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Buzz Book Club: The Conclusion of Four Blondes

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 May 2008 08:15:14 -0700

Welcome back Buzz Book Club readers! The time has come to bid farewell to the characters of Bushnell's world in Four Blondes. It seems fitting that the final story in this book would be the most autobiographical (although I have no idea if Bushnell ever went to London looking for love) because she seems most at home with this character.

If you're new to the Book Club, this is how it goes: every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post. In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

And stay tuned for the announcement of my June book club selection!

To discuss the final section of Four Blondes (in which we read to the end of the story titled "Single Process," read more.

After the first three stories, I found this last one to be a bit of a relief! I found it funnier and easier to enjoy than the others, so I think it's my favorite of the four. Now that all four have been read, which story was your favorite, and why?
Comparisons between Americans and the English run rampant in this story. What do you make of all these sweeping statements (i.e. it's "easy" to find a relationship/husband in London, English men are "bad in bed" and talk too much, etc.)? Do see truth in any of these? And is Bushnell saying anything in particular in bringing up all these stereotypes?
Near the end, the married-with-children English friend, Mary tells the narrator that she envies the single career woman and sometimes feels invisible. Then she describes the "black fantasy" married women have (that their husbands die while they are still young, leaving them "free"). I wonder where Bushnell got this idea, or if she actually knew women who told her that. What did you make of this section?
Do you like Bushnell's style of writing and her depiction of modern women? Did you find Four Blondes to be a nice, light, breezy read, or not so much?

Buzz Book Club: Four Blondes, Section Three

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 07:00:25 -0700

Welcome back Buzz Book Club readers! We're now three stories into Four Blondes, and somehow I'm not surprised that she gave us an honest-to-goodness princess in the section we read this week. I suppose after former model and magazine editor, it's the next logical place to go, right? Sidenote: I really think Candice Bushnell's at her best when she's writing in the first person. The story raised a few questions for me and I can't wait to discuss.

If you're new to the Book Club, this is how it goes: every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in May). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next assignment: Finish the book by completing the final story titled "Single Process." We'll chat about the final section a week from today, Friday, May 30.

To discuss the second section of Four Blondes (in which we read to the end of the story titled "Platinum," read more.

In the story, Cecelia has achieved everything that Janey (from the first story) was striving for and probably would have envied - she literally married a wealthy prince and became a socialite. And yet, even in this lifestyle, she's not only miserable but drowning in a kind of paranoia. Do you think Bushnell is making a statement about the goals these women have for themselves?
More than the others, this story focuses on female friendships - but just like the male-female relationships so far, they aren't particularly healthy or happy. In fact, in both Cecelia's past friendship with Amanda and her current friendship with Dianna Moon, there is a sense of unhealthy obsession and an emotional instability on the parts of all the women. What do you make of these friendships? Are they meant to just highlight how alone Cecelia is because of her lifestyle, or do you think Bushnell is saying something about female friendship overall?
I found it difficult to discern many redeeming qualities about Cecelia, and I also found her to be an unreliable narrator in many ways because she is so unstable. And yet, there is one moment of clarity for Cecelia that I was really on board for: when she stops and ponders whether she's ever done anything without the help of a man. It's these moments when Bushnell questions sexual politics and gender roles that I find her writing most appealing. And yet, these musings come to us by way of the most mentally unstable character of all the blondes so far. What do you think of this?

Buzz Book Club: Four Blondes, Section Two

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:15:32 -0700

Welcome back Buzz Book Club readers! Now that we've read the first two stories in Four Blondes, I gotta say this second section was better crafted than the first but these characters give Janey a run for her money in the "abhorrent" department. Still, that's good stuff to discuss, especially since they're a little less materialistic and far more pretentious.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next assignment: Read the entire third story titled "Platinum." We'll chat about this third section a week from today, Friday, May 23.

To discuss the second section of Four Blondes (in which we read to the end of the story titled "Highlights (For Adults)," read more.

Well, not many of you could relate to the first character, Janey last week. How do you feel about Winnie? Do you find her more relateable?
Along similar lines, which do you find more able to stomach: Janey's empty materialism and blatant social climbing, or the judgmental and controlling Winnie?
I personally found this story difficult to enjoy with two such miserable main characters. What was your experience of reading this section? Did you find it funny and interesting, or difficult?
This section brought us not just Winnie's point of view but her husband James' as well. I sometimes found myself wishing Bushnell had focused on just one of them. What do you think of Bushnell's decision to tell the story from both perspectives?
Marriage does not look appealing in this story (or at least Winnie and James' marriage doesn't)! Do you think Bushnell is using James and Winnie's marriage to say something about marriage itself?

Buzz Book Club: Four Blondes, Section One

BuzzSugar — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:30:12 -0700

Welcome back Buzz Book Club readers! Before we start, I want to say that I know many of you have already read Four Blondes and were either turned off or maybe even appalled by the main characters. You should know I'm right there with you.

However, just like with movies, I think there is something interesting and valuable about examining what makes a book fail in comparison to others in its genre. Moreover, Four Blondes gives us a lot to talk about in terms of the portrayal of the women in Candace Bushnell's universe on the eve of the Sex and the City movie, like Bushnell's use of sex as a means of power, the unadulterated materialism of her characters, etc.

So with that said, here's a recap of how the Book Club goes If you're new: every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in May). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few questions to prompt discussion in the comments section.

Of course, you are always welcome to read beyond the weekly chapters, but please don't spoil anything in the comments! After the jump you'll find some questions that struck me as I read this section.

The next assignment: Read the entire second story titled, "Highlights (For Adults)." We'll chat about this second section a week from today, Friday, May 16.

To discuss the first section of Four Blondes (in which we read to the end of the story titled "Nice N'Easy"), read more.

In this first story, the character Janey seems woefully underdeveloped and it's hard to care for her either way. That said, is there anything about Janey that you can relate to?
To me, the ending was frustrating, because it seemed like Bushnell gave Janey an easy out with a modeling job that basically fell from the sky. Would you have felt more satisfied if Janey had become a real estate agent? Is there another possible ending that would have satisfied you?
Janey's certainly not a great woman, but all of the men in this section are abhorrent as well. Are there any differences you see between the way Bushnell talks about women and the way she talks about men?

Buzz Book Club: Four Blondes

BuzzSugar — Fri, 02 May 2008 08:30:25 -0700

Hello Buzz Book Club readers! First of all, happy Friday! Now, I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a little emotionally spent from several Buzz Book Club books in a row that dragged us through the emotional ringer (Revolutionary Road, The Life Before Her Eyes).

Given that and the fact that it's Springtime, I thought I'd pick a light and frothy book for my May selection: Four Blondes by Candace Bushnell (author of Sex and the City).

It also seems appropriate, since we've had Bushnell's Lipstick Jungle on the small screen this year, and the Sex and the City movie is on the way to the big screen. So we might as well get into the spirit of the sassy, high-powered woman by reading Four Blondes.

For those of you new to my book club format, here's how it works:
I'll announce a new book each month. Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in May). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few discussion-provoking questions for you to respond to in the comments section.

To find out what Four Blondes is all about and to get the first assignment, read more.

The synopsis for Four Blondes reads:
"In Four Blondes, [Candace Bushnell] returns with a quartet of novellas on her favorite subject - the mating habits of wealthy sex-, status-, and media-obsessed New Yorkers. These are people for whom a million or two does not make one rich, and who consider Louis Vuitton and Prada bare necessities. Janey Wilcox, for example, is a former model who each summer chooses a house in the Hamptons - or, rather, picks up a wealthy man with a pricey rental. Cecelia, on the other hand, has gotten the ultimate prize: a royal husband. Still, she finds herself descending into paranoia as the Manhattan media circus reports her every flaw. Then there's Winnie Diekes, a high-powered magazine columnist whose marriage flounders as she pushes her unambitious husband to write the book that will make him - and her - famous. Finally, in the most clearly autobiographical story, a writer gives up on the commitment-impaired men of New York and goes to London to find a husband."

The first assignment: Read the entire first story title, "Nice N'Easy." We'll chat about this first section a week from today, May 9.

The Runaways: Guitars Make Girls Grow Up Fast

BuzzSugar — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:30:00 -0700

Picture this: it's 1975. The airwaves are dominated by the likes of David Bowie, The Eagles, and the Bee Gees. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a rock group - made up entirely of teenage girls - explodes onto the scene. In no time they've signed a record deal and are touring Japan, singing to thousands of fans who can't get enough. Sounds like standard film fodder, but what rocks about The Runaways is that it all actually happened.

The film is truly about the band's front-runners, Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) and Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning). Joan is the mysterious, sexually ambiguous rhythm guitar player who just wants to be taken seriously as a rock musician. She approaches producer Kim Fowley (played to a T by Michael Shannon) outside of a club one night, and after an introduction to drummer Sandy West their girl group emerges. Across town, 16-year-old Cherie Currie is slowly starting to come into her own as a social outcast from a broken home. We get a glimpse of her star power as she writhes fearlessly on stage, embodying David Bowie for a high school talent show. She meets Joan and Kim in a club one night, and weeks later she's the blond bombshell, the lead singer, and the face of The Runaways.

To see which notes the movie hits and where it misses, just read more.

It's hard to believe that a story so chock-full of cliches could actually be based on history, but it's true: Joan Jett really did meet Fowler outside of a club, and he really did have a drummer already lined up. Their smash hit "Cherry Bomb" really was written on the spot for Cherie Currie when she came in for an audition. And, sadly, Currie really did spiral out of control and was all washed up by her 18th birthday.

Stewart holds her own in Joan Jett's shoes (and mullet, and leather), but it's Fanning who steals the show. Gone is the baby faced actress who was introduced to the world as Sean Penn's precocious four-year-old in I Am Sam, and in her place is a powerhouse performer. It's almost eerie watching Cherie come-of-age (and beyond) on the big screen knowing that Fanning has grown up in the spotlight herself. Fanning truly makes Cherie transform from an independent yet callow teenager into a pill-popping, corset-wearing rock diva. Fanning manages to push the limits of Cherie's attitude problems, but holds back before going over-the-top with the dramatics.

I was disappointed to see that Floria Sigismondi's direction often falls in line with the rock movie stereotypes. Once the girls hit the road, the band scenes felt like they could have come from any movie. We're hit with the classic dizzying camera angles set to music, supposedly exemplifying all that is rock and roll: a roller coaster ride representing the band's performances, use of mind-altering substances, and experimenting with sex. It's kind of a staple for a music biopic, but the "whirlwind rise to the top" scenes almost felt too fast-forwarded.

Still, it's a ride that's fun to be on. The girls live out a teenage fantasy of fame and rebellion (albeit a vision that ends too quickly), but watching as they scream and squirm and make trouble is the perfect fodder for a popcorn flick.

Photos courtesy of Apparition

Heroes Rundown Chapter Four: "I Am Become Death"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:42:08 -0700

In this week's episode of Heroes, we alternate between the present day and four years in the future, discovering what will apparently happen unless certain heroes take some action in the present day, stat. This version of the future is bizarre (especially Sylar's story!) and scary (cold-hearted gangster Claire). It will be interesting to see when/if/how it can be avoided. To chat about the goings-on in this week's episode, read more.

In this future, everyone has an ability, but that also means people are using their abilities for evil. Future Peter says he knows that "all these people with abilities are going to destroy the world" because he painted that future. He needs present-day Peter to stop Mohinder from giving people abilities, and he needs to get Sylar's abilities. Future Peter can't do it because he "made terrible choices. Stepped on too many butterflies."
Tracy learns that she was one of three identical triplets: Tracy, Niki and Barbara. The three were separated and Tracy was given a formula, Dr. Zimmerman says, "that would make you incredible." At Tracy's probing for more answers, Dr. Z says "they" would not like him talking so much. Later, Tracy resigns from her job and attempts to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge, only to have Nathan swoop in and save her. She's glad to meet a fellow special person and they make out.
Future Claire tries to gun down both Peters, only managing to fell Future Peter who she brings back to a lab place where we see the blond girl from Parkman's future paintings, the speedster, Daphne.
Present day Hiro and Ando are trapped on Level Two. I love this: There aren't a lot of quarrels on TV shows that include the lines, "You know what I think? I think you're still upset that future me murders future you."
Nathan says that Linderman is the problem. Linderman: "You don't trust me? I'm hurt!" Linderman wants to help Nathan become president, saying that "this is the path to salvation."
I think Maya is in a scene but I'm not sure because all I can see are boobs. That dress, seriously? Anyway, Mohinder's rash is spreading, and he's becoming more aggressive. "The formula is transforming me, and I fear what I'm becoming." He later says that he "cannot reverse the process." Four years into the future, Mohinder has become a cloaked, shadowy creature, warning Peter not to make his same mistakes.

Also in this future? Daddy Sylar! Or, I guess, he's back to going by Gabriel. He has a little boy named Noah who clearly knows the future Peter and calls him "uncle." This is when present-day Peter discovers that he and Sylar are brothers. Sylar is reluctant to give Peter his ability, saying it's not just an ability, it's a hunger that he fights every day. . . "for him." Ultimately, though, Sylar says that if Peter can understand the "symphonies" of a watch, he can understand everything, and Peter acquires Sylar's ability.
In the future, Parkman and Daphne have a baby together and are raising Molly. Daphne wants to find Peter. Parkman tells his speedster wife to "slow down," but in the end Daphne joins slick, leather-wearing future Claire and the fear-reading guy to hunt down Peter.
Claire and her gang show up in Costa Verde, at the Bennets' old house where Sylar is living, and in the process of trying to kill, Peter they kill little Noah. Sylar flips out and causes a nuclear explosion. This apparently is tied into the title of this episode, which was taken from a quote by J. Robert Oppenheimer, "the father of the bomb:" "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."
Later in this future, we see Nathan and Tracy - now the President and First Lady - as Nathan gives a speech about the tragic loss of Costa Verde.
Then Nathan seeks out Peter, who is being tortured by his niece, Claire. Heroes is just one big messed up family. Claire hunts down her uncle (twice), then plans on torturing him. Peter and Sylar are bros which means Sylar and Nathan are bros and Sylar is Claire's uncle because Nathan is Claire's father. Sheesh. Nathan tells Peter that one man cannot save the world, it's everybody's responsibility. The two brothers argue some more before Peter's newly acquired hunger makes him try to slice open Nathan's head.
In the future, Parkman's wife Daphne apparently dies from the Costa Verde explosion and Parkman wants to stop this from happening. Usutu tells Parkman to find his "totem," a spirit guide to lead him on his journey. (Ha: "Carl Jung. Analytical psychology. You don't read much, do you?") Parkman decides on the turtle and starts to (slowly) follow it.
By now, Hiro and Ando have made up and the Haitian has brought them before Mama Petrelli. Angela says she needs to find the formula, which can turn normal people into "people like us." She says that "they" have both parts of the formula now. She says someone has been manipulating them. She tells Hiro, "You have the key to unlocking this entire mystery." Hiro: "I do?"
So, they dig up Adam Monroe. Who is, understandably, a little mad.

Who do you think is making a shocking appearance in next week's episode?

Photos courtesy of NBC

Bottle Shock: Intriguing Story Muddled by a Fruity Aftertaste

BuzzSugar — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:00:11 -0700

I live near Napa Valley and I enjoy wine a great deal, so when I first heard about a new little movie called Bottle Shock all about the historical legitimization of California wine, I was intrigued. I may have taken for granted the fact that Napa hasn't always been a world-renowned winemaking region, and that at one point it was viewed as nothing more than a bunch of back-water country hicks noodling around with grapes. Which is why I was disappointed to not love this sincere attempt to bring this story to life on the screen. I had such high hopes, but in the end the movie spends too much time on other stuff and not enough on the part that's the most interesting.

Invariably, this tale of Napa's beginnings will be compared to another indie film about California wine, Sideways, and though the subject matter may be similar, it's not an accurate pairing. Where Sideways uses wine country as a setting in which to explore the lives of four intriguing characters, Bottle Shock is a saccharine mix of slapstick comedy, melodrama, and sweeping shots of California's golden hills. This director practically fetishizes the beauty of the state's coast, and at times the movie feels more like a tourist ad than anything else. I wish the filmmakers had relied on the interesting true story for a dramatic arc rather than tossing in several tedious subplots, including an emotionally weightless father-son drama and a mind-numbing love triangle. To see why, read more.

In 1976 a British wine shop owner named Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman) and his American neighbor Maurine (played wonderfully by Dennis Farina) come up with the idea of a blind tasting that would pit France's best winemakers against the renegades in America, intending to prove that great wine could only be made in France. Surrier travels to California and makes his way from one roadside tasting to another, carefully noting which regions are best. At the same time, Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) and his free-spirited, slacker son Bo (Chris Pine) are attempting to create a perfect chardonnay at their winery, Chateau Montelena. Bo sees Surrier's arrival as a chance to prove to his dad that he can make something happen for the winery. Meanwhile one of the Barrett's employees, Gustavo Brambila (Freddy Rodríguez), is making his own wine on the side and frequently butts heads with Jim.

Oh, and then a blond bombshell "intern" shows up at the Chateau and proceeds to befriend and bed both young men amidst winery duties, which include wearing sexy outfits and hosing off a barrel while the water runs down her body, not unlike a Playboy fantasy, while the dirty old men of the winery gawk.

There's a lot of time spent on these characters but it all falls flat because tonally their stories don't jive with what's going on over in Alan Rickman's movie. While they run around an Anthropology catalogue, delivering dramatic monologues about feeling wine in your blood, Alan's tasting Kentucky Friend Chicken for the first time and it's hysterical. Eventually we get to the climax of the film - the industry-changing wine tasting in France - but by that time I was pretty much over it and couldn't care less about the fate of these people.

The sad thing about this movie is that it's well-intentioned and wants to do justice to the stories of these real-life people. The saving grace, predictably, is Alan Rickman and there isn't a single scene he's in that doesn't sparkle with wry humor and simple elegance. But alas, his scenes are too few, and when they end we're swept away via endless aerial shots of vineyards to the dopey plotlines of the other characters.

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The Great Debaters Wins Big at NAACP Image Awards

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:08:18 -0800

The Golden Globe-nominated drama The Great Debaters won big Thursday night at the 39th NAACP Image Awards. The NAACP, which uses the annual Image Awards to honor outstanding achievements and performances by people of color and individuals and groups who work to promote social justice, recognized the film with four awards, including Best Motion Picture, Best Actor for Denzel Washington, and Best Actress for Jurnee Smollett.

Talk To Me also nabbed a couple of awards, including one for director Kasi Lemmons. On the television side, Grey's Anatomy won for Best Drama, while Tyler Perry's House of Payne won three awards, including Best Comedy. Alicia Keys won four awards in the music categories, and American Idol alum Jordin Sparks took home the award for Best New Artist.

To see a complete list of winners from Thursday's awards, just read more.

MOTION PICTURE CATEGORIES

Motion Picture
The Great Debaters

Actor in a Motion Picture
Denzel Washington, The Great Debaters

Actress in a Motion Picture
Jurnee Smollett, The Great Debaters

Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Denzel Whitaker, The Great Debaters

Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Janet Jackson, Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?

Directing in a Motion Picture
Kasi Lemmons, Talk To Me

Writing in a Motion Picture
Michael Genet and Rick Famuyiwa, Talk To Me

Independent or Foreign Film
Honeydripper

Documentary
Darfur Now

TELEVISION CATEGORIES:

Comedy Series
Tyler Perry's House of Payne

Actor in a Comedy Series
LaVan Davis, Tyler Perry's House of Payne

Actress in a Comedy Series
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Lance Gross, Tyler Perry's House of Payne

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:
Vanessa L. Williams, Ugly Betty

Directing in a Comedy Series
Ken Whittingham, The Office, "Phyllis's Wedding"

Writing in a Comedy Series
Ali LeRoi, Everybody Hates Chris, "Everybody Hates Guidance Counselor"

Drama Series
Grey's Anatomy

Actor in a Drama Series
Hill Harper, CSI: NY

Actress in a Drama Series
Regina Taylor, The Unit

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Omar Epps, House

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy

Directing in a Dramatic Series
Seith Mann, Friday Night Lights, "Are You Ready For Friday Night?"

Writing in a Dramatic Series:
Shonda Rhimes and Krista Vernoff, Grey's Anatomy, "A Change is Gonna Come"

TV Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special
Life Support

Actor in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special
Wendell Pierce, Life Support

Actress in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Dramatic Special
Queen Latifah, Life Support

Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Kristoff St. John, The Young And The Restless

Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Christel Khalil, The Young And The Restless

News/Information, Series or Special
In Conversation: The Senator Barack Obama Interview

Talk Series:
Tavis Smiley, "Crisis in Darfur"

Reality Series
Run's House 4

Variety Series or Special
Celebration of Gospel '07

Children's Program
That's So Raven

Performance in a Youth/Children's Program, Series or Special
Raven-Symone, That's So Raven

RECORDING CATEGORIES

Album
Alicia Keys, As I Am

Song
"Like You'll Never See Me Again," Alicia Keys

Male Artist
Chris Brown

Female Artist
Alicia Keys.

Duo or Group
Eddie and Gerald Levert

New Artist
Jordin Sparks

Jazz Artist
Herbie Hancock

Gospel Artist
Kirk Franklin

World Music Album
Angelique Kidjo, Djin Djin

Music Video:
"Like You'll Never See Me Again," Alicia Keys

LITERATURE CATEGORIES:

Fiction
Blonde Faith, Walter Mosley

Nonfiction
Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond, Don Cheadle, John Prendergast

Debut Author
The Women Who Raised Me: A Memoir, Victoria Rowell

Biography/Autobiography:
Obama: From Promise to Power, David Mendell

Instructional
The Covenant in Action, Tavis Smiley

Poetry
Acolytes: Poems, Nikki Giovanni

Children
Nothing but Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson, Sue Stauffacher, author; Greg Couch, illustrator

Youth/Teens
More Than Entertainers: An Inspirational Black Career Guide, Charles B. Schooler, author; Gary Young, illustrator

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Buzz Book Club: Then We Came to the End

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 May 2008 12:45:13 -0700

Hello Buzz Book Club readers! Between covering the ins and outs of the Sex and the City movie and reading Four Blondes as my last book club selection, I'm a little spent on the fabulous lives of women in New York City.

And while I'm excited for summertime, the truth is that many of us are stuck in an office during these sunny days. So, I thought a fun way to get us through the doldrums of gazing longingly out the window would be to commiserate with a hilarious book about life on the cubicle farm.

Introducing my June selection: Then We Came to the End: A Novel by Joshua Ferris.

The book has received all kinds of buzz and critical acclaim, so I've been excited to read it. Stephen King called it "hilarious" and the New York Times named it one of the best books of 2007.

For those of you new to my book club format, here's how it works: I'll announce a new book each month. Every week I'll suggest chapters to complete by the next post (which, in this case, will go up every Friday in June). In these weekly Book Club posts, I'll posit a few discussion-provoking questions for you to respond to in the comments section.

To find out what Then We Came to the End is all about and to get the first assignment, read more.

The synopsis for Then We Came to the End reads:
"It's 2001. The dot-com bubble has burst and rolling layoffs have hit an unnamed Chicago advertising firm sending employees into an escalating siege mentality as their numbers dwindle. As a parade of employees depart, bankers boxes filled with their personal effects, those left behind raid their fallen comrades' offices, sifting through the detritus for the errant desk lamp or Aeron chair. Written with confidence in the tricky-to-pull-off first-person plural, the collective fishbowl perspective of the 'we' voice nails the dynamics of cubicle culture - the deadlines, the gossip, the elaborate pranks to break the boredom, the joy of discovering free food in the breakroom. Arch, achingly funny, and surprisingly heartfelt, it's a view of how your work becomes a symbiotic part of your life. A dysfunctional family of misfits forced together and fondly remembered as it falls apart. Praised as 'the Catch-22 of the business world' and 'The Office meets Kafka,' I'm happy to report that Joshua Ferris's brilliant debut lives up to every ounce of pre-publication hype and instantly became one of my favorite books of the year." (Brad Thomas Parsons)

The first assignment: Read from the start of the story until the end of chapter two of the section titled, "You Don't Know What's In my Heart." We'll chat about this first section a week from today, June 6.