In which I pretend I’m really learned and bookish

So I love it when someone new comments on one of my random ramblings, and then we all trot off to have a read of their blog.  My core list of favourite blogs gets bigger all the time.  I also love it when I’m reading one of said favourite blogs and there’s one of my little gang of commenters commenting on their blog too!  It’s like a big, incestuous (but not in a pervy way),  blogging family.

Thus, having arrived over at Parlez Vous Moo in exactly this manner, I discovered that The Nutty One is off on her hols to Kenya, and all her commenters have been recommending reading material.  There are some real classics there, such as Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife which gave me goosebumps, classic Bill Bryson, such as The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, and loads of other stuff I’ve never tried.  So then I thought, seeing as we’re such a nice, friendly, and ever-expanding group of chumlies, that we should have A BOOK CLUB!

Yep, our very own, grown up, book club.  We can all have a waffle about books we’d like to read/books that we’ve heard are good, etc, etc, choose a book, then all bugger off for a month (or however long) to pore over it, then regroup to discuss our findings in a very intellectual and grown up kind of manner.    And by that I mean actually go and buy, steal, beg or borrow the book and actually commit to reading it, proper like.   So what do you reckon then?  Who’s in?

24 Responses

  1. jennynib Says:

    I’m a Big Fat Hairy IN!!!

  2. Deborah Says:

    Hell yeah! Count me in lady! I know Una was trying to get some people together but it kind of fizzled out: http://booknsupp.blogspot.com

  3. Thriftcriminal Says:

    Hmm, can’t commit to that. Anyhoo, I’m terrible at reading stuff that isn’t sci-fi or fantasy (I do read other things, I just get easilly distracted: “Ooooh, lasers” or “Oooh, magic swords and evil magicians”).

  4. Moon Says:

    Only one book .. you are kidding me right .. I have so many I love, trying to re-read 1984, Dante’s Devine Comedy and Grapes or Wrath…

    One I would sooooo recomend, and it’s an easy read is one I mistakenly bought in Canada, and I love it ..
    The curious incident of the Dog in the Nightime - Mark Haddon

    Seriously readers / bloggers … it is soooo good !

  5. wee jen Says:

    Go on then! Although I always have good intentions about my reading and then hubbie has to gently remove the book from my hands as I snore and dribble all over it…

  6. Ruth E Says:

    Oooooh I’m tempted to say count me in but the last time I read a book for pleasure was on honeymoon in October….. looking forward to reading more about the club though and seeing what all you’ll be reading.

  7. Don't Bug Me! Says:

    I have thought about starting a booklist (it is on my list of thinks to do - I like lists) in my blog, and I am certainly interested in having good books recommended, since I tend to purchase books based on which is on sale rather than which is good, unless someone has specifically recommended one. That said, I shall recommend the second of Mark Haddon’s books - A Spot of Bother - even better, in my humble opinion, than the one involving the dead dog in the middle of the night.
    BTW, I am not so interested in dissecting books and discussing what the writer may or may not have meant by the obscure reference to the monkey eating the banana on page 62 or the rabid bat on page 245. I either like a book or I don’t, and generally I dislike depressing books, hence my dislike of The Grapes of Wrath and A Fine Balance. I don’t care how well it is written, if nothing good ever happens, I am not interested. There, I said it.

  8. Tara Says:

    Okay. My pick (when is it my turn, anyway?) is Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller.

  9. Jay Says:

    I dunno - I love reading, and usually have three or four on the go at a time, but I’m not very good at book clubs. Oh, the shame of it …

    What are you reading? I loved Time Traveler’s Wife!

  10. june in florida Says:

    I am reading “Clan of the cave bear” for about the umpteenth time,i have read the whole series many times and i am waiting for Jean Auel’s next book.But i read anything.

  11. 5h4mr0(k Says:

    I’d be with you i.e. it would probably take me a month (or more) to read the book, but (there’s always a but) people like my Better Half, would have the same book read by lunchtime on any given day.

    I never understood why people would want to take more than two, non-fiction, books from the library at the same time until I met her. She can read eight and I’ll be half way through “The Cat In The Hat” (I’ve not finished so please - no spoilers)

  12. Ali Says:

    sis you really are getting very dull you must get a life,a f ing book club !!
    xxx

  13. nuttycow Says:

    Hoorah, I’m in (and thanks for the link)

    The curious incident of the Dog in the Nightime - Mark Haddon was slightly odd but interesting

    Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller. - I liked this one… don’t know why, it was just interesting.

  14. Natalie Says:

    Ooooh I am in! I miss my book club from SA, this could be loads of fun, and I have read Curious incident.. blah blah by mark haddon too - brilliant, except mine was not by mistake!!! So….what will the book be…how do we CHOOSE…each get a month?

  15. Natalie Says:

    I could recommend The Book Thief by Marcus Zussack (I think…) funny enough in the older childrens book section in Ireland but I read it about 18 months ago and passed it on to my father-in-law who absolutely loved it too…

  16. englishmuminireland Says:

    So okay then, the consensus is that we all have books that we’d like to read, but the thought of a book club per se might be a little scary. So I think what I’ll do is start a new section at the top (if I can remember how to do it) and we’ll have an ongoing booklist as Bugs suggested and a book of the month, then we can either read it/discuss it/think about it/procrastinate a bit more or just not bother. How’s that?

    Jen: You’re far too clever - you’ll all have us reading War and Peace and stuff like that. Dumb it down a bit for us mortals, please.

    Thrifty: Okay, you can just watch, then, until we pick something with lasers.

    Moon: Ah I loved that book. Ummed and ahhed about whether to give it to #1 to read (due to a bit of adult content) but he absolutely loved it. Mark Haddon’s next one is supposed to be good as well.

    Wee One: Ah, me too. I have a big pile of cookery books by my bed (which accounts for some of the drool) x

    Ruth: See above. Me too. You can dip in and out then and if something takes our fancy we can read and maybe even comment about it.

    Bugs: That’s the Mark Haddon one I meant. I’d love to read that one. No, I don’t like depressing books either, although I quite like a gory murder or ten x

    Tara: Okay, you win. That’ll be the first book! xx

    Jay: I’m not reading anything at the mo, hence needing suggestions. Wasn’t it a great book? Gave me goosebumps!

    June: Excellent - see, we’re off already! Send me a review or comment on the new page x

    5h4m: Yep, I’m a speedreader too, I’m afraid. Hubby always reckons I cheat. Oh, by the way, Thing One and Thing Two come to the rescue. oops x

    Alg: I’m a 38 year old mother of two children with a house, a vegetable patch and a dog. What do you want me to do, throw a rave??????!

    Nutty: You’re welcome. Oops, actually I forgot to put the link in. Right, I think I’ll go with that, then, seeing as you and Tara both recommend it.

    Nats: I think we’ll just have to ask for recommendations - what do you think about Tara’s choice? Oh, and do you think The Book Thief would be good for #1?? x

  17. Ali Says:

    great idea let me know when and i’ll bring a few people over,Johnny Panic can play and your two boys can do a guest spot on the geee tar !!,rock and double roll !

  18. englishmuminireland Says:

    Alg: Erm okay then…I might be away that weekend. By the way, your little sod of a Godson has just sold his flying V to his guitar teacher FOR A PROFIT!!!! Can you believe the neck of the child?!?

  19. Jay Says:

    Have you all read Cross Stitch? Normally I’d avoid supernatural Scottish 17th century ramblings but it’s truly gripping and you sigh and gasp in turns. And sometimes say ‘Oh, so THAT’S how they managed …’

    Shamrock - ROFL! Are you done with Green Eggs and Ham yet? My two loved that one!

  20. Ali Says:

    What the f— he’s sold his flying V,sacriledge,

  21. englishmuminireland Says:

    Jay: Nope, not heard of that one - might have to suggest it for another month tho?

    Alg: I know! Mind you, it was far too big for him and he couldn’t hold it, so it kind of makes sense. That, and the fact that he’s still got 4 others…. x

  22. Deborah Says:

    Okay I know I so totally left a comment here the other day. Grrr. Anyhoo count me in too! Una Mullaly was planning something similar, but it seems to have fizzled out: http://booknsupp.blogspot.com/

  23. Deborah Says:

    Okay I think it’s eating my comments because of the link in there… might be in your spam! :)

  24. englishmuminireland Says:

    Deb: Just found both your comments in my spam filter! Sorry about that xx

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