End of the road...

Thanks for all the great discussion this month! I definitely gained some new perspective from this book (and our chats, of course). The one thing I think was missing (at least for me) was more revelation about the actual lives of the women in the book club. I would have liked to see more of Tehran through their eyes and not just through Azar's, but I suppose that's not really possible with a non-fiction memoir. On a final note, anyone have any idea who the wizard was? Thanks again!!

Halfway Point

I hope everyone is enjoying the book. I know I am, but it also makes me sad at times, and I was hoping to bring some light reading to the list...sorry.

Anyway, I'm stealing from Abby's last comment: Does everyone agree that empathy is at the heart of the novel? I certainly think Nafisi's novel draws on empathy. A powerful moment for me (and one that has stuck with me since reading it) was when Nafisi says that her students' generation is different from her own because while her generation suffered a loss, the girls of her students' generation have no past and a "sense of longing for the ordinary, taken-for-granted aspects of life" ...like the ability to wear pink socks. Sitting at my desk at work, it is hard to imagine going through life with so little control ...and so few of the little, silly things that can make the bad days bearable (like pink socks).

Anyone else have one of those "lightbulb moments," as the inimitable Dean Levmore would say???

February Reading Schedule

Hey everyone!

I am very excited to finally get a chance to read Azar Nafisi's "Reading Lolita in Tehran." Let's read the first seven chapters (through page 173 in my book) by Friday, February 15th, and then finish the second half of the book in time for the leap year on Friday, February 29th.

My opening discussion question is: Why is it important (or even just worthwhile) to read fiction?

Man's Search--the Wrap Up

I'm really glad that I read this book again, especially at this time of year. It's a great time to get 2008 spinning in the right direction, and I am reminded that where it goes is my choice. To me, that is what this book was about. Each of us, no matter how deprived, depraved, or neurotic can choose kindness, compassion, and dignity. That's something that I've always "known", but even last night when my sweet baby woke up at 1:30 and cried for an hour and a half I wanted to spank her bum! Such a simple concept, yet so hard to execute. Isn't life grand? Needless to say, I'm glad for this little reminder!

For those of you who read this book, let us know what you thought. No specific question--just what stuck out to you, what you enjoyed, what you didn't, etc.

Enjoy the last few days of January, and I'll see you suckers next month!

psst. next month's reading...

I don't want to disrupt the Man's Search for Meaning discussion, so I'm posting very small, but I wanted to give y'all a heads-up on the next two month's readings. (I accidently picked two books out of the hat.) So. Congratulations to Tracy who will be our February discussion leader for "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi, and to Jill Wright, who will lead our discussion in March on Nora Roberts's "Blood Brothers." Good luck and happy reading! Lindy, back to you...

Man's Search for Meaning, Pregunta Uno

I hope that you guys found the first part of this book both as depressing and uplifting as I did. I know it sounds contradictory, but here it works.

Viktor Frankl talks about the prisoners' struggle to survive the day to day savagery of being debased and treated like faceless, nameless animals. Each prisoner was identified only by a number. He says that this was basically the hardest thing to survive--being completely insignificant. How did the different groups mentioned in the book combat this feeling? What did they do to make themselves significant, and at what cost?

Do you see any parallels in today's pop culture, politics, or even your personal relationships?

Better Late Than Never

Let's give a great big Finer Things Book Club welcome to latecomer respondent and new member, Jill Wright (who evidently decided that the statement in the original book club email asking for a response "by Wednesday at 5:00 pm" applied to everyone but her). Jill comes to us as a well-read, well-traveled graduate of BYU Law School, currently working and living in Washington D.C. She is a virgo who enjoys reading, going to the mall, and is a dedicated Paris Hilton enthusiast.

She has submitted three excellent book suggestions and has agreed to abide by the very strict and stringent club bylaws. We are thrilled to have her join us and believe that she will be a great asset to the club ( and by "we" I mean me. Y'all can comment for yourselves.).