Friday, April 1, 2011

.Water for Elephants.

So, I am a bad, bad girl and missed the Monday posting for our little Book Club, but I have a good excuse (and a video- see bottom of post) to make up for it. 
So lets be friends again, k?
And just to fill you in on why I have been neglecting this blog: I blame the New Job. My very tired little noggin that is being put through gruelling days of training. Ohh, and I am travelling (a LOT). All for Work. And it's only going to get worse before it gets better.
But I am happy, content, inspired, and getting a little fat from all those dinners out (ok. that part isn't good, and I will now have to find some time to squeeze in some workouts).
So moving on....The BOOK CLUB.
I thought that I would throw out my ideas and the few comments that have come my way from the rest of you regarding our first novel for March: 
Water for Elephants.
And as mentioned earlier, this is a first for me, so I'm sort of just going with the flow on what to post here. I'm thinking that I may do video reviews (ekk, a little nervous about this idea) as I watched a couple done by others and found them fun and entertaining. So see below on how it turned out.
I also googled a couple suggestions, mostly from Oprah's Book Club, on what to discuss for our weekly meetings and this is what I found:
1) Ask the group members to each bring a question to the meeting (or discussion as we will have here). This helps the discussion continue on. So please if you have a questions. Throw it out there.
2) Discuss Characters: Likes & Dislikes. Talk about the characters and how they are rendered by the author. Do they seem real to you? Are they like anyone you know? Can you understand or identify with their motives? Did you like or dislike any of them?
3) Discuss your Own Experience: Are there events in the book which remind you of your own life? Does your own experience give you a different perspective? Does the book make you look at life differently, now?
4) Discuss how the Story was Told: How does the voice of the book affect your reading? Was the book written in first person or narrated by an onlooker, and how do you think that makes a difference? Does the voice draw you in, or distance you from the story as you read?
5) Discuss themes and subjects: Is the book mainly about love, family, coming-of-age, or another topic? You may want to draw thematic comparisons between this book and another that your club has read. Do any of the themes relate to current events? Are there major conflicts in the book, and are they resolved convincingly?
6) Discuss symbolism or imagery? What imagery do you notice? Do these devices add to the overall effect of the book, or are they distracting, preventing you from enjoying the narrative?
7) Movie and theatre tie-ins: You may want to try the "Read the book and see the movie" approach to discussion. It's a popular choice for reading groups because it provides instant comparisons — and lively debate! I'm sooo doing this. Anybody on board with me?? Movie/Book Nights?
8) Read on a theme: Reading on a specific theme, such as memoir, or a subject, such as current events or history, is a great way to generate lively discussion. You can also meet at a restaurant that suits the theme, or at your home and make sure to serve appropriate themed munchies. And personally I am really liking this idea, and I am thinking that we could meet at my place and discuss in person. I can record and take some pictures, serve some yummy food and just have a fun ol' time.
9)  In your opinion, is the book entertaining? Explain why or why not. 
10) Is there a part of the novel you didn't understand? Are you confused by a character's actions or the outcome of an event?  
11) Describe the character development. Who did you identify with? Did your opinions about any of the characters change over the course of the novel?
12) Why do you think the author chose the title? Is there a significant meaning behind it?
13) What do you believe is the message the author is trying to convey to the reader? What did you learn from this book? Was it educational in any way?


So that's that. We'll use these as topics if things become stale, or if you get tired me of blabbering on about nothing really (see video. It's pretty bad. I say "Umm" a lot. And talk really fast. But I promise to work on both)
Well, Enjoy. 
Also, our Next book up for April is:
In Office Hours
by Lucy Kellaway
Get it. Read it. Hopefully Enjoy it.

3 comments:

  1. I loved discovery of witches and I am in for a movie night with water for elephants. About to get started on office hours and workin on supporting you my sister:)

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  2. Super lame! I just typed out this bitchin comment for you about your post and it disappeared! *angry face!*

    So now, in short, here it is:

    I didn't read the books you've talked about. Sorry! But here's two suggestions of books that I adore:
    The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland and The Guinea Pig Diaries by A.J. Jacobs. Both are great and funny. Thief is a fiction about two co-workers who don't interact much at work (Staples) but correspond with each other through one of their journals that's forgotten in the staff lounge. Awesome!

    And Guinea Pig is non-fiction and the writer is the guinea pig of some experiments in his life. The book is a written account of his experience and findings about each experiment. My favorite is when he outsources most everything in his daily life to India, even having his Indian 'employee' read his kid a bedtime story over the phone. Best thing ever!

    Check 'em out, they're pretty bangin.

    xoxo

    k.


    ps. darling video!

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i think comments are pretty awesome!