What do you think of the novel so far?

Did you know the answer to the mystery early on?

Did the ending surprise you?

How did you feel about Mikael Blomkvist? Lisbeth Salander? Henrik Vanger?

Will you continue reading the series?

Please RSVP!

Did you enjoy the book?

Why do you think the University chose it as a summer reading book?

Would you ever have the patience to be Mr. Lopez?

Have you watched the movie? How does it compare to the book?

Lauren and I have been hard at work coming up with great ideas for Fall 2010 Honors Book Discussion Group! We’re very much looking forward to this semester and seeing all of your faces again!

Here are some things we have to look forward to this semester:

• Our first book is going to be The Soloist by Steve Lopez. This is the summer reading book for incoming freshman, so if you know any Honors freshman, invite them to the first meeting! The meeting will take place during the week of September 7. Exact time and date are still TBD.
• Other possible reads this summer include Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson, The Giver by Lois Lowry, The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan, and The Rum Diary by Hunter Thompson.
• We are working on getting approval for a social event hosted by the Honors Book Discussion. This event would include Ghost Stories, team building, a Halloween movie based off of a book, and of course FOOD. More details will be given as things progress. If anyone is interested in volunteering to help make this event possible, please let us know!

Please continue to promote the Honors Book Discussion. If any of you are Honors Peer Mentors, please encourage your Mentee to join! Lauren and I will be at the Honors Group Fair on August 31 to help promote our group!

And remember YOU DON’T HAVE TO FINISH THE BOOK!!!!! 

- Cait

Hope you’re enjoying your summer! Lauren, Pam, and I are working on great plans for the upcoming semester so stay tuned!

If you or someone you know is interested in joining the group, please email me at cmo18@zips.uakron.edu!

See you soon!

Today at the meeting we talked a lot about plans for next semester! Here’s a run-down:

We will be hosting meetings on Tuesdays at 5:00 PM next semester. This day seemed to better accommodate people’s schedules.

Therefore, the first meeting of the semester will be Tuesday, January 19th at 5:00 PM in the Honors Common Room where we will be discussing The Pelican Brief by John Grisham. Please find a copy at your library or purchase it used through amazon.com (Dr. Katz got hers for $4 on amazon, including shipping!).

We want to meet the following week, Tuesday, January 26th at 5:00 PM to watch the movie! Even if you have classes before or afterwards, at least come for part of the evening!

Next, we wanted to vote on a handful of books to discuss for our next two meetings. First place will be our February book and second place will be our March book. Please choose one of the following! (February meeting tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, February 16 at 5 PM. March meeting tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, March 23 at 5 PM).

View This Poll

Please have voting completed by Friday, December 11!

Finally, in April, David Sedaris will be coming to speak. Sedaris has written a handful of books such as “When You are Engulfed in Flames” and “Me Talk Pretty One Day.” In preparation for his visit, we will be discussing his books in April. You may pick any one of them to read and share with the group! Dr. Katz will be checking on ticket prices for the event since it unfortunately isn’t going to be free for students but she feels it will be well worth it. David Sedaris will be speaking on Wednesday, April 21 at 8 PM. We can meet the day before on Tuesday, April 20 to discuss his books!

We will be discussing a series of Malcolm Gladwell books. You may choose from the following:

1. Blink
2. Tipping Point
3. Outliers

This discussion is in honor of Mr. Gladwell’s visit to campus on Wednesday, November 11 at 7:30 PM at EJ Thomas Hall. If you are interested in attending with the group, please send your name and email to Cait.

Malcolm Gladwell\’s Website

We will not be ordering any of the books so please check your local library or amazon.com’s used books!

1. Wednesday, October 21, Anne Patchett will be speaking at EJ starting at 7:30. Tickets are free.
2. Wednesday, November 11, Malcolm Gladwell will be speaking at EJ starting at 7:30. We are planning on attending it as a group if you are interested in joining us. Again, tickets will be free.
3. Since Malcolm Gladwell is coming to speak, we thought it would be nice to have a “Malcolm Gladwell Discussion” on Thursday, November 19th at 5:15 PM in the Honors Common Room. You may choose between “Blink,” “Tipping Point,” and “Outliers.” We will be discussing all three. We are not purchasing the books this time so you can start reading as soon as you are able! Check out the books from your library or look for used books on Amazon.com.
4. We would like to get together to discuss the ending to The Book Thief. We discussed either the week before exams (December 3) or the week of exams (December 10). People were concerned with the week prior to exams due to projects and papers due before the end of the term. PLEASE VOTE: DECEMBER 3 OR DECEMBER 10 (See below).
5. We are also choosing the book to discuss for January! We wanted to choose a book that is now a movie so that we can have a discussion and movie night. The choices are: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, The World According to Garp by John Irving, or The Pelican Brief by John Grisham. PLEASE VOTE FOR ONE OF THE THREE. (See below).

Check out the write up of Book Thief in the New York Times Book Review. Please post questions or comments you have as you read!

Also, an interview with the author on amazon.com!

Enjoy