SUMMER READING! #yegbookclub

On May 26th we had a lively chat on twitter with author Thomas Trofmiuk about Waiting for Columbus.  It was wonderful to be able to ask questions about the characters and their possible paths and has the author answer them.  It was very clear that they all continued to live outside the book.  We begged for a Consuela sequel as she was a favorite of many of us readers. It was also great to learnt hat there is a Waiting for Columbus movie in the works.  When I read the book I was struck by how cinematic it was and, like The English Patient, I thought it would lend itself to film.

Following the discussion I indicated that there would be some Summer Reading Choice(s) for the next #yegbookclub.  I don't know about you, but I am always hard to pin down for the summer.  With holidays and day camps for the kids and, for this year, directing two Fringe Shows I thought we could have 2 selections to read over the summer and then in September we could take two evenings to chat about those books.

So (drumroll, please) the two Summer Reading Selections are:

The Dilettantes by Michael Hingston
I was inspired by the Alberta Reads panel and thought a humourous choice would make for a great summer choice.  The description and topic and the feedback from the reader made me think this would be a great book to sit on the deck and read while sipping my wine!

We'll have our #yegbookclub chat for The Dilettantes on Monday, September 8th, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. I hope Michael Hingston will be able to join us!

AND

Demon Gate: Ehrich Weisz Chronicles By Marty Chan
Perhaps this is a reaction to a recent article circulating about grown-ups reading fiction written for younger audiences, but I feel a compulsion to do so and I like the genre.  I think for summer it might be nice to check out this dimension hopping series.  Also, I have an almost 13 year old and I wanted to pick something we could both read.  He's not on twitter, but I am going to get his questions and feedback!

We'll have our #yegbookclub chat for Demon Gate on Monday, September 15th, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. I hope Marty Chan will be able to join us!

So happy reading! We'll chat in September!

#yegbookclub - On April 14th we talked about Pilgrimage by Diana Davidson

This past Monday I was joined on twitter to discuss the latest #yegbookclub selection, Pilgrimage, by Diana Davidson.  It was a lively discussion that grew as more people joined in and we were even visited by the author who shared some answers to questions about the book.  If you haven't had a chance to read it, I recommend, particularly if you are interested in early Alberta history.  The book takes place in the 1890s in and around Lac St. Anne and Fort Edmonton and bravely tells the stories of several women of different social situations and cultural backgrounds. Themes of pregnancy and childbirth and motherhood are strongly woven into the tapestry of the Northern new frontier.  As well, the challenges of clashing cultures is explored from more than one point of view. It has moments of passion and sadness and offers a unique look into our present location as it was. It made me reflect on how things are today and how some things have changed greatly, but other things not nearly as much as you would think. If you want to follow the conversation use the tags #yegbookclub and #Pilgrimage to search the message stream.

The next #yegbookclub selection is (drum roll please)...

Waiting for Columbus by Thomas Trofmiuk

The book already has a bit of a pedigree:
WINNER – City of Edmonton Book Prize
FINALIST – Georges Bugnet Award for Novel
NOMINEE 2011 – International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award
A Richard and Judy Book Club pick for fall 2010
Picked as one of Richard and Judy’s “100 Books of the decade”
A #1 Edmonton Journal Bestseller
An Amazon.ca Best Book of 2009

The next Book Club will be On Monday, May 26.  I am bumping the time to 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. as several of our participants had to leave in the middle to put kids to bed. Hopefully this helps out! There is a flexibility to the Club that I am hoping allows everyone who wants to participate to join in. I will again make a list of prompts to help guide the discussion, but really, the beauty is that you can talk about whatever you want!

I hope to see you all there!