Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Spaghetti7 — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:52:29 +0000

I know there was one on the forums last year with a couple of frequent members. We can talk about how to structure it, but last year it worked out to a book a month and people generally tried to post at the halfway point and then again once they'd finished the book. Then we'd start putting up submissions for the next book, take a vote, and so on and so forth. It doesn't have to be a huge committment, people are free to come and go as they like if the book we choose isn't to their liking or things just get too busy. I also know that there were one or two people who would go through just about ALL of the submissions and post mini-reviews here. Anyways, if people are interested, we can talk about whether or not we want to stick with that format and start collecting submissions for a first book :)

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

jasa159357 — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:24:09 +0000

I can do it. In fact it sounds like a lot of fun

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Aiyandra — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:07:23 +0000

Oh, I'd like to join that club. Reading always sounds like fun. ~

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Tuffysgirl — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:18:04 +0000

I remember that! Lol, I'd totally join in :)

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

lilly32261 — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:20:11 +0000

This sounds fun :) I'd join in, too.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Writer.Gal.123 — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:55:53 +0000

Sounds awesome! I love reading new books and having discussions with people. I'm in! :)

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

kittygirl27 — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:18:39 +0000

Sounds like it could be fun! I'd join =D

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Spaghetti7 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 01:04:49 +0000

Oh wow! I think more people have responded in the last couple hours than we had in our bookclub last year :P People are always free to jump in whenever so once this gets up and rolling, (if anyone is reading this, some time from when I post it) feel free to check out what we're reading and head out to your local library. If there are any suggestions as to how we should organize this, please share your ideas! The rest of you, start going through your shelves and looking for a recommendation or two for our first book. (Title, author and a brief description would be great.) Last year we tried to start off with a couple of classics and several people had trouble slugging through them so maybe for now, we can try starting with something simple. Oh and make sure that recommendations are common enough that the rest of the group will be able to find them at a local library :)

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

SpeedyPencil — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 01:12:18 +0000

I'd love to join! Also, I've been wanting to read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and it looks pretty good, just a recommendation though.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

lilyv — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 01:55:51 +0000

I'd love to join too. I'd recommend the Fault in Our Stars too, but I've already read it. But I could still participate in the conversation afterwards so I guess it doesn't matter :)

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

lilyv — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 01:57:21 +0000

It is a newer book though (barely a month old I think) so I'm not sure if it'll be in the libraries for those who don't want to buy it...

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Writer.Gal.123 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:21:13 +0000

Sounds like a good book, and I love John Green. But as lilyv pointed out, it's a newer book, so I'm not sure I'd be able to get it from my library... I could try though if a bunch of other people want to do it. I have two suggestions-- The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer: National Book Award Winner for Young People's Literature, Newbery Honor Book, Printz Honor Book Matteo Alacrán was not born; he was harvested. As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, including El Patrón's power-hungry family, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from the Alacrán Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn't even suspect. Or Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher: Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and crush - who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and learns the truth about himself-a truth he never wanted to face.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

adelinerenee — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:18:32 +0000

This sounds awesome, although I don't think I'll be too consistent with membership due to my busy schedule but I may pop in every once in a while, if I've read the book or am extremely motivated/has more time. But I can recommend. -The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, this man is a genius and I don't care who you are, you have to read this book. It's so heartbreakingly beautiful. It's won a bunch of awards and it's just wonderful. I could go on and on about this book. I also agree that it may be a bit early for the Fault in Our Stars, maybe try another John Green book instead for the time being? Also, because less people have read it, it also means a higher chance of someone clicking on this forum and the entire book being spoiled before they've gotten the chance to read it. At least with the older ones they've been in circuit more so there is less of a chance of this happening.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Aiyandra — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:24:03 +0000

Although I have already read The Book Thief, I'd like to second the suggestion. It is such a beautiful book that I nagged my best friend to read it, too. I have never read anything by John Green, so that would be an interesting choice too.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

jasa159357 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:07:19 +0000

Mort by Terry Pratchett. Though this is an old book, and fourth Discworld novel, it is still a great read. It is about a boy named Mort who is the apprentice of Death. If I put anything more it would ruin it. This is a great book for anyone wanting to start to read the Discworld novels, because it explains how death works, which most of the jokes in the future about death are explained in this book.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Tuffysgirl — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:19:48 +0000

I'd like to second The Book Thief, I've been wanting to read that one :P Also, The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I've heard REALLY good reviews about it, but I know, Stephenie Meyer... >.> (And for some reason I feel like I'm spelling her name wrong...)

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Spaghetti7 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:54:18 +0000

I just checked Faults in Our Stars at my library and there are 22 people with holds on 6 copies. If you guys want, we could put suspended holds on that book now and pick a different one in the meantime, but I think it gets a little bit too complicated and it means anyone who wants to join in for our second book won't be able to get it right away from their library. If you guys really want to do it, I won't object, but it's something to take into consideration. I think we can allow another day or two for submissions before voting but so far we have: Faults in Our Stars John Green The House of the Scorpion Nancy Farmer Thirteen Reasons Why Jay Asher The Book Thief Markus Zusak Mort Terry Pratchett The Host Stephenie Meyer Just to throw my two pennies in, I will say that yes, The Book Thief is an amazing and beautiful book. I've also read the Host and I'll say that it starts off as a really good sci-fi story but by the end, it's a good romance story. Overall though, it's not half bad and it's miles ahead of Twilight. I'm still following last year's format but that doesn't mean anything I say is set in stone so feel free to suggest something different if you don't like the system suggested below. Once we cut off the date for submissions, everyone has two votes for the books they want to read (although you can use one or none of them.) Unless there's a clear winner, we usually edit the list down to a top 2-4 books and then vote again with everyone having just 1 vote. That way, if the books you want don't make it past the first round, you can still have a say in what book we read without any convoluted vote switching. Oh, and no voting for your own submissions. That just slows things down. If there isn't anything else that you want to read other than what you suggested, you're free to abstain.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Soophay — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:28:37 +0000

I'[d be interested in joining in but not right now as I'm in the middle of a pretty hefty book already and have to reread the Illiad and Aeneid (and probably the Odyssey) for school. Will jump in as and when I can though.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Writer.Gal.123 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:25:26 +0000

Ah I love The Book Thief. I'd totally read it again.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

gavrielle — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:31:02 +0000

I'd be up for a book club. :D I've read the majority of the books on the list, and I would say that if we want to have a book with which we can have good discussions, I would say Book Theif, Fault in Our Stars, House of the Scorpion, or 13 Reasons Why. Mort is the only one I haven't read... Also, something I would suggest (book I am just starting now) is Persepolis. It's a graphic novel memoir or a girl growing up in revolutionary Iran, and from what I've seen so far, it could probably spurn a decent amount of discussion. Plus, I really like good graphic novels, and I would say this counts as one.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

WhiteRaven93 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:05:20 +0000

Hey, Spag~! You've got it up! :D It's exciting to have a book club again. Ooh, some good suggestions so far. I've actually been wanting to read Thirteen Reasons Why, and The Host, as you said, is definitely miles ahead of Twilight. It's not the best, of course, but I found it a good one to read more than once. I'd like to also nominate The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle. The last unicorn in the world leaves her forest to search for her lost brothers and sisters. On the way, she is joined by a magician and a woman who has searched for unicorns her whole life without seeing one. Together, they go forth to find what has happened to the unicorns. I've only read the first few pages (and seen the beautiful animated movie), but it's really a beautiful story full of magic and adventure.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Spaghetti7 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:19:31 +0000

That's some pretty heavy reading! I hope you're able to get it all done when you need to and look foward to seeing you later :)

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

jasa159357 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:23:47 +0000

Have you tried any discworld book?

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Chestergirl28 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:55:47 +0000

I've been wanting to read The Book Thief!

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Chestergirl28 — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:01:37 +0000

I'd love to be a part of a book club. The Book Thief is my top choice. Thirteen Reasons Why sounds intriguing- and also the kind of thing that will keep me up at night. Then again, I've been wanting to actually cry when I'm in Romeo and Juliet later this month. Who knows? Maybe Thirteen Reasons Why will get me to cry. And The Last Unicorn (just noticed the nomination for it right above) sounds awesome!

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

kittygirl27 — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:05:49 +0000

Thirteen Reasons why is a good book, though I haven't read it in a while so I'd be up for reading it again. I'll suggest The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (I think). This is the summary on his website: Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen.The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Zaramora_Gladen — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:48:30 +0000

I'd absolutely love to join! I've read Thirteen Reasons Why a long while ago. I fell in love with it dearly! I'd love to read it again. The Host by Stephanie Meyer DOES sound good (even though it is by Stephanie Meyer) And I heard The Fault in Our Stars is really super great too.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Cecilie99 — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:17:09 +0000

I would love to join too. But in fact the the only of the last book you talked about I've read is Thirteen Reasons why. But I'm from Scandinavien, so when you talk about books you can find in the local libary, they would probably not be able to find here. But I will love to join anyway and come with my reviw of books when I read them (and when they are some international books you can find almost everywhere and not just in my home country)

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

toothpicK82 — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:30:25 +0000

I'm interested but it depends on what the book is and how busy I am... *shrugs* we'll see if I participate or not.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Stazz — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 04:48:51 +0000

This sounds like fun! I might pop in a few times. :D

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Spaghetti7 — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:06:13 +0000

@Cecilie: I'm glad your interested, it's great to have a diverse group of people! I know that last year it was sometimes difficult for everyone to find copies of the books we chose, but I really hope that you're able to track down some of them. And of course, if you aren't, you can always pick one of the other recommendations to read and discuss it with the person who suggested it. A couple of side discussions are fine, as long as we can keep the thread centered around one main book :) We have 9 books now which seems like quite a few so I think we can cut off submissions and begin voting. I'll close off the voting at the end of the week and if there isn't a clear winner, it'll go to a second round of voting. Remember it's maximum 2 votes per person and no voting for your own submissions, thanks! (We'll see how this system works for now and change it for the next time if you guys don't like it.) Faults in Our Stars John Green The House of the Scorpion Nancy Farmer Thirteen Reasons Why Jay Asher The Book Thief Markus Zusak Mort Terry Pratchett The Host Stephenie Meyer Persepolis Marjane Satrapi (graphic novel) The Last Unicorn Peter S. Beagle The Name of the Wind Patrick Rothfuss

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Aiyandra — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:40:29 +0000

I'm voting for The Book Thief and The Name of the Wind. (I actually own a German copy of The Book Thief, but I've always wanted to read it in English. Around a year ago, I also read the German version of Thirteen Reasons Why, and I disliked it. May have been the translator's style, though..)

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

jasa159357 — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:24:57 +0000

I vote, and Thirteen Reasons Why , and The House of the Scorpion.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Writer.Gal.123 — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:26:30 +0000

Well, I actually managed to get a copy of The Fault in Our Stars from my library, despite not having placed a hold on it or anything. I'm pretty happy. ^.^ So, my vote goes to The Fault in Our Stars and Mort by Terry Prachett. I've always wanted to read something by Terry Prachett, so, yeah.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Stazz — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:18:04 +0000

I'll go ahead and vote for The Book Thief and Persepolis.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Zaramora_Gladen — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:20:56 +0000

I'm going for The Book Thief!

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Tuffysgirl — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:36:04 +0000

I'm gonna vote for The Book Thief and The Last Unicorn. My library has both of those ^_^

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

gavrielle — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:40:11 +0000

I'd say Mort or House of the Scorpion, but I'd be happy with any of those books. :D

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

WhiteRaven93 — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:46:37 +0000

I vote Thirteen Reasons Why and Mort. ^.^

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Spaghetti7 — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:00:10 +0000

I’m voting for Mort which puts the tally so far at: Faults in Our Stars John Green: 1 The House of the Scorpion Nancy Farmer: 2 Thirteen Reasons Why Jay Asher: 1 The Book Thief Markus Zusak: 4 Mort Terry Pratchett: 3 The Host Stephenie Meyer Persepolis Marjane Satrapi (graphic novel): 1 The Last Unicorn Peter S. Beagle: 1 The Name of the Wind Patrick Rothfuss: 1

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

jasa159357 — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:28:55 +0000

Mort is doing better than I expected.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

firelight_cinderbrick — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:30:39 +0000

Read the Book Thief too, it was amazing, it really has a unique narrative style.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

firelight_cinderbrick — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:39:07 +0000

Hi I'd be interested to join this too but I might not have the time. Great list by the way. So I had a hard time choosing but my top three choices are: The Name of the Wind and Last Unicorn, I haven't read. I also vote for Book Thief, I read it last year and I loved it. I cried by the ending.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Odile — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:21:09 +0000

I'm interested but at the moment I just don't have time. So if this is still going on after a few months I might join then...

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

lilly32261 — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:41:08 +0000

I'm going to vote for Mort and 13 Reasons Why and hope that one of the libraries here has the book that's chosen.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Spaghetti7 — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:26:24 +0000

@firelight_cinderbrick: It's 2 votes per person max, sorry. I didn't want to make the decision for you so I haven't added your votes into the tally yet, but I will as soon as you can narrow it down. (I agree, it's hard to choose, they all look really good!) Votes so Far: Faults in Our Stars John Green: 1 The House of the Scorpion Nancy Farmer: 2 Thirteen Reasons Why Jay Asher: 2 The Book Thief Markus Zusak: 4 Mort Terry Pratchett: 4 The Host Stephenie Meyer Persepolis Marjane Satrapi (graphic novel): 1 The Last Unicorn Peter S. Beagle: 1 The Name of the Wind Patrick Rothfuss: 1

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Chestergirl28 — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:50:49 +0000

Oh, that sounds good!

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Chestergirl28 — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:52:25 +0000

The Name of the Wind and The Book Thief are my votes!

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

uberskittlez — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:32:00 +0000

Hi, can I join in on the voting and the club?? If no one minds, I'll cast my vote in for the Book Theif, as I already own it but have never gotten around to reading it, due to a lack of time.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Spaghetti7 — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:34:03 +0000

uberskittlez: Of course you can join in and vote! It's never too late for anyone to jump in, even if we're part way through a book, people are always welcome to grab a copy from their library and jump in :) Another update: Faults in Our Stars John Green: 1 The House of the Scorpion Nancy Farmer: 2 Thirteen Reasons Why Jay Asher: 2 The Book Thief Markus Zusak: 6 Mort Terry Pratchett: 4 The Host Stephenie Meyer Persepolis Marjane Satrapi (graphic novel): 1 The Last Unicorn Peter S. Beagle: 1 The Name of the Wind Patrick Rothfuss: 2 I'll give you guys another day or two to cast your votes, but unless a couple people jump in for one book at the last minute I think there's a clear enough difference to say our winner is the Book Thief without a second round of voting. (Unless you guys really want to narrow it down to two books first.)

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

firelight_cinderbrick — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 12:35:09 +0000

Sorry, I didn't know two was the maximum. Alright so I choose Name of the Wind(planning on reading it for a long time) and Book Thief (want to re-read it).

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Spaghetti7 — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:23:44 +0000

Don't worry about it firelight :) That's 7 votes for The Book Thief so I'm going to close off voting. Will a week be long enough for everyone to pick up a copy? Last year it got pretty scattered with people posting at different times and whatnot, but would it be reasonable to ask everyone finish the first half of the book by the end of February? I don't have a copy in front of me so I can't specify a page/chapter but I know it isn't a particularly long novel.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Writer.Gal.123 — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:57:06 +0000

Yay, I LOVE The Book Thief. :) I don't know about everyone else, but until the end of February sounds reasonable to me.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

WhiteRaven93 — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 20:59:26 +0000

Sounds good. :) I'll do my best to get it and get it read.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Chestergirl28 — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:22:46 +0000

Woo! This is going to be so much fun!!!

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Stazz — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 07:21:12 +0000

I'm excited for this. :D

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

lilly32261 — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 20:50:59 +0000

End of February works for me! I'll try and pick up a copy next time we go to the library. :)

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

gavrielle — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 06:29:20 +0000

So, it's nearing the end of February, and something we always do in my English class when we start discussing a novel or story is do a brief intro to the time and culture in which the story takes place. I know the Holocaust is something that's pretty well covered in history classes, but would it be worthwhile to have a brief summary here to give an intro/spawn a discussion or whatnot? I can put one together pretty easily if people would like...

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Spaghetti7 — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 07:24:55 +0000

That's not a bad idea. I know that some people like to jump into a book right away without any outside information but if it's really a concern for some people, they could read it when they finish the novel and it would be a great reference to have for the discussion/to start the discussion. If you're willing to put something together, that would be awesome! I'm sure you'll use discretion but just a reminder to everyone, I don't think this will be an issue but since this book does revolve around a horrific event in history, don't forget that we are on the teen forum so make sure that the discussion stays age appropriate, thanks! Also, I finally got around to picking up my copy of the book (hopefully the rest of you have done the same) and after quickly skimming through, I'm setting the first official reading deadline. It's quite a bit longer than I remember so I'm going to give you guys a little more time to work through it, if that's alright. Please read up to PART FOUR for March 1st. It's about one third of the way through the book. Of course, if you want to continue and read up to part 5 so that you hit roughly the halfway point, by all means go ahead, just make sure that if you're discussing the book so far, you mark the top of your posts so that no one reads any spoilers by mistake :)

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

jasa159357 — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:44:15 +0000

Sorry, I can't do it this time. My library, is so slow for books on hold.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Spaghetti7 — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:21:50 +0000

Aw, I'm sorry. If you want though, you can still wait for the hold to come through at read it a little bit later/try to catch up. Either way, I'm sure there'll still be people around here willing to discuss it with you, even if it's a bit late :)

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

toothpicK82 — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:43:14 +0000

My sister read the Book Thief and said it wasn't worth my time... of course my sister is also the person who is trying to make me uber-writer-girl-who-hath-read-all-of-Shakespeare's-plays... but yeah... I'm not reading the book this round. Maybe next time.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

adelinerenee — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 03:25:10 +0000

it's one of my favorite books, and although your sister didn't like it you should still look into it. It has wonderful descriptions, an absolutely beautiful plot and heartbreaking characters. Even if you don't read it for the book club I recommend it, but it's your choice really and if you don't end up liking it, it's just not your sort of book. Which is alright too.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

gavrielle — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 04:47:34 +0000

So, it's pretty much the end of February, and I am trying to avoid an essay (actually for history about this time period... whatever), so here is my "brief" introduction and background to Nazi Germany (I'll try to keep it as short as possible, but I want to put the major information out here in as simple a form as possible). Don't feel obligated to read every section, but respond to anything you like. We can use it as both a reference and a start for the conversation. PRE-WWI GERMANY AND WWI To understand the situation Germany was in at the time, we first have to go back to the situation of Europe at the turn of the century. The German Empire, like other nations in Europe at the time, was focused on expansion. Expansion into Africa, expansion into Asia, colonies, trade routes, wealth, and power. Germany was going through it's own issues with neighbors, as opposed to many of the countries that had more long-established colonies and fewer new colonies, but all of Europe was tied into complicated alliances. The two most important alliances in relation to WWI were the Triple Alliance and the Triple Entente. The Triple Entente consisted of Britain, France, and Russia. Additionally, these countries were in agreements of their own with Portugal, Brazil, Japan, the U.S., Spain, Serbia, and others. The Triple Alliance was made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. These countries had alliances of their own too, but I don't really remember with whom, so we're gonna skip that part. It doesn't really matter right here. Anyway, everything was fine and dandy in Europe until Austria-Hungary decided they wanted to expand into the Balkins. Unfortunately, the Slavic people in the Balkins did not like that very much, and when the heir to the Austo-Hungarian throne Franz Ferdinand visited Bosnia (I think? Somewhere like that that was in a province), he was assassinated by a Serbian rebel who was (kinda understandably) annoyed. On a side note, I kinda feel bad for Franz Ferdinand. He is pretty much known in history for being the dude who died causing WWI. He managed to avoid the first attempt, but was killed when visiting everybody injured in the first attempt in the hospital. And his last words were telling his wife (who was also shot) to live for their kids. Anyway, he died. Austria-Hungary was pissed and declared war on Serbia. Serbia was in an alliance with Russia and Russia was like WE MUST PROTECT THE SLAVIC NATIONS so Russia declared war on Austria-Hungary. The Triple Entente became the Allied Powers. The Triple Alliance became the Central Powers. But Italy also had this treaty with France and Britain, and since war had been declared on France and Britain before Britain and France declared war, Italy's treaty said it wasn't going to fight. It later joined on the side of the Allies. And the Ottoman Empire joined the war on the side of the Central Powers. And other countries joined in too. Lots of people died. It was not fun. Anyway, the war continued. Russia had a revolution and became a democracy. They then dropped out of the war to focus on rebuilding their nation, but Russia's revolution meant that the U.S. could now claim that they were fighting to bring democracy to all of Europe (Germany and Austria-Hungary were the only monarchy-empire-nations left). So the claimed that and entered the war and in 1919 on the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th month, they reached Armistice. Now, it was time for a treaty. So everybody (the Allies) met in Paris for a peace meeting (negotiating a treaty). Wilson had all these great ideas about forever ending war and open access to all the oceans and disarmament and a League of Nations so nations could negotiate instead of fighting deadly wars. Britain and France and the others actually liked there being powerful nations, so they rejected everything except the League of Nations. Also (HERE IS WHERE IT GETS IMPORTANT FOR GERMANY), Germany was blamed for the war, and expected to pay a bunch of money to Britain and France for war crimes.and stuff. It was pretty harsh. The League of Nations kinda all supported this (Wilson couldn't convince the U.S. to join, so it was pretty much just Britain and France teaming up against Germany). POST-WWI GERMANY Anyway, now Germany owes a lot of money, the nation is destroyed by war, tons of people are dead, and everybody hates them. Also, there was a revolution, so it's now a republic. The government wasn't super stable though. Also, to make matters worse, Germany had been paying it's debts with loans from American banks. Then the American stock market collapses in 1929 and the American banks aren't giving Germany money anymore. The new government is blamed for the loss of WWI and accused of destroying the nation with the Treaty of Versailles. Then, we have two new political parties in control. The Communists and the Nazis (National Party of Socialist Workers). The President appoints Hitler Chancellor, a government building goes up in flames and an emergency declaration gives Hitler ultimate power, the Communist MPs are in prison, Hitler makes a totalitarian state within months, and industry is revitalized with war. The Nazi Party was a workers party, so started as anti-industry, anti-capitalism, anti-business. However, they could no longer blame the government for problems, they were the government! And they needed a scapegoat, a common enemy to unite the people around. So they declared that the Jews were "others" and declared the need for a "pure German race." The word they used was Aryan. (FUN FACT: The Aryan people were an Indo-European nomad tribe that settled in the Middle-East (esp. Persia) in pretty ancient times. The name Iran comes from the root Aryan, and Persian people consider themselves Aryan. Arya is a common name for Persian boys (including Persian Jews, my best friend loves having to explain that his name means Aryan when we're at Jewish events :P). For this reason, Persian Jews (mainly in France, as Persia was French at the time) were safe from the Holocaust, even when living in France, and many Jews escaped to Persia). They also needed to keep the people into the necessity of a pure Aryan race. Books were burned that didn't fit Nazi ideology, or were written by authors that didn't fit Nazi ideology, or weren't considered German enough. Youth were involved in youth groups. The Nazi party had community events. Sports were also emphasized by the Nazi government. And the Nazi party claimed to want to restore Germany to greatness. So they invaded other nations, especially lands that had been part of the Empire previous to the Versailles Territory. These invasions led to WWII. ANTI-SEMITISM IN NAZI GERMANY The Germans were nowhere close to the first to hate the Jews. Jews had been disliked since before the Diaspora by neighboring empires, and in the Diaspora, with Jews spread around Europe looking for a new home, the rise of Christianity did not bode well for them. Jews had a lot of restrictions against them in the middle ages, and they had to be able to move at any time. However, they did have two things going for them. 1. Judaism emphasizes education for the masses, so most Jewish boys were pretty good at math and writing and knew at least two languages. 2. Christians weren't allowed to charge interest to Christians, so they couldn't be money lenders. Jews could charge money to Christians, so they became wealthy and had their wealth in coins and jewels that could be easily transported. Of course, this was both a gift and a curse. Yes, Jews now had a way to earn money, but they were now hated for earning money. Also, Jewish law kept most Jews safe from the bubonic plague and other illnesses. And, there was the blood libel. The blood libel was not a pretty thing, and it did not have pretty repercussions. So the point is that the Jews weren't very well liked by their neighbors. Many Jews had left Russia and other Eastern-European nations at the turn of the century to escape pogroms and other really bad things. Germany was a pretty good area relatively... But then it wasn't. Nazis came into power. Yada yada. I covered that earlier. So they had to present the Jews as the "other". And they did. Jews were required to wear yellow stars. They weren't allowed to go to normal schools. Their businesses were boycotted. Other countries wouldn't let them in. Then came Kristalnacht in which the Nazi Party instigated pogroms in Germany over 7,000 Jewish shops and nearly every synagogue in Germany were vandalized and looted. A law was passed preventing Jews from owning firearms. Jews were held responsable for the pogroms (this is as wrong as it sounds) and forced to pay enormous atonement taxes. Public Jewish life declined. More and more Jews left the country. Then, it was considered that the Jews should all be moved to somewhere else. (Note: this was the mentality behind founding Israel, although that was Britain and America not Germany, but even in it's founding people didn't like Jews). It was planned to ship the Jews to Madagascar. Germany paid to send 60,000 Jews to British Palestine. Anyway, when Germany invaded Poland, there were a lot of Jews there that they didn't know what to do with. Also, everybody else got pissed and declared was on Germany. COMMENCE WWII! They decided to put all these Jews together into ghettos to make stuff for Germany to fight. The ghettos were near railway tracks. Thousands died in the ghettos. Germany considered the ghetto killing two birds with one stone. It was understood that the work could destroy the Jews. Then came the prison camps, with a mortality rate of about 50%. Again, it was not systematic execution yet, but execution through labor or though horrible conditions. Those who could no longer work were gassed or shot. By 1942, there were six large extermination camps, specifically for the purpose of killing racial enemies, mainly the Jews, although some gypsies too. Then came ghettos that were just waiting centers for Jews to be shipped to camps. People died there too. And there were also still ghettos. And then we got death squads. Public mass killings. And then came the Final Solution, a plan to kill all the Jews in Europe. Thankfully, that plan was never fully completed. Anyway, it wasn't only Jews that faced hatred. Communists were blamed for social ills as well (***important to the story). Gypsies, the mentally disabled and physically handicapped, gays, and other political enemies. The Jews were considered the main enemy though. The difference between the other enemies and Jews (and Gypsies) were that Jews and Gypsies were considered enemies by blood. Political and social enemies were still considered German, and were sent to camps for "re-education". Racial enemies were sent to camps to die. Wow. That was a lot of information. I was just trying to give a brief overview... At least now I feel prepared for my history exams? Anyway, comment. Add more if you want to. Start a discussion. Let's get this book group going!

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

jasa159357 — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:02:44 +0000

I just got my copy of The Book Thief in. I really hate the pines library system. So far, the 22 pages I have read, I like it. Making Death the narrator is an interesting choice. I always like Death characters because they put a interesting perspective on life, and this one is no exception.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Writer.Gal.123 — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 17:31:14 +0000

@gavrielle Wow! That was really well done. A lot of it I did already learn, but there were also quite a few new facts. Thanks! (And geez, it always blows me away when I think about how much Jews had to go through) @jasa I really enjoyed Death as a narrator, and I liked the way he was characterized. I agree that his perspective is really interesting. Death is one of the reasons I love this book so much.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Stazz — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 23:28:11 +0000

This book left an amazing impact on me the first time I read it. I haven't had a chance to reread it for the purposes of this bookclub yet, but I can definitely agree with the other two opinions expressed on Death. I liked that he's (she's? it's?) really not frightening at all -- very different from the mental images so often built up. And the way the story itself was told...so detached from a bystander's viewpoint, and yet so personal and near to home. I like that. Also...did anyone steal their copy? ;)

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Spaghetti7 — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 08:28:26 +0000

@gavriella: Wow! Thanks, that was great! Some if it was review from previous socials classes (some of the only stuff I remember from history classes) but definitely some new information and a lot of "Oh yeah, I forgot about that" moments. Also, I have to say that if I were ever to steal a book, it would be this book. And then I'd go and buy another copy because I definitely think that Markus Zusak and anyone else involved in the creation of this story who would receive a part of the royalties, definitely deserves my money. I read this book a couple years ago so I've forgotten a lot of it but wow! Now I remember why it's always been sitting around on my "to buy" list! Generally speaking I'm not a fan of imagery and descriptive language in books, but here I love it. To me, the writing is filled with texture and colour. The language is beautiful when the mood is depressing and it's one of very few books I've ever read where I feel emotional while I'm reading it. I love the use of Death as the narrator and how the author never completely loses that fact. It doesn't get in the way of the story and it isn't distracting, but it's saturated throughout each part of the book whether or not Death is talking directly to the audience. You can tell that it isn't just a gimmick to get your attention, this book is the Liesel's life through the eyes of Death. There's a book called The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. It's set in WWII and the main character is a child which creates this huge contrast between evil and innocence. It's a good book, but I find it a bit too simplistic in light of the Book Thief. I love how the story isn't about the war, it's about the girl. Sometimes it seems like there's nothing else but this big threat looming over them and the events of WWII are all that matter but all of a sudden there's a scene with Liesel learning to read or playing soccer or whatever and you're reminded that she's just a kid. I'm realizing that I have to read it in small increments just because there's so much in it to digest but at the same time I'm having trouble putting it down :) Also, side note: I rarely read historical fiction and in particular I try to avoid books about wars but there is one book that a friend of mine convinced me to read and I was so glad that I did. It's called Night by Elie Wiesel. It's an autobiography written by a Holocaust survivor. It's very short and not at all what I thought it would be. I'm not really telling you about it, but it's difficult to explain it. All I can say is that if you ever get a chance to read it--do.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

beanza3 — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 02:31:36 +0000

So... My opinion on the book. I agree with everyone else who says they love Death as a narrator. I love how the book can align so personally to Liesel , and then Death pulls back, and you can feel it. It's strange, which is one of the things that makes the book unique. I love the characters and how Death explains them. They're so well characterized and drawn out, and I haven't even finished the book yet! They're incredibly realistic. What I don't like is how the narrator (Death) keeps jumping around in the time frames. I get it, because it's retrospective, and Death's been there and done that, but... For me it's my pet peeve in books, and bothers me. Whenever it jumps around, I want to smack it. I also agree with those who loved the characterization of Death. Death isn't scary, it's very simple and childlike, but serious. So, you get the forbidding of the whole of WW2, even while reading something as simple as Liesel play soccer or Rudy asking for a kiss, you feel the backdrop more then anything else. It's there, looming, and it builds up suspense, even though Death doesn't believe in mysteries. So, that's my opinion for the first half(ish) a crazy-awesome, facsinating book that I want to know what happens next, even while knowing. :D

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Spaghetti7 — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 22:28:48 +0000

Alright, sorry I haven't done anything in the last week. It's been a bit busy and I'm one of those people who gets it into her head that all I have to do is start a project and then it will magically see itself onto completion. (Like my Nano novel that's not even halfway edited...) anyways, feel free to keep talking about the book as you read and hopefully most of you have continued reading past part 4 so I'm going to (optimistically?) ask you guys to finish the book before the end of March :) Just remember, since I haven't marked off a point between here and the end of the book to make sure you put spoiler warnings at the top of your posts as needed.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Spaghetti7 — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 22:32:04 +0000

I also want to say thank you to all those people who recommended The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. A friend of mine had a copy and all I can say is WOW. I read a couple of reviews and a few people said that he recycles his characters so I'm not sure what I want to do as far as reading his other books because I'm afraid that it might ruin the magic of the one I did read. It's a bit of an odd way to describe a story, but The Fault in Our Stars is without a doubt a beautiful book.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Hunger Ludinivalis — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 04:46:38 +0100

Um, I think I'll join in during May, if that's alright with all of you lovely people. I'd join in this month but I'm going to be overloaded with piano and school and tennis...

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Spaghetti7 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:39:36 +0100

@Hunger: no problem, you can drop in whenever you like. As you can see by my not-so-prompt-response, this whole thing is pretty casual. Yeah, okay, that's not really gonna fly. Sorry for the late post, I should've done this right at the beginning of April but stuff piles up and all of a sudden I've gone a week without looking at a computer screen. I'm in a bit of a rush right now, but for those of you that finished the book, feel free to discuss it here. I'll post a couple of questions as well as my response later on today.

Re: Anyone Interested in a Bookclub?

Spaghetti7 — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 06:10:18 +0100

The Book Thief is a story that I can get lost in really easily. I can read over certain sections or paragraphs for a long time just thinking on the word choice and the layers of imagery and story telling. That sounds overly dramatic but I guess what I mean is that it's a book I don't get tired of reading. A couple of questions for those of you who have finished, feel free to answer only those you want to--or none of them if you don't want any sort of guide for your response. Favourite character and favourite section? I have trouble picking a character, but I'd probably say Rudy or Hans Hubermann. But they're all so diverse and interesting, so my answer is constantly changing. My favourite section is the book that Max writes within Mein Kampf. I have the latter sitting on my shelf right now, it's an ongoing project and I've found it quite difficult to read through because despite how interesting it is, it's quite disturbing. Seeing the words of Mein Kampf not quite hidden underneath Max's story, it gives me chills every time I read it. Online I found something that suggested Liesel and Max get married, thoughts? [quote=]In her final visions, she saw her three children, her grandchildren, her husband, and the long list of lives that merged with hers. Among them, lit like lanterns, were Hans and Rosa Hubermann, her brother, and the boy whose hair remained the color of lemons forever. If Max hadn't already been mentioned (her husband?), she would have mentioned him as one of the lives lit like lanterns.[/quote] At first I thought no, but looking at the quote, there doesn't seem to be any other explanation? I like that it's hinted at but not a definite fact. And finally, what did you think of Death's last statement? It's ironic, the idea of Death being haunted by humans and I was instantly drawn to it. It makes sense given the characterization of Death but at the same time I think it's a tad arrogant? There just seems something bordering on pretentious for human beings to expect that their lives would have such an affect on this supposedly impartial force that has been doing its job around the world since the beginning of time. This is starting to sound like metaphysical poetry (not my strong suit) so before I talk myself in circles I'll just say that the irony is delicious enough and the concept works beautifully for this story so I don't really mind the potential implications. In the end, this is a wonderfully beautiful book and I don't think I'll wait nearly as long to reread it again.