CBC Book Club Update

A number of things have been going on this week over at the CBC Book Club.  There were a few things I wanted to share with you and maybe get you excited about the group.  I hope these few things will entice you to get involved.

The first exciting news to come out of the CBC Book Club this week was the top 10 list of funny books.  Everyone was welcome to suggest funny books and Hannah compiled to list to get the top 10.  Some of the books I suggested made it on to the list and I must say that I’ve read books 1-8.  So, here it is, the CBC Book Club top 10 funny book list:

1. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Friend by Christopher Moore
2. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
3. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
4. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
5. Barney’s Version by Mordecai Richler
6. JPod by Douglas Coupland
7. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
8. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
9. The Bachelor Brothers’ Bed and Breakfast by Bill Richardson
10. TIE: Village of the Small Houses by Ian Ferguson and The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis

I was a little surprised to find Catch 22 and A Confederacy of Dunces on the list.  They didn’t make me laugh as much as the other books did while I was reading.  I guess it just shows the different tastes we have in books.  I’ve never read anything by Bill Richardson so I’m interested to read that one and the Ferguson brothers are quite funny so I’m sure Village of the Small Houses will be humours.

It was also announced that they’ll be giving away 2 Sony Book Readers.  Just like the one I won a month ago.  To be entered all you need to do is send questions to the author of this months book selection The Man Who Forgot How to Read by Howard Engle.  I also got an email from Hannah asking me about my thoughts on the book and sent her my response.  I’ll post our conversation later this week.

The most exciting news this week was that we are going to be discussing Skim by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki.  This is a graphic novel I’ve wanted to read for some time now and I actually ordered the book just a couple days before the announcement was made.  I hope it brings about some good discussion.

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What Makes You Laugh?

It’s hard to believe that it hasn’t even been a week yet.  Not quite a week ago I got the email asking if I would like a copy of Fool by Christopher Moore, and low and behold the book gods have brightened my pupils!  Fool has arrived!

I am really looking forward to reading this one.  Thank you so very much Harper Collins Canada!  I’m almost finished Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (probably finish it this evening) and then I’ll be starting Fool right away.  

In anticipation of this book, and due to the ongoing discussion over at the CBC Book Club, I’d like to know what books have you read that made you laugh?  I have a number of books that I find funny but I really want to hear what you have to say.  Feel free to elaborate on why you think the book(s) you’ve selected are humorous.  Then on April 27th I’ll compile the list that have been collected here to do a survey to see what you think is the funniest book!  

I hope you’ll participate!  Anyone that participates will have their name entered into a draw you’ll win the winning novel!!!

Trivial Tuesday #4

Before I get into this weeks question and last weeks answer I wanted to mention something. Today I’m the feature reader at CBC Book Club, it’s kind of exciting. There are links to my blog as well as two of my favourite blogs. You’ll have to go there to check it out. You’ll see my photo and name on the front page that will link you to the featured reader page.

The answer to last weeks question is St. Francis de Sales. He’s not only the patron saint of writers but the saint for several others. He represents Baker, Oregon; Cincinnati, Ohio; Catholic press; Columbus, Ohio; confessors; deaf people; educators; Upington, South Africa; Wilmington, Delaware; writers; journalists.

This weeks question is an easy one and is a two parter.  What is Mark Twain’s real name?  And what was the first book he wrote?

Until next week, enjoy reading.  Also if you have any trivia questions please send an email to thatsthebook@gmail.com and I’ll include them in Trivial Tuesday.

Weekly Review #14

This has been quite the week.  There are a number of things that have happened since last Monday and the last Weekly Review.  I’ve got some reading done and saw the end of the first book for CBC and was a winner.  I also got a phone call from the doctors office which is both a blessing and somewhat of a concern.

This week I got several books on the go.  The most interesting book I got started this week was Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.  This a book I’ve been wanting to read for sometime and was very excited to finally have the opportunity to get reading it.  The primary reason for wanting to read this book is the title.  I just love the title and the copy I have has a great cover.  I don’t remember what it was that brought me to this book in the first place but so far I’m glad I picked it up and started reading it.  It’s like watching The Blair Witch Project, very raw.

I also got started on The Bedroom Secrets of the Master Chefs by Irvine Welsh.  At this point I must say that I’m not exactly sure how I feel about this one.  The accents written in the novel make it a little difficult to read.  It’s making me think of the time I read A Clockwork Orange, it was difficult to read until I really got into it.  I also read, and finished, How to Solve Your People Problems by Dr. Alan Godwin.  You can keep your eyes peeled for the review of that coming up.

It also turns out that I won the big prize from the CBC Book Club.  I am extremely excited about getting me prize, a Sony Reader.  I hope it gets here soon and I’ll be sure to let you know what I think of it once I’ve had the chance to use it.  This morning CBC announced the next book we’ll be reading for the Book Club, The Man Who Forgot How to Read by Howard Engle.  Sounds like an interesting book, so I’ll go the Book Vault tomorrow and order my copy of the novel.

CBC Book Club Take 2

Today is an exciting day for the CBC book club but it’s also an exciting for me! We are winding down our discussion of The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill. There were many great things talked about over the month and the discussions seem to be continuing over the weekend.

I’m really looking forward to the next book for the group. Hannah is holding back the title until Monday to tell us and from the live chat that just wrapped up there are a number of people looking forward to the new book. While we read the book the discussions in the month of April will be all about humor in books. What books make us laugh and what authors do we like to read because they have the ability of make us laugh? Given this is a book club run by the CBC a focus will be on Canadian authors but not limited to them.

Now, I was really excited that I could participate in the live chat this time around. It’s always been scheduled during times that I had to work. So as soon as I got home I grabbed my MacBook and joined the chat and took a look at my email. Low and behold I had an email from CBC telling me that I won the Sony Reader they were giving away! I know there has been some discussion in the blog-o-sphere about Amazon’s Kindle. I wanted to get one but I knew I wouldn’t get one because of the cost so winning this free e-Reader really excites me! I’ll keep you posted on how I like/dislike it.

If you’re looking to be a part of an online book club or even keen on getting into the Canadian book scene (and who doesn’t?) you should get involved in the CBC book club.

CBC Book Club

I must say that I’m absolutely thrilled that CBC finally started up a book club.  Those of you that are regular readers of That’s the Book! will know that I’m a huge fan of Canada Reads and I get really excited about the annual contest.  But it’s always stopped after the big week and the book is selected.  Not this time.  This time there are a lot of discussions about the winning novel The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill.

Every day Hannah Sung posts a blog on some top of discussion, be it a particular aspect of the novel or the other goings on on the site.  I think she’s doing a fantastic job of keeping people excited about the book and keeps up posted on various aspects of the authors process.  This is a great place for anyone that has read The Book of Negroes or in the process of reading the novel.

Be sure while there to check out the audio and visual clips posted on the site.  Participate in the discussion boards dealing with several aspects of the novel.  And if that’s not enough for you there are a couple of contest happening right now where you can ask the author questions about his writing.  There is plenty for you to take a look at and do.

I hope you enjoy the book club as much as I do.  I’m really looking forward to what the next book will be.