Bookylicious

Bookylicious was founded in April of 2001. Basically, we came into being when a few of us who had completed English degrees in university and then went on to completely unrelated careers, were complaining about how much we miss discussing the books that we've read. We sent off a few emails to see if anyone else was interested and, before we knew it, we had a book club! There are still 4 founding members in the group and our membership hovers between 7 to 10 members.

When we first started the group, we were taking turns being the hostess, which basically means providing a venue and snacks for the discussion (the snacks are always one of the best parts!). At the end of each meeting we would gather a list of books from members and the group then voted for the book they liked best. The book with the most votes was what we would read for next month. We found, over time, that this voting system was actually limiting us - part of the point of joining a book club should be to expand your horizons and possibly read something that you wouldn't ordinarily pick up, so we changed our system. Now the hostess has complete control over the book we'll be reading for her meeting. This has worked out really well with only a few major stinkers making it into the mix! :-)

We all look forward to our monthly meetings which are VERY informal and usually a LOT of fun. Anyone who is looking for a club that takes notes and stays on topic would be looking in the wrong place. The longer we are together the louder (and funnier) the meetings seem to get.

See below for a listing of the books we've read to date. We usually take the summer off - everyone is so busy that it's hard to get us all together for a meeting. Also, the order is just approximate - as I said, we don't take notes. :-)

Favorites: ***
Ones to Avoid: X

2004

May/June: In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje
April: Ishmael by Daniel Quinn (***)
Feb/March: Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros
Jan: The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

2003

Dec: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
Nov.: Lost Girls by Andrew Piper (X)
Oct: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Sept: Testament by Nino Ricci
July: Life of Pi by Yann Martel (***)
June: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (***)
May: A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (***)
April: Martin Sloane by Michael Redhill (***)
Feb/March: The Last Samurai by Helen Dewitt (X)

2002

Nov./Dec.: Lucky by Alice Sebold
Oct: The Secret Language of Girls by Josey Vogells (X)
Sept: Sister Crazy by Emma Richler
May/June: A Star Called Henry by Roddy Doyle (X)
April: Blue Diary by Alice Hoffman
March: Bel Canto by Anne Patchett (***)
Feb: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

2001

Dec/Jan(02): A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
Nov: The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
Oct: Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophia Kinsella
June: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers (X)
May: Losing Julia by Jonathon Hull
April: The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve (our very first meeting!)***