2013 Book #5: S-c-a-n-d-a-l-!

[René]

So the last agreed-upon topic is: scandal.

Let's see your proposals for the next book on this theme! Will accept submissions until tuesday 13th August, then the doodle will go up for voting.

[Justin]

Ta, René!

[Jim]

I don't know if you like to read older books, but a classic scandal novel is Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

[Jane]

How about The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century, only because I want to read it... I know we can post only one, but if anyone's interested in The Monster of Florence or Zelda, I can recommend them....great scandals!

[Warwick]

Notes on a Scandal?

[René]

I'm going to propose Lady Chatterley's Lover, unexpurgated version (of course).

[Jane]

Hmmmm. Good choices. But I have seen the 3 movies & read 2... Ganit, what say you?

[Steve]

Hi, I just joined the club and if it's not too late I'd like to add a proposal: Phillip Roth's The Human Stain. Never found the time to read it, so...why not now?

Anyway, reading the elected book and joining you for your next open-mic reunion will be thrilling!

See you,
Steve

[René]

Welcome Steve,

Will add The Human Stain to the list. Looking forward to seeing you at the next book club. No open mic though, we can't (yet) afford a mic.

[Ganit]

I have so many things to finalize before my vacation (Kenya!!! here I come....finally!!!!) that I couldn't think about a book...

As Jane seems to be a great source of ideas, I give her my right of suggestion...so that she can propose 2 :)

[Jane]

Hi Ganit. You are so kind. But you should suggest something. It's nice to have different ideas. The P Roth proposal is interesting... But I have seen that movie too. (I see too many movies.... I am sure the books are better but it's so énervant to know what happens beforehand. ). Anyway, I await your suggestion. (Not everyone agrees with my book choices...)

[Alan]

Am not going to add one but will be happy to vote!

[Danbi]

Hello,

New member here! I don't have a book to recommend because I would love to read any of the ones that have already been suggested here. May I still vote?

Looking forward!

Best,
Danbi

[René]

@Danbi: yes you may vote, but you have to come to book club.

@Everyone: The doodle is up: http://www.doodle.com/cmapihu8ckmr868d

Reminder: each person can vote for up to two books. Will leave the doodle up until tuesday Sunday then announce the winner.

[René]

@Warwick, would you care to leave your vote? Not that it would change the result at this point because The Human Stain is ahead by 3 votes...but please, vote!

[Warwick]

Sorry just got back from holiday! Will have a look at it now.

[René]

Okelee, The Human Stain it is!

It's about 380 pages, round that to 400, say 50 pages a week or so, that should bring us to mid-september.

Here's the doodle for the choice of date. If nothing suits you, please say so and I'll add more dates if need be: http://www.doodle.com/h4da3ans7mi5ueth

[Jane]

Already started reading it. What a fantastic book--bulimic sentences and all! Thanks Steve.

[Danbi]

René, I marked my availability on the doodle, but just as a heads-up, I usually get off work at 8:15p, so I will be late.

[René]

OK, next book club is on Tuesday September 17th. Let's just tentatively say Apparemment Café, we'll realign if necessary. Hope you're all enjoying this book as much as I am!

[René]

TIL, there's a controversy surrounding the book. This article http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainme... states that Roth tried to get wikipedia to drop the assertion that the character Coleman Silk was based on real-life New York Times literary editor Anatole Broyard.

[Steve]

Hi everybody! About to start reading our controversial book, hope I'll enjoy it as much as some of you do. René, thanks for the link. Jane, please, don't blame me for your nascent bulimia! :-)

[René]

Book club is just 5 days away!

Show of hands: who's coming next Tuesday? I'll make the reservation at ol' Apparemment Café, I just need to know how many people are coming.

[Justin]

I'll be there... good organising, René!

[Jane]

Ok for me too.

[Steve]

I'm in! Are we just having a (few) drink(s) or dinner? Thanks for taking care of it.

[René]

@Steve it's as you wish. Some people come to club after having fed their children supper and though initially wanted to eat with the club, couldn't help but gorge themselves on pureed turnip/celery and just show up for drinks. Others order food. They have a system at the Café Apparemment where you can order from a smallish menu (regular dishes like duck confit) or compose your own salad by selecting items from a DIY salad menu. This option is wildly popular with book club for obvious reasons. You have a top menu with the cheeses and meats, then a middle menu with accessories, and a lower menu with the special stuff. Also, the page is blank on the back, so you can write cute little notes to the chef like "Help! I've been kidnapped by a cult passing itself off as book club. You can tell we're not a real book club because no one has spilled their wine or mentioned Derida."

[Alan]

I'm there!

[Ganit]

I will come although the chances that i will finish the book are quite low.
And I'm not sure I'll eat... Not a fun of the place's menu...I'll drink, that's sure :)

[Danbi]

Will be there!

[Viviane]

I will be there, late-ish as usual !

Viviane

[René]

Just a friendly reminder: book club is tomorrow! OK, not really a friendly reminder. More like a pushy, in-your-face, falsely cheerful reminder.

[Ganit]

Sorry but I don't think I will be able to make it this time :(

[Alan]

I'm still coming along despite my paucity of pages read :-)

[Jane]

Ok; quelle heure???

[René]

19h30 - but we'll let the stragglers arrive before we start, say 8-ish. Here's the address:

L'Apparemment Café
18 Rue des Coutures Saint-Gervais
75003 Paris

[Justin]

Alan, do a George Costanza and watch the film and then bluff all night!

[René]

I love how at the end of book club Alan lets us propose lame themes for the next book for a few minutes then, with raised eyebrows, "how about..." and blows the other suggestions away.

[Warwick]

Gah, I don't think I'll be there – am currently out of the country on a job, I had hoped to be back in France today but it doesn't look like it's going to happen. Boo.

[Jim]

I had hoped to join you this month, but unfortunately a course I'm teaching was rescheduled - merde!

I may be in Paris from the 26th - 30th (doing an R&R museum crawl with my wife), so if anyone is free for a drink or a meal, I'd like to meet a few of the group members.

BTW, Yale University has 3 lectures posted for The Human Stain as part of their online offerings. The second lecture is about censorship and its manifestation in the book.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbqL2...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3M_W...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBXK...

You'll likely find more erudite analysis here than in the Kostanza Method, LOL!!

[Sanj]

Wow, I may actually make the meeting tonight! Hopefully there will be room for me. I read the first few pages of the book, so...limited capacity for contribution.