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Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Books The Onion's Book Club

Posted by Paul Constant on Wed, Apr 15, 2009 at 2:35 PM

7ffe/1239824467-dunn_geeklove_jpg_300x1000_q85.jpg The Onion's A.V. Club is starting a book club. Their first book is going to be Katherine Dunn's great novel Geek Love, which is a fine choice to kick off any book club.

How does it work? It’s remarkably simple. Each month, a member of our blue-ribbon panel of writers—Donna Bowman, Zack Handlen, Noel Murray, Leonard Pierce, Tasha Robinson, Ellen Wernecke, and myself—will choose a book to discuss. Four weeks later, we’ll reconvene to talk about the book in a series of posts, but not just among ourselves. We’ll be paying particular attention to points raised in the comments section and incorporating these in our discussion. Then, at the end of the week, we’ll be hosting a live chat about our selection. In short, we want to recreate the experience of a book club here at The A.V. Club. (Except for the wine and cheese; you’ll have to supply your own.)

This is a smart conflation of two ideas. I've looked around at different online book clubs, but I've never once seen one handled properly: A blog is not the best format for book clubs. Every comment should have an equal chance at becoming a much-discussed question. The blog format book clubs all wind up being a lecture with dissenting opinions and brief agreeing comments thrown underneath. It's just not the same as talking about a book with people in real life. A live chat would be the perfect antidote for that sort of thing, but that comes with the problem that people all have to be there at the same time: if you can't talk about something for hours and days after it's been talked about, what good is the internet?

Anyway, you should read Geek Love. And check in with The Onion and see how they handle the book club. They're at least taking a step forward in getting the book club online.

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i absolutely love this book

Posted by @ work on April 15, 2009 at 2:38 PM

I love Geek Love - wait, why is that cover so bad?!

Posted by KELLY O on April 15, 2009 at 2:39 PM

internet book clubs are pretty lame. especially when we live in a city that has book clubs at all of our many beautiful libraries. why not just join those and support your local library?

Posted by ring the alarm on April 15, 2009 at 2:48 PM

That was a great book. The original meaning of geek is lost on most people now.

Posted by kitschnsync on April 15, 2009 at 2:49 PM

I was about 3/4 of the way through that book, when I forgot it on a bus. It's been just long enough where I couldn't just pick it up again from where I stopped, but I am not sure if it is worth re-reading the entire book to catch up to where I stopped.....

Posted by Anonym on April 15, 2009 at 2:56 PM

geek love = yay. online book clubs = meh.

Posted by haunted leg on April 15, 2009 at 2:58 PM

i'm pretty sure i'm the only person in the world who found that book absolutely insufferable.

Posted by brandon on April 15, 2009 at 3:01 PM

Absolutely one of my favorite books.

Posted by Jody on April 15, 2009 at 3:08 PM

Man, Geek Love was mad fucked up. Seriously. I mean, the writing was great, but great writing doesn't un-fuck something up. You know?

Posted by balderdash on April 15, 2009 at 3:11 PM

Great great great book. Part of me wonders why they never made it into a movie, and most of me is relieved that it never happened.

Posted by Gurldoggie on April 15, 2009 at 3:32 PM

I never read books twice..Except that one.

Posted by julie russell on April 15, 2009 at 3:56 PM

the author has an elementary school named after her in reno! Kinda odd if you've read the book.

Posted by peripatetic on April 15, 2009 at 4:14 PM

@12- I didn't believe you about the school so I googled it-very weird! Still, a great book!

Posted by becksta on April 15, 2009 at 7:13 PM

One of my all time favorites. So fucked up, yet so good.

Posted by drewl on April 16, 2009 at 12:00 AM

I read this book when I was like 12 (I think I saw it recommended in Seventeen magazine or something--I'm not kidding) and was so disturbed I could barely finish. I wonder if it'd be easier to handle now. I don't really think so.

Posted by Propaniac on April 16, 2009 at 9:43 AM

Agree with 9. Disturbing but so wonderful. Take a chance again, Propaniac.

Posted by Gidget on April 16, 2009 at 11:47 AM

@ 12 -- So there is!!!

Is the school named in honor of her fiction, her poetics, or her enthusiasm for pro boxing?

Posted by RonK, Seattle on April 16, 2009 at 4:46 PM