Book Club
- Thread starter dianet
- Start date
4
40something
Guest
I was in a online book club a few years ago. I enjoyed it because at the time I had very small kids at home so going out to meet with a book club group was impossible. But...the online group started out good and the book choices were good...but then the majority of the group was wanting to read all of the Oprah book club books and nothing else. So, I quit.
I predominately read nonfiction and historical fiction. I don't mind the occasional Oprah book club book but I can't live on a steady diet of depressing story lines. The book that did me in was, "The Good Mother"...that after reading "House Of Sand And Fog".
Life is too short to spend it reading depressing story lines nonstop.
But, yes...I would be interested!
I predominately read nonfiction and historical fiction. I don't mind the occasional Oprah book club book but I can't live on a steady diet of depressing story lines. The book that did me in was, "The Good Mother"...that after reading "House Of Sand And Fog".
Life is too short to spend it reading depressing story lines nonstop.
But, yes...I would be interested!
dianet
Cathlete
Great! The book club I was in got a little depressing too at one point. We were reading a lot of books about women's lib and work/life balance (most of the people in the book club were lawyers like me working a lot of hours) so it really just depressed us! I like both fiction and nonfiction. I really enjoy non-fiction that is written in such an interesting way that it reads like a novel. For example, I loved "The Informant" by Kurt Eichenwald.
Lets see if we can get a group to join before trying to pick out a book.
Lets see if we can get a group to join before trying to pick out a book.
buffettgirl
Cathlete
We tried to have a book club not to long ago. A bunch of us read The Kite Runner. There was a lot of discussion involving what to call the club, but when it came to actually discussing the book, there didn't seem to be much interest.
createdbygod
Cathlete
Hi. I love books,so I think it would be fun.
This is kind of an aside, but it might come in handy for those who would like to get books for FREE. It's a website called www.paperbackswap.com. You list 9 books that you are wiling to let go of and for that you get 3 free credits. How it works is when someone requests a book you posted into the system, you ship it to them at your cost (usually around $1.59 on so). Then, when that person recieves the book, you get another book credit for a book that you chose of someone else's, and they pay the shipping to send it to you! You can choose to repost the book back into the system after you finish reading it, or you can just keep it for yourself if you really enjoyed it. I've gotten a lot of books this way, and it sure beats spending $15 for a book! It's completely free to sign up and use, and if you do, please put my email in the referral line so I'll get another free credit It's [email protected]
Here's a review of how it works if I've confused anyone:
1. You register (with [email protected] as the referral name)
2. You get 3 free credits for posting 9 of your books.
3. You can request 3 books with these credits and not pay anything.
4. Someone sees a book you posted and requests it.
5. You pay the shipping to send it to that person.
6. When that person gets the book, you get another credit.
7. You can request another book free.
Thanks, and I think a book club sounds fun!
This is kind of an aside, but it might come in handy for those who would like to get books for FREE. It's a website called www.paperbackswap.com. You list 9 books that you are wiling to let go of and for that you get 3 free credits. How it works is when someone requests a book you posted into the system, you ship it to them at your cost (usually around $1.59 on so). Then, when that person recieves the book, you get another book credit for a book that you chose of someone else's, and they pay the shipping to send it to you! You can choose to repost the book back into the system after you finish reading it, or you can just keep it for yourself if you really enjoyed it. I've gotten a lot of books this way, and it sure beats spending $15 for a book! It's completely free to sign up and use, and if you do, please put my email in the referral line so I'll get another free credit
It's [email protected]Here's a review of how it works if I've confused anyone:
1. You register (with [email protected] as the referral name)
2. You get 3 free credits for posting 9 of your books.
3. You can request 3 books with these credits and not pay anything.
4. Someone sees a book you posted and requests it.
5. You pay the shipping to send it to that person.
6. When that person gets the book, you get another credit.
7. You can request another book free.
Thanks, and I think a book club sounds fun!
JAFitMama
Cathlete
This sounds fun; I'd be interested in a book club. I read the Kite runner, and Robin is right, there was very little discussion. Then I read the Time Travelers' Wife, and again no discussion. Perhaps the third time will work?
Judy "Likes2bfit"
If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.
Success is acheived by early preparation
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5ce27b3127cce94279e1404fa00000016108AatHLZo3buN
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5ce27b3127cce9426d0892
Judy "Likes2bfit"
If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.
Success is acheived by early preparation
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5ce27b3127cce94279e1404fa00000016108AatHLZo3buN
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5ce27b3127cce9426d0892
I have never been in a book club before so I am up for it. Is there a time frame for reading one? who decides which book to read? When will we start? Oh boy will we be checking in? How about Hardcore Readers Book Club or Friedrick fans Book Club. Anyhoo keep me posted.
beth6395
beth6395
As Robin said, this was attempted. I think life got in the way! I love the idea though and i am constantly reading somethin. Currently, it's The Secret Diary of Ann Boylen and it's sequel The Queen's Bastard. Excellent book. I would like to participate in a book club. Maybe it will work this time!
jes
jes
One of my favourite books is called: Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons (Lorna Landvik).
It is a book about a group of friends who form a book club - and this is the name of their club.
Anyhow - I would be game in joining - as I love to read, and have never been in a formal book club.
It is a book about a group of friends who form a book club - and this is the name of their club.
Anyhow - I would be game in joining - as I love to read, and have never been in a formal book club.
4
40something
Guest
Here is a bit of a description of the online book club I was in.
There was 20 of us in the beginning so what we did was this:
1) Elected a book club chairperson...I nominate Diane!
2) We all put one book title into the list of possible reads each month. The Chairperson then put them all into a hat and drew one out. More than one person could put the same book title in...just everyone participating was encouraged to add a book title each month.
3) We set a time limit for reading the book, usually it was 30 days but that was adjusted depending on the time of year (holiday's) or if many people were going to be on vacation's in the same month. And also, some books just required a longer time because they were longer reads.
4) A day was set to start the book discussion.
Also, we had decided early on to not allow certain classic's into the book club as many of the book club members were sure to have read them...i.e. The Catcher In The Rye, and such. The purpose was to get us to read books that we may not necessarily choose for ourselves.
Oh also...we tried to stay ahead of the book selection's by two months to allow for people wanting to check out the books at their libraries.
Anyhow...just some info on how that online book club was organized.
There was 20 of us in the beginning so what we did was this:
1) Elected a book club chairperson...I nominate Diane!
2) We all put one book title into the list of possible reads each month. The Chairperson then put them all into a hat and drew one out. More than one person could put the same book title in...just everyone participating was encouraged to add a book title each month.
3) We set a time limit for reading the book, usually it was 30 days but that was adjusted depending on the time of year (holiday's) or if many people were going to be on vacation's in the same month. And also, some books just required a longer time because they were longer reads.
4) A day was set to start the book discussion.
Also, we had decided early on to not allow certain classic's into the book club as many of the book club members were sure to have read them...i.e. The Catcher In The Rye, and such. The purpose was to get us to read books that we may not necessarily choose for ourselves.
Oh also...we tried to stay ahead of the book selection's by two months to allow for people wanting to check out the books at their libraries.
Anyhow...just some info on how that online book club was organized.
JAFitMama
Cathlete
40 something-
Great suggestionS. Any one else?
Judy "Likes2bfit"
If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.
Success is acheived by early preparation
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5ce27b3127cce94279e1404fa00000016108AatHLZo3buN
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5ce27b3127cce9426d0892
Great suggestionS. Any one else?
Judy "Likes2bfit"
If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.
Success is acheived by early preparation
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5ce27b3127cce94279e1404fa00000016108AatHLZo3buN
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5ce27b3127cce9426d0892
dianet
Cathlete
Hi Everyone -
I found this post again and I'm glad to see some others want to join! As unofficial chairperson nominated by 40something, I wanted to get the book suggestions started. Everyone throw in their ideas for books and I will draw suggestions from a hat if we can't come to a concensus.
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld: Curtis Sittenfeld's poignant and occassionally angst-ridden debut novel Prep is the story of Lee Fiora, a South Bend, Indiana, teenager who wins a scholarship to the prestigious Ault school, an East Coast institution where "money was everywhere on campus, but it was usually invisible." As we follow Lee through boarding school, we witness firsthand the triumphs and tragedies that shape our heroine's coming-of-age. Yet while Sittenfeld may be a skilled storyteller, her real gift lies in her ability to expertly give voice to what is often described as the most alienating period in a young person's life: high school.
True to its genre, Prep is filled with boarding school stereotypes--from the alienated gay student to the picture perfect blond girl; the achingly earnest first-year English teacher and the dreamy star basketball player who never mentions the fact that he's Jewish. Lee's status as an outsider is further affirmed after her parents drive 18 hours in their beat-up Datsun to attend Parent's Weekend, where most of the kids "got trashed and ended up skinny-dipping in the indoor pool" at their parents' fancy hotel. Yet even as the weekend deteriorates into disaster and ends with a heartbreaking slap across the face, Sittenfeld never blames or excuses anyone; rather, she simply incorporates the experience into Lee's sense of self. ("How was I supposed to understand, when I applied at the age of thirteen, that you have your whole life to leave your family?")
By the time Lee graduates from Ault, some readers may tire of her constant worrying and self-doubting obsessions. However, every time we feel close to giving up on her, Sittenfeld reels us back in and makes us root for Lee. In doing so, perhaps we are rooting for every high school student who's ever wanted nothing more than to belong.
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri: Any talk of The Namesake--Jhumpa Lahiri's follow-up to her Pulitzer Prize-winning debut, Interpreter of Maladies--must begin with a name: Gogol Ganguli. Born to an Indian academic and his wife, Gogol is afflicted from birth with a name that is neither Indian nor American nor even really a first name at all. He is given the name by his father who, before he came to America to study at MIT, was almost killed in a train wreck in India. Rescuers caught sight of the volume of Nikolai Gogol's short stories that he held, and hauled him from the train. Ashoke gives his American-born son the name as a kind of placeholder, and the awkward thing sticks.
Awkwardness is Gogol's birthright. He grows up a bright American boy, goes to Yale, has pretty girlfriends, becomes a successful architect, but like many second-generation immigrants, he can never quite find his place in the world. There's a lovely section where he dates a wealthy, cultured young Manhattan woman who lives with her charming parents. They fold Gogol into their easy, elegant life, but even here he can find no peace and he breaks off the relationship. His mother finally sets him up on a blind date with the daughter of a Bengali friend, and Gogol thinks he has found his match. Moushumi, like Gogol, is at odds with the Indian-American world she inhabits. She has found, however, a circuitous escape: "At Brown, her rebellion had been academic ... she'd pursued a double major in French. Immersing herself in a third language, a third culture, had been her refuge--she approached French, unlike things American or Indian, without guilt, or misgiving, or expectation of any kind." Lahiri documents these quiet rebellions and random longings with great sensitivity.
I found this post again and I'm glad to see some others want to join! As unofficial chairperson nominated by 40something, I wanted to get the book suggestions started. Everyone throw in their ideas for books and I will draw suggestions from a hat if we can't come to a concensus.
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld: Curtis Sittenfeld's poignant and occassionally angst-ridden debut novel Prep is the story of Lee Fiora, a South Bend, Indiana, teenager who wins a scholarship to the prestigious Ault school, an East Coast institution where "money was everywhere on campus, but it was usually invisible." As we follow Lee through boarding school, we witness firsthand the triumphs and tragedies that shape our heroine's coming-of-age. Yet while Sittenfeld may be a skilled storyteller, her real gift lies in her ability to expertly give voice to what is often described as the most alienating period in a young person's life: high school.
True to its genre, Prep is filled with boarding school stereotypes--from the alienated gay student to the picture perfect blond girl; the achingly earnest first-year English teacher and the dreamy star basketball player who never mentions the fact that he's Jewish. Lee's status as an outsider is further affirmed after her parents drive 18 hours in their beat-up Datsun to attend Parent's Weekend, where most of the kids "got trashed and ended up skinny-dipping in the indoor pool" at their parents' fancy hotel. Yet even as the weekend deteriorates into disaster and ends with a heartbreaking slap across the face, Sittenfeld never blames or excuses anyone; rather, she simply incorporates the experience into Lee's sense of self. ("How was I supposed to understand, when I applied at the age of thirteen, that you have your whole life to leave your family?")
By the time Lee graduates from Ault, some readers may tire of her constant worrying and self-doubting obsessions. However, every time we feel close to giving up on her, Sittenfeld reels us back in and makes us root for Lee. In doing so, perhaps we are rooting for every high school student who's ever wanted nothing more than to belong.
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri: Any talk of The Namesake--Jhumpa Lahiri's follow-up to her Pulitzer Prize-winning debut, Interpreter of Maladies--must begin with a name: Gogol Ganguli. Born to an Indian academic and his wife, Gogol is afflicted from birth with a name that is neither Indian nor American nor even really a first name at all. He is given the name by his father who, before he came to America to study at MIT, was almost killed in a train wreck in India. Rescuers caught sight of the volume of Nikolai Gogol's short stories that he held, and hauled him from the train. Ashoke gives his American-born son the name as a kind of placeholder, and the awkward thing sticks.
Awkwardness is Gogol's birthright. He grows up a bright American boy, goes to Yale, has pretty girlfriends, becomes a successful architect, but like many second-generation immigrants, he can never quite find his place in the world. There's a lovely section where he dates a wealthy, cultured young Manhattan woman who lives with her charming parents. They fold Gogol into their easy, elegant life, but even here he can find no peace and he breaks off the relationship. His mother finally sets him up on a blind date with the daughter of a Bengali friend, and Gogol thinks he has found his match. Moushumi, like Gogol, is at odds with the Indian-American world she inhabits. She has found, however, a circuitous escape: "At Brown, her rebellion had been academic ... she'd pursued a double major in French. Immersing herself in a third language, a third culture, had been her refuge--she approached French, unlike things American or Indian, without guilt, or misgiving, or expectation of any kind." Lahiri documents these quiet rebellions and random longings with great sensitivity.