tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-342780102024-03-06T23:57:14.594-08:00The Blogger's Book ClubSpiderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12674252850304214980noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-30669397161312171632009-05-11T20:39:00.000-07:002009-05-11T20:39:33.227-07:00<div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUlh-0OJPQZ5UCKZwgqKmHJlBnaPXDsvHbnlMccDAjlH-5ln7-ogT58QvChABTuFkB-wHGfsxVhpO1fgHRjotR7y2-YZSmElPN0ZywTZIcfuYxnN01Hd28uEhj3wCJZomE8g9/s1600-h/DSC_0615.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUlh-0OJPQZ5UCKZwgqKmHJlBnaPXDsvHbnlMccDAjlH-5ln7-ogT58QvChABTuFkB-wHGfsxVhpO1fgHRjotR7y2-YZSmElPN0ZywTZIcfuYxnN01Hd28uEhj3wCJZomE8g9/s320/DSC_0615.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>ScottKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08422157930600321995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-24624806370015944022007-09-12T21:53:00.001-07:002007-09-12T22:06:13.342-07:00Other Koontz FavoritesBTW if you are unfamilliar with Mr. Koontz, but would like to read more work by him I reccomend, <em>The Strangers</em>, <em>Mr. Murder</em>, <em>The Frankenstien trilogy</em> ( which puts a cool twist on the old favorite) or <em>Velocity</em>.ScottKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08422157930600321995noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-6316036164265814112007-09-12T21:53:00.000-07:002007-09-12T22:02:23.458-07:00By the light of the.............. arbitrary characterTo me Jill was pretty much a weak character, it seems that the only reason she was there was so Dylan would have someone else to interact with( <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">more so</span> than he could with Shep). Her "powers" were sort of lame. I mean all she really did was have visions of a church and birds, until the end where all she did was copy Shep's ability to go here there. And who was at this wedding that it actually <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">merited</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">assassins</span> ?? My question to you would be if you had written Jilly as a character what would you do to make her a bit more memorable?? Or if you disagree with me about her defend her in a related comment .ScottKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08422157930600321995noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-17041706411670090912007-09-11T12:31:00.000-07:002007-09-11T12:35:32.952-07:00By the light of the moon.....Who wants to be a superhero?!By the light of the moon was a good read. I enjoyed the story line until the very end. It seemed to me that he had this great story going, but didn't know how to end it. So my first question is:<br /><br />How would you have ended the story? Keep the line of thought up until they reach the radio broadcasters house, and then think how you would have ended it, instead of them being "superheroes". <br /><br />Koontz is a great writer and the book kept me intrigued....until the very end, then I felt like Stan Lee was going to appear and name the next superhero!<br /><br />Good pick ya'llUnknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-68062013566484702672007-08-09T19:12:00.000-07:002007-08-09T19:19:53.871-07:00Ladies and Gentlemen we have a winner!!And the nomination goes to .....<em>By the Light of the Moon by Dean Koontz</em>. The vote number for Mr. Koontz's was 4 , followed by closely with 2 votes for <em>A Very Private Gentleman</em>. With <em>Handmaid's Tale</em> and <em>Portrait of a Killer</em> both getting a vote of one. We were actually short one vote but with Mr. Koontz having 4 votes it really wouldn't have changed anything anyway.<br /><br />Now that we know the book feel free to get shopping and start reading. Have fun.ScottKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08422157930600321995noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-39326538135721590402007-08-05T12:30:00.000-07:002007-08-05T14:00:57.715-07:00Let the Voting Begin !!!Alan has deferred from nominating a book this go 'round, it looks as if we are ready to vote. I think we have some interesting choices this time. That being said , here are our book choices for book #5.(Wow we actually have done 4 books !! Did you guys realize that ?). Here we go then, in no particular order:<br /><br />1) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Emperors-Children-Vintage-Claire-Messud/dp/030727666X/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-0196331-3929547?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1185931626&sr=8-1">The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud</a><br />2)<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Portrait-Killer-Ripper-Closed-Berkley/dp/0425192733"> Portrait of a Killer- Jack the Ripper-Case Closed by Patricia Cornwell</a><br />3) <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780553582765&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;ref=rec&name=display">By the Light of the Moon by Dean Koontz</a><br />4) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Handmaids-Tale-Novel-Margaret-Atwood/dp/038549081X">The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood</a><br />5) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Very-Private-Gentleman-Martin-Booth/dp/0312309082">A Very Private Gentleman by Martin Booth</a><br /><br />As you can tell by reading the synopsises ( synopsi?) I think we will have a hard time choosing one. Remember the rules, no voting for your own book and have fun deciding which one we want to read.Please send your votes to me at <a href="mailto:sk1265@gmail.com">sk1265@gmail.com</a>, I will put a new post up on the blog as soon as we have a winner, then we can begin reading. Once again you have all done a great job choosing your books I am having a hard time deciding.ScottKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08422157930600321995noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-32702701087963601722007-07-03T22:06:00.000-07:002007-07-03T22:08:02.841-07:00OkaySo, um . . . it appears that no one wanted to jump in and be the first one to discuss Cat's Cradle.<br /><br />I guess I'll do it.<br /><br />What did everyone think of the format of the book (short chapters) and how do you think this affected your reading of it?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-32334774329823408062007-04-16T14:09:00.000-07:002007-04-16T14:10:48.346-07:00And the winner is . . .Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. So grab a copy and get reading.<br /><br />For those of you who were interested in reading Middlesex, hold off for a while. Based on everyone's interest, I imagine that will be next month's book.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-46241265421449108252007-04-13T07:19:00.000-07:002007-04-13T07:38:15.489-07:00The NomineesHere are the nominees for the next Blogger's Book Club selection. Since we didn't have a huge response, I'm changing the rules a little. This month's selection will be based on a simple majority. Leave a comment with your choice for this month's book. The book with the most votes on Monday wins.<br /><br />The selections are:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heartbreaking-Work-Staggering-Genius/dp/0375725784/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/103-8261237-3224611?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176474670&sr=8-2">A HEARTBREAKING WORK OF STAGGERING GENIUS by Dave Eggers</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Middlesex-Novel-Jeffrey-Eugenides/dp/0312422156/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-8261237-3224611?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176474709&sr=1-2">MIDDLESEX by Jeffrey Eugenides</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cats-Cradle-Kurt-Vonnegut/dp/038533348X/ref=pd_bbs_2/103-8261237-3224611?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176474841&sr=1-2">CAT'S CRADLE by Kurt Vonnegut</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fun-Home-Tragicomic-Alison-Bechdel/dp/0618871713/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-8261237-3224611?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176474887&sr=1-1">FUN HOME by Alison Bechdel</a><br /><br />Visit the Amazon pages and pick the one that sounds best. And be thinking of books for next time.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-37354927130036673732007-04-12T08:38:00.000-07:002007-04-12T08:47:02.552-07:00National Poetry MonthHere are my recommendations in honor of National Poetry Month. I hope you check them out.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Son-Pan-Trebor-Healey/dp/0977158217/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-8261237-3224611?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176392414&sr=8-1">Sweet Son of Pan by Trebor Healey</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sonnets-Portuguese-Celebration-0f-Love/dp/031274501X/ref=sr_1_12/103-8261237-3224611?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176392535&sr=1-12">Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/POETICAL-WORKS-BYRON-Wordsworth-Poetry-Library/dp/1853264067/ref=sr_1_9/103-8261237-3224611?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1176392652&sr=1-9">The Collected Poems of Lord Byron</a><br /><br />So, anyone else have a favorite poet?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-1172161402815611572007-02-22T08:18:00.000-08:002007-02-22T08:23:22.826-08:00My Lunar Park QuestionI guess I'll kick this off since I finished the book this weekend.<br /><br />If Ellis had not cast himself as the lead character in this novel, would this have generated as much buzz as it did? Or along those lines, why did Ellis have to be the main character for this novel to work?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-1169503792810039402007-01-22T14:08:00.000-08:002007-01-22T14:09:52.823-08:00LOVIN' this bookOk so far, and I'm only in chapter 11, but I am REALLY enjoying this book!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-1168396474629808812007-01-09T18:09:00.000-08:002007-01-09T18:34:34.643-08:00It's that time again Folks !!!<table id="HB_Mail_Container" height="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0" unselectable="on"><tbody><tr height="100%" width="100%" unselectable="on"><td id="HB_Focus_Element" valign="top" width="100%" background="" height="250" unselectable="off">Yes boys and girls the time has come to cast your votes for book #3. We also have a suggestion this time around from one of our members to vote on. So we have a bit more to do this time than just vote on a book. I trust we are all having a good start to 2007. So, with out ant further Ado, I give you this rounds nominations.<br /><br />1)<a href="http://www.curledup.com/kiterun.htm">The Kite Runner </a>....By Khaled Hosseini<br />2)<a href="http://www.spikemagazine.com/bookshop-USA/shop.php?c=books&n=10311&i=0312343604&x=My_Big_Fat_Supernatural_Wedding">My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding</a>...... Various Authors<br />3)<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lullabies-Little-Criminals-Novel-P-S/dp/0060875070/sr=1-1/qid=1168395363/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-3830494-5291908?ie=UTF8&s=books">Lullabies for Little Criminals</a>....By Heather O'Neill<br />4)<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0375727272/ref=pd_sl_aw_alx-jeb-9-1_book_19998372_1?tag2=amd-google-20">Lunar Park...</a>By Brett Easton Ellis<br />5) <a href="http://www.buy.com/prod/my_drowning/q/loc/106/PageFormat/6/30122395.html">My Drowning</a>.....By Jim Grimsley<br />6) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Running-Scissors-Memoir-Augusten-Burroughs/dp/0312425414/sr=8-1/qid=1168395790/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-3830494-5291908?ie=UTF8&s=books">Running with Sissors</a>....By Augusten Burroughs<br />7) <a href="http://librarycommission.lib.wv.us/bookdiscussion/reviews/middlesexreview.html">Middlesex</a>.....ByJefferey Eugenides<br /><br /><br />Ok there are the nominations . I said that there would be 2 things to vote on this time . The other is a revamping of the way we do things . This email was sent to me by Jessica for our perusal:<br />So hey, I'm just gonna throw this out there for you - it's just and IDEA. Perhaps we can take it before the club - if you want. Or we can wait and see how this round goes.<br /><br />Obviously we are all avid readers, however, we all have very varied schedules and time for reading. I think the book club should be about reading whatever you want and then giving a "non-spoiler" synopsis. That way, we can each read what we want - in our own time - and then our synopsis can be a way of enticing others to read the book - if they want to. The discussion idea is good, but in looking at our beginning efforts - it seems that no one is "discussing", we are just putting in their thoughts. I'm guilty of this I know. Plus, because we all have such different schedules, some may feel "pressure" to hurry up and finish and not enjoy the book as much as they could. Conversely, for me personally, I was finished with Memorykeeper in like 2 days and then had to wait for all others to catch up. In the meantime I'd read at least 2 more books, so when "discussion" time came I really couldn't remember enough to put forth a really good effort. This is just me talking and ya know I'm game to read whatever, I'm just saying this might be an easier path to follow.<br /><br />Basically what she was talkijg about is , if any of you vivsit my blog . kinda something along the lines of my "peek into my Library" posts . Where you all could choose a book you want to read and post a non spoiler synopsis on the blog and those of us who wanted to would read along.<br />As Jessica states in the email we do want this to be enjoyable for all of us and not to add pressure. So if this sounds like a good change for you vote for the new way when you post your book vote . Just put in your book vote and choose OLD WAY ( for the way we have been doing it ) or NEW WAY ( for Jessicas Idea). I will keep track of the votes and let you know what we have decided for our next endeavor when I tell you what book we have chosen for book 3 .<br /><br /><br /></td></tr><tr hb_tag="1" unselectable="on"><td style="FONT-SIZE: 1pt" height="1" unselectable="on"><div id="hotbar_promo"></div></td></tr></tbody></table>ScottKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08422157930600321995noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-1166587971981535512006-12-19T20:10:00.000-08:002006-12-19T20:12:51.983-08:00What I Did On My Fall VacationI finished the book, and I've added all of my comments to the discussion questions.<br /><br />Overall, I enjoyed the book. Much more than the first one we read.<br /><br />However, as I stated in one of my comments, it seemed like the quality of the book went downhill about halfway through. It seemed like a first attempt at a novel rather than a well written one, which is how I felt during the first half. It just seemed like the book went a tad too long, and I think I stopped caring.<br /><br />I would not have read the book if not for the book club, and I'm glad I did.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-1165870777841722412006-12-11T12:55:00.000-08:002006-12-11T12:59:37.843-08:00Memory Keeper's Daughter: Casting CallIf you were making a movie of The Memory Keeper's Daughter, who would you cast to play:<br /><ul><li>David?</li><li>Norah?</li><li>Caroline?</li><li>Paul?</li><li>Al?</li><li>Rosemary?</li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-1165870547889872822006-12-11T12:54:00.000-08:002006-12-11T12:55:47.900-08:00Memory Keeper's Daughter: Title CharacterWith all of the strong and expertly drawn characters in this novel, why do you suppose Kim Edwards chose just one to be the title character? What is it about Phoebe's story that makes it central?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-1165764450785013082006-12-10T07:26:00.001-08:002006-12-10T07:27:30.786-08:00Memory Keeper's Daughter: The Take-awayAnd finally ... Did you have a favorite moment/quote in the book that really stuck with you? Why?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-1165764390534470332006-12-10T07:26:00.000-08:002006-12-10T07:26:30.536-08:00Memory Keeper's Daughter: No Going BackAt what point was David’s “point of no return” when he could not fix his lie?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-1165764363163095982006-12-10T07:25:00.001-08:002006-12-10T07:26:03.163-08:00Memory Keeper's Daughter: Degrees of GuiltWho do you think is more at fault – David or Caroline?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-1165764328315872582006-12-10T07:25:00.000-08:002006-12-10T07:25:28.316-08:00Memory Keeper's Daughter: Phoebe vs. PaulIn your opinion – who had the better childhood – Phoebe or Paul?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-1165764300158995612006-12-10T07:24:00.000-08:002006-12-10T07:25:00.160-08:00Memory Keeper's Daughter: Page-turner?At what point did the story “have” you? Not have you? Lose you?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-1165764257351885852006-12-10T07:23:00.000-08:002006-12-10T07:24:17.353-08:00Memory Keeper's Daughter: NorahDid Phoebe's "death" make Norah stronger or weaker?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-1165764213420741872006-12-10T07:22:00.000-08:002006-12-10T07:23:33.420-08:00Memory Keeper's Daughter: Then vs. NowDo you think that David and Caroline could have succeeded in keeping his daughter's parentage a secret if she were born today?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-1165764119975546562006-12-10T07:18:00.000-08:002006-12-10T07:21:59.976-08:00Memory Keeper's Daughter: David & NorahIn the beginning of the novel, David instructed his nurse, Caroline, to take his Downs Syndrome-afflicted daughter to an institution without telling his wife, Norah. When Norah awoke, she was told that one of her twins -- a healthy boy named Paul -- had survived, but that their daughter, Phoebe, was dead. This lie sets the entire plot in motion.<br /><br />Did David give Norah any credit to be able to cope? Was he protecting her?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34278010.post-1165763925492234702006-12-10T07:16:00.000-08:002006-12-10T07:18:45.503-08:00Memory Keeper's Daughter: Favorite charactersI thought it might be easier to have a conversation here if all of the questions were separated out and we could fill in comments for each one, or maybe just the ones that "grabbed" us. <br /><br />So, the first question is "who is your favorite character and why?"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3