[itachi-san]

Let's get the book club started! ~for once First book that gets 5 votes will be our first book to read and discuss. If you really want another book that isn't listed in the Poll, then post it and if 4 other people post that book as well, then that will be the one we read. I'm not sure how long it takes everyone to read, also these books vary greatly in length, so I guess just start discussing when you're done. When we've beaten the book to death, we can move on to the next one and have a new poll and new topic for it. Here's to BD's Book Club! *cheers*

[andromeda]

You could have listed who wrote them as well... Never mind I'll google it! I have to check if those books are translated to Serbian!

[unreality]

some I've read already, some I don't want to read, but I'd be fine with all of these:

* Gödel, Escher, Bach

* Slaughterhouse Five [classic, LOST-related... what's not to like? ]

* Pendragon [already read but I was planning on rereading a few of em soon] ~ can attest for their excellence

* Ender's Game [heard good things about it]

of those, I'd most go for the last three, and of those I voted for Slaughterhouse 5

Edited January 9, 2009 by unreality

[Izzy]

Ender's Game was BRILLIANT, but I've already read it. Everything else is foreign to me, (except for This Is Your Brain on Music, which I saw in Barnes & Noble yesterday whilst book shopping, but it didn't look that great.) so I voted for Angles & Demons. Heh, I own like half the books in the Science/Maths section, so it's always entertaining to go there and look for new books. *geek*

[Guest]

I would like to join the book club if that is alright with everyone else. I have always enjoyed reading. The only book on this list that I have read is Ender's Game. It is an amazing book and I have read every Speaker for the Dead and Shadow series books written after Game. I would not mind reading it again and would enjoy discussing the book.

[Izzy]

I would like to join the book club if that is alright with everyone else. I have always enjoyed reading. The only book on this list that I have read is Ender's Game. It is an amazing book and I have read every Speaker for the Dead and Shadow series books written after Game. I would not mind reading it again and would enjoy discussing the book.

Oh man, Ender's Game would be a brilliant book to discuss. There's so much psychological stuff going on in it. Orson Scott Card = amazing.

[Guest]

Here is a list of quick descriptions of the books along with their authors. I cannot say how accurate the descriptions are I just found somethings on the internet. The only one I have read is Ender's Game, and this description does not even touch most of what makes this book great. I have heard good things about Slaughterhouse 5 as well.

Godel, Escher, Bach

[spoiler='Godel, Escher, Bach

']It is a philosophy book that reads like music, a work of art that many consider second to none.

Gödel, Escher, Bach (GEB) debates the question of consciousness and the possibility of artificial intelligence. It is a book that attempts to discover what “self” really means. Introducing the reader to cognitive science, Gödel, Escher, Bach draws heavily from art to illustrate fine points in mathematics. The works of M.C. Escher and J.S. Bach are discussed, in addition to other works of art and music. The topics presented range from mathematics and meta-mathematics to programming, recursion (in math as well as in computing), formal systems, multilevel systems, self reference, self representation, and others.

Angels and Demons- Dan Brown

The novel revolves around the quest of fictional Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon to unravel the mysteries of a secret society called the Illuminati, and preclude a plot from annihilating the Vatican City using the destructive antimatter. The story recounts the conflict between science and religion that brought the establishment of the Illuminati, and, after centuries of non-existence, the group is thought to have resurfaced for retribution against the Roman Catholic Church.

Slaughterhouse Five- Kurt Vonnegut

In Slaughter House Five, Billy Pilgrim finds himself unstuck in time jumping between several periods of his life. Travelling between his experience as a prisoner of war in World War II to his suburban family life in the 1950s and 1960s, and his experience as a human specimen in an alien zoo on a distant planet, Billy seemingly has no control over these transitions.

The Man In the High Castle- Philip K. Dick

[spoiler='The Man in the High Castle

']The Man in the High Castle is a 1962 alternate history novel by science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. The novel is set in the former United States in 1962, fifteen years after the Axis Powers defeated the Allies in World War II and after the U.S. surrendered to Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan.[1]

While not the first piece of alternate-history fiction, the novel helped define the literary genre. It won the Hugo Award and made Dick well-known in science-fiction circles.

This Is Your Brain on Music- Daniel J. Levitin

[spoiler='This is Your Brain on Music

']A fascinating exploration of the relationship between music and the mind—and the role of melodies in shaping our lives

Whether you load your iPod with Bach or Bono, music has a significant role in your life—even if you never realized it. Why does music evoke such powerful moods? The answers are at last be- coming clear, thanks to revolutionary neuroscience and the emerging field of evolutionary psychology. Both a cutting-edge study and a tribute to the beauty of music itself, This Is Your Brain on Music unravels a host of mysteries that affect everything from pop culture to our understanding of human nature, including:

• Are our musical preferences shaped in utero?

• Is there a cutoff point for acquiring new tastes in music?

• What do PET scans and MRIs reveal about the brain’s response to music?

• Is musical pleasure different from other kinds of pleasure?

This Is Your Brain on Music explores cultures in which singing is considered an essential human function, patients who have a rare disorder that prevents them from making sense of music, and scientists studying why two people may not have the same definition of pitch. At every turn, this provocative work unlocks deep secrets about how nature and nurture forge a uniquely human obsession.

Pendragon- D.J. MacHale

[spoiler='Pendragon

']Bobby Pendragon is a seemingly normal fourteen-year-old boy. He has a family, a home, and even Marley, his beloved dog. But there is something very special about Bobby.

He is going to save the world.

And not just Earth as we know it. Bobby is slowly starting to realize that life in the cosmos isn't quite what he thought it was. And before he can object, he is swept off to an alternate dimension known as Denduron, a territory inhabited by strange beings, ruled by a magical tyrant, and plagued by dangerous revolution.

If Bobby wants to see his family again, he's going to have to accept his role as savior, and accept it wholeheartedly. Because, as he is about to discover, Denduron is only the beginning....

His Dark Materials- Philip Pullman

Materials is a trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman comprising Northern Lights (1995, released as The Golden Compass in North America), The Subtle Knife (1997) and The Amber Spyglass (2000). It follows the coming-of-age of two children, Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, as they wander through a series of parallel universes against a backdrop of epic events. The three novels have won various awards, most notably The Amber Spyglass, the 2002 Whitbread Book of the Year prize, while the trilogy as a whole took third place in the BBC's Big Read poll in 2003.[1]

The story involves fantasy elements such as witches and armoured polar bears, and alludes to a broad range of ideas from fields such as physics, philosophy, theology and spirituality. The trilogy functions in part as a retelling and inversion of John Milton's epic, Paradise Lost; Pullman commends humanity for its attainment of wisdom and knowledge rather than condemning it (as in Milton's poem).[2] The series has drawn criticism from some religious individuals and groups due to the negative portrayal of organised religion.[specify]

Shadow Children- Margaret Peterson Haddix

[spoiler='Shadow Children

']The Shadow Children series is a series of books by Margaret Peterson Haddix about a futuristic, overpopulated, resource-deprived Earth, and the effects of the government's attempts to quell overpopulation. The Population Police enforce the government's Population Law, killing or imprisoning "shadow children," any 3rd child in a family.

Ender's Game-Orson Scott Card

[spoiler='Ender's Game

']Ender's Game (1985) is the best-known novel by Orson Scott Card.[1] It is set in Earth's future where mankind has barely survived two conflicts with the Formics (an insectoid alien race also known as the "Buggers") and the International Fleet is preparing for war. In order to find and train the eventual commander for the anticipated third invasion, the world's most talented children, including the extraordinary Ender Wiggin, are taken into a training center known as the Battle School at a very young age and trained in the arts of war through increasingly difficult games.

Fragile Things- Neil Gaiman

Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders is a collection of short stories and poetry by English author, Neil Gaiman.

A mysterious circus terrifies an audience for one extraordinary performance before disappearing into the night, taking one of the spectators along with it . . .

In a novella set two years after the events of American Gods, Shadow pays a visit to an ancient Scottish mansion, and finds himself trapped in a game of murder and monsters . . .

In a Hugo Award-winning short story set in a strangely altered Victorian England, the great detective Sherlock Holmes must solve a most unsettling royal murder . . .

Two teenage boys crash a party and meet the girls of their dreams--and nightmares . . .

In a Locus Award-winning tale, the members of an excusive epicurean club lament that they've eaten everything that can be eaten, with the exception of a legendary, rare, and exceedingly dangerous Egyptian bird . . .

Such marvelous creations and more—including a short story set in the world of The Matrix, and others set in the worlds of gothic fiction and children's fiction—can be found in this extraordinary collection, which showcases Gaiman's storytelling brilliance as well as his terrifyingly entertaining dark sense of humor. By turns delightful, disturbing, and diverting, Fragile Things is a gift of literary enchantment from one of the most unique writers of our time.

I hope this helps someone!

[Guest]

*Pokes self* I'm a someone! XD It did help, thanks...it was a toss up between Angels and Demons, and This is Your Brain on Music...I eventually voted for A & D because I'm more of a fiction person...anyway, I'd better get to the library soon...*glances at "closing for maintenace" sign* o.O Why do libraries always close when you don't want them too...?

<(^-^)>

[Izzy]

Slaughter House 5 sounds good! I'll be happy to read either that or Angels and Demons. Or you know, Ender's Game again.

[Guest]

Hmm better check my local library *cheers to the club*

[unreality]

Shadow Children is very good, although it's a 7-book series. Pendragon is longer (9 books so far, #10 will be the final one), which is why it might not be the best pick [although Pendragon are exceptional, the description doesn't do it justice]

this Ender's Game looks interesting. Despite the book club pick, I'm reading that one as well, along with SH5 and GEB

[Guest]

I suppose it will be either Angels or Demon or Slaughterhouse 5

[Guest]

Ender's game: Ender's Game (1985) is the best-known novel by Orson Scott Card. It is set in Earth's future where mankind has barely survived two conflicts with the Formics (an insectoid alien race also known as the "Buggers") and the International Fleet is preparing for war. In order to find and train the eventual commander for the anticipated third invasion, the world's most talented children, including the extraordinary Ender Wiggin, are taken into a training center known as the Battle School at a very young age and trained in the arts of war through increasingly difficult games. Its sequels, Ender in Exile, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind, follow Ender to different worlds as he travels far into the future.

Slaughterhouse 5: Chaplain's Assistant Billy Pilgrim, a disoriented, ill-trained American soldier, is captured by the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge. The Germans imprison him and other PoWs in a disused slaughterhouse in Dresden. During Allied air raids, PoWs and guards alike hide in a deep cellar; because of their safe hiding place, they are some of the few survivors of the city-destroying firestorm.

For unexplained reasons, Billy has come "unstuck in time." He meets, and is kidnapped by, extraterrestrial aliens from the planet Tralfamadore, who exhibit him in a zoo, with movie star Montana Wildhack as his mate. The Tralfamadorians, who can see in four dimensions, have already seen every instant of their lives. They believe they cannot choose to change anything about their fates, but can choose to concentrate upon any moment in their lives, and Billy becomes convinced of the correctness of their theories.

Billy travels forward and back in time, reliving occasions of his life, real and fantastic. He spends time on Tralfamadore; in Dresden; in the War, walking in deep snow before his German capture; in his post-war married life in the U.S.A. of the 1950s; and in the moment of his murder.

Billy's death is the consequence of a string of events. Before the Germans capture Billy, he meets Roland Weary. At their capture, the Germans confiscate everything Weary has, including his boots, giving him clogs to wear; Weary eventually dies of gangrene caused by the clogs. Weary's friend, Paul Lazzaro, vows to avenge Weary's death by killing Billy, because revenge is "the sweetest thing in life". Time-traveler Billy, already knows where, when, and how he will be killed: Paul Lazzaro hires someone to shoot him after a speech in a balkanized United States on February 13, 1976.

Angels or Demons: Angels & Demons is a bestselling mystery novel by American author Dan Brown. The novel revolves around the quest of fictional Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon to unravel the mysteries of a secret society called the Illuminati, and preclude a plot from annihilating the Vatican City using the destructive antimatter. The story recounts the conflict between science and religion that brought the establishment of the Illuminati, and, after centuries of non-existence, the group is thought to have resurfaced for retribution against the Roman Catholic Church.

Hope it helps XP

[Guest]

Hmm we need one more vote on this

[unreality]

we need at least 3 more votes ;D

[Izzy]

So far it's a tie between the 3 books I'd actually be willing to read.

[Guest]

we need at least 3 more votes ;D

For Pendragon?

[itachi-san]

So far it's a tie between the 3 books I'd actually be willing to read.

yeah, this is cool! Out of the list, I've only read Fragile Things which won't win, so it will be something new and interesting no matter what for me

For Pendragon?

We agreed that the first book to get 5 votes would be our first book for discussion. Like unreality though, I'm also going to read GEB no matter what

Edit: actually probably all of these no matter what

[grey cells]

Well if you folks don't mind, I will join in.

The only book I have read from this list is Angels and Demons. Seeing that I have a chance to read some really good books, I have voted for Ender's game.

[andromeda]

I don't fell like reading "Angels and Demon" even though I have the book.

"His Dark Materials" is a series of three books if I'm correct. I don't think I have enough time to read those.

I voted for "Ender's Game" cause it's translated to both Serbian and Croatian. We have a Croatian book store in my hometown so hopefully they have it (it was translated in Croatian 2007).

Half of these don't have a translation to my language

Edited January 10, 2009 by andromeda

[Guest]

Well a lot of these books I didn't vote for *including Ender's Game* because they are basically...well let's just say, I'm a bit tired of apocalyptic books...*cough*myenglishclass*cough* but I'll read anything...it's just, this will be like the...fifth? alien book I'll have read this year...XD Yeah...my english class is crazy...we have to watch Cloverfield and write a whole essay on it...that movie is scary o.O

<(^-^)>

[andromeda]

Well a lot of these books I didn't vote for *including Ender's Game* because they are basically...well let's just say, I'm a bit tired of apocalyptic books...*cough*myenglishclass*cough* but I'll read anything...it's just, this will be like the...fifth? alien book I'll have read this year...XD Yeah...my english class is crazy...we have to watch Cloverfield and write a whole essay on it...that movie is scary o.O

<(^-^)>

I have Cloverfield on my PC for months... always too busy on BD to watch it.

To be honest I haven't read much SF novels (any actually ) so I'm looking forward to this one.

Edited January 10, 2009 by andromeda

[Guest]

Ooh, this is a really cool idea! I was stuck between Angels and Demons (I read the DaVinci Code which is great, and have A&D at home) and the Ender's Game (sounds like a really good plot). I eventually chose A&D though. I would probably end up reading both by the end of the month anyways

[Guest]

So, will it be Angels and Demons everyone?

[unreality]

Ender's Game needs 1 vote, A&D needs 2, and Slaughterhouse Five needs 3 more. It will be between those three for sure

[itachi-san]

So, will it be Angels and Demons everyone?

I'd rather not. My vote was for G,E,B and since it's the only one it's useless. So I'll move it to Ender's Game that makes 5 if there are no complaints.