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?

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)

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

Drives me nuts.

Plus it's kind of creepy when you do mean Reading. It shouldn't know.

xyz&c., spare copy in the mail to you today

Thanks thomp!

like… is today the day?

Yes. Will be cracking on and hopefully get a comment or two in as the week goes on.

what kind of schedule are we looking at? the one in the first post is ~ 100 pages a week. could be tough - might end up reading it in one and then just going back over.

from jed above:

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

so you can take a knife to your copy and divide it by four parts of equal size?

will do :) my copy is 480 pages so ~ 120 each week.

I can't decide whether this should have a new thread or not

if we're doing it in four parts i'd approx suggest (us edition)

1-98
99-189 (chapter titled 'i. we never get off at sloane square for nebraska friend chicken')
191-358 (donald richie quote, chapter starts '20 march 1993')
358-end (chapter starts 'i decided not to apply')

this is top-light end-heavy but the thing is there's a natural break at p190 which one might as well go with.

(tbh it's easier to break into thirds than quarters)

sorry! i'll start a new thread later today & link up the schedule with c-sharps info. thanks.

think I've got a weird edition - it's the hardcover, clocks in at 530 pages.

us paperback is 530 pages as well?

ps that's 'nebraska fried chicken', not 'friend chicken', i cannot type

oh okay - just saw the 480 pager upthread and assumed that's what everybody had. well, guess I'll get started reading!

are we agreed on a 4 week schedule starting NOW?

Yep, fine by me.

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.