Melinda in VT Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 My book club meets on Saturday, and it's my turn to pick the next book. I have lots of books on my own personal TBR pile, but none of them seem right for this. I need a book that will appeal to men and women and meets the following criteria: Can't be a self-help book Must have fewer than 400 pages Can't be a book I have read before Bonus points if it meets any of the following criteria: The setting lends itself to interesting food The book won an award (this really matters to a couple of our members) It's set in Ireland (we're heading there next month, and I'd love to combine my trip reading and my book club reading) Personally, I like books with plots that also have interesting ideas to discuss. My favorite book ever is The Sparrow (but since I've read it already, I can't pick it). Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 The Debt to Pleasure, by John Lanchester. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Pomegranate Soup? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggie96 Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Not sure about the length but maybe Angela's Ashes or The Gold Finch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 How about Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller. It fits almost all of your categories, but obviously takes place in Africa instead of Ireland (although the family is English and originally from Scotland...if that counts :) ). It's a fascinating story about the author, the daughter of white settlers in 1970s war-torn Rhodesia. (Amazon's description.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted June 20, 2014 Author Share Posted June 20, 2014 Not sure about the length but maybe Angela's Ashes or The Gold Finch? The Goldfinch is 775 pages. (It's on my personal TBR list though.) I've read Angela's Ashes. PSA when buying a book for a mom with newborn twins so she will have something to read while nursing for hours and hours, don't pick this one. Poor DH. He was trying to be nice and ended up with a wife who was a sobbing hormonal mess. Thanks for the suggestions though. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted June 20, 2014 Author Share Posted June 20, 2014 Pomegranate Soup? Ooh. I'm going to have to read this one even if I don't pick it for book group. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted June 20, 2014 Author Share Posted June 20, 2014 The Debt to Pleasure, by John Lanchester. This one is intriguing. I might save it for a year when we are going to France. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Something fun (perhaps a little more light-hearted since it's summer) is Cooking with Fernet Branca by James Hamilton-Paterson. It's smart & funny & was nominated for a Man-Booker prize in 2004. It's a send-up of the wish-you-were-here travel memoirs & foodie novels out there, told with a dry, British wit & some revolting recipes. Parts were laugh-out-loud funny. Something you may not have read yet: Ilustrado by Miguel Syjuco. (It was winner of the Man-Asia award in 2008.) You could eat Philippine food for the meeting. Fabulous book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocolate Rose Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Right now, I'm reading The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard C Morais. It's less than 400 pages and definitely lends itself to interesting food. I'm just starting it, so can't give an in depth review, but so far, I'm enjoying it. It's being made into a movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linders Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 A Year in Provence? Older, but amusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 No bonus points here - The Book of the Dun Cow Food, nonfiction - The Supper of the Lamb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 We selected books tonight at mybook group meeting for the next few months. Those I remember include The Signature of All Things: A Novel by Elizabeth Gilbert Me Before You: A Novel by Jojo Moyes Dragon Seed by Pearl S. Buck The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Waiting by Ha Jin? Not in Ireland but I think it fits all the other categories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SemiSweet Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Cashelmara by Susan Howatch. One of my favorite books of all time. Set in Ireland, covers 3 generations, loosely based on historical figures. It's a bit longer than you wanted I think, but it is so captivating. I think I need to read it again now. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercyA Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski. It's not a self-help book, it's 356 pages, it takes place in Thailand (definitely interesting food!), and was a National Book Award finalist. The plot is full of interesting ideas to discuss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Doesn't fit some of your qualifications, but The Poisonwood Bible was a really great book we read with a book club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted June 20, 2014 Author Share Posted June 20, 2014 Doesn't fit some of your qualifications, but The Poisonwood Bible was a really great book we read with a book club. The Poisonwood Bible is fantastic, but several of us have read it already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted June 20, 2014 Author Share Posted June 20, 2014 Thank you all for your replies. There are several books here that I think will be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 I just finished the Silk Road by Colin Falconer. I borrowed it for my Kindle on a whim when I needed a book for a trip and found I really liked it. It is set in 13th Century middle east and far east. Probably the only criteria it meets is that it is under 500 pages, but it is a book that might lead to interesting discussions of history, politics, religion, and culture. It does have a somewhat negative portrayal of the Catholic Church at that time (or at least certain factions,) but from what I have read elsewhere, it is not an untruthful portrayal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyLittleWonders Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 Major Pettigrew's Last Stand? http://www.amazon.com/Major-Pettigrews-Last-Stand-Novel/dp/0812981227/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1403316971&sr=8-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lieutenant Stranger Posted June 21, 2014 Share Posted June 21, 2014 OK, I love this book but it does not exactly meet all the criteria-- 496 pages and I'm not sure it has won any major awards. Anyone I know who has read this book has loved it. AMAZING true story....Unbroken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjmakmom Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 The Birth of Venus- a few years old, but really good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 I don't have any suggestions, however wanted to follow to come back and put some of these on my reading list! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Reading Lolita in Tehran! It's 347 pages. It's ABOUT a clandestine book club. You can eat Persian food and forbidden ham sandwiches. Maybe not a tourist destination, but it is somewhere different. The best part is that once you e read this book you'll want to read all of the books that were read and discussed. It's not a serious piece of difficult literature, so your less serious readers will have no trouble getting through it. It was a NYT best seller for a while. It might have won't something. I didn't check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 That's a tall order. Hard to do all of those. Irish & award: Reading in the Dark by Seamus Deane something by Roddy Doyle Irish & food: Evening Class by Maeve Binchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamakelly Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 I just posted a similar thread a few days ago. I settled on The Bird Sisters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Not Irish and it is old but there is always "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" . It has recipes in the back!! I love a book that has recipes, I am just a sucker for those. I found another one with recipes recently but I can't for the life of me remember what it was.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Sunset Song by Gibbon http://www.amazon.com/Sunset-Song-Lewis-Grassic-Gibbon/dp/1904598668 Not Ireland, but Scotland, so close. :001_smile: It is short (260 pages), "widely regarded as one of the most important Scottish novels of the 20th century", and as far as I am concerned loved by everyone who reads it. Discussion topics are incredibly broad including the psychological effects of war, modernization of rural communities, and women's rights. My dh studied abroad in Scotland for a term when he was in university and took a Literature class. He read this book and loved it. He suggested it to me about 20 years ago, and I read it and loved it. I don't remember much of what I read, but boy oh boy do I still remember this one. It is amazing. You can make haggis if you are brave. Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Pomegranate Soup? Yes, this - set in Ireland and lots of fabulous food. :D Irish & food: Evening Class by Maeve Binchy Love anything by Maeve Binchy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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