For those unfamiliar with the club, the MARTA book club is a loose, very loose, confederation of people who read while riding the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority’s public transportation. There are no meeting times, no organization, no t-shirts, and no special fares. Very convenient. The only requirement to be a member of the MARTA Book Club is to read a book while riding public transportation.
Newspapers do not qualify and those with Kindles are not welcome (because how in the hell am I supposed to figure out what you’re reading if I can’t see the book cover!) For the record, I’ve started to notice a few electronic reading devices on MARTA, which matches the numbers of newspapers I’ve seen lately.
What We Are Reading: Unfortunately, no one was reading How to Fix an Escalator which anyone who has been riding the MARTA trains lately knows how this expertise is sorely needed. See the story in the AJC.
Here’s a list of what Atlantans are reading since my last MARTA posting:
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson and Reg Keeland
Stories of the Prophets by Hafix Ibn Kathie
Lessons from a Younger Lover by Zori Day (this month’s steamiest cover)
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (though the young helmetless cyclist might have been using this thick book as protection to strap on his head)
The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers by Thomas Mullen. This is my personal contribution to the club this month. A more detailed review can be read here . I’m also finishing up Chronic City by Jonathan Lethem.
The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch by Marsha Moyer. (Courtesy of Inga Long who summarizes the book as “Not very deep and sometimes annoyingly predictable and boarding on Romance Novel-like but I'm sticking with it until the end. It surprised me with wisdom when I least expect it.”)
The Bible. A standard for many MARTA faithful.
The Relationship Principles of Jesus by Tom Holladay
The God That Failed by Arthur Koestler, et. al.
Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches by Russell Moore and C.J. Mahaney.
The Assassin by Stephen Coonts
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Just After Sunset: Stories by Stephen King
Dirt Roads to Dixie: Accessibility and Modernization in the South, 1885-1935 by Howard Lawrence Preston
The Debt: What America Owes to Blacks by Randall Robinson
The Last Oracle by James Rollins
Digital Fortress: A Thriller by Dan Brown
Hot Rocks by Nora Roberts
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle
All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren
Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson
A Twelve Pack of Negra Modelo by Crown Imports. A beer that goes with any book.
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. Well, actually I didn’t see someone reading the book, but I did see someone who was a dead ringer for Franzen.
What members thought: Readers are encouraged to keep their thoughts (and eyes) to themselves. No time is wasted talking about books when you could be reading.
Next assignment: Keep reading, and get to work on time
You might find the following blogs of interest about C.J. Mahaney and the group he leads, Sovereign Grace Ministries:
www.sgmsurvivors.com
www.sgmrefuge.com
They tell another side. Hope this helps.
Posted by: Steve240 | March 07, 2010 at 06:41 AM
We hope you might take time to share your thoughts about Chronic City when you get done. Best, Rube
Posted by: Rube Ambler | March 18, 2010 at 10:50 PM