The Book, the Author & an Excerpt

[LizzieAnn]

Interesting point - as usual, you're way ahead of us. It should be interesting to see why the singular as opposed to the plural is the better choice.

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Everyman wrote:
I find it interesting that the book is called The Sister and not The Sisters. Suggests that it's more about one of the sisters than about the relationship between them. Hmmmmm.

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[dg]

I loved The Secret Life of Bees. I also passed it up in the bookstore on quite a few occasions because the title just didn't lure me in. But it kept capturing my attention and I finally gave in and bought it. I was glad I did.

[EbonyAngel]

Can't wait to get started. The excerpt really intriqued me. Especially this paragraph.
"It was a childhood in perfect balance, so I'm wondering what it was that came along and changed everything. It wasn't just one thing. There's rarely a sole cause for the separation of lives. It's a sequence of events, an inexorable chain reaction where each small link is fundamental, like a snake of upended dominoes. And I've been thinking that the very first one, the one you push to start it all off, must have been when Vivi slipped off our bell tower and nearly died, fifty-nine years ago."

[DSaff]

Great start for the book! I hope I get in for the discussion. =)

[DSaff]

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CuriousKat wrote:
Considering just about everyone here can relate in some way due to "real" relationships, I am sure there will be something that will resonate personally.

So far so good with the excerpt. Seems to have us all hooked. You have to wonder where they get the inspiration/seed that begins the journey, that we get to enjoy.

I laughed about the comments about a title with Moth in it......you would be surprised what you find yourself reading. Have any of you read the Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk? Great read.

Since the book revolves around a family that catches, studies and collects moths your imagination can run wild trying to think of what could be so eerie. Harmless wisps?

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I loved "The Secret Life of Bees" and have recommended it to many others.

[nmccarthy]

Donna,
I love the Charles Scribner quote that's part of your signature. I do get a guilty feeling every once in awhile about spending way too much time reading; I shall make a bookmark with this quote.

Along those lines, have you read, The Uncommon Reader" by Alan Bennett. It's a short (120 page) ,enlightening satire. The Queen of England, at an advanced age, suddenly takes an interest in reading, so much so, that she neglects her official duties. The staff, Prime Minister and country are concerned that she is wasting her time. I found the ending quite satisfying. Enough said.
Nancy

[DSaff]

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nmccarthy wrote:
Donna,
I love the Charles Scribner quote that's part of your signature. I do get a guilty feeling every once in awhile about spending way too much time reading; I shall make a bookmark with this quote.

Along those lines, have you read, The Uncommon Reader" by Alan Bennett. It's a short (120 page) ,enlightening satire. The Queen of England, at an advanced age, suddenly takes an interest in reading, so much so, that she neglects her official duties. The staff, Prime Minister and country are concerned that she is wasting her time. I found the ending quite satisfying. Enough said.
Nancy

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While I have not read the book you mentioned yet, it is now on my TBR list. lol It is great to get reading suggestions from others. I can think of many ways to waste time, but reading isn't one of them. It is a wonderful quote.

[Aunt_Beth_64]

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Aunt_Beth_64 wrote:

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vivico1 wrote:

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Everyman wrote:

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CuriousKat wrote:
I laughed about the comments about a title with Moth in it......you would be surprised what you find yourself reading. Have any of you read the Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk?

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It's hard not to suspect that the Moth title was based in part on the success of the Secret Life of Bees. I tried to read Bees, but didn't get very far before I sent it back to the library.

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I kind of like that title The Behavour of Moths, for this book, considering the sisters are supposed to be scientists who work with butterflies I think, and moths. And since its about their relationship and what happened to it, its about their behaviors and what if one was a butterfly and one was a moth? I think its an intriguing title.

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I didn’t think of it before….but the title could have something to do with the Life Cycle of a moth. I suppose it is the same as a butterfly:
Egg
Larva (Caterpillar)
Pupa (Chrysalis)
Adult

I suppose the metamorphosis of the sister relationship also evolves in stages.

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Having pulled out a sweater this morning and discovered moth holes present that were not there last winter I have a new theory:

Perhaps the original title refers to the destructive behavior of moths. Therein the metaphor for some destructive behavior that causes the estrangement between the sisters. Hmmmmmm

Beth

[OldMustyBooks]

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DSaff wrote:

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CuriousKat wrote:
Considering just about everyone here can relate in some way due to "real" relationships, I am sure there will be something that will resonate personally.

So far so good with the excerpt. Seems to have us all hooked. You have to wonder where they get the inspiration/seed that begins the journey, that we get to enjoy.

I laughed about the comments about a title with Moth in it......you would be surprised what you find yourself reading. Have any of you read the Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk? Great read.

Since the book revolves around a family that catches, studies and collects moths your imagination can run wild trying to think of what could be so eerie. Harmless wisps?

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I loved "The Secret Life of Bees" and have recommended it to many others.

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I read the Secret Life of Bees this weekend because of the review people here gave it. I started it on Thursday evening; and as soon as I finished Saturday night, I ordered copies for my three dearest friends. It was a great book!

Thanks for the recommendations everyone.

Message Edited by OldMustyBooks on 02-04-2008 12:41 PM

[reddoglady]

Quite an interesting excerpt -- I signed up this am and am hoping that I do get in -- fingers and toes are crossed --

[Frank_n_beans]

Hi Maria-

I just found out I made it in the club for March and I'm thrilled! I was just curious...are the advanced reading copies we are sent actual books or are they photo-copies of the book? That may be a silly question but I am just curious...

Thanks!
Frank & Beans

[vivico1]

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Frank_n_beans wrote:
Hi Maria-

I just found out I made it in the club for March and I'm thrilled! I was just curious...are the advanced reading copies we are sent actual books or are they photo-copies of the book? That may be a silly question but I am just curious...

Thanks!
Frank & Beans

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They are paperback copies of the book. There may be some changes before they come out for sale but not many. The one we did in Jan, The House at Riverton, they were making some cover changes to and we got to add our input about the cover, that was cool. But yes, you will have an actual paperback book to hold in your hands and get all comfy with that you get to keep.

[Frank_n_beans]

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vivico1 wrote:

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Frank_n_beans wrote:
Hi Maria-

I just found out I made it in the club for March and I'm thrilled! I was just curious...are the advanced reading copies we are sent actual books or are they photo-copies of the book? That may be a silly question but I am just curious...

Thanks!
Frank & Beans

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They are paperback copies of the book. There may be some changes before they come out for sale but not many. The one we did in Jan, The House at Riverton, they were making some cover changes to and we got to add our input about the cover, that was cool. But yes, you will have an actual paperback book to hold in your hands and get all comfy with that you get to keep.

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Yay! That's wonderful..thanks for letting me know, Vivian! I was so hoping we'd get real books..and was quite excited at the prospect of adding a new book to my book-shelf. I have a dream of having a library when my husband and I buy a house...I can just see it now...with books from floor to ceiling on every wall..except for where the fireplace will be..oh and I want that little ladder thingy that moves across the room so I can easily get to a book on the tippy-top shelf. Hehe..a girl can dream, right?!

[FrankieD]

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CuriousKat wrote:
Considering just about everyone here can relate in some way due to "real" relationships, I am sure there will be something that will resonate personally.

So far so good with the excerpt. Seems to have us all hooked. You have to wonder where they get the inspiration/seed that begins the journey, that we get to enjoy.

I laughed about the comments about a title with Moth in it......you would be surprised what you find yourself reading. Have any of you read the Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk? Great read.

Since the book revolves around a family that catches, studies and collects moths your imagination can run wild trying to think of what could be so eerie. Harmless wisps?

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I read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk several years ago as the book of the month in a book club that we had at my school...and enjoyed the book and the club as well. The best part was that the leader of the book club got us tickets to see Sue Monk in Manhattan as she read the story aloud to the audience...a great way to end a book reading.
FrankieD

[pjmama]

It's interesting to hear all this comment on The Secret Life of Bees. It's one of my favorites and I use excerpts of it in the AP Lit class that that I taught...my students love it, too and many of them read the entire book after the excerpt. Sue Monk Kidd's The Mermaid's Chair is also rather intriguing.

Can't wait for The Sister.

[paula_02912]

frank-n-beans wrote: "I was so hoping we'd get real books..and was quite excited at the prospect of adding a new book to my book-shelf. I have a dream of having a library when my husband and I buy a house...I can just see it now...with books from floor to ceiling on every wall..except for where the fireplace will be..oh and I want that little ladder thingy that moves across the room so I can easily get to a book on the tippy-top shelf. Hehe..a girl can dream, right?!"

Hi frank-n-beans, I have the same dream...when I get a house I want a humongous library with one of those ladder thingeys and every room in the house will have a mini-library, including the bathroom...yeah, I know that is crazy, but as you so nicely put it..."a girl can dream, right?"

[Read-n-Rider]

I've been dreaming, too, and now have what you might call the embryonic stage of a library. It's the area above our garage and there's a door into it from an upstairs bedroom. I do have it cleaned out at this point; however, it needs a lot of work to finish it off--insulation on the outside wall, ceiling, finished interior walls, not to mention work on the floor--you get the picture, I'm sure. Though I'm not much of a construction do-it-yourselfer and I haven't so far been very successful in getting my husband (who is!) enthused about it, I am hoping to get there eventually. Meanwhile, it's nice to know there are others with the same dream.

Joan

[paula_02912]

I know what you mean Joan...the bulk of my library is in storage because I live in an apartment....I do have some great built in bookshelves as well as a free standing one...I have books in piles all over the place...I hope you hubby gets on the bandwagon soon so that you can have a fully functional library...

[kbc]

I did read the Secret Life of Bees. However, I probably would be hesitant to pick up this book with the moths title. I am looking forward to reading this book but I agree with another post that I hope it gets here soon so that there is time to read before the discussion begins.

Karen

[Maria_H]

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Frank_n_beans wrote:
Hi Maria-

I just found out I made it in the club for March and I'm thrilled! I was just curious...are the advanced reading copies we are sent actual books or are they photo-copies of the book? That may be a silly question but I am just curious...

Thanks!
Frank & Beans

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Hi Franks_n_Beans,

Great name -- and welcome to First Look!

The book we are mailing to you looks and feels very much like a paperback book. It's pretty much at its final stage, though it may still need to go through a good scrubbing for typos and such.

Hope you enjoy the book and discussion!

Maria