May meeting Cindy's house - Streetsweeper questions

Hi All - hope you all had a chance to read the 'Streetsweeper' by Elliot Pearlman.

The book club is at my place and for those of you that have not been here before it is at 605 Victoria Road, Seville. It is not far from Colleens . Instead of going down Chandler Road to Colleens you keep going along Victoria about 50 metres to the first driveway on the left hand side.

Questions to ponder prior to the night -

1.  Are we too distracted these days to hear people's stories? Why did Henry tell his story to Lamont and not his own son.

2.  How did you feel about Adam and his relationship with Diana and the relationship between Dr Border and Rosa?

3.  The novel brings together different people from different cultures and religions to tell the story of the Holocaust and the Civil Rights Movement in America. How powerful is this and does it work?

4. Did you find the book a bit too coincidental in parts?

Cheers and see you on Tuesday.
Cindy

Sorry for the delay in posting scores but I was enjoying myself down in Inverloch too much to sit at a laptop!!!

Colleen - 6 - Liked the short stories for a change
Cindy - 7 -  Thoroughly enjoyed the concept of short stories. Very good.
Tahnee - 4 - Possibly an unfair four. Will revisit
Hannah - 7 - It sucked me in
Kaye - 6 - would have liked the last story to be more developed.
Anne Marie - 7 - Really strong characters, particularly given short stories. Very Character driven.
Irene - 9 - Epic yet intimate.

See you all in May.

Two months to read The Street Sweeper

Hi all!

Cindy asked me to post to confirm we are not having an April book club meeting, it will be pushed to May.  This is because there will be a number of absentees in April. 

This means two months to read the book! No excuses people, especially those of us having a holiday.

See you all soon.

Love
Hannah

Good Evening Ladies,

Cakes are cooked and time for some self composed questions....

1. In an interview Colum McCann gives provenance of his stories
     "In the end though, everything we write is autobiographical perhaps more especially
       when we attempt to avoid the autobiographical"
 What do you think he means by this and do you agree?

2. Colum McCann blends his own narrative with fiction. Are there any advantages to this style or would you prefer one or the other?

3. Did you identify any continuance between each of the short stories, or did they all stand individually?

4. From the novella, discuss any irony that although his movements are tracked still no one knows for sure what happened on the pavement?

5. ' What Time is It Now, Where Are You' - For anyone who has aspirations of writing a novel would this be a true representative of the story writing process. If not is it convincing?

6. Was the nuns interaction with her abuser satisfactory and likely to have happened if translated into reality?

See you tomorrow.
Irene

Christmas Greetings to all

LITTLE MEN by LOUSIA MAY ALCOTT

The collective vibe for Little Men was heavy in the room.  No one really liked it I'd say everyone thought it was woeful.

TAHNEE:     Couldn't hold my interest, kept falling asleep.  Liked the language.                       3
ANN-MARIE:     Still looking for the personalities.                                                                     5
KAY:     Would have liked to have read it.                                                                                    0
                (for Kay's benefit don't bother)
IRENE:     A little too House on the Prairie.                                                                                  3
                 (A Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder is around $8.00 on
                   the net.  I think if we take up a collection we could buy it for Aruna.  Then
                   Irene could read the stories to her at night)
TRILBY:     Felt like a lecture told as a story.                                                                               2
HANNAH:     Like to go back in time and give the Author a slap.                                               2
                        (Hannah has supressed feelings she needs to get out)
CINDY:     Olden days read.  Awful book.                                                                                    3
COLLEEN:     Boring, awful waste of time.                                                                               
AVIS:         Apoligy
KERRY:     No show, flying around somewhere.

FEBRUARY-  Hope Farm by Peggy Frew   TRILBY 2 Valley Road Seville
MARCH - Thirteen Ways of Looking by Colum McCann  IRENE up the end of Warby Hwy
APRIL - Watch this space CINDY Victoria Road Seville cnr of Chandler Road
MAY - My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante ANN-MARIE up Carters Lane way.
I really need to write down everyone's address

Thank you all for a good year.  Very enjoyable as always.  Merry Christmas to all.
                                                                                             

Hello Everyone

I thought book club was next week.  Maybe if I kept track of dates I would know where I was.   I thought I would give you an easy night and have no real questions.  The fact that I haven't had time to organize any has nothing to do with it.  Unlike some I refuse to pinch them off the net.  I thought we could just discuss the woeful book I chose. Maybe discuss the language and the perfect children and how everything was portrayed in the time the book was written.
See you tonight.
Colleen

November Meeting Only the Animals

Only the Animals – Ceridwen Dovey

Book Club Questions

1.       Did you find that the stories as told from the animals’ point of view were believable or fanciful?

2.       Which was your favourite one and why?

3.       Did anyone have the hardcopy book and do the pictures add to the stories? I read it on kindle and did not have any images.

4.       Does the collection suffer from ‘too much research’ in that we are subject to historical authors and conflicts as well as the animals own tale in each story? Could a more simplistic approach have worked as well?

5.       Did you enjoy the short story format?

6.     Has anyone read any other books from an animals point of view?

6.       Pithy comment and rating

7.       Next book is ‘Little Men’ at Colleen’s house.

Reading list for October and November 2015

Hello All,

October's book is 'The Mandarin Code' by Steve Lewis and Chris Uhlmann.
It will be at Kathy's house.

November's book is 'Only the Animals' by Ceridwen Dovey.
It will be at Tahnee's house.

Happy Reading!

The Delinquents by Criena Rohan

Hello all,

This book seemed to be enjoyed by the group but not loved.

AnneMarie - 8/10 Really enjoyed it but struggled picturing Kylie!

Hannah - 7/10 - Although depressing, a happy ending was the reward

Tahnee - 6/10 - Somehow I haven't written down your comment- sorry!

Irene - 6/10 Tiredness breathes lethargy (she was too tired to be as pithy as usual!)

Avis - 5/10 Decent snapshot but no real story.

See you all at Avis' in August for Terry Pratchetts' The Wee Free Men.


Cheers

Trilby

The Delinquents Questions

Hello

Tonight's book club is at Colleens house - Chandler Road, Seville.

I hope you have enjoyed The Delinquents


1. Do you fee l the author creates an authentic time and place?

2.  Do you feel the 'moral panic' displayed by the adults surrounding Lola and Brownie is justified?

3. How  and why did the youth sub cultures provide a belonging for Lola and Brownie?

4. What was the most dated/jarring aspect of the book for you?

5.Do you think that 'moral panic' around youth sub-cultures has changed since the 1950s? How?

See you tonight

Trilby

Septembers book

Hi all

I think at the May meeting I put my hand up to do September's book, I'm not sure who was doing August maybe Avis?  Anyway thought I would choose my book early so we can all order it in plenty of time.

My book choice is..............Life after life by Kate Atkinson.   

Happy reading

Kaye

Good Evening Fellow Literary Lovers,

Unless I get a couple of hours reading done tonight I am pretty sure ''We of the Never Never” shall remain unfinished on my part so my questions may be a little off the mark, but here goes....

1. Does the prose adequately describe the Australian Bush; the conveyance of size, isolation, vastness, ..... Could you have dated it as a book written in the early 20^th Century. If so what were the indicators?

2. I was easily confused by the pseudonyms used for many of the characters. Does this illicit a sense of disconnectedness or highlight a classist tone throughout the story.

3.There is a considerable degree of 'noble savage' myth in her perception of the Aboriginal characters. Did she lack understanding or comprehension of the injustices imposed upon them?

4. Did you feel gender stereotyping was exaggerated to highlight how willing she was to 'muck in'?

5. In what ways was 'little missus' a pioneer of woman folk living and working in the bush or was the tone patronising and condescending?

6. Why did Cheon succeed where she failed in managing the household?

7. Discuss the atrocities committed under the guiding light of the attitudes of race and gender from that era?


8. Is it a book that emphasis's humanity and the equalising nature of the bush? In what ways?

9. In the book Jeannie describes the Aboriginal's as ''...children who needed someone to lead them''.

Is this approach of whites to Aboriginals still prevelant today?

10. They could ''Live with anything except tea'' Could you?

Hope to see you all tomorrow night.

Irene

59668480

Hi folks! Be seeing you tomorrow night at 36 Railway Rd, 0402812945.

1. Keeping in mind the book started out during the sixties, did you understand David's actions after the birth of his daughter?

2.Did you feel that this book represents how women were greatly underestimated?

3.What do you think would have happened if David didn't give his daughter away?

4.Caroline appears to be the character who takes the moral high ground.  Do you think this is true?

5.Do you know anyone with Down Syndrome?  What are your expereinces?

www.babble.com/parenting/8-people-with-down-syndrome-who-are-making-history/

See you soon

Hannah

April Tuesday Book Club review.

All the Light We Cannot See.....Anthony Doerr.

We all agreed the book was beautifully written. An enjoyable and intense read.

Coll...........6 .....Enjoyable read. A sad reflection of the war.

Irene..........9......Really, really enjoyed it.
"catastrophic consequences and casualties of the singular pursuit of self".

Kaye.........8.......Loved it. A thoroughly good read.

Hannah..... ........An intense read. Very suspenseful. Can't wait to finish it.

Trilby........ ........writing is beautiful.

Kerry........8........An interesting and worthwhile read for lovers of historical fiction...like me...

Next Book Club is at Hannah's  ...The Memory Keepers Daughter..by Kim Edwards.

June Book Club... .....Irene ...........We of The Never Never......by Jeannie Gunn.

July Book Club..........Trilby..........The Delinquents.......by Criena Rohan.

March Review - The Dinner by Herman Koch

I think the reason that I chose this book was I'd read a review in the Age that "peaked" my interest.

Avis  - 7/10 - A terrifying read

Colleen - 2/10 - Overly descriptive in some areas and too little in others.

Cindy - 7/10

Trilby - 5/10 - Didn't like the book, but it was cleverly written to be so deliberately unlikeable

Hannah - 6/10 - Interesting platform for story.  Unlikeable characters, difficult to read.

Kaye - 6/10 - Hard to get into, just wanted to scream at Paul.

Tahnee - 4 1/2 - Flawed.  Unpalatable at every course.

Anne-Maree - 6/10 - Difficult to feel empathy with any of the characters. Distinct lack of a moral compass.

April Book Club.... All The Light WeCannot see.... by Anthony Doerr

Hi All sorry for the late post...
Hope you all had a Happy easter and you're able to make it tonight...

Few questions to consider.... Not mine ..

The book opens with Two epigraphs. How do these quotes set the scene for the rest of the book?
How does the radio play a major part in the story and the time period. how do you think the impact of the radio back then compares with the impact of the internet on todays society.

The narration moves back and forth both in time and between different characters. how did this effect your reading experience? how do you think the experience would have been different if the story had been told entirely in chronological order.

Whose story did you enjoy most.Was there any character you wanted more insight into?

On Page 160, Marie-Laure realizes. "This...is the basis of his fear, all fear. That a light you are powerless to stop will turn on you and usher a bullet to its mark." How does this image constitute the most general basis of all fear? do you agree.

One of Werners bravest moments is when he confronts von Rumpel: "All your life you wait, and then it finally comes, are you ready? Have you ever had a moment like that? were you ready? What would you say that moment is for some of the other characters?

more questions tonight...


hope to see you all tonight

224 Schoolhouse Rd
Woori Yallock..

February Review

February Book Review - All the birds singing by Evie Wyld

Sorry for the late review, no excuses, I'm just slack.

There was a consensus about the book that it posed more questions than it provided answers for and was difficult to keep track of when the narrative moved from previous time periods to the current time.  We all struggled to find anything likeable about the characters and were a bit confused why there were names in it that were mixed gender i.e. Jake and Clare.  Overall another prize winning book that we wouldn't have judged highly.

Scores

Trilby 4- Great scenery was there, unsatisfied

Tahnee 3 - Good evocation of place unappealing, unfinished

Kerry 3 - Confusing narrative filled with pain and lacking fulfilment

Irene 3 - Meaty plost lost to laborious narrative

Hannah 5 - The only thing enjoyed was tour of the island

Avis 2 - Too disconnected to enjoy

Kaye 3 - Too many questions not enough answers

Coleen 5 - Started nowhere going nowhere, Kaye is letting the side down, not finished

Hi All

Here are some questions for 'The Dinner".

• What did you think of the style of the book  (story told in flashback, with a male voice).  How reliable do we believe Paul to be once we are made aware of his condition
• Did you feel frustrated, not knowing the exact nature of his condition and / or Clare's illness.
• What did you think of the venue for the dinner?  How did this act as a driver for the evenings events
• Is the death of the homeless person and the teenagers roles a comment on today's youth?
• Were you surprised by the vastly different views of the parents?
• Did you relate to any of the characters in the book? If so which ones and why?
• How far would you go as a parent to protect your child.
• How did you react to Clare and Michel’s "solution”? 

See you tomorrow night.

Anne-Maree

Feb Meeting

Hi everyone, just a reminder that book club is on at my house tomorrow night. Hope you have all read the book! See you then.
Kaye

Two Brothers by Roger Furphy

Hello Eveyone

I will keep my questions light because I know a few who haven't read the book.

* Did you know the author is a member of the famous Water Cart family.
* Did anyone WHO READ THE BOOK notice a few discrepancy's in the mileage quoted as distances to Melbourne and surrounds from Yering.
* A general discussion on the extreme differences between the two brothers.
* I found Joe to be an excellent poet.  I can be transported to the moment he wrote the work and picture the scene as he wrote.   Does anyone else feel the full of his writing.
* I also feel the author Roger Furphy has a gift for descriptive writing.  I can picture and feel the moment he is writing about.  I think it is very hard to write about the Australian bush because not a lot happens quickly.  It all unfolds slowly and quietly.  'Comments'.

 GOOD BETTER BEST

NEVER LET IT REST

UNTIL YOUR GOOD IS BETTER

AND YOUR BETTER BEST

 

See you all tomorrow night at my place Chandler Road Seville 7.30pm.  I will endeavour to have a Christmas feast for you.