The summer is an ideal time to regroup and recharge. We used these months to do quite a bit of reading and prepare for the 2014-2015 book club season. Some of the books we chose for summer reading were quite good, while others didn’t hit the mark. The ones we believe would be ideal reading group selections are Tinkers by Paul Harding, The Round House by Louise Erdrich, Indignation by Philip Roth, and The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert.

While we are big Dave Eggers’ fans,  A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius  didn’t thrill us. Unlike his other books (Zeitoun, A Hologram for the King, What is the What, and The Circle), his memoir didn’t have the weight of his social and political commentaries. But, it did shed light on his personality and why he chooses many of his subjects. Another novel that was a bit disappointing was In Paradise by Peter Matthiessen. If you want to delve into his work, read The Snow Leopard or Shadow Country.

Book by Book: Notes on Reading and Life by Michael Dirda was the standout selection of the summer. A slim volume of non-fiction, it put so much of what we read and why we engage in this activity into perspective. We highly recommend that this book be included in your reading lists as it will add so much to your understanding of fiction and life.

As promised, here is the fall line-up for one of our reading groups. If you recall, last year we focused on young writers under 40. This year we are reading classics (loosely defined as we are including some contemporary authors).

•  Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
• Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
• The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
• Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
• The Group by Mary McCarthy
• Sabbath’s Theater by Philip Roth
• Blue Angel by Francine Prose
• My Antonia by Willa Cather

We invite you to read along with us and post comments as we share our impressions of these novels.

Frequently, our day-to-day conversations include the question, “What’s your book club reading?” In a recent New York Times column, James Atlas writes that nearly five million Americans gather every few weeks in someone’s living room to discuss books.

“Reading is a solitary act, an experience of interiority. To read a book is to burst the confines of one’s consciousness and enter another world,” Atlas says. However, the real excitement occurs when we gather to share our reactions to what we have read and experienced in that other world. And, the connections that are established in a book club are unique.

For this reason, it’s always bittersweet when the book club season comes to an end. While this frees us up to read whatever we like, there is a certain camaraderie that we miss. We have quite an ambitious line-up for the 2014-2015 season, and some of us might get a head start (the list will be the subject of our next blog). But for those who would like a respite from required reading, here are a few titles we have on our summer list:

• Transatlantic by Colum McCann
• The Round House by Louise Erdrich
• Tinkers by Paul Harding
• The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
• Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
• The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
• Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie
• Book by Book: Notes on Reading and Life by Michael Dirda (non-fiction)
• The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore (non-fiction)

If you have interesting books on your summer reading list, please let us know.

If you have qualms about the pervasive effects of social media, then Dave Eggers’ The Circle will heighten your suspicions. In this fast paced, disturbing look at the inevitable intrusion of all things internet into our lives,  your worst fears are realized. And, the fact that the novel never veers toward science fiction makes the narrative all the more real.

Is it too late to recover our privacy? Is there a value to transparency? These are the central and haunting questions of the The Circle and perhaps our entire generation. We are passionate Dave Eggers fans…his remarkable books, which include A Heartbreaking Work of  Staggering Genuis, What is the What, Zeitoun, and A Hologram for the King always capture the imagination while delving into important current issues. If you haven’t read his work, the time is now.

Mae, the main character of The Circle, is a vulnerable young woman who lands a coveted job in the exciting tech world. She is moving up the ladder fast and dazzled by her increasing power. However, she intuitively understands the need for solitude and finds peace in kayaking to the middle of a bay in Northern California in the company of the harbor seals. This is her retreat–where she goes to solve problems and understand the complexities of life. Once the Circle’s “SeeChange” cameras are installed at her favorite rental spot, Mae is discovered using a kayak without permission. The leaders of The Circle are notified, and they confront Mae with a teachable moment described as ‘the perfectibility of human beings.’

The corporate mantra is “All that happens must be known;” thus, Mae’s attempt to kayak secretively is viewed as going against another one of the Circle’s views: “Privacy is theft.” The leaders accuse Mae, and anyone who wants to keep a secret, of trying “to impede the unimpeachable improvement of the world.” But, Eggers is really asking, “Do we have a right to disappear?”, “Is is okay to be tracked from birth to death?”, and “Are we even conscious of the insidious effects of technology, even the ones we are opting into of our own volition?”

This novel is an absolute must-read for you and your book groups. The discussions will be provocative, timely, and important. We highly recommend this novel as well as others by Dave Eggers.

Did you know that by clicking on the art that adorns this page you can view it in a larger, more splendid format? Try and enjoy this pen and ink by Jose Grave de Peralta.

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the center cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
from “The Second Coming” by WB Yeats

Both Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and Chimamanda Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus make specific reference to Yeats’s oft-quoted and powerful poem, “The Second Coming.” This naturally leads the reader to ask these questions: What exactly is falling apart in the two cultures described by Achebe and Adichie, and why is it that the ‘center cannot hold’? And, most importantly, who are the characters in these authors novels that ‘lack all conviction, while the worst/Are full of passionate intensity’? These are complex questions, but the answers unlock the key to understanding these texts.

Let’s look first at Things Fall Apart and the clash of cultures that leads to the destruction of the Ibo way of life. The main character, Okonkwo represents the plight of tribal life as colonialism takes hold in Nigeria. He is heroic in his fight against the missionaries and wants desperately to preserve the social order of his tribe. However, that is the more ‘global’ conflict of the novel. Okonkwo also is deeply ashamed of his father who he despises for his weakness, and this obsession leads to his destruction.

In Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, the patriarch Eugene is also deeply troubled by the conflicts in his country. He advocates the return to democracy from military rule through his newspaper, The Standard, and he is devoted to the editor who risks his life to write controversial editorials. Like Okonkwo, however, he refuses to acknowledge his father who adheres to a pagan faith and refuses to let his children visit him. In fact, when Kambili brings a drawing of her grandfather into their home, Eugene beats her within an inch of her life. This hatred, like the one that consumes Okonkwo, becomes his tragic flaw and destroys the entire family.

What is remarkable and important about these novels (and all noteworthy novels, actually) is that they deal with both external (political/religious) forces and internal (family/moral) struggles. They are inextricably linked, for better or for worse, and precisely what makes a piece of fiction universal. The pain that the reader experiences as both cultures and families fall apart is real since we know from personal experience that this is the nature of being human.

And this is why we recommend that your book groups consider reading these novels together (Achebe first, then Adichie). You might also watch Chimamanda Adichie talk about Achebe at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41Na23h9-AE  

Let us know if you decide to pursue this course by posting a comment on www.whatsmartwomenread.com