Virtual Bookworm

Cunt, the book

2006-09-22T13:28:00.000-04:00

Okay, who's ready to discuss?

Checking in

2006-08-22T14:22:00.000-04:00

Hey, how's everyone doing with our August book? Do we need more time, or are folks ready to discuss?

Who's this Jenny PP girl anyway?

2006-08-08T12:59:00.000-04:00

Dear everybody,

Sorry I'm such a loser. We moved in April and that screwed up about 2 months of my life. I will try to be less of a loser about reading book club books going forward.

Sincerely,

Jenn(y)

Break out the hand mirrors, ladies!

2006-08-07T12:42:00.000-04:00

We're reading Inga Muscio's book Cunt: A Declaration of Independence for August's book club.

August book

2006-08-03T14:08:00.000-04:00

Does anyone else want to choose this month's book, or is it my turn? If it's my turn, I must confess that I'm having a hard time finding things to recommend that don't involve child abuse or transracial adoption. OOH, except Cunt! I just thought of it! PK and I have already read it, but have the rest of you?

If that book's too out there for the group, I can try to think of something else. Inside Transracial Adoption, anyone? Mwah ha ha!

Radical Prunings

2006-07-17T23:20:00.000-04:00

Hey Wormies,
Let's start the discussion on the 21st to keep in line with our pattern from earlier books. This allows those of us who read the book a bit ago to refresh ourselves of the plot turns.

And we will answer no questions about lawn care.

There Will Be a Slight Delay in the Expected Programming

2006-06-26T21:23:00.000-04:00

Hi fellow wormies.
Since Radical Prunings was not available in Canada for Canada to read, and since the bookstore in MA did not have the book in stock when I went to buy it to send to Canada in Canada, and since I ordered the said book online and it still has not come in, and since once I get the book, I am sending it to Canada in Canada so she can read it, let's make Radical Prunings the book for June and July. Is that OK with everyone else?

2006-05-29T09:10:00.000-04:00

Do you mind if I jump in with the next book. I know I am a wee bit early but we are leaving for the traveling part of our vacation soon and will be gone at the start of the next month. I have been preparing for almost two months, searching for just the right thing for the beginning of the summer reading season. So I have a few options for you to consider.

First, there is the new-ish book by Jill Conner Browne, The Sweet Potato Queens' Wedding Planner/Divorce Guide. Below is the overview of this book:

The Sweet Potato Queens are bona fide experts at planning a marvelous marriage (and ending one—flip this book right on over if you're looking for advice on dumping a deadweight hubby!), so who better to provide this handy wedding planner? And even if you're not planning your own nuptials, surely you have dreamt about your perfect day, regardless of whether you've met Mr. Right yet! In this essential manual, you'll learn:
• How to plan a truly regal wedding
• What to wear (and what not to wear) to your own wedding, or to anyone else's
• How to organize the sassiest games and sauciest entertainment for the occasion
• How to plan and prepare the greasiest, tastiest wedding vittles for your big-ass guests
You are hereby summoned to appear . . .
The Sweet Potato Queens know a thing or two about ending a marriage (and beginning one—flip this book on over if you’re planning on attaching yourself to the ol' ball and chain!), so who better to provide this crucial divorce guide? Besides, whether you’re getting your own personal divorce or not, chances are you’ll be calling Mr. Right Mr. I-Don’t-Think-So sometime in the future! In this practical handbook, you'll learn:
• How to survive even the nastiest divorce while maintaining your queenly composure
• Why it’s appropriate—and necessary!—to throw divorce showers and send out divorce announcements
• Why love is even better the second, third, or fourth time around

If by chance you are not yet familiar with the Sweet Potato Queens, we could also read the first of her books, The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love. Here is a review of the book:

Unlike other beauty queens, the Jackson, Miss., Sweet Potato Queens are self-crowned, rule for life (there's no "former" tag for these gals) and are real women?figure flaws and all. Originally organized in 1982, the Queens are, by their own account, "fallen Southern belles" and "female drag queens"?and as such, they are all about attitude and humor. This buoyantly funny guide to life and love is a hoot from the get-go as ringleader Browne offers queenly observations on life's most pressing issues. Some topics may seem trivial, such as tanning, making the most of big hair and delighting in "big, sturdy, serviceable, substantial Russian immigrant underwear" for pregnant women (it's so "indescribably comfy" that "you may never go back"), but they are expertly mined for laughs. Non-cooks may reconsider when reading the hilariously artery-clogging recipes in the chapter "What to Eat When Tragedy Strikes," highlighting the four main food groups (sweet, salty, fried and au gratin) and suitable for both therapeutic and recreational eating. The life-affirming final chapter reminds readers of life's many options: "Life may indeed be short, but it is, for a fact, wide."

Finally, there is a book I read about on NPR's website, entitled Radical Prunings: A Novel : Officious Advice from the Contessa of Compost. Again, below is the overview:

A literate, funny, and surprisingly bittersweet debut from a writer with a sharp wit and a green thumb. This rather deceptive work purports to be the collected horticultural columns of one opinionated Mertensia Corydalis, a woman genteel as a rose and just as prickly. As Mertensia answers her readers’ innocent gardening questions, she reveals more than she intends about her life, her relationships (from volleys with her celebrity gardener ex-husband to questionable interactions with her employees, Miss Vong and Tran), and her own precarious state of mind. But be warned—Miss Mertensia does not entertain questions about lawn care.
Though RADICAL PRUNINGS is often laugh-out-loud funny, Bonnie Thomas Abbott’s love for gardening is serious. Her characters immerse themselves in the sensual pleasures of growing things— the earthy sensation of wet dirt between the fingers, the beauty of soil clinging to a freshly dug radish, the anticipation of a blossom slowly unfolding—even when other aspects of their lives have gone to seed

What do you think?

Jumping in

2006-05-20T17:28:00.000-04:00

I know I'm jumping the gun a bit, but it's that or do my laundry. Ho ho.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the way in which it didn't always provide a clear, person-to-person lineage--in several places the thread was lost a bit, or simply not stated. And some of the passages in this book had me nearly in tears:

"You think I don't already ask myself...what I did or didn't do that made
her this way? What I failed to say to her at one unknown, privately crucial day?
Tell me...how haven't I loved enough?"

"It wasn't hope that lay between that man and God. Nor was it thankfulness.
Or appreciation for a bird or a leaf. Or a kiss. Fear lived in that space... But
that wasn't the God she cared to know."

And the last line in the novel...damn.

Because of course I projected myself onto the characters, just as everyone projected themselves onto the girl in the painting. It made me think of the time I spent as a child, making up stories about the people in my grandmother's paintings...for the longest time I thought they must all be people we knew. And I've known that feeling, of standing in front of a true masterpiece (in museums only, sadly) and being absolutely destroyed by it.

I did think the author's female voices were stronger and more real than her male voices, but that isn't surprising or unusual. And perhaps my impression is again a result of feeling naturally more connected to the women.

Did anybody else read in the acknowledgements that some of these chapters were originally published separately in various publications?

Nothing to do with the book itself, per se, but the copy I got from the library was a small hardback, and it fit in my hand perfectly. That somehow made reading it all the more satisfying. Also, someone else who had read it had underlined lightly in pencil, one word in the entire book..."encumbered".

Ready, Set, Hyacinth Blue

2006-05-15T13:13:00.000-04:00

Are we ready to discuss?

May's Book

2006-05-03T18:14:00.000-04:00

Okay, since I have been given the green light, I thought that we could have Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland (1999, Penguin Books) as our book for May. The blurb on the back says:

A professor invites a colleague from the art department to his home to see a painting that he has kept secret for decades. The professor swears it is a Vermeer - why has he hidden this important work for so long? The reasons unfold in a series of stories that trace ownership of the painting back to World War II and Amsterdam, and still further back to the moment of the work's inspiration. As the painting moves through each owner's hands, what was long hidden quietly surfaces, illuminating poignant moments in human lives. Vreeland's characters remind us, through their love of the mysterious painting, how beauty transforms and why we reach for it, what lasts, and what in our lives is singular and unforgettable.

Go forth and read!!

Book of the month

2006-05-01T12:29:00.000-04:00

Hey! Wanna choose a new book?

Barren land + crazy family

2006-04-27T12:41:00.000-04:00

Can we talk about the family for a bit?

Like Canada, I found myself wondering why the parents would choose to live in such remote and dangerous locations. There were several times in the book when they could have stayed in more fertile land, but each time they chose to move to the most drought-ridden, barren locations. Why? I can't relate.

And also, how does racism fit into these decisions?

And ALSO, it nearly killed me to see that photo of Bobo and Vanessa heading off to school. I was like, "Oh, that's a sweet picture," and then I was like, "Oh. Nice. Bobo's holding an Uzi."

And Nicola: What a character. Again, I can't relate.

First impressions

2006-04-24T15:51:00.000-04:00

So, what does everyone think of Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight?

Here are my first impressions of the book:

1. Great opening paragraph--v. compelling.

2. I thought it was interesting that Fuller writes from the POV of her child self; she doesn't filter her memories through her adult consciousness.

3. Related to #2, she makes no apologies for racism (hers and others'), except for one passage late in the book.

4. I was so conscious of smell throughout this book, which is unusual for me. I don't generally pay much attention to setting, but I definitely noticed Fuller's discriptions of the smells and sights of Africa.

5. I wanted to know more about Bobo's family members, especially her sister.

How about y'all--what were your first impressions?

Consider it started!

2006-04-22T01:16:00.000-04:00

Go on with you, then! Consider this the official opening of comments/discussion for "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight".

Ready Set Go

2006-04-21T18:35:00.000-04:00

Greetings Fellow Bookworms!

I am excited that this is working out!
It seems we all decided to go with the blog discussion through the comments section.

When shall we start the discussion of the current book?

A questionable suggestion (or a suggestive question?)

2006-04-18T16:35:00.000-04:00

So now it would seem we need to figure out the "club" part of this baby--seeing as how we seem to have the "book" and "virtual" parts going...

Some options:
1) The book chooser puts up a post (schedule to be determined by us all) for a set of chapters, and we all comment on it for a set period of time, until the next post comes up. This would allow everyone to chime in as time allows, but would be somewhat less interactive.
2) We find a regular time when we can all "meet" via some sort of IM or chat and "discuss" the set chapters. This would have more of the club feel but would be more difficult to coordinate.
3) We all fly out to AJWP&HB's and drink margs in their hallway while discussing the set chapters. (Okay, so it isn't practical, but damn, it's my favored option.)

Votes? Or overriding opinions? Anyone? Anyone?
And another thought: Do we want to set this blog up for RSS feeds? That might also help keep us on our toes.

Bingo!

2006-04-04T01:49:00.000-04:00

The one and only specific vote has been cast! I am glad somebody in this club can come to a decision because I obviously cannot (hence the three options). Oh, and no, I haven't read any of them but wanted to do when each first came out, then never got around to doing so.

So, ladies (are there any gents in this club, AJWP?), it's "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight". Yay!

I guess we need some sort of schedule or plan or something regarding how we want to break this down and handle discussions and so forth. Oh, and for future reference for the next book-picker, I found this groovy link o' book lists, which came in handy. (At first I thought it was some religious site --Christchurch?--if I'm going to be much use to anyone, I need to learn not just to read but to comprehend, eh?)

How long does everyone need to pick this puppy (!) up and get started? I have no idea how long it is.

How about...

2006-04-03T13:28:00.000-04:00

So I figure we want something that probably isn't brand-spankin' new, so we can get it free at the library and not have the rest of the Hold line hot on our heels?

Here are some ideas:
Mr. Timothy--"Mr. Timothy Cratchit has just buried his father. He's also struggling to bury his past as a cripple and shed his financial ties to his benevolent "Uncle" Ebenezer by losing himself in the thick of London's underbelly. He boards at a brothel in exchange for teaching the mistress how to read and spends his nights dredging the Thames for dead bodies and the treasures in their pockets." "Timothy's life takes a sharp turn when he discovers the bodies of two dead girls, each seared with the same cruel brand on the upper arm. The sight of their horror-struck faces compels Timothy to become the protector of another young girl, the enigmatic Philomela. Spurred on by the unwavering enthusiasm of a street-smart, fast-talking homeless boy who calls himself Colin the Melodious, Timothy soon finds that he's on the trail of something far worse - and far more dangerous - than an ordinary killer."

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight-- In Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, Alexandra Fuller remembers her African childhood with visceral authenticity. Though it is a diary of an unruly life in an often inhospitable place, it is suffused with Fuller's endearing ability to find laughter, even when there is little to celebrate. Fuller's debut is unsentimental and unflinching but always captivating. In wry and sometimes hilarious prose, she stares down disaster and looks back with rage and love at the life of an extraordinary family in an extraordinary time.

Atonement--In this rich novel by the author of the Booker Prize-winning novel "Amsterdam, " a young girl unwittingly tells a tale that turns her family upside down. Brilliant and utterly enthralling in its depiction of childhood, love and war, England and class, "Atonement" is at its center a profound--and profoundly moving--exploration of shame and forgiveness, of atonement and the difficulty of absolution.

Thoughts?

library card in hand. . .

2006-04-03T08:35:00.000-04:00

Oh, yay!! I'm so happy, 'cause you know I'm ALWAYS reading (while brushing my teeth, in the bath, on planes, trains, automobiles, etc). Re-reading and new books, it's all good. As for who goes first. . . shall we offer that distinction to the brilliant woman who came up with this online "bookblog"? How does everyone feel about that?

Happy, happy

2006-03-30T18:59:00.000-05:00

Oh, babies. I am practically giddy.
I like the idea of everyone choosing in turn. And it's okay by me if we do some re-reading; I think a second read is always different than the first, anyway.

Who's going first?

Word up, nerd-sister

2006-03-30T14:42:00.000-05:00

OK, I agree to your terms, AJWP, because although I may read sci-fi or fantasy I recognize that these make many people's heads explode, such as yourself.

I don't think I have any don'ts to add. I think taking turns choosing is a pretty good way to go. Is it OK to choose something you've already read if it's a favorite and/or if you'd like to discuss with others?

Welcome, nerds!

2006-03-30T13:36:00.000-05:00

I am SO loving this online book club idea! If all goes well (read: if I don't screw up the set-up of this site), we should all be able to post and comment as often as our little hearts desire. Excellent!

Here's what our club is looking like so far:
1. No bodice-rippers
2. No child abuse/kidnapping themes
3. No sci-fi or fantasy (I just added this one; sorry, sci-fi fans!)
4. No Shakespeare

So that's good, right? I always think it's best to start with what you don't want and go from there. Now for the trickier part: what do we want? When I belonged to previous book clubs, we took turns choosing books. Do we want to do that, or is there a better way to go? Please let me know what y'all are thinking, and WELCOME!