March's book: Room by Emma Donohue
This book is another one of Heather's Picks from Chapters. Some have said it was amazing, others have said it was awful.
Looking forward to hearing what our members have to say about it!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
March's Book
March's book: Room by Emma Donohue
This book is another one of Heather's Picks from Chapters. Some have said it was amazing, others have said it was awful.
Looking forward to hearing what our members have to say about it!
The Happiness Project Book Review
I've asked one of our members to do the review for our February book.
Below is Tanya's thoughts on The Happiness Project. Feel free to comment about your opinion of the book in the comments section.
The Happiness Project.
The happiness project is one women’s (Gretchen Rubin) year-long journey to becoming happier. The story is broken down into twelve chapters, a chapter for each month with a new subject and resolutions for each one. I do like the idea of the monthly resolutions, she also created a check mark system, each month she set up a chart to track her progress, personally I wasn’t too keen on that. That’s the beauty of this book, It’s her journey and really can be used and interpreted in each reader’s individual way. It was jam packed with happiness facts, quotes, Gretchen’s splendid Truths, her twelve commandments and plenty of her own experiences.
Chapter 1 or January’s subject was boost energy with five resolutions to help achieve this: Go to sleep earlier; exercise better; toss, restore, organize; tackle a nagging task and; act more energetic). She included a lot of little facts to emphasize her resolutions in each chapter. January included quite a few, here are a couple examples:
• An extra hour of sleep each night will increase your happiness by the same amount as a $60,000 raise.
• According to some study, cutting down on clutter can reduce your housework by 40%.
I like how her first month was sort of the basics, getting things set up to really be able ot focus on the rest of the year’s happiness project.
Chapter 4 or April was all about parenthood. It was her month to “lighten up”. I don’t have children yet, but I spend a lot of time with my god daughter and her brother and I sometimes find myself quick to say no. After reading this, I’ve noticed that I have a lot more patience with the kids, if they want to do something that normally we wouldn’t, we give it a go.. why not? It’s makes them happy and it makes me happy that they’re happy. I think that’s one of her splendid truths, “One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy”. Seeing someone else happy and laughing brings a warmth to my heart. She had some great tips for parenting and included some really fun ideas for the kids, the kids and I are going to give pirate night a try this Friday… it should be fun.
Chapter 7 or July’s subject was Buy Some Happiness. Now I don’t necessarily agree with this statement, but I do understand its value. She talked about spending out and I have to say this is one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned for myself while reading this book. I’m definitely guilty of hoarding, of “saving” something for a special day. Why? What good does it do sitting in a cupboard or not being worn, I bought it to use and I’m saving it for a special occasion? After reading that, I opened a can of guava juice I’d been saving, my favourite and hard to come by where I live, my Mom had found it on her last trip into the cities and brought it back, she continually asked if I liked it, to which I continually reminded her I need a “special occasion” to drink it. Ok I know, silly, it’s just juice, but I’m sure we probably all have a reserve of something we just can’t bare to use, be it fancy china, the expensive bottle of wine we’re keeping for the
right time. I inherited my grandma’s engagement ring and it sits all safe and secure in the safety deposit box.. that’s not what she would’ve wanted, she would want me to enjoy it… so ladies, spend out!!
There was some areas of the book that I found hard to read, I’m not sure if it was an overdose of facts and quotes or blog comments, but I did find myself “zoning” out in those situations and found it hard to get back into the book. I found the month of August, contemplate the heavens, particularily draining. This chapter talked alot about eternity, death, terminal illness and things of that nature. It felt like a very heavy chapter compared to the rest and I just couldn’t bring myself to really focus. I talked to Gabe about this and she did have a point -- we all need a reminder sometimes to be thankful for what we have and what we’re capable of. So, in that respect, it was a good reminder to appraciate the things we sometimes take for granted.
As for recommending this book, I would recommend this for a first read as well as a reread. I borrowed this from the library, but it is now on my list of buys and I hope to reread it at the beginning of each new year. It’s amazing how reading a good book can, well, make you happy!
- Tanya Cumming
Below is Tanya's thoughts on The Happiness Project. Feel free to comment about your opinion of the book in the comments section.
The Happiness Project.
The happiness project is one women’s (Gretchen Rubin) year-long journey to becoming happier. The story is broken down into twelve chapters, a chapter for each month with a new subject and resolutions for each one. I do like the idea of the monthly resolutions, she also created a check mark system, each month she set up a chart to track her progress, personally I wasn’t too keen on that. That’s the beauty of this book, It’s her journey and really can be used and interpreted in each reader’s individual way. It was jam packed with happiness facts, quotes, Gretchen’s splendid Truths, her twelve commandments and plenty of her own experiences.
Chapter 1 or January’s subject was boost energy with five resolutions to help achieve this: Go to sleep earlier; exercise better; toss, restore, organize; tackle a nagging task and; act more energetic). She included a lot of little facts to emphasize her resolutions in each chapter. January included quite a few, here are a couple examples:
• An extra hour of sleep each night will increase your happiness by the same amount as a $60,000 raise.
• According to some study, cutting down on clutter can reduce your housework by 40%.
I like how her first month was sort of the basics, getting things set up to really be able ot focus on the rest of the year’s happiness project.
Chapter 4 or April was all about parenthood. It was her month to “lighten up”. I don’t have children yet, but I spend a lot of time with my god daughter and her brother and I sometimes find myself quick to say no. After reading this, I’ve noticed that I have a lot more patience with the kids, if they want to do something that normally we wouldn’t, we give it a go.. why not? It’s makes them happy and it makes me happy that they’re happy. I think that’s one of her splendid truths, “One of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy”. Seeing someone else happy and laughing brings a warmth to my heart. She had some great tips for parenting and included some really fun ideas for the kids, the kids and I are going to give pirate night a try this Friday… it should be fun.
Chapter 7 or July’s subject was Buy Some Happiness. Now I don’t necessarily agree with this statement, but I do understand its value. She talked about spending out and I have to say this is one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned for myself while reading this book. I’m definitely guilty of hoarding, of “saving” something for a special day. Why? What good does it do sitting in a cupboard or not being worn, I bought it to use and I’m saving it for a special occasion? After reading that, I opened a can of guava juice I’d been saving, my favourite and hard to come by where I live, my Mom had found it on her last trip into the cities and brought it back, she continually asked if I liked it, to which I continually reminded her I need a “special occasion” to drink it. Ok I know, silly, it’s just juice, but I’m sure we probably all have a reserve of something we just can’t bare to use, be it fancy china, the expensive bottle of wine we’re keeping for the
right time. I inherited my grandma’s engagement ring and it sits all safe and secure in the safety deposit box.. that’s not what she would’ve wanted, she would want me to enjoy it… so ladies, spend out!!
There was some areas of the book that I found hard to read, I’m not sure if it was an overdose of facts and quotes or blog comments, but I did find myself “zoning” out in those situations and found it hard to get back into the book. I found the month of August, contemplate the heavens, particularily draining. This chapter talked alot about eternity, death, terminal illness and things of that nature. It felt like a very heavy chapter compared to the rest and I just couldn’t bring myself to really focus. I talked to Gabe about this and she did have a point -- we all need a reminder sometimes to be thankful for what we have and what we’re capable of. So, in that respect, it was a good reminder to appraciate the things we sometimes take for granted.
As for recommending this book, I would recommend this for a first read as well as a reread. I borrowed this from the library, but it is now on my list of buys and I hope to reread it at the beginning of each new year. It’s amazing how reading a good book can, well, make you happy!
- Tanya Cumming
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Feburary's Book
February's book : The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
We've never heard of this author - however it is one of Heather's Picks from Chapters.
We will meet February 28th and discuss. Our discussions will be posted the following day and for those of you virtually can reply in the discussion area.
For anyone who wants to post their thoughts of the book pre-Feb 28th, feel free to comment below.
Enjoy Reading!
Agreed - We all liked Emily Giffin
First - we all seemed to like Emily Giffin's writing. This is my 5th book that I have read of hers - along with a few other people in the group and we can easily add her to our recommended authors. We can't wait for her next book to come out.
Below are some highlights to the Book Club questions
1) The rural setting was perfect for the plot - had it been set in downtown NY, it wouldn't have been as believable with the "clique" friendships & the gossip.
2) The striking scene that affected most of the group is when Charlie was hurt, taken to the hospital and the unknown recovery. Also, many parents in the group could relate to Romy - as accidents do happen. However, they all mentioned that they would not have allowed a group of 6 years olds to play around fire unattended.
3) There were no loopholes really - we enjoyed Emily Giffin's dialogue in the book. Very easy read!!!
4) We found that the author did present the conflicts realistically. Emily's books are often about the same theme - relationships and whether or not they are strong enough to last. These are real life issues that people deal with all the time. That being said - we did found that the Valerie gave up a bit to easily and didn't try hard enough to get the man she supposedly loved back. Some women in the group mentioned that if this was real life - she would have tried harder - been a bit more of a villain.
5) The plot was very character-driven - this seems to be the same with all of Emily's books.
6) The theme of this novel is about relationships and whether or not the main characters marriage is strong enough to handle the ups and downs that faced them.
7) We thought it was interesting that Emily went back and forth with Tessa and Valerie to show us, the readers, both views of the women. The beginning was hard to get in to - but once we got used to the characters and got to know them a bit more - the transition of going back and forth became very natural.
8) Characters & Dialogue were both convincing.
9) The major & minor characters were very clear in the book.
10) We had many answers when we discussed who we wanted to meet. Most wanted to meet Nick and ask WHY?, some wanted to meet Charlie - and see how he was doing, and some wanted to meet Romy and find out exactly what did happen.
11) We all agreed that this novel does not need to be made in to a movie. Emily does have a movie coming out in June with one of her first books " Something Blue" , however this book does not seem like a good fit for a movie.
12) We love Emily Giffin and would definitely read more. There was a newcomer to Emily Giffin who said she would read more too!!!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Next meeting - January 31st, 2011
Things to think about:
Story, Plot and Theme-Based Book Club Questions
1. Was there a particularly striking scene in the novel? Why did it impact you?
2. How did the setting affect the plot?
3. Was the story well developed, or were there any loopholes that made the book lose its interest?
4. Did the author present the conflict of the book in a realistic context? Were the characters' struggles addressed in a believable way?
5. What motivated the story? Was the novel plot-driven or character-driven?
6. What was the theme of the novel?
Character-Focused Book Club Questions
1. What was your first impression of the characters and how did they (or did they not) evolve for you over the course of the novel?
2. Were the characters believable?
3. Was the dialog convincing?
4. Was there a minor character that outshined a more central character?
5. If you could meet any character from this book and ask him or her one question, which would it be and what would you ask? Why?
Reader-Based Book Club Questions
1. What impression did the book leave on the group? .
2. Share favorite passages of the book with the other group members.
3. Would this novel would make a good movie? Why or why not? Who should be cast as each of the main characters in the group's ideal version of the film?
4. Would the group read more from this author? Why or why not?
We will discuss a few of these questions during our meeting.
If only our English highschool teachers knew we were doing this! haha!
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