Anyone Interested in Starting a Book Club?

[wbarker]

Hi everyone,

I belong to a local book club and have read some really great (and some not-so-great) books. Would anyone be interested in having a book club here at the forum?

We could choose one book a month or quarter, what ever works best, and we could post questions and discussions???

Thoughts??

Wendi

[rebate queen]

Hi everyone,

I belong to a local book club and have read some really great (and some not-so-great) books. Would anyone be interested in having a book club here at the forum?

We could choose one book a month or quarter, what ever works best, and we could post questions and discussions???

Thoughts??

Wendi
I would like to do it. It would get me back to my reading a bit more. I would have to opt for the quarter though instead of the month. In my world, a month seems like a week. Also each one of my kids and I read chapter books together, I have to read a lot of professional type material, and then there are all these posts that I read!!!! I don't even read my newspaper anymore!!!

[mood4amelody]

Hey I would try! I don't know what availability will be locally on anything everyone wants to read. We are a tiny library in a small lending circle compromised of other mostly tiny libraries. But, I'm willing to try. :)

[PVUgrad]

Yes, a quarter would be good...can I use Cliff notes? ;)

[ilove2sample]

I would be interested. I love to read. I agree that a quarter would be good with my school reading and forum reading, that should work.

[wbarker]

I really like the quarterly time frame. How about we start in February, read/discuss through April, then start a new book in May, etc. . . that way, I think we miss Christmas (can still discuss a book, but we aren't starting/finishing during Christmas).

Now to pick a book - Shall we come up with a list and then use a poll to decide?

Here are a few suggestions: (I can have more in the morning, when I get a chance to go look at my bookshelf)

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Skillfully interweaving biblical tales with events and characters of her own invention, Diamant's (Living a Jewish Life, HarperCollins, 1991) sweeping first novel re-creates the life of Dinah, daughter of Leah and Jacob, from her birth and happy childhood in Mesopotamia through her years in Canaan and death in Egypt. When Dinah reaches puberty and enters the Red Tent (the place women visit to give birth or have their monthly periods), her mother and Jacob's three other wives initiate her into the religious and ***ual practices of the tribe. Diamant sympathetically describes Dinah's doomed relationship with Shalem, son of a ruler of Shechem, and his brutal death at the hands of her brothers. Following the events in Canaan, a pregnant Dinah travels to Egypt, where she becomes a noted midwife. Diamant has written a thoroughly enjoyable and illuminating portrait of a fascinating woman and the life she might have lived. Recommended for all public libraries.
-?Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle

The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama
Seventeen-year-old Stephen leaves his home in Hong Kong just as the Japanese are poised to invade China. He is sent to Tarumi, a small village in Japan, to recuperate from tuberculosis. His developing friendship with three adults and a young woman his own age brings him to the beginnings of wisdom about love, honor, and loss. Given the potentially interesting subplot (the story of a love triangle doomed by the outbreak of leprosy in the village) and the fascinating period in which the book is set, this second novel by the author of Women of the Silk (St. Martin's, 1991) has the potential to be a winner. Unfortunately, it is sunk by a flat, dull prose style, one-dimensional characters who fail to engage the reader's interest, and the author's tendency to tell rather than show. Libraries with comprehensive fiction collections might consider, but others can pass.
Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
"I wasn't born and raised to be a Kyoto geisha....I'm a fisherman's daughter from a little town called Yoroido on the Sea of Japan." How nine-year-old Chiyo, sold with her sister into slavery by their father after their mother's death, becomes Sayuri, the beautiful geisha accomplished in the art of entertaining men, is the focus of this fascinating first novel. Narrating her life story from her elegant suite in the Waldorf Astoria, Sayuri tells of her traumatic arrival at the Nitta okiya (a geisha house), where she endures harsh treatment from Granny and Mother, the greedy owners, and from Hatsumomo, the sadistically cruel head geisha. But Sayuri's chance meeting with the Chairman, who shows her kindness, makes her determined to become a geisha. Under the tutelage of the renowned Mameha, she becomes a leading geisha of the 1930s and 1940s. After the book's compelling first half, the second half is a bit flat and overlong. Still, Golden, with degrees in Japanese art and history, has brilliantly revealed the culture and traditions of an exotic world, closed to most Westerners. Highly recommended.
-?Wilda Williams, "Library Journal"

Lost in Translation by Nicole Mones (NOT the same as the movie with Bill Murray)
An attention-grabbing opening chapter in which the protagonist, translator/interpreter Alice Mannegan, rides off on her bicycle to a ***ual tryst in Beijing, hints that this debut suspense novel will be a racy read. But Alice's sensuality is just one factor in Mones's complex portrait of a woman in search of herself, played out against the exotic background of some of China's remotest regions, a story that reveals as much about character and cultural difference as it does about a search for priceless, long-lost fossils. China is Alice's spiritual home, where she feels far removed from her loving but racist father, a U.S congressman whose political opinions she deplores. But despite her desire to belong there, she is still considered an "outside woman." She signs on as interpreter for archeologist Adam Spencer, who believes that the remains of Peking Man were hidden in the Mongolian desert during WWII by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. Joined by two Chinese scientists, they venture into remote regions where the urgency of the search is paralleled by Alice's increasing attraction to Dr. Lin Shiyang, whose wife vanished from a labor camp in that region 20 years ago, and by the unfolding story of the relationship of Teilhard and an American woman who loved him. The authenticity of Mones's background detailAfrom the rituals of ancestor worship to the workings of the PLA police and the food at a Mongolian banquetAbrings fresh insight into the nuances of Chinese culture. Though the narrative tension is more intellectual than visceral, and some pivotal events of the plot seem too convenient, Mones succeeds in integrating archeological history, spiritual philosophy and cultural dislocation into a tale of identity on many levels.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory (long but good **note - this is coming out as a movie in February starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansen, Eric Banna)
Sisterly rivalry is the basis of this fresh, wonderfully vivid retelling of the story of Anne Boleyn. Anne, her sister Mary and their brother George are all brought to the king's court at a young age, as players in their uncle's plans to advance the family's fortunes. Mary, the sweet, blond sister, wins King Henry VIII's favor when she is barely 14 and already married to one of his courtiers. Their affair lasts several years, and she gives Henry a daughter and a son. But her dark, clever, scheming sister, Anne, insinuates herself into Henry's graces, styling herself as his adviser and confidant. Soon she displaces Mary as his lover and begins her machinations to rid him of his wife, Katherine of Aragon. This is only the beginning of the intrigue that Gregory so handily chronicles, capturing beautifully the mingled hate and nearly ******uous love Anne, Mary and George ("kin and enemies all at once") feel for each other and the toll their family's ambition takes on them. Mary, the story's narrator, is the most sympathetic of the siblings, but even she is twisted by the demands of power and status; charming George, an able plotter, finally brings disaster on his own head by falling in love with a male courtier. Anne, most tormented of all, is ruthless in her drive to become queen, and then to give Henry a male heir. Rather than settling for a picturesque rendering of court life, Gregory conveys its claustrophobic, all-consuming nature with consummate skill. In the end, Anne's famous, tragic end is offset by Mary's happier fate, but the self-defeating folly of the quest for power lingers longest in the reader's mind.

I will try to add some more in the morning - please add some suggestions and I'll create a poll later!

Also - if these aren't available at a local library, I can usually find great prices on:
www.abebooks.com
www.half.com
www.amazon.com
www.paperbackswap.com

:) Wendi

[wbarker]

Yes, a quarter would be good...can I use Cliff notes? ;)

Of course!!! I've done that! I've also read reviews online when I couldn't read the full book.

Also - we can help each other out and post about sections/chapters/pages we like, if someone is short on time, maybe they can skim those sections!

[GeorgiaMom]

I'm interested in this too, and the quarterly schedule sounds great! Hopefully, I'll be going back to school soon (just applied today and boy am I nervous!! lol), so that should still give me time to get the reading done.

I think just about any book by Anita Shreve would be good for this.

[bvanpeltsw]

Count me in! LOVE to read!

[rebate queen]

I'll be easy and just read whatever you tell me that the book will be--how's that???

[ilove2sample]

I'll be easy and just read whatever you tell me that the book will be--how's that???

I'll be easy too... I enjoy all types of reading, so anything you suggest, I will read and enjoy. Can't wait to start and February sounds good!

[Jenni232323]

Count me in too! I used to love to read, but have stopped since I graduated college. I've got the time, just never made it a priority.
The quarterly Feb. start sounds great! All of the books you've suggested also sound good. I used to read anything by Karen Kingsbury - she's a Christian fiction author whose stories remind me of Danielle Steel, except without all of the explicit s e x.
I'd pic The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory out of the ones you listed so far, mostly because I like to see the movie adaptation of the books I read.

I've heard good things about this novel: The Mermaid's Chair by Sue Monk Kidd - I think it was even turned into a TV movie last year or the year before.

Oh, just got a reading suggestion from a friend of mine - The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. It's an Oprah book club book, which my friend doesn't usually follow, but got intrigued by this one. My friend is an author and likes to read alot, this is what she said about the book: 973 pages (LONG!), easy and enjoyable read, reminds me it's not the "destination" but rather, the "journey", epic historical fiction and has really kept me turning the pages. I just checked Oprah's site and she's announcing it on her show 01/30 - so it'll probably be hard to come by at the library for the next few months. Oh well, I've added it to my 'to read' list.
To quote the book jacket:
Pillars of the Earth tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known ...of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect--a man divided in his soul ...of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame ...and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state and brother against brother.

[mom2fussbudgets]

I'll play.

Wendi, would you mind being in charge?

[wbarker]

I'll play.

Wendi, would you mind being in charge?

Not at all! I'd love too! I'll get a poll up this evening (so if anyone else wants to add a book to the list we have started, feel free and I'll include it in the poll!), and leave one or two "other" picks so people can write in a book or two. . . then maybe we can pick out the first two books so people can see about reserving them at the library or buying them used (or borrowing from a friend!).

[mood4amelody]

Not at all! I'd love too! I'll get a poll up this evening (so if anyone else wants to add a book to the list we have started, feel free and I'll include it in the poll!), and leave one or two "other" picks so people can write in a book or two. . . then maybe we can pick out the first two books so people can see about reserving them at the library or buying them used (or borrowing from a friend!).

Maybe a poll for genre would be in order 1st??:confused:

[caryn]

I would like to do this also. My school does it but they read a book a month and I just don't have time for that.

I love anything by Debbie Macomber. I do like Christian romance because it is not full of smut!

I would like it to be something that is easy to read, not boring!

[wbarker]

Here are some write ups on suggestions:

Sea Glass by Anita Shreve
From its opening pages, Anita Shreve's Sea Glass surrounds the reader in the surprisingly rich feeling of the New Hampshire coast in winter. Vividly evoking the life of the coastal community at the beginning of the Great Depression, Sea Glass shifts through the multiple points of view of six principal characters; it's a skillfully created story of braided lives that bounces easily (even inevitably) from character to character. We learn how these lives come together following the stock market crash of 1929 and about the struggles of mill workers on the starkly beautiful New Hampshire coast during the following year. At the novel's center is the story of Honora Beecher, a young newlywed who compulsively collects sea glass along the beach as she collects unexpected friendship in her new beachside community, and Francis, a boy who discovers a father figure in the towering character of McDermott, an Irish mill worker, at a time when he most needs direction. Each character finds unexpected new purpose beyond the struggle to survive during that turbulent year among the dunes. First their lives barely touch, then they intersect, and finally they become inextricably bound. By the powerful and unexpected final scenes of the story, every point of view, every brilliant shard of life depends deeply on all the others. It is a very satisfying read--confidently told and deeply felt--with as many subtle colors and reflections as the sea glass that permeates the narrative. --Paul Ford

Even Now by Karen Kingsbury (Lost Love Series, book 1)
Shane Galanter is ready to put down roots after years of searching. But is he making the right choice? Or is there a woman somewhere who remembers a love that hasnt faded with time? Lauren Gibbs is a successful international war correspondent who gave up on happily-ever-after years agowhen it was ripped away from her. So why is life so empty? Emily Anderson is a college freshman raised by her grandparents, about to take her first internship as a journalist. But before she can move ahead, she discovers a love story whose tragic ending came with her birth. As a result, she is drawn to look back and search out the mother shes never met, and the father she never knew. With hallmark tenderness and power, Karen Kingsbury weaves a tapestry of life, loss, love, faithand the miracle of resurrection.

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
Sue Monk Kidd's The Mermaid Chair is the soulful tale of Jessie Sullivan, a middle-aged woman whose stifled dreams and desires take shape during an extended stay on Egret Island, where she is caring for her troubled mother, Nelle. Like Kidd's stunning debut novel, The Secret Life of Bees, her highly anticipated follow up evokes the same magical sense of whimsy and poignancy.
While Kidd places an obvious importance on the role of mysticism and legend in this tale, including the mysterious mermaid's chair at the center of the island's history, the relationships between characters is what gives this novel its true weight. Once she returns to her childhood home, Jessie is forced to confront not only her relationship with her estranged mother, but her other emotional ties as well. After decades of marriage to Hugh, her practical yet conventional husband, Jessie starts to question whether she is craving an independence she never had the chance to experience. After she meets Brother Thomas, a handsome monk who has yet to take his final vows, Jessie is forced to decide whether passion can coexist with comfort, or if the two are mutually exclusive. As her soul begins to reawaken, Jessie must also confront the circumstances of her father's death, a tragedy that continues to haunt Jessie and Nelle over thirty years later.

By boldly tackling such major themes as love, betrayal, grief, and forgiveness, The Mermaid Chair forces readers to question whether moral issues can always be interpreted in black or white. It is this ability to so gracefully present multiple sides of a story that reinforces Kidd's reputation as a well-respected modern literary voice. --Gisele Toueg

Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber
Seth Webster's heart never healed after he lost his adored wife. Now, with Christmas approaching, wild twin boys to raise alone, a home in chaos, and the latest in a long line of exasperated housekeepers quitting in disgust, Seth needs more than help to keep his family togethe...he needs a miracle.

And then a miracle arrives on his doorstep. Her name is Mrs. Merkle, but the kids call her "Mrs. Miracle"—and from the moment the warm, knowing, and very patient nanny appears, everything is different. Her sassy spirit is infectious, and it gives Seth the courage to approach Reba, a beautiful travel agent who's been hurt and betrayed, and is afraid to ever love again. Through the magic of faith—and with a little help from a children's Christmas pageant and a lot of encouragement from Mrs. Miracle—Seth and Reba might just be able to find a Christmas miracle of their very own: true love.

When Calls the Heart (Canadian West Series, Book 1) by Janette Oke
Nothing in her cultured East Coast upbringing prepared Elizabeth for a teaching position on the Canadian frontier. Yet, despite the constant hardships, she loves the children in her care. Determined to do the best job she can and fighting to survive the harsh land, Elizabeth is surprised to find her heart softening towards a certain member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Book 1 of the bestselling Canadian West series.

[mood4amelody]

No offense, but if we're going romance, I'm out. Just not my cup o' tea. :)

[mom2fussbudgets]

I'm not a fan of romance either. But! I say the majority rules, and if our lovely members want to read a romance, I'll just sit that one out. Deal?

[lizmolik]

I have never read a romance before...but I would give it a shot!

[mood4amelody]

Fair enough. :)

[wbarker]

No offense, but if we're going romance, I'm out. Just not my cup o' tea. :)

Which authors do you consider romance? We can steer clear - I didn't really include romance (assuming steamy romance here) in the poll, figured people could read those on their own! :p

[wbarker]

OK - got a genre poll up - you can vote on more than one, and my hope is that one or two will really stick out, so maybe we can decide on the first two books!

[caryn]

I wasn't saying I wanted to read romance. Just was commenting on another post. Sorry, we DON"T have to go there. I PROMISE!!!!

[wbarker]

I wasn't saying I wanted to read romance. Just was commenting on another post. Sorry, we DON"T have to go there. I PROMISE!!!!

I'm up for anything! :) well . . . . not textbooks! I've had enough of those!!!!

[wbarker]

I totally forgot about this one! It was really fun, and quite an easy read!!

The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency
by Alexander Mccall Smith
Amazon.com
Penzler Pick, July 2001: Working in a mystery tradition that will cause genre aficionados to think of such classic sleuths as Melville Davisson Post's Uncle Abner or Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee, Alexander McCall Smith creates an African detective, Precious Ramotswe, who's their full-fledged heir.
It's the detective as folk hero, solving crimes through an innate, self-possessed wisdom that, combined with an understanding of human nature, invariably penetrates into the heart of a puzzle. If Miss Marple were fat and jolly and lived in Botswana--and decided to go against any conventional notion of what an unmarried woman should do, spending the money she got from selling her late father's cattle to set up a Ladies' Detective Agency--then you have an idea of how Precious sets herself up as her country's first female detective. Once the clients start showing up on her doorstep, Precious enjoys a pleasingly successful series of cases.

But the edge of the Kalahari is not St. Mary Mead, and the sign Precious orders, painted in brilliant colors, is anything but discreet. Pointing in the direction of the small building she had purchased to house her new business, it reads "THE NO. 1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY. FOR ALL CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS AND ENQUIRIES. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED FOR ALL PARTIES. UNDER PERSONAL MANAGEMENT."

The solutions she comes up with, whether in the case of the clinic doctor with two quite different personalities (depending on the day of the week), or the man who had joined a Christian sect and seemingly vanished, or the kidnapped boy whose bones may or may not be those in a witch doctor's magic kit, are all sensible, logical, and satisfying. Smith's gently ironic tone is full of good humor towards his lively, intelligent heroine and towards her fellow Africans, who live their lives with dignity and with cautious acceptance of the confusions to which the world submits them. Precious Ramotswe is a remarkable creation, and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency well deserves the praise it received from London's Times Literary Supplement. I look forward with great eagerness to the upcoming books featuring the memorable Miss Ramotswe, Tears of the Giraffe and Morality for Beautiful Girls, soon to be available in the U.S. --Otto Penzler --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly
The African-born author of more than 50 books, from children's stories (The Perfect Hamburger) to scholarly works (Forensic Aspects of Sleep), turns his talents to detection in this artful, pleasing novel about Mma (aka Precious) Ramotswe, Botswana's one and only lady private detective. A series of vignettes linked to the establishment and growth of Mma Ramotswe's "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" serve not only to entertain but to explore conditions in Botswana in a way that is both penetrating and light thanks to Smith's deft touch. Mma Ramotswe's cases come slowly and hesitantly at first: women who suspect their husbands are cheating on them; a father worried that his daughter is sneaking off to see a boy; a missing child who may have been killed by witchdoctors to make medicine; a doctor who sometimes seems highly competent and sometimes seems to know almost nothing about medicine. The desultory pace is fine, since she has only a detective manual, the frequently cited example of Agatha Christie and her instincts to guide her. Mma Ramotswe's love of Africa, her wisdom and humor, shine through these pages as she shines her own light on the problems that vex her clients. Images of this large woman driving her tiny white van or sharing a cup of bush tea with a friend or client while working a case linger pleasantly. General audiences will welcome this little gem of a book just as much if not more than mystery readers.

[mood4amelody]

There is a free offer for "The Cross and The Switchblade" so if everyone wants (and if it really arrives) we could read that one. I read it when I was 13, and from what I remember, it was a good book. It's a true story about a minister (?) running a shelter and the kids that he dealt with there. It's free, anyways! lol

[wbarker]

There is a free offer for "The Cross and The Switchblade" so if everyone wants (and if it really arrives) we could read that one. I read it when I was 13, and from what I remember, it was a good book. It's a true story about a minister (?) running a shelter and the kids that he dealt with there. It's free, anyways! lol

Thanks Lynne! I just requested a copy. If anyone else wants to - you can search for the other link that Lynn posted or click here . . .

http://www.teenchallenge.com/guestbook

:)

[MandMnmbr3]

Thanks Lynne! I just requested a copy. If anyone else wants to - you can search for the other link that Lynn posted or click here . . .

http://www.teenchallenge.com/guestbook

:)


I just requested a copy. Thanks ladies! :D

[mood4amelody]

Which authors do you consider romance? We can steer clear - I didn't really include romance (assuming steamy romance here) in the poll, figured people could read those on their own! :p

See, I don't really know romance authors names. I avoid them like the plague! lol Like that synopsis for the castle story, that looked like a romance novel to me. :o

[mom2fussbudgets]

I don't mind Danielle Steele, for instance. I'm talking about those silly little Harlequin-type romances.

[bvanpeltsw]

I don't mind Danielle Steele, for instance. I'm talking about those silly little Harlequin-type romances.

LMAO you mean the ones with Fabio on the cover??:p

[wbarker]

I don't mind Danielle Steele, for instance. I'm talking about those silly little Harlequin-type romances.

Yep - never been interested in those either - life has enough drama in it!

I do enjoy Historical Romances - even though they do typically have a few scenes that make a person blush! I like Stephanie Laurens and Julie Garwood.

I went through a Danielle Steele phase, had ALL her books at one point! Kind of got burned out, but did really enjoy them - I should pick one up one of these days!

[wbarker]

See, I don't really know romance authors names. I avoid them like the plague! lol Like that synopsis for the castle story, that looked like a romance novel to me. :o

:) Don't think it was a romance, I think the original was written some time ago, so if it is a romance, I don't think it is a steamy romance!

. . . . here's what I found . . .

I Capture the Castle is Dodie Smith's first novel, and was published in 1948. Smith, who wrote the novel during a sojourn in America, was already an established playwright and later became famous for authoring the children's classic The Hundred and One Dalmatians.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Capture_the_Castle

[Borinquen]

Hi everybody...I love to read and would love to be part of the group...

I love anything written by James Patterson (Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas and the Murder club series ...now on TV ), Jeffrey Deaver.

4 years ago before Dan Brown was Noticed...I was reading..Angels and Demons and the Da vinci Code (good discussion books)...

James Rollins is also great...