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Sunday, August 22, 2010

Total ReVamp of the BMWL2R Book Club

So in the last few month the Busy Moms Who Love to Read Book Club has not had much participation. Instead of scrapping the idea all together I am going to try to "revamp" the concept. It seems that it might be too much to ask people to answer a bunch of question - like taking a test or something. So here is my idea, instead of answering specific discussion questions, you simply do a review of the month's book selection, as you normally would, but you link it here on the linky. You can link your review at any point in the month (this means that even if you have previously read the selected book, you could link in your own review). Then go to some of the other reviews and leave some comments. So I think we can try this version of the book club for a few months and see how things go. To kick things off, let's first Vote for the Book Club Selection. Here are the choices:

Where Are You Now? A Novel by Mary Higgins Clark - From America's Queen of Suspense comes a gripping tale of a young woman trying to unravel the mystery of a family tragedy -- a quest with terrifying repercussions.

It has been ten years since twenty-one-year-old Charles MacKenzie Jr. ("Mack") went missing. A Columbia University senior, about to graduate and already accepted at Duke University Law School, he walked out of his apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side without a word to his college roommates and has never been seen again. However, he does make one ritual phone call to his mother every year: on Mother's Day. Each time, he assures her he is fine, refuses to answer her frantic questions, then hangs up. Even the death of his father, a corporate lawyer, in the tragedy of 9/11 does not bring him home or break the pattern of his calls.
Mack's sister, Carolyn, is now twenty-six, a law school graduate, and has just finished her clerkship for a civil court judge in Manhattan. She has endured two family tragedies, yet she realizes that she will never be able to have closure and get on with her life until she finds her brother. She resolves to discover what happened to Mack and why he has found it necessary to hide from them. So this year when Mack makes his annual Mother's Day call, Carolyn interrupts to announce her intention to track him down, no matter what it takes. The next morning after Mass, her uncle, Monsignor Devon MacKenzie, receives a scrawled message left in the collection basket: "Uncle Devon, tell Carolyn she must not look for me."
Mack's cryptic warning does nothing to deter his sister from taking up the search, despite the angry reaction of her mother, Olivia, and the polite disapproval of Elliott Wallace, Carolyn's honorary uncle, who is clearly in love with Olivia.

Interview with The Vampire by Anne Rice - This is the story of Louis, as told in his own words, of his journey through mortal and immortal life. Louis recounts how he became a vampire at the hands of the radiant and sinister Lestat and how he became indoctrinated, unwillingly, into the vampire way of life. His story ebbs and flows through the streets of New Orleans, defining crucial moments such as his discovery of the exquisite lost young child Claudia, wanting not to hurt but to comfort her with the last breaths of humanity he has inside. Yet, he makes Claudia a vampire, trapping her womanly passion, will, and intelligence inside the body of a small child. Louis and Claudia form a seemingly unbreakable alliance and even "settle down" for a while in the opulent French Quarter. Louis remembers Claudia's struggle to understand herself and the hatred they both have for Lestat that sends them halfway across the world to seek others of their kind. Louis and Claudia are desperate to find somewhere they belong, to find others who understand, and someone who knows what and why they are.


Drop Dead Beautiful by Jackie Collins - Jackie Collins returns with her 25th fabulous novel and her most beloved character…

Get ready for the scandalously scintillating read only Jackie Collins can deliver! Lucky Santangelo is back with a vengeance–still every bit as strong, sexy, and seductive as ever! But Lucky is older and wiser, and hot to reclaim her power position in Las Vegas. However, a deadly enemy from her past has resurfaced–a person determined to take everything from her, including the family she holds so dear: two sons and an out-of-control teenage daughter who is just as outrageous as Lucky herself. Like mother, like daughter.
And if that old saying holds true, it’s going to be one wild ride. Internationally bestselling author Jackie Collins marks her twenty-fifth novel with “another page-turning tale packed with intrigue, revenge and romance.”
How Sweet It Is by Alice J Wisler - Deena Livingston leaves behind a broken romance and her chef job in Atlanta to spend time at her grandfather's cabin in the mountains of North Carolina. But her grandfather has an odd request: he wants Deena to teach cooking classes to the ragtag group of middle-schoolers who attend the local afterschool program, The Center. Reluctantly, Deena agrees, but how is she supposed to convince these kids that cooking at home is better than eating at McDonalds? And after all she went through in Atlanta, why is she attracted to Zack, the social worker at The Center? Can a Dr. Seuss-quoting plumber, a curly-haired basketball player, and a group of middle-schoolers change Deena's outlook on life?

PLEASE VOTE USING THE POLL LOCATED IN THE TOP RIGHT SIDEBAR!!

Voting will take place between now and August 31st. On September 1st I will announce the book selection and post the linky for you to begin linking up your reviews of the selected title.



6 comments:

  1. Mary Higgins Clark books are the best, I am collecting her series.
    Always a great read.

    cenya2 at hotmail dot com

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  2. I like the concept, but I'm not interested in this months titles. Maybe next time.

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  3. @ Marjorie - this will be my first book by her, if it's selected!

    @ Teresa - do you have a suggestion for next month??

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  4. I picked Interview! It's been such a long time since I've read it!

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  5. I was wondering if you are going to post questions to September's selection still, or do you want us to just send you our reviews?

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  6. hey Julie - I swear I posted it and then it disappeared into cyberspace. Something is up with blogger, because this happen to me last week on my mommy blog. Anyhow. I will get post up so you can link your review of Transsister to it! Thanks so much for being a faithful member of book club!

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I love love love love to hear what other people think - share your thoughts so we can start a dialogue!