Book Clubzilla?

You guys catch the story in the New York Times about book clubs? I'm a little appalled by, well, everything in it. Some choice passages ...

From a woman who was too good for Oprah books and "pop-lit":

“It was bad enough that they wanted to read ‘Da Vinci Code’ in the first place,” Ms. Bowie said, “but then they wanted to talk about it.”

Okay, I admit it: I liked "The Da Vinci Code." I got it before it became a sensation after hearing the author on "The Diane Rehm Show." But I'd like to think I wouldn't force the club to read it ...

The thesis of the article:

Yes, it’s a nice, high-minded idea to join a book group, a way to make friends and read books that might otherwise sit untouched. But what happens when you wind up hating all the literary selections — or the other members?

Oh, jeez. That's when you leave the club! If it hasn't been clear before, I'll state it again: Lazy Book Club is meant to be pressure-free. That includes a no-worries opt-out clause: If you don't want to get the invites anymore, just say the word, no offense taken.

Then there is the article's description of Esther Bushell, "a professional book-group facilitator who leads a dozen suburban New York groups and charges $250 to $300 a member annually for her services. ... Like other facilitators, she is hired for the express purpose of bringing long-winded types in line." Holy crap!

On a book group called the IlluminaTea:

“When it was your month to host a meeting, you would do your interpretation of a tea, and the teas got very competitive,” Ms. Farewell said. Homemade scones and Devonshire cream were par for the course, and Ms. Farewell recalls spending the day before her hostess stint making watercress and smoked salmon sandwiches.

Actually, I was thinking of making the next meeting a competition for best smoke salmon sandwich.

If our group ever becomes anything like the ones in this story, y'all have my permission to do an intervention.

Hot Chocolatella!

So our December meeting was book-free but by no means fun-free. Vibha, Jenny, Kendra and I dropped off donations at Books for America and then headed to Crepes-a-Go-Go down the street. Despite all the seemingly draconian restrictions on the Books for America Web site, dropping off all our books, CDs and DVDs was easy-peasy. I expected a thorough inspection for dog-eared covers and yellowed pages. Instead the guy just was like, Dump 'em in this bin, thanks! (Special props to Doris for donating in absentia.)

Then it was off to the creperie and, more important, four yummy cups of ... wait for it ... Nutella hot chocolate. How is this not the next big thing? It inspired my idea for an all-Nutella shop: shakes, cookies, cakes, candy -- someone needs to put this in action and then pay me for thinking of it. (By the way, I didn't intend for that Nutella picture to be so huge. But now that it's there, I kind of love it.)

Anyway, thanks for a fun meeting, gals! If we can keep the book club going for another year, I think I might copy this end-of-year strategy: No book for December, but assign a book in early November for the January meeting, so we have plenty of time to read over the crazy holidays. Let me know your thoughts on this -- open to any and all ideas!

Hope folks can make it next month to discuss "Dreams From My Father." I just started and am really enjoying it. Dude can write.

Catching Up and Looking Ahead

I'm giving Kendra the prize for Best Book Choices of the Year. "Blindness" back in June was unusual and gripping, and "The Year of Living Biblically" is hilarious and unexpectedly informative. She, Doris, Jenny and I had fun going over all the crazy things A.J. Jacobs (that's him in those pics) did on his religious journey (Hasidic rave, anyone?).

As for the coming month, let's skip a book and get in the holiday spirit with a book-donation gathering. Books for America is a local group whose mission is "Building and improving libraries in Washington, DC area schools, shelters, hospitals and more; supporting reading programs; and providing children in the Nation's Capital with their first take-home books!" It accepts certain books, CDs and DVDs. Here are the donation parameters. I thought we could meet at a coffee or yogurt shop near the store (west of Dupont Circle), then drop off the stuff after. See the Evite for details.

And looking ahead to January: I'll be hosting, and I've chosen Barack Obama's "Dreams From My Father." Why? Well, I guess partly to ease my election withdrawal, and partly to get to know our new prez. The town's gonna have inauguration fever, anyway -- might as well dive right in!

I know folks are swamped during these holiday months, but I'm hoping the longer lead time will help us get to the book -- and possibly even finish before the meeting (or Inauguration Day).

November's Book: "The Year of Living Biblically"

After reading the first seven pages of this book, I decided it should be our choice for the November meeting. It looks to be hilarious.

An Evening With Nick and Norah

I deem the second book club moving outing ... a success! Doris, Jenny, Kendra and Angie made it to the Sunday matinee of "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist." Cute movie! I really enjoyed it. And we all agreed the music is great. Tempted to get the soundtrack, though when I asked if anyone was curious to read the book, the response was a resounding "No." I might check it out from the library one of these days.

I found both the leads real and charming, and there were plenty of hilarious scenes ("12 Gays of Christmas," just about anything involving Norah's drunk best friend). Just one warning: You might not think of chewing gum the same way after seeing this.

Next month: Kendra is hosting at her new place in Mount Pleasant! Book TBA. See ya then!

Our fun September meeting

As my last act as host of the September meeting of the Lazy Woman's Book Club, I thought I would write a short summary of our meeting on Sunday. Four of us met up at Peregrine espresso and chatted about "The Jane Austen Book Club."

We spent time trying to figure out which characters were supposed to be Austen characters. Obviously, Jocelyn and Grigg played out the Elizabeth and Darcy story from "Pride and Prejudice." Jocelyn also seem to be a little bit like Emma Woodhouse in that she was constantly trying to matchmake. Allegra seemed very like Marianne from "Sense and Sensibility." Bernadette subbed in for the many kind but overly talkative characters that the protagonists had to despise before learning to value.

We also discussed the movie that was made based on the book. Jenny was the only person who had seen it and said that a lot of the story had been left out. I don't really know if I want to see it now, since I would probably be sad to see the story gutted.

We spent time chatting about the difficulties involved in Angie's hunt for a reasonably priced yet lovely wedding dress. That was a lot of fun, and I'm not just saying that because I got to use my new toy to look at various dresses she had tried on at store Web sites.

The host and book for the October meeting is still unknown. Volunteers should contact Angie.

An open casting call

I love books. I might love movies more. (What?) This morning my blog reader informed me of this little tidbit: Fox 2000 beat out Warner Bros., Paramount and Universal to adapt one of our past books, Water for Elephants, into a movie.

Fun! Francis Lawrence is signed to direct; the interesting thing is that he last did I Am Legend. Makes me curious to see what he does with this book. Can you imagine some post-apocalyptic circus? Hee.

So. Your picks for the cast? I'm sticking with Ryan Gosling as the lead. I think he could still pull off the young-man-on-a-journey-of-self-discovery look.

The girl? Maybe Rachel McAdams. That could be because I love them together. Keira Knightley if she can pull off the American accent? What about the girl's moody, volatile hubby?

OR. What about the worst casting choices? Shia! Lindsey Lohan!

Who are your choices?

'Jane Austen Book Club' for September

Hi everyone. No, I haven't been to an actual meeting except for last week's tea time. Yes, I have decided my first meeting will be one I host. (:

I'm going to guess that many of us have read the Austen novels and hope that people are interested in "The Jane Austen Book Club" by Karen Joy Fowler, available in paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Jane-Austen-Book-Club-Novel/dp/0452286530

It's supposed to be a charming, sad, silly book in the vein of Ms. Austen's novels. The Evite has gone out. The suggested date and time for the meeting is Sunday, September 14 at 2 pm. Coffee/tea/bakery place is yet to be determined, and I'll happily take any suggestions.

'Shock' and Ew

Well, our experiment with Movie Month was a bust. I blame August. And the terrible screenplay and/or direction of the chosen flick, "Bottle Shock." There was potential in the subject matter (in fact, another movie, titled "Judgement of Paris" and based on a book of the same name, is being made on the topic), but it had too much pointless love triangle and not enough awesome Alan Rickman. (I saw the movie early because I had a conflict with the planned show time. Grr.)

So, I consider my canceling the screening a public service, but I'm sorry for all the last-minute plan changes. Melissa, Catherine and I met up for the non-after-movie gathering, though, and had a great time discussing the latest in literature, performing arts and politics. Kidding! I pretty much just yammered about my engagement and wedding stuff the whole time. Hey, I hadn't seen these gals in ages, so I think it was okay in this case. ;)

A Letter From the Director

I knew there was a time when my parents were no longer ashamed to serve California wine to their dinner guests, when it actually became chic to do so. I had no idea what happened to cause that change. And so, when I was first told this story of how a group of California farmers took on the exalted French wines and bested them, I was intrigued. Maybe there was a movie in this.

Here was an underdog story that wasn’t about sports or war. And when I flew up to Chateau Montelena, the vineyard we focus on, and met with Jim and Bo Barrett, I realized what rich characters I had before me. The story of a lawyer who risked everything in the pursuit of an artistic dream (to make fine hand-crafted wine) is what initially hooked me into wanting to make Bottle Shock. I had directed studio movies and some TV before I convinced Jody (my wife and partner) to mortgage our house so we could make a movie we felt passionate about. That movie, our first indie, was called Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School. Bottle Shock is the heir to that choice.

I am drawn to stories of passion or risk. Stories about men or women who realize they only have one shot at this experience that is life and who set forth into an unknown in pursuit of a dream—or a dream of a dream. Jim Barrett was one of those men and I admire the choices he made and the journey he chose. It was an honor to work in his shadow.

With Bottle Shock, I was also intrigued by the story of a little blind tasting that lit the spark that ignited the enological fire that burnt down the cronyistic forest that triggered the creative earthquake that upset the status quo and opened the world to new pioneers of viniculture and viticulture around the globe. In the film, Alan Rickman quotes Galileo: “Wine is sunlight held together by water.” Alan, Bill Pullman, Chris Pine, Rachael Taylor, Freddy Rodriguez, Dennis Farina and Eliza Dushku are my sunlight, each perfectly capturing the moment and making me look like a better director than I am. And Michael Ozier’s cinematography makes every image captivating, from the intimacy of a bedroom mirror to the lush fields of grapes sweeping by. Brilliant cinematography in the service of Craig Stearns’ magical production design puts us in the ‘70s in both Napa and France. Mark Adler’s luminous score ties the story together and gives a musical heart to the film. My collaborator, my partner, my wife, Jody Savin, is the rudder. She was the one who compiled the hundreds of pages of source material and shaped them into what became the shooting draft of the script. This is my creative family with whom I continue to collaborate on upcoming projects and future pursuits.

Best, Randall Miller, director

Let's Go to the Movies!

Here are some possibilities for our next meeting, the laziest one yet. We're keeping the books closed and headed to the movie theater. The idea is to see a flick together, then gab about it (and anything else) afterward. Any of these appeal to you? Know of another film we should see?

Brick Lane
Nazneen’s life is turned upside down at the tender age of 17. Forced into an arranged marriage to an older man, she exchanges her Bangladeshi village home for a block of flats in London’s East End. In this new world, pining for her home and her sister, she struggles to make sense of her existence — and to do her duty to her husband. Based on the novel by Monica Ali.
We could read the book down the road to compare and contrast.

Brideshead Revisited
This heartbreaking romantic epic, based on Evelyn Waugh's classic novel, tells an evocative story of forbidden love and the loss of innocence in the pre-WWII era. In the film, Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) becomes entranced with the noble Marchmain family, first through the charming and provocative Sebastian Marchmain (Ben Whishaw), and then his sophisticated sister, Julia (Hayley Atwell).
Also stars Emma Thompson. Not sure why this recap doesn't mention that. Also? Matthew Goode = hott.

American Teen
This heartbreaking and hilarious Sundance Film Festival hit follows the lives of four teenagers—a jock, the popular girl, the artsy girl and the geek—in one small town in Indiana through their senior year of high school. With extraordinary intimacy and a great deal of humor, the film captures the pressures of growing up—pressures that come from one's peers, one's parents, and not least, oneself.
I saw the trailer for this. Looked pretty good!


Man on Wire
On August 7, 1974 a young Frenchman named Philippe Petit stepped out on a wire illegally rigged between New York's twin towers, then the world's tallest buildings. After nearly an hour dancing on the wire, he was arrested, taken for psychological evaluation and brought to jail. James Marsh's documentary brings Petit's extraordinary adventure to life through the testimony of Philippe himself, and some of the co-conspirators who helped him create the unique and magnificent spectacle that became known as "the artistic crime of the century."
What's up with French people and scaling buildings?

Bottle Shock
In 1976, a small American winery sent shock waves through the industry by besting the exalted French wines in a blind tasting, putting California wines on the map for good. Novice vintner Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) risked everything to realize his dream of creating the perfect hand-crafted California Chardonnay. Meanwhile in Paris, struggling wine seller Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) came up with an idea for a publicity stunt to help his floundering shop. Little did Spurrier and Barrett realize they were about to change the history of wine forever. A dramatic comedy, co-starring Chris Pine, Rachael Taylor, Freddy Rodriguez, Eliza Dushku and Dennis Farina.
Not a documentary. With Faith from "Buffy"!

So Whattaya Wanna See?

Thought I'd put up a posting where everybody can give their opinion on what movie we should watch. My top choice is Bottle Shock. You?

A Milestone for LWBC's Founder

Congrats to Angie (and Neil)!

Maybe we should be reading one of these for next time?

sex, pigs and videotape

Saturday's book club meeting was a smidge more risque than usual, as the topic was Mary Roach's "Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex." Those of us in attendance are by no means prudes; still, it was a little hard to find things to discuss without blushing. Many comments along the lines of, "Can you believe they did that? With a toothbrush?" Another highlight: the black-and-white pictures at the start of each chapter, particularly the Dutch diagram of a man trying to stimulate a pig by putting his finger in its ... well, you can imagine. Not its mouth.

Remember the book's cover with two ladybugs gettin' it on? Peugeot produced a video version. Here's the steamy ladybug-love commercial that Kendra told us about:



Overall, folks thought the book was entertaining and interesting, though Marta said it wasn't as funny as Roach's previous book, "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers." Thanks to Marta for hosting and providing such a tasty spread for Jenny, Angie, Amanda, Kendra and Katrina.

Going Bonkers

One of the blogs I read, Jezebel, has a post about our next book! It's based on an article at ABCnews.com. Highlights:

In 2007, she [author Mary Roach] had sex with her husband while a British doctor waved an ultrasound wand over their private parts testing their genital responses to the soundtrack of "Les Miserables." ...

The 49-year-old is no stranger to strange topics. She has written about Eskimo food, flatulence, vaginal weight-lifting, carrot addiction and amputee bowling leagues. Her two previous books also explore oddities with humor: "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" (2003) and "Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife" (2005). ...

Roach has discovered the term "boner" is also a misnomer. Unlike dogs and other mammals, men don't have penile bones. The walrus sports the largest one, and Inuits use it for war clubs.

Heh. Wow, this will be one very interesting and hopefully not too uncomfortable discussion!

One other note: This is our first hardcover. If you don't feel like splurging, I noticed one copy available from the D.C. library (maybe we could pass it around!). Or, I'm happy to order it from Amazon for folks ($16.47 vs. $24.95) -- I have Amazon Prime, so shipping is free (and fast). And I can try to hook up folks who want to share the book (Jenny and I are splitting a copy, for instance). Just let me know!

We Were Blind, but Now We Can See

Hey, gals! On Sunday, Lisa, Angie, Jenny, Marta and I gathered at our place in Adams Morgan to talk about "Blindness" and eat some brunchy yumminess. (See pic.) We agreed that Jose Saramago's punctuation (or lack thereof) had a neat effect and that there was a lot of poop. We also discussed (and watched the trailer for) the upcoming movie version of the book, which comes out in September, I think. We should go see!

Road-Tested?

Does anyone have recommendations for a cross-country plane ride (and then a five-hour drive to Vegas)? Suggestions of audiobooks are most welcome. I'm about to attempt a trip sans laptop, so I won't have my usual access to DVD entertainment for 10 days.

I'm especially interested in portable books (no "War and Peace").

Our Next Book

"Blindness" it is! Prepare yourselves for some crazy punctuation...

Take Your Pick

Hey, ladies! Lisa and I need your help. We're hosting next month (7 p.m. June 7) and we can't decide between two very different books. So you have to decide for us (feel free to post in comments). Here are your options:

"I Was Told There'd Be Cake," by Sloane Crosley

"Blindness," by Jose Saramago

Sorry, I was gonna put in reviews, but I had issues copying and pasting. So follow the links!

Gossipmongers

Spotted in Adams Morgan: L, J, K, A and D, giving up the wait at the Diner and venturing for good eats at Bourbon instead. As befits a group of gals lazing about, brunch cocktails were ordered (with the waiter delivering a "backup Bloody Mary" by accident).

K mentioned liking "Gossip Girl" more than she had expected. Everyone at the table had seen the CW series, so how scripts diverge from the novel was fodder for conversation. The consensus was that the Vanessa character seems a lot cooler in the book, but the Humphreys lose something in paperback by living on the Upper West Side instead of in Brooklyn.

References to boozing, sex and bulimia were mentioned as turnoffs for recommending the book to the younger set (ironic, as that's the target audience). Serena's "diet plate" of lettuce, lemon yogurt and hot tea didn't appeal to anyone. (A mentioned celebrity diets seeming to fall into line with that nutritionally questionable assemblage, and the table agreed that teenage girls eat weird things.) One thing the book taught us is that hotel bars don't card. Who knew! If only we could turn back time -- and gain Upper East Side penthouse apartments in the process.

The remainder of a leisurely lunch was spent on actual gossip. Shh, I'll never tell.

Btw, for a peek into the TV wedding plans of Lily van der Woodsen, check this out.