Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Storing Their Sorrows

Truth and Consequences    


Today, since most of you are probably still in the middle of our March book selection, Light Between Oceans, by M.L. Stedman, I would just like to pose a question or two.  In the book, several major characters have made  decisions with terrible ramifications, and some have just suffered unbelievable hardships.  What is the significnce of their reactions?  Septimus has truly worked his way from nothing to the wealthiest man in town, but after his beloved wife was bitten by a snake and died, and his daughter has her family ripped away from her,  he says "Well, you just had to count your blessings and be thankful things weren't worse". Tom, after his own part in a very bad decsion, tries to make amends and poor Hannah, simply seems to go mad.  What do you think causes the different reactions? Are there any lessons here? Are the characters drawn so that their reaction is a rational result of their lives?
Sign Up Here if you would like to join this conversation in our Community Room on March 12th at 6:30pm.  We have a very few spaces left.
Since you are all readers, and book buyers, I will leave you with a quote from an anonymous author, that ran in an article in Forbes Magazine about the publishng business, entitled Bestsellers, Worst Ethics.  "To ensure a spot on the The Wall Street Journal's bestseller list, I needed to obtain commitments from my clients for a minimum of 3000 books at about $23.50, a total of about $70,500.00.  I would need to multiply these numbers by a factor of about three to hit the New York Times list".  Something to think about the next time you read a  book and wonder how in the world it got on the bestseller list!
Happy Reading. 

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

To The Lighthouse

A Very Fine Introduction


It is December 1918 and Tom Sherbourne has just spent four years on the Western Front, when he is offered a job at Byron's Bay Lighthouse.  Although he is cautioned about the hardships, Tom knows, after what he has seen and what he has done in the war, this will be alright. He needs the time away to heal.  The life does seems to be what he needs and so, after considerable correspondence he accepts a second post on Janus Island, off Austraila, all by himself in an extraordinarily remote place. Tom ships out, on the first part of a voyage that will forever change his life, to the port of Partageuse.  From there, he will go to Janus Rock, "linked only by the store boat four times a year, dangled off the edge of the cloth like a loose button that might easily plummet to Antartcia".
As with the last book we read, The London Train, this book is FULL of choices. The characters on every page, are faced with choices, most difficult, some impossible, but somehow, I see these people as sympathetic, and the choices bad, as against the other way around. They seem the true definition of a dilemma. What are your thoughts? What makes the characters seem tender, just within 20 pages?
If you are interested in hearing more about this book and being part of the CapRadio Reads discussion Face to Face, on March 12th at 6:30, in the Community Room at Capital Public Radio Sign Up Here . Space for this meeting is filling up very fast, so do it today!
Even if you can't make it to this event, be sure to Join The Club! and be among the first to hear of all our fun, interesting and tasty events.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

New Title Announcement

Light Between Oceans is Our March Read

 


 

Yes, it's that time again. CapRadio Reads met last night to discuss our February title and for the big reveal for our choice for March.  Oprah, who does know a thing or two about books, said about Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, "There's something irresistible about a morally complex story that makes you root for all it's flawed characters, even when they are at odds with one another".  She's right. This book will engage you right away, and you will probably finish it way before our meeting, on March 12th at 6:30pm in the Community Room of Capital Public Radio. I don't want to give anything away about this book, but it is a marvelous story.
  Our event last night was a sell out, so before you do anything else, be sure you are an official member of CapRadio Reads by clicking on this link Join The Club.This way, next month you will receive a personal invitation to come to our meeting and first notice of all our other very special events. Just do this once, and you're in!  The next thing you  should do, if you would like to join us for our Face to Face book discussion in March is sign up specifically for that event.  Here is the link to do that Sign Up Here .  Hope to see you in March and back here on the blog next week.

First Face To Face a Success

New Faces, New Ideas


CapRadio Reads held it's first Face to Face Bookclub meeting last night in the Community Room at the studios on Folsom Boulevard.  We had a little wine, a few delicious sweets and a full house, ready to wade into the ups and downs on The London Train, by Tessa Hadley, our February selection.  Did we enjoy the book? Yes and No.  Were the characters interesting. Yes! Did we like them all? NO!  We had an interesting discussion of the writing style, with very interesting observations from many. Several readers remarked on Ms. Hadley's statement that she wanted to write like a man, and felt some of the book was certainly done that way. Her discussion by the characters of class in society was a constant throughout the book and many found it quite interesting. And finally, we got down to why we really like to read books in a bookclub setting. Who doesn't love to discover a wonderful book, way outside their usual reading comfort zone?
We also had some very intriguing conversation about reading preferences, in terms of a Hardback versus a Paperback versus an e-Reader.  Stemming from this conversation, we will continue to try and read as many books in Paperback as possible, but based on the strength of reviews and recommendations, we will have a Hardback from time to time.
So, did you read The London train? How did you feel about it?  Don't miss out on the next meeting.
Watch this blog later today to find out what we will read next, and while you're at it JOIN THE CLUB so you will be the FIRST to know what's going on at CapRadio Reads.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Questions and Answers

News From the Moderator


With only a week to go before our face to face meeting to discuss The London Train, I thought it might be a good time to catch up with you and make sure our site is working for our readers.  Since you, the members of CapRadio Reads, are our first priority, I would like to ask a few questions.  First, is it clear how you need to sign up to Join The Club? Joining the club will only need to be done one time.  Once you are a member you will receive first notice of all our special events and our regular monthly Face to Face meetings. Since we hope to have new people joining all the time, as word gets out, the link to Join the Club will be on each blog posting. It will be highlighted and will allow you to click through , like this:JOIN THE CLUB

The other link you will always see in the blog, is the link that allows you to sign up for the next meeting, whether it be a Face to Face or a Special Author Event.  You will need to sign up for these events each month and it will also be a link that will allow you to click through, and look like this:Sign Up Here

These are the two ways you will be able to join us and enjoy all the exciting benefits of CapRadio Reads in person. Of course, you are welcome, anytime, to join us here on the blog and we not only welcome, but desire your participation here.  On that note, just a few questions and I'll let you get back to the book, so you finish it before our meeting on Tuesday, February 12th at 6:30pm in the Community Room at Capital Public Radio.

How do you feel about hardback books versus paperback? New releases are usually in hardback for almost a year and sometimes I just can't wait to introduce one of these titles. They are more expensive, but can usually be found at a discount. Please let me have your opinion. 
I do a lot of research on the books I choose, but one of the great pleasures of a bookclub is learning about books from fellow readers. Please send me suggestions. I can't promise I will use them, but I will promise to compose a list and post them here so others may enjoy them. If you have any questions, that you would rather not post, or a question on how to post a comment, please email me at Lorini@csus.edu.  See you next week!