Today’s Book Blogger Hop question is: How many book clubs do you belong to? If you do belong to an in-person book club, do you have meetings in the day or evening? Do you meet at someone’s house or meet at a local restaurant or coffee house?

I am in one book club, and have been for almost eight years—I had to look that up!  I would have guessed it was five or six years…  But I actually joined just two weeks after I launched this blog, in November of 2010.  That was a big month for me.

I set out to look for a book club, and had several flagged on MeetUp.  But the first one I went to turned out to be great, and I never looked back.  Started as a young adult book group, it somehow took a geeky turn along the way.  It’s also had a lot of turnover through the years—I’m now the third-longest standing member, though others have been in for years too.

We meet monthly in the evening, at some public place.  Location has changed over the years too—we started at a local café, tried different parks for a while, spent some time meeting at Denny’s and IHOP, have flirted with Panera, and currently meet in the dining area of the local mall.  The goal was always to meet somewhere public, relatively quiet, and where food was available but not required, for those who preferred not to get a meal.

We are an extremely laid-back book club.  In different seasons of my life I have been more and less dedicated to actually reading the book.  I usually come whether I have or not, if that month works out (and it doesn’t always).  No one minds much about that.  We try to have some book discussion, but conversation ranges too, and often turns to Star Wars somehow. 🙂

Besides the official book club meetings, there are social events and game nights held throughout the month.  And in December there’s always a holiday party and book-themed White Elephant gift exchange.

I highly recommend book clubs for people who enjoy reading.  For me, it was never about finding books to read (I have no shortage of those!)  From the beginning, it was always about meeting like-minded people and having bookish (or geeky) discussions.  And I got lucky, because my book club turned out even better for than I ever could have hoped!

 

Today’s Book Blogger Hop question is: When meeting with friends, do your discussions usually turn to books?

Oh yes…definitely!  I mean, there’s a reason we’re friends…  I wouldn’t say I talk about books with my friends a majority of the time (even at my book club meetings, since our conversations tend to range across all geeky topics and, occasionally, life).  But I think it’s rare to have an extended conversation that doesn’t bring up books at some point.  That becomes even more true if you count discussions of the books we’re writing, as I have a good number of writer friends and that’s a major topic.

Basically, my friends tend to be people who will ask (and can be asked) the question, “Read any good books lately?” and it’s not a throw-away, small-talk question at all!

Today’s Book Blogger Hop question is: Who is your favorite children’s books author and why?

Oh, so many, many, many authors!  I have three large bookcases, and one of them is all my children’s books.  But who comes to mind first?

My favorite picture book author is James Stevenson, especially for his delightful Grandpa and Uncle Wainey books, though not exclusively.  A series of tall tales, they’re over the top and very funny even for an older reader.

My favorite author when I was a kid was Gordon Korman, a simply hilarious writer.  The slot Terry Pratchett fills in my adult life, Korman occupied in my childhood.  His books from the 70s and 80s are best, when he was practically a child himself (my favorite of his series he wrote while in high school!)

And I have so many favorite classic British children’s fantasy authors.

Who are your favorite children’s authors?  I’m always up for a new recommendation!

Today’s Book Blogger Hop question is: Do you enjoy reading retellings of, or ‘sequels’ to, classic novels? Why or why not?

 

Oh, now that is a very, VERY tricky question.  Retellings are both my favorite and least favorite books to read.  When they are good, they are very good, and when they are bad, they are maddening.  So let’s parse this out.

Retellings and sequels are not the same thing, to begin with.  Sequels are a harder sell, because they are generally an adding-on rather than a reinvention, and that is much harder to do successfully.

On at least one occasion I opened a “sequel” to a classic novel written by a new author, read a paragraph or two, said, “Nope” and put it back on the shelf.  It is very, very hard to convincingly duplicate a classic author’s style in a way that works for me.  I don’t care what anyone says, there are only 14 Oz books–if it wasn’t by Baum, it doesn’t count.  On the other hand, Peter Pan in Scarlet by Geraldine McCaughrean is an absolute delight of a sequel.  She knew her source intimately and she pulled it off masterfully.  That is hard and rare.

So with regards to sequels, the answer is no, I don’t like them–with an occasional, exceptional exception.

Now, retellings.  Here we’re in my home territory because that’s what I write.  Retellings of classic stories, folklore or fairy tales are easier than retellings of novels.  There may be significant versions of, say, Cinderella, but there are ALSO many, many valid versions that exist in the literary canon.  Since there isn’t one definitive one, the field is open for any writer to bring their own style and their own twist to the story.  I love retellings of fairy tales, and what I love most is seeing all the differences that can be woven out of the same foundational story.

Retellings of novels, where there IS one original source…that’s a challenge.  I live here too, since one of my major works is a retelling (although I sort of like “reinterpretation”) of The Phantom the Opera, which did begin life as one novel by Gaston Leroux.  Phantom is an unusual one, though, in that the last century has seen so many retellings that it’s almost entered a folklore-like state, where I actually love seeing the many different approaches.  It may, in an odd way, help that the Leroux novel is, well, not my favorite.  So I don’t get into a righteous indignation about changes to Leroux’s work.

Which brings me to retellings that don’t work.  When the original is delightful and beloved and wonderful, it then becomes very hard to retell it.  It can be done, and I think there are more successful retellings than successful sequels, but it’s still tough.  It’s easy to stir up my knee-jerk “but that’s not how it IS” reaction.  A successful retelling requires a deft touch and a great respect, knowledge and affection for the original version from the writer.  Prove to me that you know your source material and I will ride along with changes; get it wrong because you don’t actually know?  That’s a hard stop.  And start your book with an explanation about how the original got it wrong and this is the corrected version?  No no no no no!

So the answer to the original question is an emphatic yes.  And an equally emphatic no!  🙂 Where do you stand on retellings or sequels to classic works?

Today’s Book Blogger Hop question is: Off the book topic…do you use a mouse pad? If so, what is on it?

Not only do I not use a mousepad, I don’t use a mouse!  I’ve been on a laptop since I started college, and while I think I probably had a mouse at first (maybe…?) I’ve done so much typing on my lap that I’m all about the trackpad now.

I do have a mouse at my job…that was a very secondary reflection, as I tend to think about my private life when I blog!  I don’t have a mousepad there either though.  People who have tried to use my computer say that the mouse moves pretty wildly…though it always looks to me like they’re swinging it about quite a lot.  My guess is the mousepad/no mousepad piece really makes a difference in how people move the mouse.

If I was going to have a mousepad, I’d probably go for something geeky, maybe Star Trek or Doctor Who-themed.

Where do you stand (or scroll)?  Mouse or no mouse?  Pad or no pad?