Three future discussions are currently on our schedule. No membership is required, so I encourage each of you reading this to participate and add your thoughts to the conversation.

March 26, 2007: Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart is an excellent selection to follow What Is the What. Now that I have read both, I personally feel Achebe's work is the superior novel about a tragic life in Africa. Set in a village in Nigeria and written by a Nigerian author, it has authenticity, a quality I found severely lacking in Eggers's effort. In addition, Things Fall Apart is a top twelve title from the list of Africa's 100 Best Books of the 20th Century.

April 23, 2007: Last weekend we had a family dinner, and my sister, Joanne, brought by a couple of books to share. The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks was one of them, and she has agreed to moderate a discussion for us. Surprisingly, I barely had to do any begging. If you like Chuck Palahniuk, I bet you'll like Iain Banks.

[Aside: Palahniuk has a new one, Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey, coming out in May 2007. Please-oh-please, someone send me an advance! BookBlog, PO Box 324, Budd Lake, NJ 07828. I love Chuck!]

May, June, and July 2007: We have open slots for each of these months. I am looking for a title to fill one of them. Anyone interested in leading us for the other two? Anyone?

August 20, 2007: Although August is a way away, Daisy is really, really nice in agreeing to have a second go at discussing Set This House in Order by Matt Ruff. Her work schedule is hectic right now, which is why it's being put off for a while. As soon as I finish my current read, I will gladly pluck this one off the nagging pile that sits next to my desk. I hope you will also chime in when the discussion rolls around.