Bookworm -- Equations' Book Club

bookworm @ 2010-08-14T14:26:00

2010-08-14T21:21:38Z

Hey girls..

So, I know I haven't gotten things up that should have went up. But I just started law school and I've been busy.

Is anyone still interested in the community?
Is anyone interested in helping?

Book Club: Book 6

2010-07-22T00:25:30Z

VOTING IS NOW OVER! Please do not submit any more votes. If you missed the deadline, I'm sorry. :(

Let The Right One In
by John Ajvide Lindqvist

Total Votes in Poll: 2
Total Pages: 480 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Amazon.com Average Rating: 4.3 stars

Summary:
It is autumn 1981 when the inconceivable comes to Blackeberg, a suburb in Sweden. The body of a teenage boy is found, emptied of blood, the murder rumored to be part of a ritual killing. Twelve-year-old Oskar is personally hoping that revenge has come at long last---revenge for the bullying he endures at school, day after day.

But the murder is not the most important thing on his mind. A new girl has moved in next door---a girl who has never seen a Rubik’s Cube before, but who can solve it at once. There is something wrong with her, though, something odd. And she only comes out at night. . . .
Sweeping top honors at film festivals all over the globe, director Tomas Alfredsson’s film of Let the Right One In has received the same kind of spectacular raves that have been lavished on the book. American readers of vampire fiction will be thrilled!

Other Information

You have the next 4 weeks to acquire and read this book. On August 18 the discussion post will be open and we will start our next Book Club book. The discussion post will officially close after two weeks, but if you're in the middle of discussing an aspect of the book with another person, you're allowed to post as much as you want within it. The suggestions post for the next book will be posted on August 4 so mark your calendars! We plan on having both the suggestions post and voting post done before August 11.

Please understand that the date we start a particular book is not the date you must buy it. Remember, you have 4 weeks to read each book in preparation for the discussion post. If you want to buy the book right away and read it in one sitting, that's fine. It's equally as fine if you want to wait until the last week and buy and read it then. We will plan on having at least one full week before the actual start date of a book in which you will know what the book is and be able to purchase it, but the way you go about this is entirely up to you. I'm only bringing this up because a couple of people have expressed confusion about whether they'll have time to get the book and read it before the discussions.

If anyone has any questions please let us know!

ALSO! Take pictures with your book and post them to this post and I will add them to the layout!
The discussion post for A Study In Scarlet will start on the 27th. Please suggest questions for that here.

Voting Post #6

2010-07-18T18:34:36Z

Rules for voting: All comments are screened. Please comment with the number of the book you're voting for. Absolutely do not vote for the book you suggested. If you do, your vote will not count. Also, you may not vote if you have not posted your introduction post yet.

Voting will stay open until July 20th.

If the book you suggested is not chosen for this round you may nominate it up to three times for the following books we read.

Book 1: Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
448 pages
Summary: Tender Morsels is a dark and vivid story, set in two worlds and worrying at the border between them. Liga lives modestly in her own personal heaven, a world given to her in exchange for her earthly life. Her two daughters grow up in this soft place, protected from the violence that once harmed their mother. But the real world cannot be denied forever—magicked men and wild bears break down the borders of Liga’s refuge. Now, having known Heaven, how will these three women survive in a world where beauty and brutality lie side by side?

Book 2: The Girl She Used To Be by David Cristofano
272 pages
Summary: When Melody Grace McCartney was six years old, she and her parents witnessed an act of violence so brutal that it changed their lives forever. The federal government lured them into the Witness Protection Program with the promise of safety, and they went gratefully. But the program took Melody's name, her home, her innocence, and, ultimately, her family. She's been May Adams, Karen Smith, Anne Johnson, and countless others--everyone but the one person she longs to be: herself. So when the feds spirit her off to begin yet another new life in another town, she's stunned when a man confronts her and calls her by her real name. Jonathan Bovaro, the mafioso sent to hunt her down, knows her, the real her, and it's a dangerous thrill that Melody can't resist. He's insistent that she's just a pawn in the government's war against the Bovaro family. But can she trust her life and her identity to this vicious stranger whose acts of violence are legendary?

Book 3: Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
480 pages
Summary: It is autumn 1981 when the inconceivable comes to Blackeberg, a suburb in Sweden. The body of a teenage boy is found, emptied of blood, the murder rumored to be part of a ritual killing. Twelve-year-old Oskar is personally hoping that revenge has come at long last---revenge for the bullying he endures at school, day after day.

But the murder is not the most important thing on his mind. A new girl has moved in next door---a girl who has never seen a Rubik’s Cube before, but who can solve it at once. There is something wrong with her, though, something odd. And she only comes out at night. . . .
Sweeping top honors at film festivals all over the globe, director Tomas Alfredsson’s film of Let the Right One In has received the same kind of spectacular raves that have been lavished on the book. American readers of vampire fiction will be thrilled!

Suggestion Post #6

2010-07-13T23:50:34Z

First...
If you're reading A Study in Scarlett please suggest discussion questions in this post, as well as suggesting a new book.

Suggesting a new book:

All comments will be screened. Comment with the name and author of your book choice. The book must not be more than 600 pages. Once we have a suggestion from everyone, we will put up a Voting Post. The book can be of any genre, but it must be widely available. Something your Aunt Bertha wrote and self-published wouldn't be easily acquired by everyone in the community and should not be suggested, regardless of how amazing you think it is. Please submit only one book suggestion. If you need help with finding out how many pages are in your book, Amazon offers all the information necessary.

You may suggest books until July 16th, at which point we will put up the voting post to decide which of the suggestions will be read.

And don't forget! You can review other books you're reading! Check out how to do that in the sidebar.

Brave New World Discussion

2010-07-06T23:55:02Z

1. There are two portions to the survey below.
2. Completing the top half of the survey (which is pretty much just basic questions) gives you 10 points.
3. Answering any of the questions in the bottom half of the survey gives you 10 more points.
4. You are not limited to one response and are encouraged to respond to other members' comments and engage in conversation.

Top Half

a. What was your favorite part of Brave New World?
b. What was your least favorite part of Brave New World?
c. How many stars would you rate this book?
d. Were there any quotes that stuck out to you? Why?

1. What is the meaning of the World State’s motto “COMMUNITY, IDENTITY, STABILITY?"

2. How does time work in this book? History? Why does Ford say “History is Bunk?”

3. Why are strong emotions dangerous? Family relationships? Romance? Religion? Art? Culture?

4. Why doesn’t Lenina like their Indian guide?

5. Why isn’t death terrible for those in the civilized world? What does this mean for the individual?

6. What is John’s conception of slavery and freedom? Manhood? Liberty?

7. What role does the individual play in this society? How is that individual defined? (both in this story and in your society)

8. What would you consider to be a utopia?

Book Club: Book 5

2010-06-30T03:16:53Z

VOTING IS NOW OVER! Please do not submit any more votes. If you missed the deadline, I'm sorry. :(

A Study In Scarlet
by Arthur Conan Doyle

Total Votes in Poll: 2
Total Pages: 112 pages
Publisher: HardPress Publishing
Amazon.com Average Rating: 4.2 stars

Summary:
In the debut of literature's most famous sleuth, a dead man is discovered in a bloodstained room in Brixton. The only clues are a wedding ring, a gold watch, a pocket edition of Boccaccio's Decameron, and a word scrawled in blood on the wall. With this investigation begins the partnership of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Their search for the murderer uncovers a story of love and revenge-and heralds a franchise of detective mysteries starring the formidable Holmes.

Other Information

You have the next 4 weeks to acquire and read this book. On July 27 the discussion post will be open and we will start our next Book Club book. The discussion post will officially close after two weeks, but if you're in the middle of discussing an aspect of the book with another person, you're allowed to post as much as you want within it. The suggestions post for the next book will be posted on July 13 so mark your calendars! We plan on having both the suggestions post and voting post done before July 20.

Please understand that the date we start a particular book is not the date you must buy it. Remember, you have 4 weeks to read each book in preparation for the discussion post. If you want to buy the book right away and read it in one sitting, that's fine. It's equally as fine if you want to wait until the last week and buy and read it then. We will plan on having at least one full week before the actual start date of a book in which you will know what the book is and be able to purchase it, but the way you go about this is entirely up to you. I'm only bringing this up because a couple of people have expressed confusion about whether they'll have time to get the book and read it before the discussions.

If anyone has any questions please let us know!

ALSO! Take pictures with your book and post them to this post and I will add them to the layout!
The discussion post for Brave New World will start on the 6th. Hopefully I'll have it up on time, but I'm currently in Ohio after driving here from Ohio and by the 6th I might be back in the car driving west again. But.. I will have internet access in hotel rooms, so we'll see what I can do!

Suggestion Post #5

2010-06-23T23:09:48Z

IF YOU ARE READING BRAVE NEW WORLD WILL YOU LET ME KNOW?
I want to know what the participation is looking like, or if we should just call it a day and forget this.

Suggesting a new book:

All comments will be screened. Comment with the name and author of your book choice. The book must not be more than 600 pages. Once we have a suggestion from everyone, we will put up a Voting Post. The book can be of any genre, but it must be widely available. Something your Aunt Bertha wrote and self-published wouldn't be easily acquired by everyone in the community and should not be suggested, regardless of how amazing you think it is. Please submit only one book suggestion. If you need help with finding out how many pages are in your book, Amazon offers all the information necessary.

You may suggest books until June 26th, at which point we will put up the voting post to decide which of the suggestions will be read.

And don't forget! You can review other books you're reading! Check out how to do that in the sidebar.

bookworm @ 2010-05-10T15:57:00

2010-05-10T22:53:46Z

No one suggested a book to read for the next round! Are you guys all busy? Want to take a break? Let me know what's up.

bookworm @ 2010-03-14T16:43:00

2010-03-14T20:53:59Z

INTRODUCTION

You

Name: Kate Colvin
Age: 21
Location: Savannah, GA
Anything Else? (Anything about yourself that is not book-related can go here.)

Books

Which genres do you enjoy? no idea, lots of em, fantasy?
Which don't you enjoy? mystery murder dramas, long boring "classic" books. Grapes of wrath made my want to stab myself honestly.
The last book you finished reading: Rant by Chuck P
What you're reading right now: I just bought Diary by Chuck P because I went all around looking for Mr. Y and no one had it and I need a book for my drive home tonight.
What is your "desert island" book? Goddamn it, I don't know!
What is your reading speed? Very fast. I usually don't stop reading until I've finished a book. I hate that nagging incomplete feeling.
Who are your 3 favorite authors? Joey Comeau, Chuck P, Charlaine Harris (lol)
Are there any books you've been "meaning to" read, but haven't gotten around to? Uhhhh I've had Hello To The Cannibals in my bookshelf forever but i havent read it, the last two harry p books lol ive been lazyyyy
List five books/series you love:
1. Trueblood u.u (its embarrassing but i really do absolutely love it)
2. Wicked, I've read them and I hate the last one that was out but I love them
3. I love Too Late To Say I'm Sorry, I know they're short stories but it might be my favorite.
4. I read the mists of avalon for the first time in 4th grade, that book is about a thousand pages lol. I've re-read it like three times but I adore it.
5. My brain is blank

Image
One picture for the members' page: This computer isn't letting me right click right now, ill have to link you later, ladies, sorry. its also not letting me make this entry members only but i will fix it when i get on my own computer later! love you nerds <3

Mod Post

2010-03-13T00:11:31Z

We need member opinions! whiskey and I have been talking about implementing a points system and we feel that it would be a fun way to spur activity and involvement. We have a few ideas here, but we'd love to hear some of yours. Can you think of anything else we can do to earn points or anything else we can spend them on? Please let us know!

Earn points by...

1. Participating in the Discussion Post ( Questionnaire! )
2. Taking a photo of yourself with the book of the month (Past books will not earn any points, this must be done with the current book)
3. Suggesting a book in each Suggestions Post

Spend points on...

1. Your vote counting twice in a New Book Poll
2. Being able to 'buy out' that month's book choice (Book must have an average score of 3.5 on Amazon.com for this option)
3. Suggesting a book with more than the alotted number of pages allowed

We still haven't figured out how many points will be awarded / taken for each thing, but we will soon! Please post any suggestions you have at all. =)

Book Club : Book 1

2010-03-12T23:55:05Z

VOTING IS NOW OVER! Please do not submit any more votes. If you missed the deadline, I'm sorry.

The End of Mr. Y
by Scarlett Thomas

Total Votes in Poll: 3
Total Pages: 416 pages
Publisher: Harvest Books
Amazon.com Average Rating: 3.96 Stars

Summary:
A cursed book. A missing professor. Some nefarious men in gray suits. And a dreamworld called the Troposphere?

Ariel Manto has a fascination with nineteenth-century scientists—especially Thomas Lumas and The End of Mr. Y, a book no one alive has read. When she mysteriously uncovers a copy at a used bookstore, Ariel is launched into an adventure of science and faith, consciousness and death, space and time, and everything in between.

Seeking answers, Ariel follows in Mr. Y’s footsteps: She swallows a tincture, stares into a black dot, and is transported into the Troposphere—a wonderland where she can travel through time and space using the thoughts of others. There she begins to understand all the mysteries surrounding the book, herself, and the universe. Or is it all just a hallucination?

With The End of Mr. Y, Scarlett Thomas brings us another fast-paced mix of popular culture, love, mystery, and irresistible philosophical adventure.

Other Information:

You have the next 4 weeks to acquire and read this book. On April 9 the discussion post will be open and we will start our next Book Club book. The discussion post will officially close after two weeks, but if you're in the middle of discussing an aspect of the book with another person, you're allowed to post as much as you want within it. The suggestions post for the next book will be posted on March 26 so mark your calendars! We plan on having both the suggestions post and voting post done before April 2.

We will also be allowing individual posts if something hasn't been covered in the questionnaire. If there's something important you feel needs discussing, please don't be shy. We do ask that you make sure it's not been brought up elsewhere, however. Cluttering the community with repeated posts doesn't do any good! :) We will allow you to post these things at your own discretion. If you feel that something is important, go ahead! It's not necessary to run it by anyone else. This community is for fun, learning and sharing wonderful books with each other! Please don't feel limited or

Please understand that the date we start a particular book is not the date you must buy it. Remember, you have 4 weeks to read each book in preparation for the discussion post. If you want to buy the book right away and read it in one sitting, that's fine. It's equally as fine if you want to wait until the last week and buy and read it then. We will plan on having at least one full week before the actual start date of a book in which you will know what the book is and be able to purchase it, but the way you go about this is entirely up to you. I'm only bringing this up because a couple of people have expressed confusion about whether they'll have time to get the book and read it before the discussions.