Buzzworthy Challenge

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.

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.

In my last Buzzworthy challenge, I asked you to bookmark some of the best travel writing that could transport readers to cities and countries they might only dream of visiting. You responded with some great picks for places from Paris to Portland. Here are a few that I'm putting on my reading list:

Fugitives and Refugees by Chuck Palahniuk
Tagged by StefaPie, who said: "He's one of my absolute favorite authors, and this memoir/guidebook makes you want to go live in the world he's describing to the masses.
A memoir of his time in Portland that includes places to go, things to see, ways to get laid, and recipes from his favorite restaurants."

Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light by David Downie
Demily tagged this book, calling it: "A really fresh, literary perspective of Paris from an American who lives there. Not at all the typical touristy-cliche travel writing that stereotypes Paris. It's great for anyone thinking of living there or visiting and wanting to see a different (local) perspective. Also, Downie is much more intellectual and sensual than most travel writers I have read. There is a good dose of history and many literary references. Over all, a really unique and sophisticated view of the city so many writers have generically romaniticized."

Three more great reads, plus a cool widget with all the picks, so read more

If I had lots of money and lots of time, I'd spend it all traveling the world. But I don't, so instead I read travel writing. If I can't visit all the exotic destinations on my wish list, I can at least hear about other people's adventures (and misadventures) in them.

Because the past week was Honeymoon Week on the Sugar Network, I started thinking about travel, and I realized I need some recommendations for great new books that will transport me to places I won't necessarily get to see for myself. So I decided to make travel writing the subject of this week's Buzzworthy challenge. Just use Buzzsugar's cool bookmarking tool to bookmark your own and tag them with the phrase travel writing. No Lonely Planet books or other travel guides, please!

I'll post some readers' picks here next week. You can also now make a list of your picks. Here are mine:

To find out how to create a Buzzworthy bookmark, read more

This Friday, Ratatouille hits theaters nationwide, and I can't wait. I'm a sucker for anything Pixar, and I've loved many of the animated family movies that have come out in recent years — especially The Incredibles and the Shrek movies. I'll go to the theaters to see these movies even when I don't have a child (read: legitimate excuse) to bring with me.

What about you? Will you see animated family movies, even without a kid? Did you watch Finding Nemo on ABC last night like I did? Use Buzzsugar's cool bookmarking tool to bookmark your own and tag them with the phrase animated family movies. I'll post some readers' picks here next week. You can also now make a list of your picks. Here are mine:

To find out how to create a Buzzworthy bookmark, read more

Last week the USA premiered their summer series "The Starter Wife" which was based on the popular novel by Gigi Levangie Grazer about a woman who married into a hip Hollywood lifestyle that she's forced to leave behind when her husband cheats on her.

It makes me think of another marriage-themed book I read recently, Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin, in which the main characters' love triangle threatens to shake up an engagement. The book is funny and self-deprecating, and each of the characters learns something about him/herself in the end, which seems to often be the case in novels about weddings or marriage.

Thus, this week's Buzzworthy challenge is to bookmark the novels or memoirs specifically about marriage or weddings that you find most arresting (and no, they do not have to be happy stories). The tag to use when bookmarking your choices is wedding books, but please don't bookmark your favorite planners!

Using BuzzSugar's cool Buzzworthy bookmarking tool, find your favorite books on the Web and tag or title them with the phrase wedding books. Then, I'll post some readers' choices next week.

To find out how to create a Buzzworthy bookmark, read more

Major-league baseball season officially begins this weekend, so while my boyfriend is busy worrying about his fantasy league, I thought I'd ask you guys about your favorite baseball movies. America's pastime has spawned a great roster of films, from major-league dramas to comedies about amateurs, such as the brilliantly funny 1976 movie The Bad News Bears.

I could go on and on about The Bad News Bears and my other favorite baseball movies, but instead, I want to hear what yours are. Using BuzzSugar's cool Buzzworthy bookmarking tool, just find your best baseball movies on the Web, bookmark them as Buzzworthy, and tag or title your choices with the phrase baseball movies. Then, I'll post the readers' favorites next week.

To find out how to create a Buzzworthy bookmark, read more

There are many things that make me cry in movies and television, and some of them are weird: when people get applauded, gospel music, truthful mother-daughter moments, sweet daddy-daughter moments... the list continues.

But there are some films that seem like they were made solely to make everyone cry (Beaches, anyone?). This week's Buzzworthy challenge is devoted to just such movies, those we call tearjerkers.

Here's your chance to honor the movies you turn to for a good cry. Simply use BuzzSugar's cool Buzzworthy bookmarking tool to find your favorite heartstring-tugging films on the Web, bookmark them as Buzzworthy, and then title or tag your picks with the word tearjerkers. I'll post the readers' favorites next Wednesday. Let the cryfest begin.

To find out how to create a Buzzworthy bookmark, read more

In honor of our first week without "The OC," I devoted the latest Buzzworthy challenge to teen-centric TV shows. After all, "The OC" is just the latest in a long line of addictive teen dramas, which — by their very nature — can't last forever. So instead, I asked you guys to remember some of your favorite teen TV series — be they comedies or dramas — throughout time.

If Buzzworthy bookmarks were a popularity contest, the clear winner this time would be "My So-Called Life." Not only is this one of my favorite TV shows of all time (I kinda get chills just looking at the packaging) but it was also bookmarked by three — count 'em three — BuzzSugar readers, including Cupcake17, Missyosigirl, and WhiplashGirlchild. Too bad it was canceled after just one season. Here are my other picks from BuzzSugar readers.

"Popular," bookmarked by Missyosigirl and Bhilb, who says "I'm not sure if I should call this drama or comedy, but it's great!"

To see the rest, read more