Duscussion Points for Book Clubs

Taken from: http://www.thereadingclub.co.uk/discussion-points-for-book-clubs.html 

One of the main aims of book clubs is to provide a forum for book lovers to talk about books they have recently read or all-time favourites; to discuss and compare interpretations and opinions, and to gain a better understanding and appreciation of the books through a communal analysis of characters, themes, setting, plot and background.
However, it can sometimes be hard to get a good, stimulating discussion going, no matter how good the book may be and no matter how keen members are. This is where having a list of good discussion points can be very helpful in keeping things focused and interesting, while still moving the discussion forward.
Here are some general discussion points which work well for a variety of novels:

Themes
- Did the book have any particular themes? - How were the themes highlighted? - Do you agree with the author’s take on the themes?- Do the themes blend well together?- Do the themes arise naturally out of the story or did they seem to be contrived?

Setting
- What was different or unique about the story’s setting?- Did the setting enhance or detract from the story?

Characters
- Were the characters realistic – could you relate to them? E.g. do they speak in the right voice for their age group or the time period of the novel?- Did you empathise with the character sand their plight?- Do the characters evolve or change in the course of the novel? Were the changes believable?

ersonal Impression- Did the book affect you in a personal way? Did you relate to the characters or circumstances on a personal level?- Did the book make you question your views on certain topics? Did you revise any opinions?- Did you gain a new awareness or a better understanding of certain topics? – - What sort of person do you think would enjoy this book?- Did you like the book’s cover design – do you think it suited the book? - Is this book a “keeper”? Would you read it again?

Style
- What do you like or dislike about the author’s style? - Would you class the style as lyrical, descriptive, objective or minimalist? - Do you think the story could have been told better if it was written from a different perspective (e.g.. first person narrative Vs third person Vs multiple viewpoints? - Did the author use imagery and symbolism? - Do you think that any literary devices used enhanced the book or were they just distracting?

Genre
- Could this book classified in a ‘genre’?- If so, does it challenge the genre stereotypes in any way?

Time
- What kind of historical time period was the story set in? Was it a realistic image of the past? - How do you think you would have behaved if you had been faced with those issues, in those times? - Do you feel the book has dated well? - If the time period is set in the future, was the book’s vision of the future credible? - Is it an optimistic or pessimistic vision of the future?

Reviews
- Do you agree with the reviews of the book? - Did you think it lived up to positive reviews or challenged negative ones?

Author
- Does the story reflect the author’s own life? Is the story autobiographical in any way?- Is the book better because the author was able to draw on his own experiences?

Future of readings

I think that read is a personal decision and each one can be decidehow to do it. Personally I enjoy reading an ink book, but the future is in hand of technology and I think the most importan is to preserve the love for reading.

Reading Clubs are interesting to people who want share their experiences about read books...

Reading Club

Reading is not just about

deciphering words – it is our

interpretation of these words that

enables us to make sense of the world

around us.

  

Reading clubs make

reading sociable. They encourage

readers to talk about the books they

love and hate – they become literary

swap shops. They build up a reading

culture, where reading a book becomes

part of the fabric of everyday life rather

than an occasional, solitary activity. 

For pupils who may be finding the

transition to secondary school

daunting, Book-it! clubs can also

provide a psychological and physical

place of quiet and safety. 

http://www.continyou.org.uk/school/files/book-it_resource 

A reading club is made to enjoy reading,

 that's the whole thing about!

Personally I like the idea that, while you are reading, 

sometimes you can eat or 

drink something in this space, in order to feel better 

and more confortable.  

Reading clubs!

 A reading club is a place where you can share what you think, like or dislike about a book to create an opportunity for people to become enthusiastic and enthralled with the wonderful world of literature.As we are learning a new language, a reading club can improve our skills like listening, speaking and so on. The Reading Club shall be dynamic to ensure that the audience’s interest is maintained. 

http://thereadingclubgonzalezgarces.blogspot.com/p/aim-of-reading-club.html

These are some of the rules I found on the Internet :

• The purpose of this book club is to read and enjoy literature! So, if you love books, and you're ready to discuss them... you're in the right place.
• You may find that you disagree with something that another member of the group has said.
• It is okay to disagree!
• Flaming and/or inappropriate behavior and/or language will not be tolerated.
• Please respect the authority of the moderator.
• Keep on topic, but feel free to introduce information that is relevant to the discussion (historical facts, bio details, book background, related authors or topics).

• If you cite copyrighted material, please appropriately reference your source(s). Also, please don't inappropriately post or distribute copyrighted material. 

http://classiclit.about.com/od/bookclubs/a/aa_bookclubrule.htm 

Reading about book clubs, and the possible activities and all that things, i think it would be interesting that all of us read a specific text, but something, that inspire us, it could be fantastic or real, topics or stories that make us speak, and share our thoughts with the others.

I think about the possibility of suggest , if you want (each student) a text, i mean, besides the teacher, we could bring or suggest a text that we consider interesting to discuss, and every time that we read, we could do pronunciation exercises , and find mistakes and correct the partners or classmates, in that way i think we could learn from the others. 

ABOUT READING CLUBS

WHAT IS A READING CLUB

a reading club or a book club consists of several members who meet in person each month to talk about a specific work. Traditional reading clubs offer the benefit of having all members in the same room, which makes for a much more personal and intimate experience. Since most traditional book clubs are somewhat small in size, each member typically has more control over what books are selected to read (often members will vote on a list of suggested titles that have been submitted or take turns selecting).

BASIC GROUND RULES

Members who haven’t read the book
Come anyway. Not everyone can finish every book, but non-readers may still have valuable insights.

Disagreements about the book
Be gracious! There is no one way to experience or interpret a book. In fact, differing opinions are good.

Members who prefer to socialize
Be gentle but firm. Insist that discussion time be limited to the book. Some clubs hold book discussions first and invite "social members" to join afterward.

Dominating personalities
Never easy. “Let’s hear from some others” is one approach. Some clubs pass an object around the room; you talk only when you hold the object. If the person continues to dominate, a friendly conversation (never e-mail) might work. If all fails, sometimes they've just got to go—for the good of the club.

HOW TO LEAD A DISCUSSIONhttp://wiki.bssd.org/images_up/a/a8/Suggested_Book_Club_Activities.pdf

1. Toss one question at a time out to the group.
   
   
2. Select a number of questions, write each on an index card, and pass them out. Each member (or team of 2 or 3) takes a card and answers the question.
    
3. Use a prompt (an object) related to the story. It can help stimulate members' thinking about some aspect of the story. It's adult show & tell. (Think maps, photographs, paintings, food, apparel, a music recording, a film sequence.) 
   
   
4. Pick out a specific passage from the book—a description, an idea, a line of dialogue—and ask members to comment on it. (Consider how a passage reflects a character...or the work's central meaning...or members' lives or personal beliefs.) 
   
   
5. Choose a primary character and ask members to comment on him or her. (Think character traits, motivations, how he/she affects the story's events and characters, or revealing quotations.)
   
   
6. Distribute hand-outs to everyone in order to refresh memories or to use as talking points. Identify the primary characters and summarize the plot.  
   
   
   
   
   HOW TO PARTIPATE IN A BOOK DISCUSSION
   
   
   1. Watch your language! Try to avoid words like "awful" or "idiotic"—even "like" and "dislike." They don't help move discussions forward and can put others on the defensive. Instead, talk about your experience—how you felt as you read the book. 
   
   
    2. Don't be dismissive. If you disagree with someone else, don't refer to her as an ignoramus. Just say, "I'm not sure I see it that way. Here's what I think." Much, much nicer. 
   
   
    3. Support your views. Use specific passages from the book as evidence for your ideas. This is a literary analysis technique called "close reading." 
   
   
    4. Read with a pencil. Takes notes or mark passages that strike you—as significant or funny or insightful. Talk about why you marked the passages you did.
   
   

March 22nd, tasks for today!

Dear students:

*We said we will start functioning as a Reading Club. Search the web to look for information about Reading Clubs, their purposes, activities and policies and share what you consider relevant for us.

*Read this article, explore the hyperlinks and watch the video. It will nourish our reflections about reading in contemporary societies:
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/03/considering-the-future-of-reading-lessons-links-and-thought-experiments/

*The following are two short-stories for our first Reading Club section (Tuesday, April 2):

Miss Brill by Katherine Mansfield
Prue by Alice Munro

(A copy is already available in our building)

Perfume, the movie, 2006

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqk9MTP9tMU

The Night Circus trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgQItoeXjjI

THE GLASS CASTLE (VIDEO)

THE GLASS CASTLE (VIDEO)

Hi girls, since I didn't have the chance to show you the video, here you have it in case you're interested in watch it ....

Review-March 19th

Dear students:
-Remember that you must bring a copy of your review for each of your classmates. (We are 13)
-Be ready for a 10 minutes oral presentation of the book you chose.
-Your review should be between 700 and 1000 words.

El Perfume, by Patrick Suskind, Review

"El Perfume"

By Patrick Süskind

Review 

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is an uncommon character who is made for people that love different and excellent jobs, Grenouille is a particular and, most of all, a bizarre man whose life is not a banal one and whose desires are not the one that people use to have. Coldness is the word that describes Jean-Baptiste, that is an abominable man whose mind is a kind of wicked, however with that wicked mind he can do a lot of astounding things and those things are done by this zealous guy that during all his wretched life is looking for his place in that world that does not seem to be made for him.

This is an unforgettable character was created by Patrick Süskind in El Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (1985) who is a German writer and screenwriter, and who is recognized for this magnificent book which was made into a film in 2006 by Tom Tykwer and is the only story of his to have reached the cinema to date. With more than 12 million copies sold and translations into 46 languages, he is probably the most well-known contemporary German writer in the world. In this sumptuous book Patrick Süskind go back to the Bildungsroman that is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist, that in this case is called Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, from youth to adulthood and in which change is thus extremely important.

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille a guy who was rejected since the first second on his life, neither his mother nor people would care about him, his mother was a cold woman who have killed three other sons and who did not care about killing another, that in this case was Grenouille, but, fortunately for some ones and unfortunately for some others, he did not die, he could not do it, he was unique, he was the only one in his specie. Odors were his entire life, he can describe the odor of whatever the perceive in the environment, that was striking for me I do not know, and I truly admire, the way Patrick narrate with exquisite description that is unique and that makes me feel frustrated, because I cannot describe something the way he does it, is something that impress me, since description is vivid and the story is compelling.

It was the first interesting novel that I read, I was eighteen years old and I have to say that there is not a better way to start reading good literature. I love the way it starts presenting an abominable person and you start to perceive the tasty way you get involved in this master piece and you continue reading and for me it was impossible to stop I loved the terrific way he did murder, it was full of passion and curiousness. Almost the whole book is narrated in third person and I never get fatigued of it.

El perfume narrates the story of a murderer who is mad about odors, and most of all, about teenagers odor, he starts being a poor and wretched man but, with the time and having a really low profile, he turn in an important person who people admire and he have all the power he want to, but he just want to have an odor because unfortunately he does not have one, which is a big paradox, so he decided to assassinate little virgin girls to keep her aroma and to have all them together and to have the best fragrance in the world.    

By the other hand, in terms of content, in this book we can see a lot of subjects like personal identity, self-esteem and social exclusion, those thing that everybody know but it is the most authentic way to show those aspects. In this book Grenouille in playing a game where he wants to be God because using his power of perfect smelling he could charm every human been he want to.

I recommend this book to people that really want to have a good experience a vivid experience because I think that nobody is going to be repentant about reading this outstanding book, it is without doubt a book to be desired.   

By: Ludy Tatiana Giraldo Dávila

The Perfume by Patrick Süskind

The Perfume

THE STORY OF A MURDERER

By Patrick Süskind

Review

Even when you know Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is a frightening character from the beginning of the story, you cannot feel a total hatred towards him. Shame and concern are feelings which remain along whole the story, because this is a person who births, grows-up, suffers and becomes a killer in your hands while you are reading this master piece of literature. But the most strange and superb perversion of Mr. Grenouille is his passions for odors. His anxiety to get the most exquisite smell will be the reason of their murders, which will be achieved thanks to his extra-developed sense of smell. 

The perfume narrates the life of a girl-murderer in Paris, XVIII century. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille was born in a putrefied place in the heart of Paris. He is the fifth child among others who did not survive after were born on fish wastes, directly on the street. But Jean-Baptiste Grenouille did. His mother did not have any intention of take care of him, she preferred leave him die as the same way her other children did. But this natural born killer is not ready for leaving this world without has stolen some lives and their fragrances before.  

After a terrible childhood, when he was rejected and misused, but at the same time feared by everyone, child or adult, this murderer survived to any kind of illness and abuses, and became a special perfumer. His better perfume was created by the odor of virgin French girls. In order to get their fragrances he must kill them and do the same procedure that perfumers do with all kind of things to catch their perfume, the essence of life.  

Patrick Süskind published this first novel and best seller in 1985. This narration divided by four parts has been translated in more than 40 languages around the world. In Germany, it was considered as a literate occurrence after The Tin Drum by the Nobel Prize-winning author Gunter Grass. In Great Britain readers would say this was “the novel of the year”, and in France it was compared with The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. All Süskind’s works are about isolation, for instance, The Double bass, The Pigeon (1988) and The History of Mr. Sommer (1991). Thanks to this novel, Süskind has won some prizes like the ones of Literature of Gutenberg, Tukan and FAZ but he did not accept anyone of them.

Not all sensations are possible to be described by words. Odors are one of them. How many times have you smelled something especial which brings a little memory about your childhood or about a person, or a travel you have done? Sometimes your nose remember better than your mind because when an odor breeze brings to you some memories, you know that odor reminds you something, even when you cannot put your finger on the moment, situation, travel, or whatever  aspect in your life is touched by that little odor breeze. Finally, even if you achieve clarify the relation between that odor with your memories, you could not describe that odor. Probably you can use a few adjectives like sweet, bad, nice and their synonyms, or you can describe the situation reminded or your feelings about it, but it would not be enough to give a clear idea about how that odor is. But when you read this novel, you can know exactly how the characters perceive a rose smell, a woman one, a lamp, a metal bar, a baby. That was one of the most impressive things that caught me when I read this novel at my 21 years old.

Not just odors are very good described in this work. Also each character and the entire atmosphere transport the reader to century XVIII’s Paris and all Grenouille’s world. It was an époque where children were not considered as important and dedicated as they are in our times, so it was more difficult to survive for a childlike Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. In the same way, this book shows the society differences and their injustices. All of that is narrated carefully in details that you almost can see and smell everything narrated by the only narrator. This is a determining book that enriches your experience as a reader. 

Sara González Muñoz

Sara Tomate: Draft

Review Draft

Original tittle: “THE SECRET LIFE OF SALLY TOMATO” by Jean Ure. It`s a particular reading for children an younger people, it`s literature from England. It talks the story of Salvatore a teenager who is beginning to explore the sexuality and love at his 12 years. At this special time of his life, he is always thinking in girls, but he has focus in One of them at the school, and he decides to start a countdown making an alphabet poem where he writes about anything, and the main target is to be kissed befor end his alphabet poem. It`s an entertaining and interacting story because much of the time you feel identified with Salvatore and you can go back to the childhood and remember how were all those experiences in your life.    

Review

Dear students:
-Remember that on Tuesday you must bring a copy of your review for each of your classmates. (We are 13)
-Be ready for a 10 minutes oral presentation of the book you chose.
-Your review should be between 700 and 1000 words.

El Perfume. Draft of the review. Tatiana and Sara

El Perfume by Patrick Suskind

Review

Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is an uncommon character who is made for people that love different and excellent jobs, Grenouille is a particular and, most of all, a bizarre man whose life is not a banal one and whose desires are not the one that people use to have.

 

In this magnificent book Patrick Süskind go back to the Bildungsroman that is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist, that in this case is called Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, from youth to adulthood and in which change is thus extremely important. El Perfume is narrated with unique and exquisite description, that makes this book one of the best suspense books ever done. 

Coldness is the word that describes Jean-Baptiste that is an abominable man whose mind is a kind of wicked, however with that wicked mind he can do a lot of  astounding things and, the most important fact is that, those things are done by a zealous guy that during all his wretched life is looking for his place in that world that does not seem to be made for him.

This is an unforgettable character was created by Patrick Süskind in El Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (1985) who is a German writer and screenwriter, and who is recognized for this magnificent m¡novel, this novel was made into a film in 2006 by Tom Tykwer and is the only story of his to have reached the cinema to date. With more than 12 million copies sold and translations into 46 languages, he is probably the most well-known contemporary German writer in the world

March 15th

Tasks for today:
*Explore the blog to read what your classmates have posted for both: the metaphors about reading and the hyperlinks for Susan Sontag's text.
*Post a draft of your review (if you have one) and want some feedback.
*Browse the websites of The Guardian and The New York Times for examples of book reviews.

Book Reviews, The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/books+tone/reviews

Book Reviews, The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/review/index.html

The pleasure of reading...

Reading to me is a pleasant activity, I really enjoy it and always I want more and more. To read in Spanish is like when  I open a gift, I want to know what is the content, I'm exciting when I start to read and  when I discover the content, I just enjoy it.

Reading in English to me is like go to travel to unknown place, where there are many things  new for me but I enjoy it and I always want to know more, sometimes I want to return again to understand and get the best out of that place.

Reading in French is like work on jigsaw puzzle with 1000 pieces, you don't know how to begin, but when you start and you see the progress you want to finish and enjoy the final result.It's difficult but is so exciting.

Reading...

To read in Spanish can be to fly without a parachute, it is to feel the air in your face, and those kinds of tickle in your stomach, it is to feel the adrenaline and many other kinds of feelings  running inside your body.

To read in French is like don´t find any oasis in the desert, it is to feel like your body little by little dehydrates but sometimes it is like to  drink a large glass of lemonade in the hottest day.

To read in English is like to float in the middle of the sea, feelings the gentle surf under your body until a big wave appears and it makes you to lose the control, you feel terrified even you swallow water, seawater that produces a bad taste in your mouth, but the time passes and you achieve to recuperate the control and you return to the surface where all is tranquility and peace. 

How is reading in...?

HOW IS READING IN….?

I didn’t understand when people would talk about the pleasure of reading, the whole thing was boring for me, but then I discovered that I was curious person, and that the only way to get to know the things I wanted to know, was by reading, so it all began like that; however there are three different scenarios:

      1. Reading in Spanish

Reading in Spanish for me is like when you go to sleep and you start dreaming, and things can be normal and sane. Sometimes when it is about those stories where everything is relatable the dream appears so normal that I can become meaningful or boring. In the other hand the dream can become chaos and insanity, it can put you through suffering and bliss when you don’t expect it. There can be moments, when you even feel tired. But there are other times when the dream is as surreal as dreams can be, so it feels like place where your mind is getting to another level or is being transform.

I find that reading in Spanish, for me, is like a dream because I can decide what to read as well as I decide when to go to sleep, and in both of them I don’t have control of what could happen, but I can control when to stop…or wake up.

      2.      Reading in English

To read in English is like eating when you’re really hungry, because you want to eat everything that’s in front of you but have to stop and chew and swallow carefully so you don’t choke; and that chewing and swallowing process, is for me the moments when I have to re-read or stop to look for the meaning of a word. Than when I finish reading is like when you’re finally full and the hunger is gone; however, sometimes when you eat after being very hungry, you can feel sick or you regret about eating too much, that’s like when I found I don’t like what I’m reading or that I’m frustrated because I’ve been reading and suddenly I realized that I don’t understand o remember anything I’ve read.

      3.      Reading in French

Reading in French, for me is like writing with my left hand, so giving the fact that I’m a righty, I can tell that it is really uncomfortable. It is like trying to be a lefty because I know it is a good thing for my memory but it’s still hard and frustrating. It’s full of stumbles and those moments when you have no idea what you’ve just written. But even though it’s exhausting, it is a challenge after all.

So that’s what it is, I’ve found that for me, reading in Spanish and English are like a need; while reading in French has become like thing that can help me with another couple of things.