Newsletter for The Happy Bookers Club, July 4^th, 2013

Just wanted to send one quick message out to everyone concerning the book choice for September’s return meeting.  If you were at Casona’s last month, you already know the book we decided to reunite with is The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. A deeply evocative story of ambition and betrayal, The Paris Wife captures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between two unforgettable people: Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.

Some of us have read this selection and it is an adventurous peek at the marriage of Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Haddy.  The story is told through her eyes and I believe, using her journals as reference as to give an authentic and personal account of their time together.  I also think it is a good summer read.

 One more thing:  I’d like to make the suggestion of reading The Great Bridge, by David McCullough.  Since it is 608 pages, I would recommend it for November’s choice:

Summary:  John Roebling, a German immigrant who pioneered suspension bridge design and wire cable manufacturing, envisioned and sketched a bridge across the East River from Brooklyn to Manhattan.  Roebling had his toe crushed by a boat pushing up against a New York pier and died from tetanus.  His son Washington (“young Roebling”), a Civil War hero, completed the design and supervised construction of the bridge between 1869 and 1883.  Washington Roebling was almost killed and suffered decades of impairment to his personality and lifestyle by a case of decompression illness or “the bends”.  He ended his days managing the family’s very successful wire and cable manufacturing business.
The author is probably best known for his doorstop biography of President Truman, but in this book, he tells a quintessential American story: how the Brooklyn Bridge came to be. There had been talk of a bridge over the East River for about as long as there were people on either side of it, but it was thought to be an absurd, impossible idea until John Roebling figured out how to span the busy, turbulent waterway. "I haven't been able to drive past or fly over the bridge the same way since," says  Art Williams. "We're often in a big hurry and we make cell phone calls in cars as we pass over it, but it seems a sacrilege to me now to do anything but stop and give this bridge its due.”

Thanks for all your support and friendship over the years, enjoy your summer time and stay safe, healthy and cool!

Let’s discuss,  Joyce

Just learning how to "blog"!  Here are updates and incites on how to be a great boo club!

The Facilitator's Handy List of Ground Rules, Guidelines and Everything Else

·         Choose a theme

·         Select titles

·         Schedule meeting place and dates

·         Order the books EARLY if using interlibrary-loan. Give readers at least two weeks with the book.

·         Gather author information and reviews of books to share with group

·         Put together a list of works by the author and similar titles

·         READ THE BOOK

·         Always be prepared to lead the discussion

During the meeting

Begin the discussion no more than 5-10 minutes after scheduled time.

Take time to make introductions—you never know when you’ll have a new face and usually the only person in the room who knows everybody is you.

Icebreakers: Any one of the following should get the conversation started.

1.    Ask each reader to answer the question, “Did you like the book?” during introductions. Once introductions are over, you will have enough comments to get the discussion off to a good start.

2.    Ask each reader to choose one word that describes the book.

3.    Ask each reader if this is a book similar to what they usually read or not.

Discussion guidelines for participants

Interruptions — There will always be someone who breaks in while another person is speaking. Most interrupting during discussion is due to enthusiasm rather than rudeness. Control the interruptions by saying, “Hold that thought, Sheryl. We’ll want to hear it again once Angie has finished.”

Monopolizing Conversation — Cut in on a longwinded group member with, “That’s an interesting point you just made. Did anyone else get the same impression or a different one?” “You’ve made some interesting points, Terri. Let’s hear from another reader. Kimberlee? What did you think?”

Keeping the group on the topic of the book — Try not to let readers wander and bring them back if they do. Comments such as, “Let’s get back to the end of chapter 4. What did you think at this point?” “I have a question about the situation on page 125. What’s really happening here?”

Listen carefully to what is said by participants — Rephrase a reader’s comments or question to be sure you and others understand what was meant. This is an especially necessary technique when dealing with a verbose participant.

Allow everyone the chance to contribute to the discussion — Engage silent readers by posing open-ended questions directly. But don’t badger the participants who really don’t want to participate. They may not have finished the book and don’t want to admit it. Try asking, “What did you like/dislike about the book, David?”

Remind everyone of the next meeting time and title of next book — Always have extra copies of the book group flyer on hand.

Have copies of the next book available for readers — Make sure the next book in the series is always available at the meeting preceding its discussion.

Have copies of reviews, author information and/or readalike lists for group members — If time allows during the discussion, keep a running list of books readers recommend which are like the one just finished. At the end of the series, compile all the recommendations and hand it out to the participants. These book lists are also great sources for a revival series if a theme has been especially well received.

Facilitator guidelines

As the facilitator, think of yourself as a literary umpire. It’s your job to make sure everyone has the opportunity to respectfully share their opinions of the selection with the group. You do not have to agree or disagree with every statement made by a reader. Turn issues back to the group by asking, “Does everyone agree with David’s comment?”

10 questions which will help generate discussion:

1.    How does the title reflect the book?

2.    Which character do you think is the voice of the author?

3.    Is the main character likeable? Why or why not?

4.    Did the author leave loose ends? What were they?

5.    What do you think the author wanted the reader to get out of the book?

6.    What makes a minor character memorable? Why is this character important to the story?

7.    What do you think happens to the characters next? (after the last page is turned)

8.    Would you recommend this book? Why or why not? If yes, what would you say about it?

9.    Why was this book selected for discussion?

10.  Would this book make a good movie? (cast the film)

Further questions for discussion

1.    What makes the book distinctive?

2.    Is the period in which the book is set important to the theme? Why? Are the values presented dated? How?

3.    Is the setting of the book important to the theme? Why? How realistic is the setting?

4.    Does the theme of the book relate to the protagonist's gender? How?

5.    What did the author attempt to do in the book? Was it successful?

6.    What is the author's worldview?

7.    Were the plot and subplots believable? Were they interesting?

8.    Did the author leave loose ends? What were they?

9.    How understandable were the motivations of the characters? What motivated the behavior of the characters?

10.  How is the book structured? Flashbacks? From one point of view? Why do you think the author chose to write the book this way?

11.  How does the language of the book help convey the theme?

12.  Does the author rely heavily on imagery and symbolism?

Talking about a book no one liked

Don’t be alarmed if all your readers come to the discussion announcing how much they hated the book, the characters, the writing, the subject, EVERYTHING. Books no one liked often provide the best discussion. Ask the following questions to get people talking about what they didn’t like about the book:

1.    At what point did you decide to give up on the book and why?

2.    What made you keep reading to the end?

3.    Which character did you dislike the most?

4.    Are any of the situations in this book realistic?

5.    Does the dialogue sound natural?

6.    What could the author have changed to make this a book you would have enjoyed?

7.    Would this book have been better in another format? (i.e. as an audiocassette or film)

If the idea of acting as group facilitator isn’t one you cherish (and you still want a book group in your library), consider asking the group members to take turns. If the members balk at taking on the role, look around your community for “visiting” facilitators. Good people to ask would be teachers, local college faculty, bookstore workers, the people who regularly give programs to study clubs, other librarians, etc.

When you have to wing it as the facilitator

Read at least two reviews. Read some author background. Keep discussion focused on the group’s reactions and opinions. Ask the questions from the list printed above.

Compiled by Kaite Mediatore Stover, Head of Readers’ Services, Kansas City Public Library.

 

 

The Happy Bookers 3 Month Reads for Sept, Oct, Nov, 2012

While on summer break, here are some suggested reads from our fellow Bookers and our collective choices for when we return together in September, 2012:

June 28^th, 2012

Happy Hot Summer Bookers,  I wanted to get this information to you as soon as possible and hope this clarifies our schedule for you.

Here is the definitive report (please keep for reference) from our last meeting, which includes our discussion on suggestions for summer reading and on our chosen reads for September, October and November when we return after our break.  Of course, a book(s) of your own choosing is also cherished hearing about from all of us and was suggested a “book report” would be delightful to share! 

Here are three suggestions given for summer reading:

(1)

11-22-63 by Steven King

On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy died, and the world changed forever.

If you had the chance to change the course of history, would you?
Would the consequences be worth it?
Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students—a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night 50 years ago when Harry Dunning’s father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk.

Not much later, Jake’s friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane—and insanely possible—mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake’s life—a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time. Explore the Possibilities

(2)

Over five years in the writing,

The Dovekeepers is Alice Hoffman’s most ambitious and mesmerizing novel, a tour de force of imagination and research, set in ancient Israel.

In 70 C.E., nine hundred Jews held out for months against armies of Romans on Masada, a mountain in the Judean desert. According to the ancient historian Josephus, two women and five children survived. Based on this tragic and iconic event, Hoffman’s novel is a spellbinding tale of four extraordinarily bold, resourceful, and sensuous women, each of whom has come to Masada by a different path. Yael’s mother died in childbirth, and her father, an expert assassin, never forgave her for that death. Revka, a village baker’s wife, watched the horrifically brutal murder of her daughter by Roman soldiers; she brings to Masada her young grandsons, rendered mute by what they have witnessed. Aziza is a warrior’s daughter, raised as a boy, a fearless rider and an expert marksman who finds passion with a fellow soldier. Shirah, born in Alexandria, is wise in the ways of ancient magic and medicine, a woman with uncanny insight and power.

The lives of these four complex and fiercely independent women intersect in the desperate days of the siege. All are dove keepers, and all are also keeping secrets—about who they are, where they come from, who fathered them, and whom they love.

The Dovekeepers is Alice Hoffman’s masterpiece.

(3)

50 Shades of Grey by E. L. James

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

Erotic, amusing, and deeply moving, the Fifty Shades Trilogy is a tale that will obsess you, possess you, and stay with you forever.

This book is intended for mature audiences.

Ah, so sorry if I am offending anyone here, but I read all three (thanks to Alicia for use of her Kindle) and felt compelled to send a quick review to Amazon…

Are you kidding me...., June 26, 2012?

By Joyce Herrman (Haddon Heights, NJ, US)

This review is from: Fifty Shades of Grey (Paperback)

I just finished reading all three "books"...is this a joke? It reads like an eighth grader wrote it. I can not believe the hype over this story. How is it that we as a reading collective have come to see this as enticing? I was hoping to be wowed and sensually stimulated. All I got was tedious, childlike clipped conversation between two completely implausible characters on meaningless, boring topics...nothing researched, just childlike "script" writing. Such a major disappointment, but I’m sure it will sell in the movies

Ahem…on to our choices for the next three months:

(1)For September 11^th, 2012 our book will be

 Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood.  Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared.  It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard.  So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini.  In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails.  As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile.  But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater.  Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion.  His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit.  Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

(2)October 9^th, 2012’s Selection:

The Other Life by Ellen Hicter

What if you could return to the road not taken?

Happily married with a young son and another child on the way, Quinn Braverman has the perfect life. She also has an ominous secret. Every time she makes a major life decision, she knows an alternative reality exists in which she made the opposite choice-not only that, she knows how to cross over. But even in her darkest moments-like her mother's suicide-Quinn hasn't been tempted to visit . . . until she receives shattering news about the baby she's carrying.

Desperate to escape her grief, Quinn slips through the portal that leads to her other life: the life in which she stayed with her exciting but neurotic ex- boyfriend, and is childless. The life in which-as she is amazed to discover-her mother is still very much alive.

Quinn is soon forced to make an impossible choice. Will she stay with the family she loves and face the painful challenges that lie ahead? Or will a more carefree life-and the primal lure of being with her mother-pull her into her other life for good?

This gripping emotional journey is both shocking and poignant . . . as the bonds of love are put to the ultimate test.

And closing our 3 month in advance book selection for

(3)November 13^th, 2012 our read will be:

The Healing by Jonathan O’Dell

"Compelling, tragic, comic, tender and mystical... Combines the historical significance of Kathryn Stockett's The Help with the wisdom of Toni Morrison's Beloved." —Minneapolis Star Tribune
Rich in mood and atmosphere, The Healing is a warmhearted novel about the unbreakable bonds between three generations of female healers and their power to restore the body, the spirit, and the soul.

In Antebellum Mississippi, Granada Satterfield has the mixed fortune to be born on the same day that her plantation mistress's daughter, Becky, dies of cholera. Believing that the newborn possesses some of her daughter's spirit, the Mistress Amanda adopts Granada, dolling her up in Becky's dresses and giving her a special place in the family despite her husband's protests. But when The Master brings a woman named Polly Shine to help quell the debilitating plague that is sweeping through the slave quarters, Granada's life changes. For Polly sees something in the young girl, a spark of "The Healing," and a domestic battle of wills begins, one that will bring the two closer but that will ultimately lead to a great tragedy. And seventy-five years later, Granada, still living on the abandoned plantation long after slavery ended, must revive the buried memories before history repeats itself.

Inspirational and suspenseful, The Healing is the kind of historical fiction readers can’t put down—and can’t wait to recommend once they’ve finished.

"A remarkable rite-of-passage novel with an unforgettable character. . . . The Healing transcends any clichés of the genre with its captivating, at times almost lyrical, prose; its firm grasp of history; vivid scenes; and vital, fully realized people, particularly the slaves with their many shades of color and modes of survival." —The Associated Press

Enjoy your summer reading, Ladies…I’ll be following up with more information in a week or two!

And, as always...let's discuss...

our latest notes

Good Morning Bookers!

Before we discuss our next book and meeting place, I want to thank Dorothy S. for giving us the following information regarding three FREE outings beginning this month and continuing through May.

First and most importantly: 

A wonderful offer of a free lunch and seminar on the scandalous shenanigans of our Colonialists brought to life by our very own Dorothy Stanaitis.  This luncheon will be given by the Women’s Club of Haddon Heights at the Borough Hall on Friday afternoon, January 20^th, 2012.  Please confirm by calling Phyllis Eisner at 546-0935.

Second FREE Event:

A hump day evening out to meet Jennifer Egan, author of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Visit from the Goon Squad (soon to be an HBO series).  Ms. Egan will be at the Rutgers – Camden Campus Center, main level, Multi-Purpose Room on Wednesday, January 25^th between 7 and 8 p.m.  For more information contact Doreen Wheeler at 856 225 6349 or dwheeler@camden.rutgers.edu. 

This event is part of the Rutgers-Camden MFA Visiting Writers Program, which attracts established and emerging novelists, poets, and creative nonfiction writers to southern New Jersey.  For more info, visit: mfa.camden.rutgers.edu/visitors_2011.html   Please note that the campus is very secure and these programs are a wonderful respite from the daily week schedule, a “must visit at least once” night out.

Our third FREEBIE:

Free Library of Philadelphia Author Events!  Here is another opportunity to see and greet the talented authors that affect our lives in politics, memoirs, and novels.  Some of these events are ticketed only and require your immediate attention if you wish to go.  Tickets go on sale Thursday, January 12^th at 10 am at freelibrary.org/authorevents or 800-595-4849.  Flexible subscription packages available Call 215-567-4341 for details.

Again, for the full schedule and author info visit freelibrary.org/authorevents.  All events begin at 7:30 pm, unless noted.  Doors open 45 minutes prior to event start time.

Now, our discussion from last night on Decembers choice, ROOM by Emma Donague, it would seem that it lived up to our clubs criteria in which having enough thought provoking moments to encourage an ongoing discussion.

That said I felt it tiresome and irritating that the narration of the whole book be from a 5 year old, no matter how precocious and clever.  I felt it cheated the reader of the ability to feel more for all the players.  I wanted to have a richer experience from the author, but I do understand her purpose for keeping the boy the lone expressionist.  It is not a topic I would have picked, but, admittedly, was richer for the experience.  Unfortunately, humanity on our own can find ways to cocoon within parameters that can be reclusive and damaging and I also think of areas of the world in which children are slaves, women held in bondage (just as Ma pointed out) and realize just how strong we are to not only survive but learn and grow from these horrendous infringes of freedom to be just human and live a healthy life.  You can’t deny free will.

As for our February book, it will be one of several.  We discussed and decided the next book will be a biography and settled on Earth Kitt.  Thanks and kudos to Dottie Wild for making a great suggestion:  Let’s read different books on her.  I love that idea; however, I am not finding any books that anyone has written on her, just four that she penned herself.  Here they are for your review:

                   Alone with Me (1976)

                   I’m Still Here:  Confessions of a Sex Kitten (1-1-1989)

                   Confessions of a Sex Kitten (9-1991)

                   Rejuvenate:  It’s Never Too Late (w/Tonya Bolden 2001)

If you find any other books, please let us know so we can research.

As for February’s  meeting place:  Once I putted Book back on Shelf, I thoughted and thinked it better to go three blocks and turnd left as Ma says we need to get Out and Eat Some.  Kathie and Ma Booker Lady says Some is Good at IndiBlue in place called Collingswood.  If All like this we can hippity hop like Runaway Bunny and meet at 6 p.m. on DayTues, Valentines Day, February 14^th, 2012.

Translation:  Our next meeting will be at IndiBlue, a wonderful, not hit you over the head, style Indian Cuisine on

Collins Avenue

in Collingswood.  The second Tuesday of the month happens to be Valentines Day, so if you want to change to first or third (remember:  February is short month) we can do that too. 

So, here’s what we have to do:  everyone expecting to attend next month, give date of choice if want to change as maybe some of us are lucky enough to be on a date with their valentine that night…let’s discuss…

Joyce, Ma Booker