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Thank you both for the links. I think I have to find a new search engine! I get too many deadends with Google and MSN search - even ASK.com, which has been recommended by many.
These sites are now among my other BOOK bookmarks and will come in quite handy. Thank you.
Ontheroad, I am very familiar with the Upper Delaware Valley. We lived there ourselves for several years and I was born and raised about 75 mi. west in north central PA. It is a very interesting area and I must admit I miss it for many reasons.
This thread was a wonderful idea, OTR. We will try to stay on topic.
Last edited by gemkeeper; 03-11-2008 at 04:01 PM..
Reason: Added one of my two thoughts!!
OTR, I see your schedule for the group discussions. Question: Are these discussions concurrent, or is one book discussed for a certain length of time, and then the next one (on the list) following that? If the latter, is the order as listed?
I received an email from the book dealer across "the pond" regarding shipment of The Wall which I ordered the other day. Expected delivery date, MAY 15th! A little slower than I expected, to say the least. I don't know why it should take that long.
Since we are sharing book locators, this is one of my favorites:
I know that AbeBooks is not a popular site among book sellers, for various reasons which I won't go into (don't want to start THAT topic up again! ), but I've had very good luck finding all types of books through their service.
That's a long time to cross the pond, furyu. I order frequently from GB (still have some ties there) and generally it is never more than a fortnight.
You might think about cancelling and checking with gemkeeper (by DM) who seems to have ordered some back up copies of this book.
We don't have a schedule in place, yet, for all the books, and in fact, have only officially listed The Kite Runner for March 25.
katzenfreund can do a group reading of The Wall before or after her holidays, and as this was the more difficult to obtain, it may be postponed until her return (katzenfreund, agree?)
I was hoping to have a concurrent discussion of The Wall and The Road, but it is just wishful thinking on my part. Having nearly finished The Wall I see some strong similarities and thought a compare and contrast might be in order (the ole professor in me must sleep )
But, no one will be left behind, in the literal sense, and I'll trust that discussions may take as much as 2 weeks each, and if we rally round the four selections, we should have a book a month.
I went on the AbeBooks website, OTR, and see that the arrival date is between 14 and 45 days, so maybe her email was just stating the worse case scenario. I've ordered from overseas before too, not often, but on occasion and it seems the packages arrive within a couple, maybe three, weeks. I live in a rural town where sometimes it takes a week to get a letter from California... across the border. Snail-mail indeed.
It is true that The Wall and The Road share a similar theme, post-apocalyptic survival. It would be very interesting to compare and contrast them, given that similarity and also their dissimilarities (perspective of authors given the span of years between the two writings, etc.). That could be done anyway, even if not concurrently. The Road could be read/discussed first followed by The Wall. Maybe that would work for everyone?
Sounds like you've read ALL these books already. I have approximately two hours in the evening for pleasure reading, and given my 'close-reading' style, I seldom finish a book in less than a dozen sittings.
With the exception of The Wall, which I am now reading, I have read all the books we are talking about discussing.
I had a very unusual opportunity this past Spring and Summer--total isolation, immersion into self and literature. I had no radio, no internet, and was as rural as I wanted to be inasmuch as one quick blink and I could be in a wonderful small, but well appointed Vermont town. Between the farm and the town was a small but most accommodating library. They ordered and provided me with any and all the books I needed to nurture my quietude and solitude.
During that time I read probably one book a day or perhaps one in two days.
But, generally, regardless of my lifestyle, I have been a concentrated and rapid reader--except when I get distracted by life--mine and others.
I wouldn't mind leading a discussion on The Road early, and in fact I would like to do it soon. I just don't have a sense of who has and who hasn't read it...yet!
That's a long time to cross the pond, furyu. I order frequently from GB (still have some ties there) and generally it is never more than a fortnight.
You might think about cancelling and checking with gemkeeper (by DM) who seems to have ordered some back up copies of this book.
We don't have a schedule in place, yet, for all the books, and in fact, have only officially listed The Kite Runner for March 25.
katzenfreund can do a group reading of The Wall before or after her holidays, and as this was the more difficult to obtain, it may be postponed until her return (katzenfreund, agree?)
I was hoping to have a concurrent discussion of The Wall and The Road, but it is just wishful thinking on my part. Having nearly finished The Wall I see some strong similarities and thought a compare and contrast might be in order (the ole professor in me must sleep )
But, no one will be left behind, in the literal sense, and I'll trust that discussions may take as much as 2 weeks each, and if we rally round the four selections, we should have a book a month.
Opinions? Thoughts?
I am going to Germany for 4 weeks the end of April throught the end of May, so shall we do it right after I come back? That gives us a little over 2 months and everyone should be able to read it by then.
Interesting OTR that you see some strong similarities between the Wall and the Road! It would be fun to compare the two! I will have to order that one from the library, also.
Just got Love Medicine in the mail today, another one for my ever growing stack of books!
__________________
The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. ~Henry David Thoreau
Ontheroad - I like the proposed schedule. I do need to get Suite Francaise first, in addition to the other books, but I don't see the schedule as too pressing. Thank you for setting this up.
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), but I've had very good luck finding all types of books through their service.
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