Ideas for road trips!
For those unable to attend our first meeting, it was decided that we would take a "road trip" in December instead of reading and discussing a book. During conversations at the meeting and afterwards we have had a few suggestions. Sally is checking out The Frick for program information. It was also suggested that we go to the movies, maybe Love in the Time of Cholera. Or maybe Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice performed by PICT. It was also suggested just going out for a nice dinner to talk and get to know each other better. Over the next two meetings we will discuss the possibilities but let's have some discussion online.
To comment, just hit comment, where it says choose an identity hit other and add your name. In the box type in your comments, hit publish and you're on the blog.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
The Rules
At our first meeting those present drafted rules for the club. It was agreed that we would re-evaluate the rules at our January meeting. If there are any questions please comment on the boards. Once again, a big thank you to Patti for being our secretary.
1. Turn off cell phones.
2. Show tolerance and respect for others opinions.
3. Don't "hog" discussions.
4. Everyone should attempt to participate.
5. Don't interrupt a person's comments.
6. Minimize "side bar" conversations.
7. Try your best to be on time (social time from 7:00pm-7:30pm; discussion of book from 7:30pm to 9:00pm)
8. No guests (at least for now).
9. Try your best to finish the book.
10. Limit discussions with book club members about books in advance of the meeting.
11. Keep distractions to a minimum (examples: dishwasher, TV, music, children, pets, boyfriends/husbands, etc.)
12. Bring your own bottle to meetings.
13. Host only if you want to - no obligation.
14. Meetings will be held on 4th Tuesday of the month except for December when we will have a field trip TBA.
15. Limit members to fifteen (until we reassess in January).
1. Turn off cell phones.
2. Show tolerance and respect for others opinions.
3. Don't "hog" discussions.
4. Everyone should attempt to participate.
5. Don't interrupt a person's comments.
6. Minimize "side bar" conversations.
7. Try your best to be on time (social time from 7:00pm-7:30pm; discussion of book from 7:30pm to 9:00pm)
8. No guests (at least for now).
9. Try your best to finish the book.
10. Limit discussions with book club members about books in advance of the meeting.
11. Keep distractions to a minimum (examples: dishwasher, TV, music, children, pets, boyfriends/husbands, etc.)
12. Bring your own bottle to meetings.
13. Host only if you want to - no obligation.
14. Meetings will be held on 4th Tuesday of the month except for December when we will have a field trip TBA.
15. Limit members to fifteen (until we reassess in January).
Monday, September 24, 2007
The Shadow of The Wind
Our January selection
"Shadow is the real deal...a novel where even the subplots have subplots... If you thought the true gothic novel died with the nineteenth century, this will change your mind... this is one gorgeous read." - Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly, May 21, 2004
"Gabriel García Márquez meets Umberto Eco meets Jorge Luis Borges for a sprawling magic show." - Richard Eder, The New York Times Book Review
"…rush right out to the nearest bookstore and pick up The Shadow of the Wind. "
Michael Dirda, The Washington Post
"Wondrous... masterful... The Shadow of the Wind is ultimately a love letter to literature…" Entertainment Weekly, An Editor’s Choice, rated A
There are several titles which are similar; the book we are reading is by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
Copies on Amazon.com as low as $2.04 plus $3.99 S&H 468 pages
"Shadow is the real deal...a novel where even the subplots have subplots... If you thought the true gothic novel died with the nineteenth century, this will change your mind... this is one gorgeous read." - Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly, May 21, 2004
"Gabriel García Márquez meets Umberto Eco meets Jorge Luis Borges for a sprawling magic show." - Richard Eder, The New York Times Book Review
"…rush right out to the nearest bookstore and pick up The Shadow of the Wind. "
Michael Dirda, The Washington Post
"Wondrous... masterful... The Shadow of the Wind is ultimately a love letter to literature…" Entertainment Weekly, An Editor’s Choice, rated A
There are several titles which are similar; the book we are reading is by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
Copies on Amazon.com as low as $2.04 plus $3.99 S&H 468 pages
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Bad Monkeys
Our October selection
"Excellent book. Don't want to put down! Very creepy to imagine that people know what you have done in your past and your thoughts!"
— Jaymee (Camano Island, WA)
"Bad Monkeys is unusual, entertaining and thought provoking. You’ll keep turning the pages to see what happens next, you can’t help yourself."
— Vicki (Longview, TX)
"An interesting, strange book that has a deeper meaning than it first appears. Wanting to find out why Jane killed the wrong person and who that person was, kept me reading. Jane's strange world, with 'eyes only' everywhere watching reminded me that indeed, 'big brother' is watching us today with traffic camera to Google Maps. Twists and turns kept me guessing what really was going on until the end."
— brenda (San Jose, CA)
230 pages
Least expensive: Amazaon $12.64 and $3.99 S&H
"Excellent book. Don't want to put down! Very creepy to imagine that people know what you have done in your past and your thoughts!"
— Jaymee (Camano Island, WA)
"Bad Monkeys is unusual, entertaining and thought provoking. You’ll keep turning the pages to see what happens next, you can’t help yourself."
— Vicki (Longview, TX)
"An interesting, strange book that has a deeper meaning than it first appears. Wanting to find out why Jane killed the wrong person and who that person was, kept me reading. Jane's strange world, with 'eyes only' everywhere watching reminded me that indeed, 'big brother' is watching us today with traffic camera to Google Maps. Twists and turns kept me guessing what really was going on until the end."
— brenda (San Jose, CA)
230 pages
Least expensive: Amazaon $12.64 and $3.99 S&H
Love In The Time of Cholera
Our November selection
“A rich, commodious novel whose narrative power is matched only by its generosity of vision.” --The New York Times
“A love story of astonishing power and delicious comedy . . . humane, richly comic, almost unbearably touching and altogether extraordinary. –Newsweek
“The greatest luxury, as in all of García Márquez’s books, is the eerie, entirely convincing suspension of the laws of reality . . . the agelessness of the human story as told by one of this century’s most evocative writers.” --Anne Tyler, Chicago Sun-Times Book Week
“Revolutionary in daring to suggest that vows of love made under a presumption of immortality—youthful idiocy, to some—may yet be honored, much later in life when we ought to know better, in the face of the undeniable. . . . . a shining and heartbreaking book” –Thomas Pynchon, The New York Times
Copies on Amazon.com as low as $1.70 plus $3.99 S&H
368 pages
“A rich, commodious novel whose narrative power is matched only by its generosity of vision.” --The New York Times
“A love story of astonishing power and delicious comedy . . . humane, richly comic, almost unbearably touching and altogether extraordinary. –Newsweek
“The greatest luxury, as in all of García Márquez’s books, is the eerie, entirely convincing suspension of the laws of reality . . . the agelessness of the human story as told by one of this century’s most evocative writers.” --Anne Tyler, Chicago Sun-Times Book Week
“Revolutionary in daring to suggest that vows of love made under a presumption of immortality—youthful idiocy, to some—may yet be honored, much later in life when we ought to know better, in the face of the undeniable. . . . . a shining and heartbreaking book” –Thomas Pynchon, The New York Times
Copies on Amazon.com as low as $1.70 plus $3.99 S&H
368 pages
Friday, September 21, 2007
The meeting was called to order...
The first meeting of The Girls Next Door Book Club met at Patti’s house on Tuesday September 18, 2007. It was a lively and eclectic group of women spanning several decades (yikes!) all of us excited by the prospect of sharing an intellectual journey together. For me the best part of the meeting was during introductions when no one described herself as only a mother or wife but instead as an exciting and vital woman making her own way in the world. It was fun listening to women who didn't know each other a few hours before laughing, talking and making plans for the future together. It seems that we have a truly auspicious beginning to our club. A few potential members were unable to attend but promised to be at the next meeting.
At the meeting a few basic ground rules were decided and these will be addressed in a separate post. We also voted on the first three books to be read and opened up the floor for ideas for our December ‘road’ meeting. A few ideas discussed were books to movies such as Love in the time of Cholera opening in November or Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen performed by the Pittsburgh Irish Classical Theatre. Sally is also researching a series of talks at the Frick Museum. It was agreed to keep costs at a minimum.
Patti volunteered to be our secretary and will keep track of meetings and members. Dode graciously will host the next meeting and Kathy agreed to lead the discussion of the first book.
This forum is for all of us to keep in touch with each other and to share information. Please, please, please comment on boards, keep the dialogue going, ask questions, disagree, it’s all about communicating.
At the meeting a few basic ground rules were decided and these will be addressed in a separate post. We also voted on the first three books to be read and opened up the floor for ideas for our December ‘road’ meeting. A few ideas discussed were books to movies such as Love in the time of Cholera opening in November or Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen performed by the Pittsburgh Irish Classical Theatre. Sally is also researching a series of talks at the Frick Museum. It was agreed to keep costs at a minimum.
Patti volunteered to be our secretary and will keep track of meetings and members. Dode graciously will host the next meeting and Kathy agreed to lead the discussion of the first book.
This forum is for all of us to keep in touch with each other and to share information. Please, please, please comment on boards, keep the dialogue going, ask questions, disagree, it’s all about communicating.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)