Happy Summer, All!
This month's pick is: Julie and Julia, by Julie Powell. It is apparently available in the cooking section of bookstores... And since they're releasing the movie this summer, there aren't many current copies to be had until the end of the month.
The date is Wednesday July 8, at 8pm (or thereabouts).
I am hosting, and my info is:
Helen Darby
50 Murray St
Screening Room, 19th floor
917-763-0446 (cell)
We have the room reserved from 8pm til we're done. We are welcome to bring anything we want, including wine and food. There is also a small deck, so if the weather's nice, we can move the conversation outside.
Hope you can all make it!
H
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
June Choices...
First, thanks Gina, for hosting the May bookclub - what a great book choice, as well as interesting discussion. I'm totally going to try to get to the Guggenheim for the FLW exhibit before it's gone!
As for June, I would like to host in the lounge of my building - where we can drink and eat, and there is even a roof-deck if the weather's nice... Which means its time to lay out the choices for our June book. As I'm edging into my third trimester, and the weather is heating up, I'm going to try to veer towards more traditional summer reading (maybe not complete fluff, but definitely something light, easy to read, and perhaps even, gasp, funny!)...
Here are my ideas:
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Can she vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read.
Dead Until Dark, by Charlaine Harris
Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out....
Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.
A fun, fast, funny, and wonderfully intriguing blend of vampire and mystery that's hard to put down, and should not be missed.
FYI - This is the first book in a series of mysteries which became the HBO series "True Blood." I feel like they're going to be very fast reading and lots of fun - so we can always read the first 2 if we're feeling ambitious...
Julie and Julia, by Julie Powell
Julie & Julia is the story of Julie Powell's attempt to revitalize her marriage, restore her ambition, and save her soul by cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I, in a period of 365 days. The result is a masterful medley of Bridget Jones' Diary meets Like Water for Chocolate, mixed with a healthy dose of original wit, warmth, and inspiration that sets this memoir apart from most tales of personal redemption.
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Pratchett (of Discworld fame) and Gaiman (of Sandman fame) may seem an unlikely combination, but the topic (Armageddon) of this fast-paced novel is old hat to both. Pratchett's wackiness collaborates with Gaiman's morbid humor; the result is a humanist delight to be savored and reread again and again. You see, there was a bit of a mixup when the Antichrist was born, due in part to the machinations of Crowley, who did not so much fall as saunter downwards, and in part to the mysterious ways as manifested in the form of a part-time rare book dealer, an angel named Aziraphale. Like top agents everywhere, they've long had more in common with each other than the sides they represent, or the conflict they are nominally engaged in. The only person who knows how it will all end is Agnes Nutter, a witch whose prophecies all come true, if one can only manage to decipher them. The minor characters along the way (Famine makes an appearance as diet crazes, no-calorie food and anorexia epidemics) are as much fun as the story as a whole, which adds up to one of those rare books which is enormous fun to read the first time, and the second time, and the third time...
FYI - I was originally going to choose Neil Gaiman's new book, The Graveyard Book, since he is one of my favorite authors and I had heard good things about it, but I'm already half way through finishing it, but thought this one looked really fun with lots of interesting things to talk about...
***
So, these books are going up for vote on the right side of the page, as well as options for dates...
You may vote for as many dates as you're available for, but only one book...
Hope at least one or 2 choices appeal to everyone!
Can't wait to see what y'all pick!
Helen
As for June, I would like to host in the lounge of my building - where we can drink and eat, and there is even a roof-deck if the weather's nice... Which means its time to lay out the choices for our June book. As I'm edging into my third trimester, and the weather is heating up, I'm going to try to veer towards more traditional summer reading (maybe not complete fluff, but definitely something light, easy to read, and perhaps even, gasp, funny!)...
Here are my ideas:
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield as Elizabeth wages war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. Can she vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read.
Dead Until Dark, by Charlaine Harris
Sookie Stackhouse is just a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. Until the vampire of her dreams walks into her life-and one of her coworkers checks out....
Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend isn't such a bright idea.
A fun, fast, funny, and wonderfully intriguing blend of vampire and mystery that's hard to put down, and should not be missed.
FYI - This is the first book in a series of mysteries which became the HBO series "True Blood." I feel like they're going to be very fast reading and lots of fun - so we can always read the first 2 if we're feeling ambitious...
Julie and Julia, by Julie Powell
Julie & Julia is the story of Julie Powell's attempt to revitalize her marriage, restore her ambition, and save her soul by cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I, in a period of 365 days. The result is a masterful medley of Bridget Jones' Diary meets Like Water for Chocolate, mixed with a healthy dose of original wit, warmth, and inspiration that sets this memoir apart from most tales of personal redemption.
When we first meet Julie, she's a frustrated temp-to-perm secretary who slaves away at a thankless job, only to return to an equally demoralizing apartment in the outer boroughs of Manhattan each evening. At the urging of Eric, her devoted and slightly geeky husband, she decides to start a blog that will chronicle what she dubs the "Julie/Julia Project." What follows is a year of butter-drenched meals that will both necessitate the wearing of an unbearably uncomfortable girdle on the hottest night of the year, as well as the realization that life is what you make of it and joy is not as impossible a quest as it may seem, even when it's -10 degrees out and your pipes are frozen.
Powell is a natural when it comes to connecting with her readers, which is probably why her blog generated so much buzz, both from readers and media alike. And while her self-deprecating sense of humor can sometimes dissolve into whininess, she never really loses her edge, or her sense of purpose. Even on day 365, she's working her way through Mayonnaise Collee and ending the evening "back exactly where we started--just Eric and me, three cats and Buffy...sitting on a couch in the outer boroughs, eating, with Julia chortling alongside us...."
Inspired and encouraging, Julie and Julia is a unique opportunity to join one woman's attempt to change her life, and have a laugh, or ten, along the way.Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Pratchett (of Discworld fame) and Gaiman (of Sandman fame) may seem an unlikely combination, but the topic (Armageddon) of this fast-paced novel is old hat to both. Pratchett's wackiness collaborates with Gaiman's morbid humor; the result is a humanist delight to be savored and reread again and again. You see, there was a bit of a mixup when the Antichrist was born, due in part to the machinations of Crowley, who did not so much fall as saunter downwards, and in part to the mysterious ways as manifested in the form of a part-time rare book dealer, an angel named Aziraphale. Like top agents everywhere, they've long had more in common with each other than the sides they represent, or the conflict they are nominally engaged in. The only person who knows how it will all end is Agnes Nutter, a witch whose prophecies all come true, if one can only manage to decipher them. The minor characters along the way (Famine makes an appearance as diet crazes, no-calorie food and anorexia epidemics) are as much fun as the story as a whole, which adds up to one of those rare books which is enormous fun to read the first time, and the second time, and the third time...
FYI - I was originally going to choose Neil Gaiman's new book, The Graveyard Book, since he is one of my favorite authors and I had heard good things about it, but I'm already half way through finishing it, but thought this one looked really fun with lots of interesting things to talk about...
***
So, these books are going up for vote on the right side of the page, as well as options for dates...
You may vote for as many dates as you're available for, but only one book...
Hope at least one or 2 choices appeal to everyone!
Can't wait to see what y'all pick!
Helen
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Info for May Bookgroup
Its been a long time since we've all gotten together! Here's the info for our meeting on Wednesday, May 13th at 8pm.
Gina Ma
52 Thomas Street
3D
SW corner of Church Street
917.538.1642
Thanks Gina, for hosting.
I am interested in hosting the June meeting in the lounge of my building (food and wine are fine up there)... I'm eager to pick something light and fluffy, so there won't be any heavy choices for next month!
if you would like to host July or August (or if we want to just pick one book for the dog days of summer and have one book for those 2 months, that makes sense, too).
See you Wednesday!
H
Thanks Gina, for hosting.
I am interested in hosting the June meeting in the lounge of my building (food and wine are fine up there)... I'm eager to pick something light and fluffy, so there won't be any heavy choices for next month!
if you would like to host July or August (or if we want to just pick one book for the dog days of summer and have one book for those 2 months, that makes sense, too).
See you Wednesday!
H
Sunday, April 5, 2009
April/May Selection
Our April/May book is Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan.
The meeting is scheduled for May 13th, and will be hosted by Gina Ma.
I will post her information as we get closer to the gathering!
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Helen
The meeting is scheduled for May 13th, and will be hosted by Gina Ma.
I will post her information as we get closer to the gathering!
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Helen
Saturday, March 28, 2009
April book and date choices
Our March meeting was such a delight (thanks, Lauren, for hosting), and our next host is Gina Ma...
Gina has offered up two choices for the April book, although she asked that I tell you she would really prefer the first option... They are:
Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan
and
Handle with Care, by Jodi Picoult
The dates she has offered up are April 21/22, or May 5/6. You can vote for as MANY as you are available for. So if you're available all 4 dates, check all 4 boxes!
Please vote for your book and date of choice in the poll to the right, and hopefully we'll have them both decided this week and we can get going reading!
Here are blurbs about the 2 books:
Loving Frank:
Amazon Significant Seven, August 2007: It's a rare treasure to find a historically imagined novel that is at once fully versed in the facts and unafraid of weaving those truths into a story that dares to explore the unanswered questions. Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Cheney's love story is--as many early reviews of Loving Frank have noted--little-known and often dismissed as scandal. In Nancy Horan's skillful hands, however, what you get is two fully realized people, entirely, irrepressibly, in love. Together, Frank and Mamah are a wholly modern portrait, and while you can easily imagine them in the here and now, it's their presence in the world of early 20th century America that shades how authentic and, ultimately, tragic their story is. Mamah's bright, earnest spirit is particularly tender in the context of her time and place, which afforded her little opportunity to realize the intellectual life for which she yearned. Loving Frank is a remarkable literary achievement, tenderly acute and even-handed in even the most heartbreaking moments, and an auspicious debut from a writer to watch.
Handle with Care:
Starred Review. Perennial bestseller Picoult (Change of Heart) delivers another engrossing family drama, spiced with her trademark blend of medicine, law and love. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe's daughter, Willow, was born with brittle bone disease, a condition that requires Charlotte to act as full-time caregiver and has strained their emotional and financial limits. Willow's teenaged half-sister, Amelia, suffers as well, overshadowed by Willow's needs and lost in her own adolescent turmoil. When Charlotte decides to sue for wrongful birth in order to obtain a settlement to ensure Willow's future, the already strained family begins to implode. Not only is the defendant Charlotte's longtime friend, but the case requires Charlotte and Sean to claim that had they known of Willow's condition, they would have terminated the pregnancy, a statement that strikes at the core of their faith and family. Picoult individualizes the alternating voices of the narrators more believably than she has previously, and weaves in subplots to underscore the themes of hope, regret, identity and family, leading up to her signature closing twists.
PS - I finished Atonement about 3 days after the bookgroup meeting, and so wish I had finished it beforehand. I LOVED it, especially the middle part (which a few people said they didn't like as much)... I guess I would have proven much more adept at discussing and even debating why I thought that part was so great if I had finished it in time... Anyway, that is definitely motivation for me to work on using my time wisely for our next books and get them read!
Gina has offered up two choices for the April book, although she asked that I tell you she would really prefer the first option... They are:
Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan
and
Handle with Care, by Jodi Picoult
The dates she has offered up are April 21/22, or May 5/6. You can vote for as MANY as you are available for. So if you're available all 4 dates, check all 4 boxes!
Please vote for your book and date of choice in the poll to the right, and hopefully we'll have them both decided this week and we can get going reading!
Here are blurbs about the 2 books:
Loving Frank:
Amazon Significant Seven, August 2007: It's a rare treasure to find a historically imagined novel that is at once fully versed in the facts and unafraid of weaving those truths into a story that dares to explore the unanswered questions. Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Cheney's love story is--as many early reviews of Loving Frank have noted--little-known and often dismissed as scandal. In Nancy Horan's skillful hands, however, what you get is two fully realized people, entirely, irrepressibly, in love. Together, Frank and Mamah are a wholly modern portrait, and while you can easily imagine them in the here and now, it's their presence in the world of early 20th century America that shades how authentic and, ultimately, tragic their story is. Mamah's bright, earnest spirit is particularly tender in the context of her time and place, which afforded her little opportunity to realize the intellectual life for which she yearned. Loving Frank is a remarkable literary achievement, tenderly acute and even-handed in even the most heartbreaking moments, and an auspicious debut from a writer to watch.
Handle with Care:
Starred Review. Perennial bestseller Picoult (Change of Heart) delivers another engrossing family drama, spiced with her trademark blend of medicine, law and love. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe's daughter, Willow, was born with brittle bone disease, a condition that requires Charlotte to act as full-time caregiver and has strained their emotional and financial limits. Willow's teenaged half-sister, Amelia, suffers as well, overshadowed by Willow's needs and lost in her own adolescent turmoil. When Charlotte decides to sue for wrongful birth in order to obtain a settlement to ensure Willow's future, the already strained family begins to implode. Not only is the defendant Charlotte's longtime friend, but the case requires Charlotte and Sean to claim that had they known of Willow's condition, they would have terminated the pregnancy, a statement that strikes at the core of their faith and family. Picoult individualizes the alternating voices of the narrators more believably than she has previously, and weaves in subplots to underscore the themes of hope, regret, identity and family, leading up to her signature closing twists.
PS - I finished Atonement about 3 days after the bookgroup meeting, and so wish I had finished it beforehand. I LOVED it, especially the middle part (which a few people said they didn't like as much)... I guess I would have proven much more adept at discussing and even debating why I thought that part was so great if I had finished it in time... Anyway, that is definitely motivation for me to work on using my time wisely for our next books and get them read!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
March BookGroup details...
Hi Ladies, Here's the info for Wednesday night.
We are meeting on Wednesday, March 11, at 8:15pm.
Lauren Cuneo
52 Thomas Street, 3A Corner of Church
(917) 543-2008
The book is Atonement.
If you can please email me back (you don't need to cc the whole group) so I can give Lauren an idea of how many of us to expect, that would be great!
We are meeting on Wednesday, March 11, at 8:15pm.
Lauren Cuneo
52 Thomas Street, 3A Corner of Church
(917) 543-2008
The book is Atonement.
If you can please email me back (you don't need to cc the whole group) so I can give Lauren an idea of how many of us to expect, that would be great!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
March Book!
Hi y'all...
For our meeting on MARCH 11, we are reading: Atonement, by Ian McEwen.
As we near the date, I'll post Lauren's info so we all know where to go!
Happy reading...
For our meeting on MARCH 11, we are reading: Atonement, by Ian McEwen.
As we near the date, I'll post Lauren's info so we all know where to go!
Happy reading...
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