The Reluctant Fundamentalist Questions

Hi all

Here are the questions that I have chosen for the Reluctant Fundamentalist.  See you at my house tomorrow night.

1. Why did Hamid call the novel the Reluctant Fundamentalist?

2.At the beginning of the book, Changez says that his companion's "bearing" gives him away as an American.  What does Changez mean by this? What are his deeper implications?

3.How can the reader reconcile Changez's smiling reaction to the 9.11 attacks and his words of being a lover of America.

4.In what way does the novel show us that the way in which people view the world is shaped by their cultural heritage.

5. Does Changes lose or find his identity throughout the course of the novel?

6. Assess how nostalgia is a destructive force in the novel.

7. To what extent do you agree that the fate of both Erica and Changez are similar?

8. For a novel with "fundamentalist" in its title, this work has surprisingly little to say on the subject of religion.  When, if at all, does Changez speak of devout fiath divine right, or deity worship.

Blog updates

Hello all,

I have been faffing around with the blog so there are a few changes

• There is a list of who is holding book club when.  There was some discussion last month about swapping some one around so that Hannah isn't doing a double up - does anyone know what the decision was?
• I have added a box where you can enter your email if you are not receiving email updates. No one should have to do that - I have added Cindy's email and Kaye - I have added your gmail address.  It's more for new members from now on, or if you change email address.
• Cindy - I have invited you to be an author - this just means you can put on a blog post when it is your turn.

Hope the new changes are helpful.

Cheers,

Trilby

February book review. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides Feb

Hi All,
Tonight we welcomed  new member Cindy Paton to our group and we were introduced to Deb's newest addition Lucca.

The review of Middlesex was varied. Most agreed that the first half of the book was interesting for its historical content and introduction of a little known genetic condition of hermaphrodite.
The family issues of incest and marriage between cousins was discussed and concluded that although not accepted by our culture is part of and has existed through time. We all felt the second part of the book lacked the intensity of the beginning and drag on somewhat.

Kaye...       6....    Didn't not like but didn't like it either.......

Irene...        4....   Uneasy blend between genetics and moral ambiguity......

Hannah...      ....   so far Compelling read ...

Deb ...         7 ....  Great family saga.......

Colleen ...    5 ....  Power of genetics interesting.......

Trilby...        6....   Enjoyed. Felt uncomfortable that hermaphroism was used as an example......

Cindy ...                Historical content fantastic. Trials of someone Else's sexuality amazing. Genetic side        
                              interesting........

Tahnee...      6 ....  Historically rich narrative. Enjoyed detailed character development. Manages to take  
                             a tricky topic without sensationalism.........

Maryanne ...  6 .... Liked style and  historical element. Second half didn't engage.

Kerry...........  7....  loved that the story was being narrated from the perception of a mutated Gene.
                              Made me think how hit and miss genetics really are......



March Book Club is at  Kaye's and her book is   The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid.

and April's is at Hannah's ...Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

April's book

Hi there fellow readers!
The book I have chosen is "Reading Lolita In Tehran" by Azar Nafisi. See you next month.
Hannah

Hi All and a Happy new Year...

Middlesex......Jeffrey Eugenides

1.   do you identify more with Cals story because he"s the narrator......

2.   Did you identify with all the charaters as Cal "Inhabited" each one..

3.   The story moves backward and forwards throughout Cal"s narration ..it starts just b4 Cal's birth and       then moves backwards we only met Cal midway ...Why do you think the story is told this way and     does it influence the way you view the larger themes i.e.   like Desmodena and Leftys early life and  
       marriage.


4.    Did you find it interesting to be exposed to so much  contemporary  History
      throughout the story.... war between Greece and Turkey...the rise of the nation of Islam...WW2,
      and the Detroit Riots.....how do you think this influenced the lives of the charactors.

5.   Where you shocked by the stroy of Desdemona and Lefty's relationship...do you think it was
       morally wrong?



6.    how does Cal's experience reflect on the Nature vs Nurture debate.

7.    Why does Cal decide to live as a Man.

8.     Do you think Dr. Luce had CAl's best interests at heart.

9.      Do you think that the Obscure Object had more of an influence than anyone on Calliope's life.

         How and Why.....

10.    Do you think Cal was happy with his decision to live as a Man


See you all at   224 Schoolhouse Road. Woori Yallock.


A reminder that supper is now being supplied by Hostess.


             
 
         



     

March's book

Hi everyone, my book for March is the Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid.  See you all in february Kaye

The inaugural AGM of the First Tuesday Book Club was held on 4/12/12.  The reports are as follows.

The Secretary:  No report she absconded with the president.

The Treasurer:  No report she absconded with all the money.

The President:  No report.  See above.

So the rest of the plebes left made all the vital decisions necessary to keep the club running smoothly.

No. 1.   As of next year the host for the night is the only one to supply sustenance, that excludes

             Hannah who can't control the urge to bring something along.  Please let her in if she does.

That's it, major problem covered.  We then moved onto the book.

ABANDONED WOMEN BY LUCY FROST

Tahnee:        Didn't read the book but carried out a giant cover up to hide the fact that she didn't
                     read the book.  Please not that she didn't read the book.

Hannah:        Not finished.  (Better than Tahnee)  Looking forward to conslusion.

Kerry:           7  Fascinating look back at history of the women who pioneered the colony.

Irene:            7  Unhappy naration on the human capicity for cruelty.

Trilby:          6 Overly long, interesting but tended to merge into one long story of unhappiness.

Debbie:         No Show

Kaye:            Cherries

Colleen:        7  Showcases terrible like for women.  Women are still fighting for ewuality.

Overall everyone quite liked the book.  It showed the hardships women went through.   We had a round table dicussion  on who, if taken back in time, would have surrived the ordeal.  It was an overall death march, except for Tahnee, we would have all died in childbirth.

Thanks ladies for a great night and a great year it has been enlightening.
Next year is as follows.  Please take note.

February  Kerry. m Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides.
March      Kaye
April        Hannah
May         Debbie
June         Tahnee
July          Trilby + 2
August     Hannah
September  Annmarie
October    New girl
Novemver  Irene
December  Colleen        

Follow up from Novembers meeting

Hello all,

Following our discussion about twins births and subtle ways of saying no - here are some links if you are interested.

Twins born over 48 hours apart 

Subtle signals of no/go away


Cheers

Trilby

ABANDONED WOMEN BY LUCY FROST

Women played a big part in the settling of Australia but have been largely overlooked in history.  Lucy Frost shows us a small window into the lives of some of our earlier ladies and the part they played in the early colony

 

Do you think these women were criminals or simply victims of circumstance?

 

Was shipboard life a respite that the women did not fully appreciate?

 

What a terrible situation for the children involved.  The English and their rules have a lot to answer for.  What do you think?

 

These women were used and abused like mongrel dogs.  Can you even comprehend how tough each and  day of their life was.   Placed back in time do you think you would be one of the survivors?

Dubliners by James Joyce,


Hannah: 7 Took a while to get into it. Grew to enjoy it.

Tahnee: 7 Real & Vivid. Enjoyed. Great.

Anne-Marie: 6 Score might have been more if I'd finished it. Thought provoking vignettes.

Coleen: 9 Love James joyce. Every story a little package. Concept needs to be explained to those of lesser intelligence.....Hannah excused.

Trilby: Didn't read but now wants to.

Kerry: 8 Must ready again.

Kaye: 3 Good illustration of life at the time. It was well written but not enjoyable.

Irene: 9 A descritpive feast.

Thanks everyone for a great night and for coming all the way to McMahons Creek.
Irene

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Despite receiving some very good industry reviews this book failed to engage all of us (except for Meg).


Meg - 8/10   Engaging with an interesting twist.

Hannah - 5/10  Had to find out what happened in the end.

Colleen - 4/10  Didn't like the foul language.  Bad Read.

Irene - 4/10  Initially captivating.  Gradually disengaged.

Tahnee - 4/10  Smutty thriller.  Squandered potential.  Unlikeable characters.

Kaye - 6/10  Convoluted plot.

Anne-Maree - 5/10  Really disappointing. Promising start degenerated into hard to believe "soap opera".


Book for December is Abandoned Women by Lucy Frost at Colleen's house.

Hello Fellow Book Clubbers,
Here are some questions for contemplation before Book Club which will be on the second Tuesday (13th)  in November due to Cup Day.

James Joyce was born on February 2, 1882 in Dublin, Ireland to impoverished parents. As the son of a devout Roman Catholic mother and a tax collector,
his works are heavily resentful of male figures and the Catholic Church.
1. What is the story which you responded to most, emotionally?
2.How are the themes of paralysis and simony echoed in the short stories?
And in case anyone else didn't know what it means......
Simony: In Christianity  the practice, now usually regarded as a sin, of buying or selling spiritual or Church benefits such as pardons, relics, etc, or preferments
3. How is Charles Parnell an important figure throughout the book?
4. What are the connecting factors that allow this book to be grouped as a collection of short stories?
5. What sort of image does Joyce paint of England? How could his upbringing have influenced this?
6. What causes Joyce's epiphanies to occur? Why does he tend to end his stories with an epiphany
7.Is "Araby" a conventional love story?  At the end of "Araby," why does the narrator say his eyes "burned with anguish and anger" (p. 28)?
8.To what extent does one's birthplace determine one's identity or destiny?
9. Is individual freedom inevitably limited by the social customs of a particular place?

Hope to see you all soon.
Irene

Hiya,
Would somebody please post the address for Book Club tonight?
Thanks,
Irene

Hello Fellow Book Clubbers,

November's book is Dubliner's by James Joyce at 9 Reefton Drive, McMahons Creek.
I seem to remember car pools happened last year for the trip to the wilderness of my home!!! And takes about 45 mins from Seville.
If anybody needs help with directions my number is 0437 358 890. But a good marker is if you pass the Reefton Hotel you have missed the right hand turn onto Reefton Drive by about 100m, along Woods Point Road.
See you all next Tuesday,
Irene

Hannahs query

Hi Hannah im sorry i have not updated the post with last months books details ect... im afraid in my packing frenzy i have misplaced my notes so i am not sure of the name of the book or the address of next bookclub if anyone does could you post it pretty please.
About the only thing i remember from the my night of book club is that we were introduced to our newest member of book club Alexander the book was okay on most accounts a few mixed reviews from memory.
Sorry guys.

query nov's book

Hi guys just wondering if you can tell me the name of the James Joyce book we are doing for next month because I can't remember it and need to get organised.

Thanks and see you next week
P.S can someone tell me the address!
Hannah

Questions for the Secret Scripture

1. Did anyone predict the secret that Dr. Grene uncovered before it was revealed. How did you feel about the secret?

     2. Fr Gaunt played a pivotal role in Roseanne's life, why do you think he took such an interest in Roseanne and her families life? Was it motivated by religion, his views on women or something else?


    3. What did you think of the authors writing style, could you connect?


    4. Do you think this book is reflective of its setting in Ireland or was it reflective of the world in general at the time in its treatment of women?

   5. Joe Brady discuss?



See you all at mine next Tuesday night September 4th.
16 railway road Seville a couple of doors up from Hannah.
PH: 0417977175

Book club december 2012 to 2013

Naturally this is subject to change...

December Colleen( 2012)
Feb Kerry
March Lesley
April Kay
May Tahnee
June Trilby
July Hannah
Aug Deb
Sept Anne Marie
Oct Meg
Nov Irene

The Little Stranger

His guys! Sorry it has taken me a while to write this up.

   "The Little Stranger" by Sarah Waters proved to be a disappointment, especially if you were expecting a book that would chill you to the bone.  Frankly I personally found Deb's ghost story far more freaky.

  Dr Faraday, the narrator, a very unlikeable character, had the romantic idea about coveting Hundreds by marrying Caroline.  The relationship between the two characters, was very unlikely and rather creepy, as it was clear to the reader that Caroline was not interested in Dr Faraday and staying at Hundreds.  It was suggested that Dr Faraday was an opportunist and perhaps in time he was to latch unto another wealthy family.

 The book left other unanswered questions, such as what really happened to Caroline at the end? Was Dr Faraday feeding the hysteria of the two employees?  We also found it frustrating that Dr Faraday was never questioned in regards to Caroline's death.

Colleen: 2/10 boring didn't enjoy it
Tahnee: 3/10 promising but never delivered
Anne-Marie: 7/10 engaging disappointing end
Kay: 6/10 intriguing story, crappy ending
Kerry: 3/10 more enjoyment from discussing the book
Deb: 5/10 a good "filla" book
Hannah: 6/10 needs more spookiness, and more a of a conclusion

Octobers Book

Hi everyone,
here is the title of October's book
Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters Questions

Hi guys!  Hope everyone is well. Here are the questions...

Is Dr Farraday a reliable narrator?

Despite the happenings at Hundreds, Dr Farraday was the voice of rationality.  Are reason and rationality incompatiple?

How does Dr Farraday's history with Hundred's affect his feelings about the building and the family?  Does Mrs Ayers personal history effect her feelings about Hundreds?

Do you think Caroline was ever invested in the relationship with Dr Farraday?

The War shook up the British class system.  How will Dr Farraday "fit" in the coming years?

I hope there were no sleepless nights over this book.  See you Tuesday.

June 2012 Meeting 'The Life of Pi' and pelvic floor exercises...

Well I loved it, Kerry seemed to enjoy it and everyone else's reaction was a tad luke warm...
Most struggled to believe the narrative.

Apologies: Colleen, Meg, Leslie, Kerry, Ann-Marie

Irene:     5/10: Not for the practically minded.

Hannah: 6/10: At times found it a bit slow.

Kaye:     5/10: A fanciful tale.

Debbie:  6/10: The more enjoyable the faster I read it.

Kerry:    7/10: Via text...a wonderful story masterfully spun, made me wonder how I could believe such an adventure, Pi was such an interestinf and adventurous character that questioned everything and adopted the things that resonated with him.

Ann-Marie: 4/10: Via text... a difficult read, not engaging at all.

Tahnee:   8/10: Unbelievably believable. 

Trilby: Didn't read.

Next months book is 'We need to talk about Kevin' - Lionel Shriver @ Trilby's house

Followed by              'The Little Stranger' - Sarah Waters @ Hannah's house

Followed by              'The Secret Scripture' - Sebastian Barry @ Debbies house

Followed by Meg and Irenes choices........

June Meeting - Questions regarding The Life of Pi

Hello my Renegade Readers. Please see below some questions for discussion on Tuesday night. Look forward to seing you all then.

1.       An important component of books is the ability of the author to induce 'suspension of disbelief' in the reader. Yann Martel wondered how far in could push the reader....

Did you find the story believable, when did it become all too much for you? The floating islands, the meeting of the other blind man, or at the very beginning "I turned around, stepped over the zebra and threw myself overboard"!

 

2.       Do you think you could've eaten raw fish and drank fresh turtle blood? Why did Pi save Richard Parker in the first place, then feed and assist him instead of enticing him over board or letting him starve?

3.       Pi opines that Zoo's (good ones) are more like guarded neighbourhoods then jails and don't deserve the bad press they receive. Agree/Disagree.

      4.       Which version of Pi's experience do you believe?
 

5.       Just to see if everyone picks the same colour as me... If Hinduism is associated with orange and Islam with green, what color would you make Christianity, based on the novel?

 

6.       What do you think of Pi's assertion that we are all "in limbo, without religion, until some figure introduces us to our God"?

 

7.       How is the novel related to religion or religious belief, in one brief sentence.

The little coffee shop of Kabul

Our book for the month of May, The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul, provided some interesting topics of conversation.  Each member was asked who there favorite character was.  Halajan was selected by 3 members, her feisty and strong character was cited as the reason for their choice. Other members liked Isabel, Ahmet, Jasmina and Candace.  We all felt that Candace was quite naive, given the situation with Wakel and also at the embassy with the boy with the package.
It was also agreed that every character in the book held a secret that they managed to cover up in some manner, Jasmina's pregnancy, Halajan and Rashif's love, Isabel's rape, Candace's background etc.  Although the men in the book were felt to be secondary to the main characters, they still had fairly strong storylines of forbidden love.  However, it was felt that the change to Ahmet's character accepting his mothers love for Rashif and then his own for Jasmina, was not true to what a devout Muslim would do. 

Rankings
Debbie  5- Not enough cups of coffee for my liking
Anne Marie 6 - Afghani cultural buffet
Hannah 5 - Easy enjoyable read, but, didn't explore the friendships enough
Kerry 5 - Good holiday read, bit soapy
Meg  5 - Pleasant fluffy read squandered its potential
Irene 5 - Drawing on real life situations made the happy ending a melancholic comparison
Leslie 7 - Makes her feel sorry for women in other countries
Colleen 5 - Floated alon on even level, average
Kaye 7 - Captivating story about women in a hostile environment

Little coffee shop of Kabul

Hi all
Hope you have enjoyed reading the little coffee shop of Kabul. Here are some questions for discussion on Tuesday evening I have selected them from the reading group questions at the back of the book.   See you on Tuesday.
Kaye

1. Who was your favourite character and why?

2. A working title for this novel was The Seventh Dove.  What does Halajan's story about the doves mean, and why does it have such a strong effect on Sunny?

3. 'Every character in the novel is hiding something' Do you agree with this statement?  Discuss each character's secrets and subterfuges.

4. Five women are at the heart of this novel. But what do you think of the representation of men?

5. What was the most shocking thing you learnt about life for women in Afghanistan?

Hi all.  Humble apologies from me. I have misplaced my notes from last book club meeting and know I put them somewhere safe. I will post as soon as I have found them. 
In the meantime we should all be reading 'The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul" written by Deborah Rodriguez. This book was Kay's choice and the next meeting will be at her house.  For those that wish to read the next book. It is "The Life of Pi" by Yan Martel chosen by Tahnee.
Sorry again.  Leslie

Hi guys just wondering if Tahnee has had a chance to think of a book for June, so i can get ordering ugh... Sorry Tahnee know you are away hope you are having a great time with the family, look forward to seeing you when you get back.

QUESTIONS FOR

When you read of Jasper's discovery in the clearing, who did you think did it.Why do you think Charlie agreed to become an accomplice.Do you think the novel accurately captures the experience of adolescenc.Would you choose spider hat or penis fingers.

FROM LESLIE

Caleb's Crossing

Mar 6, 2012 02:40 PM

Caleb's Crossing Tuesday 6 March 2012 at Colleen's place.

It seems the book was enjoyed by all, a little slow to get into, some a bit slower than others. (Leslie)

IRENE 7
Too tired for a pithy comment, the author took to much artistic licence

HANNAH 7
Want to read more about Native Americans

TRILBY-ROUX 6
Well crafted, facts got in way of story

MEG 1
A weak welcome to new member Meg who can't seem to grasp the concept of book club is to read the bloody book

LESLIE 6
Hard life. Leslie now loves her washing machine, dryer, cooker, micro wave etc.

DEBBIE 7...5
Got carried away with language. Loved the language.

KAYE 7
Slow to start but pleasantly surprised at (oops can't read my own writing so have no idea what Kaye is surprised at.)

TAHNEE 6
Worth persevering with . Liked the use of language. Want to call next baby Solace.

Ann Marie 8
Energizing, excellent read.

MARIMBA 8
Went to sleep but points for sending in her review.
Her skill as a writer was magical, the depth of her themes astounded. I was moved to tears more than once.

COLLEEN 7
Impressed with the writing style and the amount of research taken to produce the story.

Thanks everyone for comming.

Next month book is Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey at 16 Wattle Valley Road Mt Evelyn.

Caleb's Crossing

Sorry forgot to add Bookclub is at my place (Colleen) Chandler Road Seville. M285 D5 use your Melways not a GPS. Chandler Road is off Victoria Road, we are the last gate on the right, Dewhurst/Kelly on gate, long driveway you will eventually get there. Ring me on 0411 799 558 if lost and I will talk you though.

Caleb's Crossing

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

Do you think the author did enough research for her story? Did it show in her writings?

Did you feel the author kept her narrative in time with the era? Did you struggle with the language?

After reading this book do you feel that not much has changed with the downtrodden in our society feeling the predjucices against them in 1665 and 2012

review for "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet"

We Welcome Anne-Maree and Marimba to our group and look forward to your contribution. Congratulations Irene and Stewart and thank-you for bringing Aruna for us all to love and cuddle.

It was generally agreed the book was an interesting read. The complex relationship between Father and Son/s was thought to be normal for the time period where children where seen and not heard. The romantic side of this novel caused emotional responses as these relationships remained unresolved by the author. The issues created by the war were repressive and destructive.

Colleen.............7.....Enjoyable and believable

Trilby-Roux....6......Interesting....detached

Anne-Maree....7......Cried

Kaye..................7......Captivating

Marimba..........7......Swept me away....cried at the train station......

Hannah............6.......Enjoyed ending

Tahnee.............6.......Melancholic/ Entertaining

Irene.................8......(Thought to be still very Hormonal) Didn't want the story to end. Left me wanting more.

Leslie...............8.......possibly hormonal as well!!..really really enjoyable..well written...and she cried.......

Kerry................7.......Loved the complex relationships, the history and an insight into the injustices forced on alien citizens during ww2.

Deb...................6.5.....Frustrated by Henry/Sheldon relationship. Distant didn't connect.

March Bookclub is at Colleen's the book is" Caleb's Crossing"

April Bookclub is at Leslie's and the book is "Jasper Jones" by Craig Silvey

Kerry

questions for february's book club

Happy New Year to you all...some questions to ponder for discussion

- Why do u think the story was told in flashbacks. What perceptive can an older Henry give and do u think it would be accurate

- Father-son relationships are a crucial theme in the novel. How is Henry's relationship with his Father and Son different. What accounts for the difference?

-Why does Henry's father insist on only English from Henry when he intends to send him back to China for study.

-If u were Henry would u be able to forgive your father.? Does he deserve forgiveness?

-Henry's mother comes from a culture in which wives are subservient to their husbands. Given this background , do you think she could of done more to help Henry in his struggles against his father? Is her a loyalty to her husband a betrayal of her son.

-bullying is a big part of the theme in the book..Henry's bullied by his father,schoolmates, society in general. How do you think this shaped his character . Do you think society has changed much in regards to bullying.

-Do you think Henry was right to stay with Ethel even after he found out about his fathers deceit. Should he have searched for Kieko.

-Do you think Ethel knew what was happening to Henry's letters?

-Why do u think Kieko didn't make an effort to find Henry once released from the camp?

-Internment of foreigners happened all over the world during WW2 what are ur views on this and do you think it is a practice that could happen today?

Happy reading see u all at my place

224 Schoolhouse Road Woori Yallock

on the first Tuesday in Feb.....

hey reading buddies just wondering if someone can post the name of the next two books because i know i wrote them in a safe place i just can't remember where that safe place is ugh....

Australian Women Writers 2012 challenge

Hello,

Don't want to force anyone into picking certain books but I was wondering if people would be interested in doing this for book club?

http://www.australianwomenwriters.com/p/australian-women-writers-book-challenge_25.html

Let me know

Trilby

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Burrows

This book was generally liked. At first some of us had our reservations. On the back of some copies the author of "Eat, Pray, Love" stated she enjoy this book, which would discourage some readers. Some of us found an epistolary novel (thanks Tahnee) meaning a novel created out of letters, a bit of a challenge at first. For some however found this method of creating a story, enjoyable and an easy was to explore the different characters.

The subject of letters themselves was an interesting topic, as the use of letter writing has changed due to technology. Though it was discussed that writing an email can sometimes be similar to the writing that you post.

The characters Juliet and Elizabeth, were liked because of their independence and heroic behaviour during a time when men were considered "the boss". The risks they both took were different, Elizabeth's actions lead her to her death. Juliet's ultimately lead her to Dawsey

As for the rest of the Guernsey society, it was found they were sometimes too eccentric and quirky. Some of us thought Dawsey was about fifty until Juliet described him. Despite the historical quality of the book, some of us didn't know where the story was leading.

Debbie: 7 Enjoyable read. Inspired to get letters out to read.

Lesley: 5 Interesting but couldn't get into it. Can't fall into a book of letters.

Tahnee: 6 Enjoyed it, love new word "epistolary".

Trilby: 5 Enjoyable, pleasant, interesting.

Kaye: 6 A lovely read. At the start found the letters annoying.

Colleen: 5 Liked format, half way through the book couldn't understand characters, a bit fluffy.

Kerry: 4 Enchanting tale, a bit boring, a bit disjointed.

Hannah: 6 Letters annoying at first, an easy read.

Book club a Kerry's in February; "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" by Jaimie Ford.

At Colleen's in March; "Caleb's Crossing", by Geraldine Brooks.

Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year. Congratulations Irene! (you still could have come to book club though he he just kidding)

Hannah

Hi there, sorry I didn't post this earlier. See you this evening.

What was your experience reading a novel composed of entirely out of letters? Are there types of information letters convey more successfully than other forms of expression? Would a novel in emails have different strengths and weaknesses?

Dawsey first writes to Juliet because books are so difficult to obtain on Guernsey in the aftermath of the war. What differences do you note between the bookselling in the 1940s and bookselling today? Do book lovers share common qualities across generations?

In what ways are Juliet and Elizabeth kindred spirits?

Numerous Guernsey residents give Juliet access to their private memories. Which voices were memorable for you? What is the effect of reading a variety of responses to a shared tragedy?

How would you characterise Juliet? Did you like her?

If you had lived in Guernsey before the occupation, do you think you would have sent your children to England without you?

What do you think of Elizabeth's relationship with Christian? Was it wrong of her to love a Nazi?

Do you think books have the power to lift people out of the circumstances? What role did books play in the lives of the Guernsey Literary Society?

Book Club For 2012

It was agreed that we should know who is deciding what book in what month so here goes.

February: Kerry
March: Coleen
April: Lesley
May: Kay
June: Tahnee
July: Trilby
August: Hannah
September: Debbie
Oct: Meg
November: Irene

Hello Again,
Firstly thanks for a great evening. Loving book club.

The general feeling towards Tamil Tigress was one of disappointment and doubtful as to the sincere description of Niromi's experiences. The word "dubous" was used on more than one occasion!!! The writing in the first person was very uninteresting and made what should have been confronting and shocking content less impactful.

And to the scores:

Debbie: 4 Really struggled to read. Couldn't connect with main character. Name use confusing
and difficult to be sure who was who.

Kerry: 5 Difficult to read,from her point of view.....'insert senior moment'.....written in first person was not engaging enough. Story was 'dubious'.

Hannah: 6 Exhausting read -makes you appreciate the freedoms here in Australia.

Trilby: 3 Not connected to cause or story.Can understand motives. Wouldn't be surprised if story is 'dubous'.

Coleen: 4 Blandly written. Whole story was self promoting.. 'Dubious' read.

Kay: 5 'Dubious' Lack of anticipation.

Lesley: Didn't Read

Tahnee: 4 Distant from story, surprisingly boring given the content.

Irene: 4 Disappointed in lack of education about Sri Lanka's polictical situation.


Next months' book is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, hosted by Hannah who can be found at 36 Railway Road Seville. See you there.

Hello All,

Hope you all had a win on Cup Day.....or at least a nice day off work.

As this is a relatively new book there weren't any book club questions on my google searches so I resorted to coming up with a few questions myself so please be gentle with me.

In an interview Niromi states that violence is no tool or means to achieve resolution. Do you believe this to be true? Is there any scenario/situation in life where violence is the only means to defend a belief or something held dear?


How much do you think she was protected by the other Tamil Tigers? Was this because of her middle class upbringing?


Is her story really one of being a fighter or a protected teenager championing a naive belief? Friends spoke of support for the cause but within her social circle it never translated into action. Why might this be?

Was Niromi brave in not hiding behind the social expectation of the caste system or fear of disappointing her family and the social impact that may have?


Can you understand why Benjamin’s murder by the Tamils was not enough to make her walk away but actually paved the way for innumerable excuses and sacrifices for the Tamil Tigers.


Was Niromi’s honorable intent in joining the Tamils justified or driven by fear?
Can the two be separated in the face of injustice/persecution?


I also came across this article which I thought was rather interesting……
http://groundviews.org/2011/08/31/forbidden-fruits-niromi-de-soyzas-tamil-tigress-noumi-kouri-and-helen-demidenko/


Hope to see you all tomorrow in sunny Reefton.

Irene

Meg is no longer a techno loser

I am sure that you will all be thrilled to know that as at 1.34pm on Thursday 6th Oct 2011 I can access and post to the blog again. I suspect that this shall last all of a week before I have issues again!!!!!

But while I am on here a little bit of info for the group. If you are interested in buying the book the book for the Dec book club go to:

www.thebookdepository.com

$9.88 including shipping!

Happy reading

December book club

Hi it's Hannah. I have chosen "The Guernsey Literary Potatoe Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer. Hopefully it will be good. Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook will know I had help with this one. You may be disappointed I did not choose Karma Sutra although this has been recomended also.

Push, Sapphire

'Push' seemed to be enjoyed by the majority of Book Club, with most people feeling it was a worthwhile story and opened their eyes to a different part of society.

We had much discussion over social security payments and how to ensure that those payments are used wisely, and how to ensure the cycle of poverty is broken.  We also talked about child safety, paedophiles, paternity leave, male and female influence in the home/daily lives of children and how Hannah and I can set up a prostitution business if needs be (you kinda had to be there!)

I held forth a bit about the American economic situation and how it doesn't really allow for people to better themselves and how trying to survive is really quite difficult in the current environment. 
The website I referred to was this one:
www.wearethe99percent.tumblr.com
Read a few pages they are disturbing.

News reports on occupy wall street -
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2011/s3332160.htm

http://www.news.com.au/business/breaking-news/occupy-wall-street-protests-spread-across-us/story-e6frfkur-1226158110369

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



Nick (Debbie's partner) has a complaint - he says that Book Club is taking up to much of Debbie's valuable time and that she is reading in bed when she should be doing other things!


And the marks are:

Irene - 5/10 – A brutal depiction of an unseen level of society.

Kay – 4/10 Confronting

Tahnee – 7/10 Important – needs to be read

Liz – 8/10 – Story needs to be told; obligated to educate myself to know that these lives exist.

Colleen - 5/10 – The importance of education (haven’t finished yet)

Hannah – 7/10 A good insight into that part of society

Debbie - 5/10 Too superficial; not enough depth - couldn’t connect to the character

Next book is Irene's choice: Tamil Tigeress by Niromi De Soyza
Irene's address is:
9 Reefton Drive, McMahons Creek
If you pass the Reefton Pub, you've gone about 100m to far!
In case you get lost, her number is 5966 8480.


See you all next month, where Tahnee and I will bore the pants off you with our travel stories about China!

Push Reading questions

In what way are Precious and her family members invisible to the larger world?

Precious's file reflects the government "workfare" point of view, that Precious should already be earning her own living, possibly as a home attendant. Precious objects violently to this idea. Can you understand the social worker's point of view? Have Precious's and Jermaine's arguments [pp. 121–123] changed any opinions you previously held on this subject?

 A famous—or perhaps infamous—Labor Department study, the Moynihan Report, blamed the absence of fathers and the dominance of women (rather than economic and racial inequality) for the problems confronting the African American family. Many black scholars and activists have argued against the report's conclusions. Which side of the argument do you believe Push to support?


Push has been called a Dickensian novel, to which Sapphire has responded, "Part of what's so wrong in this story is that we’re not in a Dickensian era. Those things shouldn’t be happening in a post-industrial society” (Bomb, Fall 1996). She sees the novel as “an indictment of American culture, which is both black and white” (ibid). What aspects of our culture have enabled the inequities described in the novel to develop? Would you say that contemporary American cities consist, as Dickens’s London was said to, of two entirely different cultures, the rich one and the poor?

Given the current american economic client (much worse that the economic climate in the book), do you think it's fiscally resonable and/or ethical to provide finacial support to people such as Precious to achieve high level education?

The Black Dahlia

Posting on behalf of Meg because she is a techno loser and can't figure out how to sign in AGAIN!

Ok I have to start (again!) by apologising for being uber slack about the blog!!! Sorry its just really NOT my thing and not helped by the fact that I can't access it again! Anyway I have done it at last!!


The book this month was "The Black Dahlia" by James Ellroy and the overall view of the group was that they didn't enjoy the book. In particular, a number of us felt that the characters were misleading and that there was too much about Bucky and not enough about the murder. While some thought the book had a strong voice in that you could easily picture the setting there was also a strong sense that it didn't read true. Many of us found it hard to get into and then often hard to follow.


Specifically:
Irene - 5/10 - Tried too hard to be complex

Liz - didn't read it

Debbie - 3/5/10 - misleading, hard to feel empathetic

Tahnee - 2/10 - misogynistic, superfluosly descriptive

Harriet (who shall now be known as Hannah) - difficult read

Kaye - 5/10 - more twists and turns than a contornist

Kerry - 5/10 crap writing, twist intrigued enough to finish

Meg 5/10 haven;t finished it yet - strong voice but disjointed and disconnected.



We then proceeded to have a great conversation about children which completely freaked Irene out and a very heated debate about whether the Black Dahlia asked for her death by her behaviour. While Toot did an exemplary job in arguing this, it really needed Trilby's passion!


The next book club meeting is tomorrow night and is at Trilby's place. The book is Push by Sapphire

The following book club meeting will be the 2nd Tuesday in November due to Cup Day and is at Irene's. The book is Tamil Tigress by Niromi De Souza
Colleen - 2/10 - badly written all US slang cheap crap cops and robbers story, hated the book

Trilby - 6/10 liked the noir feel but was longwinded. The afterword freaked me out.

chocolat Joanne Harris

Our monthly meeting for August discussed Chocolat by Joanne Harris.
The general feeling towards the book was one of a reasonable read, but, not fantastic or gripping. We felt that Reynaud was definitely the villain of the piece and none of us could sympathize with the motivations and feelings behind his actions. Reynaud and Vianne were clearly natural enemies, Reynaud believing that Vianne embodied the temptations that would lead his flock to stray and to Vianne, Reynaud represented the figures of authority that her mother had run from all her life. It was therefore impossible for them to have any form of relationship.
The author used the first person narrative voice for both of her principal characters, it was felt that this lead to confusion as often the reader had to work out who was actually talking. However, this did allow the reader to gain a clearer view of the motivations of the characters.
After moving and settling down frequently in the past Vianne's character badly wanted to stay in the village. It was thought that this was primarily to provide her daughter with the childhood that she had not had herself.
We all felt that the book ended with a fizzle rather than a bang and most of us believed that Vianne would continue to move around and not settle in one place for long.

Comments

Trilby -5 Enjoyable holidy read, empty and inconsistent

Tahnee - 5 Comfy, easy to read

Irene - 7 Realistic sketching of country french life

Kerry - 6 Pleasant read

Colleen- 5 Disjointed and era not known

Hannah - 6 Enjoyable at start but ending disappointing

Kaye - 6 Disconnected, required concentration to read

Weird Books

Stuck for ideas... Weird Book Room

Welcome to AbeBooks' Weird Book Room - heralded by the New York Times, Canada's Globe and Mail, The Times of London, and The Guardian (UK) as the finest source of everything that's bizarre, odd and downright weird in books. We now have an excellent selection of crazy and strange titles listed for sale by our booksellers, about every oddball aspect of life you could possibly imagine (and a few things you couldn't possibly imagine). We invite you to not only revel in our collection of literary oddities but to also send us your suggestions.

Chocolat questions

Hi all,

here are a few questions to consider for book club on Tuesday night at my house.

1. To what extent is Reynaud the villain of the piece? Is it possible to understand or sympathize with the motivations and feelings behind his actions?

2. Reynaud and Vianne seem to be natural enemies from the start and yet they both have significant elements in common: a haunted past, a desire for acceptance. How do you think this affects their relationship?

3. The author uses the first person narrative voice for both of her principal characters. Why do you feel she does this and how effective is each in showing the character's attitudes and motivations?

4.The themes of moving on and settling down recur frequently in the book. Why do you think Vianne wants so badly to remain in the village? Do you think she eventually decides to stay?

See you then

Kaye

October Book

The book for October is Push by Sapphire.  This is the book on which the movie Precious is based.  See you all in a few weeks.

The book for the September meeting is The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy. See you next month

August Meeting

Next book for August is Chocolat by Joanne Harris at Kays place. Monbulk Silvan Road Seville.

September book Meg's house, wait for it!

The Lord of the Flies

Leslie--------smashed leg
Kerry--------swanning around Europe
Elizabeth-----too cold
Debbie-------new baby
Kaye---------holidays

Hannah------8 ( New member? No one has met her, she could be fictitious, or maybe she is a member by corrospondence)
Disturbing. Boys are bastards! Percival made me cry.

Trilby--------8
Page turner, scary representation, do not believe it is realistic.

Irene---------8
Morally challenging. Asks more questions than it answers.

Tahnee-------8
Just enough but never too much. Better horror than Steven King. Loved it.

Meg----------5
Sucks to your asthma. Unnecessary descriptive. First half went no where then felt like Golding wants to wrap up the book.

Colleen-------8
A story of the possible out of the impossible. Loved it.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Some questions to ponder:

Golding describes his book as an attempt to trace the

"defects of society back to the defects of human nature" what do you think?

Were they just children playing games or was this real life?

I feel the 'the English public school mentally' of the time had a large impact in the discription of the main players in the story.

Here we go.....sorry it's so late!!!

Thanks girl's I had a great night out with lots of laughs. Scores are as follows:


Colleen - 7
Well written book....will look at reading other books written by the author.

Tahnee- 6.5
Rollicking read...a book about a book...does it get much better?

Trilby- 6.5
Interesting to learn about the story behind the real Alice In Wonder Land. Sense of foreboding did not end the way I wanted.

Elizabeth-8
Inspired me to have a go at writing my own book one day.....loved the creative story which was based on some facts about the real Alice.

Kaye- 5
Sense of foreboding was disappointed with the story.

Kerry- 7
Interesting characters...intrigued by the references to the real story behind Alice but did find at times the story long and drawn out


Irene- 6
Beautiful use of the English language...really enjoyed the classic style.



WHAT'S NEXT!!!

The next book for discussion at July's meeting is Colleen's pick,

" LORD OF THE FLIES" by William Golding.

Kaye has selected the book for August which is,

"CHOCOLAT" by Joanne Harris.

Evening Events

Thanks to Irene for the beautiful cake. Love especially from Trilby who frowns on people that just bring a box of chocolates which just happened to be what Irene had brought the week before.llolololol

Still no baby on Tuesday the 7th what surprise.....but happy to report that GEORGIA made a safe arrival on Saturday the 18th of June at 6.25pm after a long labour which resulted in a c section. All are very happy and well.

We also discussed how we view ourselves as we read a book which was really interesting to note:

Colleen- thinks about how the author is constructing the story as she reads.

Tahnee- thinks of herself as a fly on the wall.

Trilby- thinks of herself as an observer to the story.

Irene- thinks like Tahnee, like being a fly on the wall.

Kaye- creates pictures about the story similar to a movie.

Elizabeth- while reading a book I think about it as a movie and I'm the director.

How to link 'Books we've done' to the relevant blog post

Hope this little tutorial helps you out. It's a little fiddly but not too complex.

• Go into the blog post you want to link.  That means finding the blog post you want and clicking on the header so you are only able to see that specific post and not the whole blog.
• Copy the web address from the address bar on the page e.g. http://firsttuesdaybookclub.blogspot.com/2011/05/do-no-harm-carol-topolski.html
• Log into the blog and go into Dashboard.
• Click on Design
• On the RHS, there is Add a Gadget, then boxes underneath.  The second box down is Books we've done.  Click on edit in that box
• A 'configure list' window should open. 
• Enter in the name and author of the book in Add List item box
• Click on the link symbol next to the box (between the box and the Add item button)
• A script prompt box should appear.  In that box, paste the web address you copied earlier.
• Click OK
• The add item text book will look all funny now with or simlair.  This is normal!
• Hit add item!
• The book and author should now appear in the list below the add item text box.  The book and author should be in blue
• Scroll to the top and hit 'Save'
• You've done it, you techno wiz you!

Alice I have been by Melanie Benjamin

A few quetions to think about.....Book Club will be at TAHNEE'S house on TUESDAY the 7th of JUNE..... thanks Tahnee



Alice became famous through no fault of her own. Can you come up with a modern day version of Alice? How do their lives compare?

Alice refuses to read Alice in Wonderland until she is well into her eighties. Why do you think she avoids reading the story she inspired?

What part of the book speaks to you and your experiences in life?

Before reading Benjamin's novel, had you already read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland? If so, does it make you want to read it again? Why or why not?

What do you think of an author writing a biographical novel using only notes and references and filling in the gaps with intelligent supposition?

The Scores so far

As promised, we thought it would be interesting to see what the average scores were per person, so I have put my number crunching hat and the results are:

Colleen - 5.16
Tahnee - 5.33
Trilby - 5.89
Meg - 5.13
Liz - 7.17
Kay - 6
Debbie - 6.38
Kerry - 6.14

So surprisingly I have enjoyed the books less than Colleen!!!! And just for fun, below is the summary of all of Colleen's comments:

• Didn't think it was particularly well written


• Didn't seem real, felt contrived


• Easy read but boring


• Flowed well and had a great story line


• good holiday read.....characters soft and uninteresting


• Well you would think that the members of the book club, being very
  intellectual type of people would show some respect for the hostess with
  the mostess and not be rude to her. The said hostess has read the book
  and liked it very much. I think I am qualified to report. I find this author
  very true with his writing and his discriptive ability to bring to lif a charactor
  or place is superior to his peers. The book comes to life with his ability to tell
  a story. I love the discriptive pieces about the bush and his ordinary day
  to day happenings. I have read most of his works and enjoyed them all.


• Could seperate the author from the story line


• (read the first three chapters) believed that the writing was over desriptive and did not excite interest.


• A very enjoyable read, soft book


• bland and boring


• laborious, didn't like writing style, liked the issues


• Really enjoyable, liked the format


• Felt planned, story line good, writing not, Miles Franklin committee flawed!


• stolen from my shopping cart (if you weren't there trust me don't ask!)


• Also blown away by the amount of money spent or should I say squandered. Unbelievable amount. The amount of hours all the workers did was amazing. They just seemed to work abound the clock. A slow read but feel it was a bit of an education for me. I feel it was a well written book but not particularly enjoyable one.


• Good book..ending fissled out


• Bloody awful

And my personal favourite from colleen:

Self indulgent crap - struggled to finish - Eat, Pray, Love

Happy reading gals

M xox

Do No Harm - Carol Topolski

Many of us found this a compelling and intriguing story in spite of our selves. All agreed that the writer may've been a little to leisurely in the execution and development of the novel in the initial stages only then to change gear and speed towards the finish tabloid style, to the novels detriment. Many struggled with the dark subject matter, the novels constant toing and froing of times, places and characters and period inaccuracies. Despite the lead characters horrific acts, we all felt that Virginia was a robust and very real character. An average rating of  4.

• Trilby-Roux    4/10 Disjointed, second half like a trashy novel.
• Irene              3/10 Unfocused, disappointing character development
• Meg               5/10 Disjointed, unsatisfying 
• Kerry             6/10 Kept my interest, didn't like the content
• Kaye              6/10 Intriguing but creepy
• Colleen           2/10 Bloody awful
• Tahnee           5/10 Liked the in depth initial character development, went down hill in second half 
• Elizabeth                  Didn't read it - tried but couldn't 
• Debbie                     Didn't read it - gave it to Elizabeth  

WHATS NEXT
The next book for discussion at June's meeting courtesy of |Elizabeth, venue TBA is 'Alice I Have Been' Melanie Benjamin.

The book for discussion at July's meeting courtesy of Colleen is 'Lord of the Flies' William Golding.

Kaye will select the book for the August meeting and will let us know at the next meeting what it is.

OTHER STUFF
Welcome newcomer Irene, if we didn't scare her off, she may be back.


It was all agreed that people would like to know how/why each person selected their book for that month before we commence discussion.


BLOG STUFF
Trilby - would you be able to assist Meg in changing her e-mail address for the blog.
Trilby - would you be able to provide a brief tutorial on linking the books we have done section on the blog.
Meg -   would you be able to provide Irene and I with an e-introduction.

Aprils book club - The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

Well better late than never, again i have lost the notes i took.... can i blame it on the pregnancy i reckon i should lol.
The night got off to a slow start with just myself, Elizabeth and Kaye we actually had thoughts about holding off any discussion on the book until this month. However eventually Leslie joined us after spending half an hour arguing with her tom tom about where i live thankfully she listened to it in the end.
I was going to cheat and use the recommended questions (on the internet) but they were all so tiresome like what was Jacobs relationship which each of his wives ect... ect... So i went with my own, something along the lines of do we as women in todays world have an equivalant "Red Tent" with general concensus we decided that things like mothers group and indeed this book club was a little like the red tent.
Other random discussion included:
Housework and who keeps a tidy house
The new Tim Tam flavour can't remember what it was but it was yummy - Thanks Kaye
Cups and Periods - guess you had to be there.

Hmm the ratings well i lost them again but we we all agreed it was an enjoyable read.
Look forward to seeing you all at Tahnee's next week.

Date change for April book club

Hi guys, Sorry for the late notice however i need to change the book club night to Wednesday night if that is possible instead of of our usual Tuesday night. The new date: Wednesday 6th April at 7.30pm Deb's house: 16 Railway Road Seville ( a couple of doors down from Seville Primary ) Cheers Deb

March book review

We all agreed that this was a well told story but not a great book. The story rambled through many undeveloped charactors.Trudi Montag is a dwarf, her charactor is portrayed as a protagonist and thro her storytelling we experience her life as a disabled person surviving ina small town in hitler's regime. The aspect of difference led the group thro varied and lengthy discussions about how we all think, act and talk in regards to issues directly or externally affecting our lives ... i guess we all agreed to disagree however we all have a healthy respect for each others views..
col..........Good book..ending fissled out..................................8.
Liz ..........Spirited discussion................................
Deb..........Loves historina books..ending disappointing.........7
Trilby.......yet to finish...enjoying so far...use of dwarf as protagonist interesting..secrets unfold effectively
Tahnee.....Tedious...Melancholy...anitclimatic....
Kaye.........Couldn't get into story.............
Kerry........Good story not a great book
April book is.......... The Red Tent..Anita Diamant at Deb's..16 railway rd seville
May Book ...............Do No Harm...Carol Topolski.....at Tahnee's

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Sorry its late ........
The room was divided regarding their like or dislike of the book. Some thoroughly enjoyed her travels both mentally and physically. Some found her to be selfish, boring and dull. Though after some discussion Tahnee did feel she needed to re-read the book.
The Scores:
Tahnee: 3 Priviledged and frustrating... after discussion a little more lenient.
Colleen: 5 Self indulgent crap - struggled to finish.
Debbie: 6.5 Unexpected delight - loved Italy.
Liz: 7 Enjoyed her thought processes and her different point of view.
Kerry: 5 Tiresome however did challenge Kerry to understand her courage to
move forward with her life.
Kay: 5 Boring, frustrating and tedious ramblings of a stupid woman.
Leslie: 7.5 Related somehow to her and the book. Dunno ... searching for ??
Trilby: 5

We discussed our favourite childhood book.
Leslie chose Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Kerry - Enid Blyton books = The Faraway Tree, Secret 7 etc.
Kay - The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, 7 Little Australians, Ann of Green Gables.
Liz - Charlottes Web, Flowers in the Attic.
Tahnee - The BRidge to Terrabitha.
Debbie - Trixibelldon and The Endless Steepe.
We all agreed that Colleens favourite childhood book must be I Can Jump Puddles!!


Next meeting is March 1st at Kerry's 'new' house.

Childhood Reading

Hi All,

As a little extra....have a think about a book from childhood that you really enjoyed...and why. Let us all know on Tuesday night, see you then. Tahnee

February Meeting

Hi Ladies,

February Meeting is coming up - 1st Feb!
I will be unlikely to be there, as I'm having my wisdom teeth out that morning - urgh!

Leslie - could you post some questions for the book before the date? Wold be fab.

See you in March then!

Trilby

I wrote about you

Hi Ladies,

Coz I'm a narcissitic Gen Y/X-er I assume people want to hear what I have to say - on that note, I write a blog.  I think you are all pretty awesome, so I wrote about you on it.  Here!

Now, feel free to look at the rest of the blog but, WARNING.  It contains swearing and stuff about rape culture and more SWEARING and stuff about feminism and ranting and SWEARING.  If you suspect this stuff will offend or upset you, don't read it.

So, go read the post.  It talks about how wonderful you are.

The Race of a Lifetime

Meeting held at Colleen's present were, Colleen, Tahnee, Trilby, Kerry, Meg and Leslie.
Apologies from Elizabeth (too tired) and kay (getting hair done)

It was a warm evening with lots of rain and lots of Christmas goodies including silly hats.

TRILBY: 6
This author is a word wanker. Enjoying it but struggling with some aspects.
Intriguing but a little dense.

MEG:
Didn't read. Her excuse is she has a wedding to plan for.

TAHNEE: 6
Not into reading it. Became good and enjoyed it. Blown away about the amount of money spent on the run up to the election. Interested and informative the authors seems to enjoy their topic.

KERRY: 6

Found beginning didn't interest enough to want more. Never been interested in American politics. Too much backstabbing involved.

LESLIE:

Didn't read it, because she couldn't get hold of a copy anywhere in the world. She says she will read it. Leslie's joke is not going on the blog.

COLLEEN: 6

Also blown away by the amount of money spent or should I say squandered. Unbelievable amount. The amount of hours all the workers did was amazing. They just seemed to work abound the clock. A slow read but feel it was a bit of an education for me. I feel it was a well written book but not particularly enjoyable one.

FEBRUARY MEETING

Leslie's in Mt. Evelyn. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

MARCH MEETING

Kerry's in Woori. Stones from River by Ursula Hegi

SUMMER READING

Tahnee suggests: Lamarck's evolution by Ross Honeywill
Meltdown by Ben Elton
Opening skinners box by ?

Trilby suggests: Spoken Here by Mark Abley
Any of the Phryne Fisher series.

Meg Sugests: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher

We could do with a few more members to make up for the absentees each month so try to round some up over the holidays.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL.

Better late than never

Firstly let me say that yes I am EXTREMELY slack for this taking so long and that given I am Gen Y should be far more tech saxy but I am going to continue to use the Bridezillaesque response of I am organising a wedding so back off!

So November book club was at my place at the book was Shiver by Nikki Gemmell. For once, I think that everyone agreed that the book was very lacklustre and while an "easy" read not a very enjoyable one. The general consensus was that Nikki could have done a lot more with the book and that she didn't capture a number of key elements. In particular:

Leslie - uninteresting and bland - 5/10

Tahnee - Annoyingly staccato, hated it - 2/10

Kay - lots of potential but fails to deliver - 4/10

Colleen - stolen from my shopping cart (if you weren't there trust me don't ask!) - 2/10

Kerry - completely uninspiring tale - 2/10

Trilby - disaffected series of events, not even a story - 4/10

Meg - Ummmm blerrrrr blahhh - easy to read but disappointingly underwhelming

The next book club is at Colleen's and the book is Race of Lifetime - oh thats right I am so slack we have already had that meeting!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

BOOK CLUB BREAK UP Novembers reading/December Meeting

BOOK CLUB|Tuesday 7th December|Colleen's House

Race of a Lifetime

Mark Halperin /John Heilemann

Mum, because this was your book choice do you have any questions/suggestions for people to think about prior to the meeting?
 
Because this is our last meeting for the year, it would be great to see you all.
 
As an additional little task please bring along a book or the name of a book that you have really liked, to share with the group. Perhaps it's one that you have really enjoyed but wouldn't necessarily choose for book club, because of length, or not conducive to discussion etc etc, but you'd still recommend it. Hopefully this will provide the group with a few ideas for our summer break reading. 'Eat Pray Love' is quite a quick read so you'll all have time to enjoy some 'extra curricular' reading!
 
For catering purposes, please let Colleen know if you can't make it...see you all there. Tahnee

See you on Tuesday

At Meg's house for Shiver...
Meg - as Leslie said, do you have any ideas for questions/thoughts?

Cheers,

Trilby

Are there any thoughts/questions to be thought about for discussion at the November meeting?

September's Reading - October's Meeting - Breath - Tim Winton

Thanks Ladies,once again, for reading and contributing.
I'm always glad to hear what everyone has to say about our reads and someone always manages to have something to say that makes me think about things in a different way or interpret what we have read in a different way, I like that, it's good for me...

Tim Winton, unfortunately, left us all a bit unfulfilled.
Most of us enjoyed his ability to evoke a place so vividly, whilst others found him tediously overly descriptive and just wanted him to 'get on with it'. All were in agreeance that the ending left us a bit flat and no-ones rushing out to read more of his work. That said, we may've criticised, but we rated quite highly...for us! 6/10


Kerry    6 Initially intriguing, ultimately unfullfilling
Kaye     7 Hard to get into, over descriptive, liked it.
Debbie 6 Simplistic but enjoyable, easily forgettable.

Tahnee   6 Great quick read, ending unsatisifying.
Colleen  6 Felt planned, story line good, writing not, Miles Franklin committee flawed!
Trilby     6 Can see technical brilliance & interwoven themes, not engaged with characters.
Meg       7 Juxtaposition combobulated me, had potential but didn't deliver.
Elizabeth ? Continues to impress with her presence even if she hasn't read the book.
Leslie      ? Where where you?
Sandra    ? We really do expect you to commute from Mt. Martha.
 

November Book/December Meeting

The book for November is "The Race of a lifetime" by Barack Obama.  Colleen's pick, and the meeting is at her house in Seville.   

The date for the December meeting is 2nd December.

I guess it's up to Mum because it's her house and her book, but maybe we could go out for dinner or something for this meeting, given it will be the last for the year and we can have a book club 'break up' until we recommence in February?  Either that or bring something special to eat?  Thoughts?
Please post your responses to the blog so we can have a conversation about it (as opposed to emailing me direct!).
 
February's book is Leslie's choice so get your thinking hat on Leslie so we can know nice and early for our christmas reading :) (Well last Feb was your choice, I guess someone else can jump in if they wish)

Sorry for the double email you may have recieved!

October book/November Meeting

Hi All,

The next book, chosen by Meg,  is Shiver, by Nikki Gemmell and the November meeting will be at Meg's house in Wonga Park.

Due to Cup Day, the November meeting will be the 9th November, the second tuesday.

See you all tomorrow.

The Monkey's Mask meeting and discussion

Hi all,

I meant to take photos tonight and forgot - bugger.
Oh well.  The discussion around 'The Monkey's Mask' was no where near as hotly debated as last month's effort but some good chatting was still had! 

Everyone seemed to be pleasantly surprised by a 'Poetry Novel'.  Most of us seemed to have been a bit daunted or put off by the idea of a poetry novel, but found the reality to be actually quite pleasant.  There seemed to be a general consensus on a few things:-
We were all amazed at the authors ability to create such vivid characters with so few words;
Whilst the writing itself was wonderful, the plot wound up leaving us a little underwhelmed; and
The short, rapid style of the writing, whilst making it a quick read, sometimes made it hard to focus and take in the story.

From the questions posted on the last blog post, I think most people felt the poetry style added to the book, and some people knew quite early on that Nick was the killer.

I think most people agreed that they would try a poetry novel again, based on their experience with the Monkey's Mask.

Scores are as follows:
Colleen - Really enjoyable, liked the format - 7/10
Toot - Vividly descriptive - 7/10
Kay - Liked the style, disliked the content  6/10
Kerry - Very fast pace.  Challenging, confronting, compelling, 7/10
Trilby - Instantly characterised, disappointing ending 8/10
Sandra - (Last book club before she moved, but don't worry, she'll be back)Raunchy! 7/10
Leslie - just came along for the choccy bickies!

Tonight's book club meet

Better late then never!

Some questions to help tonight's discussion:
Do you think that the verse style added or detracted to the story?
Did you pick the guilty party early on?
SPOILER
Do you think that Nick or Jill killed Mickey?

Feel free to bring slippers!

Trilby

September meeting date is now TUESDAY 14th SEPTEMBER.

As the title says, September meeting is now on the second tuesday of the month, 14th September, 7:30pm - at my (Trilby) house.  I haven't heard from Liz, could someone let her know please (Toot? Deb?).

See you all then. 

x

Email setup

Hellooo laydeez  *lear, wink*,

Sorry, couldn't help myself after last book! :).

Just letting you know that when someone makes a post on the blog (not a comment to a post), you will now (hopefully) be automatically updated to your email inbox.

Let me know if there are any issues.

Cheers,

Trilby

July's Reading - The First Stone - August 3rd Meeting

Firstly, I love that everyone sinks their teeth into the discussion, no holds barred. I really appreciate everyones ability to do so, because that is what makes this book club what it is, not just an excuse to eat chocolate, but to have some great discussions even if we don't manage to solve the world's problems in one night.
One might think that a book about the sexual harassment of two woman would unify us, but not surprisingly, this wasn't the case and much spirited conversation was had. By the way, who ever bought the 'Crunchie Rocks' that I'm now eating....good!

Some discussion points of note included;

• what one woman considers harassment another might not.
• initial opinion re cases like this - tend to side with the man then as more information becomes available support for the woman grows.
• lots of discussion on who's responsibility it is to change behaviour i.e predominantly the onus is on woman to say "no, don't do that" as opposed to men asking "is this behaviour acceptable to you?"
• we all tended to sit on the fence regarding the question as to whether we felt the incidents actually occurred, however, if we changed the scenario slightly and talked about the girls kneeing the man in the balls and telling him to back off, we all found that scenario much more believable, what that means, I don't know.
• No-one present would've gone to the police had they been put in that situation and as to who we felt some level of empathy for, it twisted and turned as much as the story did.

So how did we rate it? Average rating = 6/10

Tahnee - 8 - discussion provoking
Debbie - 5 - laborious, disjointed
Colleen - 4- laborious, didn't like writing style, liked the issues
Kerry   - 7- what is empowerment?
Sandra - 7- liked it
Meg     - 4- blah, bland, grey
Trilby -8- there is no answer, it is ambiguous

Augusts Reading - The Monkey's Mask - Dorothy Porter - Meeting at Trilby's

September's Reading - Breath - Tim Winton - Meeting at Sandra's

Happy Reading : ) Tahnee