Way back in October - I posted a picture on Instagram (i have no idea how y'all get your instagram pics into blog posts and visa versa) of book covers that I wanted to remember because they looked interesting. Mary (IdleFancy) commented and said to read the Kristan Higgins books - she said read them all! So I did. I read all of The Blue Heron series - out of order! - and really enjoyed them.
I read a few other books in there as well. Gotta tell you - I like my reading to be an escape. I especially enjoy a story where I feel like I can relate to the characters or they have enough depth that you feel like you know them. I don't want my reading to be heavy or feel like I need to struggle to get through a book. Since JB gifted me a nook for Christmas several years ago - there are weekends when I knit and read - because I can balance a book (Nook) on my knee and turn pages while still being able to knit. It's a good thing.
Then in January - I ran out of books in my reader library that really grabbed my attention. So I reached out to Mary and asked her what she would recommend. She sent a long, lovely detailed email back with several book and author recommendations.
Mary had recently read Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. So - I bought it, downloaded it and read it in a weekend ! I did work on knitting a cardigan at the same time. It was a great book and I really enjoyed it.
The only downside - in my personal opinion - to e-books is that they are expensive. And you can't loan them to friends. Because I loved this book so much I want to read the rest of them, even though I read them out of order. SEP says they stand alone, but she's made a family tree in case you want to read them in order anyway. But - because of all of those factors - I actually walked over to the public library on my lunch one day last week and got a library card! Free books will soon be mine!!After finishing Call Me Irresistible, I opened all i ever wanted by Kristan Higgins and loved it! Even on days I can sit on the bus - I was reading.
I have long wanted to find a book club, the opportunity to read and discuss books and characters with people who like the same type books. There is a book club at my office - but they read how to personal growth books - not my style. Sharing emails with Mary about books was a lovely - finding out we liked the same types of books and can get so involved in the stories. I started wondering if it would be possible to have a 'virtual' book club with the gals who sew (and anyone else) who might be interested. The problem is - how would we have discussions?
So - tell me, are you a reader? Do you like to read this type of book? Do you have any ideas on making a virtual book club work? And would you be willing to play along?
For novels and other books with linear plots (e.g. biographies, general non-fiction--pretty much anything but a reference book), I actually prefer reading on my Kindle to having a physical book to lug around and store. I also like being able to jump immediately to another book after finishing one. But maybe that's because I do most of my reading on a commuter bus. In any case, yes, I think that a virtual book club sounds great! I've been reading a lot of memoirs lately (I just finished Amy Poehler's book and loved it), but I'm pretty open-minded about reading just about any genre, as long as the book itself is well-written.
ReplyDeleteI used to read a lot, but I don't so much anymore because I am an audible fan.I get mine there and while I am seeing, can listen to a good book. I am not a big romance fan, as my favorite authors are James Patterson and John Grisham. For Christian authors, I love Terri Blackstock, Dee Henderson, and Francine Rivers.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds fun, but I'm not sure I have the energy to add another project to the pile in my life right now. :) You could use a Facebook group for your discussions; every week or whatever you could put up a new post on whatever chapter everybody was reading (or even the whole book) and let them go to it. Or you could set up a Google hangout for each discussion. I don't know much about them, but I think you have to be on Google+ to be involved; there's more info here: http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/hangouts/.
ReplyDeleteI like reading novels, also realistic female characters. But I'm a bit fussy, so would want to see the list before I signed up for a book club.
ReplyDeleteI'm in a facebook group for a sewing bee that is a private group, so nobody outside the group sees any posts, comments or pics, but you get all the pop up notifications whenever something new is posted. You can add files and documents too, so a permanent schedule of a reading list won't get list in the string of posts, but stays filed at the top.
I would love to be in a book club like this, but in all honesty, according to my Goodreads account (which woefully reminds me) I have not read a book for fun since I took this job and moved to Central Oregon. That is really a sad statement. Back in the 90s, I had an on-line book club that worked with forum discussions. I created the group I believe on an msn platform, but disbanded it when it got too large and out of control. It's a shame because it was fun in the beginning. I hope you can put this together and perhaps one day when reading is back in my schedule I can participate.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! I used to read a huge amount, and then I 'lost my read'. I'm sure it is down to the internet (Mr. Twotoast is a programmer and we are a very techie household), and my attention span is about the same as a gnats. However, I do have a 45 min commute twice a day, so I tend to listen to Audible in the car. I mostly like detective/thrillers, not much into romance although I am almost finished listening to Gone with the Wind - just the 50 hour version!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the Facebook page, that would be fun!
Yes! Virtual book clubs are fun. I belong to one(or two) on Ravelry and when I still had a brain I really enjoyed them. I'd love to try again with you. :-)
ReplyDeleteI just read Lie Down in Green Pastures by Debbie Viguie on my Kindle. It's part of a series, and this was the first that I'd read, although not the first in the series. I think you would enjoy that. I agree with you on the price of e-books, and being unable to lend them out, although you can lend Kindle books to friends if you know their email account. I tend to take my Kindle for reading if I'm going to be sitting around for a while (doctors' offices, etc), but if I'm in the middle of a long book, like the 650 page tome I just started, I'll drag that along.
ReplyDeleteIs there a site where you can find Nook books that are on promotion or free? There is one called Kindle Nation Daily that lists books which are free or reduced price in various genres every day, and that's how I find a lot of books.
I listen to audiobooks a lot through the library. An app called "overdrive" that carries ebooks too! You have to check it out. Free books from SPL!
ReplyDeleteNo idea how to run a virtual book club, but count me in - as long as there's no penalty for missing the boat. I had to skip "real book club" this month even though it's a book I read and would enjoy talking about, because life gets in the way. Boo that, right!?
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