Category — Book Club

Welcome to the third tour of the Barren Bitches Book Brigade–a book club from the comfort of your own living room. Grab a cup of coffee and start clicking away at the links below.

Just to explain, this book club is entirely online and open to anyone in the infertility/pregnancy loss/assisted conception/adoption/parenting-after-infertility world (as well as any other related category I inadvertently left off the list). It is called a book tour because everyone reads the same book and then poses a question to the group. Participants choose a few questions to answer and then post their response on their blog. Readers can jump from blog to blog, commenting along the way.

Book: The Time Traveler’s Wife
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Start Date: March 6th
Post Date: April 16th
(need an explanation of how a book tour works? Click here to go to a list of posts on the past book tours.)

Barren Bitches Book Brigade List (click on any of the links below to take you to a stop on this book tour. Jump from post to post to read a plethora of opinions and thoughts on The Time Traveler’s Wife)

Stirrup Queens and Sperm Palace Jesters (Melissa)–my post is below
The Annex (Josh)
Sticky Feet (Jamie)
In Search of Biscuit 2.0 (Little Angel Kisses)
Carrying On (Katherine)
My Journey Towards My Little Miracle (Sunny)
Wishing and Waiting (Nicole)
A Somewhat Ordinary Life (Amy)
Our Own Creation (AMS)
Vanilla Dreams (Vanilla)
The Tragic Optimist (Ann)
Chris posting on The Tragic Optimist (Ann’s Husband, Chris)
Serenity Now! (Serenity)
Fertility Musings (Rachel)
My Perky Ovaries (Karen)
Coming 2 Terms (Pamela)
Beaten But Not Bowed (The Drowned Girl)
Kir’s Corner (Kir)
PCOS Baby (Erin)
King Baby (Jessica)
Hell or High Water (Starfish)
Southern Infertility (Samantha)
Infertile Fantasies (Bea)
The Oneliner (Christina)

Even if you haven’t read the book, you can jump into the conversation in the comments section of any of the blogs above.

Like the idea of being in a book club without leaving your living room? The next book for book tour #4 is Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein. Peggy Orenstein has agreed to join us for the tour and she’ll be around to answer questions and read your reactions to her book. Which is extremely cool, but she’s just that kind of chickie–the cool kind.

Tour #4 will start tomorrow (April 17). Participants will read Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein. On Wednesday, May 30th, everyone will send one question based on the book (to get a sense of questions, click here to see the questions sent for book tour #2) to thetowncriers@gmail.com. I will compile the questions into lists that will be emailed out to you or posted on May 31st. Everyone will choose 3 questions from the list and answer them on their own blog on June 4th. On June 4th, I’ll also post a master list and people can jump from blog to blog, reading and commenting on the book tour. We may also do a separate post of Peggy answering questions that week too.

If you would like to sign up to participate in book tour #4, leave a comment below or send me an email at thetowncriers@gmail.com. I need the title and a link to your blog as well as an email address where you’d like the two or three book club emails sent. If a spouse wants to participate too and he/she doesn’t have their own blog, have them set up a blog solely for book tours (as we did with the Annex) and send me a link to that blog. And if you’re a reader without a blog, now is a great time to set up a space for yourself on Blogger. People will be able to find brand-spanking-new blogs because they will be on the book tour’s participant list. Happy reading.

Wanted to take a moment to post the master list for the third tour of the Barren Bitches Book Club. Not on the list? Anyone in the infertility/pregnancy loss/adoption/parenting-after-infertility/assisted conception community (as well as all other related groups that I inadvertently forgot) can join–all you need is a blog (and you can set one up for free via Blogger).

Now that we’re up to two male participants, they either need to become exceedingly bitchy or we need to add to the book tour name…

Book: The Time Traveler’s Wife
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Start Date: March 6th
Question Due: April 11th
All Questions Listed: April 12th
Post Date: April 16th
(need an explanation of how a book tour works? Click here to go to a list of posts on the past book tours.)

Barren Bitches Book Brigade List (click on any of the links below on April 16th to take you to a stop on this book tour. Jump from post to post to read a plethora of opinions and thoughts on The Time Traveler’s Wife. I will keep adding to this list until 11 p.m. on April 11th. The list is currently open)

Stirrup Queens and Sperm Palace Jesters (Melissa)
The Annex (Josh)
Sticky Feet (Jamie)
In Search of Biscuit 2.0 (Little Angel Kisses)
Carrying On (Katherine)
My Journey Towards My Little Miracle (Sunny)
Wishing and Waiting (Nicole)
A Somewhat Ordinary Life (Amy)
Our Own Creation (AMS)
Vanilla Dreams (Vanilla)
The Tragic Optimist (Ann)
Chris posting on The Tragic Optimist (Ann’s Husband, Chris)
Serenity Now! (Serenity)
Fertility Musings (Rachel)
My Perky Ovaries (Karen)
Coming 2 Terms (Pamela)
Beaten But Not Bowed (The Drowned Girl)
Kir’s Corner (Kir)
PCOS Baby (Erin)
King Baby (Jessica)
Hell or High Water (Starfish)
Southern Infertility (Samantha)
Infertile Fantasies (Bea)
The Oneliner (Christina)

Not on the list and want to join? Drop me an email at thetowncriers@gmail.com. You can add yourself up until 11 p.m. on April 11th.

How the book tour works:

(1) leave a comment or send me an email (thetowncriers@gmail.com) saying that you’re interested in participating.

(2) read The Time Traveler’s Wife by April 11th.

(3) create a single question that would kick off a discussion (in other words, any question that leads to more than a “yes” or “no” answer where someone can express their opinion) and mail it to me on April 11th (or any time beforehand). I will send you a reminder email close to the date. Click here to see sample questions from tour #2.

(4) on April 12th, I will post the list of possible questions. Everyone will choose 5 questions off the list and answer them in a blog entry.

(5) on April 16th, everyone will post their entry. I will post my answers too and an entry about post day so people can go around and read the entries and comment (start a discussion back and forth in the comments section). Reading the entries and commenting on the posts is the best part of the tour–by the end of the week, you should have a comment from every participant (and maybe even a few new permanent blog readers).

Welcome to the second tour of the Barren Bitches Book Brigade (and yes, it looks like it will remain the Barren Bitches after the vote last week)–a book club from the comfort of your own living room. Grab a cup of coffee and start clicking away at the links below.

Just to explain, this book club is entirely online and open to anyone in the infertility/pregnancy loss/assisted conception/adoption/parenting-after-infertility world (as well as any other related category I inadvertently left off the list). It is called a book tour because everyone reads the same book and then poses a question to the group. Participants choose a few questions to answer and then post their response on their blog. Readers can jump from blog to blog, commenting along the way.

Book: Children of Men (yes, the book that was made into a movie this year–so if you saw the movie or read the book, jump into the discussion)
Author: P.D. James
Post Date: March 5th
Click here to see the master list of questions created by the Barren Bitches.

The Barren Bitches Book Brigade List (click on any of the links below to take you to a stop on this book tour)

Stirrup Queens and Sperm Palace Jesters (Mel)–my post is directly below the post you are currently reading
The Annex (Josh)
Wishing and Waiting (NCD)
Evil Mommy (Spyderkl)
King Baby (Jessica)
My Many Blessings (Tina)
The Iron Circle (Cathleen)
The Opposite of Knocked Up (Melissa)
Still Passing Open Windows (Carlynn)
Outlandish Notions (Sharah)
The Tragic Optimist (Ann)
Once (Ms. Once)
Infertility Sucks! (S)
Postcards From the Mothership (Danigirl)
My Inconceivable Life (Inglewood)
Beaten But Not Bowed (The Drowned Girl)

Even if you haven’t read the book, you can jump into the conversation in the comments section of any of the blogs above.

Like the idea of being in a book club without leaving your living room? The next book for book tour #3 has been chosen (as well as books for tours #4 and #5). We will be reading The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (and to give a heads up for anyone who wants to read ahead or get on a reserve list at the library: the books for tours #4 and #5 are Maybe Baby by Lori Leibovich and Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein. Peggy Orenstein will be joining us when we read Waiting for Daisy to answer our questions!).

Tour #3 will start tomorrow (March 6). Participants will read The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. On Wednesday, April 11th, everyone will send one question based on the book (to get a sense of questions, click here to see the questions sent for book tour #2) to thetowncriers@gmail.com. I will compile the questions into a list that will be posted on April 12th. Everyone will choose 5 questions from the list and answer them on their own blog on April 16th. On April 16th, I’ll also post a master list and people can jump from blog to blog, reading and commenting on the book tour.

If you would like to sign up to participate in book tour #3, leave a comment below or send me an email at thetowncriers@gmail.com. I need the title and a link to your blog as well as an email address where you’d like the two or three book club emails sent. If a spouse wants to participate too and he/she doesn’t have their own blog, have them set up a blog solely for book tours (as we did with the Annex) and send me a link to that blog. And if you’re a reader without a blog, now is a great time to set up a space for yourself on Blogger. People will be able to find brand-spanking-new blogs because they will be on the book tour’s participant list. Happy reading.

Skip the movie and dive into the book…

Book: Children of Men
Author: P. D. James
Question Due: February 27th
All Questions Listed: February 28th
Post Date: March 5
(need an explanation of these dates or information on the book club? Click here)

Why Children of Men: apparently the book delves into the topic of infertility and loss more than the movie where infertility is treated simply as a device for the plot. The book actually comments on how infertility is affecting the people who can’t conceive. I thought it would be interesting to hear our reaction to the book and I’ve set up the book tour for maximum diversity of our responses. Read below…

Barren Bitches Book Brigade List (click on any of the links below on March 5th to take you to a stop on this book tour. Jump from post to post to read a plethora of opinions and thoughts on Children of Men. I will keep adding to this list until 11 p.m. on February 27th. The list is currently open)

Stirrup Queens and Sperm Palace Jesters (Mel)
The Annex (Josh)
Wishing and Waiting (NCD)
Evil Mommy (Spyderkl)
King Baby (Jessica)
My Many Blessings (Tina)
The Iron Circle (Cathleen)
The Opposite of Knocked Up (Melissa)
Still Passing Open Windows (Carlynn)
Outlandish Notions (Sharah)
The Tragic Optimist (Ann)
Once (Ms. Once)
Infertility Sucks! (S)
Postcards From the Mothership (Danigirl)
My Inconceivable Life (Inglewood)
Beaten But Not Bowed (The Drowned Girl)

Not on the list and want to join? Drop me an email at thetowncriers@gmail.com. You can add yourself up until 11 p.m. on February 27th.

Side note: I bought the book at a used bookstore yesterday for $3! It was in the “mystery” section.

How the book tour works:

(1) leave a comment or send me an email (thetowncriers@gmail.com) saying that you’re interested in participating.

(2) like the first tour, I will keep adding to this list of participants so people will know who is participating and where to go to read other reviews on “post day” (March 5). You can add yourself to the list up until February 27.

(3) read Children of Men by February 27 (a little more than 6 weeks).

(4) create a single question that would kick off a discussion (in other words, any question that leads to more than a “yes” or “no” answer where someone can express their opinion) and mail it to me on February 27th (or any time beforehand).

(5) on February 28th, I will post the list of possible questions. Everyone will choose 5 questions off the list and answer them in a blog entry (if we only have 5 participants, we’ll all be answering the same questions. If there are more questions, we’ll have more variation on the blog entries because people will choose to answer different questions).

(6) on March 5, everyone will post their entry. I will post my answers too and a reminder that it’s post day so people can go around and read the entries and comment (start a discussion back and forth in the comments section). I think it will lead to an interesting discussion because even if people haven’t read the book, they may have seen the movie and can still comment. Plus, the book speaks to the experience of infertility/loss.

The best part about an online book club? That people can participate whenever they have time and the mood strikes. Too busy at work right now? Drop out for this book. Didn’t feel like reading an adoption book? No problem–join in on this one if it appeals to you. In the interest of making this as inclusive as possible, I have an idea for a book that has been translated into numerous languages and is old enough to be at most libraries. So on that note, I’d like to throw out an idea for the next book selection–Children of Men by P.D. James.

Wait!

Before you protest because you’ve seen those god-awful trailers for the movie (um…though if you’re going to protest that you turn to movies and books to escape therefore watching a movie or reading a book about infertility isn’t really an “escape”…well…you can keep protesting because I don’t really have a way around that factor), I’ve heard that the book is very different from the movie.

Josh read an interesting review in the New York Times comparing the book Children of Men by P. D. James to the current film. Apparently, unlike the film, the book doesn’t treat infertility and loss as a side plot only interesting in how it speaks to the future of mankind. Caryn James writes: “Ms. James creates a beautifully realized world, making fine points the film has no time for: childless women push dolls in baby carriages, and couples hold christening ceremonies after the births of kittens.”

Frankly, I would love to hear the thoughts of fellow stirrup queens and sperm palace jesters. Who better to bring deeper understanding to a book about infertility than men and women who have actually gone through the experience? Anyone else up to reading and blogging about the book version of Children of Men?

Here’s how it would work:

(1) leave a comment or send me an email (thetowncriers@gmail.com) saying that you’re interested in participating.

(2) like the first tour, I will compile and post a list of participants so people will know who is participating and where to go to read other reviews on “post day” (March 5). You can add yourself to the list up until February 27.

(3) read the book by February 27 (a little more than 6 weeks).

(4) create a single question that would kick off a discussion (in other words, any question that leads to more than a “yes” or “no” answer where someone can express their opinion) and mail it to me on February 27th (or any time beforehand).

(5) on February 28th, I will post the list of possible questions. Everyone will choose 5 questions off the list and answer them in a blog entry (if we only have 5 participants, we’ll all be answering the same questions. If there are more questions, we’ll have more variation on the blog entries because people will choose to answer different questions).

(6) on March 5, everyone will post their entry. I will post my answers too and a reminder that it’s post day so people can go around and read the entries and comment. I think it will lead to an interesting discussion because even if people haven’t read the book, they may have seen the movie and can still comment. Plus, the book speaks to the experience of infertility/loss.

Okay, so online book clubs have the disadvantage that we can’t get out of the house and see each other face-to-face. BUT you get to participate whenever you have time during the day rather than a set hour. And you can blog from the comfort of your living room while wearing pyjamas. And how else can you have a book club that spans from Singapore to Washington, D.C.?

Let me know if you want in on this book tour. And start thinking ahead–what does everyone want to read for book tour #3? Plus, an interview with Elizabeth Swire Falker later this week!