Poll for the Next Meeting

Genesis' schedule will be changing to where MWF would not be available so she has picked Tuesdays in Feb for our next meeting.  Vote on your available dates here.  Poll will be open until January 9th.

And the next book club selection is.....

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami!  It's a long book so we're going to aim the next meeting for late Jan/early Feb.  I have emailed Genesis to get some dates to poll you guys on!  It was very close race with the Lonely Polygamist so maybe we can do that book another time.

Next Book Club Selection Voting

Book Club Submissions

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9118135-state-of-wonder

1Q84 out there by Haruki Murakami

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10357575-1q84

Room by Emma Donoghue

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7937843-room

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10950924-the-dovekeepers

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6493208-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks

MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend by Rachel Bertsche

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11104030-mwf-seeking-bff

The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6944566-the-lonely-polygamist

POLL!!!  To Vote for your top three:  http://www.doodle.com/qavkfpp5365ztzqk

Voting is open until 12/18/11!!!  Winner will be announced 12/19/11.

New Book Submissions So Far

You have until SUNDAY DEC 11th to put a book on the list....  Here is what we have so far:

Book Club Submissions

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9118135-state-of-wonder

1Q84 out there by Haruki Murakami

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10357575-1q84

Room by Emma Donoghue

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7937843-room

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10950924-the-dovekeepers

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6493208-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks

Voting will take place Dec. 12 to the 18th!!!!  I will send out a poll Monday Dec 12th with the full list of books candidates.

Next Book

Thanks again to Nicole for hosting.  Genesis has graciously volunteered to host the next one (she will let us know if it will be at her house or if we'll meet somewhere).  She doesn't have a book choice currently so we're going to do something new.  This week, I'll take your submissions of books to read (pick one please).  I will do a poll and we can all vote on the next book based on the submissions.  We're looking at the next meeting being towards the end of January so I want to get the book choice squared away before the week of Christmas.  So here are the deadlines:

Dec. 7 to 11th Taking Submissions for books
Dec. 12 to the 18th  We'll vote on the list - the book with the most votes will be announced Monday Dec 19th

Please let me know if you have questions.  You can email me your selection or post it to the blog or to Facebook.  Whatever you find is the easiest method.

I'm looking forward to your ideas!!!!!

32 Candles Discussion Questions

I have sent everyone the meeting address so check your emails!  Here are the discussion questions for next week's meeting:

1. Davie's high school experiences affect her for the rest of her life. How influential were your high school years on your adult life?
2. Davie doesn't speak for the first third of the book. How does her chosen muteness serve her? How does it continue to affect her personality after she starts speaking again?
3. Davie ends up becoming best friends with her ex-boyfriend. Do you think that exes can really be friends?
4. Many of Davie's worst qualities are also her best qualities. Do you have any experience with vices actually proving to be talents?
5. Davie isn't able to move on with her own life until she confronts the pain of her past, including her relationship with her mother. Is it necessary to face the people who have hurt you most in order to live a full life? What may—or may not—happen if we don't?
6. Do you think that Davie's mother loved her? Do you think that Davie loves her mother? Why is it difficult for people to sometimes show love? What holds them back?
7. At one point Davie insists that she couldn't have acted in any other way because of who she is and the life that she has lived. What does she mean by this? Is our history the most important influence on our future? Can we “will” ourselves into a future much different from our pasts?
8. Davie loves her deceased grandmother very much and mentions her throughout the book. What do you think about her grandmother? Do you feelings change by the end of the book? How do your feelings toward Davie's grandmother change by the end of the book?
9. The author portrays several substitute-family relationships in this book. Discuss these and explore their dynamics. Is it human nature to form these kinds of relationships when real parent-child ones fail?
10. Davie falls so in love with the movie, Sixteen Candles, that it literally changes her life. Has a movie—or other art form such as a play or novel -- ever changed your life in this way? How?

Next Meeting: Monday Dec. 5th

I closed the poll and the next meeting is Monday December 5th.  The book is 32 Candles by Ernessa T Carter.  I will send Nicole's address and directions after Thanksgiving. 

Next Meeting Poll (32 Candles by Ernessa T Carter)

Here is the poll for the next meeting date.  I have emailed it to all of you but I posted online here and on FB to make it easy to find.  Please answer by Tuesday Nov. 1st.  Thanks!

Coming up for December!

Thanks again to Kris for hosting and for the excellent selection.  Also thanks to everyone who brought something to eat or drink.  It was all delicious.  Nicole will be hosting the next meeting in late November/early December so we should have dates soon and a poll to settle on the best time for everyone.  The next book is 32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter.  I checked Lake Villa Library and it is available there (I didn't check it out yet - I have to read Zeitoun and maybe Night Circus first).  

It occurred to me that I should let the host lead the discussion since they are the one who is picking the book.  Sorry for my thoughtlessness - I don't know why it took three meetings to figure this out.  So, Nicole can lead the discussion on her night.  This also helps in case I can't be there, we always have a host to lead the discussion.  If someone doesn't want to lead it, I will do it.  I am also happy to print out questions that the host wants to discuss (and post to the blog) so I am here to help!  

If anyone has suggestions about how to run the meeting or ideas they would like to try, please email me (or post to the comments section or FB - whatever works).  Like all of you, I am very busy and sometimes go on autopilot and do what I did before.  I think our group is fun but we can always try out new things to liven up the format!!!

The Hunger Games Trilogy Discussion Questions

Questions for our Discussion:

1. How quickly did you read The Hunger Games?
2. Why do you think the courage of a teenager can/cannot make an impact on society?
3. Did your perception of Peeta change over the course of The Hunger Games?
4. Why do you think fire is an appropriate symbol for Katniss?
5. Do you think the glamorization of the Games and the treatments of its stars before they are sent off to die is a reflection of anything in our modern society?
6. What was the most tension-filled moment for you to read in The Hunger Games? Catching Fire?  Mockingjay?
7. What do you think the title Mockingjay foreshadows for the final book in the trilogy?
8. When does Katniss first realize that Peeta does care for her and is trying to keep her alive? When does she realize her own feelings for him? Did Haymitch think all along that he could keep them both alive by stressing the love story? Are they actually in love?
9. What do you think is the cruelest part of the Hunger Games? What kind of people would devise this spectacle for the entertainment of their populace? Can you see parallels between these Games and the society that condones them, and other related events and cultures in the history of the world?
10. Reality TV has been a part of the entertainment world since the early days of television (with shows such as Candid Camera and the Miss America Pageant), but in the 21st century there has been a tremendous growth of competitive shows and survival shows. Discuss this phenomenon with respect to The Hunger Games. What other aspects of our popular culture do you see reflected in this story?
11. Of the three books, which one was your favorite and why?
12. Do you feel the use of Katniss for the war was any different than how Panem used the teenagers in The Hunger Games?
13. Who, in the end, suffered the most? Why?
14. Was the ending of Mockingjay satisfying?

Hunger Games T-Shirts

Etsy is not the only place to find these...but I like to support folks on Etsy....

Next Meeting is October 25th

Some of you have finished the whole series.... we can talk about the other two at the end for those who want to.... maybe we'll split up if necessary so as not to spoil it for those who don't read all three books....

Update on the Next Meeting Date

Hi - a few of you have not done the doodle poll yet.  Currently Tues Oct 25th has the most votes.  There are enough that have not voted that could change that outcome so....If that day is bad for you and you haven't voted, please do so by tomorrow as I am closing the poll tomorrow.  Thanks....

Also, it sounds like from our Facebook page no one made to the movie on Tuesday.  I saw stirrings of giving it another try.  The movie was an extra "book club" event so if you didn't make it, no big deal.  It was a nice to have kind of thing in my opinion.  If you still want to see the movie and want to go with someone from book club, go ahead and talk it on the FB page.  I'm sure someone is game to go...

One more thing, about the FB page.... if you don't like getting emails when people post to it, you can turn that off by going to the Book Club page > Edit Settings.  I think you can allow it to be in your FB feed without emailing you ten times a day. 

Hope everyone is enjoying The Hunger Games.  I think I will be done with the whole series by the time we all meet again!  May the odds be ever in your favor! 

Facebook Group

I added a group to Facebook mainly because it's easier to communicate there than on the blog.  I will keep both sites up to date since I prefer blogging but realize Facebook is easier to post to....  I know some folks use Google Reader or other RSS readers to keep up with the blog so I don't mind having both.  This way, if people are meeting at a movie or something (like next week) they could post to the group on FB to communicate...  Hopefully no one gets confused... : )

And the next book is.......

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins    I thought Kris had this on her list of possibilities and she did so we're going with it.  I will have a doodle poll out soon for the October dates. 

Thanks again to Kim for hosting.  I think the second meeting went well.  The wine doesn't hurt the conversation in the least bit... heh heh 

I hope everyone had a good time.  For those that couldn't make, we decided that One Day was roughly 2 or 2.5 stars.  We had our issues with the characters and the surprise ending so if you didn't finish it, save yourself the time and go read a spoiler or see the movie...

Don't forget we're seeing The Help on Tuesday Aug. 30th for those that can make it!  Details posted on the blog.

The Help Movie - Tuesday August 30th.

The most popular date for the movie per the poll is Tuesday August 30th.  We'll see the movie at Regal Round Lake Beach Stadium 18.  Address is 550 East Rollins Rd Round Lake Beach IL.  Movie time is 7:20 so if we all meet there at 7:05 or 7:10, we can sit together.  I cannot be there since it's curriculum night but enjoy!  I have watched the trailer and it looks good. 

One Day Discussion Questions

I found some questions we can discuss next week about the book.  Don't click on the link until you're done with the book or it may spoil it for you.

The Help Movie

The Help opened today.  So I am trying to decide how many of us can go to see the Help the movie. I couldn't get showtimes too far in advance so if it's a weekday, we would pick the show time closest to 7ish. If it's a weekend, the first show closest to 3pm or the show closest to 7pm.  Once we pick a date, we can look for a theatre.  I would aim for Gurnee, Round Lake but am open to suggestions once we pick a day.


See the movie The Help (Book Club Outing)" at Doodle. The link to your poll is:

http://doodle.com/c9gmg8rfssiq3ysx

Aug. 23rd is Our Next Meeting

Doodle Poll results are in and the date by a small margin is Tuesday Aug 23rd 7pm at Kim's house.  Kim has chosen One Day by David Nicholls for the next selection.  Please have the entire book read by the time we meet.  I found some questions we can explore that day (warning!  Don't go to the link until after you finish the book or it may spoil the book for you).  This book is also going to be a movie opening Aug. 19th so we have a lot of movies to see as well!!!!

Happy reading!

Next Book and Meeting

Okay - Kim has chosen One Day by David Nicholls for the next selection.
Here is the Doodle Poll to see what day works for everyone.

As for The Help movie, it opens 8/10 so it's possible we'll have the movie and the next meeting close together.  I'll do another poll for the movie in August since I didn't see showtimes yet on Fandango.

So far so good

Last night for our inaugural meeting at Stephanie's house, we had a great turnout of women to discuss The Help.  A room full of different perspectives and backgrounds served for an interesting discussion.  Sometimes it's hard to find common ground but hopefully we did that last night.  Thanks to Stephanie who, despite a difficult week with her Germans, opened up her home to all of us.  Kim C is picking the next book.  More details to come!  Also, I'll send a survey on the best date to see the movie.

First Meeting is July 14

Please have the entire book read by then.  Stephanie has graciously volunteered to host it at her house.  I will email her address and directions privately.  I just started The Help and I'm really enjoying! 

Looking forward to July!

First Meeting

looks like it's going to be July 14th 7pm.  Place to be decided.  If you haven't voted, the poll will be open for a few more hours....  The book will be Kathryn Stockett's The Help which will also be a movie this summer (I think August....).  If you haven't checked out Good Reads yet, it's a nice site to keep track of the books you have read and want to read.

Borne out of an email....

Some of you ladies were not on a previous email I sent but here's the background:  I sent out an email to some moms with little kids about an indoor playground that will watch your kids whilst you sit in their cafe and pay $5 a coffee to relax.  It's a great idea so I forwarded it out saying it would be a good play to have a book club or meeting or something.... Well, somehow it was decided that a book club would be fun.

So...I have added some other friends I know who like to read and live in the area.  I guess I'm launching a book club (which means I'll launch a blog for it too...Ha!).  I used to be in a book club with some college friends but the meetings were in the south suburbs of Chicago and it was quite a hike from Lindenhurst.  As a result, I just didn't make it very often and then I had kids....  Anyhow, I know Lisa, Stephanie and Kim C are interested in a book club so I have a good base!  I think a few more folks would make it interesting so if any of you are interested, please let me know.  I have posted a poll here (on the right side) to see what dates people are interested in if they want to participate.   I am envisioning at least in the beginning a kids free event to be hosted at someone's house or at a Starbucks or something depending on how many people want to come.  I don't want it to be a financial burden or an inconvenience to anyone so I'm trying to keep it simple.

As for a book selection, someone has already suggested The Help by Kathryn Sockett but some of you may have already read that so it's up for discussion once we pick a date.