Re-edit: Next book group! Thursday 1st March: Annie Proulx! Dickens! Books!

sophie · December 2011

Next book! Short stories by Annie Proulx - the collection is called Close Range, but different editions have different subtitles: Wyoming Stories, or Brokeback Mountain and other stories. They're all the same. You can either get a nice understated cover or one with moody Jake Gyllenhaal on (I HATE film tie-in editions). We decided to all read one of the stories to make sure we all had one to talk about, and because I couldn't remember the names of any others, we went with Brokeback Mountain - it's only 35 pages. Then I guess we'll read as many more as we have time for. Old Dairy again unless anyone has any objections/suggestions? New people always welcome - our male member specially requests more male company!

krappyrubsnif · December 2011

Yes where are the blokes? :-) We all had a really pleasant evening tonight and once the ladies had stopped talking amongst themselves about gender-specific issues, it was good fun.

sophie · December 2011

you do realise you've started a dangerous trend of bringing delicious foodstuffs... strangely, it seems one can buy <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Reading-Brokeback-Mountain-Essays-ebook/dp/B002UNMB8O/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1323384259&sr=1-1">a book about this book</a> for kindle, but not this book itself.

miss annie · December 2011

It's published by 4th Estate, I don't think they make their books available as ebooks yet. Not many of the smaller publishers do. You can buy it in actual bookshops, if they don't have it they can order it for you, takes 48 hours. <a href="http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/annie+proulx/close+range3a+v-+1/4254465/">http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/annie+proulx/close+range3a+v-+1/4254465/</a>;

Donna · December 2011

Thanks Sophie, have ordered a copy from Amazon. A real live book!

Looking forward to reading it...

N2n4 · December 2011

I'm considering adding to the number of male members, what is the format? Just a general chat about the book and a few drinks.... Is if anything like The Henchman's book club by Danny King?

. Time I used that English Lit A-level.....

krappyrubsnif · December 2011

The format is: Get drink from bar. Find group according to instructions on SG.org. Get the introductions over (5 mins max incl. chat about spouses, pending engagements, football, cars etc etc accorcing to gender.) Say what you thought of book, general conversation about merits, failings etc, rating on literary crapometer, etc etc (unstructured discussion, say about 45 mins). Get more drinks. Choose next book. Revert to general chat abt spouses, football, cars, pubs, engagements, food, work etc. Leave bar possibly rather late. I have to say I have found the ladies (and a couple of gents) at the book club quite delightful, the general quality of discuission very high, insightful, and thoughtful, and not at all pretentious or threatening as I had feared. Just sharing opinions. Not aademic in the slightest. All very civilised really. So come on chaps. The next book is about cowboys, after all (isn't it)?

Annbag · December 2011

Hey all, I'll try and come along to this. I realise I have said this before, many times, but I mean it this time (new year and all that!) I'm a female. Sorry!

N2n4 · December 2011

<div> </div><div>not available for kindle which is a bit of a pain seeing as I have left it late

</div>

krappyrubsnif · December 2011

@N2N4 ; Just read one or two of the stories.......I recommend the one about the talking tractors.

Ludotolive · January 2012

Hi all - am going to deeply invest in the area as they say.... looking forward to the book club and will try and get broke back mountain before I turn up! Debby

Ludotolive · January 2012

Just in case you haven't got hold of the book - here's a link to the text.. http://brokebackmountain.blog.bg/lifestyle/2006/02/06/jake-gyllenhaal.128 ;

Jenny · January 2012

Will be coming but will be a bit late - about 8ish. Happy New Year to all and look forward to seeing you.

sophie · January 2012

i am a terrible person... despite being the one to choose this book, i won't be able to come tomorrow night. i am unexpectedly playing hostess to a friend - since he announced his visit, i told him to read the book so that he could come along as well but he is too chicken! i will try my best to drag him along even just for a minute, but otherwise have fun without me. sorry.

Angelab · January 2012

Sorry my wedding planning has got in the way for this meeting I need to go shopping to get bridesmaids dresses. I really enjoyed the short stories and look forward to next time.

krappyrubsnif · January 2012

Looks like this book group meeting is ... er ... going West. I've read most of the stories but probably won't be there as I've had to agree to fit in a late afternoon/early evening work meeting which looks like it'll eat into the time. Reschedule?

krappyrubsnif · January 2012

Anyway, I wouldn't be able to bring anything to snack on this time - I'm right out of rocky mountain oysters, elk, antelope, cheese wheels, chokecherry preserve, fry bread and bison fritters. I'll look in later on and see if anyone's about.

Charlo · January 2012

I'm still planning to be there - how about anyone else? I think it would be better not to reschedule if there are new members planning to come along! I'm happy to meet at 8pm if that suits people better?

Annbag · January 2012

I can still come along, but if you need to reschedule that is fine also!

Annbag · January 2012

Hi everyone, is this still happening or being resheduled? Thanks

krappyrubsnif · January 2012

Er......

Charlo · January 2012

I'm so sorry Annbag! For some reason your last post was not showing on the site till the evening after I had already set off for book group - I ended up sitting at the bar in the Dairy on my own with the book prominently displayed in the hope that I would find any new members but nobody came! Jenny was the only person who made it in the end so we had a very brief discussion about the book and whether we might want to reschedule or just move on to the next book. I'd be happy to reschedule but can't do Thursdays for the next four weeks but don't worry if you all want to go ahead without me on a Thursday. We wondered if perhaps we should just move on to the next book and remembered we discussed doing something by Dickens at our Christmas meeting - so perhaps we could do that for our next book? We could all consider suggestions online. Our February meeting will be the 2nd anniversary of our first meeting so it would be great if lots of people come along!

Jenny · January 2012

I vote moving on to the next book, although would be happy to recovene for a quick chat on Brokeback. I've listed below some of the 'less long' Dickens novels (minus 400 pages counts as a shorter Dickens novel): Oliver Twist - approx 374 pages A Christmas Carol - approx 200 pages Great Expectations - approx 395 pages Hard Times - approx 272 pages Of course, if anyone does want to consider Nicholas Nickleby (approx 928 pages) then please speak up!

Annbag · January 2012

Sorry Charlo, I became confused about whether the book club was happening or not, or if it was at 7.30 or 8 so didn't go in the end. I would've if I'd realised it was still on! Sorry you had to wait in the Dairy on your own.

krappyrubsnif · January 2012

I'd be for rescheduling personally as I'd read the stories and I don't have time to read a Dickens (though I have read all but one of the classic novels - so there).

Jenny · January 2012

OK. Anyone got a suggestion on dates? Any weekday expect Weds is good for me and Thursdays aren't good for Charlo for a few weeks. Mon or Tues?

krappyrubsnif · January 2012

Not Tue

Charlo · January 2012

Shall we try to fix a date and discuss Close Range then? I could do any Monday in February or this coming Monday (30th January). It would be good to get our next meeting in the diary!

Charlo · January 2012

By the way, if we were to choose a Dickens sometime this year then would it bother people if they had read it before?

Ullswater · January 2012

Hi there. New to the area and would love to come to book club. Have you decided on a new date and book yet?

Angelab · January 2012

Thursdays are better for me. But go ahead without me if that's not good for everyone.

Howdy, Stranger!

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Re-edit: Next book group! Thursday 1st March: Annie Proulx! Dickens! Books!

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