MoFo Book Club: July 2022

Tools    





With the amount of supernatural stuff that occurred in the book, I like to think it was all actually happening, and not just in people's heads. So, for me, the sister was a ghost, Typhus was actually rebirthing aborted babies into fish, and the possession was real, the voodoo stuff was actualizing in the physical world, and on and on...
Oh, absolutely.

I kinda put this down about midway in. That "elegant writing" was starting to feel self-important, and the storyline was annoying me, for some reason. Partly, I tend to dislike how "Christians" are mis-defined and then maligned in so much fiction. So I was doing a bit of an eye roll pretty early on in this one. I'm not even sure if I'll pick it back up.
In what ways did you feel that Christians were maligned in this text? I thought that almost every character was incredibly human, with some more selfish and some more generous than others, but that aside from Jim (who, really, was possessed by a demon) no one was actually all that evil, but at times horribly misguided. The most overtly Christian character, Noonday, probably is the most selfless person in the text (aside from one act of passion) and raises children who behave ethically when it counts.

Kewl. I’ll make it simple, I’m going to agree with Sedai’s choice for August (apologies to Takoma).
Hey, we just finished a book I picked, so it's definitely not my turn! If Sedai wants to throw something out there, I'm up for whatever.



A system of cells interlinked
I was referring to the next opus you are going to dive into . . . which now, doesn’t have to be a thin. This kind of puts the gang around the same starting place, it could take 2 to 3 weeks to get a copy and read it. Sorry for the time lag down there, it’s already August up here in Canada.
Haha, I hear you. I just thought you might have been referring to my previous pick, which was for July. Not exactly sure what I was diving into next, but it might be a book that probably won't generate much interest in the club:



Already have my copy, but I totally understand if people don't want to read this. We can come up with something else, but I would want at least a couple of suggestions aside from my own. Barring that, I might fall back on the China Mieville book I posted a while back.
__________________
“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” ― Thomas Sowell



Fantastic choice! Just ordered my copy. Now wait and see.

I think I spotted a developing theme in the book club . . . demonic possession.
Where did you order from? I'm trying to get books through my library, but this one isn't available.



A system of cells interlinked
Where did you order from? I'm trying to get books through my library, but this one isn't available.
I order used (read: sometimes they are new, but sell as used) books from both Thriftbooks and AbeBooks online...

For instance, this was selling as used, but when I got it, it was a crisp, fresh hardcover that crackled when I first opened it, and it was clearly the first time it had been opened.



I order used (read: sometimes they are new, but sell as used) books from both Thriftbooks and AbeBooks online...

For instance, this was selling as used, but when I got it, it was a crisp, fresh hardcover that crackled when I first opened it, and it was clearly the first time it had been opened.
Thanks!

I'm trying to save money and The Sound of Building Coffins was a big splurge--the first book I've bought in like a year.



A system of cells interlinked
Thanks!

I'm trying to save money and The Sound of Building Coffins was a big splurge--the first book I've bought in like a year.
That one I also got a sweet hardcover from one of those sites. Sometimes, I need to settle for a ratty paperback for 2 bucks, but those work just as well!



This morning both the chain store downtown and my local bookstore said no problem, so I placed the order with the latter. I just got a message from my local bookstore that Hollywood Party is out of print, and the cheapest copy they could find was around 200 bucks. So, I’ll be unable to secure a copy of the book.

Sedai? Another suggestion?

A possible adjustment?

Rebrand the MOFO book club to the PLB (Public Library Book) club. For a book to be nominated , it should available in all three city libraries. In the comments section in your profile, you can post the link to your local library.




I'm not super comfortable posting my location, as it's a relatively small town.

I am happy to look at any small list of titles and quickly say which ones I could get via the library.



A system of cells interlinked
Man, weird...looking around, the cheapest copy I can find anywhere is over 70 dollars. How did I just secure a new hardcover for 9 bucks? Got lucky, I guess!

My local library was demolished and is in the process of being rebuilt into a super mega library, so I am restricted to books i can buy.

Do you folks have access to the China Mieville title?

Perdido Street Station (Dark fantasy with a tinge of horror)

Here are a couple of other titles in other genres, JIC.

The Charm School - Nelson DeMille (Cold War thriller)

Triggerfish Twist - Tim Dorsey (Zany character comedy thriller - Pulp Fiction in Florida)

Read synopsis' of each book and let me know what you think! I can get my hands on these books pretty easily.



Perdido Street Station and Triggerfish Twist I could get as audiobooks through my library.

It seems like I can order Charm School from another branch in actual book form.



A system of cells interlinked
Perdido Street Station and Triggerfish Twist I could get as audiobooks through my library.

It seems like I can order Charm School from another branch in actual book form.
OK, we will wait for the other participants to chime in and then we can decide on a book.

@Blue
@thracian dawg
@Austruck
@Yoda

Pinging Yoda to keep him in the loop in case he has time to jump in



I'm pretty much still at the point where we'd have to choose something I've already read (or was going to read in the next month or so) in order to find time to do this justice. Would really like to, though.



A system of cells interlinked
I'm pretty much still at the point where we'd have to choose something I've already read (or was going to read in the next month or so) in order to find time to do this justice. Would really like to, though.
Fair. I am hoping that even if they can't participate, folks can at least perhaps jot a few books down for later reading that they might not have been exposed to otherwise.



All three (Perdido Street Station, The Charm School, and Triggerfish Twist) are available for me although Triggerfish Twist looks the most interesting with that tag line.



The Adventure Starts Here!
Borrowed the e-book with no wait/hold from the Philadelphia public library. I'm ready! Just finished another piece of fiction yesterday so I'll start in on this next.



Fred2515's Avatar
BANNED
I haven't read "Dirty Work" by Christopher Moore. But, I read the review and I liked the description of the plot.