Best Discussion Books: Oryx & Crake, On Her Own Ground and More

Continuing with best discussion books, as submitted by readers of the ReadingGroupGuides.com newsletter (sign up here), below are some of the comments that were shared. And find out what book club members had to say about why My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult and Alan Brennert's Moloka'i make for great conversations.


"I laughed, cried, and was challenged by The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. I sometimes shy away from "translated" books; at times they do not capture the style of the author, but this book is wonderful. It's the story of a concierge at an upscale apartment building in Paris. Her relationship (and lack of) with the characters who live there is very telling." --Rosemary Hood

"One of the best discussions we have had was about the book The Invisible Wall: A Love Story that Broke Barriers by Harry Bernstein. We also read the sequel, The Dream: A Memoir, shortly after that. The ladies in the group come from a wide variety of backgrounds but all have experienced prejudice in one form or another. Prejudice from socio-economic status, religion, or simply working and stay at home have given rise to damaged egos and hurt feelings. We all related to Harry's experience and admired the courage of both mother and son." --Susie Schachte, Greenwood Public Library

"Recently, my book group read two older books: The Far Family by Wilma Dykeman and Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. Book books stimulated two of the best discussions we have had. Everyone had something to say, and we all agreed we would like to read more older novels." --Anna Robinson

"I think the first pick would be One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus, as the members were still bringing it up a year after we read it. The next would be Jackdaws by Ken Follett. We hesitated about picking this book, but everyone ended up loving it. Also Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Each book picked generated not only a good book discussion but many referrals to the book months down the road." --Lana Mason

"Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood was our best discussion. Often during other book club meetings, the book would resurface in our discussion. The ending was never clear and brought many ideas and much philosophical discussion on the subject." --Micheline Heckler

"Choosing three favorites is quite a task, but if I must pick three that stand out, these would be: On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker. The author, A'Lelia Bundles, phone conferenced with us for our discussion. Our group was estatic that an author would take time to discuss her work with us. Ms. Bundles gave us special insights to her book; she is also the great-grandaughter of C.J. Walker, so this made the connection more special.

Our very first book and the namesake of our group is special to us. In March 1998, our first discussion was Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith, thus our group name is FTL Book Club. As women, we connected with the protagonist of Smith's novel and enjoyed reading about the changes this Applachian woman saw in herself and in her surroundings.

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks was a good and enjoyable piece of fiction. Brooks cleverly entwined religion and mystery in the storyline to keep interest for a good book club discussion." --Pat Neidhard