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We now have a facebook page since some thought it might be easier to keep track of things that way. Unless there are some who would rather use the blog, I will likely not be posting here any more. Let me know.

In Praise of Slow

I hit Indigo this morning to purchase my copy and ended up having to order it. I don't think it is a very long read so I am willing to share my copy if someone doesn't want to buy it or has trouble tracking a copy down.

October's Book Choice

Great meeting tonight. There was some great discussion and GREAT food! Thank you Roberta for hosting tonight. Our next book is: In Praise of Slow: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed.

These days, almost everyone complains about the hectic pace of their lives. We live in a world where speed rules and everyone is under pressure to go faster. But when speed is king, anyone or anything that gets in our way, that slows us down, becomes an enemy. Thanks to speed, we are living in the age of rage.

Carl Honore has discovered a movement that is quickly working its way into the mainstream. Groups of people are developing a recipe for living better in a fast-paced, modern environment by striving for a new balance between fast and slow. In an entertaining and hands-on investigation of this new movement, Honore takes us from a Tantric sex workshop in a trendy neighbourhood in London, England to Bra, Italy, the home of the Slow Food, Slow Cities and Slow Sex movements. He examines how we can continue to live productive lives by embracing the tenets of the slow movement.

A challenging take on the cult of speed, as well as a corrective look at how we can approach our lives with new understanding, In Praise of Slow uncovers a movement whose time has come.

This book doesn't seem to be available at the local library but could likely be borrowed on an inter-library basis if you ask at one of the Calgary libraries. It is available in store at Indigo.

Just a reminder - if you want to borrow November's book choice "All the Light We Cannot See" from the library, it would be wise to put a hold on it ASAP.

Long Man by Amy Greene

This will be our book for September. There are a few copies available at the library and it is also available for sale at Indigo. 

From Penguin Random House:

Annie Clyde Dodson and her three-year-old daughter Gracie are among the last holdouts in a tiny town, standing in the way of progress in the Tennessee River Valley. Just a few days before the Long Man river is scheduled to wash Yuneetah off the map, Gracie disappears one stormy evening. Did she simply wander off into the rain, or was she taken—perhaps by the mysterious drifter who has returned to his hometown on the verge of its collapse? Set against the backdrop of real-life historical events, Long Man is a searing portrait of a soon-to-be-scattered community brought together by change and crisis, and of one family facing a terrifying ticking clock.

Enjoy!

What it is

Hi! So this is my vision of the book club I want to start. I’d like to keep numbers under 15 and, ideally, closer to 10, but there is still room for a few more.

Set in stone book club rules: I’m sure the guidelines and look of the gatherings will change and flow over time but there are a few ‘set in stone’ rules that won’t change: 1) No erotica/porn – all other genres are welcome – YA, fiction, non-fiction, mystery, fantasy, poetry, plays, whatever. Just no erotica. That does not mean that the books we read will have no sex/violence/foul language. I’m sure some will. But that should not be the sole purpose of the book. If you can’t finish a book because of content or just because you find the book so boring that you can’t read another word, that’s OK. Come to the book club anyway and discuss the book. Which brings us to 2) We will be discussing the book. This is an actual book club. We will be sharing thoughts and opinions. We will not be ridiculing or attacking each other’s thoughts and opinions. If you run out of time and can’t finish the book be warned – there will be spoilers at the meeting. Come and discuss what you have read but don’t expect us to not talk about the parts you haven’t read.

For now, the meetings will be the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm. We will start with a discussion of the book and then enjoy refreshments and a time to visit with each other.

Host: Decides on and provide a location for the meeting. This could be the host’s home, a park, the library, or any other place the host feels is appropriate. The host also provides the food. We must have food! I think there will be a few of us that require gluten free refreshments. If this is a problem for you, let me know and I can help. Just about anything can be made gluten free and taste good – don’t let this be something that stops you from hosting, we can work around it.

Moderator: Chooses the book. There are a number of resources to help with this – library, web sites, friends’ recommendations, best seller lists, and we will have a theme jar if you want some direction (you don’t have to use this just if you want to). Don’t worry about whether everyone will like the book – you may even end up choosing a book that you don’t enjoy. No worries, sometimes those are the books that produce the best discussions. The moderator also leads the discussion about the book. You can find reading guides, for almost any book, online that include questions and ideas. You might also invite a special guest speaker or use videos or music to spark discussion. Feel free to be creative with this as well.

If you aren’t comfortable with either of these rolls right now but change your mind later (because, really, it’s fun to host and to moderate!) just let me know and I’ll add you into the rotation. If you just want to read the books and come discuss them, that’s OK too. No pressure.