On Cormac.....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2009/dec/20/observer-profile-cormac-mccarthy

Let's see the film

Let's see the The Road film:

Landmark Main Art (Royal Oak) SHOWTIMES

TRAILER

How about Wednesday 12/31?

The Moth

Is anyone interested in attending a Moth event at Cliff Bell's?

http://www.themoth.org/

Detroit StorySLAMs

Detroit SLAMs are on the first Thursday of each month at:

Cliff Bell's
2030 Park Avenue
Detroit, MI 48226

Upcoming SLAMs in Detroit:

November 5: Blunders

December 3: Cars

7pm Doors/7.30pm Stories

$5 at the door

Learn more about how to prepare your true, 5-minute story and sign up for the Detroit mailing list - we'll send you a note one week before every Detroit StorySLAM with tips and tricks on how to come up with the best story.

The Moth is dedicated to promoting the art of storytelling. We celebrate the ability of stories to honor the diversity and commonality of human experience, and to satisfy a vital human need for connection. We do so by helping our storytellers to shape their stories and to share them with the community at large. One goal of The Moth is to present the finest storytellers among established and emerging writers, performers and artists; another is to encourage storytelling among populations whose stories often go unheard.

Book suggestions for the future

Hey girls - I know I'm not exactly active right now...but I want to throw in an idea for a future read: The Fountainhead. I know, long book...but I think we all would really enjoy discussing it...

Admin Priveliges

OK, those of you who accepted the invitation to post should have full admin privileges now. Please let me know if you have any troubles.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Our next book is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith.

Book Club Questions from Oprah's Website:

Questions:1. Many critics have addressed the dual nature of Elizabeth's personality. On one hand, she can be a savage, remorseless killer, as we see in her vanquishing of Lady Catherine's ninjas. On the other hand, she can be tender and merciful, as in her relationships with Jane, Charlotte, and the young bucks that roam her family's estate. In your opinion, which of these "halves" best represents the real Elizabeth at the beginning—and end of the novel?

2. Is Mr. Collins merely too fat and stupid to notice his wife's gradual transformation into a zombie, or could there be another explanation for his failure to acknowledge the problem? If so, what might that explanation be? How might his occupation (as a pastor) relate to his denial of the obvious, or his decision to hang himself?

3. The strange plague has been the scourge of England for "five-and-fifty years." Why do the English stay and fight, rather than retreat to the safety of eastern Europe or Africa?

4. Who receives the sorrier fate: Wickham, left paralyzed in a seminary for the lame, forever soiling himself and studying ankle-high books of scripture? Or Lydia, removed from her family, married to an invalid, and childless, yet forever changing filthy diapers?

5. Due to her fierce independence, devotion to exercise, and penchant for boots, some critics have called Elizabeth Bennet "the first literary lesbian." Do you think the authors intended her to be gay? And if so, how would this Sapphic twist serve to explain her relationships with Darcy, Jane, Charlotte, Lady Catherine, and Wickham?

6. Some critics have suggested that the zombies represent the authors' views toward marriage—an endless curse that sucks the life out you and just won't die. Do you agree, or do you have another opinion about the symbolism of the unmentionables?

7. Does Mrs. Bennet have a single redeeming quality?

Meeting location?

Just wondering if we were still on for our book club meeting on Thursday. If so, where are we going to meet up for dinner? BTW - Pride and Prejudice for the iPhone is a pretty cool app!

Also, I completely forgot to email our new prospective members ... oops! Sorry about that. I can email/call after our next meeting and they can start with a fresh book.

Oct. 22nd Meeting

Hi All, I won't be able to make the 22nd meeting, I have a FOTR board Meeting that night. I haven't started the book yet, but I bought both of them, so hopefully I will get going on them soon!

iPhone app

FYI if you have an iPhone you can download P&P for free from the app store!!!

- Posted from my iPhone

A--- POSTING INSTRUCTIONS

Please add the following in the Labels field at the bottom of the post window for every post you make;

Author, Title

e.g. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

(This way we can keep track of and easily reference posts in the Labels list on the sidebar.)

Guide and Discussion Questions for Pride and Prejudice

Here is a link to the Penguin Reader's Guide and Discussion Questions

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Our first book was Pulitzer-winning "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz. We discussed the nature of the fuku and whether it was real or imaginary- and to what extent the concept may arise in oppressed cultures as a coping mechanism for powerlessness. We also discussed the unconventional use of footnotes and Spanish and discussed our mixed feelings about the impact of these on our experience of the narrative.

Here is a link to the Junot Diaz interview in the online journal, Narrative.

And here is a link to the discussion questions we utilized.