Glimpse into blog tweaks

I love to write and to share my ideas and experiences on my blog. I am constantly thinking of new ways to make it more interesting and give my readers a blog which they enjoy. Due to my health, it is quite hard for to me remain consistent, but I try my best, and you are all so understanding and patient with this! I wanted to share with you some new ideas and updates I have for the blog, so here they are.                                                              

Glimpse into our next book club book

Dean Mayes's first book, 'The Hambledown Dream" is our next book for the online Glimpsing Gembles Book Club. This is a very special book by a great, Australian author.

The author is giving readers the chance to own a FREE digital copy of this story. All you need to do is comment on the announcement blog post (link below) by Friday 16th!

http://glimpsinggemblesbookclub.blogspot.com.au/2015/01/jan-feb-march-book-announcement.html

I really hope that you will you join us. Everyone welcome. Whether you rarely read, or have never taken part in a book club, or you are bed ridden, or you are busy with life, this is your chance to take part in a group who chat about a variety of books. Your input in the discussion can be tiny or in depth, it is completely up to you. Just enjoy the chance to read stories you may not have thought to otherwise, and enjoy some book banter!

Glimpse into a Glimpsing Gembles online Book Club update

Over in the Glimpsing Gembles Book Club section of the blog, there are new posts up. We are currently discussing a book by Bryce Courtenay called "Smoky Joe's Café." There is also the announcement post for November/December's book choice. Pop over to join in the online book club! Everyone welcome.

http://glimpsinggemblesbookclub.blogspot.com.au/

Glimpse into a book club update

Apologies for the late announcement of the next book for our book club. I have really been unwell lately, and even writing a blog post is hard work! I realise we are meant to start the book tomorrow, so I thought I better jump on and choose one! This is a fairly a short story, so even if it takes you a little while to find a copy, I am sure we will be able to begin as usual on the 15th of next month (October). I am going to download a copy from Audible to start listening soon!... So jump over to the book club by hitting the tab at the top of the home page, and find out which book it is!

Also, it is not too late to join in on the discussion of our current book, 'The Bees."

Glimpse into July/August book announcement

Today is the day for the announcement of our next book for our book club! Drumroll please!!
The book to begin reading on July 1st is...

"The Bees" by Laline Paull.

For a summary of this book, visit the Glimpsing Gembles Book club page...

http://glimpsinggemblesbookclub.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/julyaugust-book-announcement.html

Find a copy to read or download the audiobook, and start reading on July 1st! Discussion will begin August 15th.

Glimpse into the discussion of Gone Girl - book club

I am excited to say that today marks the start of our online book club discussion of "Gone Girl." Click the book club tab above, or the link below, and join in chatting about this book over the next two weeks. I look forward to hearing your ideas and thoughts!

http://glimpsinggemblesbookclub.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/discussion-gone-girl.html

Glimpse into May-June book announcement

The next book for our book club will be......"Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn.

We will start reading from May 1st, so you now have a couple of weeks to find a copy. We will start discussion June 15th.

Happy book hunting and gathering, my bookworms!

Blurb: On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer? 

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

Glimpse into March - April book club book DISCUSSION - Winter's Tale

The time has come! Our first book club online discussion is here :-). We have the next two weeks to discuss, and then we will start reading our next book on May 1st (the next book will be named on the blog today also!).

Winter's Tale is a book which was published in 1983, written by Mark Helprin. It is a story set in New York and follows a man, Peter Lake, during his troubled life, and his meeting of a young, dying woman.

Now, I am ready to be honest! I did not finish this book! Not a good start for our first book club book! I only made it to page 41. In choosing this book, I made a change from my normal genre selection, but was taken by the blurb. I decided this would be our first book to read, without determining the page count, or whether it was available on audiobook. Currently, I struggle to read for long, and hence rely on audiobooks for the pleasure of stories, which I know a lot of you do too. Winter's Tale, however, is sadly not available. My close friend decided to record herself as she read the book and send it to me. This amazing and thoughtful plan worked for a while, but then stopped! I assume (but wait to hear her side in this discussion!) that this may have something to do with the storyline! She is an avid reader, so it tells me a lot if it didn't grab her enough to keep reading and recording. I have learned from this experience that from now on, the books we read for bookclub will be shorter and available on audiobook, as well as freely available in bookstores, libraries or as an ebook. Feel free to put your ideas below on what our page limit should be.

As I did not get far into this book, I missed out on a lot of the story. I was intrigued by where the story was going. I did find that the background set up was dragged out too much though. I feel this may be why I struggled to get into the book (and I know I am not alone!). I felt the writing was descriptive and created amazing imagery for me. I enjoyed the introduction of various characters, told from their own perspective, instead of another's. I found the choice of language added to the character's personality and description of their background. I do want to find out what is going to happen, so it did hook me in, and I do hope to finish it one day (I believe that I would have finished it had it been available on audiobook).

What are your thoughts about the writing in this book? What do you think Mark Helprin did well? What did he not do so well?
Did you finish reading it? If not, why do you think that was? If you did, were you immediately interested, or did it take you a while to get hooked?
Did you enjoy the characters? Who did you like the most? Who did you not like? How has their past and backgrounds effected them today? How does that effect others?
Do you feel any characters developed themselves during the book? Did you enjoy the romance? Did you find yourself heartbroken?
Did you learn anything in this story; for example about life, or love, or history?
Did you enjoy the ending?
What would you ask Mark Helprin, given the chance?

In the comments below, leave your thoughts and ideas about this book. Feel free to be honest and open! We have two weeks to talk about it, so jump in and get chatting!

Glimpse into the start of GG's book club - Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin

It is officially the first day of our first online book club for the Glimpsing Gembles Blog :-) So, start reading Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin if you haven't already! We will discuss the book over two weeks from April 15th, online at http://glimpsing-gembles.blogspot.com.au/

For more information, read previous posts about the book club here:
http://glimpsing-gembles.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/glimpse-into-book-club-update-book.html

http://glimpsing-gembles.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/glimpse-into-community-for-health-and.html

Happy reading!

Glimpse into book club update - BOOK CHANGE

Hello all!

Last week, I announced our first book for the online book club so that we would all have two weeks to find a copy, and start it on March 1st. During this week, I have discovered that the book is being reprinted as a paperback currently, and will be released at the end of March. There are hardcover copies around, but I have found that it is quite difficult (and expensive) to find a copy. Therefore, I feel we will need to postpone reading "The Interestings" til later on.

So if you have by chance, found a copy, fear not! We WILL read it! However, as it seems it will prove difficult to find a copy in the next couple of weeks, no matter where in the world you are, we will be better off to postpone and select a new book for this month!

The book for March/April will now be......"Winter's Tale" by Mark Helprin.

Briefly, this is what this book is about:
One night in winter, Peter Lake, orphan and master-mechanic, attempts to rob a fortress-like mansion on the Upper West Side.
Though he thinks the house is empty, the daughter of the house is home. Thus begins the love between Peter Lake, a middle-aged Irish burglar, and Beverly Penn, a young girl, who is dying.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12967.Winter_s_Tale

There are varying reviews for this book; some not so good, some are great. I feel that this means we will have a good source of discussion then, as maybe some won't love it while others will.

It is also discouragingly large, especially if you have brain fog like me! However, we have til April 15th when discussion will start, and if we find by, say April 7th, that we are all behind, we can extend our time frame. So please don't feel pressured or intimidated! Remember, this book club is about taking your mind away from your real world, and discussing a story with other people. Just relax and have fun with it.
There is also an added bonus, that when you finish this book, you can sit back and enjoy the on screen adaptation, which is currently in cinemas!

Glimpse into the bookclub: March book announcement

It is the 15th of February, and that means that it is officially the first Glimpsing Gembles blog online book club book announcement!

Drumroll please.......

The book will be Meg Wolitzer's "The Interestings."

We officially start reading on the 1st of March, so you have time to go find or borrow a copy of this book. (If you start reading early, we won't tell anyone! ;-) )

Summary: The summer that Nixon resigns, six teenagers at a summer camp for the arts become inseparable. Decades later the bond remains powerful, but so much else has changed. In The Interestings, Wolitzer follows these characters from the height of youth through middle age, as their talents, fortunes, and degrees of satisfaction diverge.

Wide in scope, ambitious, and populated by complex characters who come together and apart in a changing New York City, The Interestings explores the meaning of talent; the nature of envy; the roles of class, art, money, and power; and how all of it can shift and tilt precipitously over the course of a friendship and a life.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15815333-the-interestings?bf=2000&from_search=true