Jamise’s
Comments
(group member since Jun 03, 2015)
Jamise’s
comments
from the Spines and Vines group.
Showing 1-20 of 72
Irene wrote: "Sorry to see this one close, but I do understand the decision. We had some great titles here. But, I agree, the participation was frightfully low."THANK YOU for your consistent participation! See you in Kick Up Your Heels :)
Due to a low amount of participation on Spines & VInes and my time committment to my other efforts, I am closing this group. Please join us at Kick Up Your Heels Bookclub: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Irene wrote: "Did you ever finish it? Would love to discuss it."I have not. Hope to finish this weekend. I'm at the point where the mom is visiting Mia's parents.
Irene wrote: "Finished this yesterday. I really like Ng's writing style. There is something so comfortable about It, like wearing those favorite, perfectly broken-in shoes, so exactly molded that you no longer a..."I have 6 chapters left in this book. I agree, I love Ng's writing style. It's comfortable and easy going.
November Spine of the Month 
Guidelines:
1. Please discuss Sing, Unburied, Sing here. This forum open for discussion at any time. You don't have to wait until the end of the month to chat about the book.
2. Remember to add *SPOILER* at the beginning of your comment should it reveal any plot element which will give away important details or outcomes. Everyone may start at different times and read at different speeds.
3. If Discussion Questions are listed, feel free to answer as many as you wish to spark conversation with members.
4. Please remain courteous and respectful of members and their opinions.
If you've previously read this book selection, please feel free to engage & share your thoughts.
October Spine of the Month 
Guidelines:
1. Please discuss Little Fires Everywhere here. This forum open for discussion at any time. You don't have to wait until the end of the month to chat about the book.
2. Remember to add *SPOILER* at the beginning of your comment should it reveal any plot element which will give away important details or outcomes. Everyone may start at different times and read at different speeds.
3. If Discussion Questions are listed, feel free to answer as many as you wish to spark conversation with members.
4. Please remain courteous and respectful of members and their opinions.
If you've previously read this book selection, please feel free to engage & share your thoughts.
September Spine of the Month 
Guidelines:
1. Please discuss The Ministry of Utmost Happiness here. This forum open for discussion at any time. You don't have to wait until the end of the month to chat about the book.
2. Remember to add *SPOILER* at the beginning of your comment should it reveal any plot element which will give away important details or outcomes. Everyone may start at different times and read at different speeds.
3. If Discussion Questions are listed, feel free to answer as many as you wish to spark conversation with members.
4. Please remain courteous and respectful of members and their opinions.
If you've previously read this book selection, please feel free to engage & share your thoughts.
August Spine of the Month Oprah's Bookclub Current Selection:
Guidelines:
1. Please discuss Behold the Dreamers: A Novel here. This forum open for discussion at any time. You don't have to wait until the end of the month to chat about the book.
2. Remember to add *SPOILER* at the beginning of your comment should it reveal any plot element which will give away important details or outcomes. Everyone may start at different times and read at different speeds.
3. If Discussion Questions are listed, feel free to answer as many as you wish to spark conversation with members.
4. Please remain courteous and respectful of members and their opinions.
If you've previously read this book selection, please feel free to engage & share your thoughts.
June Spine of the Month
Guidelines:
1. Please discuss Another Brooklyn here. This forum open for discussion at any time. You don't have to wait until the end of the month to chat about the book.
2. Remember to add *SPOILER* at the beginning of your comment should it reveal any plot element which will give away important details or outcomes. Everyone may start at different times and read at different speeds.
3. If Discussion Questions are listed, feel free to answer as many as you wish to spark conversation with members.
4. Please remain courteous and respectful of members and their opinions.
If you've previously read this book selection, please feel free to engage & share your thoughts.
Lynecia wrote: "Jamise wrote: "I'm not sure if anyone is reading this gem of a book but here's my review...https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...I love Gay's writing style however I struggle at times w..."
Yes it's quite brutal. I recently read her short story collection Ayiti and did not realize that one of those stories eventually became her book An Untamed State. I haven't read An Untamed State simply because I've been told it's a tough read & graphic read.
I'm not sure if anyone is reading this gem of a book but here's my review...https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...I love Gay's writing style however I struggle at times with her material because women usually suffer to great extremes.
Irene wrote: "Drat, I can't find a copy of this one at BookShare or BARD which are my lending sources. I will keep watching for it in case either acquire this title. Otherwise, I will have to pass on this month'..."Have you tried Overdrive?
Discussion QuestionsLitLovers talking points to start a discussion for Difficult Women
1. What is a difficult woman? How does Roxane Gay describe her...and how do you describe her? What makes a woman "difficult"?
2. Of the various women in her stories, which are your favorites and why? What makes them "difficult"?
3. Talk about the lives Gay's female characters lead, especially their jobs: maids, aerobic instructor, sex workers, engineer. What are those jobs like? Is it the positions/roles/jobs that make women difficult? What other types of jobs or roles would qualify?
4. What experiences have you had in which you might be deemed "difficult"?
5. In "Bone Density," one of the characters says, "We play games because we can and we like it." What kind of games does she refer to, and what does she mean when she says, "Most days these games keep us together, somehow"? Are women more adept at game-playing than men?
6. Talk about the unusual structure in some of Gay's stories, as well as point-of-view shifts, from first to third person. Others stories delve into surrealism, a glass wife, for instance. What, if anything, do those anomalies contribute to the stories? Or perhaps they detract from your reading experience.
7. Brutal things happen to babies in these stories: they're stillborn, abandoned, maimed in a parking lot. Notice, also, the way Gay links violence with sex—which is a long-held literary trope. Want to take a stab at the meaning or significance of all this?
9. Do any of the characters or events in the stories shock you...appall you...or anger you?
May Spine of the Month
Guidelines:
1. Please discuss Difficult Women here. This forum open for discussion at any time. You don't have to wait until the end of the month to chat about the book.
2. Remember to add *SPOILER* at the beginning of your comment should it reveal any plot element which will give away important details or outcomes. Everyone may start at different times and read at different speeds.
3. If Discussion Questions are listed, feel free to answer as many as you wish to spark conversation with members.
4. Please remain courteous and respectful of members and their opinions.
If you've previously read this book selection, please feel free to engage & share your thoughts.
Weekend Check-in!How are you all enjoying Exit West? I see some have finished. I started listening to the audiobook and was enjoying it but my loan expired. I hope to finish up with the book this week. I love the writing but was struggling a bit with the fantasy aspect. It's just not my thing.
I had the opportunity to attend the Washington DC Premiere of HBO's Film The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, starring Oprah Winfrey. It was an incredible night. The President of HBO, Playright/Director George C. Wolfe and 60 members of the Lacks Family were in attendance.When this book was released it quickly became one of my top 10 favorites. Finally this remarkable story is being told and Henriettas contribution to science and medicine will be known worldwide.
Be sure to watch the film on HBO, Saturday, April 22nd! If you loved the book, you will enjoy the movie. Superb cast!
I snagged a photo with the author, Rebecca Skloot :)
Fantastic evening with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She was in conversation with NPR's Audie Cornish.
I've also included an artilce about the event. The title is very misleading and unfair. One would need to read the entire article to gain the full context of the conversation.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
I posted clearer photos here: https://twitter.com/spinesvines/statu...
MsG wrote: "Sounds like a good one. The book is released this month so our library have several on order. My reservation is 73. Hope to have it for the April discussion."Going forward I will make the book announcement in advance to allow time for library / overdrive loans. Welcome back!
