Oops! Sorry I'm a bit late! Here it is...book #3!

The book is I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak (as I said earlier) and the meeting is going to be on Saturday, January 15 (2011!) at 2:00 pm.

I know I say how excited I am for every book, but seriously, I'm really excited for this one. I, being a book nerd who loves to re-read books, have actually read this several times, and I love it. It's hilarious, beautiful, mysterious and touching. And it's SHORT. I'm really pleased with the reaction so far to this book, a lot of people seem especially interested, as it is a book that can appeal to a wide range of people, especially teenagers. (The length helps too). I'm stoked to see the turnout and reaction to this, so get reading!

Love,

Laura

Yay!

Why am I excited? Well, the meeting yesterday went great! More people showed up than I expected, and the conversation was good, which totally made my day :) I'm also very excited about the next book, Markus Zusak's I Am the Messenger which I think a lot of people are going to enjoy. I'll post more about it later.

Until then,

Laura

It's really quite simple, actually....

YOU
MUST
READ
THIS
BOOK

That's right, Cutting for Stone is one of the best books I've read in a while. I just finished it today, and I was absolutely blown away. It was one of those books that you sneak glances at to read even when you have no time, simply because it's such a great read. You still have time to start it if you want to come to book club, I'm hoping to have a better turnout this time!

Seriously, read this book.

Now. (Please)

--Laura

P.S. Oh yeah....read it. Did I mention that?

Well, are you reading yet?

You SHOULD be....for a variety of reasons:

1) The book is absolutely amazing
2) There's a month left until the meeting, and it is a bit long
3) It's engaging, compelling and extremely interesting
4) You should at least start reading so that you can be there
5) The book is fantastic
6) You need to be there (there perhaps might be cookies)
7) If you don't go, you kinda suck
8) The book is seriously good
9) Cookies (I feel this point needs repeating), conversation and extra credit (where applies for the last one)

Need I say more? Amazing people are going to be there...and you know that you, person reading this, are one of those people.

Be there. You have a month. Now read!

--Laura

Announcing Book #2....

Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese! I'm excited about this one; I've heard some amazing things about this book. Although I thought I was only going to select books that I'd already read, I got such great feedback whenever I heard this book mentioned that I knew it would be a good choice. I'm a bit over a hundred pages in right now and I'm really enjoying it. It's a long book, but it seems to go by quickly. The medical aspect of the book is particularly interesting, and I'm already engrossed. The meeting will be Saturday, Novemeber 20 at 2:00 pm. Get reading!

--Laura

First meeting!

We had the very first meeting today, and I had a fantastic time. The turnout was pretty low (only the amazing Ms. Davis and Ms. Pirsch showed up) but we had a great discussion. I'll be working out the next book and meeting very soon, and hopefully I'll work it out so that extra credit could be an option. (Yay for bribery!) You'll be hearing more soon!

--Laura

GET EXCITED!

Yeah, that's right! Guess what's going down tomorrow? Oh, only the very first meeting of the Borders Young Adult Book Club! It's going to be really really fun, I'm super excited about this! See you then!

--Laura

One week to go!

Hey everyone!

One week to go until the very first meeting on October 2nd at 2:00! Hope to see you there, it's going to be great!

--Laura

And the first book is......(drum roll, please!)

......The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon! It's one of my all-time favorite books and an incredible read that quite fulfills my desire for my first book to be an amazing one. I've planned the meeting for Saturday, October 2nd at 2:00 pm. I'll be announcing the book early next week. I'm so excited! It's an incredible book, everyone should read it! (On a random note, I've never seen the cover picture I have posted, but it's the coolest one I've seen for the book) So, what's this excellent, amazing, fantastic book about? See below! (I've edited it a bit in case of spoilers):



"At the first light of dawn in postwar Barcelona, a bookseller leads his motherless son to a mysterious crypt called the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. This labyrinthine sanctuary houses the books that have lost their owners, books that are no longer remembered by anyone. It is here that ten-year-old Daniel Sempere pulls a single book-The Shadow of the Wind-off of the dusty shelves to adopt as his own. With one fateful turn of a page, he begins an adventure that will unravel another man's tragedy and solve a mystery that has already taken many lives and will shape his entire future.

When Daniel speaks with Gustavo Barceló, a local booktrader, to find out more about his new treasure, word begins to spread that he has uncovered a long-sought rarity, perhaps the only copy of any of Julián Carax's works in existence. Soon after, a mysterious stranger whom Daniel recognizes as Laín Coubert, the leather-masked, cigarette-smoking devil from Carax's novel, propositions Daniel, offering to buy the book from him for an astronomical price. Daniel refuses, in spite of the man's thinly veiled threats. With the help of his bookselling friends, Daniel discovers that Laín Coubert has cut a swath of destruction through two countries, methodically searching for and destroying all of Carax's books while erasing every trace of Carax's life.

Daniel is swept up in unraveling the great mystery of the author's short but wretched life, an epic of two Barcelona families devastated by a secret no one could have guessed. Only when a woman is brutally murdered for trying to reveal the truth, and Fermín is framed for the crime, does Daniel begin to understand that the threat to his life is very real. And what begins as a young bibliophile's hobby turns into a diabolical murder mystery that, if Daniel is not careful, may write his own tragic ending."

--from http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/shadow_of_wind1.asp

Home sweet home!

Why, hello there! Guess who's back on island? Well, me...the new Book Club girl. I've brought a few friends in tow, from England, Italy, and Spain--new books! I'm really excited to be back and get things going! I'm already starting to think about possible options for my first book (yikes, pressure!) and I want to choose a really really good one. (Being in Barcelona and re-reading an old favorite for the zillionth time may have inspired me to make a very predictable choice....). So I'll be mulling and debating by myself and also getting some advice from my amazing advisers at school (mainly Ms. Davis and Ms. Pirsch). I plan on making calls and getting things together, beginning in the next few days, so that when school starts up I'll already be ahead on this. I'm planning on making announcements in several assemblies to get interest up and encourage more people to come, including more of the Middle School. I can't wait to get going; you'll be hearing more from me soon!

Laura

P.S. Like the new blog template? I love it; I saw it and just couldn't resist! :)

And so the crown has been passed...(the new girl says hi)

Hi there, everyone and anyone who's reading this....

The wonderful Sararose has turned this blog and the leadership of the Borders Young Adult Book Club over to me (Laura) to run for my remaining two years at Seabury. Needless to say, I am so incredibly excited to start this. I hope I can somehow fill Sararose's shoes, as she was great, and a million thanks to her for getting this off the ground and so well established...it sure makes my life a lot easier. I just wanted to say hello and take over things, I probably won't be updating this until after summer vacation, as I'm going to be away. I'm sure I'm going to read tons of books over the break and get quite a few suggestions, so I'm really excited to see what the first book under my reign will be. If you have any ideas, feel free to email me or contact me on Facebook. See you later!

Last Meeting Under My Reign

So my final day has come.

At 3 today, I will hand over this website to a fellow reading fanatic and friend. I know she will do great with this book club, maybe better.

I will be keeping in touch. And COMMENTING! And i will definitely try to read all the books she chooses for you guys to read. I am now becoming a member and not a leader. But happily in a way. I am going on to different things and I know the Book Club will be in good hands.

Well, who's ready for the discussion on Middlesex!

Lets hope I am, I did write a 10 page analytical paper on it...

See you guys at 2! (For the last time :( )

Sararose

Everything is Decided!

Finally, our next meeting time has been decided.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Saturday May 22, 2010
2:00 pm
Big Borders

Also, after this meeting, I will be bowing down and handing over the book club to Laura Mayron. She's enthusiastic and loves reading more than I do. She's very eager to start and I'm almost convinced to just give it to her now.
Well, both Laura and I will be there, hope to see all of you.

STOP!

Please stop reading that book! I thought I would never have to do this, but I'm changing our book. Please stop reading Snow and pick up Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.
This bring me to an interesting topic on how books pick their readers, which I may elaborate at our meeting. I was really excited to read this book, it sounded great. But as started it, I just couldn't get into it. I found the aspect of the suicide girls interesting, but the political views it was influenced by is not my forte.

So, I move on Middlesex. I apologize if this inconveniences anyone.
If you want, if you're really enjoying Snow, then you can continue with it and we can compare and contrast it to Middlesex. That should be interesting. Let me know.

I still haven't picked a date. I gotta look at that school calendar, make sure everyone can come.
Hope you enjoy the new book.

Ahh!!

Ok, I've been slacking. I admit it. Calm down.
So to make up for it, I'm going to make this very long.
Water For Elephants was an amazing book, one of the best I've chosen for us to read. And again, I'm sorry most of you didn't get the chance to share the reading experience with me. My promotional skills have weakened significantly. But to those of you who read it, thank you and I hoped you liked it as much as I did. And to Emily Davis, thank you for joining me at Borders that Saturday. I do believe we had a nice discussion, just the two of us.

So, as for the next novel. Once again, I am embarking on another busy time in my laugh. However, this time, I'm not going to let it get in the way of this book club. So! You guys are gonna help me! Ready? We are reading Snow by Orhan Pamuk. It is one the more difficult books I've ever chosen to read. It's more on the political side of things, kind of Marxist. But I'm intrigued by it at the same time. It should be interesting. And knowing you guys are behind me on this will only keep me more motivated to read it! Yay!

Ok, well happy reading.
I'll try to keep in better touch.
Sararose

DATE UNKNOWN
Snow by Orhan Pamuk
Big Borders
2:00 pm

New Meeting!!!

Ah, the long, nerve-wracking wait for our new novel has ended.
Drum roll please!



BBRRRUUMMMMMMMM!



Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen!

Thanks to everyone who voted and sent in recommendations!

As for the date of our long awaited meeting? I'm thinking in about 6 weeks? So that makes it Saturday March 13 at 2:00 pm.
Get your books and start reading! I can't wait! I've heard so much about this book! It's gonna be great!
~Sararose

OPTION #5

Jacob Jankowski says: "I am ninety. Or ninety-three. One or the other." At the beginning of Water for Elephants, he is living out his days in a nursing home, hating every second of it. His life wasn't always like this, however, because Jacob ran away and joined the circus when he was twenty-one. It wasn't a romantic, carefree decision, to be sure. His parents were killed in an auto accident one week before he was to sit for his veterinary medicine exams at Cornell. He buried his parents, learned that they left him nothing because they had mortgaged everything to pay his tuition, returned to school, went to the exams, and didn't write a single word. He walked out without completing the test and wound up on a circus train. The circus he joins, in Depression-era America, is second-rate at best. With Ringling Brothers as the standard, Benzini Brothers is far down the scale and pale by comparison.
Water for Elephants is the story of Jacob's life with this circus. Sara Gruen spares no detail in chronicling the squalid, filthy, brutish circumstances in which he finds himself. The animals are mangy, underfed or fed rotten food, and abused. Jacob, once it becomes known that he has veterinary skills, is put in charge of the "menagerie" and all its ills. Uncle Al, the circus impresario, is a self-serving, venal creep who slaps people around because he can. August, the animal trainer, is a certified paranoid schizophrenic whose occasional flights into madness and brutality often have Jacob as their object. Jacob is the only person in the book who has a handle on a moral compass and as his reward he spends most of the novel beaten, broken, concussed, bleeding, swollen and hungover. He is the self-appointed Protector of the Downtrodden, and... he falls in love with Marlena, crazy August's wife. Not his best idea.

For more information search this title at Amazon.com

Thanks Ryan Walsh for the recommendation!

OPTION #4

Settle down to enjoy a rousing good ghost story with Diane Setterfield's debut novel, The Thirteenth Tale. Setterfield has rejuvenated the genre with this closely plotted, clever foray into a world of secrets, confused identities, lies, and half-truths. She never cheats by pulling a rabbit out of a hat; this atmospheric story hangs together perfectly.
There are two heroines here: Vida Winter, a famous author, whose life story is coming to an end, and Margaret Lea, a young, unworldly, bookish girl who is a bookseller in her father's shop. Vida has been confounding her biographers and fans for years by giving everybody a different version of her life, each time swearing it's the truth. Because of a biography that Margaret has written about brothers, Vida chooses Margaret to tell her story, all of it, for the first time. At their initial meeting, the conversation begins:
"You have given nineteen different versions of your life story to journalists in the last two years alone."
She [Vida] shrugged. "It's my profession. I'm a storyteller."
"I am a biographer, I work with facts."
The game is afoot and Margaret must spend some time sorting out whether or not Vida is actually ready to tell the whole truth. There is more here of Margaret discovering than of Vida cooperating wholeheartedly, but that is part of Vida's plan. The transformative power of truth informs the lives of both women by story's end, and The Thirteenth Tale is finally and convincingly told

For more information search this title at Amazon.com

Thanks Laura for the recommendation!

OPTION #3

The story follows 100 years in the life of Macondo, a village founded by José Arcadio Buendía and occupied by descendants all sporting variations on their progenitor's name: his sons, José Arcadio and Aureliano, and grandsons, Aureliano José, Aureliano Segundo, and José Arcadio Segundo. Then there are the women--the two Úrsulas, a handful of Remedios, Fernanda, and Pilar--who struggle to remain grounded even as their menfolk build castles in the air. If it is possible for a novel to be highly comic and deeply tragic at the same time, then One Hundred Years of Solitude does the trick. Civil war rages throughout, hearts break, dreams shatter, and lives are lost, yet the effect is literary pentimento, with sorrow's outlines bleeding through the vibrant colors of García Márquez's magical realism. Consider, for example, the ghost of Prudencio Aguilar, whom José Arcadio Buendía has killed in a fight. So lonely is the man's shade that it haunts Buendía's house, searching anxiously for water with which to clean its wound. Buendía's wife, Úrsula, is so moved that "the next time she saw the dead man uncovering the pots on the stove she understood what he was looking for, and from then on she placed water jugs all about the house."

For more information, search this title at Amazon.com

Thanks Laura for the recommendation!

OPTION #2

Customer Review:
Like all respectable vampire tales, this one spans centuries. However, that is where the similarity ends because I have never read a vampire tale quite like this. The protagonists span three generations. I can see someone turning this book into an epic movie or mini series. Each generation has one or more of its own historians. All are looking for the real Dracula (Prince Vlad Tepes) for both professional and personal reasons. The search for the truth will take them to several different countries and to journeys of self discovery that none anticipated. Readers I must warn you that if you are hoping for a romance novel, this is not it. There are several love stories woven within and through the primary story, but as compelling as they may sometimes be (I wept at page 526), they take a back seat to the search for the "Dark Prince". This is an adventure but not in the usual sense as there is really not much action (until near the end). Remember, these are historians so you can imagine their method of searching. I did not find this novel "Genuinely terrifying" as quoted from the Boston Globe but I agree it is "A thrill ride through history" as stated by the Denver Post. If you love history, traveling, and emersion into other cultures, you will love this book. It will feel as if you have been on an exotic vacation. Warning, I found the first half of the book difficult to read. Elizabeth Kostova is a stickler for details (possibly in the excess) and I found it hard to form attachments to the characters. The initial moving back and forth through different events within several generations was a bit confusing, but if you can hang in there, by the second half of the book you should have a strong bond to one or more of the protagonists and you will be thankful for the details that brought you to that realization. This is a book that should make you think, "It could happen". I can even see readers who tend to enjoy non-fiction more than fiction finding merit and a great deal of fun in following our heroes through situations that are exotic and yet, believable. What do our heroes find? I am not one to be accused of creating spoilers. My personal joy is in sharing a book with someone and then watching them discover the prize for themselves. I will tell you that what they find is quite fascinating so enjoy. Oh, and with all the historians in this story, I put this question to you. Who is THE Historian?

For more information, search this title at Amazon.com

Thanks Laura for the recommendation!

OPTION #1

Previously posted Wednesday, January 20th.

Meet Isabel "Izzy" Spellman, private investigator. This twenty-eight-year-old may have a checkered past littered with romantic mistakes, excessive drinking, and creative vandalism; she may be addicted to Get Smart reruns and prefer entering homes through windows rather than doors -- but the upshot is she's good at her job as a licensed private investigator with her family's firm, Spellman Investigations. Invading people's privacy comes naturally to Izzy. In fact, it comes naturally to all the Spellmans. If only they could leave their work at the office. To be a Spellman is to snoop on a Spellman; tail a Spellman; dig up dirt on, blackmail, and wiretap a Spellman.
Part Nancy Drew, part Dirty Harry, Izzy walks an indistinguishable line between Spellman family member and Spellman employee. Duties include: completing assignments from the bosses, aka Mom and Dad (preferably without scrutiny); appeasing her chronically perfect lawyer brother (often under duress); setting an example for her fourteen-year-old sister, Rae (who's become addicted to "recreational surveillance"); and tracking down her uncle (who randomly disappears on benders dubbed "Lost Weekends"). But when Izzy's parents hire Rae to follow her (for the purpose of ascertaining the identity of Izzy's new boyfriend), Izzy snaps and decides that the only way she will ever be normal is if she gets out of the family business. But there's a hitch: she must take one last job before they'll let her go -- a fifteen-year-old, ice-cold missing person case. She accepts, only to experience a disappearance far closer to home, which becomes the most important case of her life.

For more information, search this title at Amazon.com.

Thanks Kris, for the recommendation!

Confused????

Ok, here's the gist.
I sent out an email to notify you guys that I was posting these OPTIONS for our next novel. I know I called it a "challenge", well that was really just me trying to get your attention.
Yay! It worked! :)


So here's what I'm going to do. I will post each OPTION as individual entries. Read them, tell me what you think of each book. And from your opinions I will choose our next book and meeting date...hopefully.

Sound good? Hope so, cause that's what I'm doing!



Enjoy,
Sararose

Readers!!! Please pay attention!!

Ah, now that you're all here.

I have received a few short lists of books you are all interested in. Thank you to those who love me and make my life easier! :)

I have looked over every book and now I am stumped as to which to pick.

So, over the next few days, I will be posting reviews and summaries of these books. All of them sound wonderful to me and which ever we pick I know will be great!

So, to start it all off, here's the first option!

Meet Isabel "Izzy" Spellman, private investigator. This twenty-eight-year-old may have a checkered past littered with romantic mistakes, excessive drinking, and creative vandalism; she may be addicted to Get Smart reruns and prefer entering homes through windows rather than doors -- but the upshot is she's good at her job as a licensed private investigator with her family's firm, Spellman Investigations. Invading people's privacy comes naturally to Izzy. In fact, it comes naturally to all the Spellmans. If only they could leave their work at the office. To be a Spellman is to snoop on a Spellman; tail a Spellman; dig up dirt on, blackmail, and wiretap a Spellman.
Part Nancy Drew, part Dirty Harry, Izzy walks an indistinguishable line between Spellman family member and Spellman employee. Duties include: completing assignments from the bosses, aka Mom and Dad (preferably without scrutiny); appeasing her chronically perfect lawyer brother (often under duress); setting an example for her fourteen-year-old sister, Rae (who's become addicted to "recreational surveillance"); and tracking down her uncle (who randomly disappears on benders dubbed "Lost Weekends"). But when Izzy's parents hire Rae to follow her (for the purpose of ascertaining the identity of Izzy's new boyfriend), Izzy snaps and decides that the only way she will ever be normal is if she gets out of the family business. But there's a hitch: she must take one last job before they'll let her go -- a fifteen-year-old, ice-cold missing person case. She accepts, only to experience a disappearance far closer to home, which becomes the most important case of her life.

For more information, go to Amazon.com

Thank you, Kris, for this suggestion!

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT ON YOUR OPINION OF THIS NOVEL.

more will be coming. check back everyday^.^ if you're loyal

Help!!!

When's the next meeting? What's the next book?
You know, Sararose, you're supposed to know this.
Yes, but I want a happy book this time and I can't find one!!
You do have a tendency to choose depressing books!
I know! I need help! Will you help me look for a happy book to read?
Sure. I think I may know a couple.
Yay! You're amazing! Thank you so much! Just email OR COMMENT with recommendations.
Sure sure. No problem!

So, this is a shout out for people to let me know of some good, uplifting novels. I've received a few titles I need to look up, but I'm looking for more options for future meetings! Help me out people! This will also help me figure out what you guys like to read!
It would be great to get some comments going on this thing, and feel free to email, its up there.

As for the next meeting, well, I need a book. I shooting for late February. Send in those book reccs!

Thanks guys!
Sararose

Fin

Ah, finally finished that book. I was so worried I wasn't going to finish it! I put post-it notes half way through each part of the book, with designated days. I was a day behind. But I read all day, and now I'm finished!

When I started the book, I didn't think it was all that sad. Liesel is a happy girl, living in a depressing era, but her story wasn't sad. Not until the end that is. When I closed the back cover, I immediately ran downstairs to hug my mother. Hugs cure everything! :)

Well, I hope people enjoyed this book. Bad choice for the holiday season, I know. But it was a good book, nonetheless. It's been a while since I've felt this empty after finishing a book? Does anyone else get that feeling after they complete a novel they've been reading for a while? Kind of empty and sad? I use to all the time. After I would finish a book, I would have to take maybe a 3 day break before I picked up another one. Quite an interesting habit it was....

Anyway, the meeting is still planned for this Saturday, January 9th at 2:00 pm, I may have to move it to 3:00 pm, but I'll let you all know.

Until then,
Happy reading.

Sararose