I also had a wonderful conversation about books and book clubs for a man (Michael?) I met at the "Spem Et Alium" mega-choral concert on Wednesday night, and he gave me the following recommendations, the cream of 10 years of reading one large and one small novel 11 months of the year (astounding!):
Carson McCullers, Heart of the Lonely Hunter and Ballad of the Sad Cafe
Jaroslav Hacek, The Good Soldier Svejk ("a cross between The Master & Margarita and Catch-22)
Zola, La Bete Humaine
Balzac, Pere Goriot
Gascon, North and South
Members of the Degenerate Book Club, what do you think? Other readers out there, have you read any of these books?