Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Top 10 Books We Think Would Make Great Read-Alongs!

Question:  Top 10 Books We Think Would Make Great Read-Along Picks.

Answer:  Sorry, but we’re hijacking this week’s topic and turning it into an appeal for more read-alongs!  Yes, we’re taking a hard look internally as well, but we’d love to be involved in more read-alongs in 2012!  Below are the books we have on our radar that we think would be fun (less painful) to experience with other readers.  To be really clear, if we just so happened to come came across any events with the below titles included, we’d be forced to sign up..........

1.      The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien) – With the movie coming out later this year, a reread over the summer is a must.  What better way to visit Middle Earth than with a few friends. 
2.      House of Leaves (Mark K. Danielewski) – *Gulp* Our knees are shaking with this one and it would be helpful to utilize the whole strength in numbers thing for this read...
3.      Men at Arms (Terry Pratchett) – This one might be a little short for a read-along, but the Discworld is way too exciting to visit alone.  Any number of titles would work as we’re hoping to make several return trips to the Discworld this year.
4.      For Whom the Bell Tolls (Ernest Hemingway) – Anything by Hemingway has a menacing stigma attached to it, at least for us.  Plus, we’ve heard this book has plenty of weighty themes to discuss.   
5.      Dandelion Wine (Ray Bradbury) – We’ve been told time and again that this novel is a perfect spring read.  We’ve marked our calendars for April (in pencil) to host some kind of read-along... Yipeee!
6.      Insomnia (Stephen King) – We found this one at our local bookstore a couple months ago and lugging it home nearly gave us a hernia.  There’s got to be all kinds of good stuff to debate within this one.   
7.      The Adventures of Don Quixote (Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra) – We really, really want to check this one off our list in 2012.  We know there’re windmills, but that’s it.  We’d be a lot less intimidated going through this with a group.
8.      Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) – The first time we read this novel our blood was boiling so much that we apparently missed all the “love” radiating from the main characters.    We’re quite frustrated with ourselves for missing a really fun read-along last year.  Nevertheless, we may need to partake in some serious Heathcliff venting when the time comes.
9.      Cold Comfort Farm (Stella Gibbons) – This book’s supposed to have us rolling on the floor laughing.  Laughing alone, while fun, is kind of weird...
10.  Wolf Hall (Hilary Mantel) – The female Bibliomaniac did not like this one.  At all.  Like, she didn’t even finish it and it sent her off on a tailspin of book depression.  It could be very difficult for the male Bibliomaniac to try this one without large numbers... the whole misery loves company thing.


So what else?  We’re anxious to see if any other titles need to be added to our list.  Have a great week and head on over to The Broke and the Bookish to join the fun!

15 comments:

  1. Wuthering Heights was written by Charlotte's sister Emily. (Not Charlotte.) :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ahhhh! I'm so annoyed with myself. Thanks for the catch! I think we're gonna have to hire a new copy editor....

      Delete
  2. Great list! I love Wuthering Heights, its like a 1800s soap opera.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, you're absolutely right! Hopefully I'll enjoy the novel more if I have that mindset next time.

      Delete
  3. Great list! I love Dandelion Wine! I agree with you on the Wolf Hall read-a-long...I'm a bit daunted by that one as I've read mixed reviews.

    ReplyDelete
  4. just did a Wuthering Heights read-a-long this fall. But I would totally join in for The Hobbit ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I loved Insomnia... enjoy it!

    Here is my Top Ten. I hope you stop by!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love how you switched up the list. I bought Don Quixote about a year ago and haven't picked it up. A couple of years ago I read about a third of it and loved it, but had to return it to library without having finished (hence the purchasing of it myself). I would love to do a read-along of it. I don't know if I'd be brave enough to host it myself because I'd be too terrified that no one would participate. If someone else will, I would totally join (hint, hint).

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great list. There are a variety of discussion topics in these novels. I still have not read For Whom the Bell Tolls, but I have to get it off the TBR.

    -FABR Steph@FiveAlarmBookReviews
    My Top Ten...

    ReplyDelete
  8. I totally agree about Don Quixote -- it needs to be read with a group.

    Ugh, Wuthering Heights. If you hated it so much the first time through, I don't think you'll like it any more the second time around. I know some people's tastes change over time, but I think that book is wretched no matter what time of life one is in. :p

    Neither Blogger nor Blogspot are letting me comment while logged in. You can check out my list for this week here

    ReplyDelete
  9. I really hope to reread The Hobbit (and maybe I'll like it more this time) and The Lord of the Rings this year. I loved The Lord of the Rings but was disappointed by The Hobbit. The movie looks fantastic though...

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love these choices! I'm reading Cold Comfort Farm with my book club right now. I'm also going to re-read The Hobbit with a friend this month. So many great books.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I would sign up for a Wuthering Heights readalong, for sure. I've had Wuthering Heights on my TBR for about three years. That is three conscious years of planning to read it, and I still haven't.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Let me know if you do Cold Comfort Farm, I had it on a 14 day loan from the library and had to return it before i finished it... apparently it's quite popular. So I'll buy it next time. It was pretty funny, but I like group love when it comes to books :)
    Jfeldt

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds good! I'm not sure if there is anything worse than having to return a book before it's finished. That happened to me with War and Peace and it took another month to get back...

      Delete