I came across this article of 50 Books That Were Banned, and am proud to say that I have read some on my own and some for book club. Maybe we can consider reading others on the list (aside from Where's Waldo, of course).
And if you really want a challenge, I saw this other article 10 Novels That We Dare You to Finish of which I have read none. Maybe I'll get to it someday.
Happy reading...
Friday, September 2, 2011
September meeting scheduled
After a long summer hiatus, we have a date set for the next meeting.
Hi all,
Hope everyone’s been having a great summer. I wanted to send a save-the-date email for our next book club, September 18 at 6pm. I’ll host and unless there’s a freak rainstorm, we’ll sit outside so be sure and bring a sweater (as my grandma would say). Let me know if you can make it! I’ll probably grill some chicken and make a dessert.
Oh, and by the way, for the 50 percent of you who might actually read the book, it’s Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff. And a word of advice - I don’t recommend getting the audio version – it’s about 15 hours long.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
August meeting?
Sorry, I couldn't make it to Shannon's last time. Thank you for hosting. It's rumored that Debbie W. will host the next meeting in August and the book to read is Cleopatra: A Life, upon Karina and VanAn's suggestion.
link to NPR review
On a side note, I thought this was interesting, Weird Writing Habits of Famous Authors.
Hope you're all enjoying the summer, and to catch up with you soon.
On a side note, I thought this was interesting, Weird Writing Habits of Famous Authors.
Hope you're all enjoying the summer, and to catch up with you soon.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
June meeting - save the date
Hello Fellow Readers!
It's been a long dry spell since our last book club meeting, so I'm proposing that we meet at my apartment for the next one. After a short poll on availability, it seems that June 26th may work. I live in the Culver City/Palms area, so it should be fairly central to everyone.
So, by our next meeting, it will have been 3 months since the last one. Just to refresh everyone's memory, the book is 'Never Let Me Go.' Now, I KNOW three months is enough time to get through that little book, so I'm sure everyone will be bursting at the seams with feedback and discussion :)
Address and other deets will be sent out closer to the date. In the meantime, please feel free to jump in with questions, commentary or compliments :) Or you can just save the date - that works, too.
Shannon
How to Create an Awesome Summer Reading List
by Melanie Pinola
The days grow longer and the weekends more leisurely as summer approaches, making it a terrific time to catch up on reading. Whether your reading goal is to stimulate your mind, get lost in an adventure or romance, or learn something new, here are a few helpful tips for curating your perfect reading list this summer.
Before you jump straight into building your list, a few quick tips and considerations.
The days grow longer and the weekends more leisurely as summer approaches, making it a terrific time to catch up on reading. Whether your reading goal is to stimulate your mind, get lost in an adventure or romance, or learn something new, here are a few helpful tips for curating your perfect reading list this summer.
Before you jump straight into building your list, a few quick tips and considerations.
Monday, March 28, 2011
The Glass Castle wrap up/ April's book - Never Let Me Go
Thanks for those who were able to come last night. Sorry for those who were sick or had conflicts—hope to see you next time. I am pleased to announce that we had 100% readership for The Glass Castle and had a great discussion. Special thanks to Liz for hosting, Shannon for sending the discussion questions and VanAn for sharing the fruits of her labor from dessert pastry class!
We had a hard time selecting the next book, but settled on Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. A movie based on the book came out last year starring Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Keira Knightly. I haven't seen it, but maybe some of you have?
An excerpt from an Amazon reviewer: A haunting tale of love within the modern world of DNA cloning. The story revolves around three friends who grow up inside the confines of an Engish "school" established for the sole purpose of raising cloned children; who will become vital organ donors.
There resides an overwhelming moral issue here! These children are human, and have love and aspirations of children born through normal means. The unresolved question is: Should harvesting organs from children born for this purpose ever be allowed?
No host or date has been determined. Any volunteers?
We had a hard time selecting the next book, but settled on Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. A movie based on the book came out last year starring Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Keira Knightly. I haven't seen it, but maybe some of you have?
An excerpt from an Amazon reviewer: A haunting tale of love within the modern world of DNA cloning. The story revolves around three friends who grow up inside the confines of an Engish "school" established for the sole purpose of raising cloned children; who will become vital organ donors.
There resides an overwhelming moral issue here! These children are human, and have love and aspirations of children born through normal means. The unresolved question is: Should harvesting organs from children born for this purpose ever be allowed?
No host or date has been determined. Any volunteers?
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
meeting on March 27
Liz's house at 6:30pm this Sunday:
1949 Colby Ave, 90025
510-384-1675
Hope to see you there to discuss the book!
510-384-1675
Hope to see you there to discuss the book!
Monday, March 7, 2011
March meeting
Liz will be hosting the next meeting on Sunday, March 27. We will be discussing The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls. More details to come.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Discussion Questions and Running a Meeting
I looked online for some ideas to help structure our discussion and meetings.
Discussion Questions for Fiction
The following general questions can be applied to any novel, and they provide a good starting point for creating your own discussion questions for a given work.
While many book clubs choose to only read novels and other works of fiction, there are many fascinating works of nonfiction that make for excellent discussion. Biographies, memoirs, essays, and historical accounts can all be very good reads, with topics ranging from politics and religion to science and technology. The following questions should help provide some ideas for discussion.
Look forward to seeing you next time.
Discussion Questions for Fiction
The following general questions can be applied to any novel, and they provide a good starting point for creating your own discussion questions for a given work.
- What was unique about the setting of the book and how did it enhance or take away from the story? What specific themes did the author emphasize throughout the novel? What do you think he or she is trying to get across to the reader?
- Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments? To what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know?
- How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? What events trigger such changes?
- In what ways do the events in the books reveal evidence of the author's world view?
- Did certain parts of the book make you uncomfortable? If so, why did you feel that way? Did this lead to a new understanding or awareness of some aspect of your life you might not have thought about before?
While many book clubs choose to only read novels and other works of fiction, there are many fascinating works of nonfiction that make for excellent discussion. Biographies, memoirs, essays, and historical accounts can all be very good reads, with topics ranging from politics and religion to science and technology. The following questions should help provide some ideas for discussion.
- What did you find surprising about the facts introduced in this book?
- How has reading this book changed your opinion of a certain person or topic?
- Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he or she achieve this?
- If the author is writing on a debatable issue, does he or she give proper consideration to all sides the debate? Does he or she seem to have a bias?
- How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?
Look forward to seeing you next time.
Monday, February 14, 2011
February meeting and next book
Thank you to Debbie W. who graciously stepped up to host again last night, and everyone who was able to attend. We celebrated Christa's birthday (last week) and Meredith's birthday (next week). It was wonderful to catch up with friends, and be able to spend some time discussing City of Thieves since many had finished it.
Our next book will be The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls, and I believe Liz has offered to host the next meeting. She will send out details on the date.
Note: I love using the Los Angeles Public Library. It's easy (and cheap) to put a book on hold and pick up from your local branch when it's available. But if you do purchase from Amazon, would you consider helping my son's school by going through this portal? Ten percent of your purchase will be donated to Calvary Preschool in South Pasadena. Thanks!
It was brought to my attention that there's been some dissatisfaction on the tone and format of the book club. Some people feel that the group might be too big for an in-depth discussion of the book; that the same people are hosting all the time; that there is a lack of enthusiasm and commitment in readership and discussion; and that although one's passionate opinions are appreciated, they might be disrespectful towards someone's dissenting opinion. Last night was an opportunity for some open dialogue on how members are feeling about the future of our group. I was feeling a little disheartened, but am happy to report that all of you decided that it's worthwhile to continue.
One thing that will most likely change is the format of the discussion. We may have a worksheet (Karina offered to provide a sample from her exhibit critique group) that would be filled out at the meeting to help prepare people for a more in-depth discussion than just "I liked the book because..." or "I disliked the book because...". We may go around the circle to allow everyone an opportunity to speak—encouraging less vocal members to share and giving more vocal members a break.
And in order to share the burden of hosting more equally, we suggested options. For those feeling like their place is too small or have roommates or children (guilty) that make it not conducive to meetings: it is okay for us to sit on the floor, sit outside during warmer weather or meet at a café or restaurant.
I apologize for my longwindness last night and in this post, but I want to thank all of you for your frank comments and participation. I really enjoy the social aspect of the meetings as well as reading books. The book club is only as worthwhile as what you put into it. If you don't want to read a particular book, tell us and nominate one you would like to read. If you don't like the way the discussion is going, offer to host and help to steer the discussion in a more productive and thoughtful manner. I encourage everyone who would like to continue, to redouble their efforts on reading the books, attending the meetings, and participating in a way that is enjoyable for all.
Our next book will be The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls, and I believe Liz has offered to host the next meeting. She will send out details on the date.
Note: I love using the Los Angeles Public Library. It's easy (and cheap) to put a book on hold and pick up from your local branch when it's available. But if you do purchase from Amazon, would you consider helping my son's school by going through this portal? Ten percent of your purchase will be donated to Calvary Preschool in South Pasadena. Thanks!
It was brought to my attention that there's been some dissatisfaction on the tone and format of the book club. Some people feel that the group might be too big for an in-depth discussion of the book; that the same people are hosting all the time; that there is a lack of enthusiasm and commitment in readership and discussion; and that although one's passionate opinions are appreciated, they might be disrespectful towards someone's dissenting opinion. Last night was an opportunity for some open dialogue on how members are feeling about the future of our group. I was feeling a little disheartened, but am happy to report that all of you decided that it's worthwhile to continue.
One thing that will most likely change is the format of the discussion. We may have a worksheet (Karina offered to provide a sample from her exhibit critique group) that would be filled out at the meeting to help prepare people for a more in-depth discussion than just "I liked the book because..." or "I disliked the book because...". We may go around the circle to allow everyone an opportunity to speak—encouraging less vocal members to share and giving more vocal members a break.
And in order to share the burden of hosting more equally, we suggested options. For those feeling like their place is too small or have roommates or children (guilty) that make it not conducive to meetings: it is okay for us to sit on the floor, sit outside during warmer weather or meet at a café or restaurant.
I apologize for my longwindness last night and in this post, but I want to thank all of you for your frank comments and participation. I really enjoy the social aspect of the meetings as well as reading books. The book club is only as worthwhile as what you put into it. If you don't want to read a particular book, tell us and nominate one you would like to read. If you don't like the way the discussion is going, offer to host and help to steer the discussion in a more productive and thoughtful manner. I encourage everyone who would like to continue, to redouble their efforts on reading the books, attending the meetings, and participating in a way that is enjoyable for all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)