We're Tied: Choosing February's Book

We're tied. But instead of voting and spending another week deciding, I'm flipping a coin...virtually with Random.org/coins.

Heads - The Book Thief
Tails - Alias Grace

Here I go...

Heads.

OK, peeps. Our book for February is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

Happy holidays & merry reading!
~Kerrie

Vote for February's Book & Looking Ahead to April

Okay, it's time to vote on the next book selection.

I meant to get the poll up by Wednesday, but I've had a lot of weird things going on this week. So, I apologize.

I used a random number generator from Random.org to choose three books from our list to vote on. Please vote before Tuesday, 12/15, at 5 p.m.

APRIL: If nobody minds, I'd like to choose three more titles after this poll closes so we can vote April's book. That way, if anyone finishes early and wants to read ahead, they can. Send me any other book suggestions you want me to add to the list before I set up April's poll.

Thanks & happy reading!

~Kerrie

PS: If anyone is looking for a funny, crass, fluffy memoir, I am reading Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster right now and it's cracking me up. I can't believe it's a memoir!

Send Me Suggestions

Let's pick February's book! First, I need your suggestions. I updated the list on the left hand side of the page. Send me your suggestions by Wednesday afternoon and I will add them to the list.

Then, on Wednesday night, I will use a random number generator to pull out 3 books to vote on for February. Does that sound like a good idea to everyone? Yes? No? Other ideas?

~Kerrie

Can I Get a Head Count?

Please let me know if you can or cannot attend the meeting on Friday so I can figure out where we are going to meet. Vote in the poll at left.

Hope to see you there. I already have one burning point I want to discuss. So curious what you guys think!

Happy reading!
~Kerrie

Looks Like Good Things for December

Thanks so much for voting! It looks like we have our December book: Good Things by Mia King.

If you voted for a different one, don't worry! We'll keep them on the list...well, maybe not the holiday ones, but the nice thing about December's book is that it is light, so you can read ALL of them!

Here's what Mia's Web site says about Good Things:

Living simply isn’t simple. Deidre McIntosh is 40, single, and host of Seattle’s premier lifestyle TV show, Live Simple and Simply Live. But when her show is abruptly cancelled, her seemingly perfect life ends along with it. It’s a godsend when Kevin Johnson offers her a place to stay, even if her new living arrangement is literally a shack in the woods. As she slowly begins to practice what she once preached, Deidre takes the first step toward a new kind of success, and maybe even love.

Includes recipes: Orgasmic Corn Fritters with Chinese Peppercorn, Creme Fraiche, and Sherry; Linguine with Rose Petal Sauce; Uptown Bistro’s Spinach Salad with Light Roquefort Dressing; Lindsey’s Meatloaf Special; Maple Walnut Scones in Origami Parchment Pockets;Hardware Bobby’s oven- Baked, Old-Fashioned Fries; Chocolate Cherry Crackle Cookies; Old-Fashioned Mashed Potatoes; Deidre’s Aromatic Gingerbread; Johnson Family Eggnog; Fresh Salmon and Penne Salad with Creamy Light Dill Dressing; Potato and Leek Gratin; Deidre’s Peace of Mind Tea.

I don't know about you all, but this is totally the type of book I need right now. Actually, any of the ones on our list would've been great. :)

Just FYI: I was at Borders in Federal Way and they didn't have a copy of Good Things. I'm not sure if the other stores have a copy, but just saving you a trip...

Okay, everyone, happy reading!
~Kerrie

Light & Easy for December

Thanks to everyone who met at Vino on Friday to discuss The Street of a Thousand Blossoms. We had a good time!

The next meeting will be December 4th (first Friday), and we decided to bump the time up by a half hour. Hopefully, that will work better for everyone. I am looking at where we should have our next meeting. Any new ideas, please comment or shoot me an e-mail.

After two very heavy books in a row, we all agreed to keep things light for December's book. I even suggested reading a Christmas-themed one.

You may notice that I thinned out our suggested books list because several of them have been on there for months and months, and have not been chosen. Please send me ideas for future titles and I will add them

Here's what I added and what's up for voting for our December meeting. Read about the books and then vote by Monday, Oct. 12, please.

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham: I read this book several years ago. I really loved it...then I saw the movie. Ugh. The movie was horrible and wasn't at all like the book. Read more here.

The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber: I have never read anything by this author, but I know she is popular. I'm willing to try something different. Read more here.

Good Things by Mia King: The description for this one starts out: "Seattle's answer to Martha Stewart..."! Sounds good to me...and pretty much all of the reviewers on Amazon. Plus, recipes in the back. Sweet. Read more here.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen: This is a Young-Adult book that was recommended at my last SCBWI meeting. Not sure how you all feel about reading YA, though. Read more here.

Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster: I don't remember who suggested this one. A friend just finished reading it and she liked it. Read more here.

Happy reading!
~Kerrie

Calling It: Where We Will Meet on Friday

After much discussion and thought, we will meet in Renton at Vino at the Landing at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2. We will discuss The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama (I will bring discussion questions). Don't worry if you aren't finished, we'll make the best of it. Mostly, at this meeting, I hope to discuss the future of NPBC. So, see you there!
~Kerrie

PS: If you want/need my cell number, shoot me an e-mail.

We Need a Home!

I need suggestions for where to meet next Friday. Unfortunately, Vino at The Landing won't work as they have a "Meet the Winemaker" forum every Friday from 6-8. If we reaaaalllly want to meet there we will have to move our meeting to 8 p.m. and I know for several people that doesn't work.

Soooooo....

Any other ideas? Renton is a good central meeting place, I think. If I don't get suggestions, I will just pick somewhere for this first meeting and we can discuss later.

WARNING: Right now, the only place I can think of in the Renton area that can accommodate us is Scari's (Shari's) by the hotel there at 169 and 405. And nobody wants that...

Our "First" Meeting & Where to Meet

I'm trying to get this party started.

Based on your feedback, the new era of the No-Pressure Book Club will be meeting at 7:30 p.m. on the First Friday of every other month beginning in October.

That means our first meeting will be Friday, October 2 at 7:30 p.m. We'll be discussing The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama. I will bring questions. Check the sidebar on the left for updated meeting times, locations and other general info, such as what book, who will bring discussion points, etc.

Now, we just need to find a "home." The Renton Landing area is sort of a middle-ground for most of us, I think. I contacted Vino at the Landing, a well-lit and nice looking wine bar, to see if they're the type of place that a book club could meet at. I will let you know what I find out.

But we need more suggestions. I'm thinking we should try to stay close to the downtown Renton area. Anyone know of any good places that could host about 10 people?

FYI: I fixed the comments on this blog, so if you had issues leaving one in the past, it should be working now. Sorry about that.

See you soon!
~Kerrie

A New Era of NPBC

"A watch is always too fast or too slow. I cannot be dictated by a watch." ~Jane Austen

Sound like anyone you know?

Have I found the motto for the No-Pressure Book Club? Honestly! We are not good about keeping a schedule. But that's the whole point. Don't rush us, we'll get around to meeting. I like our philosophy, even if we take it to the extreme sometimes.

But I do think some things about NPBC need to change. I have talked to several of you and everyone has agreed. Here is my proposal. Please let me know what you think by commenting below. I am opening up the blog for anyone to comment.

1. Meet every other month. We need longer amounts of time to read the books.

2. Meet in the evenings. The lunch-time meeting worked for a couple of years. But moving it to the evening will allow us to invite more people. We'll have more time to chat about the book and life and whatever. What do you think about 8 or 8:30 p.m.? That gives people enough time to get home from work and have dinner with their families. Then, we can meet somewhere for dessert or drinks or whatever.

3. Stick to a day. How about the first or the fourth Friday of every other month? The first or fourth Friday seems easy to remember. What do you think? That would make Oct. 2 or Oct. 23 our first meeting.

4. Invite more people.

5. Organize our meetings. What do you think about actually having an organized discussion of each book? Maybe someone could volunteer each time to look up some good book discussion questions or topics...what do you think?

***

Here are the things I hope we can keep the same. Again, let me know what you think.

1. A mix of genres. I like going from chick lit to YA to historical fiction. It keeps things interesting. And, like always, anyone who is not interested in a certain genre can always choose to skip the book.

2. No pressure. Again, if you don't want to read the book, no biggie. We'll catch you next time around.

***

If you are interested in being in, or staying in, the NPBC, please comment below. We are currently reading The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama.

~Kerrie

August Meeting or ...?

Is everyone done reading the book? I'm not. I thought I would be, but I admit I had a hard time with the middle (sad), so I haven't wanted to pick it back up. That said, I won't be there on Wednesday.

Feel free to meet without me. Or, let me know if you are up for rescheduling.

Meantime, I saw only three votes for the date of the next book club meeting. I have an idea that I'd like to discuss about changing things up a bit. I will post my idea later this week and hope to get your feedback.

~Kerrie

The Next Book & Stuff

First of all, how is everyone doing on Street of a Thousand Blossoms? I'm just about half-way into it and it's a pretty heavy book so far. How does Monday, Aug. 24 or Wednesday, Aug. 26, sound for a meeting? Please vote at right.

Also, only four of us voted, but that was enough to choose the next book: My Sister's Keeper. So, I will put up a new poll for October's book in a few days. Something to keep in mind, though, about the next choice: The Kite Runner, Street of a Thousand Blossoms and My Sister's Keeper are all pretty heavy subjects, so I'm ready for something a little lighter. Any suggestions? If not, I will throw in a couple fun ones I've heard of.

~Kerrie

You're Invited

All NPBC members are invited to post to this blog. Make suggestions or request a new meeting date...whatever. You all should have received an invitation to this blog. You will need to sign in through that e-mail in order to post. Please let me know if you need me to resend the invitation.

Happy reading!
Kerrie

Books We've Read

2007
May: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
June: The Nanny Diaries by Emma Mclaughlin & Nicola Kraus
August: Gentlemen and Players: A Novel by Joanne Harris
September: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

2008
January: Wicked by Gregory Maguire
February: Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter
March: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
April: Atonement by Ian McEwan
May: Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
June: Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
July: Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
August: Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson & Gabrielle Charbonet
September: A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve
October: The Tender Bar by JR Moehringer

2009
January: The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Fowler
March: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
May: The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
July: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hussein
October: Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama
December: Good Things by Mia King

2010
March: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
May: Love the One Your With by Emily Giffin
July: Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster
September: The Help by Kathryn Stockett


2011
February: Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
May: Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen


2012
February: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford