The Zen Den Book Club

I love books. Like, I really, really LOVE books. I’ve thought about starting my own book club in my area, but then I had a better and more accessible idea...an online book club!! It’s just for fun, to discuss books and broaden our reading horizons. We can also pick a book each month to read (either as a group or individually) and discuss it. So for those of you who would like to be a part of the book club, please post your answers to the following questions:

Favourite writer(s):
Favourite book (fiction or non-fiction):
Favourite genre(s):
A book that’s made an impact on your life:
Your reading recommendations:

On November 1st I will post the title of the book I will be reading for the month, it would be great to see what you’re all reading too!

Hi everyone,

For this month I will be reading more than one book (as I always do...) , a mixture of fiction and non-fiction.

Fiction:
‘Intervention’ by Julian May - a sci-fi/fantasy book
‘The Phantom of the Opera’ by Gaston Leroux
Hoping to read also: ‘Northern Lights’ by Philip Pullman

Non Fiction/Self Development:
Working my way through ‘A Course in Miracles’ by the ACIM Foundation For Inner Peace
‘Infinite Possibilities’ by Mike Dooley
I will be studying Marcus Aurelius’ ‘Meditations’
I’m also really enjoying a book called ‘Beyond Doorways’ by a lady called Alexis Cartwright. I found this book in a charity shop and it’s blowing my mind and really shifted me into another wave of ascension.

I would love to know what you’re all reading.

Best wishes,

Laurelite

Laurelite, your list of books is really very interesting !!.Great!... I will read Marcus Aurelius, I would like to read it for a long time and I would like to be able to share thoughts with you and maybe share the philosophical aphorisms of Marcus Aurelius.

I really like the idea of ​​being part of a book club, where commenting, discussing and recommending books ... I think it can also be a way to read with enthusiasm, reading a book by yourself is beautiful, but reading it and commenting on it together it is even more beautiful. Thanks!
Perseo

In these days, I'm reading Wuthering Heights ... have you ever read this book? I had never read this great classic (I love the classics) and I must say that from the first pages I was able to get involved and intrigue me, page after page ... as soon as I finished this book I'd like to discuss with you about this great masterpiece of English literature .

I also love books !!!!!???? I mostly read books on history, art history, classic novels and I love biographies (especially those of female characters ... in history we have had very great women who are often obscured or forgotten, but who were very important. I would like, in future, recommend some biography that I am sure you could appreciate.
I wish you a good reading.
Perseo

Dear Perseo, how are you getting on with Wuthering Heights? As you know, it is a favourite of mine. The characters are so rich and I love the rawness between Catherine and Heathcliff. This sentence gets me every time, when Catherine says, ‘I am Heathcliff’. Wonderful. Let us know your thoughts on the book.

How about Aurelius? I will be taking my time to study it, but I like the stoic principles so I’m looking forward to reading it.

Laurelite

Hi Laurelite
Since the first chapters of "Wuthering heights" they fascinated me.
I started reading it with great passion. What I really like are the descriptions of places and how positive and negative feelings can be described......and then comes Chapter IX???? the one in which Catherine in an explosion of words describe in an extraordinary way the feeling for Heathcliff and says: "He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” ....and I am Heathcliff......Amazing!!!!!????
As soon as I finish the book, I will write to you to let you know my final thoughts.
I'm curious to start Marcus Aurelius too, surely it will be interesting to read the thoughts of such an important historical figure.
Perseo

I am reading this month two books (It is an habit of mine reading one book in spanish and one in english): "Jane Eyre" (in english) and "The second sex" (in spanish since I couldn't find the french version). I will let you know whenever I finish reading these two books. In the meantime let me tell you about an interesting (and very deep) book written by a czech writer called Milan Kundera, the book is titled "Nesnesitelná lehkost bytí" (The unbearable lightness of being).

Here's a brief review of the book and my comments about it:

You can judge by only reading the title that the book will be incredibly deep in terms of existentialist questions or philosophy, even though it isn't good judging a books for its covers, I warn you (there are always exceptions of the rule) that this is the case. We are going to be immerse in the times before the soviet invasion in Czech Republic and during this invasion as a social context for a story of four characters, they are connected somehow in their lives even though they aren't consanguineous: Tomasz, Tereza, Sabina and Franz, being the first three czechs and Franz the only foreigner of this novel.
This novel deepens into many concepts related to the existence as the concept of return again and again, loving messes between Tomasz-Teresa-Sabina, life, consciousness, existence, time, betrayal. The concept of sex exposed in the book is mainly about the inequality between male and female, showing a power of one of the sides, but not only sex is showed as a matter of power, also the relationships related to love and politics.
Another recurrent topic of the book is the criticism over the "Kitsch" concept (A concept that has origins in Münich, Germany, it originally referred to cheap and popular paintings of sketches). Kundera exposes that the truth that has no knowledge of the opposite truth is a kitsch, not a dogma but a kitsch which can be interpreted as seeing life as if it was a painting that you can be restored every single time it needs to be fixed.

If you , my dearest readers, are longing for a book that deepens into the life of a twentieth century person that can be relatable to modern society, I truly recommend you reading this book but I must warn you that you need at least reading a couple of philosophical books such as the existentialist books and Nihilists (such as Nietzsche, essentially Nietzsche!).

Here are some of my favourite quotes that you can find in the book:

- “The goals we pursue are always veiled. A girl who longs for marriage longs for something she knows nothing about. The boy who hankers after fame has no idea what fame is. The thing that gives our every move its meaning is always totally unknown to us.”
- “Perhaps all the questions we ask of love, to measure, test, probe, and save it, have the additional effect of cutting it short. Perhaps the reason we are unable to love is that we yearn to be loved, that is, we demand something (love) from our partner instead of delivering ourselves up to him demand-free and asking for nothing but his company.”
- “Human life occurs only once, and the reason we cannot determine which of our decisions are good and which bad is that in a given situation we can make only one decision; we are not granted a second, third, or fourth life in which to compare various decisions.”

Have a good read my dearest readers!,

Dear all,

the idea of an online book club sounds fascinating and I'd love to be part of it. With great interest, I read through your posts, and I already added The Unbearable Lightness of Being to my reading list. Thank you Sat-Chit-Ananda for this intriguing recommendation. Currently, I'm reading News from Nowhere by William Morris, but I can't say much about it yet since I just started. I'm curious about the connection between socialist utopia and his conception of art.
Maybe we can start reading a book together as soon as we finished our current pile. What do you think? I'd love to read a book and discuss certain chapters during the process. It seems we have similar interests in literature and can probably agree on a mutual read easily.

Enjoy your current books dear all!

Dear readers of our book club, how are your readings proceeding?
I have finished "Wuthering Heights" and I can say that it is a Masterpiece
A book that has bewitched me.
Characters, places and events described with an engaging simplicity.
I continued to read, page after page, and this novel managed to drag me into the events described.
The plot is wonderful and the deep bond between Heatcliff and Catherine is moving. A bond in which their souls are indissoluble, united by the first meeting , despite the quarrels, anger, the harshness of words and gestures.
Two souls who try to move away after the quarrels, the fears and the various events, but they realize that they are indivisible. Two souls that death did not separate.
I quote some phrases that render the concept well:
"Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same"

"Be with me always - take any form - drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! it is unutterable! I can not live without my life! I can not live without my soul!"

"My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being." Emily Brönte

A book recommended to everyone ... and recommended especially to all incurable romantics like me.
Perseo
" A home without books is a body without soul" Cicerone

Dear Perseo,

I haven't had the chance to give you a warm welcome before, so, welcome to the Zen Den forum!, it is lovely reading each post your have written so far. Now, onto the topic of this series of messages about book recommendations; I liked your description of 'Wuthering heights', it is so vivid, it makes you think of : -'Hey! I should add this book to the books I must read sooner or later'- (be sure of that, after reading such perfectly written review of yours). I must confess I know of the existence of this book but I haven't read it yet (shame on me ! since it is listed as a universal classic).
I will definitely give the book a chance in the future (after getting into William Yeats' world, I promise!), it would be wonderful discussing about the topics and understand all the descriptions you gave on the plot.

Once again, thank you for taking the time and enlightening us with such exquisite description of the book.

Slán go fóill,

Innisfree

My dear friends, hello, ciao, hola, guten tag!

It is wonderful to see you all here joining in the book club. It warms my heart and brings me such joy, thank you all.

Britannica I would love for us all to choose a book to study/read as a group. Perhaps we can all recommend a book and then vote on which we would like to choose first. How are you finding News from Nowhere? I'm finding it difficult to get into May's Intervention and think perhaps I will lend it to a friend who I know will be interested in it and get their review. Perhaps then I will go back to it at some point.

For university I have finished Shakespeare's As You Like It and have just begun studies on Hamlet, in particular the role and significance of the Ghost.

Perseo, I am so pleased you enjoyed Bronte's Wuthering Heights! Thank you for your review - it bewitched me too! I studied this masterpiece during my first year of my degree. Here is a brief few paragraphs from my assignment. If you would like to read the rest I would be happy to email it to you my friend.

'Emily Brontë’s, Wuthering Heights creates an intricate web of disruption, challenging and  upsetting the family dynamic. This isn’t just a tragic love story as it appears first on the surface, there are far more haunting and distressing elements to it that create a sense of disturbed familiarity – an experience which is repeated throughout the generations of the family as if they were cursed by the same fate.'

'Heathcliff’s complexity goes far deeper than what was first understood. Catherine herself even tries to warn Isabella about Heathcliff, ‘He’s not a rough diamond – a pearl-containing oyster of a rustic; he’s a fierce pitiless, wolffish man.’ (10.87) going so far as to reveal his motives, that he is ‘quite capable of marrying your fortune.’ (10.87). Despite his true nature, Catherine was very much in love with him, ‘She was much too fond of Heathcliff. The greatest punishment we could invent for her was to keep her separate from him: yet she got chided more than any of us on his account.’ (5.40) It seems that love and punishment go hand in hand where their relationship is concerned.'

I am continuing my study of A Course in Miracles and now also Aurelius' Meditations.  How are you finding it Perseo? I have discovered this quote so far that is resonating with me today, (Book 2.1.4)  'Remember how long you have been putting this off, how many times you have been given a period of grace by the gods and not used it...if you do not use it (time) to clear away your clouds, it will be gone, and you will be gone, and the opportunity will not return.' Also, I've found this post with 22 great quotes from Meditations https://highexistence.com/22-stoic-truth-bombs-marcus-aurelius-will-make-unfuckwithable/

Happy reading everyone!

“Today I escaped anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions — not outside.” -  Marcus Aurelius

Hi friends,

You'll notice a new discussion has been added for the Book Club on the main page. I have rearranged topics so that they are easier to navigate. Hope you find this useful.

Best wishes,

Laurelite

I begin by thanking Innisfree for the welcome , Grazieand I hope that you too will write other reviews, maybe "Jane Eyre" that I would like to read too.

Laurelite, I'm glad to read your assignment on "Wuthering Heights", thanks! I've finished this book for several days and I keep thinking about it. I want to read it again.
Marcus Aurelius wrote really beautiful thoughts .... I started the "fourth book", but already from the first thoughts, we understand his vision of the world, of human beings, of virtues and his ideals.

Perseo

Dear book clubbers,

I am glad that you all seem interested in a mutual read and discussion. I support Perseo's suggestion since I would love to start with Jane Eyre.
The writings by Morris are so far fascinating. It's not only "News from Nowhere" but also some of his other writings. I'm not neutral here since I adore the combination of socialist thoughts, art, poetry and ancient Northern fairytales. If you ever want to escape from daily life, I'd recommend Morris's thoughts about utopias.

All best wishes,
Britannica

Dearest book clubbers (I love that!),

I would absolutely love to read Jane Eyre with you Perseo, Britannica and anyone else that would like to join in. How wonderful. Would you like to read it for December?

Thank you Britannica for telling us more about New From Nowhere - I will add it to my reading list

All the best,

Laurelite

Dear clubbers,

I can't wait to read every single recommendation you are writing on each new lovely post. I am already reading Jane Eyre in english, so if you decide to read this books during December I am already in the challenge.
I promise I will do a review of what I have read so far from "Le deuxième sex" for those who are interested in feminist books. I am thinking on reading (after finishing le Deuxième sex) "Les mandarins" at some point, it is also written by Simone De Beauvoir. What is interesting about her books (so far I can tell) is the fact that she exposes many interesting facts about feminism (I wouldn't say she was the first feminist thought, probably the first one who wrote such an essay about the matter) combined with the strong "existentialist influence" that is explained by the social and historical context. If you, my dearest readers, are interested in this philosophical stream (existentialism) I truly recommend you reading Jean Paul Sartre or Albert Camus (both were french writers).... actually, "Les Mandarins" is about three friends, Simone De Beauvoir was inspired by her friendship with these two philosophers and writers when she created the story and characters of the mentioned book.

Have a lovely day y'all!,

"“One is not born, but rather becomes, woman. No biological, psychic, or economic destiny defines the figure that the human female takes on in society; it is civilization as a whole that elaborates this intermediary product between the male and the eunuch that is called feminine." (Le Deuxième sex, Simone De Beauvoir)

Dear all,

let's do it! I'm in to read Jane Eyre in December, and now I'm excited to finally be a part of a book club.
@Innisfree The second sex is a marvellous choice. I use this book a lot for my essays, and, of course, I used the quotation you chose in my MA thesis last year. I think everybody should at least read parts of this book to understand the foundations of feminism... and Gender Trouble by Judith Butler if I must limit the choice down to two.

Good evening Book Clubbers,

Oh I am so excited to read Jane Eyre with you all in December! How lovely and cosy it will be, reading such a classic by the Christmas tree! I only wish I had a burning log fire!

Thank you everyone for all these great book recommendations. I certainly would like to read something of Simone De Beauvoir. What a fantastic quote - thank you Innisfree!

Another book I have on my reading list is The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield. I’ve wanted to read this book for a long time and knew I would find it somewhere. A few weeks ago I found it in a charity shop! Perhaps you will have a look at it and let me know if you’d like to read it at some point. Another book I would love to revisit is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Perseo, I know you were reading this too, did you enjoy it?

Blessings