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What's Buzzworthy: Book Club Books

BuzzSugar — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 11:30:00 -0800

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!"

What's Buzzworthy? Book Club Books

BuzzSugar — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 11:00:00 -0800

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.

FlashForward Breakdown, "The Gift"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:30:48 -0800

On this week's episode of FlashForward, we get some of those big payoffs that Sonya Walger promised. While the main characters' most important relationships grow more tense, the FBI agents learn more about the blue-hand situation, and the end of the episode has two very big twists.

There's plenty of excitement to discuss, so to get into it, just read more.

Call me Al: We don't learn much about Al in the first handful of episodes of the season, but boy do we get an eyeful and an earful this week. Turns out Al's flash-forward is a lot more jarring than just a dead bird - it's followed up with a phone call revealing that a still-mysterious chain of events ends in Al "accidentally" killing a mother of two. Throughout the episode Al seems to have a laid-back, collected demeanor (even when he opts in for a game of Russian roulette), but inside he's a mess. In the end, Al is so overcome with grief about having a death on his hands, that he decides to "change the game" and commits suicide. I have to admit, as heartbreaking as that scene is, I was kind of glad Al went through with it - just to prove that the flash-forwards aren't necessarily the future. Everything is changed now, the paths can be adjusted, and both Mark and Demetri realize this as they head home to their significant others. Now that they believe the visions can be adjusted, I can't wait to see what else they try to do to throw their visions off course.

My blue heaven: Following up on Demetri and Al's scavenger hunt to find the "blue hands," the fun continues this week as the FBI agents discover that the blue hands are actually a "death club," with meetings set up all over the country for people like Demetri who didn't see a flash-forward ("living ghosts"). It kind of reminded me of Fight Club, though Mark defines it as a "book club with bullets." The guys are hilarious in their street clothes headed to the party, though what they find inside is pretty horrific. After a quick game of Russian roulette, the guys enter what can only be defined as a torture den - people who believe they are going to die doing all kinds of creepy things to each other. I have to say, if I was one of those "living ghosts" I think I'd either be trying to do all the fun things I never got to do before - or I'd just want to get it over with. Why anyone would want to be tortured when he or she is already tormented by the idea of their inevitable death is beyond me.

Blast from the past: Aaron gets a visit from Mike, a friend and solider who served at the same time as Aaron's daughter Tracy. Mike passes on a Swiss Army knife to Aaron, a good-luck charm that Tracy wanted her dad to have should anything happen to her. Aaron is overjoyed since the knife also appeared in his vision, though Mike isn't exactly receptive to the notion that Tracy is still alive. He explains to Aaron that he watched Tracy die (though hello! He didn't even check to see if she was breathing), but surprise! Tracy is sitting in Aaron's kitchen at the end of the episode.

Other plot points:

As tensions rise between Demetri and Zoey, Demetri finally admits to Zoey that he didn't have a flash-forward and is going to die. Zoey refuses to accept it, insisting that should could feel Demetri in her vision and that nothing's been decided yet. Demetri seems skeptical about choosing Zoey's side to "hope" for the best, but after Al's suicide, he seems to have warmed up to the idea that he can change his fate.

Like Demetri, Al's death is a wake-up call for Mark. After suffering problems with Olivia (how sad is it when Charlie catches him crying?) he runs home and embraces her sweetly.

Instead of helping out at the church, Nicole lands a gig volunteering at Olivia's hospital. We learn that she speaks Japanese pretty will, and now is helping Bryce try to find the mysterious Japanese woman from his vision. Will this somehow lead to Nicole's scary vision? Is she sticking her nose where it doesn't belong?

What did you think of this week's episode? Do you think other characters will try to "change the game," too?

Link Time! Joseph Gordon-Levitt Hosting SNL This Month

BuzzSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:30:55 -0800

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and January Jones have been tapped to host SNL this month - The AV Club
Julia Roberts's production company has acquired the movie rights to unpublished book In the Neighborhood - Moviefone
Morgan Freeman will star in comedy Dirty Old Men - Cinematical
12 facts about the Mayan apocalyptic prediction and new film 2012 - Rotten Tomatoes
Taylor Swift has set a record for longest Billboard chart run this decade - HitFix
Helen Mirren has joined the cast of comic book adaptation Red - Coming Soon
Half of all DVR users don't actually skip commercials - Vulture
Nathan Fillion dishes about the Dr. Horrible sequel - MTV Movies Blog
Would you do, dump, or marry Andy Samberg? - TresSugar
Watch Christopher Walken reading Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" - PopWatch

10 Books That Are Better as Movies

BuzzSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:30:04 -0700

It's a strange experience when you realize you're enjoying a movie more than you enjoyed the book on which it's based because so often the opposite is true. After all, presumably an author has the advantage because he/she can provide deep insight into characters that actors have to convey with but a glance. Every so often, though, a story makes a lot more sense onscreen. Here I've compiled a list of some stories I'd rather watch than read. What are yours? Just hit "Start" to begin the slideshow.

View Slideshow ›

Be a Part of the BuzzSugar Community!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:30:35 -0700

You may remember when I introduced the revamped BuzzSugar Community, and maybe you've seen me mention where you can find places to chat about TV shows, but there's a whole world of groups inside the Buzz Community to get involved in. From TV and movies to books and music, there's a place for everyone.

The Music Review Group - Review the latest albums and tracks
The Book Club - Chat about new and old reads
Twilight the Saga - When you just can't get enough Edward and Bella
The Office! - Dunder Mifflin's virtual water cooler
Friday Night Horror Club - Scary movie fans unite
Welcome to Hogwarts - To tide you over until the next Harry Potter film

Of course, these groups are just the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty more groups in the Community, and if you don't see a group you'd like to join? Start your own!