Meeting Notes: Ender's Game

At the most recent book club, we had two things to celebrate: book club and Marissa's birthday! Courtney hosted, and she made delicious pizza squares and cupcakes. The cupcakes were homemade banana bread with cream cheese frosting—yummy—and were in honor of Marissa's big day.

She also made a pear vanilla cocktail found on our friend Dulcie's blog. Unfortunately, our book club is cursed, so that even if the days prior to and following it are beautiful, it is always chilly and rainy at our bookish get-togethers. Still, the summery drinks were enjoyed by all.

Here is the gift basket we made Marissa. Because she was so busy with school and work, we wanted to give her a variety of things to help her relax and/or get her mind off things, like (obviously) The Hunger Games.

You see that Courtney had to throw on her fancy rain coat before we went out due to the inclement weather (after the official meeting/discussion portion of the evening had concluded). One of these days, we'll get to have a summery backyard book club.

Review/Discussion
Only one of the Bookworms finished Ender's Game before the meeting. One of us was in the family way, one was finishing up her semester, and the other two were just plain lazy. Well, that and they weren't totally taken with the novel. Ender's Game is a novel about children in a future world where aliens (called "buggers") are a real threat are brought up to be vicious soldiers. It won the Hugo and the Nebula awards, two of science fiction's highest honors. But for whatever reason, it just didn't draw all of us in. Courtney's husband heard what our next read was and said, "Yeah, that's a great book if your a seventh-grade boy." We didn't feel quite that way about it, but still I wouldn't say it was our favorite read. Which brings us to ratings: Kayla gave it 3.8 stars (out of 5), I gave it 3, and Courtney gave it 3.5, and the words we associated with it were "giant," "bugger," and "simulation."

To be more specific, some of us were a little bored by all the mock-battle scenes, of which there are a lot. I personally cannot visualize the battle maneuvers the book describes, so those became a great opportunity for me to zone out. This sentiment wasn't universally felt by all the Bookworms, nor was the next. Some of us had a hard time relating to the main characters, including Ender. I think we found the children's cold intellect, aloofness, and violent tendencies unlikeable. But, we also wondered how much of that was supposed to be due to their society and their experiences at the relentless battle school (nature versus nurture). After all, it was their society that placed such value on those characteristics and their society that created the battle school they attended. On the other hand, Ender's brother never attended battle school, and he was basically a psychopath, and Ender himself killed another child before he ever started serious training. Ender does become more vulnerable at the end and reveals his desire for love and affection, which he's never received. Courtney wondered if there were religious undertones, e.g., everyone is capable of great evil but must fight those tendencies. We weren't sure if the name Peter (Ender's brother) had religious undertones, and a quick Internet search told me that Peter showed a lack of faith or courage on a couple of occasions, but ultimately he never stopped believing in Jesus and was fundamental in establishing Christianity after Jesus's crucifixion ... for what that's worth. On another positive note, there are a few twists at the end that make it more interesting, and we've also heard that the second book is much more engaging.

–Bess

Ready, Player, Go!

We've been sharing our book reviews with the Donnybrook Writing Academy, which is so exciting. This month, it's Ready Player One. We're giving them a new spin to work on that site, so even if you already read our review of the book on this blog, you still might want to check out the review over there.

Extremely Excited

If you've been reading this blog, you know we just read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. It was a great book, uniformly liked by our little book club. So it was an obvious choice for my first book review for The Donnybrook Writing Academy. That's where the extremely excited part comes in. I'm really happy to be able to share our book reviews with a larger audience. Click here to read the full review. 

Bess (aka Lady Daphne)

Meeting Notes: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

The Bookworms were small in number this month; I'd like to say that we were, nonetheless, big on ideas but we had a birthday dinner to go to and were a little distracted. Kayla, Melisa, and I met at Sketch to discuss Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close over sparkling white wine and a plate of appetizers.

The novel, in brief, is about a little boy whose father died in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and who then decides to piece together clues about his dad's life. The biggest clue is a key inside a vase that he finds in his dad's closet. More myseteriously, the word "black" is written on it in his dad's handwriting.

We started out with ratings, and the novel got 5 stars from each of us. Because of the limited time, we were only able to delve into the book's characters and the author's writing style. We all absolutely loved Oskar. I've heard that some critics found the seven year old "annoyingly pretentious," but he didn't strike us that way at all. We thought he was cute, sweet, and quirky, and we really felt for him as a character because of what he had experienced. We also liked his mom, although at first some of us thought she was a little neglectful. His grandma and grandpa were also really intriguing, likable characters.

I found it interesting—and impressive—that even though very little actually happens, the novel is still riveting. Most novels are composed of scenes that put together make up the plot. This novel was mainly made up of the characters' reflections on things that had happened to them in the past. For instance, it starts with Oskar describing all his new inventions and then remembering the day of his dad's funeral. Maybe because the characters were so well developed and they'd lived through such traumatic events that being in their heads was really interesting. The novel switches from Oskar's point of view to his grandpa's and his grandma's, and we thought the author's efforts at creating unique points of view were very successful. Each section was written in a unique and believable way, and moreover each storyline was compelling.

I thought about the book later, and it struck me that there were some really interesting themes running through it. For instance, there were lots of keys and locks and puzzles to solve. That, put together with the tragedy of 9/11 and the bombing of Dresden (also mentioned), made me wonder if the book is exploring the issue of how an individual ever gets over, or even comprends, some of the terrible things that happen in the world. There were a lot of differment means of expression used effectively and ineffectively, like letters, images, speech, and notebooks. That made wonder if, building on the previous point, there is a question of whether any of these means of self-expression are ever fully effective at expressing the human condition. Finally, Oskar asks all the people with the last name of Black if they know anything about his dad, and it turns out they have almost all been affected by 9/11 in some way. I think maybe the book is also exploring how traumatic events effect not just the individual but a whole city.

Finally, we ended with one word.

Have you read this novel? What did you think of it? Did you have a personal reaction to it? Did you have different ideas about the themes?

Serendipity and a Reading by Pam Houston

As I was strolling through the Tattered Cover Book Store, I picked up the event listings and saw that Pam Houston would be reading from her new novel in a few days. It was looking to be a very busy week, but I decided to find a way to go.

The reason that week was particularly busy was that I decided, after deliberating over it for three years, to apply to a few low-residency MFA programs this year and all the applications are due by March 1. That day, I got home and did some work on the personal essay for my application. I was a little worried because the reading started at 7 and I wasn't sure we'd make it on time, but luckily I was able to finish my edits just before it was time to eat dinner and leave.

It was so much fun to hear Pam Houston read. Besides the fact that I like her writing and she spends some of her time in my home state of Colorado, Contents May Have Shifted has the elements of a travel narrative. Plus, it seemed like the novel was full of insight. It's about a fictitious woman named "Pam" who takes trips all around the world looking for answers to fundamental questions about life and about her own past. Each short chapter is named after a place she's visited. Every word seems to be carefully picked to convey a sense of place, as well as hints of what she learned on that trip. But Houston complicates the answers by turning the questions on their heads and surprising the narrator and the reader. It's a very smart novel; in fact, some of the jokes went right over my head. She only read about five chapters, but I heard enough to know that I'd like to pick it up.

Now for the serendipity part. While talking, she mentioned that she's the director of the creative writing program at the University of California, Irvine, as well as an instructor at a low-residency MFA program. After the reading, I looked her up on my phone and discovered that she teaches at Pacific University, which I am planning on applying to! It felt like a little sign from the universe that I was doing the right thing.

I originally posted a version of this blog post on ramblinbess.blogspot.com.

Stargirl: Video Discussion

This time we did a lot of our discussion before turning the camera on, but we did catch a little bit on camera. Here are our recorded discussions:

Meeting Notes: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

We met to discuss Stargirl on Saturday night and, as usual, had way too much fun.

Melisa was sick and wasn't able to join us. I really missed her contributions and her contagious laugh.
Fortunately, we had two guest worms, Bridget and Kara. Bridget had a book club anxiety dream that she'd read the wrong book and was told not to speak. Of course this wasn't the case, but I found it so funny that I decided to include it here on the blog.

I made some star-themed treats.

{Kara} 

You can read about my baking fiasco here. I am too lazy and annoyed to retype it.

At least the cookies turned out.

And the drinks. Drinks are imperative for a successful book club. At least for us. I decided to make a modified crantini because a) I am a fan of vodka martinis (okay, vodka in general), and b) I thought they'd be festive. I also cooked up a big pot of glogg, which was pretty delicious.

{Kayla}

                        {Bess, Annabelle, and Marissa}

{Kayla and Bridget}

{Courtney: hostess}

Oh yes! And we talked about the book too! Read Bess's summary (below) for our reaction.

Stargirl was a quick, fun read. The book is aimed at young adults and middle school students, so it might be the "youngest" book we've read so far. We kept that it mind as we discussed the themes, but still it was  hard to get past the simplicity of some of the concepts. Stargirl is a sophomore in high school who names herself and changes it as she develops. She'd been home-schooled until the year the novel takes place in. The narrator and protagonist is actually Leo, a timid boy who falls for Stargirl but harbors complex feelings toward her. She mystifies, and to some extent delights, the whole school by singing Happy Birthday to students, practicing random acts of kindness, and cheering and dancing her way through sporting events. Leo is attracted to her free spirit, and soon they start going out. (We actually weren't sure why they liked each other at all, but they did.) Leo begins to wish she'd be more like everyone else, and finally, after the two of them become social pariahs (after she attends classmates' families' funerals and cheers for the opposing team), he tells her so. He tries to explain to her that she's not connected to others, which upsets her because she wants to be connected to the whole of the universe. That conversation and that topic was sort of interesting. If you are connected to the whole planet, can you be connected to individuals? Along the same lines, how close do you have to be to someone to let them share personal moments with you? I did like considering what the world would be like if we were fully connected, not just with all of humankind, but all the plants and animals and everything. Leo takes his come-to-Jesus talk a little too far, though, and soon Stargirl gives herself a "normal" makeover for him. 

We spent some time talking about whether Stargirl ever did anything that offensive or hurtful and why many of her actions even turned most (but not all) of us off. We also wondered if, in trying to be open-minded, the book equated normal with "bad" and weird with "good," which is a little simplistic. There were some nice passages about Stargirl (although some might have been a little cheesy) and some nice descriptions in general. I liked the scene with Stargirl in the dessert talking with her teacher and Leo about extinct animals and what footprints we all might leave behind. On the other hand, I felt like the book could have had more scenes and less explanation, but I wonder if the author did that on purpose because it was almost like everything was being viewed through the eyes of the whole school instead of an individual. I do think scenes can draw the reader in more though.

On the whole, we liked the book for what it was. 

Playlist for the night (nearly all of this music I've discovered through my awesome brother, Scott):

1. Sweet Jane: Cowboy Junkies
2. Welcome Home, Son: Radical Face
3. I've Got a Feeling: The Besnard Lakes
4. Wedding Bells: Lissie
5. Pursuit of Happiness: Lissie
6. New Tradition: Company
7. Lola: Cud
8. T.K.: Clinic
9. Seven Nation Army: Nostalgia 77
10. Crying: T.V. on the Radio
11. Little Girl: Dark Night of the Soul, featuring Julian Casablancas
12. I Walk the Earth: King Buscuit Time
13. Infinity Guitars: Sleigh Bells
14. Rill Rill: Sleigh Bells
15. Your Kisses Are Wasted on Me: The Pipettes
16. Seven Nation Army: Ben (L'Oncle Soul)
17. Can't Stand Me Now: The Libertines
18. Lights Out: Santogold
19. Single Ladies: Pomplamoose
20. Gangsta: tUnE-yArDs
21. That's My Bitch: Jay-Z and Kanye West
22. More Than a Feeling: Boston (this song doesn't totally fit in, but it got Bess singing)
23. No One's Gonna Love You: Cee-Lo Green
24. Stop Stomp-Stompin': The Coathangers
25. Whip It: Devo
26. Bad Reputation: The Hit Girls
27. Oh Bondage, Up Yours!:  X-Ray Spex
28. A Mihna Menina: Os Muntantes

Check back soon for details on our next read.

Before I Fall: Video Discussion

We've videotaped small segments of our book club discussion of Before I Fall. We're still trying to get the hang of doing this on camera, but this is only our second try. Hopefully, we'll improve with time.
**Spoiler Alert!!! We explicitly discuss the ending of the book in the video segments below. Please stop viewing if you haven't finished the novel.
Here's the first segment, our introduction and ratings, on a scale of 1-5 stars:

Second discussion question (Thanks, Tammy).

One word!

Thanks for viewing! And check back soon for Melisa's announcement of the next book.

Meeting Notes: Before I Fall

Our second installment of book club was another success. We are still trying to work out the kinks of videotaping our discussions (see next post for video segments), but we had a great time talking about the book, eating, and even dancing together. That's right. We danced.

Marissa hosted this time. We listened to music, sipped delicious drinks made with peach vodka & real peaches, and ate Marissa's yummy Mediterranean tapas.

Marissa made tortilla Española (delicious) and a chilled tomato cream soup. And, as I mentioned, the book club discussion was followed by dancing in Marissa's living room to YouTube songs that reminded us of high school. It was very nostalgic, very silly, and very fun. In all of these respects, it seemed like an appropriate way to finish off our discussion of Before I Fall.

Bess has summarized our book discussion below:
*Spoiler alert!!!

We enjoyed this one, and we especially liked how realistically the author portrayed the teen voice and lifestyle. The dialogue was fresh and the characters used some cute slang and nicknames, like calling the sophomores s’mores because they stick together and are so sweet. As Christina said (see comments in post below), the author also artfully wove in moments of lyricism.

Although we didn’t all give it a four, we also thought the way Sam Kingston (the protagonist) slowly changed over the course of the novel, from a selfish girl who is more worried about conforming than about the consequences of her actions, was very believable. On the day that Sam must live over and over, she is forced to watch those consequences play out again and again. (Now that I write this, it does seem a little tidy that her last day was such a consequential one in that way.) It really felt like Sam developed and matured over the seven days, but her actions never seemed out of character. The other characters were really well drawn too, except maybe Ally. The themes of loyalty and friendship resonated with us as well, for instance, how they would tell little lies to each other to protect themselves from ugly truths. If those lies paint over the consequences of their bad behavior, though, maybe that isn’t such a good thing.

We weren’t all totally satisfied with the ending, for various reasons. A couple of us thought Sam saving Juliet’s life (the girl her best friend Lindsey nicknamed Psycho) by sacrificing her own was the only way it could have ended. It was the action she needed to take to get out of purgatory, and her remaining alive would have been too convenient. But others of us wondered what the rules of this purgatory were. Why did Sam experience it and not Juliet? If Sam had kept Juliet from killing herself without sacrificing her own life, could she have stayed alive? I had a hard time caring about Sam knowing that she was dead the whole time and would never get to reap the benefits of the lessons she learned. And others of us (including Scott, again see comments below), were a little offended by the author’s treatment of Juliet. Sam got to play a role in ruining Juliet’s life and she also saved it, making Juliet nothing more than a device. The author dealt with that a little on the fifth or sixth day by having Juliet call Sam out on her patronizing behavior. But it may be that the author didn’t deal with that issue fully. We were also surprised Sam never thought about how dying to save Juliet would affect Juliet, or Kent for that matter (who we all thought seemed really cute). But in short, we liked this one and it generated some good discussion.

P.S. The bolded words are the “one words” we all chose for Before I Fall.

*Want to watch the video segments? We've posted them here. 

*Check back soon for Melisa's announcement of our next read (exciting)! 

Literary Tattoos

I bought this book a couple of months ago, about a week or two before getting my tattoo.  I had seen it somewhere on the web, and despite my opinion that it looked sort of like a wanna-be hipster book they'd sell at Urban Outfitters, I purchased it because I figured, "I'm literary. And I am getting a tattoo."  It's definitely a cool idea and was fun enough to flip through, but I wouldn't recommend spending money on it. My disappointment stemmed from the fact that most of the included tattoos were quotes (script tattoos) rather than images like book covers, author portraits, or symbols that represent texts. This is just a personal preference, but I prefer visually interesting tattoos.

Both of my favorites came from Shel Silverstein books. I liked them because they are nostalgic, because they are cool illustrations, and because I simply love Shel Silverstein.

My favorite script tattoo was the following quote from Perks of Being a Wallflower, written in typewriter script, "I feel infinite."  I love it because I love that book, the quote is important in the novel, and the typewriter is also a significant symbol in the book. I also liked this one (see below) because the script isn't boring; it actually creates a cool design.

Anyhow, I thought the book was a cool idea. It's neat to read the captions and to see how literature has impacted people's lives. If you were to get a literary tattoo, what would you get?
And here's a website dedicated to this subject, in case you are interested.

Can't resist these ones either

I recently read reviews of two books in Publisher's Weekly and I couldn't resist suggesting them for our book list: Bent Road by Lori Roy and The Beginners by Rebecca Wolff. These are both novels for adults, but interesting they both have teenagers as main characters. The Beginners is about the fascination a young girl named Ginger has with a sophisticated older couple that move into town. They are in town to research the town's past and allow Ginger to accompany them on their strange excursions. Soon Ginger doesn't want to do anything but spend time with the Motherwells.

In Bent Road, teen Evie moves with her parents back to her father's hometown, where her aunt, whom she looks a lot like, was mysteriously murdered years ago. To make matter's worse, Evie's uncle-in-law was suspected in the death of Evie's aunt, Eve, and soon after their arrival, a neighborhood child goes missing.

Do you think we should add these to our book list? Have you read either, or anything by these authors?

A Must-Read for the Bookworms!

Although we are all in our early thirties, the bookworms are mad about YA lit. I think it all started with The Hunger Games and progressed from there. When we met to discuss of book list, though, we neglected a big, new YA book called Divergent. I think we would all really get into it because we love reading dystopian novels (Is that weird?).

Here is a snipet from the description:
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

I've heard it referred to as solace for those mourning the end of the Hunger Games, and you can read more about it on Good Reads.

So, what do you think, should we add it to our book list? Have you read it?