March Book

Hi gals, I think it's my turn to pick the book. Since March is such a lllllooonnnggg month with no holidays, I figured it would be a good month for a little more heafty book. So lets read East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I've always wanted to read it because "experts" say its his best, and I really liked his book Grapes of Wrath...yes, this is taking us back to Junior Year English with Mrs. Boykin. I always get really into Steinbeck's books and I feel like he describes people and situations so well.

I also wanted to comment on the dog book, I actually really liked it! It was interesting to see the kid's thought processes, I felt like I maybe understood just a bit what goes through kid's heads that have mental disabilities (was that the politically correct way to say that?). I also didn't know they drop so many f-bombs in Great Britain...haha. My friend from this mission was from England and said to describe things as "dodgy" if they are shady/sketchy. Anyways, happy reading. And I really love you gals and miss you.

wow.

So I'm on page 65 of the dog book and I really like it. It's so funny that he did a whole chapter about the The Monty Hall Problem. Last year a movie came out called 21 about these kids who would go to Vegas and cheat at Black Jack. Now, at the beginning of the movie, the main character Professor presents this exact problem and, like readers of Parade, you would think it is incorrect, but once Christopher shows you the diagram, you know he is right. It will literally hurt your head to think about this too much. I know because after we saw this movie, Mikey was obsessed with this statistics problem. He thought it was the most interesting thing he had ever learned. In fact, the next day, we went to dinner for his friend's birthday with a bunch of people and Mikey explained and talked about this problem at the table for like and hour. And, the lame thing was, his friend was totally interested too. But his friend didn't believe him until Mikey drew a diagram on a napkin. At Outback. Really. So I read this chapter to Mikey and he liked it. "And that is why [Mikey] like[s] The Monty Hall Problem."

Ta da!!!!!!!

This is totally a shot in the dark, but I want to read this book. I only heard about it from one person. Anyway, no more disclaimers. I'm choosing this book for our book club for February. Hey, it's red too!

Here's one guy's synopsis...

Mark Haddon's bitterly funny debut novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is a murder mystery of sorts--one told by an autistic version of Adrian Mole. Fifteen-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone is mathematically gifted and socially hopeless, raised in a working-class home by parents who can barely cope with their child's quirks. He takes everything that he sees (or is told) at face value, and is unable to sort out the strange behavior of his elders and peers.

Late one night, Christopher comes across his neighbor's poodle, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork. Wellington's owner finds him cradling her dead dog in his arms, and has him arrested. After spending a night in jail, Christopher resolves--against the objection of his father and neighbors--to discover just who has murdered Wellington. He is encouraged by Siobhan, a social worker at his school, to write a book about his investigations, and the result--quirkily illustrated, with each chapter given its own prime number--is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Haddon's novel is a startling performance. This is the sort of book that could turn condescending, or exploitative, or overly sentimental, or grossly tasteless very easily, but Haddon navigates those dangers with a sureness of touch that is extremely rare among first-time novelists. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is original, clever, and genuinely moving: this one is a must-read. --Jack Illingworth, Amazon.ca

Ready.... set.... go!!!!!! And tell me what you think. -Camille

How about a little book discussion?

So is anyone besides me and Kim reading "Gone With The Wind"? I am really enjoying it, but I just need to vent about how selfish and awful Scarlett is!!! I keep thinking there will be a turning point and she will change, but now I have less than 100 pages until the end, so I don't think its gonna happen. How can she be so self-centered and heartless? But I really like Rhett. I think he is my favorite character and I hope it ends well for him. Any thoughts? Are you liking it? hating it? refusing to read it because it is so freakin' long?

Also...

who is the administrator for this blog? Could you please make it so I get email notification when a comment is made?

THANKS!

Gone with the wind

How is everyone doing with this book? I love reading it, but for some reason this month it's been hard for me to find time to read.

Also the size of the thing was intimidating enough for me to read Cormack McCarthy's The Road before I ever started Gone with the Wind. I don't recommend that book if you are pregnant. It's a post apocalyptic novel that ripped my heart out at the end.

Do the readers want to use February to finish the book? Or do I need to unveil my choice for February? (PS I haven't made my choice yet...)

Happy New Year!

So is it my turn? I have to be honest...I am still working on Little Women, but I did stop long enough to read Skipping Christmas, which I really loved. Have any of you read Gone With The Wind? It is pretty long but I've heard it is really good. Would any of you be interested in reading it? If you'd rather read something shorter I'd be happy to search for a different option.