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A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
 

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (Vintage)

by Dave Eggers

Dave Eggers is a terrifically talented writer; don't hold his cleverness against him. What to make of a book called A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius: Based on a True Story? For starters, there's a good bit of staggering genius before you even get to the true story, including a preface, a list of "Rules and Suggestions for Enjoyment of This Book," and a 20-page acknowledgements... (read more)

Top tags: memoir,  nonfiction,  non-fiction,  coming of age,  fiction (all tags)

Overview: Groups

Reader's Cramp 79 books / 203 members / 266 posts This group is solemnly dedicated to every reader's cramp: the aggravating tome.

Do you still remember the last book you read that frustrated the hell out of you? Maybe it led you on, peaked your interest but then clichéd you to death in the dark alley of its final 'graph. Perhaps it promised what it could not deliver, or just grated on you with preachy soapboxing.

Add your "favorite" frustrating books to the group shelf. Vent about your latest letdown. Commiserate, carp, and kvetch. Go ahead, let it all out...we understand.
Books With Dinner 58 books / 4 members / 0 posts Book discussion of friends that live in Montgomery, Delaware and Chester counties in Pennsylvania. There are currently eight of us. We meet each month at a different person's house and discuss the book of the month over dinner.
Brilliant Babes (And Dudes) Who Read Selectively 641 books / 166 members / 7798 posts So, what makes you a selective reader? If you like Dan Brown, Danielle Steele, Nicholas Sparks, or similar works, you MAY not be into this club. We are a group of intelligent persons who love both thought-provoking literature and quality brain candy. Actually, I mainly started it for myself and my friends, but anybody can apply if you think you're down with the Brilliant Babes--just send someone a note explaining why YOU think you are a brilliant babe (or dude) who reads selectively. This is a super-casual group. Anybody can suggest a book to read, anybody can add books to the reading list. We welcome any and all intelligent book discussion (not to mention whining about books we hated or gushing about books we loved). And don't worry if you have a really embarrassing book on your shelves...we all have skeletons in the closet.

To ask for an invite please DO NOT use the admin message box, leave a note on the profile pages of either rob or Suze...we will get back to you as soon as we can...thanks for your patience...and if you insist on asking for an invite via the group admin message box you will be ignored...so don't. Also, please remember that, although we TRY to get to everyone's requests in a timely manner, we do have other responsibilities that sometimes delay us from looking at your shelves. Your patience will be rewarded

A note about being snobs: As hard as it is to believe, with all of the nice people here on Shelfari, we get an e-mail once every week or two saying that we are snobs. That really just depends on your definition of a snob. Yes, this is a private group. Yes, we jokingly call ourselves brilliant. Yes, we have rather defined reading tastes that cut out a lot of mass-market fiction. Does that truly make us snobs? We hand-picked many members of our initial group around what we like to read or think we'd like to read. I don't think this makes us so much snobs as "people who want to discuss the kind of stuff that they like to read and don't care to discuss stuff that they don't like to read." (shrugs) We're pretty accepting. So, before sending us mean e-mails, see above for the joining process. And just remember: If you don't make it in, you probably haven't read the same books that we've all read and we'd have nothing to talk about!

A special note from the admin: We want everyone to have a great time here. All we expect is that everyone plays nice! Good-humored sarcasm is in; putting down or harassing our members is not, and we won't hesitate to remove a repeat offender from the group.

Note on the threads: please feel free to go back and resurrect any of the earlier threads that you find interesting...

Our One and Only Love List...

Love in the Time of Cholera...Gabriel Garcia Marquez (J.M.)
Pride and Prejudice...Jane Austen (littlemom)
Jane Eyre...Charlotte Bronte (AthenasDaughter)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn...Betty Smith (Dana)
A Room With a View...E.M. Forster (Kiki)
To Kill a Mockingbird...Harper Lee (unfinished woman)
The Virgin Suicides,,,Jeffrey Eugenides (ballroom pink)
Dragonfly in Amber...Diana Gabaldon (Aimeesue)
Watership Down...Richard Adams (rob)
Persuasion...Jane Austen (AvidReader)
The Once and Future King...T.H.White (Alicia)
The Sound and the Fury...William Faulkner (katie)
Gone with the Wind...Margaret Mitchell (dickensfan)
The Forsythe Saga...John Galsworthy (cubachick)
Catcher in the Rye...J.D. Salinger (gbett)
Fall On Your Knees...Ann Marie MacDonald (HemingwayHeroine)
Return of the Native...Thomas Hardy (Aaro)
Fight Club...Chuck Palahniuk (Tania B.)
The Great Indian Novel...Shashi Tharoor (ophelia)

Reading The Three Musketeers: The Serial Schedule

Part/Chapters/Start Date/Discussion Date
one/author's preface, 1, 2, 3, 4/17th May/25th
two/5, 6, 7, 8/26th/1st June
three/9, 10, 11, 12/2nd/8th
four/13, 14, 15, 16/9th/15th
five/17, 18, 19, 20/16th/22nd
six/21, 22, 23, 24/23rd/29th
seven/25, 26, 27, 28/30th/6th July
eight/29, 30, 31, 32/7th/13th
nine/33, 34, 35, 36/14th/20th
ten/37, 38, 39, 40/21st/27th
eleven/41, 42, 42, 44/28th/3rd August
twelve/45, 46, 47, 48/4th/10th
thirteen/49, 50, 51, 52, 53/11th/17th
fourteen/54, 55, 56, 57, 58/18th/24th
fifteen/59, 60, 61, 62, 63/25th/31st
sixteen/64, 65, 66, 67, epilogue/1st September/7th

http://www.strandbooks.com/
http://www.daedalusbooks.com/
http://www.hippocrenebooks.com/
http://loyolaclassics.loyolapress.com/
BEA Lit Insiders 176 books / 536 members / 214 posts Welcome to the BookExpo America Lit Insider group on Shelfari!
What the hell is a BEA Lit Insider? Well, BEA is the 2nd largest book fair in the world and takes place every June. This year the show is in L.A. and I'd love tohear from any West Coasters that are interested in the show or are planning on going. By the way, I’m the director of BookExpo America and you can check out my blog and learn more about how books are “made” www.mediumatlarge.net

-Lance
The Southern Literary Critics Sunday School Class and Serial Killer Task Force 65 books / 13 members / 3 posts This group is open for everyone who is stupid enough to join. However, there is a catch, there is a twenty dollar membership fee, payable to my offshore account in the Cayman Islands. After members have joined, they are encouraged to get as many new members to join and pay the fee as possible. Existing members can also buy the position of "High Member", High Members have greater priveleges, and what they say has more clout, than "Low Members", low members are dirt, and should be considered untouchables. I don't believe in the middle class, as their is no point to have one.

Now, High Members can join the prestigous Macon Community Center Knitting Club for a sizeable fee of course. A select few may get in free however, if they agree to become "Promoters", people who agree to promote us at a full time level, and sell memberships, as an incentive they get a small cut of the money they bring in, and, if they get us a new Promoter, then they get a portion of his profits, so they are encouraged to get as many new promoters as possible. Their membership in the group, position as High Member, and spot on the Macon Community Center Knitting Club, really do not only pay for themselves, but also help them quit their jobs, and live off the five thousand dollars a month that they enevitably end up making. If you want to be successful in life, then join this group and don't be a tightwad.
Wine-Os 18 books / 6 members / 8 posts A group for those who like to drink wine under the guise of discussing books!
Book Club 38 books / 3 members / 0 posts This represents all of the books read by our book club since our inception in 2002.
Horokiwi Books 50 books / 2 members / 0 posts Half way between Eastbourne and Seatoun is the quarry at Horokiwi. It marks the mid-point of the many journeys made for a long-standing book club.
Nobel Prize in Literature 70 books / 402 members / 122 posts For a complete list of Nobel Prize Literature Laureates, please click on "visit our website"


Dedicated to reading authors who have won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Who are you reading now, and what do you think of these movers and shakers in the world of literature?

From www.nobel.org:
The medal of the Swedish Academy represents a young man sitting under a laurel tree who, enchanted, listens to and writes down the song of the Muse.

The inscription reads:

Inventas vitam juvat excoluisse per artes

loosely translated "And they who bettered life on earth by their newly found mastery."
(Word for word: Inventions enhance life which is beautified through art.)

The words are taken from Vergilius Aeneid, the 6th song, verse 663;

Lo, God-loved poets, men who spake things worthy Phoebus' heart;
and they who bettered life on earth by new-found mastery

The name of the Leaureate is engraved on the plate below the figures, and the text "ACAD. SUEC." stands for the the Swedish Academy.

The Nobel Prize Medal for Literature was designed by Erik Lindberg.
North & South Keen(e)s 99 books / 1 members / 0 posts Seattle Area Book Club
Glenmoor Literary Guild 51 books / 6 members / 0 posts This is a private group for Glenmoor Literacy Guild members.
Late Night Bookies 52 books / 63 members / 331 posts The Late Night Bookies is the book club that Optic Junkie and I started up about three years ago. We are located in the Rocky Mountain West in the United States--hot summers and bitter winters...but beautiful mountains and forests and wonderful people!


We called ourselves the Late Night Bookies--because we're pretty much late night people who love to read, our book clubs always go late, late into the evening...(read early morning hours)...and sometimes...if we start reading, we just can't stop until we've reached the end.


We've read a lot of books--had some book swaps, eaten some great food and had some good laughs along the way.


I wanted to share the books that we have read, as well as open up to discussion recommended books for future reading and ideas/recipes for continuing to enhance our book club experience.

I hope you enjoy the visit!


Book Shelf Key:
Books Read: Books Read by the Book Club
Books To Read: Suggested Titles for Future Book Clubs

The icon picture: Sunset, Boracay Island, The Philippines
A weekend during a business trip a few years back.
I chose it because it could be dusk or dawn--a magical time, especially for the imaginative book reader!
Girls Book Club 14 books / 1 members / 0 posts
PDXMetro Reads 71 books / 3 members / 0 posts This is a collection of the books read by the E&A, PDXMetroreads, MiPL book club (just some of our many names!). Right now, it's a collection of books, but if people want to discuss, go ahead!
Memoir Lovers 16 books / 18 members / 14 posts This group is for those who love to reading memoirs.
DidYouReadTheBook 49 books / 1 members / 0 posts
The JLM Memorial Book Discussion Group 91 books / 5 members / 15 posts Book history for a small Des Moines based book discussion group.
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