. : The Book Club : .

. : The Book Club : .
.a reading group for novel enthusiasts.

I really love to read! But, I know that I need a little bit of pushing to read things that are out of my normal sphere of interest. That should be where The Book Club comes in!

Basically, each month I'll post a book (usually one that's copyright has expired, so that you can download it for free, but I'll also use copywritten books if there's enough interest) for everyone to read. After the month is up, you can use this thread to chat and share opinions about the book and we'll start a new book for that month. There's no obligation to read every book every month (hell, you can just come in and chat with everyone, if you'd like), but the idea is that the activity is there, if you'd like to participate. ;D

.this month's book.

Five Weeks in a Balloon by Jules Verne.
Summary: A scholar, Dr. Samuel Ferguson, accompanied by his manservant Joe and his friend Richard "Dick" Kennedy, sets out to travel across the African continent — still not fully explored — with the help of a hot-air balloon filled with hydrogen. He has invented a mechanism that, by eliminating the need to release gas or throw ballast overboard to control his altitude, allows very long trips to be taken. This voyage is meant to link together the voyages of Sir Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke in East Africa with those of Heinrich Barth in the regions of the Sahara and Chad. The trip begins in Zanzibar on the east coast, and passes across Lake Victoria, Lake Chad, Agadez, Timbuktu, Djenné and Ségou to St Louis in modern day Senegal on the west coast. The book describes the unknown interior of Africa near modern day Central African Republic as a desert, when it is actually savanna.
Map of the trip described in the book from the east to the west coast of Africa.

A good deal of the initial exploration is to focus on the finding of the source of the Nile, an event that occurs in chapter 18 (out of 43). The second leg is to link up the other explorers. There are numerous scenes of adventure, composed of either a conflict with a native or a conflict with the environment. Some examples include:

* Rescuing of a missionary from a tribe that was preparing to sacrifice him.
* Running out of water while stranded, windless, over the Sahara.
* An attack on the balloon by condors, leading to a dramatic action as Joe leaps out of the balloon.
* The actions taken to rescue Joe later.
* Narrowly escaping the remnants of a militant army as the balloon dwindles to nothingness with the loss of hydrogen.

In all these adventures, the protagonists overcome by continued perseverance more than anything else. The novel is filled with coincidental moments where trouble is avoided because wind catches up at just the right time, or the characters look in just the right direction. There are frequent references to a higher power watching out for them, as tidy an explanation as any.

The balloon itself ultimately fails before the end, but makes it far enough across to get the protagonists to friendly lands, and eventually back to England, therefore succeeding in the expedition. The story abruptly ends after the African trip, with only a brief synopsis of what follows. -courtesy of Wikipedia.
Download: Gutenberg Press
Reading Period: December 30 - January 31.

.book suggestions.

I'll post all the suggestions I get for February's book here, and take a vote towards the end of January. :3 So, go ahead and suggest some good books to read. ;D

Sorry if this question has already been answered, but being new to the group, I was just wondering if y'all are currently doing a monthly book group at the moment or not? I really enjoy book groups/discussions and would definitely take part if such were available.

Yes that is a very valid question and I was wondering the same thing myself. I too just joined the group and am not sure if the monthly read was still being practiced since this particular thread is a year old