Blog
Archives - August 2010
In today's post, regular contributor Heather Johnson discusses the option of short story collections for book club and talks about how even a title can spark some good discussion.
In today's guest post author Shobhan Bantwal (THE UNEXPECTED SON) talks about how the "simple life" she was bored with and took for granted as a child turned out to be a wealth culture and stories she could use in her writing as an adult.
Last week my book club got together to discuss MENNONITE IN A LITTLE BLACK DRESS. I should have insisted we all wear little black dresses - even the guys... that would've been fun.
In today's guest post, author Ghita Schwarz talks about the delicate balance of using fact to create fiction. I love her comment about some things that happen in real life being too unbelieveable to include as I think we've all had those moments!
Today's guest blogger Zoë Ferraris moved to Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the first Gulf War to live with her then husband and his extended family of Saudi-Palestinian Bedouins, who had never welcomed an American into their lives before. She has an MFA from Columbia University and is the award-winning author of FINDING NOUF.
In today's post, regular contributor Heather Johnson (Storie delle Sorelle Book Club Blog) shares her book club's experience with another interesting book. She makes the point that whether you like the book or not, some books just lend themselves to book club discussions. Lots to talk about and analyze and respond to and I have to admit, the premise for this one
In today's guest post, author Jeane Westin talks about the relationship between Queen Elizabeith I and the Earl of Leicester and why she felt it had to be written about. The idea that our communication has become so casual, so electronic, so instant and so impersonal makes this story even more compelling to me.
In today's guest post, Amy Bourret, author of MOTHERS AND OTHER LIARS talks about writing from the perspective of someone who is not you. Is it valid? Is it okay to do so? Of course it is. I say that from the perspective of a 70 year old retired steel worker living in a senior center in Florida. But seriously - I'm with you Amy! If the book is well written and makes you think what difference does it make that the writer has had a different life experience? Some of the most amazing books
Rarely is a human being solely a hero or a villian. No matter how they are characterized in history, most are human and therefore complex. In today's guest post, author Sara Poole talks about her new book POISON and it's more in depth look at one of the most powerful and nefarious families of the Renaissance period. If your book club loves historical fiction, I suspect there will be much to chat about with this one!
