Betty's Book Chats

Update: New System for the Book Chats

2009-01-24T14:09:00.000+08:00

I've decided to implement a new system for the Book Chats!

Previously, the book chats were held monthly and there was only one book choice a month. Although the first book chat was great, it seems that this may not be the best system.

So now, what I'm going to do, is offer up more book choices for the book chats, which can take place *anytime* as long as a minimum of five people sign up for them. And I'm going to limit each chat to 10 participants, because too many people would make the discussions difficult to follow too.

This means that sometimes you might have to wait a little longer for a particular book chat, because the fifth person might not sign up until much later.

But because you have many more book choices, you could sign up for more chats, and they will be spaced out pretty nicely for you, and the time for the book chats would be set according to the convenience of the participants of the particular book chats too!

I will also keep the book choices perpetually open for book chats, so if there are more than 10 participants, we can split up into two different chat sessions, or if you've missed the first chat for the book, you can sign up for the next chat with new participants.

With this new system, you'd also be welcome to sign up for a book chat that you've participated in before. Perhaps you're re-reading the book, or you've gotten new insights, or you want to see what the other participants think.

I'm also going to abolish the nomination system, but you're more than welcome to send in book suggestions to me. Please do, in fact! Feel free to contact me at my email: bettysbooks@gmail.com for anything you need.

Thank you! And thanks for the support!

Book Chats Offered

2009-01-24T12:38:00.000+08:00

These are the books currently offered for book chats. I'll add more books as we progress, so please check back often. You are welcome to email me at bettysbooks@gmail.com to suggest books you want to see offered.

1.	Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen Here is the summary of the first book chat. Sign up here for the next book chat.
2.	Emma by Jane Austen Sign up here for the book chat.
3.	Life of Pi by Yann Martel Sign up here for the book chat.
4.	The Reader by Bernhard Schlink Sign up here for the book chat.
5.	Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult Sign up here for the book chat.
6.	Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro Sign up here for the book chat.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

2009-01-23T18:01:00.002+08:00

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Synopsis:

All children should believe they are special. But the students of Hailsham, an elite school in the English countryside, are so special that visitors shun them, and only by rumor and the occasional fleeting remark by a teacher do they discover their unconventional origins and strange destiny.

Kazuo Ishiguro's sixth novel, Never Let Me Go, is a masterpiece of indirection. Like the students of Hailsham, readers are "told but not told" what is going on and should be allowed to discover the secrets of Hailsham and the truth about these children on their own

The book chat is limited to the first ten readers who sign up. It will be scheduled when at least five readers have signed up for the chat, and we will do our best to schedule it according to the convenience of the participants.

Please remember that this is an international book chat so it's not easy to find a time when it will be convenient for everyone, but I believe we will be able to cooperate and arrange a time that will be suitable to 10 participants' convenience.

If you're interested in participating in this book chat, please sign up with Mister Linky below, and leave your email address in the comments. I will email the chat room link and passwords to all participants the day before the chat.

If you are afraid of spam, you can either write your email in this form: bettysbooks AT gmail DOT com, or you can email me privately at bettysbooks@gmail.com with "Book Chat: Never Let Me Go" in the subject.

(Haloscan has been taken over by JS-Kit and they don't allow me to get your emails from the site anymore, so sorry for the inconvenience.)

Please remember to let me have your email address one way or another, or you will not be able to receive the chat room link and password!!

For more about how it works, please click here.

For rules and guidelines, click here.

For more book chats, click here.

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

2009-01-23T17:59:00.003+08:00

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Synopsis:

On Peter Houghton's first day of kindergarten, he watched helplessly as an older boy ripped his lunch box out of his hands and threw it out the window. From that day on, his life was a series of humiliations, from having his pants pulled down in the cafeteria, to being called a freak at every turn. But can endless bullying justify murder?

As Picoult attempts to answer this question, she shows us all sides of the equation, from the ruthless jock who loses his ability to speak after being shot in the head, to the mother who both blames and pities herself for producing what most would call a monster. Surrounding Peter's story is that of Josie Cormier, a former friend whose acceptance into the popular crowd hangs on a string that makes it impossible for her to reconcile her beliefs with her actions.

(Haloscan has been taken over by JS-Kit and they don't allow me to get your emails from the site anymore, so sorry for the inconvenience.)

Please remember to let me have your email address one way or another, or you will not be able to receive the chat room link and password!!

For more about how it works, please click here.

For rules and guidelines, click here.

For more book chats, click here.

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

2009-01-23T17:55:00.002+08:00

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

Synopsis:

Michael Berg is 15 when he begins a long, obsessive affair with Hanna, an enigmatic older woman. He never learns very much about her, and when she disappears one day, he expects never to see her again. But, to his horror, he does. Hanna is a defendant in a trial related to Germany's Nazi past, and it soon becomes clear that she is guilty of an unspeakable crime.

As Michael follows the trial, he struggles with an overwhelming question: What should his generation do with its knowledge of the Holocaust? "We should not believe we can comprehend the incomprehensible, we may not compare the incomparable.... Should we only fall silent in revulsion, shame, and guilt? To what purpose?

(Haloscan has been taken over by JS-Kit and they don't allow me to get your emails from the site anymore, so sorry for the inconvenience.)

Please remember to let me have your email address one way or another, or you will not be able to receive the chat room link and password!!

For more about how it works, please click here.

For rules and guidelines, click here.

For more book chats, click here.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

2009-01-23T17:51:00.002+08:00

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Synopsis:

Yann Martel's imaginative and unforgettable Life of Pi is a magical reading experience, an endless blue expanse of storytelling about adventure, survival, and ultimately, faith. The precocious son of a zookeeper, 16-year-old Pi Patel is raised in Pondicherry, India, where he tries on various faiths for size, attracting "religions the way a dog attracts fleas."

Planning a move to Canada, his father packs up the family and their menagerie and they hitch a ride on an enormous freighter. After a harrowing shipwreck, Pi finds himself adrift in the Pacific Ocean, trapped on a 26-foot lifeboat with a wounded zebra, a spotted hyena, a seasick orangutan, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker ("His head was the size and color of the lifebuoy, with teeth").

In rich, hallucinatory passages, Pi recounts the harrowing journey as the days blur together, elegantly cataloging the endless passage of time and his struggles to survive: "It is pointless to say that this or that night was the worst of my life. I have so many bad nights to choose from that I've made none the champion."

(Haloscan has been taken over by JS-Kit and they don't allow me to get your emails from the site anymore, so sorry for the inconvenience.)

Please remember to let me have your email address one way or another, or you will not be able to receive the chat room link and password!!

For more about how it works, please click here.

For rules and guidelines, click here.

For more book chats, click here.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

2009-01-23T17:46:00.002+08:00

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Synopsis:

When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a
passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate
circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night
stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his
degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there
that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is
married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets
Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.

Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful
sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that
overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can
afford.

(Haloscan has been taken over by JS-Kit and they don't allow me to get your emails from the site anymore, so sorry for the inconvenience.)

Please remember to let me have your email address one way or another, or you will not be able to receive the chat room link and password!!

For more about how it works, please click here.

For rules and guidelines, click here.

For more book chats, click here.

Water for Elephants Book Chat Summary

2009-01-10T12:23:00.005+08:00

The book chat for Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is over! We had a great chat although there were only 3 of us! Where was everyone else?!

Anyway, for those who are interested in seeing how it went, I've posted some of our conversation here, slightly edited for typos, sequence, and spoilers.

The full transcript is available at the chat room for those who've signed up for the chats, and anyone else who wants it can email me at bettysbooks@gmail.com . I'm not posting the whole thing here because of spoilers, and I'm too lazy to post everything!

Hope you enjoy these bits, and please do join us for future chats. Nominate the books you want to read if you're not interested in the current ones!

A very big thank you to Bumbles and taaza as well, for joining me in the book chat! I enjoyed the chat with both of you very much!

About how we came to read the book:

Bumbles: I was just curious how each of us came to decide to pick it up and read it to begin with.
Bumbles: I mean - obviously some may have done so specifically for this chat - but it was probably on their TBR pile anyway - how did it draw your interest?
taaza: It was recommended to me by someone who saw my wish list on paperbackswap.com that had reading tastes v. similar to mine. She thought I might like it...and she was right!
Bumbles: I read a review about it in the paper. I totally thought it was going to be about something else entirely - but I enjoyed it anyway.
Betty: LOL! To be honest, I had heard people talking about it. I wasn't interested in reading it myself, but when I saw it in Borders, on the buy 3 for the price of 2 pile, I thought I'd try it
Bumbles: Ah - the good old bargain buy!
Betty: LOL! How could I resist?
taaza: It was also on my TBR for a couple months...I was actually about to read it, and I saw the posting on the BC forums about Betty's chat and I thought: "What good timing is THAT!"
Bumbles: See - I thought it would be a book about this old guy in a nursing home with Alzheimer's and what it is like see things through his eyes. I guess in a way it was but that was not the primary goal.
Bumbles: Instead it is about someone struggling with getting older and how the past can carry him through it all. I did like it Betty - it was a very different style.

About why we liked it:

Betty: So you both liked it? Usually it's harder to discuss a book you like, LOL! but let's talk about why you liked it
Bumbles: I liked being transported to a world I knew very little about.
Betty: What do you mean, different style? style of writing? telling the story? plot?
Bumbles: Who hasn't wanted to run away with the circus after all?
taaza: I really liked how the author spun the story through Jacob's flashbacks, it was very well integrated with the main story. Really held my interest throughout.
Bumbles: I guess style of telling the story - not really a flashback but how Jacob was truly re-living his past but thinking it was the present
Bumbles: Like taaza said!
Betty: I don't know much about the circus, never really had them here in Malaysia, not like the ones the book described anyway, but I loved the TV series Carnivale, and this book reminded me a little about that show
Bumbles: And she did a great job of involving you with the characters - I haven't read it in 4 months and they stick with me still.
taaza: Even in the nursing home, you could just feel the sharpness of Jacob's mind...he still was feisty and intelligent at 90-something...I admired his strength of character as much in the nursing home as I did when he was in his youth.
Betty: Oh yes, I notice that too, about the way she spun the story, and at the beginning, you're not sure whether you're with the memories or the old Jacob
Betty: She changes from flashbacks to the present so seamlessly you actually get a little disoriented!
Bumbles: Betty - I think that's why it was effective - drawing you into the life of Jacob so you got a sense of what it must be like to alternate confusingly from past and present

About the character Kinko:

taaza: Oh yes, all the characters are so memorable....even Kinko and Camel, too.
Bumbles: What was Kinko's dog's name? That showed the true human side of Kinko - how he was so nasty to others to protect himself but underneath he loved deeply
taaza: I have to say, WFE made my list of my top 10 fave books of 2008, and it was probably in my top 5.
taaza: Queenie was the dog's name, I believe...
Betty: Yes, I think so too, I really liked Kinko....he reminds me of someone, a literary character or a movie character, but I can't remember who exactly....

About our favorite parts:

Bumbles: My favorite part of the whole book was when he gets into a fight with the new guy bragging to the ladies about watering the elephants
taaza: I loved that part, Bumbles! It really showed Jacob's "feisty" side!
Betty: Bumbles, why was that part your favorite?
Bumbles: Betty - that was my favorite part because of the humor and it made me want to shake that other guy and tell him to listen to Jacob - it also drew Jacob closer to the nurse because of the scene he made and that was a nice experience for him to find someone on his side so to speak
Bumbles: Because I felt that Jacob was so lonely trapped in the nursing home Betty: LOL! Would you really have shaken him if you were there in real life? It made me wonder, because I'm also a lil bit like Jacob, if someone is so obviously lying, I'd want to challenge them and prove to everyone they're wrong
Bumbles: I wanted to defend Jacob to that cocky SOB
Betty: But I don't do it sometimes, because I don't want to embarrass them or to make a scene, and especially when it comes to the older folks, you let them have their happiness, you know...
Betty: Like the nurse was saying
Bumbles: That's why I'm not a nurse in a nursing home :0)

About relating to the book:

Bumbles: The book touched me as I read it because we had a family member living out the end of her life in a nursing home at that time
taaza: I felt so bad for how his family just forgot about him on the Sunday visits, or when they were there said senseless stuff and didn't seem to make an effort to get to know the "real" Jacob
Betty: Oh Bumbles, I'm sorry about your family member, but I think that's part of the wonder of reading books that we can relate to
Bumbles: Very true Betty
Betty: Don't mind me asking, but how old are the 2 of you? You don't have to tell if you don't want to, but I was wondering, because this book shows us the frailty of old age, and I just wondered if anyone ever thought about growing old
Betty: taaza, yes I felt sad that his family forgot him too, and I can relate with that for my grandfather
taaza: The nursing home really hit home for me too...my mom is struggling putting father in (Alzheimer's). It's a hard decision.
Betty: My grandfather had 4 wives (it was ok back in the days), and he had too many children to count, he died a couple of years ago, at the age of 98, but so few of his children (and his grandchildren) were still on good termswith him
Bumbles: See - I find it interesting that we each just kind of randomly came across this book but yet it was a story that touched us very specifically in relation to things in our own lives

About growing old:

Bumbles: I also think it is interesting Betty that you saw the frailty of old age yet I saw the toughness of Jacob
taaza: I think that the author may have meant to show the both the frailty v. the toughness of Jacob's character.
Betty: I think I see the frailty of the body as more frightening.... I'm impressed with Jacob's feistiness and sharp mind at his age, but somehow because I think in my own case....I tend to develop my mind more than my body
taaza: LOL...I know the feeling Betty, my mind is definitely sharper than my body at this stage in my life!
Betty: And I think when I get old, I'd probably be a sharp old woman trapped in a body that won't let me go on the adventures I want!
Bumbles: Yes taaza - I agree she was showing both parts - weak vs. strong
Bumbles: Betty - that is exactly what happened to our family member! She was 98 as well and was only in the home for physical reasons - her mind was bright as ever. She didn't really get the whole Internet world so I hope thatif we are lucky enough to see that age we can still travel wherever we'd like online! Even to chat with you in Malaysia, Betty!

About cruelty to animals:

taaza: The cruelty to Rosie really saddened me...but I think the author was really true to form. Circus animals were not treated in the best way in circuses of that time. Some of the things they did to Elephants back then was heart-wrenching.
taaza: That really bothered me...but I think circus animals were more commonly maltreated back then.
Bumbles: Well - I didn't like it. I think it showed an unpleasant side of history - men with power abusing those they need to or want to to get where they felt they needed to be.
Betty: I don't know, I would've thought that working in a circus with animals, they would actually be kinder towards animals than regular people
Bumbles: Betty - for them the circus was a job and the animals were the free labor to be worked until they dropped - like they tried to do with Marlena's horse - Jacob loved the animals because his career choice had been veterinary.

About the twist at the end:

Bumbles: Was I the only one who totally didn't see the twist at the end?
Betty: Bumbles, oh me too!!
Betty: I actually went back to the beginning to see how I came to the conclusion I did at the beginning!
Bumbles: Oh good - I usually pride myself on figuring things out - that one snuck right up on me
taaza: I didn't see the twist coming....I though it made for a great ending.
Bumbles: I think that's why I enjoyed the book so much
Betty: That Sara Gruen is one sneaky author! LOL!
Bumbles: Betty - I did the EXACT same thing!
taaza: I went and read the beginning, too after I read the conclusion, Betty! I also wanted to see how it came to that, like you said.

About the author's writing:

Bumbles: She seems to do meticulous research
Betty: She's a really talented author, really.... the way she sneaks up on you, the seamlessness of the flashbacks....
taaza: Her style of writing really gripped me...I don't know quite why or quite how to describe it, though.

Countdown to The Water for Elephants Book Chat!

2009-01-10T00:06:00.002+08:00

Custom Countdowns & MySpace Layouts

I'm so excited! Are you?! It's going to be fun! =D

Don't worry if you miss the book chat this round, you can sign up for the next one here (Emma by Jane Austen).

If you're not really into Jane Austen, nominate your book for February's chat, or vote for March's and April's theme!

Come on, join in the fun!

Emma by Jane Austen

2008-12-23T14:09:00.008+08:00

Emma by Jane Austen

Synopsis:

For Emma, raised to think well of herself, has such a high opinion of her own worth that it blinds her to the opinions of others. The story revolves around a comedy of errors: Emma befriends Harriet Smith, a young woman of unknown parentage, and attempts to remake her in her own image. Ignoring the gaping difference in their respective fortunes and stations in life, Emma convinces herself and her friend that Harriet should look as high as Emma herself might for a husband--and she zeroes in on an ambitious vicar as the perfect match. At the same time, she reads too much into a flirtation with Frank Churchill, the newly arrived son of family friends, and thoughtlessly starts a rumor about poor but beautiful Jane Fairfax, the beloved niece of two genteelly impoverished elderly ladies in the village. As Emma's fantastically misguided schemes threaten to surge out of control, the voice of reason is provided by Mr. Knightly, the Woodhouse's longtime friend and neighbor.

Though Austen herself described Emma as "a heroine whom no one but myself
will much like," she endowed her creation with enough charm to see her through her most egregious behavior, and the saving grace of being able to learn from her mistakes. By the end of the novel Harriet, Frank, and Jane are all properly accounted for, Emma is wiser (though certainly not sadder), and the reader has had the satisfaction of enjoying Jane Austen at the height of her powers.
--Alix Wilber

(Haloscan has been taken over by JS-Kit and they don't allow me to get your emails from the site anymore, so sorry for the inconvenience.)

Please remember to let me have your email address one way or another, or you will not be able to receive the chat room link and password!!

For more about how it works, please click here.

For rules and guidelines, click here.

For more book chats, click here.

December's Book: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

2008-11-18T00:27:00.005+08:00

December's book is Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

Synopsis:

When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a
passing train, he enters a world of freaks, drifters, and misfits, a second-rate
circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night
stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his
degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there
that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is
married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets
Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.

Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful
sense of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that
overcomes incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can
afford.

The book chat is scheduled for January 9/10, 2009, Friday night/Saturday morning, depending on your time zone. (Exact time will be posted later.)

Update: The book chat has been scheduled for January 10th, 2009, 8am GMT +08:00!! Please check your time zone by following the time at the top of the page.

Please remember that this is an international book chat so it's not easy to find a time when it will be convenient for everyone, but I believe Friday night and Saturday morning is a compromise we all can make.

If you're interested in reading this book with me for December and joining the book chat with me on January 9/10, please sign up with Mister Linky below, and leave your email address in the comments (I'm using Haloscan's commenting program, so nobody can see your email address except me).

Please remember to leave your email address in the comments or you will not be able to receive the chat room link and password!!

I will email the chat room link and password to participants the day before the chat.

For more about how it works, please click here.

For rules and guidelines, click here.

Rules & Guidelines

2008-11-17T20:53:00.004+08:00

Please play nice. Be respectful to each other, and no personal insults to others or to their opinions.

No SHOUTING. Using all CAPITAL LETTERS is considered shouting and is rude.

No use of explicit, obscene or vulgar language. Please remember that there may be underaged readers in the chat, and the rest of us don't like it either.

Please stay on topic at all times. There's plenty of time for you to socialize outside of the book chats. Don't even talk about other books unless they relate to the current book being discussed.

It will be helpful and make your discussions more satisfying if you prepared a short list of things that stood out to you in the book and that you want to talk about.

Don't be afraid to share. This is what the book chat is for, we want to know how the book affected you and what you got out of it.

Have fun! Enjoy the chats!

About Betty's Book Chats

2008-11-17T20:39:00.006+08:00

Betty's Book Chats (BBC) is an informal book club where readers get together and discuss books on a real-time chat room at a specific time and day.

Here's how it works:

Check out the list of books being offered for the book chats.
Choose the books you're interested in discussing, and sign up for the chats with Mister Linky.
Either leave your email address in the comment in this form: "bettysbooks AT gmail DOT com" to prevent spam, or email me privately at bettysbooks@gmail.com with the title of the book in the subject.
Minimum participants for a book chat is five, maximum is ten.
Date and time for the chats will be scheduled when at least five readers have signed up for it, according to the convenience of the participants.
Sign-ups will be open until the day before the book chat, as long as the chat hasn't reach the maximum ten person limit.
On the day before the chat, I will email all participants with the chat room link and password, so please remember to let me have your email address one way or another. You will not be able to receive the link and password if I don't have your email address!!
When you've gotten the link and the password, sign into the chat room on the designated time, and chat away!

For rules & guidelines, read here.