the “war” sections of the book and the “peace”?
⟡ Which characters have surprised you? Which characters do you think are changing the most throughout the novel?