Wednesday, October 25, 2006

book clubbing in October

Today my book club discussed Sorrel Wilby's travelogue, Journey Across Tibet (subtitled "a young woman's trek across the rooftop of the world"). During the voting for the year's book club selections Dalai Lama fever, as I called it, was in full swing here in Buffalo (His Holiness visited in September) and I am fairly certain that is precisely why this book received so many votes.
To start, I have to say that I was disappointed by the much-touted foreword by H.H. the Dalai Lama. The half-page forward said very little of substance.

As for the book itself, it was OK. I expected more photographs since Wilby is supposed to be a photojournalist. The story of her trip across Tibet is a very personal story. It focuses more on her and how she grew and changed throughout the trip than on the nation itself. Wilby definitely has a lot of gumption. I can’t even fathom doing what she did. However, I do have to admit, that I found her grating after a while, but that may also be because I read the book in more-or-less one sitting so I never really got a break from her monologue.

10 comments:

  1. What time does your book group meet?

    Sounds like you hit on the reason why I'm not a huge fan of non-fiction. At least with fiction, a humdrum narrative voice can be broken up with dialogue!

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  2. We meet over lunch one Wednesday a month :)

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  3. That's cool.

    Some of my members are concerned that our latest selection is a bit... on the ... porn side! I had no idea when I suggested it, or I wouldn't have!

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  4. How exotic these Book Group meetings sound to me where such things don't exist :( at least doesn't exist on voluntary basis. It's just like literature classes discussing about mandatory novels. However nothing nearly porn ... and why should they be concerned? What's wrong with porn? (Susan of course you've suggested it!)

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  5. I actually suggested and then organized a book club at work. It's the first book club that I've ever been a part of. :)

    Well, Susan, if it makes you feel any better I loaned a book like that to my mom (part of my monstrous TBR)... she actually took it in stride she just didn't know what to write in the journal entry. LOL

    But... it's time fess up!
    My salicious book is Silk by Alessandro Baricco. What's yours? ;)

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  6. The Witch of Cologne, by Tobsha Learner. I'm not convinced it's great literature and I found a few interviews with her that are sort of a ... well, turn-off.

    BUT I think that all of this put together would make for one hell of an interesting discussion.

    I need to convince this group -- all of whom are my mom's age -- that it's worth reading and discussing such in-your-face sexuality, as it is apparently very important to the author's vision.

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  7. My coworker and I were actually just talking about that book this morning! She said she'd read the first part of it in the store and was looking forward to getting a copy.

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  8. If she can wait until December (our meeting's at the end of November), I'll be glad to send her my copy. Unless you want me to save it for an upcoming historical swap???????

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  9. Well, if you're going to pass it along for her, I'm sure she'll let me read it... whereas with the swap, who knows... ;)

    OMG, she just walked in and I told her and she is SO excited. Gotta love starting the workday in a good mood!

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  10. Glad to be of service.

    I'll send the book out as soon as we're done with it.

    Happy Friday!!

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