Stolie's comments - an answer
Stolie posted some questions in the comments section that I think I need to bring to everyone's attention.
Stolie said...
1) Has anyone already volunteered to be the moderator? (Perhaps, ideally, the moderator should be someone who voted for the book right?)
Jenni volunteered to do it if I don't want to, but I'm very happy to moderate, especially the first time around. While I didn't vote for the book, I'm very much looking forward to reading it. On a side note, I just finished The Kite Runner and I'm rather glad that it didn't get chosen. It has some graphic and disturbing parts (I honestly almost put it down and stopped reading it at one point), some really riveting parts, and some totally predictable parts. I wouldn't tell you not to read it, but I don't know that I would gushingly recommend it either.
2) What is the drop dead date by which we should have the entire book read and/or be ready for discussion? I'm a procrastinator; for me, no deadline for task = task won't happen.
Good question. My original idea was that we would read one month, discuss the next. In this scenario, the "drop dead" date would be the last day of February and we would begin discussing in the beginning of March. Anyone have anything to say about that? I'm totally open, but I chose this time frame so that if people are in traditional books clubs, have ultra busy work schedules/lives, or otherwise have little time to devote to the online book club can still participate in this while getting everything else done.
3) This blog / book club is for all of us, right? So, why isn't everyone commenting? ;-) My motives are selfish ... I think I am the only one who doesn't know everyone else, so it would be nice to see comments / discussions on the blog so that we can all get to know each other a bit more before we have to comment on the book. So, to start a tiny bit of discussion, how about a question? Has everyone already bought the book? If not, when are you going to get it? :)
I would LOVE it if everyone would comment! Even if we aren't talking about a book yet! Stolie, you are not alone in not knowing everyone. Even I don't know everyone personally! Kristie is a friend/relative of Jenni and until Jenni said that she would be a good addition, I didn't know a thing about her. Everyone is now listed in the "Contributors" area and I would encourage each of you to visit everyone's profiles. If they have additional blogs (Stolie, Elaine and I all do) take a gander and get to know them that way.
Also, I have bought the book. I had a gift card to Borders (thanks to my Discover Card cash-back bonus award) and we - me and my baby boy - needed to get out for a while. Another reason to have a long lead time on reading books and choosing them early was that if you want to order books online (my husband swears by buy.com for books) then you can choose the slow-boat shipping that's cheap or free and save a little that way. Oh, and has anyone noticed that the book comes with two different covers? On is red and the other blue. I chose red so that it would be easier to find in my disaster of an apartment...
In summary, comment! Tell us about yourself. Here, I'll even get you started:
I joined the Ravenous Readers because...
If I had to choose three books to take with me if I was stranded on an island they would be...
One thing few people know about me is...
I'll comment with answers if you do! :)
Stolie said...
1) Has anyone already volunteered to be the moderator? (Perhaps, ideally, the moderator should be someone who voted for the book right?)
Jenni volunteered to do it if I don't want to, but I'm very happy to moderate, especially the first time around. While I didn't vote for the book, I'm very much looking forward to reading it. On a side note, I just finished The Kite Runner and I'm rather glad that it didn't get chosen. It has some graphic and disturbing parts (I honestly almost put it down and stopped reading it at one point), some really riveting parts, and some totally predictable parts. I wouldn't tell you not to read it, but I don't know that I would gushingly recommend it either.
2) What is the drop dead date by which we should have the entire book read and/or be ready for discussion? I'm a procrastinator; for me, no deadline for task = task won't happen.
Good question. My original idea was that we would read one month, discuss the next. In this scenario, the "drop dead" date would be the last day of February and we would begin discussing in the beginning of March. Anyone have anything to say about that? I'm totally open, but I chose this time frame so that if people are in traditional books clubs, have ultra busy work schedules/lives, or otherwise have little time to devote to the online book club can still participate in this while getting everything else done.
3) This blog / book club is for all of us, right? So, why isn't everyone commenting? ;-) My motives are selfish ... I think I am the only one who doesn't know everyone else, so it would be nice to see comments / discussions on the blog so that we can all get to know each other a bit more before we have to comment on the book. So, to start a tiny bit of discussion, how about a question? Has everyone already bought the book? If not, when are you going to get it? :)
I would LOVE it if everyone would comment! Even if we aren't talking about a book yet! Stolie, you are not alone in not knowing everyone. Even I don't know everyone personally! Kristie is a friend/relative of Jenni and until Jenni said that she would be a good addition, I didn't know a thing about her. Everyone is now listed in the "Contributors" area and I would encourage each of you to visit everyone's profiles. If they have additional blogs (Stolie, Elaine and I all do) take a gander and get to know them that way.
Also, I have bought the book. I had a gift card to Borders (thanks to my Discover Card cash-back bonus award) and we - me and my baby boy - needed to get out for a while. Another reason to have a long lead time on reading books and choosing them early was that if you want to order books online (my husband swears by buy.com for books) then you can choose the slow-boat shipping that's cheap or free and save a little that way. Oh, and has anyone noticed that the book comes with two different covers? On is red and the other blue. I chose red so that it would be easier to find in my disaster of an apartment...
In summary, comment! Tell us about yourself. Here, I'll even get you started:
I joined the Ravenous Readers because...
If I had to choose three books to take with me if I was stranded on an island they would be...
One thing few people know about me is...
I'll comment with answers if you do! :)
posted by MamaChristy at
7:31 AM
12 Comments:
Hi all,
Stolie, thank you so much for taking the initiative on getting us talking. I think I know some of the characters involved here, but not all of them, so I'm eager to learn more about everyone too. I've read all your bios and went in and jazzed mine up too, but nothing beats conversation.
OK, where to begin ...
* Re: moderator. Hooray for Christy for volunteering! I felt like I should offer since I nominated the book, but since this is Christy's brainchild, I'm excited to see how she envisions this working. And Christy -- I TOTALLY agree with you about the Kite Runner. Riveting, but ... disappointing. Didn't you just know that one guy was going to end up being the bad guy in the end? Grrrrr.
* Re: Timeline. I read fast and frequently, so I can go earlier if we're all on that page. I hate for us to lose momentum right off the bat, but I know life is insane for everyone. I defer to the end of Feb., unless everyone votes to move it up. The book itself is only 250pp, so it's not too long. (I say this especially for Kristie's benefit, who will have us all reading 900-page Diana Gabaldon books before this is over.) (I'm not kidding; I bet she's already planning it.)
Re: buying the book ... I think I was the first one! I read a NYT review that intrigued me, and then when I saw it on the shelf, I saw it had a blurb by Alice Sebold, who i adore. If you have not read her, everyone run out right this very minute and get "The Lovely Bones." It's one of my favorites. Haunting. So, I'm hoping for worth-by-association theory that the JABC (Jane Austen Book Club, for future ref) is good as well. (I'm a sucker for blurbs.) And I bought the red copy too -- Yay for us, Christy!
And...
I joined the Ravenous Readers because ... I'm a ravenous reader.
If I had to choose three books to take with me if I was stranded on an island they would be ... Probably Little Women, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and Death on the Nile, by Agatha Christie (my idol). This list is subject to change daily.
One thing few people know about me is... well, if I told you, it'd be out there for everyone, now wouldn't it? (: Like a well-crafted Lorca poem, I prefer to be mysterious until dissected.
Hope to hear from everyone soon. Mea culpa if this is way too long -- jenni
By
JenniNapa, at 1:39 PM
I bought the book this evening at 1/2 price... I also had a Borders Gift card that I got over the holidays, but am "saving" it for something to splurge on.. (yea it was a really nice gift card).
I also bought the one with the red cover,-- they had a blue one, but like Christy, the red one caught my eye.
Jenni - I had to grin about your comment on the Diana Gabaldoon books - I've read many of hers and while some look intimidating with all the pages and pages and pages and... well you know...I find that most are intertaining and a pretty fast read.
I vote for reading one month and discussing the next - end of Feb works for me.
I joined the Ravenous Readers...because I did not have the time while I was at the University to be in a book club (Yea Christy I was envious)but now I do
...because I love love love to read
...because I want to broaden my horizons
Jenni - what is a LOCRA poem?
If I had to choose three books to take with me if I was stranded on an island they would be ... 1. Gone to Far by Suzanne Brockmann, 2. The girls guide to survival on a deserted island (I'm sure there's one out there somewhere) and 3. Webesters Unabriged Dictionary -- it would be a perfect opportunity to expand my vocabulary - that way when I talked to myself I would not get bored... and then once I'm rescued I'd be a super whiz at scrabble.
One thing few people know about me is... I auditioned for OpryLand - twice. Ok, so now more people know, I'll have to do something new.
By
E, at 9:37 PM
I joined the Ravenous Readers because...
- MamaChristy asked me to :)
- I love book clubs
- I'm an avid reader
If I had to choose three books to take with me if I was stranded on an island they would be...
- Getting off Island for Dummies
- Idiot's Guide: Getting of Islands
- How to Kill Animals with Bare Hands: A Book for Beginners.
One thing few people know about me is...
- I was once on a TV game show
- A talent, up-and-coming artist painted a picture of me and it hung in a well-known gallery
- I have an intense fear of death, sometimes.
By
Twanna A. Hines | FUNKYBROWNCHICK.com, at 9:44 PM
You people make me laugh and also make me VERY curious about your secret lives that you lead!
I said I would do it if you would, so here's my go:
I joined the Ravenous Readers because...
Well, I created it and my reasons are in the description of the group on the main page. Though I'm touched that Stolie put that I asked her as her first reason. Tearing... up... *sniff*
If I had to choose three books to take with me if I was stranded on an island they would be...
Why, oh why did I think this was a good question? It's so hard! I guess I would pick:
- The Bible. I'm not a big Bible reader, but I think stranded on an island might encourage me to be a little more faithful. Plus it's long. No reading the same thing over and over too frequently unless I wanted to.
- The Plains of Passage by Jean Auel. I love this series and I could read these books over and over (and have). It's long, I might read about something that I could actually use and, oh, there are some good sex scenes in it, too.
- Peek-a-boo Farm. Because it has a picture of the boy in it.
One thing few people know about me is...
I'm very superstitious in a quiet way.
By
MamaChristy, at 7:36 AM
Stolie - which game show... awe come on you KNOW we are dying of curiosity.
By
E, at 9:49 PM
1) I joined RR to make myself feel smarter than coffee.
2)3 books. anything Harry Potter, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass, The Reader.
3)I have few secrets; I am an open book. I lurk on many a blog.
By
RustyJoy, at 1:58 PM
ET -- okay, okay, I'll come clean. I was a contestant on an MTV dating show and I was an audience member on The Price is Right and on the Jenny Jones Show. :)
By
Twanna A. Hines | FUNKYBROWNCHICK.com, at 10:51 PM
What MTV dating show? I LOVED those in college. Was it the one with Jenny McCarthy as the host? The one with giant amounts of people and they narrowed it down with questions. What was the name of that show? I thought I'd never forget it!
Oh, and did you go on a date with anyone as a result of the show?
I know I'm nosey! So what?
By
MamaChristy, at 7:06 AM
Oh and RustyJoy, you are so much smarter than coffee. You always have been but you know, things seem to have worked out pretty okay considering that you are getting married this year... *mawh*
By
MamaChristy, at 6:40 PM
Boy am I behind already! Kim – I just didn’t want you to feel like you were the last one to post…so I waited for you. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to you.
Hi everybody! This is my first post on my first blog. Ever. I’m so behind in the times, but will catch up shortly – I promise (I hope).
I haven’t gotten the book yet – I’m a pretty quick reader, so I’ll probably wait until the last week so it’s fresh in my brain. I’ll be taking notes like a fiend and ready to go. How exciting! I feel like I’m in school again. We are on for END of February, right?
ET – So…another Gabaldon addict? I’m reading her newest one (Breath of Snow and Ashes) right now (hence the waiting until the last minute to read Jane Austen…have to sip in every second of Jamie & Claire). Love her stuff. We’ll have to combine forces to get The Outlander on the list one month. Jenni invited me into the book club under the one condition that I wouldn’t do that to everyone (hey, I SWEAR 900+ page books are not ALWAYS a bad thing). You’ll see…..
Now on to the questions:
I joined the Ravenous Readers because...
My cousin Jenni told me about it and I figured – hey, that sounds great – sign me up! I’ve got a rather long commute, most of which I’m sitting on a train, so I do a lot of reading anyway. Never been in a book club and never been on a blog – and one of my New Year’s resolutions was to try new things…so…check, check. Here I am!
If I had to choose three books to take with me if I was stranded on an island they would be...
I’ve always wanted to just sit down and read an entire set of encyclopedias. So I’m taking 3 with me on my island. I’m going with “B” for boat, “H” for hunting, and “XYZ”….because seriously…what’s in THAT book?
One thing few people know about me is...
I have always dreamed of laying a big wet kiss on the cheek of Bob Barker. Stolie – hook me up man. Maybe I could win a nice set of encyclopedias.
By
K-Pax, at 6:44 AM
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
By
E, at 3:33 PM
k-pax --
The last D-Gab book I read was the third (I think) in the series -- I don't remember reading the Fiery Cross....BUT since I'm no longer in school I think that it would be crazy fun to "set it up on the schedule..."
Come on ya'll... it'll be fun....(wink & grin).
I've always wondered what was in the xyz encyclopedia, but never took the time to read that.
I suggest we all pick one of the letters x, y, or z.... look something up and then share it here.
Yea, can you tell I'm rested up from the trip.....
LOL
Cheers
(yea, I deleted the comment because I left out the word "last" in the first sentence; so it did not make sense...)
Now we know what happens when you delete a comment.
Cheers!
By
E, at 3:36 PM
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