WTFBC - Book 3 - The Complete Companion - Review

WTFBC  

JOSS WHEDON  
THE COMPLETE COMPANION 

POPMATTERS

 It's always tricky reviewing a book that naturally divides itself up - short stories for example. If you get too stuck in on one section; you might not have time to get an overall view of the writing and so on.

And the write up's always reflect that imbalance.  
Trust me. 
I speak from painful experience. 

Thankfully, everyone else had realised the same thing so rather then discuss this huge book in one go - we decided that we were going to discuss it first as a whole and then focus on one other section in detail. Being the logical people that we are - naturally Buffy was that section. Next time - tentatively set for the 18th of September - we'll be discussing the Angel and Firefly sections. 

To try something new - because I can't seem to get enough of that - I'm going to let our tweets do most of the talking. No matter how long I'm online; I'm constantly amazed at how easily concepts were conveyed in an conversation like the one that flowed last night. Going back over the tweets; it seems like so little was actually said. We've just gotten to know each other very well I guess!
Our conversations jumped about the place a bit, so I shall try to gather the strands coherently. I've done some minor editing - for example putting two consecutive tweets together - but only where necessary.  

#WTFBC What I love about books like this is the origin story. 

In interviews & books, I love hearing about what influenced their creations.

Though we all of us enjoyed the book; we had quite a few issues and in our usual restrained way jumped right it. Given that Our Glorious Leader - THE WHEDON ONE - is still making films, comics and tv shows; the title irritated.

... it's not the complete companion, it can't be. he hasn't finished yet! #WTFBC

Immediately followed by...

he was still working on stuff while they were writing it! #WTFBC

In addition; dividing the books up into tv shows; comics and films felt very simplistic. I felt that using an internal chronology or by theme would have allowed for strands without the shows to be connected in a less forced way. We felt that the book was weighted towards Buffy and Firefly with Angel and Dollhouse woefully under-represented.  

Yes! Chronology would have been good. But I think if they'd just made it more even throughout #WTFBC
I felt they could've had a lot less of the Buffy essays :) #WTFBC

Because some of the essays were addressing more than one tv show so theme may have been better, such as heroes, identity, etc #WTFBC

Yes! I thought it was a bit unequal. Would have thought Dollhouse would give rich pickings. Maybe not as popular yet?? #WTFBC

With such an uneven distribution of material; the added advantage of dividing it up by theme would have allowed us to cover a greater range of shows/comics/films. 

We enjoyed the 101; the interview with the Mayor...sorry Harry Groener and the essay about the lapsed fan, though we did feel that the information wasn't new. All the info and the interview had all been published previously and - geeks that we are - most of us were familiar with the concepts. 

I loved the info about the voice over. Angel at start as Buffy is powerless but she takes it back and it's her voice at the end :) and the shadows representing how the characters have been touched by Angelus' darkness #WTFBC

We didn't like when the writers were poorly informed about the topic...

Some of the essays didn't really seem to know their subject matter either. Various comments on character progression assumed things incorrectly. If they had done their research they would have known that X character left because of the actor etc etc #WTFBC

And we really didn't like it when conclusions were drawn that ran contrary to canon...

Some of the essays seemed to be using Whedon's works to pursue their own point, rather than making a point out of Whedon's works#WTFBC

used as descriptions not as the point. Grrr #WTFBC

I felt that about many of the essays, they just didn't seem to have a Whedon related point

Or blatantly used the show to show a particular agenda. 

#WTFBC I *hate* when people use my favourite show to validate an opinion on a social issue they have. and write off everyone who differs [with them]

#WTFBC the most amazing thing about the #buffy fandom - MY fandom - is that it's totally inclusive. We'll take anyone who loves it!

My raving quickly dissipated into laughter at the response
...yeh, except for that one guy. We hate him#WTFBC

However there were two essay that really got us steamed. 

I think I hated the women who hate women essay. In fact, yes I did. Packed full of bullshit #WTFBC

I seem to remember swearing a lot while reading that essay #WTFBC

Women who hate women - it says that women in buffy can't be friends where men are concerned then refs 2 eps #WTFBC

And love for Xander was fierce. As soon as the subject of *that* essay was raised; the troops were rallied and a defence promptly mounted. 
We agreed that Xander was vital to the group dynamic - not merely for being the heart and eye of the scoobies; but that as a non supernatural; he provided the space for the me's to join in the fun. 
He truly grew up during the course of the evening. 
And of course he talked Willow down. That was just awesome. And lets not forget the Zeppo.


The essay about Xander - he peaked too soon!!!!! How about what he did in s7?? Poor Xander always gets belittled #WTFBC

#WTFBC I think whenever xander was mentioned throughout this section he got short shrift!

besides spike he's the best character in buffy

he is the heart and the eyes. Well eye. #WTFBC

if anything he's vital because he keeps a 'real' eye on on things. Not supernatural #WTFBC

Exactly! Everyone else was focused on the supernatural aspect of the problem at hand. Xander represented normality, & real life.

#WTFBC Absolutely. Xanders finest hour had to be when he talked willow down from destroying the world. I always loved Xander........I related to him more than the others. He had no powers. But he was just as important to the group dynamic.


we're like the XDL - xander defence league [RESPONSE]  Lol!!! We need t shirts and badges :)

He truly 'grows up'. That essay seems to completely miss that.#WTFBC

I'm very glad we all love Xander :) #WTFBC


Though we also agreed that the inherent message of the show was reflected respectfully and remained true to the core. 

I think one of the things I did like was that it became clearer to see Joss's themes- the language, found family + by that I mean...family that's not blood, but 'found'- framily if you like. Strong women, of course & the resilience of children. #WTFBC

i summarised it as 'nobody's perfect and lives up to the roles put on us by society' :)#WTFBC

Ending on a high.

Loved the 'Passion' essay. #WTFBC

Those were my favourites in the #Buffy section. Passions and Restless #WTFBC

2 other faves were the 'Passions' essay and the 'Restless' essay :)#WTFBC

the restless one really spoke to me. for - as you all know - I wear the cheese. The cheese does not wear me. #Buffy #WTFBC


I think we have covered the Buffy section :) #WTFBC

Next time we tweet; we'll be covering Angel and Firefly. If we can wait that long...

#WTFBC Would I be alone in my opinion that Angel was way better than Buffy? I enjoyed the angel portions of the book more

Some Buffy moments here: Youtube






Find fellow members on twitter by searching for #WTFBC.

Let me know your thoughts by either tweeting me @LeedsBookClub, commenting below or emailing me at leedsbookclub@gmail.com

* * * * * 

WTFBC

07 - Nov - Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
06 - Oct - The Joss Whedon Companion - Comics and Films
05 - Oct - The Joss Whedon Companion - Dollhouse and Dr Horrible
04 - Sep - The Joss Whedon Companion - Angel and Firefly
03 - Sep - The Joss Whedon Companion - Buffy
02 - Jul - Killer Angels - Michael Shaara

01 - May - Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare

As if I'm not reading enough books...

* * * * *

Book Club - Table of Contents

* * * * *

Full Table of Contents 

WTFBC - Book 2 - Killer Angels - Review

WTFBC - 

KILLER ANGELS 

Michael Shaara

A few more book clubbers attended this week - so we instantly got to work on dissecting the book. 

Certainly everyone found the level of detail to be fascinating - with one noting that it felt like the author had witnessed it first hand! He presented the characters is such a vivid way - not as dry historical figures. 

We also loved the way the book was structured - with either side providing narratives. Each side of the war was also given the opportunity to explain their motivations equally. The author presented no bias or perspective themselves - which forced each reader to really ponder the perspectives individually. 

The loyalty of the soldier to their leaders was something that we found very moving. Our collective hearts broke when Kilrain died - leaving Chamberlaine without his friend. It also very much fed into the relationship that became Zoe and Mal on Firefly. The fact that each riled and respected one another in no way took from the chain of command. Another very interesting side note was the role that faith played in this book. Here the faith was in one another, the generals and that God was on their side. This faith was repeatedly shaken by events out of their control. Like Mal and Zoe after the battle of Serenity when they realised that help was not in fact coming - that faith had been broken.  

Potentially an anti-war book - especially in the way that the destruction of the land and her people. We also thought that it set up the feelings of soldiers after the war - with one side a victor and the other defeated beautifully - something that is clearly visible in the Browncoats on Independence Day in Firefly. I mean, realistically Mal and Zoe were bound to have had friends on the Alliance side (heck, Inara was pro-unification) - what happened to those relationships after the war?

The role of slavery - as a motivator for war - was hotly contested throughout the book. Both sides seemed only to agree that it wasn't that big a factor - though there were several incidents and conversations that suggested this wasn't necessarily TOTALLY true. As one book clubber eloquently tweeted: 

It's easy to see events as good or bad. This showed that isn't true. Just people fighting for causes they may or may not believe in

We also loved the soldier quoted as saying that he would rather betray his country than his friend. This seemed to us to be a direct inspiration for Mal - who would rather betray his government that his crew - especially Simon and River. 

 In the words of Simon Tam 

"History is programmed by the winners".

(On several occasions we were all distracted by what our name actually stands for. This went on for some time. We were like little kittens staring at shiny things. It was a bit sad. Also AWESOME.)

We very much enjoyed the nods that we recognized in Firefly. 

• Blue Bellies becoming Purple Bellies
• Using Jubal Early as an assassin
• The soldier who had his wedding ring around his neck. Very reminiscent of Mal with his cross. Both kissed it.
• A book clubber noted: I would liken Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain & his younger brother, Thomas, to Simon & River.

Our next book choice is:

THE JOSS WHEDON COMPLETE COMPANION

POP MATTERS

Find fellow members on twitter by searching for #WTFBC.

Let me know your thoughts by either tweeting me @LeedsBookClub, commenting below or emailing me at leedsbookclub@gmail.com

* * * * * 

WTFBC

07 - Nov - Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
06 - Oct - The Joss Whedon Companion - Comics and Films
05 - Oct - The Joss Whedon Companion - Dollhouse and Dr Horrible
04 - Sep - The Joss Whedon Companion - Angel and Firefly
03 - Sep - The Joss Whedon Companion - Buffy
02 - Jul - Killer Angels - Michael Shaara

01 - May - Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare

As if I'm not reading enough books...

* * * * *

Book Club - Table of Contents

* * * * *

Full Table of Contents 

WTFBC - Much Ado About Nothing - Review

* * * * *SPOILERS* * * * *

* * * * *SPOILERS* * * * *

* * * * *SPOILERS* * * * *

Much Ado About Nothing 

By William Shakespeare

Well, that was all a bit different!

Our initial meet up(? Tweet up?) was a little quiet due to work; holidays abroad; time differences; marathons; not knowing that there WAS a WTFBC due to twitter absences and an inability to get past the first page of the play.
*shrugs*
Teething problems. 
Easily overcome.
*gulp!*

Though I've been at the book club game for a few years, I've never really organised an online discussion about a book. Sure I participated in one book one twitter a few years ago (@1b1t) but after diligently reading @NeilHimself's American Gods; it all seemed to fizzle out over the summer. 
Besides, it was all so big. There were so many people tweeting all at once; so any different thoughts and concepts flying down the hash tag; so much to think about that I felt a bit abashed. 

I wasn't quite the smooth operator that you all know and love (*cough*) on twitter and couldn't quite build up any steam to join in. (Don't get me wrong - it was still a brilliant idea and I hope that something similar will start up again - what a wonderful way to promote literacy and get a conversation going!)

So to say that I entered into this with a confident and breezy air might be overstating juuuust a touch!
On the other hand, WTFBC is made up mostly by people I already chat with online on a regular basis. We have a bond. We have the same flag flying. 
We are Whedon fans. 
Even if it all went belly up; I knew I'd have a laugh about it!

We took a few moments to get organised and then got stuck into Much Ado About Nothing. 

One person found it just impossible; another hadn't quite finished. The remainder found the play to be fairly enchanting. 

We spent some time chatting about the language - agreeing that while it took a few pages to sink into; we were pleasantly surprised to find how much language considered contemporary actually isn't! The wonder of Shakespeare is how coherent and fluid his writing (and particularly his dialogue) is and how relevant his observations remain 400 years later. 

As soon as we understood how he was saying something, 

we focused on what he was saying! 

We spent some time discussing various characters. Very early on we compared Benedict and Beatrice with Darcy and Elizabeth (from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice). We also found parallels between Claudio and Hero and Bingley and Jane - deciding that Shakespeare had captured archetypal characters - ones whose fundamental aspects would remain constant and relatable throughout the ages.

The story seemed very simple to us - after all; there were merely two strands of plot across three sets of characters. Nowadays; films and tv shows seek to create visible realities for as many characters as possible. Shakespeare on the other hand seemed to delight in assigning his characters one or two rather specific tasks throughout the play. He focused instead on ensuring that each voice was unique - from patterns and rhythms in speech (a theme we returned to more than once!), to puns and humour and beliefs and ideals. Whether they were a primary player or only appearing in one or two scenes, every character is allowed a moment to just be themselves. 

Take Margaret for example. She plays a pivotal role within the play, despite rather appearing on the main stage and only having the most brief of dialogues. Despite that, she breathes as much as Beatrice and Hero. We were delighted to find that this character is to be portrayed by Ashley Johnson. A relatively recent addition to the Whedon family - she was fantastic in the unaired pilot of Dollhouse evoking tremendous sympathy and empathy and was equally excellent in her later appearances as dual character shopgirl and Caroline 2.0. More recently she sparked in two - maybe three - scenes of the Avengers - with only one line of dialogue! 
The perfect pairing of actress to character surely!

Though others found Claudio to be a reasonable and likable character; I've always found him to be very weak. Then I found out that Fran Kranz - Dollhouse's very own Dr Topher Brink and Cabin In The Woods SUPERSTAR - was to portray him. If you know me at all, you'll understand why I suddenly seem to be moderating my language in relation to this character! 

Sean Maher (Firefly's dedicated physician and brother extra-ordinaire) will also be appearing as the bad guy; while Nathan Fillion (Twitter superstar, Cap't Tightpants...I mean Mal from Firefly; the delectably dark and twisted Caleb in Buffy and the bellend Cap't Hammer in Doctor Horrible) will be providing the role of comedy relief. (As an aside - you should totally watch his appearance in the Daly Show. Fantastic!)

By far the longest time was spent discussing three of our collective favourtie Whedon actors.
Amy Acker (Fred in Angel, Dr Saunders in Dollhouse, casually cruel staff member in Cabin in the Woods) was the PERFECT Beatrice in all of our eyes. Capable of combining vulnerability with a steely resolve; both actor and character are very much the 'full package' - capable and confident even when near-crippled with self doubt.
Her paired with Alexis Denisof (the hapless Wesley in Buffy and Angel; real life honey to Buffy's Willow and the unrecognizable 'Other' in The Avengers!) meant that we will FINALLY get to see a happy ending for one of the fandoms most beloved couples! Huzzah we cried, huzzah! 
Also, Benedict is a smart and resourceful man who makes a right ass out of himself on occasion. It's like Shakespeare knew! And wrote the role just for him!

Finally, Reed Diamond (Dollhouse's security officer and tron-suit wearer) - one of our favourite people EVER after his spectacular appearance at Echo 2 (a con for those not in the know) - will be playing Don Pedro. 
WHO IS NOT A BAD GUY!
This is of course incredibly exciting. We finally get to see Reed as other than the jerk! Woo and Hoo indeed!

Of course Joss Whedon decided to make this film as a result of his infamous monthly Shakespearean sessions (oh to be a fly on that wall!) and we all hope that future installments of the Bard are in store!
Even the person who didn't enjoy the play is looking forward to the film!

Our next book will be Killer Angels by Michael Shaara and we'll be chatting about that using #WTFBC on the 1st of July 2012 from 8pm!


Decided you want to see what all the fuss is about?
Find versions of Much Ado About Nothing for nowt below!
Much Ado About Nothing - Project Gutenberg
Much Ado About Nothing - Kindle  (also on PG as free!)
Much Ado About Nothing - iBooks


Find versions of  Pride and Prejudice  for nowt below!
Pride and Prejudice - Project Gutenberg
Pride and Prejudice - Kindle (also on PG as free!)
Pride and Prejudice - iBooks

Find fellow members on twitter by searching for #WTFBC.

Let me know your thoughts by either tweeting me @LeedsBookClub, commenting below or emailing me at leedsbookclub@gmail.com

* * * * * 

WTFBC

07 - Nov - Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
06 - Oct - The Joss Whedon Companion - Comics and Films
05 - Oct - The Joss Whedon Companion - Dollhouse and Dr Horrible
04 - Sep - The Joss Whedon Companion - Angel and Firefly
03 - Sep - The Joss Whedon Companion - Buffy
02 - Jul - Killer Angels - Michael Shaara

01 - May - Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare

As if I'm not reading enough books...

* * * * *

Book Club - Table of Contents

* * * * *

Full Table of Contents 

Much Ado About Whedon Book Club

For the three people out there who maybe haven't picked up on this; I'm a huge fan of the varied works of Joss Whedon. 
Yup, I go to cons and everything. 

About a month ago, a few of us Browncoats were chatting on twitter about the shows we love and the huge variety of pop culture references that appear in them. We reflected that a lot of books are mentioned and before you can say 'Bad Horse, Bad Horse' we had somehow set up a book club that will be focused entirely on books mentioned in, about or inspired by Whedon shows and films. 


As I mentioned here, a future release Joss Whedon project is a film version of Much Ado About Nothing by that underrated and oft ignored English playwright and poet William Shakespeare. 

Seemed like the perfect choice for our first discussion! 

If you fancy joining us for our chat this evening, have a look at #WTFBC on twitter. 

That totally stands of Whedon The Fabulous Book Club. 
Obviously. 

Find versions of Much Ado About Nothing for nowt below!
Much Ado About Nothing - Project Gutenberg
Much Ado About Nothing - Kindle (also on PG as free!)
Much Ado About Nothing - iBooks

Find fellow members on twitter by searching for #WTFBC.

Let me know your thoughts by either tweeting me @LeedsBookClub, commenting below or emailing me at leedsbookclub@gmail.com

* * * * * 

WTFBC

07 - Nov - Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
06 - Oct - The Joss Whedon Companion - Comics and Films
05 - Oct - The Joss Whedon Companion - Dollhouse and Dr Horrible
04 - Sep - The Joss Whedon Companion - Angel and Firefly
03 - Sep - The Joss Whedon Companion - Buffy
02 - Jul - Killer Angels - Michael Shaara

01 - May - Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare

As if I'm not reading enough books...

* * * * *

Book Club - Table of Contents

* * * * *

Full Table of Contents 

Table of Contents - The Book Clubs

2014 - Leeds Book Club

44 - Jan - ARCADIA - ??

43 - Nov - WHITE SWAN - ?

42 - Oct - MEDUSA - ?

41 - Sep - ARCADIA - ?

40 - Aug - WHITE SWAN - ?

39 - Jul - MEDUSA - ?

38 - Jun - ARCADIA - ?

37 - May - WHITE SWAN - ?

36 - Apr - MEDUSA - The Stench of Honolulu - Jack Handey

35 - Mar - ARCADIA - A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

34 - Feb - WHITE SWAN - The Perks of being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

33 - Jan - MEDUSA - The Human - Matt Haig

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Arcadia LBC

32 - Nov - Heading out to Wonderful - Robert Goolrich

31 - Oct - The Magicians - Lev Grossman

30 - Sep - Any Human Heart - William Boyd

29 - Aug - Love and War in the Apennines - Eric Newby

28 - Jul - The Red House - Mark Haddon

27 - Jun - Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides

26 - May - Purple Hibiscus - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

25 - Apr - To say nothing of the Dog - Connie Willis

24 - Mar - Night Waking - Sarah Moss

23 - Feb - Three Men on a Boat - Jerome K Jerome 

22 - Jan - The Summer Book - Tove Jansson

21 - Nov - Hard Times - Charles Dickens

20 - Oct - The New York Trilogy - Paul Auster - GUEST - @CultureLEEDS

19 - Sep - The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins - GUEST - @CultureLEEDS

18 - Aug - The Princess Bride - William Goldman

17 - Jul - A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini - GUEST

16 - Jun - Cry the Beloved Country - Alan Paton

15 - May - 1984 - George Orwell - GUEST - @CultureLEEDS

14 - Apr - BloodChild and Other Stories - Octavia Butler

13 - Mar - The Year of the Hare - Arto Paasilinna

12 - Feb - Heat Wave - Richard Castle

11 - Jan - The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint - Brady Udall

10 - Nov - Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes

09 - Oct - Grace Williams Says It Loud - Emma Henderson

08 - Sep - The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

07 - Aug - Reading Lolita in Tehran - Azar Nafisi

06 - Jul - The Line of Beauty - Alan Hollinghurst

05 - Jun - Soulless - Gail Carriger

04 - May - Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

03 - Apr - Touching the Void - Joe Simpson

02 - Mar - The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

01 - Feb - The White Woman on the Green Bicycle - Monique Roffrey

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Giraffe LBC

10 - FEB - Divergent - Veronica Roth
09 - JAN - Children of Men - P.D. James - GUEST

08 - OCT - High Rise - J.G. Ballard - GUEST
07 - JUL - The Miracle Inspector - Helen Smith - GUEST 
06 - APR - Logan's Run - Book and Film - GUEST
05 - FEB - Watchmen - Comic and Film

04 - NOV - Brave New World - Aldous Huxley - GUEST
03 - OCT - The Iron Heel - Jack London - GUEST
02 - AUG - The Running Man - Stephen King
01 - JUL - Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury - GUEST

How I learned to continue worrying and love the dystopian - GUEST

The List of Potentials

A Dystopian Book Club

* * * * * 
LBC Outlaws

08 - Jan - ?

07 - Nov - 1974 - David Peace
06 - Oct - Stone's Fall - Iain Pears
05 - Sep - Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane
04 - Aug - Artists in crime - Ngaio Marsh
03 - Jul - The Moving Toyshop - Edmund Crispin
02 - Jun - The Glass Key - Dashiell Hammet

01 - May - The Hound of the Baskervilles - Arthur Conan Doyle

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LBC Puffins

JAN - Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll - GUEST

NOV - Wee Free Men - Terry Prachett - GUEST

OCT - Black Beauty - Anna Sewell - GUEST

SEP - The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson-Burnett - GUEST

AUG - Coraline - Neil Gaiman - GUEST

JUL - Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh - Robert C O'Brien - GUEST

JUN - The Sheep Pig - Dick King-Smith - GUEST

FEB - Matilda - Roald Dahl - GUEST

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LBC3reads

07 - Jan - The Wapshot Chronicle - John Cheever

06 - Oct - Their eyes were watching God - Zora Neale Hurston
05 - Jul - Mason and Dixon - Thomas Pynchon
04 - Apr - O Pioneer - Willa Catha

03 - Jan - The City and the Pillar - Gore Vidal

02 - Sep - The Paris Wife - Paula McLain

01 - May - The Hound of the Baskervilles - Arthur Conan Doyle

An Idea Is Born - It's Book Club Jim, Just Not As We Know It

* * * * * 

Medusa LBC and Mini-Medusa

23 - Feb - Poppy Shakespeare - Clare Allen

22 - Nov - The Tenderness of Wolves - Stef Penney

21 - Oct - And the mountains echoed - Khalid Hosseini

20 - Sep - Pilgrim - Timothy Findley 
19 - Aug - Westwood - Stella Gibbons 
18 - Jul - Battle Royale - Koushun Takami

17 - Jun - The 100 yr old man who climbed... - Jonas Jonasson

16 - May - The Winter Ghosts - Kate Mosse

15 - Apr - John dies at the end - David Wong

14 - Mar - Started early, took my dog - Kate Atkinson

13 - Feb - The Black House - Peter May

12 - Jan - The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald - GUEST 

11 - Nov - Empire of the Sun - JG Ballard
10 - Oct - Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell (not *that* one)- GUEST
09 - Sep - Before I go to sleep - S.J. Watson
08 - Aug - 9 Lives - Clive Rusher - GUEST
07 - Jul - Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes
06 - Jun - A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving - GUEST

05 - May - The Life of Pi - Yann Martel

04 - Apr - Diary of a Nobody - George Grossmith 

03 - Mar - We need to talk about Kevin - Lionel Shriver

02 - Feb - The Sea, The Sea - Iris Murdoch

01 - Jan - Ragnarok - AS Byatt

First Book Picked

An exciting new project! - Medusa LeedsBookClub

* * * * * 

WSwan LBC

22 - Nov - The garden of evening mists - Tan Twan Eng

21 - Oct - Regeneration - Pat Barker
20 - Sep - Consider Phlebas - Iain M Banks
19 - Aug - Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn

18 - Jul - The Fictional Man - Al Ewing

17 - Jun - The Fire Gospel - Michael Faber

16 - May - The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde

15 - Apr - The Waterproof Bible - Andrew Kaufman - GUEST

14 - Mar - The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak - GUEST

13 - Feb - Weight - Jeanette Winterson - GUEST

12 - Jan - The Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates - GUEST

11 - Nov - Lighthouse Keeping - Jeanette Winterson
10 - Oct - Winter's Bone Daniel Woodrell
09 - Sep - The Wind Up Bird Chronicles - Haruki Murakami - GUEST
08 - Aug - The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ - Philip Pullman
07 - Jul - American Gods - Neil Gaiman
06 - Jun - The Travelling Hornplayer - Barbara Trapido
05 - May - Atomised - Michel Houellebecq - GUEST

04 - Apr - Even the Dogs - Jon McGregor

03 - Mar - Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut

02 - Feb - The Swan Thieves - Elizabeth Kostova 

01 - Jan - Suttree - Cormac McCarthy

First Book Picked

Im just full of good ideas...WSwanLBC 

* * * * * 
WTFBC

04 - TBC - ???
03 - TBC - The Joss Whedon Companion - Buffy
02 - Jul - Killer Angels - Michael Shaara

01 - May - Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare

As if I'm not reading enough books...

* * * * * 

Leeds Guardian

Book Elf - Leeds Central Library Protest

Avid Reader - Why Libraries Are So Important

 

* * * * * 

Original LBC

Meeting 10 - The Finkler Question - Howard Jacobson

Meeting 09 - Everything You Know - Zoe Heller

Meeting 08 - A Chat

Meeting 07 - The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga

Meeting 06 - The Island - Victoria Hislop

Meeting 05 - Firman - Sam Savage

Meeting 04 - The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak

Meeting 03 - Daisy Dalrmyple, Jane Austen et al

Meeting 02 - The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova

Meeting 01 - Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

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