Monday, December 9, 2013
The World Is Flat....(it's a small world after all)
Tweeted our book club pic and got a response back from our author....
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Re: Holiday Meeting is Friday Dec 6th
We're meeting at Chili's in Round Lake (300 E Rollins Rd, Round Lake Beach, IL 60073) at 6:30 to discuss Spending the Holiday with People I Want to Punch in the Throat. At 8:00pm, we'll head over to the Regal Theater to see the 8:20pm show of Hunger Games - Catching Fire.
Hope to see you all there!!!
Sincerely,Hope to see you all there!!!
Anjanette
__________________________________________________________________________________
Book Club is on FB and has it's own blog at http://woldbookclub.blogspot.com/
Book Club is on FB and has it's own blog at http://woldbookclub.blogspot.com/
On Thu, Nov 21, 2013 at 11:57 AM, Anjanette Wold <anjanettew@gmail.com> wrote:
More details to follow!
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
Holiday Edition
We're looking at meeting the 1st or 2nd weekend of
December for Holiday Book Club. I know some of you won't be able to
make it. If you don't respond to the poll, I will assume you can't go. Afterwards, whoever wants to go, we're going to go see
Catching Fire so it will be a night out for us (some of us could use
it!).
P.S. Congrats to Kelly and her husband Justin on a beautiful baby boy!!!!
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Holiday Selection is.....
Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat by Jen of People I Want to Punch in the Throat. We couldn't get her book on Amazon (though the library does have one copy) so Lisa emailed the author on a lark and she is getting us copies of the book at $10 a piece (which is the going cheapest rate I've seen on eBay). Anyhow, we're pretty excited to read it because with all of the books we have been reading lately, we could really use a laugh! If you haven't already, you can get a taste of the author's comedy at her blog.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Holiday Edition
We decided to meet during the holidays but read something light so those of you who are too busy don't have to feel guilty about missing book club. The poll is here. Here is a list of the choices:
SantaLand Diaries by David Sedaris
You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas by Augesten Burroughs
Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat by Jen of People I Want to Punch in the Throat
Please vote by Friday Oct 25th!!! Poll will close by 3pm!
The plan is to meet for dinner, talk about the book and then go see a movie after so it will be a Friday night.... I believe we're gonna see Catching Fire... If you can't make it, it's fine but we thought we do something different during the holiday season.
SantaLand Diaries by David Sedaris
You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas by Augesten Burroughs
Spending the Holidays with People I Want to Punch in the Throat by Jen of People I Want to Punch in the Throat
Please vote by Friday Oct 25th!!! Poll will close by 3pm!
The plan is to meet for dinner, talk about the book and then go see a movie after so it will be a Friday night.... I believe we're gonna see Catching Fire... If you can't make it, it's fine but we thought we do something different during the holiday season.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Tiger's Wife Discussion Questions (LitLover's)
From http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/13-fiction/8314-tigers-wife-obreht?showall=1
Discussion Questions
1. Natalia says that the key to her grandfather’s life and death “lies between two stories: the story of the tiger’s wife, and the story of the deathless man.” What power do the stories we tell about ourselves have to shape our identity and help us understand our lives?
2. Which of the different ways the characters go about making peace with the dead felt familiar from your own life? Which took you by surprise?
3. Natalia believes that her grandfather’s memories of the village apothecary “must have been imperishable.” What lesson do you think he might have learned from what happened to the Apothecary?
4. What significance does the tiger have to the different characters in the novel: Natalia, her grandfather, the tiger’s wife, the villagers? Why do you think Natalia’s grandfather’s reaction to the tiger’s appearance in the village was so different than the rest of the villagers?
5. “The story of this war—dates, names, who started it, why—that belongs to everyone,” Natalia’s grandfather tells her. But “those moments you keep to yourself” are more important. By eliding place names and specific events of recent Balkan history, what do you think the author is doing?
6. When the deathless man and the grandfather share a last meal before the bombing of Sarobor, the grandfather urges the deathless man to tell the waiter his fate so he can go home and be with his family. Is Gavran Gailé right to decide to stop telling people that they are going to die? Would you rather know your death was coming or go “in suddenness”?
7. Did knowing more about Luka’s past make him more sympathetic? Why do you think the author might have chosen to give the back stories of Luka, Dariša the Bear, and the apothecary?
8. The copy of The Jungle Book Natalia’s grandfather always carries around in his coat pocket is not among the possessions she collects after his death. What do you think happens to it?
9. The novel moves back and forth between myth and modern-day “real life.” What did you think of the juxtaposition of folklore and contemporary realism?
10. Of all the themes of this novel—war, storytelling, family, death, myth, etc.—which one resonated the most for you?
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Saturday, September 7, 2013
October Poll for Tiger's Wife Discussion Night
Here is the poll for the next book club date. Please respond to the poll by 9/15. I tried to pick a few earlier in October since Kelly is due toward the end of October.... :)
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Next Book is.....
The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht. The next meeting will be in October. I will have a meeting date poll for you soon. It came out in 2011 so we should be able to get it fairly easily. I checked my library and there are copies!!!
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
August Discussion of Divergent is Next Week!
Laura is having Book Club at her home. Address was emailed out tonight. Please let me know if you can't make it next week so she has an idea of how many people to expect. Looking forward to see you all next week! (I'm almost done re-reading Divergent).
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Next Meeting
Book Club will be Tues August 27th... Location to be announced! Laura will let us know closer to the date!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
August Meeting Poll
Here is the poll for the best date in August to meet: http://www.doodle.com/v5ks8midk5btkvz2
Please respond by July 25th. Hopefully by then we'll have the school schedules so we can plan properly (there is usually a Curiosity night to attend in August).
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Deja Vu and August Book Meeting
Thank you to everyone who could make it last night. Despite not everyone (myself included) who did not finish the book, we managed a good discussion of Life After Life. Our next book club selection for the August (or maybe Sept) meeting is Divergent by Veronica Roth. After that, we discussed revisiting the list of books that we voted on previously to see if perhaps we want to explore one of those. I have compiled the list and published it here for your review (in the future). I will get some dates from Laura and send out a meeting poll in the next week or so.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Life After Life Discussion Questions
Got these from Lit Lovers:
Discussion Questions
1. Ursula Todd gets to live out many different realities, something that’s impossible in real life. Though there is an array of possibilities that form Ursula’s alternate histories, do you think any and all futures are possible in Ursula’s world, or are there certain parameters within which each life is lived?
2. As time goes on, Ursula learns more about her ability to restart her life—and she often changes course accordingly, but she doesn’t always correct things. Why not? Do you think Ursula ever becomes completely conscious of her ability to relive and redo her lives? If so, at what point in the story do you think that happens? And what purpose do you think she sets for herself once she figures it out?
3. Do people’s choices have the power to change destiny? How do you think Ursula’s choices are either at odds with or in line with the ideas of fate and destiny throughout the story?
4. Do you think Ursula’s ability to relive her life over and over is a gift or a curse? How do you think Ursula looks at it? Do you think she is able to embrace the philosophy amor fati (“love of fate,” “acceptance”) in the end?|
5. Small moments often have huge ramifications in Ursula’s life. Do you think certain moments are more crucial than others in the way Ursula’s life develops? Why, and which moments?|
6. Life After Life encapsulates both the big picture (the sweep of major global historical events) and the small picture (the dynamics of Ursula’s loving, quirky family). How are these pictures tied together? When do Ursula’s decisions affect the big picture more, or the small picture more? When do they affect both?
7. How does Atkinson portray gender throughout the story? How does she comment on the gender roles of this time period, and which characters challenge those roles—and how?
8. How does Atkinson’s humor pepper the story? In what ways is she able to bring a bit of comedy to her characters and their stories as relief from the serious and dark subject matter?
9. How do the various relationships within the Todd family shape the story? What is the significance of maternal bonds and sibling bonds in the story?
10. How does Atkinson capture the terror and tragedy of the Blitz? How does war become its own character in the book? What type of commentary does Atkinson make on the English approach to war? Why do you think Atkinson portrayed one of Ursula’s lives in Germany, experiencing war and the bombing from the opposing side?
11. On page 379, Ursula faces a bleak end in Germany with her daughter, Frieda. She chooses death over life for the first time, saying, “Something had cracked and broken and the order of things had changed.” What do you think she means by that? Is this a significant turning point to Ursula’s story? Do you think the end of this life affects her decisions in other lives that follow?
12. On page 354, Klara says, “Hindsight’s a wonderful thing. If we all had it there would be no history to write about.” Do you think this is true? In what ways does the use of hindsight come to pass in the book?
13. “‘Well, we all get on,’ Sylvie said, ‘one way or another. And in the end we all arrive at the same place. I hardly see that it matters how we get there.’ It seemed to Ursula that how you got there was the whole point…” (page 252). Do you agree with Sylvie or with Ursula? How does this relate to a philosophy raised by Dr. Kellet—that “sometimes a bad thing happens to prevent a worse thing happening” (page 160)?
14. Along similar lines, Ursula says to Teddy on page 446, “You just have to get on with life….We only have one after all, we should try and do our best. We can never get it right, but we must try.” And Teddy responds, “What if we had a chance to do it again and again until we finally did get it right?” What do you think it means to get things right? Is Ursula attempting to make things “right” in life each time she’s reborn? If so, which things in particular—and how?
15. On page 277, Ralph asks Ursula if she could have killed Hitler as a baby, and Ursula thinks, “If I thought it would save Teddy…. Not just Teddy, of course, the rest of the world, too.” Do you think Ursula ultimately had to choose between saving Teddy and saving “the rest of the world”? If so, why did she choose as she did? And was she able to save either?
16. Life continues to restart over and over for Ursula and the Todd family, and outcomes vary greatly each time. What happens to the characters changes drastically in many of the versions. Do you feel the characters change just as drastically, in terms of who they are and what they are like? Or do you think they fundamentally stay the same? Ursula learns many things about life and its progression, but does she herself change over the course of the book?
17. What are the biggest questions this book raised for you? How did it change the way you think about the course of your own life?
Discussion Questions
1. Ursula Todd gets to live out many different realities, something that’s impossible in real life. Though there is an array of possibilities that form Ursula’s alternate histories, do you think any and all futures are possible in Ursula’s world, or are there certain parameters within which each life is lived?
2. As time goes on, Ursula learns more about her ability to restart her life—and she often changes course accordingly, but she doesn’t always correct things. Why not? Do you think Ursula ever becomes completely conscious of her ability to relive and redo her lives? If so, at what point in the story do you think that happens? And what purpose do you think she sets for herself once she figures it out?
3. Do people’s choices have the power to change destiny? How do you think Ursula’s choices are either at odds with or in line with the ideas of fate and destiny throughout the story?
4. Do you think Ursula’s ability to relive her life over and over is a gift or a curse? How do you think Ursula looks at it? Do you think she is able to embrace the philosophy amor fati (“love of fate,” “acceptance”) in the end?|
5. Small moments often have huge ramifications in Ursula’s life. Do you think certain moments are more crucial than others in the way Ursula’s life develops? Why, and which moments?|
6. Life After Life encapsulates both the big picture (the sweep of major global historical events) and the small picture (the dynamics of Ursula’s loving, quirky family). How are these pictures tied together? When do Ursula’s decisions affect the big picture more, or the small picture more? When do they affect both?
7. How does Atkinson portray gender throughout the story? How does she comment on the gender roles of this time period, and which characters challenge those roles—and how?
8. How does Atkinson’s humor pepper the story? In what ways is she able to bring a bit of comedy to her characters and their stories as relief from the serious and dark subject matter?
9. How do the various relationships within the Todd family shape the story? What is the significance of maternal bonds and sibling bonds in the story?
10. How does Atkinson capture the terror and tragedy of the Blitz? How does war become its own character in the book? What type of commentary does Atkinson make on the English approach to war? Why do you think Atkinson portrayed one of Ursula’s lives in Germany, experiencing war and the bombing from the opposing side?
11. On page 379, Ursula faces a bleak end in Germany with her daughter, Frieda. She chooses death over life for the first time, saying, “Something had cracked and broken and the order of things had changed.” What do you think she means by that? Is this a significant turning point to Ursula’s story? Do you think the end of this life affects her decisions in other lives that follow?
12. On page 354, Klara says, “Hindsight’s a wonderful thing. If we all had it there would be no history to write about.” Do you think this is true? In what ways does the use of hindsight come to pass in the book?
13. “‘Well, we all get on,’ Sylvie said, ‘one way or another. And in the end we all arrive at the same place. I hardly see that it matters how we get there.’ It seemed to Ursula that how you got there was the whole point…” (page 252). Do you agree with Sylvie or with Ursula? How does this relate to a philosophy raised by Dr. Kellet—that “sometimes a bad thing happens to prevent a worse thing happening” (page 160)?
14. Along similar lines, Ursula says to Teddy on page 446, “You just have to get on with life….We only have one after all, we should try and do our best. We can never get it right, but we must try.” And Teddy responds, “What if we had a chance to do it again and again until we finally did get it right?” What do you think it means to get things right? Is Ursula attempting to make things “right” in life each time she’s reborn? If so, which things in particular—and how?
15. On page 277, Ralph asks Ursula if she could have killed Hitler as a baby, and Ursula thinks, “If I thought it would save Teddy…. Not just Teddy, of course, the rest of the world, too.” Do you think Ursula ultimately had to choose between saving Teddy and saving “the rest of the world”? If so, why did she choose as she did? And was she able to save either?
16. Life continues to restart over and over for Ursula and the Todd family, and outcomes vary greatly each time. What happens to the characters changes drastically in many of the versions. Do you feel the characters change just as drastically, in terms of who they are and what they are like? Or do you think they fundamentally stay the same? Ursula learns many things about life and its progression, but does she herself change over the course of the book?
17. What are the biggest questions this book raised for you? How did it change the way you think about the course of your own life?
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Next Book is June 25th
Results of the poll were June 25th. Hope you all can make it! I emailed everyone my address and phone number.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
June Meeting Poll
Here is the link to vote for the best June date for the book club: http://www.doodle.com/
Please respond by June 1st.
Thanks
Anjanette
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
June Winner of the Book Selection Poll is....
The winner of the book poll is Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. I will
do a survey for the meeting date next week. I'm looking at mid
Juneish.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Margaritas!
We had a great turnout tonight! Welcome to our new members Kathie and Amy! It was a lively discussion though we didn't discuss the book as much as we'd like to normally. The consensus was we did not like the book even though the description made it sound pretty good. You win some, you lose some..... I volunteered to host the next meeting since it's better to be outside for the summer in my house (too many kids inside!!). The book selection poll is here: http://www.doodle.com/
Billy Lynn's Long Half Time Walk by Ben Fountain
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Please vote by Monday May 6th so we have time to procure the book!
Thanks!
Billy Lynn's Long Half Time Walk by Ben Fountain
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Please vote by Monday May 6th so we have time to procure the book!
Thanks!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Next Meeting Date is April 16th
7 to 9 pm. Location is TBA. Book is Dark Rose by Erin Kelly. Better get reading!!
Sent from my iPhone... Please forgive the brevity, spelling and punctuation.
Sent from my iPhone... Please forgive the brevity, spelling and punctuation.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
April Meeting Poll
Bridget answered my email really fast so I already have the April Meeting Poll ready: http://doodle.com/ezxqrhzrhw7uu87i
Vote by 3/25/13! Thanks.
Vote by 3/25/13! Thanks.
April 2013 Book Selection
The winner of the poll was Erin Kelly's The Dark Rose. I will be sending out a poll for the meeting date soon.
Friday, March 1, 2013
April Book Selection
Thank you to Steph for hosting last night! (Please send me Cindy's email so I can get her on the mailing list)! We will meet in April - date to be determined still.
Here are the selections for the next book that you can vote on. Please do not vote for more than 3 books.
Here is the link to the poll: http://www.doodle.com/
Please vote by Tuesday March 5th - I will announce the winner the morning of March 6th. Below are links to each book so you can read up on them!
Book Club Choices
The Dark Rose by Erin Kelly
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan
The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison by Piper Kerman
The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger
Here are the selections for the next book that you can vote on. Please do not vote for more than 3 books.
Here is the link to the poll: http://www.doodle.com/
Please vote by Tuesday March 5th - I will announce the winner the morning of March 6th. Below are links to each book so you can read up on them!
Book Club Choices
The Dark Rose by Erin Kelly
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan
The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison by Piper Kerman
The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Book Club Rescheduled for Thursday 2/28
Okay, third times a charm right? Stephanie said either Wed or Thurs. I
know Wed is bad for a few people so we're gonna try again for Thursday
Feb. 28th at 7pm. In the meantime, if someone wants to volunteer to
host the next book club, please let me know.
If you want to host and have a book in mind, send it to me with a list of dates that work for you and we can do a poll. I would say lets aim for a week or two after Easter (3/31). If you don't have a book but a list of books, send those to me as well and we can do a vote.
Sincerely,
Anjanette
If you want to host and have a book in mind, send it to me with a list of dates that work for you and we can do a poll. I would say lets aim for a week or two after Easter (3/31). If you don't have a book but a list of books, send those to me as well and we can do a vote.
Sincerely,
Anjanette
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Oh how time flies! Just a reminder Stephanie graciously volunteered to
have book club at her house this time. Please let her know if you are
NOT coming. If she doesn't hear from you, we'll assume you are coming
on Thursday to talk about The Light Between Oceans.
I have emailed the address and phone number to you so check your email.
The date picked didn't work for me so I won't be there but please discuss who is hosting next time, when they want to host and what book. Whoever volunteers can either send me a book title and author OR a list that we can vote on. Either way works....
Have fun everyone!
Sincerely,
Anjanette
I have emailed the address and phone number to you so check your email.
The date picked didn't work for me so I won't be there but please discuss who is hosting next time, when they want to host and what book. Whoever volunteers can either send me a book title and author OR a list that we can vote on. Either way works....
Have fun everyone!
Sincerely,
Anjanette
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