Choices for Decembers Pick

Tina's pick is for December and she wanted me to run by three choices with you all. Moby Dick, Les Miserables and War and Peace. My vote is for Moby Dick. Anyways, I missed having an "official" book to read in October. Excited for Keikos pick this month.

DON'T BUY THE WILD THINGS!

Okay, so I'm thinking we take a break in October, because The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is shaping up to be our October book anyway.  

If you already bought it, I'm going to first apologize profusely, and second, I will buy it from you if you don't want it.  

I'll just make a different pick for a later month.  Maybe The Lovely Bones, and we can all see that together.  And since most have already read it/are reading it, it will be a good catch-up book.  

Also, if you read The Wild Things already anyway, let me know, because I'm going to read it anyway too.  :)

Finished!!

I am so glad I kept reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I was really close to quitting. If you scare easily do not read the book late at night. I had to seriously run to bed last night and did not even brush my teeth. Too freaked out. Now I need to buy the next book in the series. : ) How is everyone else doing?

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

This book has been hard for me to get into. But since it was my pick, I have to read it! Once I got to about page 70 it got really intriguing. Now I can't put it down. I apologize for the length of the novel, but hopefully it will continue to be interesting. There is a second book after this one, so perhaps we will become the authors biggest fans and start a fan club for him. May he rest in peace.

The Turtle Catcher meetup

We actually had our first meetup to discuss our first book club pick! I think it's official ladies, we are a bonafide book club!

If any of you would like to post a discussion question in regards to The Turtle Catcher, please do so. We'll have to KIT to discuss The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo next month. Tina, we hope you can meet up with us next month. Thanks for watching the kiddos for Tess last Saturday. :)

Swaptree.com

I'm a consumer, of course, but I do make SOMEWHAT of an attempt to consume less by reusing and trading with others. Keiko turned me onto swaptree.com, a sight to trade various media like books, dvds, music cds and video games. It seems pretty cool bc you list what you're willing to trade and then you find someone in the network who has what you want and wants what you have. It's free except for the $2.99 shipping fee, which I think is a steal considering it's cheaper than buying a book in a store or online (and paying for shipping regardless), and more convenient for me than going to the library.

Mention my reference, hollidayerin@gmail.com, and I'll get a free shipping pass. OR, see what I've got to trade and I'll loan you my books for free, OR see what is on my wishlist and we'll make a swap-a-rooski.

P.S. Still want to read As I Lay Dying by Faulkner, so if you have it, let me know.

Call me a planner...

Since we are good for September and October, I am going to jump in for November. I'd like to submit for your consideration Everything Matters! by Ron Currie, Jr.

Here is what Amazon says:

The day that Junior Thibodeau is born, he learns the exact moment when the world will end. Knowledge of the pending apocalypse (bestowed by an omniscient, unnamed "we" that gently nudges him toward his destiny) colors Junior's entire existence and leaves him wondering: "Does anything I do matter?" Unfolding through funny, poignant, occasionally tragic stories told by Junior and his family, Everything Matters is thoughtful and unexpectedly sweet, and will keep you thinking long after the story is over.

I don't have a back-up suggestion as of now, but if this is a no-go I will look around.

Keiko

My Argument For and Against The Wild Things:

I still don't know about The Wild Things as an option. I think it would be fun, but it states on Amazon that the reading level age is 9-12. It IS 300 pages though, and it's Dave Eggers, who isn't exactly Ann M. Martin, so I mean, I'm not expecting like Goosebumps type of reading or whatever. It will probably just be a "light read" and really, is that so bad? Anyway, it comes out on October 1, and then the movie comes out on the 16 or something, but if you guys aren't feeling it, I get it.

Here's a trailer for the movie though, just in case you haven't seen it yet. Spike Jonze wrote the screenplay, with Maurice Sendak's blessing, and Jonze is kind of a hero, so I think it'll be really good.

Paperback price is less than $15.

If it's not this book, it's one about a man on a road trip with a talking garden gnome and a dwarf. That's not a threat, I swear. 

ETA: OFFICIAL FOR OCTOBER. AS DEEMED BY ME, RENEE.

Book Club Monthly Selections

Hi, It's Erin again. I feel like I'm hogging the book club blog. But you guys might not be as interested in it as me, and/or you probably have something more important going on in your lives.

Just because we haven't discussed The Turtle Reader yet, doesn't mean we can't make another book club pick. It might be more efficient to give every reader an opportunity to make a book pick. And the sooner the assigned reader makes the book selection, the better. That way the rest of the gals will have enough time to buy the book online, reserve a copy at the library, swap copies, etc. Plus, if we make the reading selections in advance, we could possibly have a book to read every month instead of every other month. The way we choose to get together to discuss is another beast unto itself. Baby steps.

Please comment on what month you'd like to make the selection for. You may also list your book club pick the same time you list the month you want. So basically make your selection and then we'll talk about the book the following month. Also, if you're interested you can make your own post about the book you choose and why you think it's going to be awesome. It just might be faster than making suggestions and everyone voting on the suggestion, and everyone gets a chance to make their own selection.


August- Erin, The Turtle Catcher
September - Tessy, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
October - Renee, would you like to choose WTWTA? Or maybe pick a different Halloweeny bok? The Wild Things book might be a little hard to get in time plus see the movie, but I'm game to try if that's what you choose...could be fun.
November - ??

and so on, and so on.

October's pick

We're already into September and haven't met to discuss August's book... Maybe it will be a more effective idea to pick books for every-other month?

I know we haven't talked about The Turtle Catcher, but maybe we should pick a book for October just to give everyone a head's up. Does anyone have any suggestions for our next book?

Turtle Catcher Book Meetup

I juuuuust received my August book the other day, but on a positive note, I have already read 100 pages! I am loving this book.. the sensory imagery really puts you amongst the characters. Yes, it's kind of graphic with a PG-13/R rating in some parts. If you stick with it, I have a feeling it will be worth it. I hope. :)

I know Tessy has already finished the book, Becca jumped ship.. what's the status on everyone else? If anyone needs to, they can borrow my copy bc I'm pretty sure I'll be done by the end of the week.

Would anyone like to get together to hangout/chat about the book? I'm thinking somewhere for breakfast on Saturday, Sept 12 or Sept 19? Wish I could recommend a weekday but I work during the week and Keiko does as well.

Hello

I am almost finished with the book. It is definitely one of those books you do not want to put down. Who else has started? The book was 24 dollars at Barnes and Noble, but Erin got it for about 14 dollars on Amazon. Tina is borrowing my copy next, but if anyone else wants too, let me know.

August Book Selection - The Turtle Catcher

Wow. That's a big picture. Okay, we have chosen our book for August, The Turtle Catcher by Nicole Helget. Gilbert Public Libraries have it available in some of their branches and they have it available on amazon.com, and I haven't checked out any other resources beyond that.

Let's Get the Ball Rollin'

So I made a few suggestions, and Tess's internet was down for 24 agonizing hours so she hasn't had a lot of time to post anything (except she had time to ask me where the fake books were).. so if you see a book on the suggestions I made, please say so. OR, if you have another idea other than Twilight (sorry, Keiko), please share.

Renee and I think Turtle Catcher will be a great read.

Maybe we can plan to either ease into the book club realm with "discussing" via blog posts for the first book, or we can meet for breakfast for either the weekend of August 15th or 22nd OR in September?

Don't be afraid to post. If you want to be a contributor, let either Renee, Tess or I know so we can add you. ;)

Book Suggestions for August... For Realsies

The Real Shortlist:

Something Helpful: Emotional Freedom

Something Spooky: The Seance

Something Funny: Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea

Something Adventurous in a Victorian girl-sorta way: A Foreign Affair

Something Hermaphrodite with WWII references: Turtle Catcher

Something Summer Read-ish: A Rule Against Murder

If any of you are gagging over these selections, it would not hurt my feelings one bit. As you can see, I like to read historical fiction-type books.

Book Klub for Kewl Kids

Tessy came up with the idea of starting a book club and I love her for it. We'd like to take turns making the book selections, and we can get together afterwards to discuss, whether it's at someone's house for dinner, meeting up for breakfast or gathering at a cafe...

Any suggestions?