I have chosen a book...

Everyone is passed in our hotel room here in Cali and I have a second to announce the next book!

After an hour long discussion with Oprah and a political debate with Hilary I have decided we all need to dive into:

American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic (Hardcover)
by Joseph J. Ellis (Author)

It can be found at amazon or any bookstore (it is new)

http://www.amazon.com/American-Creation-Triumphs-Tragedies-Founding/dp/030726369X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198610078&sr=1-1

that is the link i think...

It should be interesting to learn how our whole country came about...

Much love brethren!

The best entry so far...

I humbly accept the challenge and will brainstorm on my choice for the next few days. I propose we begin the new year reading the book and end the first day of Feb. I am also quite impressed that Josh was able to put down so many of my nicknames. Ahh the memories of where each of those came from--

Boys, MEN! Let's first see who is in this still...

My thoughts coming very soon...

The Reckoning.

well, i finished dom casmurro last night. i think i am glad i picked it. props to machado. your thoughts? i have more to discuss but will do so later.

i am going to name Joseph G. Brazier, III aka DD, aka Two Scoops, aka Brazy Train, aka Doble D, aka Nuts & Berries, aka J-Braz, aka Jo-Bray, aka The Surf Guru, aka The Founder of Kaiizen, aka Joish, aka Vin "Bio" Diesel, aka The Secret (Victoria's)... as the next grand book-determiner. i have a few reasons. first, you created this book club. second, you have read both books in the established time, faithfully. third, to spite dan.

luke, as much as i wanted to read the sequel to Darwalker, i think it is an unspoken rule that there are no tea parties in the brotherhood (i know dan has probably tried already to invite you to one with some of his "friends").

dan, you get the spirit award. you hustled really hard on dom casmurro. i'm proud of you. but, darkwalker cries from the dust. your punishment has yet to be meted out. i hardly think it fair to let you choose the book with the ink from darkwell staining your hands. i won't be the one to let that happen. not on my watch. maybe next time or the next next time. keep tryin' buddy.

mikey, sorry haven't heard from you in a while. i am sure you read and did a great job. i just felt like maybe it wasn't the right timing yet.

jimmy, don't think you are with us anymore SON!

willis, you don't read (except 7 Seconds or Less). but, chuck...

matt, i would have chosen you but i think this book club might just be a little bit too mature for you. let us know when you grow up.

Let the next book be chosen...*

*see above

yeah that's it..

the 20th is the date... do we want to already go ahead with the coronation of the next book chooser before so they have time to decide?

When is the official due date?

In a discussion with Luke it seems we are due to be done on the 20th. J-Bu, is this the plan?

I will have spotty internet the rest of my trip but I will finish any day now and report when I finish--the road and Dom Casmurro go hand in hand. I love the style so far--it is so all over the place I find myself re-reading at times.

Let us know Josh...

Pony Express

Boys,
I made a tragic error, rather than ordering via Euphrates.com/domcasmurro(a website rife with problematic papyrus and rampants termite infestation), I opted for a new delivery service called the Pony Express. Apparently it uses a new technology called "Horse Power(sp?)" to deliver packages, which sounds both intriguing and fun...like a visit to the zoo.
The posse encountered some problems in Nebraska and had to hunker down for the past three weeks, subsiding on horse flesh and fleas. I just received word via "Telegraph" that they were entering the border of Colorado when a gang of banditos robbed them and shot one of the boys. The banditos made off with most of the packages except for my copy of Dom Casmurro, which should be arriving come Spring!
I'm excited.
Peace and Love,
Dan

Is there something called euphrates.com?

thats all...

Euphrates.com botched my order

I ordered the book... but it arrived on papyrus scrolls in a giant sarcophogus. Shipping was a nightmare. I only assume that I accidentally ordered the Assyrian or Mesopatamian translations.

In all truthfullness, I am going to pick up my English translation from Barnes & Noble right this red hot second on my lunch break. It just arrived after one botched order. I am fully committed to finishing the book though.

As Tom Hanks told Kathleen Turner in A League of Their Own, "The hard is what makes it great". Although there is no Robyn to grace the pages of this book; there is however, the ever-mysterious Capitu. Did she do it? Did she not?

Boa sorte, seus safados!

I am glad we are still doing this...

If it wasn't for a long road trip to New York and 3 flights this week I would be screwed.

Good luck everyone!

t minus seven, coHHEcto?

yeah i got it in portuguese too. this month's book was laden with traps to ensare the idiots among us (i'm with you dan). we have till next thursday right? ps there had better be a hot robyn figure in this one....

Dom Casmurro, Or "Lord Taciturn"(Somebody Knows How To Use Free Translation.Org...Booyeah)!

Brothers:
I just received my copy of Dom Casmurro! It's in Portuguese! I'm an idiot! I went back onto Amazon to buy it in english and read some reviews. This book will be the balls. I'm super stoked for this book. I just wanted to check in.
Peace and Love,
Danny
ps-I willing to take my punishment for the egregious(somebody knows how to use Miriam Webster.com, Booyeah!) non-reading of Darkwalker. Am I the only one other than Matt Olsen? When and where on this, men?

My thoughts on Darkwalker....

My first experience with sci-fi fantasy:

I honestly can say I loved it. The first few pages were rough. My mind was not used to such things as Firlbogs, Unicorns, and packs of wolves.

I had ask myself a few times--what the hell does a Firlbog look like? Then I thought about it and thought about it and decided upon a good look for one and then the rest of the book that image was in my mind.

It was great for my imagination.

I blew through the battle--it was like Mikey said 100 pages of intense action and sadness.

That was the hardest part for me. I grew super attached to some of the characters. When the jolly man who shared his BBQ with the gang died I cried.

When Angus and Arlen died, I cried.

When Canthus almost died I had a pit in my stomach...but I knew he wasn't dead..he couldn't be.

The love was real between Trystan and Robyn. I want that.

I look forward to Bud's book--how long is it?

Josher

"Her? Robyn? Uhh, No, She's Not My Type, Uh I mean There's Tons Of Other Girls I'm Intersted In. What? Only Guys, huh? Not Gay." -Hazgoroth

Bretheren of The Blog. Dan here. Sheepishly writing about the fact that I didn't finish the book. I'll take the punishment. I'll finish the book. I'm clean and square.
I'm excited about this book, mostly because I get to see it translated into English(I've read the Russian Version; contrived, but fairly smooth writing). Anytime I can read a book translated into my native tongue, I'm happy(I don't speak a foreign language, just read them). Plus, given that it was originally written in Portugese, we get the Brazilian discount. $3 on Amazon, baby!
Let me know how I can receive my punishment so that I may be restored to full fellowship.
Peace and Love,
Dan

Here Comes That Hoo, Here That Hoo.... Ready or Not!

Gentleman,

After much deliberation, I believe I have come to a conclusion on the next book that we shall be reading in this band of brothers.

I have picked Dom Casmurro, by Joaquim M. Machado de Assis translated by John A. Gledson. This book is classic Brazilian literature, yatch! Machado de Assis is a great Brazilian author and translated much of Shakespeare into Portuguese back in the 1800's. You can get a taste of the Intro if you type it in to Google. If you order it online, make sure you get the English translation by this Gledson dude.

I have read a portion of this book in Portuguese and it is actually really pretty good. I am pretty sure none of you have read it. And the translation by this Gledson dude, I think really does well with the narrative.

I know what you are thinking, this book is going to be boring. Well, you know what it's my choice... so deal with it! This is a brotherhood, not a little club for little, cute little girls with pigtails and little dresses and little tights that like to read cute, little books. I enjoy inflicting Red Hands, so bring it. If you want to go to guns, my pleasure.

Any comments, complaints, etc...? Oh, and "Dom" is pronounced "Dohng" and Casmurro is pronounced "Kah ZMOO ho"..

Who is still in this?

Can't wait for the new book....

Ya that's all I had to say. I worked on the new layout for hours last night. Luke was right, National Treasure was my inspiration.

Does anyone find themselves stopping less hesitantly on the SCI-FI channel?

Let us know soon Bud!

New Layout

Good choice on the new layout of the blog. It looks like a parchment on that movie National Treasure...WHIIIICH I'm pretty sure was made into a book...eh Budinger? (nudge) Eh..?? (nudge nudge)

Let's Get Ready to Rumble...

Gentleman,

I have been meaning to write a new post for a couple of days now. First, I wanted to talk about Darkwalker a little bit and second, I want to discuss Luke's last post.

1) I wanted to wait a few days after reading Darkwalker before I made any comments, so that I could have some time to mull over some thoughts. This book was truly fantastic. I have a few questions and thoughts. First, I am wondering if Doug Niles ever revealed anything about Kazgoroth in any readings after this book was published. I do find it curious that Kazgaroth was always after men and that he desisted so quickly from chasing lady Robyn in order to take a mud bath. Mr. Niles never did mention what Laric and Kazgaroth discussed before the battle, but Laric did come away from that with glossy red lips (reminds me of a certain tent at a certain beach in a certain mexico with a certain dan that didn't read a certain book that was picked by a certain luke that chose the book.... coincidence?).

I do agree with Luke about the role of Canthus in this book. I thought for sure that the Pack was going to remain under the control of Erian.

I was disappointed in Daryth a little bit. He was a spy? I mean yeah he helped beat all those firbolgs in the gate entrance but I thought he was gonna be a little bit more awesome than he was.

Lady Robyn was hot.

I feel like Mr. Niles tried too hard on the comic relief with Newt the pseudo-dragon. If Darkwalker were made into a movie I feel like they would have tried to cast Eddie Murphy as Newt, but would have ended up with David Spade, Carrot Top, Bob Saget or the one Andy guy with blond hair and glasses.

I wanted better closure on the Corwell royal family. How did daddy and little Tristan end up?

I can't believe dirty little Trahern lived and that he got away with Kazgaroth's heart. I wanted a final druid v. druid battle either between him and Robyn or between him and the lady that flew around as a swallow or between him and the priest dude (not a druid) but that guy had to get killed by Kazzy.

2) First of all, I agree that there needs to be some accounting and punishments need to be given.
Secondly, I am deeply honored by the chance at choosing the next book. I take this nomination incredibly seriously (i hate writing two adverbs together). I was in the book store for 45 minutes today during my lunch break. I, like Bone Thugs before me, have found myself at a crossroads. I am not sure what book to choose quite yet. I really want to pick a book that I have not read before, but that makes me nervous that the book that I pick will be lame or that the book that I pick will contain something offensive. You wouldn't believe the pervasive violence and sex that is proliferated in economics literature these days. I did almost pick Still Hood by K'Wan or Kanye's new book, Thank You & You're Welcome, but desisted when the cashier wanted to see photo ID. I hope to have a book chosen by tomorrow afternoon at the latest, so that we can use some of the Thanksgiving break to get going on it.

Let me know your thoughts on any of the comments that I have made. Peace & Love brothers.

a few things

first, i'm glad we finished what we started.

second, we need a reckoning of who read, and who gets red handed.

third, one of the best sentences in the book: "the goddess wept for the suffering of her child, but her tears healed and restored and replenished." Isn't that the truth?

fourth, how about that laric, was he a trip or what?

fifth, right to choose the next book nominator goes to the man who picked the book, namely me. and i choose...he who is farthest away, yet still managed to travel through Myrloch Vale with the rest of us. Bud.

sixth, who would have thought that Canthus, presented in the first 3 pages, would play such a pivotal role in the fight against kazgaroth. and how about that silver dog collar?? pure genuis!

lots of love, and looking forward to another wild ride.

Luke

The Swrord of Cymmrich Hugh brought me to the end of this beast

Gentlemen, with 5 minutes to spare I have finished this fantasy that is Darkwalker on Moonshae. Hot dang. Expect my full feelings to come soon.

Done.

Amazing.

I never would have imagined that I could have enjoyed 100 straight pages of battle so much.

Words that could have been a little less-frequent: "hummock" and variations of "berserk."

So today we need a new book. Let's do it.

The deed is done!

I have just finished DarkWalker on MoonShae. Let the discussion begin!

I am loving this book!

Does anyone else picture a blue Newt Gingrich everytime the little dragon speaks? I have had to ask Luke what I should be imagining in my head...some of these characters have no translation in my imagination. New horizons!

Ode to Angus and Arlen

You gave your life, split blood for your friends

You paid the ultimate price, your legends will never end

May you both rest in peace

May your friends remember you always

My dear, loyal Angus,

My tough, aged Arlen

We will always remember

Always.

NAY

I vote Nay.

My reasons:
A) I bought the book last night.
B) I want to know more about this freaky Robyn chick.
C) I feel deep concern for the weakening state of the goddess.
D) If we postpone once we are just going to postpone again.
E) I don't know what a pseudo-dragon is... is it like a pseudo-nymph?
F) Your mom.
G) Dan's gay.
H) I think we can do it.

I am NAY!

Thought that would get your attention.

I will finish the book by the 16th in sheer fear of being called a pantywaist.

I looked it up. It is a horrible label.

I look forward to the campfire talks but I don't think anyone else will!

J-Bu can you learn "Pablo Picasso" by Citizen Cope by the next trip?

I do miss jamming by the fire--it has been a while since we've sung Mason and others.

So there I stand, and will unless a large sum of money is sent my way.

I am off to read!

Josher

Pantywaist

Before reading any further, let's take a moment to failiarize ourselves with the information at the following link:

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=pantywaist

That's right.

A few problems with extending the deadline:

First, we risk falling into a category where we'll be in the company of history's other "weak, effeminate, fainthearted" men.

Second, because of geographical limitations, we can expect to have very few opportunities to meet and talk about our adventures. Since most of us will be going on this next Kaiizen trip, that would be a perfect chance to get together and tale-tell, but only if we've all finished the book. We'll be able to talk about Moonshae AND sit around the campfire discussing the next book we decide to read - whatever that may be.

If we extend the deadline, we all know that there will still be members of the brotherhood who on November 30th are still "falling asleep," asking for "by's on the first round," or "still haven't started."

So here's my recommendation: That mercy might not rob justice, we should still start a new book on the 16th. Luke, having chosen the first book, will decide who gets to choose the next book. Then we'll choose a point in the new book that we will have reached on November 30. So, if Luke decides that Josh gets to pick the next book, and he picks Black Wizards (the next book of the Moonshae trilogy) - we'll come to some kind of concensus that we all must be on page 200 of Black Wizards by November 30th. Thus, we can mete out our time accordingly between finishing Darkwalker and getting through part of the next book.

That way those who have read can keep reading, those who haven't read won't have so much pressure to catch up, and none of us will be considered a "sissy." Let me know what you guys think.

A blurb from the wiki on Veto Powers

The word "veto" does not appear in the United States Constitution. Per U.S. Const., Article I, Section 7 all legislation passed by both houses of Congress must be presented to the President. This presentation is in the President's capacity as head of state.
If the President approves of the legislation, he signs it. If he does not approve, he must return the bill, unsigned, within ten days (excluding Sundays) to the house of the United States Congress in which it originated. The President is constitutionally required to state his objections to the legislation in writing, and the Congress is constitutionally required to consider them, and to reconsider the legislation.
If the Congress overrides the veto by a two-thirds majority in each house, it becomes law without the President's signature. Otherwise, the bill fails to become law unless it is presented to the President again and he chooses to sign it.in each house, it becomes law without the President's signature. Otherwise, the bill fails to become law unless it is presented to the President again and he chooses to sign it.

Since Luke is technically the President (He chose this book) we can overide his NAY with a 2/3 majority vote. We have laws from which can draw power or that can screw us over.

Okay, I'll Say Something............Typical

As I was falling asleep to the gentle strains of "I had the time of my life..." softly pouring out of Luke's bedroom last night, I had an ever so subtle epiphany: our due date is in 4 days, and I'm approximately 55 paragraphs into a 5456345645646500000 paragraph book! I made a valiant attempt at reading the book, and fell asleep within two paragraphs(question: where are all the pitures? I was promised pictures!!!).
I propose we extend to the end of the month. No excuses, no more extentions, no passing on the book(fake it or BS if you have to, but if you're caught, you're dead). If you're in the club, you finish the book or face the punishment.
Honestly, this book has terrified me from the minute I picked it up(mostly due to the power contained within, much like the ring...I destest and worship this book). It's grown more terrifying by the day as the deadline has loomed. I made my peace last night, and am dedicated to finishing.
The benefit to this extension, other than Luke having a solo party to discuss the book(wolverine claw could come too?), would be that we have a clean break to begin and end books, with a group discussion within a week of finishing. I'd also say that we need to have the next month's book selected by the first of every month so we can get cracking. Another benefit is that we get an extra day on the long months for the extra long books(Anything Nicholas Sparks, you know what I'm talking about)

So to sum up, I'm excited about reading this book, getting through it, and discussing it.....in December. This will require a 3/4's vote to approve. I'd suggest you hurry and vote, the red hand is beconing..

One final item: Mancation. I want to get this sucka planned. This is the forum to do it. I'm saying either San Diego or DR or Costa Rica. We have 7 months to save for it, so these things are feasable. Please comment.
Peace and Love,
Dan

Loving it?

I can only assume there is so little chatter because you are all riveted by this book. I am kind of in awe myself. Who would have thought I would be loving this text 16 years after reading it the first time?

Kazgaroth is the perfect villain. He uses humans as pawns and is neither afraid of the the Leviathan nor the unicorn Kammeryn.

Tristan is a great hero because it is obvious he needs to grow into the role of knight. And newt the pseudo-dragon? Hysterical. A riot every time he speaks.

Anyway, this is awesome. I'm having having the time of my life.

How is everyone doing?

We only have a few days til the deadline. I am struggling. I need the large-print version, or a magnifying glass.
Let's get some dialogue going here...

Requests to join...

How should we handle new additions? I am sure we can find creative ways to do this....

Internet Police Flagged Me For Buying Pre-Teen Fantasy Literature, Heads Up!

In the spirit of Denny Green, "you were what we thought you were! You were what we thought you were!" Thanks, Luke, for the opportunity to buy underaged Fantasy Literature(at least now I have a reason other than compulsion).
A few comments:
1.I figured it we're going to be stuck with Archetypes, why not own it? With that in mind, I bought the book, but the audio version(i'm pretty skeptical of the wrote word) as read by Big Papi. Should be awesome..and just a heads up, there's a vast library of audio books as read by Dikembe Mutumbo for you Houston Rocket enthusiasts.
2.When I bought the book on amazon, my screen swirled into a black cloudy spiral, and I was transformed into the 6th interwebs where I battled warlocks for what seemed to be hours. As I was about to defeat the 7th level pygmie elvish wren, I was knocked out by a Gremlin of Harming. I woke up at my desk, and less than 3 seconds had gone by. Weird. Exciting. Confusing. This should be great!
3.I've never been in a book club(don't/can't read), but the majority of the book clubs seem to have a common theme: women reading cheesy novels. To avoid that association(Pre-teen male fantasy literature will help) I have a few suggestions:
A.Let's have accountability on when we need to finish each book. I'd say a month starting today(so the 16th of each month) we need to have it finished and comments ready for sharing.
B.For those in town, a meeting to discuss the previous month's book appropriate to the topic/theme of said book(no strip clubs, Budinger). Since we won't meet at a Jr. High, suggestions are welcome for this month's entry. If the weapon store on 400 north in Orem, or the Asian weapon store on University would have us, that would be amazing. The food should always be BBQ. No exceptions.
C.Punishment for not reading-Further setting us apart from the female based book clubs, will be a punishment affixed to not meeting the deadline. Not some mamby pamby "you lose 5 points!" but a real punishment. I'm thinking something akin to Brazier's mancation punishment, with Photographic or video proof of completion.

I'm looking forward to this journey, if only as a vehicle to introduce my collection of Bernstein Bears(Josh, you'll love them, they're Jewish!) books.
Peace and Love,
Dan

Did you know what you were getting into?

Guys, I would apologize for what I am about to do, but in the spirit of an old seminary video that really helped me as a teen: "You knew what I was when you picked me up!" There are consequences to inviting Luke to be part of a book club.

So, in the spirit of reading things that have pictures (Dan) and scanty clads (J-Bu), I have decided on beginning the brotherhood with Darkwalker on Moonshae by Douglas Niles. I picked this title for a few reasons.

1. It was the first Forgotten Realms title ever published, not to mention the first one (of many) that I ever read (special thanks to Mike Van Dyke at Tierra Bonita Middle School).

2. It has everything you would want in a tale: "A bold but reckless prince, a beautiful young druidess, and their companions both magical and mortal do their best to protect their cherished homeland. If only their best was good enough." (Forgotten Realms website)

3. Sequel potential: Book Two - Black Wizards; Book Three - Darkwell.

4. From what Brazier has told me, the objective of this Brotherhood is not only to stay in touch, but also to get a feel for what sorts of texts we brethren are interested in. This means we can count on future titles like:
It's Easy Being Green (Brazier)
or PowerPrinciples: Do You Have The Winning Edge? (Dan)
or Scarface: The World is Yours - Prima Official Game Guide (Jimmy)
or I Take Long Showers, What Of It? (Matt)
or Smart-Economics-Book-that-Everyone-Except-J-Bu-Pretends-to-Understand-So-That-J-Bu-Won't-Think-We-Are-All-Idiots (J-Bu).
(I was going to include a book that I thought Willis would like, but I don't know what Willis likes to read. Willis, do you like to read? Cause if so, have I got the book for you...(Darkwalker on Moonshae). )

My point is, if I am going to suffer through a book about the memoirs and meanderings of Big Papi (Dan) then you're all stuck with "the sacred realm of the Goddess Earthmother shudder[ing] under [the denizen's] vile onslaught." (Forgotten Realms website)

Wait, Dan is in this book club, isn't he? Who's going to be our whipping boy if Danimal's not part of the fun? (Brazier)

That's all I've got. What's the timeline on this?

Welcome my Brothers!

This idea came to me while in Africa. I always see/hear all of us reading different books. I have also enjoyed our friendly, sometimes outrageous banter from Mancation emails so methought we could have a little fun with this blog.

Here is the premise:

One book a month.

We can each post whatever, whenever, however we want as long as it pertains to the book.

The books can be about whatever--I feel the need to broaden my horizons.

This is like the refuge-- no more h... no more h... it is after all a BROTHERHOOD!

Let's have fun with it. It will also help us keep in touch, etc.

Luke is in charge of picking the first book...

So here we go!