Next three books

At our last discussion, we randomly selected three people to choose books and picked the following three books:

Wednesday, October 29: The Clan Of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel. Amazon description: Although this story takes place roughly 35,000 years ago, its cast of characters could easily slide into any modern tale. The members of the Neanderthal clan, ruled by traditions and taboos, find themselves challenged by Ayla, who represents the physically modern Cro-Magnons. And as Ayla begins to grow and mature, her natural tendencies emerge, putting her in the middle of a brutal and dangerous power struggle. This first in the series of four is a wonderful story of survival. Ayla's personal evolution is a compelling and relevant tale.

Thursday, December 4: Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy by Jostein Gaarder. Amazon description: Wanting to understand the most fundamental questions of the universe isn't the province of ivory-tower intellectuals alone, as this book's enormous popularity has demonstrated. A young girl, Sophie, becomes embroiled in a discussion of philosophy with a faceless correspondent. At the same time, she must unravel a mystery involving another young girl, Hilde, by using everything she's learning. The truth is far more complicated than she could ever have imagined.

Wednesday, January 28: The Year Of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs. Amazon description: Make no mistake: A.J. Jacobs is not a religious man. He describes himself as Jewish "in the same way the Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant." Yet his latest work is an insightful and hilarious journey for readers of all faiths. Though no fatted calves were harmed in the making of this book, Jacobs chronicles 12 months living a remarkably strict Biblical life full of charity, chastity, and facial hair as impressive as anything found in The Lord of the Rings. Through it all, he manages to brilliantly keep things light, while avoiding the sinful eye of judgment.

A night of Devils and the White City (and some wine and cheese!)

Sorry for the long time between posts. Our discussion this past August about Erik Larson's The Devil And The White City was fantastic. The book is a fascinating window into a period of history -- the end of the 19th century -- launched by the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

Many of us felt that we didn't learn as much about the vaunted architect of the fair, Daniel Burnham, as we did about the devil lurking at the edges of the fair, luring victims to horrific deaths, Dr. H. H. Holmes. Larson, in his copious notes, let the reader know that he created and dramatized many of the thoughts that Holmes and his victims may have had based on notes from the time period as well as psychological theories of psychopaths. Is this purely a work of nonfiction if there are large pieces of dramatization inserted to fill in the gaps in the historical record? What are your thoughts? If you have any additional thoughts about the book, comment away.

Next up: Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (Wednesday, September 17).