Don Quixote in January

My fellow manly manly men,

Next up on our list is Don Quixote. Really, it's embarrassing that none of us has read this book already, but now is our chance to prove our literary mettle. It's a long book, but from what I can tell, not a difficult one. Right from the first chapter you'll be able to tell we're in good hands. Still, to give us time to finish (Finish a book club book? Yes, I say! Forward, not backward! Upward, not forward!) we'll skip December and meet for this one on January 12th (the 2nd Thursday). I'm happy to host a movie night (or two) in the meantime, just cuz it's fun to get together with you dudes.

Map of every river basin in the US

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3860062/The-veins-America-Stunning-map-shows-river-basin-US.html

Thought this was interesting after reading Basin and Range. It would probably help if I wasn't color blink, but I can make out a few of these...

Basin and Range

Hi Gents-
How's everyone feel about a meet up to talk about McPhee's book? Our regular schedule puts us on this week. How many can make it this Thursday night?

The plan I have devised is a simple one. We meet at my place at 7:00. We pile into a car or two and make a quick run to Pop n Sweets for a couple of cool ones (likely ginger beer for me, but you have your agency). Then back to my place where we can huddle up and talk about geology for a bit. After that, I'm thinking it's probably time to screen Kung Fury and/or The World of Tomorrow. It really is a marvelous way to spend half an hour.

Who's in?

-Steve

Fall 2016 Lineup

The votes are in. Here's what we'll be reading for the next few months:

September (Steve): Basin and Range, John McPhee
October (Jordan): Notes from the Underground by Dostoyevky
November (Emron): Nazi Literature in the Americas or Borges and the Eternal Orangutans (tied)
December (Brandon): Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes
January (Adam): Barbarian Days, William Finnegan

Steve told me he was okay with hosting in September. The rest of you let me know if this works. We'll plan tentatively on the 2nd Thursday of each month.

I kept it in somewhat the same order as last time, but put mine later to give more time for that long book. Or if December is busy for everyone, we could push it back to January, maybe just do a movie night in December or something.

If anyone has input on good translations for Underground and Quixote, let us know.

Alright, I'm excited to dive into these, they all sound realy cool. 

Jordan book choices - Aug-2016

Hello brethren,

Here are my suggestions for books for the month that i'll host:

Cannery Row (Steinbeck)
All the light we cannot see (Anthony Doerr)
The Stranger (Albert Camus)
Notes from the underground (Dostoyevsky)
I and Thou (Martin Buber)

Steve's Picks for late 2016

Three Men in a Boat, Jerome K. Jerome
The Kingdom by the Sea, Paul Theroux
Tinkers, Paul Harding
Basin and Range, John McPhee
The Snow Child, Eowyn Ivey

Blood Meridian

Adam's Nominations

A Soldier of the Great War, Mark Helprin

Neuromancer, William Gibson

Redeployment, Phil Klay

Underworld, Don Delillo

Barbarian Days, William Finnegan

Postponed Until August

Gentlemen,

Due to a very busy summer, the club is giving everyone an extra month to read Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.

 We will have no meeting in July, but will reconvene in August.

 Until then, enjoy your summer.

Carp Hunt

Gentlemen,

Is anyone hosting August yet? If so I would like to volunteer.

The Scholar of Moab

I'm ready to talk about this book now.

Emron's Choices for Next Round

Here are four titles that interest me. They are all Latin American novels (in translation) that are more contemporary than my usual reading/teaching in the region. 2 are by Brazilians, 1 is by a Chilean, and the other by an Argentine. Enjoy.

Nazi Literature in the Americas
The Hour of the Star

Borges and the Eternal Orangutans

The Absent City

Summer 2016 - Brandon's Picks

Next month is Adam's pick (Blood Meridian), and then we're up for new nominees. So everyone get your next batch of nominations up and let's have all the voting done by the next meeting so we can know what we're reading (and buy books in advance in case someone picks Don Quixote).

TIME'S UP LET'S DO THIS. LEROOOOOOOOY JEEEEEAANKINS!!!

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

Foundation by Isaac Asimov

The Nazi Hunters by Andrew Nagorski

The Secret War by Max Hastings

Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes

Cobbler Thursday at South Fork Park

Let's go to South Fork Park Thursday night. I'll arrive at or before 7 and look for a spot across the creek and get a fire going. I'll bring cobbler and ice cream.

If the ginger beer aficionados are so inclined, they may sink their drinks in the creek the same way the Macleans of Missoula would.

FYI - don't count on cell phone reception up there.

April Meeting - Kristian's house, this Thursday @ 7:00pm

Charlotte has been convinced to make her awesome Chicago style deep-dish pizza for your delectation. It's going to be worth coming for that alone. There is also a chance that there will be some thoughtful brow raising in connection with the subject of Murakami's oeuvre. There will even be a prize a for the first to arrive - a copy of Craig Harline's brilliant Way Below the Angels! Come on! How is this not going to be a good night. I may even attend in person.

March Meeting - The Man in the High Castle

Hey Manly Men,

Thanks for the great time last night. It was great having Myles back in town. Thanks to Steve for hosting and for the variety of ginger beers.

We decided that next month I will host, and the pick from my nominees will be The Man in the High Castle. Seems like it's pretty well checked out at all the libraries (I'm currently in 34th place in the holding line for Provo's digital copy). But instead, I just signed up for a free 30 day trial of Amazon Kindle Unlimited and downloaded it from there, so that's an option.

We'll plan on meeting on March 10th at 7:00 at my house. I'll make some Japanese food. If anyone knows how to make German food, feel free.

Manly Book Nominations

A Soldier of the Great War, Mark Helprin

Neuromancer, William Gibson

Redeployment, Phil Klay

Musashi, Eiji Yoshikawa

Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy

Barbarian Days, William Finnegan

Books Emron Would Like to Discuss with You

Borges, from Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges
Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher
Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor
Go Down, Moses by William Faulkner
Big Machine by Victor LaValle
In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd by Ana Menéndez

Joe's book list 2016

The Journal of Best Practices
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
The Wright Brothers
The Alchemist
The Only Pirate at the Party

Steve's (actual) Book List, 2016

These are all book I'll be reading in the next bit. Wouldn't mind talking to someone about them.

1. The Outermost House
2. Knots and Crosses
3. Zone One
4. Miles: The Autobiography
5. Landmarks
6. A River Runs Through It

Steve's List

Here's my list:

1. Kafka on the Shore
2. Kafka on the Shore
3. Kafka on the Shore
4. Kafka on the Shore
5. Kafka on the Shore

Kristian's Nominees 2016

Just to keep it simple in the comments, here are the books Kristian nominated:

1. Umberto Eco, Name of the Rose
2. Hanya Yanagihara, A Little Life
3. Herman Hesse, Narcissus and Goldmund
4. Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
5. Donna Tartt, The Goldfinch

Some Books that Brandon Wants to Read (2016)

Okay, here's my lineup:

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Station Eleven
• The Bully Pulpit
• Bartelby the Scrivener
• The Man in the High Castle  

Get your nominees up and start voting. Let's plan on meeting in February (maybe on the 11th so Myles can be there?).  I think my book was the last one that we (I) read, so we'll choose one of yous others nominees for then. Or whichever one of the winners is shortest?

I'll provide the ginger beers. Think we'll work our way down the top 10 brands.

Anyone up for more manly manly books?

Now that Joe got released, maybe he'll have a little more time on his hands. Any of the rest of you still interested in keeping this thing going? It's always been one of the highlights of my month when we get together. And I'm sure Doug has a treasure trove of good stories that we haven't heard yet.

Also, we need to try a few of these:

http://www.thetastetesters.com/2016/01/the-worlds-ultimate-ginger-alebeer.html?spref=fb