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On Twitter, a lot of my posts tend to be about books.  This constant stream of messages about what I'm reading, favorite books and other bookish stuff has been a great opportunity to get to know other folks from Murmur - although we never seem to be reading the same thing.

Over the last few months, a bunch of Murmur writers and readers have mentioned to me that it would be great if there was some sort of book club for the site.  With the blessing of Murmur staffer Paul, I'd like to pick get the ball rolling and pick a book we can all read together in December.

The first book?  Josh Bazell's debut novel, Beat the Reaper.

Here's the description of Beat the Reaper from the book's jacket;

Meet Peter Brown, a young Manhattan emergency room doctor with an unusual past that is just about to catch up with him. His morning begins with the quick disarming of a would-be mugger, followed by a steamy elevator encounter with a sexy young pharmaceutical rep, topped off by a visit with a new patient - and from there Peter's day is going to get a whole lot worse and a whole lot weirder. Because that patient knows Peter from his other life, when he had a different name and a very different job. The only reason he's a doctor now is thanks to the Witness Protection Program-and even they can't protect him from the long reach of the New Jersey mob. Now he's got to do whatever it takes to keep his patient alive so he can buy some time...and beat the reaper. BEAT THE REAPER is not just the only novel that will be compared to Quentin Tarantino's films, Grey's Anatomy, and Chuck Palahniuk- it's also the most original and entertaining debut thriller you'll read this year.

Since NaNoWriMo, the holidays and all kinds of other distractions have been biting into everybody's time, I wanted to give plenty of time for everyone to get and read the book.  With that in mind, I think it's best to aim for everyone getting through the book by the end of December.

Since there isn't a forum for Murmur, I'd love to hear suggestions about how we can use the site to discuss the book.  Kwech even suggested a podcast to discuss each pick - something I'm certainly game for if a few other folks want to join in.  In the least, we can have a dedicated Murmur article at the end of the month to discuss the book.

So, what does everyone think?  Any interest in some collective book reading?

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One more thing; on my personal blog, I've got a regular feature pairing books with craft beers.  When I started throwing around the idea of a book club, Murmur writer WonderAli asked if I would pair a beer with the club first selection.  Of course, I'm all too happy to oblige.

For this first book, I'm suggesting sipping on the Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout as you read.  The stout is brewed in New York, where the book is set.  It's a dark, slightly bitter beer for a dark, often cynical story.  It's also a strong Imperial beer - and the booziness doesn't hurt getting you through some of the more gristly scenes in Beat the Reaper.  Oh, and it tastes like chocolate, which is pretty rad.

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