Book Club Girl

1 Day Left to Win Gifts from L'Occitane and a Call from Sena Jeter Naslund to Your Book Group!

There's one day left to enter the Abundance reading group contest for a chance to win a call from author Sena Jeter Naslund to your reading group to discuss Abundance plus gifts from L'Occitane! These boxes from my favorite hand cream store have kept our offices smelling so lovely, but it's time to dole out the prizes. The contest ends at midnight EST on Friday, 11/20/07, so enter now by emailing Abundance AT harpercollins DOT com.

Prize Details:
One Grand Prize winning Reading Group will receive a phone call from author Sena Jeter Naslund to their reading group plus L'Occitane Gift boxes and signed paperback copies of Abundance. (*maximum of 12 gift boxes and 12 books).

Five First Prize winning Reading Groups will receive L'Occitane gifts and signed paperback copies of Abundance (maximum of 12 books per winning group).

Ten Second Prize winning Reading Groups will receive signed paperback copies of Abundance. (maximum of 12 books per winning group).

Contest Rules.

My Book Group Met Last Night to Discuss Diana Gabaldon's Outlander

My book group met last night to discuss Outlander, the first in Diana Gabaldon's epic 6 book series. We were a pretty divided group on the book, some liked, some loved and some were very frustrated by it. The one member who has read the entire series defended it staunchly and I agreed with her that it's a sweeping love story in which you can learn a whole lot about the history of England, Scotland and Europe, and that if you let yourself go, you can lose yourself in the time frame and the entire saga.

We also voted on our next pick and the choices were (and yes, we broke our rule to not include a book we'd already voted against twice, faithful readers will know which one):
The Secret History by Donna Tartt -- this reminded me of my first year in publishing, when this was a breakout bestseller
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Love in the Time of Cholera -- Oprah's recent pick and the basis for the forthcoming film
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah -- watch the author video at the link

The winner was Eat, Pray, Love -- at last -- and I'm really looking forward to finally reading it. We have two months to read as our next meeting will be our holiday celebration. We decided to forego the restaurant this year and instead have everyone bring appetizers and desserts over to one member's house so we can hang out as long as want and not have to worry about waiters shooing us out. And of course we'll have our Yankee Swap -- with $15 gift maximum, so I better find some to start posting.

Here are resources for Eat, Pray, Love:
Excerpt
Author Interview
Author Podcast
Gilbert Talking with a Borders Book Group

A book I can't stop thinking about

Something happened today that made me remember Michael Cunningham's beautiful novel, The Hours. In his Pulitzer prize winner Cunningham examines and illuminates love and loss --between lovers, friends, and mothers and sons. I did not read this in book club, but would love to sometime, as I think the conversation would be intense, revealing, and perhaps, therapeutic. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it, and the film adaptation with Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman and Ed Harris is amazing.
Here is an excerpt
Praise
Reading Group Guide

Book Club Girl's Holiday Gifts Under $50 - Gifts #2 and 3

In honor of Cyber Monday, here are links to gifts #2 and 3 in my "recommended for reading group members holiday gift guide." No book club girl's home library is complete without that uber librarian herself, Nancy Pearl (who I've lauded in the past here).

While we can't all have Nancy as a personal librarian to recommend books to us, we can all have her in our library in the form of her very own action figure. You can buy the deluxe version for $12.95, which comes complete in a library diorama with a reference desk, computer, book cart, multiple book stacks and some loose books. Press the button on her back for the infamous "amazing shushing action!" The original action figure can be had for a mere $8.95 and comes with books, bookmarks and still has the amazing shushing action. Both are available at Archie McPhee, a fine site for all your holiday shopping.

Why Do You Read?

Motoko Rich muses on what motivates readers and the future of reading in America here.

Book Club Girl's Holiday Gifts Under $50 -- Gift #1

Since the stores have decided the Holiday shopping season has already started (I believe this was on Halloween) I've decided I should recommend some great gifts for book club girls. So, welcome to the first of the multi-part "Book Club Girl's Gifts Under $50" series. These will all be unique and affordable gifts for the bookish friends in your life, not to mention your fellow reading group members.

OK, first up, in honor of banned books, the ALA sells two cool bracelets, which each retail for $18.00. The adult bracelet (the size of a cuff bracelet) features the covers of The Color Purple, Howl, Go Ask Alice, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, To Kill A Mockingbird, and Annie on My Mind. The adult-size children's books bracelet features the covers of The Adventures of Captain Underpants, King & King, Annie on My Mind, To Kill A Mockingbird, In the Night Kitchen, Athletic Shorts, and Blubber.

To kick off the series, I'm offering one free adult bracelet to one lucky winner (randomly chosen) who emails me and tells me how their book group celebrates the holidays. My group goes out to dinner every December and does a Yankee Swap (the rules of which were seriously flaunted last year, so I link to them here for anyone (and you know who you are) who may need them).

Win a Set of Young Adult Books!

Because I love young adult fiction and still find Betsy-Tacy better therapy than a pint of ice cream, here's a link to win a set of YA books--tell your favorite YA book clubber about it. All the books are recommended in The Kids Book Club Book, from the authors of The Book Club Cookbook. The blog throwing this contest is pretty great too. It's written by Cynthia Leitich Smith, an author of fiction for young readers who I now plan to check out!

The Other Boleyn Girl Trailer is Here!

Finally! The long-awaited trailer for the film adaptation of Philippa Gregory's book group favorite The Other Boleyn Girl, starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johannson and Eric Bana, is here! Looks like it's going to be terrific.

Live from the National Book Awards

OK, well not exactly live, since they happened last night, but here's the report from our publisher, who was in black-tie attendance at the big show (she did not wear an actual black tie, you'll be relieved to know):

Well! The National Book Awards is arguably the 'biggest awards night' in the book industry. It's a big, black-tie dinner where the wine flows and lamb is served.

Fran Lebowitz, our host, is a very, very funny person. As always, quick, sharp and smart. An excellent MC.

On with the awards...

Michael Cunningham presented Joan Didion, who won the NBA for The Year of Magical Thinking only two years ago, an honorary medal for her lifetime of work. Didion remarked on the recent passing of icon Norman Mailer. She said "now he was someone who really knew what writing was for."

Ira Glass presented an honorary medal to Terry Gross. And then...the awards...

The crowd favorite, Sherman Alexie, won for young adult for his novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Alexie gave an emotional speech, reciting poetry and thanking writers such as Ezra Jack Keats.

Robert Hass, who won the prize for poetry for his collection, Time and Materials, also noted Mailer.  It was at Mailer's house that Hass gave one of his first readings. "It was one of the most terrifying nights of my life.... (Mailer was) enormously generous to young writers."

In non-fiction, an open field with no clear front-runner, the award went to Tim Weiner for The Legacy of Ashes.

And no big surprise - the fiction award, presented by the oh-so-amazing Francine Prose, went to Denis Johnson for Tree of Smoke. Johnson, in Iraq on assignment, was represented by his wife Cindy who read a lovely letter/statement that was sealed in an envelope marked "just in case."

Oprah's New Book Club Pick is Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth

Oprah has announced her winter book club pick and it's Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth! In his epic tale of the generations who built the greatest Gothic cathedral ever known, Follett illuminates a struggle between good and evil and church and state that pits brother against brother in the Middle Ages.

Read an Excerpt
More on Ken Follett
Follett's Inspiration for the Novel
Family Trees
Reading Guide and Calendar

Attention Brooklyn Book Club Girls!

Calling all NYC Book Club Girls -- come out and see two National Book Award finalists read at BookCourt, 163 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY this Thursday night.  Jess Walter, author of The Zero and Ken Kalfus, author of A Disorder Peculiar to the Country will both read from their acclaimed novels, both of which deal with what has happened to our country and the world in the years since 9/11. Should be a great night.

20 Questions

Have you ever found yourself thinking...or asking...any of these when you're sitting with your book group?

The Dante Club's Matthew Pearl Gives Tour to Local Book Club

Anne Nakshian, member of the same book group for 47 years, never expected to hear from bestselling author Matthew Pearl himself when she emailed his website with some questions in her role as book group facilitator for the month. But the acclaimed author of The Dante Club sent her this message: "would you like me to give your book group a tour of the Longfellow House?" The Old Faithfuls were thrilled to take him up on his offer, and spent a highly informative and enjoyable afternoon touring the house and learning more about the literary and historical background of Cambridge, MA and the real Dante Club. It just goes to show you that checking out your next book club author online could yield an unexpected connection that could bring you closer to the book and author than you could have ever imagined!
Learn more about The Dante Club: excerpt, about the author, author Q&A.

Just in Case You Didn't Read Your Book Club Book this Month...

Bloomsbury USA offers us How To Talk About Books You Haven't Read, the runaway French bestseller, now available here, that the New York Times calls: "a survival guide to life in the chattering classes." Author Pierre Bayard contends that it's more important to know how a book fits into the overall literary canon than the exact details beween its covers. This is a funny, thought-provoking, and ironically, extremely readable tome that could really help you out of some uncomfortable book group, or cocktail party, situations.

Diane Rehm's New Book Club Pick is Dave Eggers' What is the What

Diane Rehm's new reader's review for November is Dave Eggers' acclaimed novel based on the life of a young Sudanese "lost boy" who leaves his troubled country for America entitled What is the What.  Click on the following for a description, excerpt and reading guide. Tune in on November 21st to hear the discussion.

Book Club Girl Joins Facebook!

I've made the dive into the social networking world and have joined Facebook where I've created the Book Club Girl's Book Club. If you're on Facebook, come and find us and if you're not a member, consider becoming one. I've already reconnected with 3 friends from college by joining!

Author Jamie Saul reports from National Reading Group Month event in NJ

Jamie Saul, author of my fave Light of Day and Beth Gutcheon, author of Leeway Cottage, headlined the National Reading Group Month event in NJ this past Tuesday night. The event was held at the Monmouth County Library and Jamie sent in this report the following day:

"What a lovely night it was. April [Judge of the WNBA] was a wonderful host, Barbara Mead (of ReadingGroupChoices.com) was lovely and very keen on book clubs. Her guide is filled with great books! The turnout was small but intimate and the audience was enthusiastic and engaged. A very good Q&A lasted at least half an hour, with only one question about how does one get a book published?

Beth Gutcheon was absolutely charming and smart and elegant. Her talk about reading clubs and books was both generous and intelligent. Thank you for making this happen. What a treat."

Deadspin -- Welcome to the Book Club World

Deadspin, the very popular sports blog, has launched their own book club because, as they say: "We love books. Books are fun. They're so full of booky goodness. And because we don't have time to read and write about every sports book, we've corralled three regular Deadspinners to inaugurate the Deadspin Book Club, discussions of current sports books." Their first choice is Running the Table: The Legend of Kid Delicious, the Last Great American Pool Hustler. So for you book club girls out there who are sports fans, join the discussion on their site.