Favourite Books Options

[IdlersDream]

Well since this is the book club, shouldn't it have something to do with books in it?

Here you can discuss your favourite reads and suggest to other people your favourite books!

[Lindstrom]

I don't read often, so I probably would seem dumber than most of you. All I can recommend really are Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) and A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (Dave Eggers). They don't have wizards or anything, they're both sort of R-rated too, a fair amount of sex, people dying, and swear words.

Catch-22 is about coping with madness and the eternal struggle to beat a twisted system, set on an island near Italy during WWII. The catch itself is that to get out of the war, you have to go to a doctor and have them declare you insane, but the logic is that an insane person would not suspect themselves of being insane. Therefore, if you request the diagnosis, you're sane, so nobody can be classified as insane and sent home, even if they genuinely (as many of the characters are) insane. Of course, wanting to be killed in war is also insane, so main character, a bombardier, is at a loss in what seems to be an endless war. The style, plot, and thought-provoking logic make this a powerful book.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is a mostly autobiographical piece (a few scenes are altered by the author's memory or just made slightly more interesting) about a guy right out of college, who loses both of his parents to cancer within a month. Not sure what to do, he moves to California with his little brother and starts up a magazine company, as he raises his brother and tries to succeed/enjoy himself/maybe have a successful long-term relationship. The style in which it's written is what makes it truly excellent, written in a train of thought or almost spoken out loud. It's probably not the greatest book in the world, but it's really hard to put down.