BuzzWorthy

Reading your comments and seeing the bookmarked books for this week's Buzzworthy challenge has inspired me so much, I think I just may start a kind of virtual Book Club here on Buzz! Stay tuned for more details on that. And until then, check out some of the great book club book suggestions submitted by Buzz readers.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
I've often heard rave reviews of this novel by No Country for Old Men author Cormac McCarthy, and liza0183 is joining the chorus of praise. liza0183 writes, "This won the Pulitzer Prize you have to go out a read it. I finished it in 2 days it's a great, solid, moving book. McCarthy is the new Steinbeck in my opinion."

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
Adrianne has this to say about her book club book idea: "I'm not a part of any book club, but I think this is one book that will definitely have readers, namely female readers, either siding with Tess or rooting for her to overcome her many battles, both with her surroundings and within herself. The ending is really the turning point for Tess's character, as I found her to be a strong and brave character, despite the majority of the text's description of the fallen woman. Although an ancient book, it remains a classic!"

More readers' picks if you read more

As the writers' strike seems to have no clear end in sight, now might be a good time to start a book club! There are so many books I've been meaning to read for ages, and I think a book club might be just the thing to make me sit down and read them. Now I just need some suggestions.

Some books that I think would generate great discussion — especially among women — include Elizabeth Gilbert's fabulous memoir Eat, Pray, Love, and the biblically-set novel The Red Tent. I also think it might be beneficial to check out some of the books that are about to be made into movies, since it's often hard to read the books after having seen the movie.

I'd suggest Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees (soon to star Dakota Fanning and Queen Latifah) and the classic novel Revolutionary Road (opening in December with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in the lead roles).

What book club books are your favorites? If you're a seasoned book club member, what would you suggest for all different levels of book club members (beginners, intermediates, advanced readers)? Just use BuzzSugar's cool bookmarking tool to find your favorites online, write a little blurb about why you think they make good fodder for book clubs, and tag them with the phrase book club books. Next week I'll feature some of the books here so we can all get our reading lists ready for the coming year.

Thanks to all of you who participated in my Buzzworthy challenge to choose the best books of 2007 — and all of my challenges this year! It's been fun, and I'll be back with more great challenges in 2008.

For this challenge, you all picked out some great titles — some that I've read, others that have made my list of books to check out in the future. Here were some of the picks:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Unsurprisingly, the final book in the Harry Potter series was a favorite pick in this challenge. It was bookmarked by MuggleCrazed and tchemp, who called it a satisfying conclusion for readers of all ages.

Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman's Guide to Why Feminism Matters by Jessica Valenti

Adrianne chose this title, recommending it with these words: "If you've got no clue as to where to start looking into feminism, then this is probably the book to read. The author writes in a simple style that calls out to the reader to really take an understanding into women and the particular events that surrounds us on a daily basis. I discovered this book over the summer and read it in three days, non-stop. I'm re-reading it after I finish my other book soon!"

Three more, plus a widget with everyone's picks, so just read more

I love reading under any circumstances, but with the writers' strike likely to roll into next year, I'm going to be needing book recommendations more than ever. So before we flip the calendar to 2008, I wanted to ask you all about your favorite books of 2007.

One of my favorites: Will Allison's What You Have Left, a book I picked up almost by accident at my local library and ended up devouring in a weekend. The novel is essentially a set of interconnected short stories focusing on an estranged father and daughter trying to find their way back to each other, with side appearances from NASCAR, the Confederate flag, and poker machines. It's a small, spare book that manages to be incredibly affecting.

Others from the year that I'd recommend: Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which made me want to make my own cheese; Ann Patchett's Run, which had some of my favorite characters of the year; and Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns, as good a follow-up as I could have imagined to The Kite Runner.

So now, what are yours? Just use BuzzSugar's cool bookmarking tool to find your favorites online, write a little blurb about why they stood out to you, and tag them with the phrase Best Books of 2007. Then, next week, I'll feature some of the books here so we can all get our reading lists ready for the coming year.

Source

For this week's Buzzworthy challenge I wondered which holiday albums were your favorites. In case you're looking for new suggestions to spice up your collection (which can become a little old by Christmas Day), check out some of your fellow Buzz readers' favorite holiday albums.

Christmas With the Rat Pack
emalove and Phasekitty both chose this swanky holiday album. Emalove wonders, "How can you go wrong with holiday favorites by fabulous singers like Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin?" Phasekitty calls this a "great compilation of old favorites," which is "best for snowy nights in front of the fire with friends and family."

Reverend Horton Heat, We Three Kings
For a rockabilly twist on the old reliables, check out biochemlovely's bookmarked favorite, We Three Kings by Reverend Horton Heat. Biochemlovely has this to say about her choice: "The rockabilly master covers some classic songs. These versions are a little heavier than the usual holiday tunes, but still let you enjoy the Christmas spirit."

Much more musical holiday spirit if you read more

We can debate the best and worst songs of this season until we all turn blue (or our fingers fall off for that matter) because everyone has strong opinions about which holiday music is appropriately cheerful and which is gratingly annoying. I try my best to bring in new holiday albums every year so my collection doesn't grow too stale, but I must admit that I have my time-tested favorites!

I love Nat King Cole's Christmas Song so much I suggested it in one of my holiday gift guides. Cole's voice is just so warm and comforting — like the holiday season itself. For an even more down-home Christmastime atmosphere, I turn to Christmas With Johnny Cash. And in more recent years I've loved the smooth jazzy seasonal tunes on Diana Krall's album Christmas Songs.

What are your most beloved holiday albums? Just use BuzzSugar's cool bookmarking tool to find your favorite albums around the Web, tag them with the phrase holiday albums, and write a little blurb about why they're the best. I'll feature a few picks here next week — just in time to beef up your music collection before the holidays.

I hope Santa checked out the results of my latest Buzzworthy challenge. If he did, he knows exactly what's on Buzz readers' wish lists. Here are a few of the pop-culture goodies you said you wanted this holiday season:

Medium: Three-Season Pack
This collection of the first three seasons of Patricia Arquette's NBC show caught gruaig_rua's eye. She wrote: "What I love most about this show is that Patricia Arquette's character is so realistic. She's not a glamorous career woman — she's struggling to juggle her family life and work life, and also a gift that sometimes seems like a curse."

I Am America (And So Can You)
A couple of you — namely Adrianne and alillee — mentioned hoping someone will wrap up this Stephen Colbert book for them. Wrote Adrianne: "Since the Colbert Report has gone on hiatus for the writers' strike, I need some Colbert in my life to fill the void! I read the first few pages while at the bookstore recently and couldn't put it down!"

Three more, plus a widget with everyone's wish list picks, so read more