Mother Talkers

Book Club Anyone?

by Elisa

Sun Jun 24, 2007 at 04:28:44 PM PDT

I am not sure if we are reading anything right now, but can I make a suggestion? My book club is about to read Eat, Pray, Love, a memoir by journalist and novelist Elizabeth Gilbert, and it sounds intriguing:

In her early thirties, Elizabeth Gilbert had everything a modern American woman was supposed to want -- husband, country home, successful career -- but instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she felt consumed by panic and confusion. This wise and rapturous book is the story of how she left behind all these outward marks of success, and of what she found in their place. Following a divorce and a crushing depression, Gilbert set out to examine three different aspects of her nature, set against the backdrop of three different cultures: pleasure in Italy, devotion in India, and on the Indonesian island of Bali, a balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence.

It’s gotten rave reviews from every major critic, including this gem by Anne Lamott: “A wonderful book, brilliant and personal, rich in spiritual insight.”

So what do you think? Would you like to read it with me for next month? I will be leaving on vacation at the end of next week, returning July 19. I can moderate then.

Other books on my night table that I would not mind reading: Backlash by Susan Faludi, Khaled Hosseini’s new book A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Glass Castle -- a highly recommended memoir by Jeannette Walls -- and Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life.

What do you think, MotherTalkers? Is it time to resurrect book club??

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Tags: book club, Elizabeth Gilbert, Backlash, moderate (all tags)

Permalink | 25 comments

  • Intriguing (0 / 0)

    I have been intrigued by what I have read about Eat, Pray, Love. I would like to read it.

    by Lisa in Austin on Sun Jun 24, 2007 at 04:39:00 PM PDT

  • re: eat, pray, love (0 / 0)

    oooh, it's sitting on my night table, unread!

    Let's do it!

    by poppygirl on Sun Jun 24, 2007 at 04:53:34 PM PDT

  • Update (0 / 0)

    Our last one was in May with 1plain1peanut moderating Nonviolent Communication.  I think we all learned a lot from that one and had some fun with some of Rosenberg's quotes!

    Our next one is coming up this Tuesday, which is kind of late for anyone who hasn't read it yet, and will be on Parenting Beyond Belief.  'meanderwithme' volunteered to moderate it, so hopefully she will come around and do it but I haven't heard from her around here lately.  If it doesn't happen this Tuesday, I'll probably post something myself later this week as either as a book club post or just a book review.  It was a great book.

    http://www.amazon.com/...

    After that we are open!  I read a Thousand Splendid Suns on vacation and loved it, eat pray love sounds good too.

    by NJmom on Sun Jun 24, 2007 at 05:51:02 PM PDT

  • Cool (0 / 0)

    Thanks for the update, NJmom! I actually heard about this book and wish I had picked it up! (Did not know we were going to discuss it.)

    I will follow the discussion though as this is a topic that has always interested me. Thanks for the follow up!

    by Elisa on Sun Jun 24, 2007 at 06:14:28 PM PDT

  • I've read it (0 / 0)

    and I loved it, and so has everyone I passed it along to.  Definitely a good pick.

    by CeeGee on Sun Jun 24, 2007 at 08:13:07 PM PDT

  • sounds good elisa (0 / 0)

    and egads my bedside is now a table of books!  no problem to add another and would be fun to read with you all.

    by parentalunit1 on Sun Jun 24, 2007 at 08:24:48 PM PDT

  • I'm in (0 / 0)

    I can finally choose my own books, and I've been wanting to read that one.

    by Erin on Sun Jun 24, 2007 at 09:06:40 PM PDT

  • Okay (0 / 0)

    I've been out of the book club loop for a while, but I'll try to pick this one up somewhere.

    My favorite, so far, is Mountains Over Mountains. That one was SO good, kind of a revelation kind of book. It'll be hard to top it, I think.

    by tarantula on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 02:56:49 AM PDT

    • If you liked Mountains over Mountains... (0 / 0)

      I would highly recommend "There is No Me Without You" by Melissa Fay Green. I just finished it and cried at the end of the book. Beautiful.

      It is about a woman in Ethiopia who takes in orphans. The author actually follows them from her humble home to America.

      by Elisa on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 08:59:39 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  • As someone who read Backlash back in 1990=91 (0 / 0)

    I'm not sure how well it stands up. I'd be curious to revisit it ....interesting choice.

    just please don't ever make me use the phrase "nonviolent' communication with a straight face....;-)

    by MKatherine1966 on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 03:19:43 AM PDT

  • just finished this book (0 / 0)

    in fact, it's still next to my bed. I LOVED it!! Of course, I love memoir and spiritual journey stuff. But she's a good writer.

    by brave on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 04:50:56 AM PDT

  • sounds good (0 / 0)

    I'll pick it up this week.  

    Has anyone read "Water for Elephants"?  We're doing that in my book group this week.  I just started it (late!) -- so far it seems well-written and interesting.  It was also one of the books that came up when I went to amazon to check out "Eat, Pray, Love."  Is anyone else bothered by being so predictable by the amazon algorithm?!

    by mamacita on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 07:37:47 AM PDT

  • Definitely resurrect (0 / 0)

    I love this because I have so many books on my want list that I feel I can't join a regular book club where I'd have to commit to possibly adding even more books to the list.  Here I can choose to pop in when I've read or really want to read the suggestion.

    I just picked up a 15th anniversary edition of "Backlash" with an update by Faludi.  I'd be willing to moderate this one in the future (it'll make me read the book!).

    by cynmill on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 07:53:40 AM PDT

    • Please do moderate for Backlash! (0 / 0)

      I started reading it and some of the info is outdated --although other topics were similar to Judith Warner's Perfect Madness and relevant. I would be curious what Faludi has to say about it today.

      by Elisa on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 09:01:40 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

  • Eat, Pray, Love (0 / 0)

    I remember reading a review of this book when it came out and thinking it sounded good. Then I promptly forgot all about it. I would like to read it. Count me in!

    by Stacey on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 12:04:14 PM PDT

  • I'd love to jump in on this read! (0 / 0)

    I think balancing "worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence" could be a powerful skill set to have. I would very much love to participate in this book club read. Do you have the discussion via some type of live chat?

    New(ish) to MotherTalkers

    BabyWhisperingLoudly

    by BabyWhisperingLoudly on Mon Jun 25, 2007 at 06:46:01 PM PDT

Permalink | 25 comments