Book Group tonight

Hello,

Just a reminder that we will be meeting tonight at my house to discuss Walden.  7 PM.  Come even if you weren't able to read the book to enjoy some discussion time and help us pick the next book.

Thanks,
Arianne

Need to change the date

My husband is now scheduled to be out of town on the 11th and the 18th of September.  It will be difficult without his assistance to take care of the kids on a school night and host an adult event in our home.  I could think of two possibilities.

If one of these two dates already mentioned is better for most of you, perhaps someone else could host book group.

The other option is to move the date.  Does September 25th work?  Alternatively, we could bump our Walden discussion into October.

I apologize for the inconvenience.  Please reply on which option works best for you.

Walden for September

September's book is Henry David Thoreau's Walden; or, Life in the Woods.  Thoreau spent a couple years  living simply at Walden pond and then wrote about his experiences.  Here is wiki's synopsis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walden.
A brief check proved there were a number of copies available through the library system as well as free digital copies for your portable devices.
The plan is for us to meet at Arianne's house on September 18 @ 7:30 PM.  Does that work for everyone?  Please comment on how this works for you.

Next title...

Thanks to Shana for hosting Othello last month.  Arianne will be hosting the next meeting.  We agreed there are enough family events for the next couple months.  We will meet again in September.  Any particular books that you would like to read?

Othello

We are reading Shakespeare's Othello for June 12th at 7:30 PM at the Hamblin Home.  Othello is a tragedy so be prepared to talk about the saddest part to you.  We will try to have some HAPPY food!  Hope to see you there.

May's Book John Keats Poems 1817

The Book Group will meet at Star Erickson's at 7:30 on Tuesday evening, May 8th, 2012

MARCH 2012: "THE SCARLET LETTER"

This month's classic read is "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  It will be held @ Krista Watts on March 27th at 7pm.

FEBRUARY: NORTHANGER ABBEY

This month we will be reading Jane Austen's romantic comedy NORTHANGER ABBEY.  I have never read this before and am looking forward to it.  Apparently it's a light-hearted romance which is just what we need after reading THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, wouldn't you agree?

The book club will meet at 7pm Tuesday February 21st, @ my home located at 757 Lipizzan Rd.  If you need directions (and it IS complicated to find us), call me @ 241-2233.  If you have an urge to bring some snacks, feel free to keep it in the "chocolate" genre as this is Valentine's month.  In fact, we could each bring and one unusual flavored chocolates for all to try. 

Hope to see you soon!  Alex

January

What a swarthy dude. Click the pic for the link to Better World Books.

The book for January is The Count of Monte Cristo. The meeting will be at the Jefferies abode, January 24th at 7:30 p.m. Get in touch with me if you need the address. I can't wait to see everyone!

-Rachel

Book for November

For November, we are reading The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis.  We will meet at my house (Krista Watts) at 7:30pm on Tuesday, November 8th.  Hope everyone can come.  Newcomers are welcome, so spread the word.

For October--War of the Worlds

We will be reading H.G. Wells' novel, War of the Worlds.  This book was picked to discuss in October because Orson Welles and his radio acting group performed it on Halloween Eve 1938 and caused a panic.  A little fun sci-fi just in time for Halloween.
We plan to meet on Tuesday, October 11 at Arianne's house @ 7:30 PM.  There is still plenty of time to change this meeting if that time is inconvenient for you.  RSVP!


Picture from wikipedia

Hans Christian Andersen

Our next book group will be TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12th at 7:30 pm at Shana Hamblin's house. We have chosen Hans Christian Andersen's collected work of Fairy Tales. I just checked out a copy and it is more than 800 pages! I realize we all have a busy summer so may I suggest you get started soon? We will be discussing the author's life but I want each of you to come with a favorite Andersen fairy tale. This book has over 200 tales. We will also be discussing the life of the author. He regularly entertained the King and Queen of Denmark with his stories. We hope to see you there.

Thank you to everyone that came and participated in our Portrait of Dorian Gray discussion. It brings me great joy to hear your perspectives and share my opinions. As requested I am posting the cucumber sandwich recipe: http://thepauperedchef.com/node/42

Cucumber Mint Tea Sandwiches

• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese
• 6 slices of bread
• 3-inch length of cucumber

Go to the website for step-by-step directions. Enjoy!

P.S. I used half the amount of butter the recipe calls for.

Picture of Dorian Gray Discussion

We will be meeting on Tuesday, June 28 to discuss The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.  We will meet at Star's house at 7:30 PM.  If you know of anyone interested in joining us, don't forget to invite them!

Need to get our next book?

I saw The Picture of Dorian Gray in the dollar section at Target today.  It wasn't a dollar, it was $2.50, but if you've had trouble getting the book, it's an option!

May Book Group

Hi everyone.  We're reading The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway for May.  The copy that I got from the library is only 93 pages, so this should be an easy book for everyone to get through.  You might even have time to read one of those books that's been sitting on your shelf forever!  If you want to read about Ernest Hemingway, we'll be discussing him as well as his book.
How does Tuesday, March 24th at 7:30pm work for everyone?  I'm flexible, so let me know if it doesn't work for you.
Thanks,
Krista Watts

Hi all,

Please note the book club meeting date change to April 19th.

Thanks!

Book for April

Julie Matthews has offered to host book group for April.  She has selected Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte as our book.  How does April 12th work for everyone?  Please comment below regarding your availability on that date by March 19th.

Thanks and happy reading!

The Inferno

We are now reading Dante's Inferno.  We plan to meet March 8 at Arianne's house (7 PM).

Here's a blurb from Wikipedia:
Inferno (Italian for "Hell") is the first part of Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. It is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso. It is an allegory telling of the journey of Dante through what is largely the medieval concept of Hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil. In the poem, Hell is depicted as nine circles of suffering located within the Earth. Allegorically, the Divine Comedy represents the journey of the soul towards God, with the Inferno describing the recognition and rejection of sin.

Here are a few questions to peruse during your reading:

1. Why does Dante have the pilgrim's story begin "Midway along the journey of our life" (p. 67)?
   
2. What is the relationship between the pilgrim and Virgil?
   
3. Why is it specifically the sounds made by the damned that give the pilgrim his first impression of Hell?
   
4. Why does the pilgrim meet only eminent sinners?
   
5. Why are the damned allowed knowledge of only the past and future, but not the present?
   
6. In Canto VIII, why does the appearance of Filippo Argenti provoke an angry outburst from the pilgrim: "May you weep and wail,/ stuck here in this place forever, you damned soul" (p. 139)? Why is Virgil pleased by the pilgrim's reaction?
   
7. Why does the poet still grieve when he thinks of the three sinners who greet him in Canto XVI even though, following his journey through Hell, he is supposed to have come to appreciate the justice of God's punishments?
   
8. In light of the poet's repeated assurances to the reader of the truth of what he writes, in what sense does Dante intend us to accept Inferno (and the whole Comedy) as "true"?
   
9. After the autobiographical reference in Canto XIX to an incident in which Dante smashed a baptistery to save someone from drowning, what does Dante mean when he writes, "let this be mankind's picture of the truth" (p. 240)?
   
10. How are we meant to understand the journey of Ulysses, which he narrates in Canto XXVI, in relation to that of the pilgrim?
    
11. What does Virgil mean when he says that the pilgrim is in Hell so that "he may have full experience" (p. 326)?
    
12. Why does Dante describe the pilgrim as "deprived of life and death at once" when he finally encounters Lucifer (p. 380)?
    
13. To what extent does Dante intend us to see Inferno as a representation of this life, in addition to—or instead of—the afterlife?
    
14. If the pilgrim's journey through Hell is meant to be instructive, what is the most important thing he has learned by the end of it?

For Further Reflection

1. Are we more likely to be deterred from wrongdoing because of the consequences to others or the consequences to ourselves?
2. What is significant about the midpoint of a life? Is the significance of the concept undermined by the fact that the midpoint of a life can never be precisely determined until death? 

Source  

Silas Marner

So we have set for Tuesday, Jan. 25th at 7pm at Shana's house. I have not read it but I will concentrate on it when I leave for St. Jude's on Monday. Here are some questions to consider as you read it.

What did Silas name the girl and what is the meaning of the name?
Why was Silas' door open? What did it mean?
What did the gold represent to Silas?
Why was laudanum discussed?

Come prepared to talk about your favorite parts and favorite quotes.