2012 idea list

[JeffKamin]

Here's some of the ones on my idea list:

The Paris Wife
Shock Value
Ready Player One
Supergods
Rules of Civility
Turn of Mind
Night Circus
Just Kids
Tiger's Wife
Vaclav & Lena
Swamplandia
The Tourist
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
Just Kids
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian
F. Scott Fitzclassic

[JeffKamin]

Skippy Dies
The Art of Fielding
The Shallows
Mink River
Lush Life

[heideland]

Suggested non-fiction: My Life in Orange by Tim Guest

Heidi

[Sassafrass]

Blindness by Saramago. I think it has huge discussion potential.

[JeffKamin]

Keep 'em coming. I add them to my wish list. Thanks.

[MHerman39]

I recently finished "The Solitude of Prime Numbers", a European bestseller, and I think the B&B crowd would enjoy picking it apart.

*spoiler alert*
In particular, both of the main characters are static characters. I'd like to see discussion which would come out of whether or not characters should be dynamic, should "learn something" over the course of a book.

[heideland]

- Heat, Bill Buford (that food, kitchen, chefs, cooking angle you said you were looking for)
- A Marriage Plot, Jeffrey Eugenides (or Middlesex if you want something less current)
- Safe from the Sea, Peter Geye (MN author! father-son relationships, aging parents)

- heideland (aka Heidi)

[susannah]

I would love to hear the Books and Bars crowd discuss Swamplandia, The Tiger's Wife and The Family Fang.

[JeffKamin]

Just Kids by Patti Smith for January. National Book Award Winner. Non-Fiction. Music. Art. 60s-80s. I'm leaning towards these others for Feb-Mar-Apr-May.
Swamplandia! - Karen Russell
The Tiger's Wife - Tea Obrecht
The Paris Wife - Paula McLain
Feed - M.T. Anderson
Classics - Catch 22? Dickens? What's anniversary related or big revivals for some reason in the classic world?
Ideally we do one YA, one classic, and a few non-fiction a year in addition to our wheelhouse of new lit. fiction.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - Helen Simonson
Surrendered - Chang Rae Lee
Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
Supergods - Grant Morrison
Turn of Mind - Alice LaPlante
Art of Fielding - Chad Harbach
Shock Value - Jason Zinoman
Reality is Broken - Jane McGonigal
Rules of Civility - Amor Towles
Sleepwalk with Me - Mike Birbiglia
Sacre Bleu - Christopher Moore
China Melville something - The City, the City?
Skippy Dies - Paul Murray
Deep Creek - Dana Hand
The Illumination - Kevin Brockheimer
You Deserve Nothing - Alexander Maksik
The Passage - Justin Cronin

[BookManiac]

jefe - of all the tomes on your new list, I have only read Major Pettigrew - I reviewed it for BookPage. It is wonderful! I think there is a ton of stuff to talk about in that one - from urban sprawl to generation gap, from late blooming love to what's really important in life. I love him, he is a great character. He learns a lot, too.
Otherwise, I loved the Paris Wife, thought that was very well done.
But I have to plug my new great favorite - Among Others by Jo Walton.
Called Alternative Fiction - part fantasy, part coming of age (aren't they all?) but very good story, PLUS it comes with a great reading list! A book club is an integral part of the plot...!
Favorite quote: "If you love books enough, books will love you back."
I won't give away the ending, but let's just say our heroine (dark little imp, would give goths a run for their money but strangely vulnerable) is literally saved by books.
We like that, don't we?
_________________
Oh, and I like books.

[BookManiac]

oh, and I recommended Safe from the Sea by Peter Geye last spring - very well done, great guy, local author - bet he would come!
_________________
Oh, and I like books.

[JeffKamin]

http://www.goodreads.com/award/choice/2011#56067-Best-Fiction

A few on here to consider

[ashleykrohn]

I second "Skippy Dies" even though it is long. One of my friends from Boston suggested it, saying it really affected him in a good way. He also suggested "The Art of Fielding" by Paul Murray. Amazon suggests those 2 together along with "The Marriage Plot" by Jeffrey Eugenides so any of those really.

I'm hesitant to suggest The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde even though I really enjoyed it and it was a quick read but I just don't know if it's right for Books and Bars. Lots of book/literary references and humor.

[JeffKamin]

Happy New Year - 2012 Possibilities - or what how I learned to stop worrying and pick the books I think would be best for Books & Bars.

These are just my latest favorite ideas. Your comments welcome.

March – Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
April – The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips
May – The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obrecht
June – Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
July – Ready Player One by Ernest Cline or
Possible author visit from Dylan Hicks for Boarded Windows from Coffee House Press
August – Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante

Sept – Stone Arabia by Dana Spiottia or When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
Oct – The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan /The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
Nov – The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
Dec – The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain / Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson
Jan – The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern / Mr Fox by Helen Oyeyemi
Feb – When She Woke or a classic again finally
Blindness by Saramago

I think Skippy Dies might be too long for the monthly format.

[Andrew]

I like. The Feb-July lineup looks great. Beyond that, aside from the Marriage Plot, I'm not familiar with many of the titles and don't have strong preferences either way--but the choices look good.

Hadn't heard of The Tragedy of Arthur until it showed up on this list, but it sounds amazing. A literary mystery containing an entire five-act Shakespearean play? Count me in.