It is quite obvious the first book for our little Book Club didn’t go as succesfully as we would have wanted it to be. Perhaps it was bad timing. Perhaps the fact that it was our first attempt at it. But we would never give up that easily.
Now comes the choice of our second [attempt] book. As mentioned in the Book Club’s main page somebody is going to be the Guest Editor of this new book. Whoever is interested in taking on this role can propose their book of preference and then we will decide who gets it. Please state if you are interested in being the Editor. So, if you are going to propose something you best be ready to carry on the responsibilities that come with it. A few of them are:
- Being ahead of everybody else in the reading
- Preparing questions for each session
- Monitoring the discussion
It’s really not as hard as it sounds but somebody has to do it. With this said, all proposals are now welcome.
I wholeheartedly recommend -- and would be willing to guest edit a discussion of -- Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier.
It's not exactly a new book, having been released in 2001, but it was so moving that I have read it twice since first discovering it two summers ago.
From the back cover: "History and fiction merge seamlessly in Tracy Chevalier's luminous novel about artistic vision and sensual awakening. Through the eyes of a sixteen-year-old Griet, the world of the 1660s Holland comes dazzlingly alive in this richly imagined portrait of the young woman who inspired one of Vermeer's most celebrated paintings."
Here are just some of the reasons why I suggest we give it a whirl.
- QUALITY: The descriptions are so vivid, you'll feel like you're in the Delft yourself.
- PRICE: It's older and therefore easy to pick-up at used from your local bookstore (or Amazon) if you're pinchin' pennies.
- VISUAL: Talk about descriptive! Even though it's historical fiction, you will find yourself examining the front cover each time you flip the page to try to discover more about the painting's subject, who just also happens to be the story's narrator.
- OPINION: From the reviews I've read (both from critics and random readers at Amazon), folks are divided about this book and about Vermeer. What better potential fodder to work from, or perhaps even inspire, our book club's next discourse!
On May.11.2003 at 03:28 PM