3rd book club mtg

It took awhile, but we finally had our 3rd book club meeting at the new apt.

The book was How I Became A Famous Novelist by Steve Hely.

Kathryn chose it because the author gave a really great and funny interview on NPR.

I didn't think it was as funny as it was purported to be. Perhaps it's me because I rarely laugh out loud while reading anyway. Failed on the humor front.

The moral of the story seemed to be sincerity sells books. When the protagonist was not sincere both in his writing and promotion of his book, the sales weren't doing too well. Yet, when he explained his real feelings on popular books, it generated controversy that helped his book sales. However, it came at a price as the controversy created and and lead to bad publicity. His memoir containing his sincere efforts to explain his life sold better that his fiction.

Overall I liked the story up to the point where the protagonist, Peter, began having a change of heart regarding his venture. The change of heart felt contrived, unnatural in the plot, as if it was only there to teach us that lesson. I would have liked it better if he achieved all of his goals listed in the beginning of the book.

Having said that, one issue raised during discussion was whether this was at all possible in real life. I think it's completely possible. Just look at all the different formulaic fiction out there. There are certain themes that lends itself very well to human fancy. Love affairs between gods and mortals, love affairs between vampires and humans (yes, that was a dig at Twilight).

On a related publishing issue, is it possible at all for contemporaries to spot a classic? With so many books published today, even awards are no guarantee which books will endure the generations. If someone writes a book that becomes a classic in the future, how can we know today? My book selections are generally from the classic canon 90% of the time. I've always wanted to figure out what made them endure? I am sad at the thought that I will miss out on good stories written during my lifetime.

It's not a book worth my $14 or even $1 were it on sale somewhere. However, I do appreciate it for making us think about quite a few issues despite the fact it's supposed to be light reading.