When I posted the announcement of The Magicians as the second Murmur book club pick, I laid some serious back-patting on the Murmur community. I (along with actual Murmur staffers) was very impressed with the discussion and responses to our first book, Beat the Reaper. Perhaps I was being a little cynical, but I wasn't sure if the discussion for the next pick would reach the level of the first.

Boy, was I wrong.

Wow, you guys. Just wow. You BLEW ME AWAY with the community discussion of Lev Grossman's The Magicians. Everyone was thoughtful, respectful of differing opinions, and really took to discussing the book with vigor. The comments are starting to wind down on the thread, but there's still plenty to talk about if you haven't had a chance to respond yet.

The next book club book, David Grann's Lost City of Z, is a departure from the first couple books in a few ways. Before I get into that, here's a summary of The Lost City of Z from the book jacket;

After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, acclaimed New Yorker writer David Grann set out to solve "the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century": What happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest for the Lost City of Z?

In 1925 Fawcett ventured into the Amazon to find an ancient civilization, hoping to make one of the most important discoveries in history. For centuries Europeans believed the world's largest jungle concealed the glittering kingdom of El Dorado. Thousands had died looking for it, leaving many scientists convinced that the Amazon was truly inimical to humankind. But Fawcett, whose daring expeditions helped inspire Conan Doyle's The Lost World, had spent years building his scientific case. Captivating the imagination of millions around the globe, Fawcett embarked with his twenty-one-year-old son, determined to prove that this ancient civilization - which he dubbed "Z" - existed. Then he and his expedition vanished.

Fawcett's fate, and the tantalizing clues he left behind about "Z", became an obsession for hundreds who followed him into the uncharted wilderness. For decades scientists and adventurers have searched for evidence of Fawcett's party and the lost City of Z. Countless have perished, been captured by tribes, or gone mad. As David Grann delved ever deeper into the mystery surrounding Fawcett's quest, and the greater mystery of what lies within the Amazon, he found himself, like the generations who preceded him, being irresistibly drawn into the jungle's green hell. His quest for the truth and his stunning discoveries about Fawcett's fate and "Z" form the heart of this complex, enthralling narrative.

I definitely heard the complaints about The Magicians being a hardcover, so we're going back to a paperback with The Lost City of Z. The book got great reviews and spent some time on the bestseller lists, so it shouldn't be too hard to track down at a local library, a good independent bookstore, or on the cheap at Amazon. We can aim for the beginning of April to start the book club discussion, which will give everyone about a month and a half to read the book.

Now, I mentioned earlier that the book is different from the previous picks in a few ways. First, The Lost City of Z is nonfiction. Hopefully, this is a fun change of pace and a chance for a different kind of discussion. The other difference is that I haven't read the book yet - staffer Paul Montgomery raved about the book enough for me to make it the pick, and I'll be reading it along with everyone else. Should be fun!

One final note before the (totally optional) beer pairing with The Lost City of Z; the fourth book pick for the club is going to be Joe Hill's new novel Horns. There are a lot of people reading the book on Murmur, so it is ripe for discussion, but since it is only out in hardcover this early announcement will give everyone some extra time to track down a used or library copy to read the book.

As always, put any questions, comments or concerns in the comments, or send me a message on Twitter. See you all in about six weeks to start discussion of David Grann's The Lost City of Z!

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Time to keep rolling with the beer pairings, since everyone responded so well to the Dogfish Head Red and White!

I haven't read the book yet, so I'm kind of firing blind here. So, lets see... a British explorer, dragging his son into the wilds of the Amazon to try and find a city that no one else has ever been able to find. Other explorers perishing, getting trapped or going mad trying to discover the same thing. An author doing the same thing...

I'm going with Stone's Arrogant Bastard for the name alone. Here's the beer's description from the brewery; "This is an aggressive beer. You probably won't like it. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth. We would suggest that you stick to safer and more familiar territory - maybe something with a multi-million dollar ad campaign aimed at convincing you it's made in a little brewery, or one that implies that their tasteless fizzy yellow beer will give you more sex appeal. Perhaps you think multi-million dollar ad campaigns make a beer taste better. Perhaps you're mouthing your words as you read this."

Hopefully, my hunch is right and this beer pairs well with the book. You can track the brew down at findstonebeer.com.

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