Book Group: They're reading Helen DeWitt's "The Last Samurai" (nothing to do with the Tom Cruise movie!) over at Conversational Reading - Maybe we should do the same here?

when do i need to get hold of a copy for? my 'current reading/to read' 'pile' would actually now reach the ceiling if i were to turn it back into a single pile, i have realised

as long as I am able to get it i am def in.

thomp, we may wait till early September to start or slighty , but not much, sooner. have a look at the link in the first post, we may use that schedule.

I'm in for early Sept.

cool, let's go for that. any objections.

wth i ordered my copy on monday and it still hasnt shipped

doubly infuriating since the used bookstore i ordered it from is literally two blocks from my house

can you not pop round and be like 'hi, any chance i could pick the book up that you haven't shipped yet?'

don't think so---they said it was available online only, which probably means it's shipping from some warehouse in the burbs or w/e

still it is just weird/hilarious to me to mail order something from someplace so close

Just ordered a copy. I will be on dis ting.

great.

a copy of this is waiting for me at the library, so as soon as i finish up avoiding whatever it is i'm currently meant to be reading i'm gonna take a look. i don't know if i'll be in sync with everyone but i'm definitely watching.

Ok, got my copy. Spent the weekend at a wedding full of colossally pompous cvnts who liked talking about their cars and in general commenting on the world around them in the manner of people who feel they are absolutely right and life is a fvcking competition to prove you are the rightest person of all. (Bray if you agree). That sour-minded buffoon J Clarkson's evil spawn.

Talking about books is good. Bring it on.

My copy arrived this morning. First impression is that it's incredibly fragmented - every page I've opened is on a different topic and in a different style. I'll put it aside for now, but am ready to go.

I stalled 100 pages into this a few months back, after the missus raved about it, so this might give me some impetus to crack on with it...

ordered; has not arrived yet; will not start, probably, until others do

the UK ans UK editions have a different number of pages so we'll have to determine how the pages relate for the reading schedule. i commented on the conversational reading thread so hopefully Scott, who runs the blog, will get back to me with the info i need to find the UK page numbers.

good to have so many people on board for this.

jed_, does your webmail work? sent you the necc info.

some lovely ilxor just emailed me the chapter breaks etc for the US edition

user was cis-dur (i'm not sure who that is!) so thanks, mysterious stranger.

i'll look these out later and post the info, thanks.

xpost!

thanks c-sharp, i got it.

my copy arrived. i then found a copy, in a box, at work.

got my copy

ditto. it's heftier than i was expecting!

does anyone need a copy?

i do.

ok this is cheating but I'm 20 pages in and v v pleased already

have we decided on a schedule yet? i'm finding it physically difficult to restrain myself from reading this

perhaps we could do the conversational reading schedule, but a month earlier.

ok this is cheating but I'm 20 pages in and v v pleased already

― pies. (gbx), Tuesday, August 3, 2010 6:28 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

:)

Seeing things like this makes me happy. But yeah, let's firm up a schedule, neh?

argh I'll have access to this book in about a week, when I start my job again and have access to the library.

so i'm like 3/4 of the way thru, guys sorry :(

i'll read it again, tho! i like it ~that much~

YAY YAY YAY. Honestly, gbx, it'll be good to have someone else reading it a second or third time. A lot of the structure of the book and the broader parallels reveal themselves on a repeat reading. It's a book that rewards close and frequent returns.

Got it today. Read a few random pages and enjoyed it a lot; it looks very funny. Well, a month left, eh. The Conversational Reading pace seems dreadfully slow, but I guess it might allow people to get deeper into the sections. I'm no deep reader, but I look forward to following what everyone else gets out of the book.

i liked the first five pages a bunch

need to get this.........

Yeah, I read the first chapter, enjoyed it. Not having been part of a book group before, apart from the obvious (no spoilers, or hinting at things coming up) is there any etiquette that shd be observed, or any special structure to the process? At the moment just assuming it's a slowish chapter-by-chapter read through, with general synchronised discussion as we go along.

We need to get our timetable finalised here.

got my copy today!

ok, shall we start september 5th or wait til september 19th to fit in with the conversatonal reading schedule?

i can see the benefit in both, i suppose we have everyone on board who is going to join in, we just have to make sure everyone who is in has the physical object.

i'll definitely have it by the 5th

cool.

I say the 5th. I want to finish Among The Believers first, but no need to wait longer than that.

ok, starting on the 5th with a 4 week schedule rather than a 6 week one.

any objections to that?

Ah well I'm afraid I'm not going to find this but I'll be reading the comments w/interest. Probably revive the thread in a year or so.

can't you get it on amazzzz___on?

I've never bought a thing on amazon (lammm___e, I know). Might get round to finally doing it.

5th is fine by me.

xyzzzzz, email me yr address - tom dot west at gmail dot com

thomp - check yr email.

can i just clear something up, since i've never really done anything like this, but if i set week one as 5th-12th of august, for example, does that mean we read the book during that week and post while we read - or read the book that week and post at the end of that week - or that we have all read the first section by the 5th and discuss it afterwards?

I'll be off-internet for much of September, but should be able to check in once or twice a week. I'll try to drop in my thoughts on scheduled sections, but may not be able to get into discussion.

I've never book grouped either. It's up to you I guess, jed_, though I'd favour the first option (reading the first bit during the first week of discussion) because:

- gives me a little more time to clear the decks
- allows posting in real time as interesting thoughts occur
- means the discussion isn't necessarily just backwards-looking
- spoilers are easily avoided by avoiding the thread
- whereas spoilers might actually be useful, if that's your reading style

(why must my iPhone autocorrect 'reading' to 'Reading'? It's very annoying)

Yep, go for't

Is this book about Samurai?

I saw some trailer for the film once and I thought it was. But whenever I see a quotation from it here it seems to be about modern Britain or something!

Book Group: They're reading Helen DeWitt's "The Last Samurai" (nothing to do with the Tom Cruise movie!) over at Conversational Reading - Maybe we should do the same here?

pinefox, the samurai are <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/10/15/reviews/001015.15goldbet.html";>the movie samurai serving as substitute father-figures</a> for the main character. the book is full of LANGUAGES and TRANSLATION, maybe you will think it is neat.

couldn't open that last link; clearly misread the thread title; think I have been somewhat misled by conversation at rare ILX FAP the other week where I thought all the ILB people were saying this novel WAS the same as that Cruise film.

whoops, here you go:

nyt review of 'the last samurai'

come on board, pinefox. it would be good to have your input.