This entry was inspired by Stuart MacLean's Vinyl Cafe Diaries. The Vinyl Cafe is a radio program on the CBC that tells the stories of Dave and Morley. Vinyl Cafe Diaries is a book that has collected a group of these stories in print format. One of the entries in the Diaries is about Morley joining a book club. Now, the humour of the story comes from the fact that all the women in the book club are completely pretentious, and that the club is no fun at all. What I found most interesting about the entry was the list at the end. Morley and her friend decide to start their own book club, and they have five categories of books to read. Here is their list:
1. A book about a man I could marry.
2. A book I read in grade school.
3. A book that mentions chocolate favourably.
4. A book I want to read because I saw the movie.
5. A book my husband would quit after the first chapter.
When I read these categories, I thought they would be a fabulous base for a book club. I also started thinking about what books I would put into each category.
1. Pride and Prejudice is the first one to come to mind. Who wouldn't want a Mr. Darcy? Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is another one. Jamie Fraser makes me swoon!
2. This one is harder. To Kill a Mockingbird would definitely make the list. I loved it. I also read a lot of Nancy Drew, so maybe re-reading Nancy Drew and comparing her to a more "grown-up" female detective would be an interesting choice.
3. The only one that comes to mind immediately is Like Water for Chocolate. I'm sure there are a million others, though. Chick Lit is full of chocolate.
4. I actually just finished reading Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief because I saw the ads for the movie. I'm also looking forward to re-reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
5. My husband would quit reading most of the books I read, so that's not hard. Any chick lit is going to be high on his "not to read" list.
Well, now it's your turn. What books would fit into those categories for you? I can't wait for more suggestions.
1) A book ABOUT a man I could marry? I've read hardly any books specifically about men at all. I can imagine characters I'd become involved with, but I am actively choosing not to get married, ever. Can I abstain on question 1?
ReplyDelete2) Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Still moves me to tears.
3) How about Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the whole series? The books are worlds different from both versions of the movie. Roald Dahl's children's books are surprisingly adult in tone.
4) Fried Green Tomatoes. I saw the movie ages ago, and several years later found the book by happenstance. As is common, I found the book far superior to the movie.
5) Again, I purposely have and will have no husband. How about boyfriend, or partner? Does he count? A Prayer for Owen Meany. I've read it a hundred times already, and my boyfriend/partner has tried but can't get past page 3.
Gillian, you can abstain and/or change the question any way you want! With regard to question one, are there no male characters you could see as your partner?
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. I'll have to take a look; this is why I loved this topic.
For question 5, boyfriend/partner would definitely count. I thought about changing the categories - you know, not gender specific for my male friends and gay friends, but decided that I would go with what Stuart MacLean put in his book and we could adapt them as needed.