geek. chic. book. club.

New Site

2010-01-31T10:04:00.000-08:00

We've moved to:

http://bookshy.blogspot.com/

more books, more opinions, more fun.

don't miss any of the action-

update your rss feeds and subscriptions today.

2010!

2010-01-21T07:58:00.000-08:00

A few things we learned at the last book club:

1. People like asparagus a lot more when it's on a pizza
2. We WILL have to cut off no later than midnight in the future
3. Everything is more fun with wine
4. We're a liberal bunch
5. Mashed potatoes make great muffins
6. You can Google a LOT of information from your cell phone
7. We always enjoy ourselves!

Book Club Business for 2010:

A. I want you to show up. I really do. But I'm leaving it up to you to tell me when it works best, or what would make it easier for you to be there. I love having people over, and I really want you to come. Don't feel weird if you didn't get all the way through the book, or didn't even crack it open. Yes, we do love to read, but it's really just an excuse for us to get together and socialize. Really.

B. We are going to have some extra book club events in between clubs. For example, Feb 15th we'll be going to Flying Saucer for Pint Night to celebrate Jake's birthday. No book talk, just beer talk. Suggestions for other get-together's in the months that follow are welcome.

C. If you have something you'd like to share about the book club book, present or past, or if you'd like to share something about another book you're reading, or anything to do with literature in general, I would LOVE to share it on our website. Don't be shy- write it, and I'll post it. If you don't want your name on it, I'll post it anonymously.

D. In 2010, we're getting away from the "I liked it, I didn't like it" mentality. I have some interesting books up my sleeve and I am more focused on all of us getting our hands dirty. This year we'll be reading things we probably wouldn't have picked up off the shelf for ourselves.

E. Aside from our Pint Night, next book club will be scheduled for March 2nd. PLEASE, if this date looks bad for you, and I hear from the majority, then we can move it to another day in the week. But I can't help you make it if you don't tell me! And there's nothing I want more than for YOU to come to book club. So let me know.

Lastly, our current selection is The Abstinence Teacher, by Tom Perrotta. He also authored Election, and Little Children. The best price I've found is on Amazon, but it is in store at Barnes and Noble and Borders.

Happy Reading, and I hope to hear from each and every one of you soon!

Illuminating Everything

2010-01-10T11:49:00.000-08:00

Please mark your calendar for next week's Geek Chic Book Meetup. It will be at our pad, on January 19th, from 7-10 pm. We ask that you please bring yourself, the book ( Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud), maybe a reading friend, and a drink or finger food. We always have a good time. I've got some great discussion questions up my sleeve, so come ready!

Also, I am still taking suggestions for our next book. But I really want you to stretch yourself before making your recommendation. Think about climbing another one or two flights of stairs up in your regular book reading, then look on those shelves and tell me what you find. 2010 is going to be a stellar year for our club, I'm looking forward to the challenge, and I hope you are too.

Please RSVP so I know you are attending.

If live gives you lemons... keep them, cuz hey, free lemons!

2009-12-14T12:29:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I think we'd all have to agree that the Christmas Book Exchange was a huge success. Although the really cool game Jake made up for the exchange was too much for all of our wine-softened brains to handle! It was a cool game, though. We had a dozen people and a lot of food and great conversation. I'm glad that we were able to talk about The Raw Shark Texts, our prior book. So many different opinions and theories! Great discussion. We had a couple of newbies join us as well, which made me very happy. Hopefully they were just as happy as I was!

Our new book was revealed, and I have to admit I'm seriously stoked about this one. My process for choosing books has been pretty organic lately. It's pretty much been me, wandering around the bookstore until I find the one book I believe is the book I want to read right this instant, above all others. To be fair, be fore I head out, I naturally do a little online research and almost always know quite a bit about the authors on my short-list. It worked out pretty well the last two times, and well, here we go again. This author has written two other books that I am crazy adamant about reading. The first was Everything Is Illuminated. I'm often told I need to read this book, and I often want to watch the movie, but I still haven't because I'm so opposed to the watching of the movie first. The second book is getting a ton of press coverage right now, it's called Eating Animals. And, being vegan, you would think I'd be ready to shove this one down everyone's throat, naturally. BUT, that's not my style :). SO, we go with his middle work, which has garnered so much praise that I am almost a little scared to read it in case it lets me down. I think I'll take the risk.

Without further adieu, our new selection isExtremely Loud and Incredibly Close. By Jonathan Safran Foer. I have often read it said that this is a person's "Favorite adult book of all time". Many many blogs later, this is our choice. I'm very excited about it, and I hope you will find yourself excited as well. It's linked above for purchase on Amazon, so throw it in your Holiday shopping cart, and stuff it in your stocking as a little treat from yourself to yourself. You deserve it! I picked up my copy at Borders, and I have seen it gracing the shelves of Half Price Books as well. Our next meeting is January 19th, so you have some time to enjoy it over your holiday break, or come home from your fantastic holiday break and still have plenty of time to read it.

I hope everyone has a wonderful season this December, no matter what you celebrate, or even if you celebrate at all. Make one of your resolutions to start reading more! And choose us to read with. We'd love to have you.

Here's my special gift to you. Cheers:

Next Meetup- November 17th

2009-11-04T17:00:00.000-08:00

Hi to all of my book-loving family! I hope you are enjoying this new read The Raw Shark Texts as much as I am. It has definitely been a ride. I wish I could come up with something more witty today, but alas, I have complete and utter work induced brain-fry. But please mark your calendars for November 17th, from 7-9:30. Club will be at Natasha's from 7-9:30, off of Vance Jackson. More details to come soon. Love to you all, and happy reading!

The Raw Shark Texts, by Steven Hall

2009-09-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

What a great meetup we enjoyed last night. Food= fabulous. Wine= demolished. Friendships= growing. Although we have quite a large group now of people reading with us (about 40), the core group of peeps showing up to club is about 10, give or take. The rain actually brought more folks than usual, due to cancellations. But it felt intimate, and comfortable, and special. I don't think going in to creating a book club did I think we would get to broach topics such as what our dreams are, but we do, and it's great and it's light, fun, and a damn great way to spend your Tuesday evening every six weeks or so. Last night I had a handful of texts from some really great peeps that didn't get around to reading the book, and therefore felt strange showing up. I know this will be an ongoing perception, but please let me help you out with that right now: COME. If you didn't get around to the book, TRUST ME when I say you will still have a blast, and you'll get some good information about the next book. And there's no commitment so if you want to come once and don't like it, there's no pressure! Promise! But I think I can say a good time was had by all parties. Of course we never push anyone out the door, so we ended up talking and listening to records until about 11:30 when we all finally cashed in. It was a lovely time, and thank you to new and old friends alike. Can't wait for the next one- which will probably be early November, at Natasha's place. So plenty of time to get this new book, which I PROMISE YOU --> You do NOT want to miss out on.

It's the Raw Shark Texts, by Steven Hall. This is the perfect book for Autumn, for blankets and coffee and snuggling up on your couch, getting pulled in and not being able to put it down. There's a pretty fantastic review of the book at Amazon, which I'll re-publish below. I found it Borders for $14, but you may even check Half Price Books as well. I always say, support your local bookstore first, and if they don't have it, then hit up Borders/ B&N or Amazon. But it's every where. And every author is applauding this novel as well. I cannot wait to "sink my teeth" into it. I hope you will too. Here's the review straight from Amazon, to you:

Amazon.com Review
Amazon Best of the Month, March 2007: Not since Fight Club have a I read a book that sizzled with such fierce originality and searing vision as Steven Hall's electrifying debut novel, The Raw Shark Texts. It's a twisting, trippy thriller that tears through the landscape of language, revealing the lurking terrors uncovered in every letter of the written word. Steven Hall swims in the same surreal waters as pop-culture pioneers David Lynch and Michel Gondry, and The Raw Shark Texts deserves to be shelved somewhere between Trainspotting and Life of Pi. It pulls you under like a riptide, leaving you exhausted, exhilarated, and gasping for air.
But don't just take our word for it. We asked Audrey Niffenegger, one of the most creative contemporary writers working today, to share with readers her take on Steven Hall's debut novel, The Raw Shark Texts. Check out her exclusive Amazon guest review below. --Brad Thomas Parsons

Guest Reviewer: Audrey Niffenegger

Audrey Niffenegger is a professor in the Interdisciplinary Books Arts MFA Program at the Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts. A visual artist, she shows her artwork at Printworks Gallery in Chicago. The Time Traveler's Wife, her first novel, was an international bestseller and was one of Amazon.com's Best Books of 2003. It won several awards and is being made into a major motion picture. Her visual novels, The Three Incestuous Sisters and The Adventuress, were recently published by Harry N. Abrams. Miss Niffenegger is currently hard at work on her second novel, Her Fearful Symmetry, a ghost story set in London's Highgate Cemetery.
Eric Sanderson has lost his memory, his girl, his life as he once knew it. His pre-amnesiac self is sending him letters, a sort of correspondence course on how to be Eric Sanderson. Unfortunately, this previous self didn't really have it all together either. This is too bad, because the source of all the trouble is a conceptual shark, a Ludovician shark, no less. Soon Eric is on the run, trying to piece it all together and find true love before his mind gets wiped by the shark for the twelfth and probably final time.
Steven Hall is an inventive, funny and extremely smart writer. I am a letterpress printer and a typophile, and I was drawn to his book because of the typography: The Raw Shark Texts is riddled with typographic games, codes, a flip book, and a boatload of very elegant plot devices that hinge on collisions between the Information Age and the imagination. At one point Eric and Scout, his guide/love interest, are speeding away from the conceptual shark on a motorbike. Scout eludes the shark by exploding a letter bomb, a bomb made out of old metal type; the type diverts the shark into a stream of random letterforms. At this I practically fell off the couch with admiration.
There's plenty to groove on in The Raw Sharks Texts even if you're not a type maven. There's echoes of Cyberpunk, Borges, Auster; there is adventure on the high seas, lost love, an exploration of what it means to be human in the age of intelligent machines. The Raw Sharks Texts is huge fun, and I gleefully recommend it. --Audrey Niffenegger

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Hall's debut, the darling of last year's London Book Fair, is a cerebral page-turner that pits corporeal man against metaphysical sharks that devour memory and essence, not flesh and blood. When Eric Sanderson wakes from a lengthy unconsciousness, he has no memory. A letter from "The First Eric Sanderson" directs him to psychologist Dr. Randle, who tells Eric he is afflicted with a "dissociative condition." Eric learns about his former life—specifically a glorious romance with girlfriend Clio Aames, who drowned three years earlier—and is soon on the run from the Ludovician, a "species of purely conceptual fish" that "feeds on human memories and the intrinsic sense of self." Once he hooks up with Scout, a young woman on the run from her own metaphysical predator, the two trek through a subterranean labyrinth made of telephone directories (masses of words offer protection, as do Dictaphone recordings), decode encrypted communications and encounter a series of strange characters on the way to the big-bang showdown with the beast. Though Hall's prose is flabby and the plethora of text-based sight gags don't always work (a 50-page flipbook of a swimming shark, for instance), the end result is a fast-moving cyberpunk mashup of Jaws, Memento and sappy romance that's destined for the big screen.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Meetup Tomorrow- Then We Came to the End

2009-09-21T13:03:00.001-07:00

Good Afternoon!

Hope you all can make it to tomorrow night's book club meeting. It will be at my pad in North Central San Antonio at 7pm. Please email me for more specific directions.

You may bring a finger food or a bottle of whatever if you so choose, and a friend if you'd like! Just let me know so we can plan to accommodate everyone.

This book was a super-cool read, and the next one will have a completely different tone but won't lack in greatness. I hope you can come to our little hacienda, relax and enjoy some quality time among friends, old and new! Can't wait to see you there.

-S

Meeting next Tuesday, Sep 22nd.

2009-09-16T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hi guys- next Tuesday night is our meetup. It will be at 7 pm at our pad. I will sent out an event invite via Facebook this evening. Please feel free to BYOB or a finger food or anything else you might drum up. And please bring a friend!You still have 7 days to read the book, I know you can do it! Can't wait to hear from you all and talk about this really great read.

Cheers~

Shylah

wish i would've known!

2009-09-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

so here lately our daily internet access has been somewhat limited, and my night time internet access has been sucked into an asian oblivion-of-a-game called "restaurant city". i don't wish to speak of it any more, but it sure has wasted a lot of my precious time, which i could have been lending to reading, painting, singing, making jewelry, kissing, etc. BUT, enough of that- this is our Book Club Blog, and as such, I must apologize for the madness which has been this page for probably the better part of two weeks. I downloaded a very cool layout that ended up making the page unable to view for some time. So my apologies to my dear club friends and subscribers. We are back in business and all is well.

If you have been reading along, please note that book club meets again on Tuesday, September 22nd. I was tossing around the idea of a pool party as suggested, but I think it may be too cold/ wet/ late for us to pull it off. Plus, I think this will be a good one to really dig into. I hope everyone is enjoying it as much as I have this time! Even if you have not started it yet, you STILL have time! It's long, but it's a quick read, and once you hit midway, you won't be disappointed you decided to read along. I'm looking for 10 commitments this time, please let me know if you plan on coming, and please bring a friend as well. You can bring a finger food/snack, wine or other drinks or welcome also. I'm looking at some deep, dark fall choices and I can't wait to share them with you all!!! Please let me know if you are interested in hosting, or we will do it back at our pad again. We love to host, but we are always open to others hosting. It really isn't a kid-friendly event, so I'd like to keep it adults only. Message me here, on our facebook group or my personal email if you have any further questions.

So, to reiterate, the book is Then We Came to The End , by Joshua Ferris. The next meet-up will be September 22nd, 7 pm.

Can't wait to see you all there! Happy reading, and more to come.....

Cheers~

Shylah

Movie Night, Geek Chic Style

2009-08-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

Hope you can join us this Tuesday:

We're going to the movies to see Julie & Julia. Everyone is welcome. We're starting at Cool Cafe, which is in the same parking lot as the movie theater between 5:30-6. They have great Tapas and wine. We can't hang out after the movie so I thought a quick bite/chat before the film would be nice.

Here are the movie theater details:

Tuesday, August 18th, 7:40 PM
Regal Fiesta Movie Theater.
12631 Vance Jackson Rd
San Antonio, TX 78230-5934
(210) 333-3456

Please let me know if you plan on coming, you can send me a message here, comment, or RSVP to the facebook event:

http://facebook.com/event.php?r550dd6e5&eid=120125664586&refid=7

hope to see you there! cheers!

Then We...

2009-08-12T07:13:00.000-07:00

Book club was very successful this week and I want to take a minute and thank everyone who came out! What a lovely night we had, at our house- and we even had some new faces to share wine with. Such a great evening. We had 9 this time ( we were missing at least 4 due to work responsibilities, etc.) in attendance, and about 5 reading from far off places like Michigan :)

The last book we read was Julie & Julia, and it was sort of a mediocre choice- but easy summer reading, and sort of fun as well. The group will be headed out to see it at the movies next week as well. Please see the bottom of this post for location and time.

I truly enjoyed our new faces, and for me, that's the pleasant surprise of book club. You get to meet people and pick each others brains. We're a little more laid back than your average club, and we promise not to shoot you if you haven't read our selection. But we are always looking for more members. I'd like to see a steady 15, but I'm happy with where we are and where we're headed.

Without further adieu, I present to you our newest selection- Then We Came To The End, By Joshua Ferris. By clicking that title, you are hyper linked to his website. By clicking the picture above, you will be directed to Amazon, who has a great deal right now on this book.

I first saw this book quite some time ago and added it to my Amazon Wishlist. It had a different cover then, one covered in yellow Post-It Notes. On our honeymoon trip to NYC a few weeks back, we popped in The Strand bookstore. I was crippled by my foot injury and in no mood to walk around the miles upon miles of books- but I was still determined to find a good, new read. I stumbled upon Eat, Pray, Love, which I'd been meaning to get to for some time (since cast aside when I found out they are already making a movie out of it starring Mrs. Danny Moder), and of course, our newest selection. Promptly purchased and started my reading on honeymoon.

When I got home I knew this would be our next pick.

There are all kinds of really great shout-outs from people like Stephen King, Nick Hornby, David Sedaris, and more, and it's been on many must-read lists.

So, pick it up on Amazon, or try your local bookstore (local is better!) . Then you are allowed to try B &N or Borders. :)

Our next book club meet up will be Tuesday, September 22nd. We love hosting, but if you are just dying to, let me know and we'll see what we can arrange. So, go pick up the book, you have 41 days to read 350 pages. You can do it! And please, invite a friend, subscribe to our blog, even if you are in another city/state. Love to have you along for the ride!

Happy reading, geeks!

Next weeks Geek Chic Movie Date: Julie & Julia
Tuesday, August 18th, 7:40 PM
Regal Fiesta Movie Theater.
12631 Vance Jackson Rd
San Antonio, TX 78230-5934
(210) 333-3456

Hope to see you there! Mark your calendars!

Julie and the killing of lobsters.

2009-07-10T12:41:00.000-07:00

So I'm about half way through our newest club pick- Julie & Julia, and I'm really enjoying it. I hope you are too! Even amongst all of the wedding planning I've had time to read. Actually, it's been a great help in catching my z's. I could probably stay up forever with all of the ideas rolling around in my noggin. I've been cashing in a little earlier and reading a little. Anyway, I hope you're liking it too- and if you haven't picked it up- go ahead, you still have time. I'm off to a wedding (my own) and won't be back on here for at least two weeks. So, read up, enjoy your summer, and we'll talk and plan our meetup upon my return.

Peace~

shylah

Julie & Julia

2009-06-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

It's very rarely that I find a book I know is already coming out as a movie that I want to read so much, but this is the one. Welcome to our newest book club selection!

Julie & Julia has been called "Bridget Jones meets the French Chef" among other things. The first 5 pages of the copy I picked up are glowing reviews from just about EVERYONE.

This should be a fascinating and easy summer read. I want everyone to have ample time to read it, so pick it up on your way home tonight from Borders or Barnes & Noble, or order it on Amazon.

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, August 12th. Location will be announced later. I'd also like to talk about meeting the following week to watch the film. I can't wait for you to read this!

***side note: for anyone still reading Walden, we will have a side discussion about the book. I intend to continue reading it but at a slower pace.***

Happy reading!

"Walden Pause"

2009-06-12T14:31:00.000-07:00

Everyone is having such a hard time getting through "Walden" this June..... so before you try cramming the 400+ pages into the next 12 days, just take a breather- we're going to take what I will now call a "walden pause". If you are reading and enjoying- carry on. If you can't get into it, just stop. Our June 23rd meeting is going to be a sort of meet and greet. I'll have a few options for the summer and we'll go to vote. I'll still be getting through Walden but at a slower pace. There's a lot of goodness in this book but I think we all have "summer brain". So take a break, grab a cold one, and enjoy the sunshine. I'll give you more specifics on our meetup in about a week. Cheers...

Walden.

2009-05-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

I hope you've picked up your copy... I'm starting it today. Remember, our next meet up is June 23rd, so you have just over a month left to get through it. I'll check in with everybody in a couple of weeks and see how it's going. Feel free to comment on this post, or add this to your RSS feed. Peace!

Tina Fey probably read our new pick....

2009-05-13T05:47:00.000-07:00

First rule of book club: Never talk about book club.

I can't tell you who won here, but.... my money is on the Jake.

You just never know what might occur upon entering into this new world of book reading. For instance, you may make some new friends. You may try a new food. You may learn something about what you read that you never would have on your own. You may drink a lot of wine. You may lose an arm-wrestling match. You may wake up the next day excited about the possibilities, and giddy about the new book choice.

Before we get to that, I'd like to thank all the people who made it out last night. I think there were 10. We had a great discussion. I appreciated hearing everyone's point of view. Ever the eternal optimist, I try to find the good in everything (cough, Downtown Owl, cough!). It's nice to hear all the perspectives and get a feel for the general consensus after I read something. Otherwise I may elevate a piece of literature above where it belongs.

I printed out two lists last night, two separate lists of the top 100 novels ever written. Many of you left yours behind. If you're interested in receiving a copy, or even if you didn't attend and would like last night's hand out, I can email it to you easily. Let me know.

In the last business related news before we roll out our next book, I'd like to make sure I have everyone's phone numbers and email addresses. You can send me a message on facebook, or you can email me @ starrstrummer@gmail.com.

Without further adieu, with three votes out of 9 (I didn't vote or recommend this time around).... shockingly..... our next Geek Chic Read is......

wait, before I get to that... just kidding!

Our next read is Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. I know!

"Walden" is the classic account of two years spent by Henry David Thoreau living at Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts. The story is detailed in its accounts of Thoreau's day-to-day activities, observations, and undertakings to survive out in the wilderness for two years. Thoreau's journal is an exquisite account of a man seeking a more simple life by living in harmony with nature. In today's fast-paced consumer-driven society the austere life style endorsed by Thoreau is as relevant and refreshing as ever. (taken from Amazon)

I am pretty stoked by this book selection. You should check out Thoreau's wikipedia page here.
I think this selection will garner great discussion, and challenge us on a whole new level.
This should be a fairly easy book to find, in many formats, in many stores, including 1/2 price books and at your local library.

Our next meetup will be Tuesday, June 23rd, at 7pm at Tricia's house.

So, GO! Pick up your copy of Walden now, or pick up two and get a friend involved. Let's try to add at least 4 more to our motley crew.

For those who couldn't make it last night, we missed you! Get back in the saddle with us for Walden.

Happy reading!

Oh, I almost forgot..... as promised:

When there becomes a shortage of hot Tina Fey photos, you'll know.

A round up for The Alchemist

2009-05-13T00:17:00.000-07:00

I've compiled a makeshift study guide for The Alchemist, by Paulo Coehlo. I'd like to share it with anyone who can't make it out, or stumbles on this page out on the interwebs. Enjoy!

Quotes from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting. (p11)

What's the world's greatest lie? It's this: that at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. (p18)

The boy didn't know what a person's "destiny" was. It's what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their destiny is. At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their destiny. (p22)

And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. (p23)

People learn early in their lives what is their reason for being. (p25)

When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him to places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision. (p71)

Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life. (p77)

When you want something with all your heart, that's when you are closest to the Soul of the World. It's always a positive force. (p82)

The alchemists spent years in their laboratories, observing the fire that purified the metals. They spent so much time close to the fire that gradually they gave up the vanities of the world. They discovered that the purification of the metals had led to a purification of themselves (p85)

"I learned that the world has a soul, and that whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of things. I learned that many alchemists realized their destinies, and wound up discovering the Soul of the World, the Philosopher's Stone, and the Elixir of Life. But above all, I learned that these things are all so simple they could be written on the surface of an emerald." (p87)

I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living now. (p88/89)

Because people become fascinated with pictures and words, and wind up forgetting the Language of the World. (p91)

In his pursuit of the dream, he was being constantly subjected to tests of his persistence and courage. So he could not be hasty, nor impatient. If he pushed forward impulsively, he would fail to see the signs and omens left by God along his path. (p93)

When you are in love, things make even more sense, he thought. (p105)

Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World. (p117)

Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure. You've got to find the treasure, so that everything you have learned along the way can make sense. (p122)

"There is only one way to learn," the alchemist answered. "It's through action. Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey”. (p132)

The wise men understood that this natural world is only an image and a copy of paradise. The existence of this world is simply a guarantee that there exists a world that is perfect. God created the world so that, through its visible objects, men could understand his spiritual teachings and the marvels of this wisdom. That's what I mean by action." (p133)

All you have to do is contemplate a simple grain of sand, and you will see in it all the marvels of creation. Listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World, and it will one day return there. (p134)

People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams, because they feel that they don't deserve them, or that they'll be unable to achieve them. (p136)

Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity.

Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him. (p138)

Every search begins with beginners luck and ends with the victor's being severely tested. (p139)

The boy and his heart had become friends, and neither was capable now of betraying the other. (p141)

When you are loved, you can do anything in creation. When you are loved, there's no need at all to understand what's happening, because everything happens within you. (p155)

Thoughts:

· What is meant by the "Language of the world"?

· Are omens really out there and are they important? What are omens? Are they just illusions that we see to justify something we feel or want to do, or are they something more?

· Are the king, the crystal merchant and the alchemist the same person or spirit?

· What was the point of finding the treasure close to where it was first dreamed about?

· Was the journey or finding the treasure more important? What does this mean about life? What happens in life when one actually achieves their personal legend?

· What was the point of the boy becoming the wind?

· What is your personal legend? Is it important to have one?

· Does the simplistic and primitive style of this book add or detract from the main goal, what ever you think the main goal is?

· What does it mean to say "the universe conspires to help you achieve what you want"?

About Paulo Coehlo:

His work has been translated in 67 languages and edited in more than 150 countries.

Messenger of Peace for the UN

Ambassador of European Union for Intercultural Dialogue for the year of 2008

Member of the Board of the Shimon Peres Institute for Peace

The Alchemist was one of the most important literary phenomena of the 20th century. It reaches the first place in bestselling lists in 74 countries, and so far has sold 35 million copies.

The Brazilian author PAULO COELHO was born in 1947 in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Before dedicating his life completely to literature, he worked as theatre director and actor, lyricist and journalist.

Coelho wrote song lyrics for many famous performers in Brazilian music, such as Elis Regina and Rita Lee. Yet his most well known work has been done with Raul Seixas. Together they wrote such successes as Eu nasci há dez mil anos atrás (I was born ten thousand years ago), Gita and Al Capone, amongst other 60 songs.

His fascination with the spiritual quest dates back to his hippie days, when he travelled the world learning about secret societies, oriental religions, etc

our second meetup is TOMORROW!

2009-05-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

come one, come all. bring a snack, a drink, or just your pretty selves. if you haven't read the book, or you want to bring a friend who hasn't read the book- that's okay. be prepared to listen to a bit of convo about it, and come with a suggestion for our next book. it'll probably be a juicy one this time around!

we're meeting at kyndra's this time around, at 7pm. her address is 6706 Buckhorn Cliff. You can google it, or visit the facebook event for phone numbers, etc- or message me here if you need more details.

i'd love to see this group get a little more in depth, and challenge you to read things you may not have read on your own.

please no kids, as this group is definitely adult and we don't want to offend little ears, nor do we want to take advantage in any way of all of our awesome hosts and hostesses generosity in offering up their homes for our lil group! and remember too, we'll need someone to volunteer to host the next one, which will be on June 23rd.

please let me know if you are planning on coming out, and who you are bringing, and if you're bringing a snack.

see you tomorrow, chic geeks!

Everything turns to gold in one week....

2009-05-06T18:35:00.001-07:00

So... one more week until our second book club meeting. You've got SIX DAYS to finish The Alchemist. It's a fast read, and a GOOD one. So, pick it up, and READ IT! We'll be meeting at Kyndra's Pad next Tuesday, 7pm. I'll send out a message on Monday with all the information you need to find your way. We all try to bring a snack, dessert or a drink. We do talk about the book, but don't feel awkward if you don't want to join in. We still would love to have your company, and your suggestion for our next book. So, get reading- everything turns to gold in one week!

There are always goodies... who knows what's in store for this week!

The Alchemist... the halfway point

2009-04-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

Good Morning, geeks! Shy, here- just checkin' in with the peeps to see how everyone is getting through our newest read The Alchemist. We are about at the halfway to our next "book party (as I like to call it)".

If you have not purchased your copy of this book yet, please do. It is a relatively quick read, coming in around 200 pages. But seriously, I flew through the first 100 on my first day picking it up. And I've still got about half to read.

If you have never read this book, it is very timely and awakening. It's like when someone nudges you when you are in a dream, and you have to decide whether to stay in the dream state, or allow the nudge to wake you up.

If you have read this book in the past, I would like to also welcome you to join in the discussion.
We had a really great time at our first event. Our "book party" is just that. Drinks, light food, and some great discussion. It looks like we're gearing up to have about 12 people this time around, but I'd like to make it 15-20. Our next meeting is Tuesday, May 12 at 7pm at Kyndra's pad, this time around.

We are alternating where we meet, so feel free to offer up your space for the next one. If no one is up for it we'll come back to my pad.

At our meeting we'll also be coming with book suggestions and voting on our next selection!

I' m very excited and I'd like you to try something new- that goes hand in hand with our book! Come out and see what it's like. We're fun chicks. And dudes.

Pass it on.

Owl Agree to that... The Alchemist... and other things

2009-04-01T07:24:00.000-07:00

Whoooooo made our first book club gathering a success? Why, you did, of course! Thanks to everyone who made it out. I counted 7 heads, not including the Jake, who was holed up in the bedroom with a pretty serious head cold, in deep hibernation.

I was impressed with the amount of food 7 people were able to put away, and the box of wine was perfect. We successfully devoured bruschetta, pesto and baguettes, taquitos, chips and salsa, cheese and crackers, and my cheeky owl cupcakes (themed, of course, for our first book- Downtown Owl). It was a great evening full of laughter and fun, and of course, some of us came out of our nerd closets.

There were some great book suggestions, and I'm hoping all of them can be incorporated into our reading program. We'll be meeting every six weeks, with a longer stretch of 8 weeks over the summer. We'll be able to pick a longer book for that stretch.

Without further adieu....the next book selection is..... drumroll please.....The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and Alan R. Clarke. This book was on best seller lists for a long time. It's an allegory originally published in Portuguese, and is said to be inspired by Jorge Luis Borges ' short story: Tale of two dreamers, from the 1935 collection A Universal History of Infamy.

I'm pretty excited about this selection. I hope you will be too. The availability of this book should be overwhelmingly greater than the last one, so I would check out your local bookstore, 1/2 price books, library, or even on Amazon for used book sellers. Recycle, support your local businesses, but whatever you do- start reading!

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, May 12, 7pm with my cheerful intelligent friend Kyndra acting as host.

Please invite a friend to begin reading, and let's see if we can double attendance for our next meeting.

Happy reading!!!

Tuesday- Be There!

2009-03-29T21:19:00.001-07:00

WHOOO WHOOO is ready?

2009-03-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

Hi Geek Chic-ers!

We're just about a week away from our first Book Club gathering at my pad.

A little info:

1. There will be a box of wine, and probably cupcakes (ooooooOOOOOoooo)
2. More beverages and/or food are welcome.
3. Someone will need to offer to host the next one at their place, and we'll all bring goodies.
4. The next club will be on May 12th.
5. Everyone should have an idea for the next book, and there will be a vote.
6. Be ready to talk about the book.
7. You're welcome if you haven't read it, just be ready to read the next book with us!
8. I am excited, and I am a geek, yet sort of cool, and that's why I named this "geek chic".

weenie dog in owl costume. not required for attendance.

Please leave a comment or send me a message on myspace, facebook, or via text so I know you're coming, and if you plan on bringing anything or anyone along. I'll respond with directions as we get closer to next Tuesday.

everyone will be getting their own tattoo at the party. :P

Happy Reading!

on your mark....

2009-03-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

It looks like we have between 8-10 people, i'd love to keep growing this, but it's a good start. we've made our first selection, it's DOWNTOWN OWL, by Chuck Klosterman. If you'd like to learn a little bit more about the author, here's a good place to start:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Klosterman

He's written some pretty funny pop culture books, I think I've read them all- but this is his first work of fiction. There's some language, so if you can hang with this book you can definitely hang with this book club.

If you don't have your book yet, you need to pick it up at Borders, or order it from Amazon. You've still got 3 1/2 good weeks of reading time! Yeah! It's an easy one, don't worry.

Our first meeting after reading will be March 31st, expect some wine and some good conversation. That night we'll pick our next book by vote. If you have a friend that you think would like to join but won't be getting in on this first book, please bring them with you to the club and they can start the next book with us.

Yahoooo!!! Happy reading.

ordering our first book....

2009-02-20T08:32:00.000-08:00

so, i checked in stores in san antonio, and it looks like Downtown Owl is out of stock at Barnes & Nobles. it is in stock at Borders, especially the Quarry location, and you can reserve your copy on line and they will hold it for you to pick up.
however, i ordered my copy at amazon.com, like i do for most things, and got a whopping $8 discount. because i had some other things to order, i ended up with free shipping.

wherever you decide to get your book- get it! you've got 6 weeks to read it!

in the future, if we get a good, consistent turnout, we can purchase our books all at once.... but we've got to get a good group going first. so, turn on a friend to this book, and then let me know about it!

now go get geeky.

Tina said so.

Our First Book

2009-02-18T07:12:00.000-08:00

Our first book is.... (drumroll, please)

Downtown Owl, by Chuck Klosterman.

If you don't know much about old Chuck, you should check out his wikipedia page. I've pretty much read all of his other books. This will be light, and fun, and not overtly chick-ish, so everyone can enjoy it.

Our first meeting will be March 31st, so get reading!

Email me or call me if you have any questions. Please invite others to join. I'd love for this to turn into a spectacular group of completely cool nerds reading tons of books!

Cheers....

Welcome to Geek Chic!

2009-02-17T09:07:00.000-08:00

We're quiet, mischievous, and we may or may not wear glasses.

One thing is certain:

We love books.

Books don't have to be heavy to be good. This book club is dedicated to chicks (or dudes) who enjoy a good read, a laugh, a drink, and conversation. We'll read one book every 4-6 weeks and then we'll rotate houses/venues. I'd like to hear your thoughts on which book to start with from the following (one with the most votes wins):

When You Are Engulfed In Flames - David Sedaris

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

Ghost Quartet- Marvin Kaye

Secret Diary of a Call Girl- Belle De Jour

Downtown Owl- Chuck Klosterman

Please email or call or RSVP to give me an idea of who is going to start this adventure with me!