Where we read: The Devil in the White City

I just returned from a fabulous few days in Las Vegas, and simply had to enjoy a little Devil in the White City...in Sin City.

~Christine

First Five: Devil in the White City

I'm bringing back the First Five! Here are my first five impressions of Devil in the White City:

1. I'm finding myself unexpectedly engaged in this book! When I first started out I was a little nervous the more historical, non-fiction writing would make reading it a task. And perhaps it was hard for the first 30 or 50 pages, but now that I'm 100 pages in, I find myself thinking about the book during the day.

2. I'm enjoying the historical anecdotes, like the fact that the regular two wheel bicycle used to be referred to as the "safe bike" because it didn't have one big and one little wheel like these used to.

3. I like that there are two stories woven together. In some reviews I read people said that was annoying. But after a rather creepy chapter on Holmes I am ready for something a little drier, calmer, safer ... especially because I read right before I go to bed. I can always end on one of the "nice" chapters. Gets me to read more than one chapter at a time, too!

4. I find Holmes incredibly creepy. I like it that so far there hasn't been anything too graphic or horror-movie-esq. Just a lot of foreshadowing ...  and we're kept a little bit at a distance too. At least for now. Maybe that will change further into the story? For a while I was thinking hoping that the Holmes part of the story was perhaps fiction. That would've been a cool tactic. To mix something super historical (the world's fair) with something completely fiction. But it's all true. Holmes really did exist. And you can visit haunted houses/sites in Chicago if reading the book doesn't scare you enough!

5. I keep picturing Holmes as Leonardo Dicaprio since he'll be playing the character in the movie (out in 2012?)

Those are my First Five impressions -- what are yours?


I looked up some discussion questions I thought might be useful as we read the book. I am particularly intrigued by numbers 6 and 8.

~Carolyn

1. Why do you think Erik Larson chose to tell Burnham and Holmes' stories together? How did the juxtaposition affect the narrative? Do you think they worked well together or would you have preferred to read about just Holmes or just Burnham?
2. What did you learn about architecture? What do you think the fair contributed to the architectural landscape in the United States?
3. How did the Chicago World's Fair change Chicago? America? The world? Discuss some of the inventions and ideas that were introduced at the fair that still impact life today.
4. How was Holmes able to get away with so many murders without becoming suspect? Were you surprised by how easy it was for him to commit crimes without being caught?
5. What ultimately led to Holmes' capture and the the discovery of his crime? Was this inevitable?
6. How did Holmes' hotel contrast with the buildings of the World's Fair? Can architecture reflect goodness or evil, or are buildings neutral until used?
7. How did the White City contrast with Chicago, the Black City?
8. What do you think of Holmes' claim that he was the devil? Can people be inherently evil? How would you explain his strange allure and cold-hearted behavior?
9. Burnham, Olmsted, Ferris and Holmes were all visionaries in their own ways. Discuss what drove each of these men, whether they were ever truly satisfied, and how their lives ultimately ended.
10. Rate The Devil in the White City on a scale of 1 to 5.

Recipes!

Hey! Sorry to totally be bombarding you with blog updates these days .... I just have a lot of time this week before my class starts next week, so am having fun doing all the nerdy stuff I love to do : )

If you head on over to our recipe blog (via the button in the sidebar) you'll see I posted Anna's couscous recipe. I've made it quite a few times since she hosted last May so thought maybe you guys would like the recipe as well (it's from myrecipes.com so I just googled a bunch of the                                             ingredients and it popped up!).

We obviously don't need to have every single recipe we ever consume as a group up on the food blog, but if you haven't posted there yet and feel like it, go ahead and add a recipe or two from when you hosted. Or just send me the recipe and I'll do it for you!

-Carolyn

Movie Night

Here's a photo I forgot to post from our movie night at Marit's earlier in December when we watched Little Women.

Would anyone be interested in watching another movie? I'd be up for hosting a movie night sometime in February on say, a Thursday evening (weekends are so crazy and Thursdays are the next best thing to Friday!). I just have no idea what movie. It's near Valentine's Day so we could do any romantic comedy or perhaps a romantic classic? Like Casablanca? Or a movie from a great classic book? Suggestions? I'd be up for anything!
-Carolyn

Meeting #10: All the Pretty Horses

We had a great time discussing All the Pretty Horses at Colleen's place this past weekend!

I don't know if any of us totally loved the book, but we did appreciate it and were reminded of our grandpas, many of whom are big western fans and from that era.

Anyone want to add anything about our discussion? Sign into the blog and write-away!

Colleen made 3 fabulous salads which we thoroughly enjoyed -- twice! We had so much food that each bookette was able to bring some leftovers home. Reminder to self: green salad + bowties (and various other salad toppins) = good combo.

And mini cheesecakes for dessert!

I think Morgan wants to team up with Moose (Heidi's dog) as club mascot.

We're all eagerly awaiting the next voting round. Can't wait to crack the next cover!

Carolyn

The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian

Remember this guy? I have to say, he's up there on my list of favorite characters ever. I loved that he spent is years at Shawshank Prison in the library. He completely defied any judgements I had made about inmates. Brooks was kind, intelligent, and good with people and animals. He valued books and made them an important part of prison life. Is Brooks the only one for books in prison?

Brooks Hatlen: prison librarian/trustee and one of the oldest convicts at Shawshank.

I'll get to the point. Solveig told me about the story Art behind bars that she heard on MPR's Midmorning this morning. Being that I've always been interested in prison life (don't ask- weird obsession) and the books/the arts I listened to the story as soon as I got home. We agreed that it must be shared with the other Bookettes right away. 


The guests on today's show were Avi Steinberg (check out his book cover below), who spent time working in a prison library and saw first-hand what books and literature meant to some prisoners and Janie Paul, works with prisoners on creative arts projects.  During the show they share their perspective on arts and humanities in the prisons. The host, Kerri Miller, also takes calls from former inmates and their families. In a time when budget cuts abound, this story makes an compelling argument for the value of the arts in prisons.

Is this fitting with our recent read, The Accidental Tourist, or what?

Janie Paul

Improvisation 3
2005

You can listen here:

How about you? What books have resonated with you? How did that particular book relate to what was going on in your life at the time you read it?

-Marit

Bookettes Annual Report: Year 1

As you can read below, our last bookclub meeting marked our first full year together! And of course, to celebrate in true Bookette fashion, we had to include all of the essentials: wonderful meal? Check. Fabulous dessert? Check. Official poll of our top books of the year? Check!

We conducted a weighted poll where we each gave three points to our favorite book, two to our second, and one to our third favorite book of the year. 

And the Bookettes official favorite book of the year is ... (sound drumroll) ....

Let the Great World Spin, by Colum McCann! (read more about that book here)

And here's how the rest of the books faired:

Did you really think we'd let this big event pass without some official video documenting? Watch our unveiling of the top 4 books here:

It's been a great year ladies! Can't wait to see what books will be on our top-4 of year two!