lit*chick

the double double bind

No that's not a typo, that was our analysis of The Double Bind last night. A very lively discussion where no topic reached consensus other than the author is clever indeed.

I don't want to post spoilers here, for it truly must be read completely to be discussed properly. But I will say after some late night reflection that I fear the issues the author highlighted were overshadowed by the many questions regarding plot device. I'll leave it at that. As the leader, I didn't do a good job of bringing the topics of homelessness and mental illness into the discussion. And I wish now we had delved a little further down the bumpy road instead of taking the easy one. Sorry girls.

Book club is always a good reminder that everyone views books differently and even if a story isn't liked, it can still make you think. It is so nice to engage in adult conversation, if only for a few hours.

And if you wouldn't mind, please indulge me in the great Message Board experiment of 2008 and sign up. Otherwise, I'll be forced to discuss books with myself and no one wants to see that. Um, Table for one.

The End.

book clubs

tonight:

my real life bookclub is discussing The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian - i am leading and have looked forward to talking about this story for a year. by the way, the author is a great friend to bookclubs - he hosts a discussion board, replies to questions and is in a word, accessible. it is a great gift to a reader to have more information - so go check it out. i am also thankful to gently ease myself back to normal life after retreating. steady as she goes.

online:

The God of Animals questions will be up on Wednesday. I'm going to try something a little bit different this month.The plan is to post 2-4 questions each week for a month. This seems like it may be more manageable AND you won't have to finish in order to participate. Sound good?

dcmetro:

i am not a member of the dc gals bookclub, but i do read vicariously through them. they had their bookclub this past weekend  - hosting the author of their selection: Practically Perfect in Every Way by Jennifer Niesslein (still on sale at amazon).

did you read anything this weekend?

the end.

January 2008: Water for Elephants

Questions posted under the title at LitChick Book Club. (top right column)

Get your book out (if you have it).

Get your coffee, or beverage of choice.

Get ready, get set, answer.

The End.

2007 Booklist - The Finale

#61-96

1. Halfway House - Katherine Noel
2. Forgive Me: A Novel - Amanda Eyre Ward*
3. Agnes & the Hitman - Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer*
4. Heat - Bill Buford
5. Diary of a Real Estate Rookie - Allison Rogers
6. One Good Turn - Kate Atkinson
7. Her Royal Spyness - Rhys Bowen*
8. Department of Lost & Found - Alison Winn Scotch
9. House Lights - Leah Hager Cohen*
10. Save Me From Myself - Brian Welch
11. Flower Children - Maxine Swann
12. The End of the Alphabet - C.S. Richardson
13. Run - Ann Patchett*
14. The Used World - Haven Kimmel*
15. Letter from Point Clear - Dennis McFadden
16. Consequences - Penelope Lively
17. Up High in the Trees - Kiara Brinkman
18. Ivy Briefs: True Tales of a Neurotic Law Student  - Martha Kimes
19. The Maytrees - Annie Dillard
20. Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him - Danielle Garek
21. A Day at the Beach - Helen Shulman
22. The Faraday Sisters - Monica McInerney
23. How to Be Lost - Amanday Eyre Ward*
24. Casting with a Fragile Thread - Wendy Kann
25. Rule #2: Lessons from a Combat Hospital - Heidi Squier Kraft
26. Beautiful Miscellaneous - Dominic Smith
27. Promise Not to Tell - Jennifer Mcmahon*
28. Alexander and the 90   - Judith Viorst
29. Mister Pip - Lloyd Jones
30. The Attack - Yasmina Khadra*
31. The Abstinence Teacher - Tom Perotta
32. A Mighty Heart: Daniel Pearl Story - Mariane Pearl*
33. A Class Apart: Prodigies, Pressure and Passion Inside One of America's Best High Schools - Alec Klein*
34. God's Harvard - Hanna Rosin
35. Keeping the House - Ellen Baker
36. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - Maggie O'Farrell

And that's no typo. The list grew in the last few days, as the ornaments began falling off the tree in an effort to put themselves away. The hubs claims if I hadn't read #35 I could have fit in 2 or 3 extra titles.  That's so like a guy, isn't it?

If you are curious to have more details about any of the books I've mentioned (here or elsewhere) you can leave me a comment or email me. I wrote a few thoughts about #30-36 on the right side of the blog, under The End.

The End.