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HAF Book Club: June poll and discussion

Started by Sandra Craft, May 18, 2018, 10:21:55 AM

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Sandra Craft

All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr
Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure's reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum's most valuable and dangerous jewel.
In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.

And the Mountains Echoed, by Khaled Hosseini
In this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most. Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe—from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page.

Dark Intelligence, by Neal Asher
Thorvald Spear has been brought back from the dead. Killed a century earlier by Penny Royal, an unstable AI who turned rogue in the middle of a human versus alien war, the resurrected Spear has one thing on his mind: revenge.  Crime lord Isobel Satomi got more than she bargained for when she struck a deal with Penny Royal. Turning part-AI herself gave her frightening power, but the upgrade came with horrifying repercussions—and it's turning Isobel into something far from human.  Spear hires Isobel to track down Penny Royal, but as she continues her metamorphosis, it's clear that Isobel's monstrous transformations will eventually become uncontrollable. Will Spear finish his hunt before becoming the hunted?

The Glass Bead Game, by Hermann Hesse
Set in the 23rd century, The Glass Bead Game is the story of Joseph Knecht, who has been raised in Castalia, the remote place his society has provided for the intellectual elite to grow and flourish. Since childhood, Knecht has been consumed with mastering the Glass Bead Game, which requires a synthesis of aesthetics and scientific arts, such as mathematics, music, logic, and philosophy, which he achieves in adulthood, becoming a Magister Ludi (Master of the Game).

Underground Airlines, by Ben Winters
It is the present-day, and the world is as we know it: smartphones, social networking and Happy Meals. Save for one thing: the Civil War never occurred.  Underground Airlines is a ground-breaking novel, a wickedly imaginative thriller, and a story of an America that is more like our own than we'd like to believe.

The Yiddish Policemen's Union, by Michael Chabon
For sixty years Jewish refugees and their descendants have prospered in the Federal District of Sitka, a "temporary" safe haven created in the wake of the Holocaust and the shocking 1948 collapse of the fledgling state of Israel. The Jews of the Sitka District have created their own little world in the Alaskan panhandle, a vibrant and complex frontier city that moves to the music of Yiddish. But now the District is set to revert to Alaskan control, and their dream is coming to an end.

Sandy

  

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."  Sarah Louise Delany

Davin

I started reading Underground Airlines by Ben Winters. 20% in and I'm liking it. It's already got some rough issues to deal with.
Always question all authorities because the authority you don't question is the most dangerous... except me, never question me.

Davin

This one really hit me. I liked the writing, the story, the world, and the characters. Well, I didn't like the world, I liked how well it was described and how much it seemed  like it was a possible present. The whole book was filled with difficult situations with no realistic good choices.

The world and most of the people in it got me angry. The situations made me sad.

I think it was a really good book. But a terrible world, like 1984 or Fahrenheit 451.
Always question all authorities because the authority you don't question is the most dangerous... except me, never question me.

Sandra Craft

Just started reading Underground Airlines, really enjoying it.
Sandy

  

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."  Sarah Louise Delany

Velma

I had forgotten about the book club. Since I just finished a book tonight, I will start Underground Airlines next. Now I'm glad that I neglected it. :)
Life is but a momentary glimpse of the wonder of the astonishing universe, and it is sad to see so many dreaming it away on spiritual fantasy.~Carl Sagan

Dragonia

I know I'm so late, but my library hasn't had this book all month. I'm on a wait list, but still haven't gotten it. I will read this eventually, I'll just be super late about it.
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. ~ Plato (?)

Sandra Craft

Take your time -- it's Summer.  Almost, in any case that's the excuse I'm using.
Sandy

  

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."  Sarah Louise Delany

Dragonia

Now it IS officially summer! Makes me happy, and I need to finish Hillbilly Elegy before I start this one. Pressure OFF!  ;D
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. ~ Plato (?)

Velma

Life is but a momentary glimpse of the wonder of the astonishing universe, and it is sad to see so many dreaming it away on spiritual fantasy.~Carl Sagan

Sandra Craft

Quote from: Velma on June 24, 2018, 06:32:06 AM
Has anyone else finished yet?

I'm about half way thru, should be done by the end of the month.
Sandy

  

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."  Sarah Louise Delany

Velma

Quote from: Sandra Craft on June 24, 2018, 07:21:56 AM
Quote from: Velma on June 24, 2018, 06:32:06 AM
Has anyone else finished yet?

I'm about half way thru, should be done by the end of the month.
No rush, whatsoever anyone. I read four or five books a week. Since this is one of the rare books I was thinking about rereading right away, so I wanted to see if I would have time to do it before the discussion got going good.  :)
Life is but a momentary glimpse of the wonder of the astonishing universe, and it is sad to see so many dreaming it away on spiritual fantasy.~Carl Sagan

Davin

Always question all authorities because the authority you don't question is the most dangerous... except me, never question me.

Sandra Craft

Quote from: Davin on June 25, 2018, 03:55:37 PM
Quote from: Velma on June 24, 2018, 06:32:06 AM
Has anyone else finished yet?
I finished it on the 11th.

You're always finished by the 11th.  I just finished this morning.  Is anyone else still reading it, or planning to?  This story is a landmine for spoilers.
Sandy

  

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."  Sarah Louise Delany

Davin

Quote from: Sandra Craft on June 28, 2018, 02:30:03 AM
Quote from: Davin on June 25, 2018, 03:55:37 PM
Quote from: Velma on June 24, 2018, 06:32:06 AM
Has anyone else finished yet?
I finished it on the 11th.

You're always finished by the 11th.  I just finished this morning.  Is anyone else still reading it, or planning to?  This story is a landmine for spoilers.
Yeah, it's difficult to talk about without spoiling things. That's why my post about it was so short.
Always question all authorities because the authority you don't question is the most dangerous... except me, never question me.

Dragonia

Ok, if you guys want to start talking, I'll not look at this thread until I finish the book  ;)
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. ~ Plato (?)