tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post8450281026476030865..comments2024-03-22T05:18:29.555-04:00Comments on Romance Bandits: The Book ClubLoucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02217492654108300014noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-89714247996814191292008-09-24T04:40:00.000-04:002008-09-24T04:40:00.000-04:00A great read, I thought...It's not about the Bike ...A great read, I thought...<BR/><I>It's not about the Bike by Lance Armstrong</I><BR/>Cheers CarolCarolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01959700674494121633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-9653709178106371802008-09-23T11:15:00.000-04:002008-09-23T11:15:00.000-04:00Posh, what a great blog. So sorry I missed this da...Posh, what a great blog. So sorry I missed this day in the lair. But I wanted to say that no, I've never joined a book club. I don't think I'd like it. I mean, my intellectual side would enjoy it, but I get so little reading time, I do it for fun and relaxation ONLY these days, and it has to be a guaranteed feel-good book. The only genres that promise that are mystery and romance. <BR/><BR/>That said, I think a book club like yours would enjoy "The Secret Life Of Bees" if they haven't read it already. It's from a couple of years back I think. My husband, who reads everything, says it may be the best book he's ever read.Cassondrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07420982030156788059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-67465685944185784982008-09-22T06:59:00.000-04:002008-09-22T06:59:00.000-04:00Louisa, I LOVED 'Midnight In the Garden Of Good an...Louisa, I LOVED 'Midnight In the Garden Of Good and Evil'. I actually have the book and the movie! Hey, maybe I read more non-romance than I thought. <BR/><BR/>I did read the unofficial biography of Tom Cruise. Man, is he a whacko!Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-6630657292605198122008-09-22T06:57:00.000-04:002008-09-22T06:57:00.000-04:00Eric, thank you for the correction. I'll have to c...Eric, thank you for the correction. I'll have to check out 'The Fog' on my own before springing it on the unsuspecting book club population. Not sure about them yet! *g*Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-23695885954852360612008-09-22T06:56:00.000-04:002008-09-22T06:56:00.000-04:00Dina, we're glad you're hanging out on our blog. A...Dina, we're glad you're hanging out on our blog. As noted at length, we are not a club, so your club-free status is still golden! *g*Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-74259159566905114742008-09-22T00:10:00.000-04:002008-09-22T00:10:00.000-04:00Didn't like Cold Mountain, didn't like The Road, d...Didn't like Cold Mountain, didn't like The Road, didn't like The Secret Life of Bees, didn't like Nights in Rodanthe. DON'T make me invest in a love story and then have someone die at that end. It really pissed me off! I LIVED a love story where the hero died. There was nothing romantic, enlightening or entertaining about it. <BR/><BR/>Kiss My Tiara is an absolute hoot! As is BEING DEAD IS NO EXCUSE - How to have a perfectly lovely funeral. <BR/><BR/>One of my all time favorites is Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. A great book about an event in a great town - Savannah!<BR/><BR/>And p226 - Culture of Fear is a good book. My brother recommended it to me and I found it very enlightening.Louisa Cornellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12971924594129471055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-29495756794119715802008-09-21T23:12:00.000-04:002008-09-21T23:12:00.000-04:00Caren,I wrote 'Herbert James' before I must have l...Caren,<BR/>I wrote 'Herbert James' before I must have lost it for a moment (in front of everyone). ---- It's the other guy ---- The Fog by James Herbert (as an alternative).<BR/><BR/>EricAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-48693526357123557252008-09-21T22:11:00.000-04:002008-09-21T22:11:00.000-04:00Nope, I've never been in a book club, bogs are the...Nope, I've never been in a book club, bogs are the closest thing for me.Dinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13363922982973526678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-25543191935906952522008-09-21T22:09:00.000-04:002008-09-21T22:09:00.000-04:00Jeanne, I'm glad there is someone else who didn't ...Jeanne, I'm glad there is someone else who didn't adore <I>Cold Mountain</I>. My husband loved it. He liked the way it painted a picture of what NC was like at that time. My best friend adored it because it was depressing and ended badly. I disliked it because it was slow and everyone in it was unlikeable. But that's just me.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for letting me off the hook for <I>The Secret Life Of Bees</I>. I really didn't want to read it! <BR/><BR/>I would love those hilarious get-ahead books. That kind of thing always makes me laugh!Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-29838464945605191952008-09-21T22:05:00.000-04:002008-09-21T22:05:00.000-04:00Keira, I'm sad to say that I started The Soul Of a...Keira, I'm sad to say that I started <I>The Soul Of a Chef</I> tonight. I am 8 pages in and wondering when it will start to be interesting. I'm sure it must be good, since it has won all sorts of acclaim. But honestly, it just hasn't taken off yet. I'll slog on and hope for the best!Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-57374320122078352682008-09-21T22:03:00.000-04:002008-09-21T22:03:00.000-04:00P226, that sounds like a book my husband would lov...P226, that sounds like a book my husband would love. He's all about the non-fiction. It kind of makes me rashy, though. Will your rec make me rashy?Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-71476898085879902712008-09-21T22:02:00.000-04:002008-09-21T22:02:00.000-04:00Lilacsky, thank you so much! I tell you, it's a bi...Lilacsky, thank you so much! I tell you, it's a bit daunting to jump into a group that has been going a while. I was glad to see they've kept track of what's already been read. A few books I thought to recommend they have already read. Phooey!<BR/><BR/>With your link, though, I'll seem like I'm on top of things. Man, with y'all's help, I may be able to scam my way through this book club thing for quite some time!<BR/><BR/>Don't worry, Dianna and Fedora, I'll still come hide out and eat cheesecake and lasagna. *g*Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-61806536174531252952008-09-21T21:58:00.000-04:002008-09-21T21:58:00.000-04:00Eric, what a grand suggestion. A.S. Byatt is someo...Eric, what a grand suggestion. A.S. Byatt is someone I have read off an on. She is sometimes wonderful and sometimes hard to take. I haven't read <I>Posession</I> so I will definitely check and see if it's on the "we've already read it" list. <BR/><BR/>Thank you for the links, too. You guys are full of wonderful ideas today!Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-26313759311556520742008-09-21T21:54:00.000-04:002008-09-21T21:54:00.000-04:00Fedora, come on! I'll let you have half the couch ...Fedora, come on! I'll let you have half the couch and the second-biggest slice of cheesecake. The biggest one is MI-I-INE...Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-86163003823458991382008-09-21T21:53:00.000-04:002008-09-21T21:53:00.000-04:00P226, you're wise to avoid most groups. I joined R...P226, you're wise to avoid most groups. I joined Romance Writers of America and haven't regretted it once. I even went so far as to be President of my local chapter for a couple of years. Good stuff! Of course, I've learned a ton of stuff from RWA.<BR/><BR/>I don't expect I'll learn too much from the book club.<BR/><BR/>I agree, it does seem many people join clubs to find folks like them. Maybe it makes them feel normal? Sometimes, though, it can be a good way to find other like-minded people. Those knitters seem to hang together a lot. My husband has joined several different rock-hunting groups. It's the only place he can find others who get excited about his hobby. Heaven knows he's tried to get me interested to no avail. *sigh*<BR/><BR/>And no, Romance Bandits is not a club! It's an eclectic assortment of individuals who discourse on a variety of topics and every now and then get together and socialize. Kind of like the Island Of Misfit Toys. *eg*Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-29980526996634805412008-09-21T21:48:00.000-04:002008-09-21T21:48:00.000-04:00Hey, Caren and Diana, can I come, too? An overstu...Hey, Caren and Diana, can I come, too? An overstuffed couch and lasagna and rom com sounds heavenly... ;)Fedorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10879033776125666713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-78120127925307325582008-09-21T21:45:00.000-04:002008-09-21T21:45:00.000-04:00Dianna, you and I think way too much alike. Left t...Dianna, you and I think <B>way</B> too much alike. Left to my own devices, life would be full of romantic comedies at the movies and romance books on the shelves. *g*<BR/><BR/>And YES, sign me up for the overstuffed couch! I'll even call for pizza. Enabler!!Caren Cranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12352366686017375279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-40010098449278901772008-09-21T21:39:00.000-04:002008-09-21T21:39:00.000-04:00Hi Caren! Great post and topic. Don't you ag...Hi Caren! Great post and topic. Don't you agree Demetrius? *takes away the remote* Say you agree, Dem. :> There. Thank you.<BR/><BR/>I'll also agree on the not-a-joiner thing. You'd think I would be, given that I'm so extroverted, but I don't like rules all that much. Ha!<BR/><BR/>And with book clubs, I'm with Keira, I have a hard time reading something I don't like. I used to do a book review for a newspaper in the Research Triangle Park. I read hundreds of books I didn't like. I didn't like it. So I stopped.<BR/><BR/>As to books I'd recommend, I don't recommend the Secret Life of Bees. Tried it. Too depressing. So's Cold Mountain, tho' I tried to like it since it's about "my" people.<BR/><BR/>As to more "literary" fiction, I really liked Galileo's Daughter and A Maiden's Grave (Deever), but mostly I'm a genre fiction girl. Sci-fi, Fantasy or Romance. Or Non-fiction, but not usually biographies, although I have to say that the one of Henry Fonda was fabulous.<BR/><BR/>That would be the extent of my ability to assist. Sorry! If you want success books, or funny get ahead books (What Southern Women Know that Other Women Don't is fab as is Kiss My Tiara.) Otherwise, I'm no help.<BR/><BR/>Hope you and the GR had a chainsaw and wild ride free day, Fedora!Jeanne (AKA The Duchesse)https://www.blogger.com/profile/03492480881584553111noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-41310293148443910492008-09-21T20:53:00.000-04:002008-09-21T20:53:00.000-04:00I've never belonged to a book club, because I have...I've never belonged to a book club, because I have never been able to force myself to read what I don't find interesting. So kudos to you, Caren, for jumping in and going for it.<BR/><BR/>Recommendation: Lauren Willig's Carnation series.<BR/><BR/>Fedora, you sure nabbed him quick.Keira Soleorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14440213826734580889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-15298322516932672482008-09-21T19:33:00.000-04:002008-09-21T19:33:00.000-04:00Congratulations on your book club! The first thing...Congratulations on your book club! The first thing that you need is a good list of books to use -- that will give direction to your book club. When I wanted to start a book club the first question I wanted answered was, what book should we read??<BR/><BR/>I am a total library junkie – I am there 4 days in a week! I would usually scour the library shelves and see what jumps out, until I found this reading journal called “Read, Remember, Recommend” from http://www.bibliopages.com -- it’s just this great little resource with Awards Lists (including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Los Angels Times Award for Fiction and National Book Award for Fiction), Notable lists (Oprah’s book club is one of them) and Author Pages. It even has an area for your favorite authors and for valuable reading insights. It’s really helped organize the reading for my book club. (I’ve finished half of the Awards list) Check it out – managing a book club becomes so much more enjoyable with it.<BR/><BR/>You gotta get ahold of this reading journal! :) Again it's at http://www.bibliopages.com. Good luck with your book club and I hope this helps.lilacskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05916320620629784548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-19093362441296084302008-09-21T19:25:00.000-04:002008-09-21T19:25:00.000-04:00Phenomena, Force to be reckoned with, shoe mavens,...<I>Phenomena, Force to be reckoned with, shoe mavens, keepers of the inner sanctum aka The Lair and dedicated, exciting writers...</I><BR/><BR/>lol<BR/><BR/>Duly Noted.p226https://www.blogger.com/profile/05502193525250005347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-12525256223298316542008-09-21T19:15:00.000-04:002008-09-21T19:15:00.000-04:00Whew, glad to know about the camel, Caren.Before t...Whew, glad to know about the camel, Caren.<BR/><BR/>Before the GR left KY yesterday he'd taken to doing acrobats with the chainsaw, hence my concern for the dromedery...Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12566704374877697300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-7517810153067042802008-09-21T19:12:00.000-04:002008-09-21T19:12:00.000-04:00At its core, are the Banditas a "club?"Um, no P226...<I>At its core, are the Banditas a "club?"</I><BR/><BR/><BR/>Um, no P226. The Banditas are not a club.<BR/><BR/>Phenomena, Force to be reckoned with, shoe mavens, keepers of the inner sanctum aka The Lair and dedicated, exciting writers...<BR/><BR/>but we're not a club.Joanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12566704374877697300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-17322954540047973232008-09-21T19:05:00.000-04:002008-09-21T19:05:00.000-04:00Caren,I’m with you about clubs although my phobia ...Caren,<BR/><BR/>I’m with you about clubs although my phobia extends to avoid groups of people. Groupies are mostly formed from individuals we beg to borrow our own wheelbarrow from, to do some overdue gardening. We always promise to return (our property) to them the moment we’ve finish.<BR/><BR/>Books clubs: I’ve toyed with the idea of joining one but have never done so. I’m sure they’d beat me up. Of late I’ve been trying to read more widely, to help me grow (hence the book club idea). <BR/><BR/>Every now and again I become involved in ‘the discussion’ about why romance literature isn’t recognised. OK; I’ll lay my cards flat, I’m not particularly sympathetic to the cry of romance authors needing better tables in restaurants, etc. ---- No one is ever almost famous, they either are or the aren’t. ----- I quietly listened to a discussion recently bouncing around the same (old) topic by some very talented authors. They were offering views about why romance literature can ever win mainstream literature awards. --- It motivated me to doing some research!<BR/><BR/>The other day I attended a discussion about historical literature. Two of the panel were quite literally Romance Bandits. Plus another more mainstream writer and a boffin. It was interesting, a few things razed reminded my of the prior discussion and the next day I read your blog.<BR/><BR/>There’s a Novel by ‘A S Byatt’ titled ‘Possession’, it won the 1990 booker prize for literature. It’s a romance novel, or more accurately it’s two romance novels intertwined, wrapped as one story.<BR/><BR/>It’s a magically read and answers ‘my’ question about winning mainstream literature awards.<BR/><BR/>In point of fact it’s described (by ‘them’) as both an, ‘Intellectual Mystery and Romance Novel’. ----- http://www.themanbookerprize.com/prize/books/29<BR/><BR/>Spring it on your book club. They won’t know it’s a romance unless you tell them. Besides it won the Booker Prize.<BR/><BR/>Be warned it’s very long and somewhat complex. But I’m sure your ‘new’ friends will think you have what it takes to be their friend. ---- There’s a word for a novel that starts each chapter with a poem, which I can’t for life of me find. But that would be a good introduction to the novel as Possession is one. ---- If you do read it and get bogged down (which you probably will). – Go to chapter 15 and read the description of the lady. I promise you’ll feel warm and want to keep reading.<BR/><BR/>A Critique (so you know what you’re taking on ---- <BR/>http://www.usp.nus.edu.sg/post/uk/byatt/farrell4.html <BR/><BR/>There is also a movie of the book, which I love. But it’s only very closely similar to the novel.<BR/>If Possession fails ‘the test.’ – Try ‘Herbert James,’ ‘The Fog.’ ---- Because of the book you mentioned you’ve read, they will love ‘The Fog’. ---- (I truly enjoyed it and I passionately dislike horror).<BR/><BR/>Hope I haven’t bored or enraged.<BR/><BR/>EricAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3815530646091177574.post-607654774476288172008-09-21T18:39:00.000-04:002008-09-21T18:39:00.000-04:00Oh, and book recommendations... Culture of Fear by...Oh, and book recommendations... <BR/><BR/>Culture of Fear by Barry Glasner. Non-fiction. Very eye opening.p226https://www.blogger.com/profile/05502193525250005347noreply@blogger.com