Are you in a real life book club? (Not that I secretly think all my LT friends are fake or computer

I just got back from the first ever meeting of my first ever book club.

They were reading "Cutting for Stone", which I couldn't find anywhere on the island. But from what they were saying I'm glad I didn't shell out the $40 a book usually costs here.

The food was great, the host made three types of excellent home made pizza and we had some really great red wine. Another member brought a delicious chocolate pie and I brought a bottle of white wine and some home made chocolate, cherry and vodka soaked strawberry empanadas dipped in powdered sugar. Nailed it!! Everyone seemed to love them.


Sooooo anyone else have a book club they attend, and what is your favorite part of the whole book club culture?

Me? That's easy: THE WINE!! I"m jocking!! (ish)

COMPUTER GENERATED!! GRRRRR LT GRRRRRRRR

Mandy started one up by her. They have an awesome name that I can't remember right now. I've been once when I was up visiting her for the weekend and I hadn't read the book, but if I ever manage to find a job and move up there, I'll totally be joining in. It seemed like a fun group of women.

I'm not, but was when I was a teen and it was fun.

I am and I love it! This summer will mark 5 years since I joined, and my favorite part has always been the friendships. We usually meet for dinner before book club officially starts, so there's as much talking about life, if not more, as there is the book. Some months I read the book, some I don't, but I always feel welcome. We rotate suggestions and leadership, but not in a strictly ordered fashion, which I like. We frequently email each other between meetings if one of us has read something good we think others will enjoy. It's so fun!

I've never been part of a book club (except for the tween book club that I lead in my first library job a few years ago). I'd kind of like to join on, but I'll admit I'm kind of skittish about meeting new people, especially if it's an established group of people.

Like bib said I started one in my area. We call ourselves the Angry Nerds, because, well we seem to get pissed about something for most books and those are always the most fun conversations. Next month is our 1 year anniversary and we're growing! The women are all amazing and different and we have a blast! Books, food and always some form of alcohol! What more could a girl ask for. And what I like the most is that we read alllllllll types of books. This month is Robopocalypse!

I prefer my online book groups (like Hogwarts Express and The Green Dragon). I tried an IRL book group once, but it wasn't as fun as I thought it would be.

Sounds great, mandy!

I was a little worried because the book that was chosen for Feb is from the part of the book store I rarely visit, and I'm afraid that most of the selections are in that same vein. I was hoping there would be a wider variety of genres interspersed in there: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, maybe some YA. But, perhaps it's good to take me out of my comfort zone. Like I said, I rarely visit that part of the book store.

Dark Arts? Crotcheting with Marzipan? Mongolian Naval History?

#10 -- Bookstores in Australia must be really interesting.

#9 one of my main issues with my last book club was that they stuck to the chic lit area and didn't expand at all. I mean I like a good chic lit book but I need variety in my life. Here is the list of books we've read so far:

Water for Elephants
The Help
The Postmistress
The Glass Castle
Neverwhere
The Pleasure of my Company
Lisey's Story
How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents
Lost Boys
Robopocalypse

And as side projects we're all reading the Hunger Games series and the Game of Thrones series

One of the things I liked about Mandy's club was that each month the person who's turn it is to "pick" a book brings 3 or so choices with brief descriptions of each and then the entire club votes on which one to read. I thought it was a really smart way of doing things.

Its the adult fiction part of the store. Another part of the store I avoid: The self help section. Hey that should be a thread what part of the book store do you avoid, or not go into meaning what kind of books wont you read.

I was in a bookclub through the bookstore I used to work at. I enjoyed it, but sometimes it felt too much like homework. I think I stopped going soon after I found LT and HE.

#14: I avoid the Dark Arts, Crotcheting with Marzipan, and Mongolian Naval History sections. Also anything to do with test preparation.

I avoid the Testes Preparation section. Also YA since the sharp increase in vampire romance contamination.

Real life? What's that?

I avoid the alternative health section. "But, Rozax, aren't you a massage therapist?" Yep, and I'm embarrassed by the number of methods being sold with the promise of "removing toxins" from your body. Tell me what these toxins are specifically, what chemical reaction leads to their formation and decomposition, what puts them there in the first place, and I will start listening. If the explanation doesn't follow science or common sense, though, I'd rather not waste anyone's time.

I thought toxins meant sweat, because they always tell you spending time in the sauna releases those toxins.

I have a friend who spent a great deal of money on detox foot soaks. She was really crushed when I told her the discoloration in the water came from the reaction of salt water on metal, e.g. rust.

I never made that connection, and nothing in my studies led me in that direction. They just spoke of some ambiguous toxin I haven't been able to pin down. The particular case that I read about in school stated that cupping releases toxins from the body. In the hyperlink I've provided (not the one I'd originally read), they call it "releasing negative energy", and that's what causes bruising. It has nothing to do with, you know, breaking blood vessels or anything like that. And despite the description on this article, cupping can be quite painful. When I gave it a try, it was torture when they ran the cups along my upper back, but it felt great in the lower back. And wouldn't you know, I didn't have any bruises in my low back. But since I had bruises in my upper back, I was told that I needed more sessions to release all the toxins.

That ramble has gone on long enough.

I guess a better example of my aversion to the alt health section is a book a skimmed through that had a list of chakras to unblock for any malady. You know, if you're experiencing insomnia, depression, eating disorders, chronic fatigue, a broken bone, paralysis, etc. I called up a friend of mine who has an acute case of cerebral palsy (if that's an appropriate description) and informed him that I found a cure for him. He got a laugh out of it, but he also appreciated my frustration with the book being listed in my field of work.

My yoga instructor used to have cupping done. Her back looked like she was attacked by an amorous octopus.

I was kidding about the sweat. *sigh* No one gets me if I try to go without smilies.

23: I'm sorry :( I'm typically good with humor, and fancy myself fluent in sarcasm, but I guess I've been ruined in that department. I like the amorous octopus analogy. :)

Everybody always likes a good aoa. Can't fail. I always start my presentations at work with an aoa.

#24: No apology necessary. :o) Just don't take me too seriously. ;o)
My family is also sarcasmically adept. Sarcastically adept? Sarcasmagoric? Sarcosmic? But it doesn't translate well in print. Frankly, it doesn't translate well in real life either, even if we smile, people take us seriously. I think we're either really good at it, or really bad.

26: Well, I was clear that it wasn't your belief, but I was exasperated by the thought that there might be people who believe that sweat is toxic. They probably do exist, in any case. ~_~

Well, i wouldn't want to drink it or shower in it, let's put it that way.

I'm good with the stuff that addresses nutrition, muscle tension and imbalance, and skeletal alignment. but I don't think the meditation will cure cancer...

29: Same. Add to that, I'm all for the holistic stuff (it's important to keep your entire body in mind when you're treating one part), but homeopathy is shady business.

*mentally pictures black-market homeopathy dealers operating out of dark alleys. Trenchcoats, fedoras and passcodes could be involved*

That would make an epic mystery novel! I'll lead that book-read!