Mrs. Lily Mott, Come on Down!

Hey, everyone. I hope y'all have enjoyed the thoroughly thrilling (and ultimately dissatisfying -- sorry, Todd, but that's what I think) "Smilla's Sense of Snow." It is time to move on and the lucky discussion leader for the month of May is none other than our own, lovely, Lily Mott. (cue cheering crowd noises: Yeah! Wohoo! Alright!)

Lily brings us back to our philosophical roots with her selection, "Till We Have Faces" by the excellent C.S. Lewis. I know almost nothing about this book but "I am already disposed to approve of it" (to quote one of the best books on the planet) because (1) it's CS Lewis; and (2) it's Lily's suggestion.

So. Get to work! Lily, we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Out with the Old and in with the New

Well it's a new month and you all (or ya'll according to Abby) know what that means...it's time for a riveting review of last month's read. Jill, I simply cannot wait a minute longer to read your fascinating take on Blood Brothers. I'm sure you have lots to say about this interesting book you recommended.

It's also time to start a new book: Smilla's Sense of Snow. This book tells a tale of murder and international intrigue amidst the snowy peaks of the mighty Alps. It's full of highs and lows, twists and turns and will leaving you thinking "hmmmm...that book gave me a whole new outlook on not only snow, but life itself." OK, maybe it won't because maybe none of what I just said is true. I'm pretty sure there is going to be some snow involved based on the title, but I haven't read much yet so the rest is still a mystery....a mystery we will all solve together as members of The Finer Things Book Club.

Fire and Ice

Hey y'all. I just wanted to remind y'all that this month's book is Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts. I've only read about 15 pages but so far it's been a scintillating read. I'm sure that Jill, this month's discussion leader, must have some deeply profound and possibly paradigm-shifting insights that drew her to this reading selection. We hope she will share at least some of them with us soon.

Also, I wanted to give y'all a heads up on April's reading selection. Todd will be guiding our foray into the enchanting world of "Smilla's Sense of Snow" by Peter Hoeg. (FYI Todd: this means you'll actually have to read the book -- or at least read enough reviews on Amazon.com to come up with a discussion question or two.)

[Note: Writing the titles for those books in this post, drew up very strong color images for me -- the red for Blood Brothers and the white for Smilla's Sense of Snow. I think it will be interesting to see if/how that plays into the books themselves and what significance, if any, we find in reading them one right after the other.]

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!