Astrology Lovers..read on

Sometimes Astrology Is The Best Therapy Of All

by Karen Abbott NPR

This book titled Destiny Times Six: An Astrologer's Casebook by Katherine de Jersey. De Jersey was an astrologist, and for more than 30 years she received an impressive roster of clients. Everyone from Grace Kelly to Sonny and Cher went to her to learn the nuances of their natal charts.

The discreet Ms. de Jersey doesn't name names in Destiny Times Six, but the case histories she presents are so deliciously melodramatic that it doesn't matter. I stayed awake reading because I just had to know: What would become of Edward, the sensitive Pisces locked in an asylum for the murder of his psychiatrist? And the client calling herself "Jane Austen," a pragmatic Aries in love with her older — and married — Scorpio boss?

-I couldn't help but apply the author's techniques within my own relationships, and found sly ways to learn someone's date, place and time of birth. I reveled in learning why I had weirdly intense chemistry with a passing acquaintance (my Venus atop his Mars), why a certain relative is so cheap (Saturn in Taurus), and how my husband's mild jealous streak is tempered by a proud Aries sun (although my own sun, in Aquarius, would never tolerate blatant jealousy, anyway).

In between the soapy antics of de Jersey's cases, I discovered that astrology was my ideal form of therapy. It's comforting to find reasons — even reasons I'm still embarrassed to discuss

First Tuesday Book Club

Journalist and publisher Jennifer Byrne hosts First Tuesday Book Club on ABC TV. Byrne will be joined by a panel of book lovers and experts who will discuss titles from fiction, non-fiction, biography, thriller, romance and history genres

First Tuesday of every month 10pm & the following Sunday 4.30pm

 

You can watch old episodes on the web site. the shows been on for about 6 years but the clips are short pretty interesting if you looking for new reads.

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/firsttuesday/

Fun for readers/bookclub memebers BBC TV show: The Book Club

There is a BBC series from around 2003 called The Book Club
Below are the links if your interested in watching.

http://www.hulu.com/the-book-group (episodes on Hulu)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0276650/ (info)

It's only two seasons, about 12 thirty (30) minute episodes, so it can be done in a quickie marathon. The story centers around a book club in Scotland which was organized by the actress who played "#13" from the House, MD series.

A Brief History of Book Clubs

The Beginnings of Book Clubs

Because literacy was initially reserved for only those member's of society's upper classes, reading was not an activity that the general public could indulge in. This gave those who were literate, usually the wealthy and educated, an instant upper hand in society.
While there is some debate as to when the first book club was formed (in part because the facts are vague), Rachel Jacobsohn, author of The Reading Group Handbook, recalls a reading group comprised of " white glove-wearing, hat-wearing, tea-drinking, elitist old white women" from the late 1800s. This exclusive group was restricted to members who inherited a place among the coveted club.

Women's Roles in Traditional Book Clubs

Though men were the first gender to popularize the concept of a reading group, women followed the examples of their male counterparts. Though remaining confined to the social parameters of their sex, women slowly shifted their social activities from sewing circles and church groups to the eventual formation of their own reading groups.
Women initially resorted to book clubs as a way to socialize and discuss daily happenings. According to Jacobsohn, women in reading groups "simply came together to discuss the same issues and dilemmas that men debated". Women used the reading group as an outlet to not only socialize, but to be given an opportunity to have a voice and be heard among peers.


Read more at Suite101: A Brief History of Book Clubs: How the Modern Reading Group Developed | Suite101.com http://lisa-rufle.suite101.com/a-brief-history-of-book-clubs-a64430#ixzz1oNT1Lh88

Book Club Meeting Agenda

Book Club Meeting Agenda

Socializing and places orders/snacks (20-30 minutes)

Welcome, Announcements and Reminders (20 minutes)

·         Pledge updates

Book Discussion (60 minutes)

Next meeting:            

·         Book suggestions

·         Select meeting leader

·         Discuss meeting location

·         Suggestions

A Good Mystery: Why We Read

By MOTOKO RICH

 

PERHAPS the most fantastical story of the year was not “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” but “The Uncommon Reader,” a novella by Alan Bennett that imagines the queen of England suddenly becoming a voracious reader late in life.

At a time when books appear to be waging a Sisyphean battle against the forces of MySpace, YouTube and “American Idol,” the notion that someone could move so quickly from literary indifference to devouring passion seems, sadly, far-fetched.

The problem was underscored last week when the National Endowment for the Arts delivered the sobering news that Americans — particularly teenagers and young adults — are reading less for fun. At the same time, reading scores among those who read less are declining, and employers are proclaiming workers deficient in basic reading comprehension skills.

So that’s the bad news. But is all hope gone, or will people still be drawn to the literary landscape? And what is it, exactly, that turns someone into a book lover who keeps coming back for more?

There is no empirical answer. If there were, more books would sell as well as the “Harry Potter” series or “The Da Vinci Code.” The gestation of a true, committed reader is in some ways a magical process, shaped in part by external forces but also by a spark within the imagination. Having parents who read a lot helps, but is no guarantee. Devoted teachers and librarians can also be influential.

But despite the proliferation of book groups and literary blogs, reading is ultimately a private act. “Why people read what they read is a great unknown and personal thing,” said Sara Nelson, editor in chief of the trade magazine Publishers Weekly.

In some cases, asking someone to explain why they read is to invite an elegant rationalization. Junot Díaz, the author of “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,” vividly recalls stumbling into a mobile library shortly after his family emigrated from the Dominican Republic to New Jersey when he was 6 years old. He checked out a Richard Scarry picture book, a collection of 19th-century American wilderness paintings and a bowdlerized version of Arthur Conan Doyle’s “Sign of Four.”

To continue reading:    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/25/weekinreview/25rich.html?pagewanted=all