Thank-you Harmeet for hosting last month's book club meeting, the food and chai was amazing!!!
I think we all agreed that last months book was well a little confusing to say the least and with only two members of the group that actually managed to struggle their way through it and finish I think it says a lot about the writing and the story! Good job heather and harmeet for actually finishing the book :)
I think this months pick needs to be awesome, so we can bounce back and have lots of interesting discussions to talk to about at next months meeting.
So lets get picking.........
23 comments:
My pick is called DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth and it is a little bit different than the types of books that we have been reading but is one that I think could have a lot of interesting discussions.
Plot:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
I'm with Nicola on Divergent cuz I have started reading it and it's really good! It's a totally different genre than we have read so far and it does make me want to talk about it with others. I'm actually attached to the protagonist and care about what will happen to her, which is already better than the last book! At least I'm sure we can all finish this one...hehe
I'm open to other ideas as well. Even if we don't make this one an "official" book club book, we can still talk about it too with anyone who wants read it. :)
Thanks again to Harmeet and her family for the gourmet feast! I swear I was full til dinner the next day!
Who is hosting the next meeting and did we pick a date? Early April if I recall?
Hi Girls!
I am going to go ahead and suggest Middlesex again, http://www.amazon.ca/Middlesex-Jeffrey-Eugenides/dp/0676975658. I have read the first few pages to get a feel for it and I think it is really well written and would make for a good discussion. Here is a review from Amazon:
Eugenides's second novel (after The Virgin Suicides) opens "I was born twice: first, as a baby girl...in January of 1960; and then again, as a teenage boy...in August of 1974." Thus starts the epic tale of how Calliope Stephanides is transformed into Cal. Spanning three generations and two continents, the story winds from the small Greek village of Smyrna to the smoggy, crime-riddled streets of Detroit, past historical events, and through family secrets. The author's eloquent writing captures the essence of Cal, a hermaphrodite, who sets out to discover himself by tracing the story of his family back to his grandparents. From the beginning, the reader is brought into a world rich in culture and history, as Eugenides extends his plot into forbidden territories with unique grace. His confidence in the story, combined with his sure prose, helps readers overcome their initial surprise and focus on the emotional revelation of the characters and beyond. Once again, Eugenides proves that he is not only a unique voice in modern literature but also well versed in the nature of the human heart. Highly recommended.
I think Cheryl may be up for hosting the next meeting in April, but we'll have to confirm with her. Other volunteers are welcome!
Also, if anyone else is not getting the comments directly in their email box can you please let me know? I know that Jenna isn't so far.
Lets get the final suggestions up by Tuesday, Feb 28th. And cast our votes by Friday April 2nd. :)
Hi ladies,
Divergent does sound interesting. No picks of my own this month. I'll have some suggestions for the next time around. Looking forward to seeing you all again!
Renuka :)
Ooh I forgot about Middlesex. I still want to read that one too!
Hi girls! Thank you all for coming, it was awesome having you over! So my pick is "Daughter of Fortune" - set in the mid-1800s, this novel follows the fortunes of Eliza Sommers, Chilean by birth but adopted by a British spinster, Rose Sommers, and her bachelor brother, Jeremy, after she is abandoned on their doorstep.
"You have English blood, like us," Miss Rose assured Eliza when she was old enough to understand. "Only someone from the British colony would have thought to leave you in a basket on the doorstep of the British Import and Export Company, Limited. I am sure they knew how good-hearted my brother Jeremy is, and felt sure he would take you in. In those days I was longing to have a child, and you fell into my arms, sent by God to be brought up in the solid principles of the Protestant faith and the English language."
The family servant, Mama Fresia, has a different point of view, however: "You, English? Don't get any ideas, child. You have Indian hair, like mine." And certainly Eliza's almost mystical ability to recall all the events of her life would seem to stem more from the Indian than the Protestant side.
As Eliza grows up, she becomes less tractable, and when she falls in love with Joachin Andieta, a clerk in Jeremy's firm, her adoptive family is horrified. They are even more so when a now-pregnant Eliza follows her lover to California where he has gone to make his fortune in the 1849 gold rush. Along the way Eliza meets Tao Chi'en, a Chinese doctor who saves her life and becomes her closest friend. What starts out as a search for a lost love becomes, over time, the discovery of self; and by the time Eliza finally catches up with the elusive Joachin, she is no longer sure she still wants what she once wished for. Allende peoples her novel with a host of colorful secondary characters. She even takes the narrative as far afield as China, providing an intimate portrait of Tao Chi'en's past before returning to 19th-century San Francisco, where he and Eliza eventually fetch up. Readers with a taste for the epic, the picaresque, and romance that is satisfyingly complex will find them all in Daughter of Fortune. --Margaret Prior
Hi Girls!
It was great meeting you Harmeet! I really enjoyed my first ever book club meeting!
I absolutely love fantasy /SF and am interested in reading this novel. My pick for the month is below!
Among Others
By: Jo Walton
Startling, unusual, and yet irresistably readable, Among Others is at once the compelling story of a young woman struggling to escape a troubled childhood, a brilliant diary of first encounters with the great novels of modern fantasy and SF, and a spellbinding tale of escape from ancient enchantment.
Raised by a half-mad mother who dabbled in magic, Morwenna Phelps found refuge in two worlds. As a child growing up in Wales, she played among the spirits who made their homes in industrial ruins. But her mind found freedom and promise in the science fiction novels that were her closest companions. Then her mother tried to bend the spirits to dark ends, and Mori was forced to confront her in a magical battle that left her crippled--and her twin sister dead.
Fleeing to her father whom she barely knew, Mori was sent to boarding school in England–a place all but devoid of true magic. There, outcast and alone, she tempted fate by doing magic herself, in an attempt to find a circle of like-minded friends. But her magic also drew the attention of her mother, bringing about a reckoning that could no longer be put off…
Combining elements of autobiography with flights of imagination in the manner of novels like Jonathan Lethem’s The Fortress of Solitude, this is potentially a breakout book for an author whose genius has already been hailed by peers like Kelly Link, Sarah Weinman, and Ursula K. Le Guin.
One of School Library Journal’s Best Adult Books 4 Teens titles of 2011
One of io9's best Science Fiction & Fantasy books of the year 2011
Great suggestions girls, so many options! Can anyone who has NOT suggested a book please cast your vote. I know were running behind already, so lets try to pick by the end of the weekend! The choices are:
1.DIVERGENT - Veronica Roth
2.Middleses - Jeffrey Eugenides
3.Daughter of Fortune - Isabel Allende
4.Among Others - Jo Walton
Oh I had forgotten to cast my vote: it's still Daughter of Fortune lol
Hi, I couldnt choose just one so my vote is for middlesex or Among Others.
Thanks,
nicola
Hey everyone, I've been gone for a month and I missed the last meeting! It sounds like it was great! It looks like my April is possibly really busy, so I will offer to Host a meeting in May instead.
Looks like some interesting books, I think my choice is going to be Divergent
Hi girls. Sorry about the delay in this, I was out of town, and was also kind of hoping more members would step up and vote. Anyway, it looks like Divergent has won as it has the most votes with 3. I will offer to host the next meeting at my place on April 15th if that works for everyone. Let me know if there are any scheduling conflicts...
Happy St.Patty's! XO,
Maia
April 15 is the sun run, so I don't think I'll be able to make that one. Sorry Maia!
hmm. Ok well I can do the 14th if its not a conflict for anyone else.
April 14th will work for me - thanks Maia! Perhaps I could host the following one...?
Is there any way to set it up so I can get an email when somebody posts here? I check it like a week or so, just randomly...
I can also make the 14th if that works for most people?
Same time, 1:00? What can I bring?
I think we should change how we pick books as there is too much delay and indecision with the current method (guilty!). How about we each just take turns picking one. We can start with people who haven't had any of their choices picked yet. That person can decide the next book before the meeting so that we can plan the next one right away. This will also let everyone get to have equal input.
Thoughts?
Hey Heather - Nicola and I were just talking about this, and were going introduce the idea at the next meeting. Similar to yours, but we thought we could just draw a name at each meeting and that person could pick the next months book. We could remove the name of the person who chose last, just to be fair. Lets give this way a try starting next month!
As for the 14th, can everyone make it then? Nicola, Jenna, Cheryl?
It will be at 1 PM as usual. Not sure what I'll be making yet, so just bring whatever you'd like :)
Renuka - what is your email address? It looks like I don't have you on the list at all!
the 14th works perfect for me! Looking forward to it.
nicola
The 14th should work for me! Thanks Maia!
Hey, I'm anonymous? The 14th works.
Cheryl
Hey, bad news as I am working on Sat the 14th now, due to scheduling changes. I won't be able to make the meeting and I'm super bummed about it as I loved Divergent! Sorry everyone!
Maia, my email address is renukasethi@gmail.com
Thanks in advance for adding me!
Post a Comment