The Endurance - Dec book club discussion

[Kerri]

Ok, first question: did anyone read this book? I just know with Thanksgiving and now the holidays, things can get kind of crazy. To be entirely honest, I did not read the book by Alfred Lansing, but I did listen to the one by Caroline Alexander a few months ago on books on tape. I wanted to re-read the story in the Lansing book and that way get to see all the pictures, but alas, life caught up with me at the end of November. However, I am pretty confident I can discuss the story if anyone is interested. Hello? Anyone?

[Molli526]

How would someone become a member of the book club. I am interested.

Thanks!

[SusanT]

I read the Caroline Lansing book about a year ago. What a gripping story!

[mcraig13]

Yep, I read the book by Alfred Lansing. And thanks for coming up with this choice. This is not the type of book that I would generally choose to read, but I was enthralled. It was an amazing story of "endurance"--I just could not believe that they all made it out alive.

[kwormann]

I am also interested in the next book club!

[slknight]

Originally posted by Molli526
How would someone become a member of the book club. I am interested.


If you're interested, then you're a member. :D

This summer, we picked what books we were interested in and have been discussing them every month or so. We've already read The Simple Living Guide and The Mistress of Spices. I think Endurance was the last book that we formally decided on. Maybe we'll vote on some new ones soon.

[AndreaU]

DH read the book based on his sister's recommendation. He plowed through it in about 2 weeks. Considering the only thing he reads is usually the textbooks for the courses he teaches, this is astonishing. Then he recommended I read it, which I did over the summer. GREAT BOOK! This book is quickly making the rounds in our family.

[erinl]

Awesome book! I borrowed my sister's copy and I read it in a weekend. I love stories that show such courage in the face of adversity and have a happy ending! I've since tried to get into other non-fiction tales (In the Heart of the Sea, Isaac's Storm)and none were as well told. It probably didn't help that they were rather tragic. I finally found another great true story, though, Between Silk and Cyanide by Leo Marks. It's the story of a WWII British cryptographer. Very cool.

Sorry, I kind of went off on a tangent there, didn't I?

[kwormann]

I will be axiously awaiting the selection of the next book:)

[SusieO]

I'm pretty sure the next books are Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf and The Hours by Michael Cunningham.

I haven't managed to get to Endurance yet. Hope there's still time!

[Meg O'C]

I actually dropped out of my "real" (as opposed to virtual) book club a few months ago. I was finding we consistently picked books that were too long and/or depressing. Also with a new house I found I just wasn't finding the time to read that I once did and when I did find the time I wanted to read something I liked not something I felt I had to be reading. Anyway, I do miss certain aspects of the book club . . . this seems like less of a pressure deal.

Sorry to ramble, Kerri! I know you were trying to get a discussion of the book going!

[Veronica]

I'm in a face-to-face book club, too, but I'm starting to lose interest in it mainly because we haven't read a book lately that I've really enjoyed. On the positive side, the club has forced me to read several books that I wouldn't have chosen myself. It's broadened my horizons a little - even though I've kicked & screamed my way through some of the less enjoyable books.

I read Endurance and marveled at the physical and mental feats the men achieved. I read somewhere that this would be a good book for anyone in business. I agree. It shows true teamwork and how a really great leader manages to bring out the best in people and control the troublemakers. I really admired Shackleton and the navigator (his name escapes me right now).

[Kerri]

I am so glad to read all these responses! For the new members, here is a link where we talked about the current book club suggestions:
http://www.cookinglight.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15229&highlight=endurance

The book for Dec is Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf and for Jan it is The Hours by Michael Cunningham. The Hours is a continuation of Mrs. Dalloway (I think) so that is why we are doing it that way.

For new members, we usually pick 3 selections: fiction, non-fiction, and classic. We start discussions at the end of a month of the beginning of the next month. With the holidays and all, I am expecting to start discussion on the next book beginning of January. Discussion is very informal. Sometimes we can find discussion questions on the internet to help guide us but a lot of the times it is just "what did you guys think about this?" Anyone can start a discussion (and please do!)

I really enjoyed this story. It really reads like an action movie and I can't believe it really happened. How about this for a question: to you, who played an important role in this adventure and why? It might seem a little obvious, but I couldn't come up with any questions! My answer is the photographer. I think he is one of the biggest reasons that this story is still so popular. At that time, recording the things that happened in pictures was pretty new, and now it makes the story even "more real"

If you liked this book, you might also like "Furthest North" by Robert Nansen, "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer, and "The Perfect Storm" by, um, forgot his name.

[Meg O'C]

I think Sebastian Junger is the author of The Perfect Storm.

I will not be able to tackle Virginia Woolf this month but good luck to you all (haven't read her since college - some of her stuff is easier to read than other). Will plan to join you for the Hours discussion.

[mcraig13]

I marveled at all of these men. How did they do this without killing each other--both figuratively and literally? But did anybody else think that the cook, Charles Green, was really a trooper? Everyday he cooked for everyone--some really gross stuff too.