Favourite Week: Book Clubs

Book clubs. Glorious book clubs. I love book clubs. I belong to two (technically three if you count the one on Goodreads, but I am sooooo delinquent with that one you can pretend I never said nuttin’ ’bout that one) and I love every minute of it. Even those scrambled minutes the night before when I am trying to finish a book in time. Or, you know, the five minutes before book club begins. I’ve never done that though. At least not more than once.Book clubs. Why do I love book clubs? As a reader, I love finding and reading books to read that I might not cross paths with otherwise. Plus, I love discussing books with others. And I love to talk about books too. (Shut up, Jean. There are others in the book club who want to talk too. Note: I have gotten better about ‘sharing the floor’,  just so you know. It’s simply that I have lots of things I want to talk about and ask others. That’s all. No, really. It isn’t all about me. It’s all about the book. Well, mostly. I mean, the majority of the time… Okay, I’m going to shut up now.)

As a writer, I love to find out what others thought of a book. Did they like it? Hate it? How did this part make them feel? The author broke the rules over here, what was your reaction as a reader? What we the slow parts for you? Where did you get totally engrossed? Etc. Etc. I learn soooo much in book club about readers and their fickle tastes. It’s wonderful!

Do you belong to a book club? What’s your favourite part?

Read Around the World

Tonight, I started Gabriel García Márquez’s book One Hundred Years of Solitude. As I was reading the first page, I flipped to the back cover to see where the book was written. (There is a discovery of ice on the first page and seeing as it is January in Canada… and I’m thinking of warm, sunny locations around the globe… well, you do the math.) The book was originally published in Columbia.

Why am I telling you this? As I sat there dreaming of sunshine beating down on my skin, I began to realize that in the past year I have read a fair number of books from various corners of the world. A couple of examples: The Girls of Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), The Alchemist (Portugal), Is There Anybody Out There? (Ireland), Divisadero (Canada), Unfeeling (Zimbabwe), and a slew of American literature.

And I ask you, is there a better way to travel the world? To delve so completely into the culture, sounds, smells, beliefs, attitudes or fears of people living across this big blue planet? Is there a better way to taste these differences all while probing around at that undefinable ‘thing’ that underlies life, that something we call humanity?

As I stared at the cover of One Hundred Years of Solitude, I found myself wondering if it would be possible to read my way across the world. Would it be possible to read a book that has been written by a citizen of each of the world’s countries? Could I read books that have made their way out of each and every country across the world and into my hands? A book that has been translated into English? (Because let’s face it, unless it’s a children’s book in Spanish or French, I’m an English-only reader.)

The challenge is on. With no time limit as this could take awhile. (Particularly with commitments to two book clubs, serving as a ThomasNelson book blogger, working on my banned book challenge, and of course, those wonderful books I’m given as gifts or seem to glom onto me as I pass through bookstores and libraries.)

Speaking of children’s books, I am not going to be an adult literature snob. I’m down with any book in published form. It also doesn’t have to be a classic, nor a classic in the making. Remember, I’m a book slut; I’ll read anything. Plus, I read about 300 kids books in a year, so why pass up the opportunity to help boost my stats? A book is a book, right?

Note: Books like Cellist in Sarajevo and Not Without My Daughter do not count as ‘foreign’ lit as they are written by a Canadian and an American, respectively, and not a citizen of the country where the books’ action takes place.

Coming tomorrow… a map (like above). I’m going to go visual on this. I’m going to colour in each country (around 195 of them! This’ll also improve my geography skills–woo!) as I read a book from there. However, I am going to ‘cheat’ a little and play retroactively. That means that books I’ve already read count. Yes, you heard me. The only thing stipulation about previously read books being counted in the challenge is that I have to be able to remember enough about the book in order to be able to give a decent plot summary. So there.

Want in? Misery Reading pleasure loves company.

Are You a Book Slut?

Last night, a bunch of us writers got together and filled the AgentQuery open chatroom with Margaritas, our brilliant minds, and of course, our equally fantastic personalities.  Feeling secure in a group of like-minded friends, I came out of the closet. Okay, okay. I didn’t. I was outed by someone who recognized the signs. Today, with the support of my AQ friends, I have the courage to do this publicly.

I, Jean Oram, am a book slut.

Yes, I know. *bows head* A bit of a shocker, isn’t it? Throwing the ‘S’ word around like that. I know I’m not the only one out there. Therefore, I say we should unite and reclaim the ‘S’ word. Say it loud and proud, “I am a book slut.”

In my desire to help others, I  have created a quiz with some of the common symptoms of book slut behaviour. If you have one or more of these symptoms, you too, may be a book slut.

Does this sound like you…

1. You read more than one book at a time, sometimes even more than one in a day.

2. You can’t pass a table of discounted books without feeling that you might be missing out on something really good.

3. You belong to at least one book club.

4. As you are nearing the end of one book, you are already thinking of the next one.

5. It stresses you out that there are more delicious books in the world than you can possibly read.

6. You will read anything. If it is a book, you’ll read it. And probably even enjoy it.

7. Book workers, i.e. booksellers and librarians, know you by name.

8. For you, reading isn’t just an in-bed-before-you-fall-asleep activity, you will also read in public if the opportunity arises.

9. You carry books with you–just in case you find an opportunity for a quickie.

10. You try to hook others by gifting books or by promoting your favourites by saying things like, “Everyone is reading this and they love it. Just try it.”

11. You will take a free book even if you aren’t interested in it.

12. There aren’t enough bookshelves in your house to hold all your books.

13. Friends describe you as an ‘avid reader.’

If you replied ‘that sounds like me’ to 1-2 of the above, you have begun exhibiting signs of being a book slut. There is no immediate cause for concern.

If you replied ‘that sounds like me’ to 3-5 of the above, you are in significant danger of developing into a book slut. If symptoms worsen, seek support. You do not need to go through this alone.

If you replied ‘that sounds like me’ to 6-9 of the above, you are a book slut. Seek support immediately.

If you replied ‘that’s sounds like me’ to 10-13 of the above, you are a book slut of the highest order. There is no hope for you. Embrace your book slutishness and repeat with me (loud and proud), “I am a book slut!”

Quintuple Layered Reading

Yesterday, I was sprawled on the couch, cat nuzzled under my chin, reading a book (layer 1) about a guy who read Encyclopedia Britannica (layer 2 and a review coming on that book tomorrow–the book, not the encyclopedia) when my husband interrupted me. He interrupted me to tell me about a cartoon he read on the internet (layer 3) about a writer (layer 4). However, he was interrupted by the door (no layers there). The man at the door, came by to try and (get this) sell him a book on health (that folks, would be freaky layer 5). Of course, the book was simply a gateway to talking about the protestant reformation making me relieved that I was burdened by cat and book and therefore, unable to attend to the door.

Here’s the cartoon:

Looking for Something to Read?

If you’re looking for something to read, it has become incredibly easy to do some snooping around. By that, I mean that there are many sites out there where people–just like you–have listed their favourite reads. That means, all you have to do is see what they are reading to find your next favourite read. I know! It’s so easy!

Here are a few places I like to find some good reads (other than bargain bins, the local library and my book club):

Goodreads.com This site has a pile of people blogging, reviewing, rating and talking about books. There are even book clubs and book topic discussions you can join. It’s like book central! (P.S. I’m on GoodReads. I’m still trying to get my account caught up to me though! I’m ‘jeanoram’ if you want to seek me out.)

Chapters, Amazon, indiebound, etc. Most online bookstores have created an online community where you can read reviews, see what other customers have bought or recommended. It’s a great way to fill your shopping cart, that’s for sure!

Girl Meets Book Good reads for chicks. There are a lots of great reads on this site along with reviews written by the site editor who happens to be a literary agent. That means she knows her stuff.

Chatelaine, my favourite Canadian magazine has a book of the month as well as other topics like beach reads. Online, search for ‘book of the month’ and you’ll get a nice list.

Those are a few places I go to get myself started. Where do you go?

Happy reading!