So, its seems like there is interest in book club before the end of the year, and picking a new, shorter book is good. So, I am adding TWO polls on the side...
1. Pick a date - I added a bunch of dates in mid-November. Both during the week and on the weekend. Please select any and all days you are available.
2. Pick a book - So that we actually have time to get and then read our books, I put two of the books in the poll. I know not everyone gave suggestions and input, but in the interest of time, I'm just going with the books I found and the suggestion that was given.
For both polls, majority will win. Its a given that not everyone will be available. The reality is if we continue to try and find a date where EVERYONE is available, book club will just continue to be pushed off, later and later and the likelihood we actually have one is slim. So, let's just go with whatever date the MOST people are available.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
2009 final book
Sorry for not doing this sooner....but, there appears to still be interest in having a book club. And if people are interested, we could plan one final get together before the end of the year.
Here are my thoughts...If we pick a new, somewhat short book, we could meet in right before Thanksgiving (Sat Nov 21 or Sun Nov 22) . If that weekend doesn't work, we could always pick a weeknight evening, which might be more flexible, especially if we pick the date in advance.
Books with less than 200 pages
http://lazyreaders.com/pages/?length=126-200
Here are two books I found quickly:
Night 128 pages
Animal Farm - 140 pages
Any other suggestions? How is the date? Do we actually what to do this before the end of the year?
Here are my thoughts...If we pick a new, somewhat short book, we could meet in right before Thanksgiving (Sat Nov 21 or Sun Nov 22) . If that weekend doesn't work, we could always pick a weeknight evening, which might be more flexible, especially if we pick the date in advance.
Books with less than 200 pages
http://lazyreaders.com/pages/?length=126-200
Here are two books I found quickly:
Night 128 pages
Animal Farm - 140 pages
Any other suggestions? How is the date? Do we actually what to do this before the end of the year?
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Just checking in to see if anyone is still interested in having our book club. I don't know if we are all too busy with work and our lives. Or if the little escape of our book club is a good thing. Either way, we should decide who is still interested (if anyone).
If there is interest, we should make plans for a gathering for later this fall.
Thoughts? Feel free to leave a comment. Vote in the poll over to the right. Or feel free to email me directly and I will take you off the distribution list.
If there is interest, we should make plans for a gathering for later this fall.
Thoughts? Feel free to leave a comment. Vote in the poll over to the right. Or feel free to email me directly and I will take you off the distribution list.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Waiting until Fall
Our book club that was scheduled for this upcoming Sunday, May 17th is canceled. We will try to pick and agree on a date after our busy summers.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Our Next Book & Date
Thanks again to Jen for taking the lead and organizing the last book club. We had a great time and spirited discussion of Eat, Pray, Love. At that meeting, we picked our next book and the date of our next gathering.
The book is: Firefly Lane, by Kristin Hannah.
Book club will be Sunday, May 17th, 2:00 at Montgomeryville Panera.
Please come to the next book club with your calendar/date book (as we will try to pick the date of the next one) and your book suggestion. Also, let's decide if meeting at Panera is something we want to continue or if she should go back to the "orginal" format.
Also, if you have not attended the last few bookclubs, we may be removed from the distribution list. If you still want to attend, but just haven't been able to attend the last few, please let me know and I will keep you on the list.
The book is: Firefly Lane, by Kristin Hannah.
Book club will be Sunday, May 17th, 2:00 at Montgomeryville Panera.
Please come to the next book club with your calendar/date book (as we will try to pick the date of the next one) and your book suggestion. Also, let's decide if meeting at Panera is something we want to continue or if she should go back to the "orginal" format.
Also, if you have not attended the last few bookclubs, we may be removed from the distribution list. If you still want to attend, but just haven't been able to attend the last few, please let me know and I will keep you on the list.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Reminder! Book Club this Sunday!
Hey there-just a quick reminder about our book club on Sunday, 2pm at Panera in Montgomeryville.
In reference to question 11 in the last post, I've been trying to come up with my "word", but I've also been trying to figure out what "word" describes Philly...NO idea...
In reference to question 11 in the last post, I've been trying to come up with my "word", but I've also been trying to figure out what "word" describes Philly...NO idea...
Monday, February 9, 2009
And the results are in...
Our next Book Club will be:
Sun, 01 MAR at 2pm, Panera in Montgomeryville
Interview with the author: http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/eat_pray_love.html
Discussion Questions:
1. Gilbert writes that “the appreciation of pleasure can be the anchor of humanity,” making the argument that America is “an entertainment-seeking nation, not necessarily a pleasure-seeking one.” Is this a fair assessment?
2. After imagining a petition to God for divorce, an exhausted Gilbert answers her phone to news that her husband has finally signed. During a moment of quietude before a Roman fountain, she opens her Louise Glück collection to a verse about a fountain, one reminiscent of the Balinese medicine man’s drawing. After struggling to master a 182-verse daily prayer, she succeeds by focusing on her nephew, who suddenly is free from nightmares. Do these incidents of fortuitous timing signal fate? Cosmic unity? Coincidence?
3. Gilbert hashes out internal debates in a notebook, a place where she can argue with her inner demons and remind herself about the constancy of self-love. When an inner monologue becomes a literal conversation between a divided self, is this a sign of last resort or of self-reliance?
4. When Gilbert finally returns to Bali and seeks out the medicine man who foretold her return to study with him, he doesn’t recognize her. Despite her despair, she persists in her attempts to spark his memory, eventually succeeding. How much of the success of Gilbert’s journey do you attribute to persistence?
5. Prayer and meditation are both things that can be learned and, importantly, improved. In India, Gilbert learns a stoic, ascetic meditation technique. In Bali, she learns an approach based on smiling. Do you think the two can be synergistic? Or is Ketut Liyer right when he describes them as “same-same”?
6. Gender roles come up repeatedly in Eat, Pray, Love, be it macho Italian men eating cream puffs after a home team’s soccer loss, or a young Indian’s disdain for the marriage she will be expected to embark upon at age eighteen, or the Balinese healer’s sly approach to male impotence in a society where women are assumed responsible for their childlessness. How relevant is Gilbert’s gender?
7. In what ways is spiritual success similar to other forms of success? How is it different? Can they be so fundamentally different that they’re not comparable?
8. Do you think people are more open to new experiences when they travel? And why?
9. Abstinence in Italy seems extreme, but necessary, for a woman who has repeatedly moved from one man’s arms to another’s. After all, it’s only after Gilbert has found herself that she can share herself fully in love. What does this say about her earlier relationships?
10. Gilbert mentions her ease at making friends, regardless of where she is. At one point at the ashram, she realizes that she is too sociable and decides to embark on a period of silence, to become the Quiet Girl in the Back of the Temple. It is just after making this decision that she is assigned the role of ashram key hostess. What does this say about honing one’s nature rather than trying to escape it? Do you think perceived faults can be transformed into strengths rather than merely repressed?
11. Sitting in an outdoor café in Rome, Gilbert’s friend declares that every city --- and every person --- has a word. Rome’s is “sex,” the Vatican’s “power”; Gilbert declares New York’s to be “achieve,” but only later stumbles upon her own word, antevasin, Sanskrit for “one who lives at the border.” What is your word? Is it possible to choose a word that retains its truth for a lifetime?
Sun, 01 MAR at 2pm, Panera in Montgomeryville
Interview with the author: http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/eat_pray_love.html
Discussion Questions:
1. Gilbert writes that “the appreciation of pleasure can be the anchor of humanity,” making the argument that America is “an entertainment-seeking nation, not necessarily a pleasure-seeking one.” Is this a fair assessment?
2. After imagining a petition to God for divorce, an exhausted Gilbert answers her phone to news that her husband has finally signed. During a moment of quietude before a Roman fountain, she opens her Louise Glück collection to a verse about a fountain, one reminiscent of the Balinese medicine man’s drawing. After struggling to master a 182-verse daily prayer, she succeeds by focusing on her nephew, who suddenly is free from nightmares. Do these incidents of fortuitous timing signal fate? Cosmic unity? Coincidence?
3. Gilbert hashes out internal debates in a notebook, a place where she can argue with her inner demons and remind herself about the constancy of self-love. When an inner monologue becomes a literal conversation between a divided self, is this a sign of last resort or of self-reliance?
4. When Gilbert finally returns to Bali and seeks out the medicine man who foretold her return to study with him, he doesn’t recognize her. Despite her despair, she persists in her attempts to spark his memory, eventually succeeding. How much of the success of Gilbert’s journey do you attribute to persistence?
5. Prayer and meditation are both things that can be learned and, importantly, improved. In India, Gilbert learns a stoic, ascetic meditation technique. In Bali, she learns an approach based on smiling. Do you think the two can be synergistic? Or is Ketut Liyer right when he describes them as “same-same”?
6. Gender roles come up repeatedly in Eat, Pray, Love, be it macho Italian men eating cream puffs after a home team’s soccer loss, or a young Indian’s disdain for the marriage she will be expected to embark upon at age eighteen, or the Balinese healer’s sly approach to male impotence in a society where women are assumed responsible for their childlessness. How relevant is Gilbert’s gender?
7. In what ways is spiritual success similar to other forms of success? How is it different? Can they be so fundamentally different that they’re not comparable?
8. Do you think people are more open to new experiences when they travel? And why?
9. Abstinence in Italy seems extreme, but necessary, for a woman who has repeatedly moved from one man’s arms to another’s. After all, it’s only after Gilbert has found herself that she can share herself fully in love. What does this say about her earlier relationships?
10. Gilbert mentions her ease at making friends, regardless of where she is. At one point at the ashram, she realizes that she is too sociable and decides to embark on a period of silence, to become the Quiet Girl in the Back of the Temple. It is just after making this decision that she is assigned the role of ashram key hostess. What does this say about honing one’s nature rather than trying to escape it? Do you think perceived faults can be transformed into strengths rather than merely repressed?
11. Sitting in an outdoor café in Rome, Gilbert’s friend declares that every city --- and every person --- has a word. Rome’s is “sex,” the Vatican’s “power”; Gilbert declares New York’s to be “achieve,” but only later stumbles upon her own word, antevasin, Sanskrit for “one who lives at the border.” What is your word? Is it possible to choose a word that retains its truth for a lifetime?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)