Surprise!

To check out the lastest book pick and see the new "The Written Word" please click HERE!

Snow Flower Question #5

In the story, we are told again and again that women are weak and worthless. But were they really? In what ways did Lily and Snow Flower show their strength and value?

This will be out last questions regarding the novel Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. If you haven't already done so, please read my previous post regarding our next book club pick and then submit your vote in the poll on the sidebar. You have until Thursday, September 7th at noon to vote.

Let's pick our next book!

Out of all the book suggestions I received I have picked out four for us to vote on. I received MANY great ideas for our next book, making it very hard to narrow it down to just four. I hope you like the choices. Like I mentioned last month, I am sorry if one of your recommendations didn't make the list. I certainly don't want to upset anyone, I am just doing my best to make the choices as diverse as possible.

Here are your choices (I have linked each one to Amazon.com so you can read the synopsis). Once you decide which book you would like to read, just submit your vote on the poll in the blog sidebar. The voting will end on Thursday, September 7th at noon, so vote soon!



Moloka'i



The Other Boleyn Girl



The Dive from Clausen's Pier



Secret Girl

Snow Flower Question #4

Although the story takes place in the nineteenth century and seems very far removed from our lives --- we don't have our feet bound, we're free and mobile --- do you think we're still bound up in other ways; for instance, by career, family obligations, conventions of feminine beauty, or events beyond our control such as war, the economy, and natural disasters?

Snow Flower Question #3

Having a wife with bound feet was a status symbol for men, and, consequently, having bound feet increased a woman's chances of marriage into a wealthier household. Women took great pride in their feet, which were considered not only beautiful but also their best and most important feature. As a child, would you have fought against having your feet bound, as Third Sister did, knowing you would be consigned to the life of a servant or a "little daughter-in-law"? As a mother, would you have chosen to bind your daughter's feet?

Seems like a few of you are still having trouble leaving comments. Since switching over to blogger in beta, I've noticed that instead of typing my standard User Name and Password, my User Name is now my e-mail address. So when I comment on another blog, I have to type in forksblog@optonline.net for my User Name and then my normal password. Maybe this would work for you guys also. If not, e-mail me your comments and I will post them myself.

Snow Flower Question #2

Do you think the concept of "old sames" exists today? Do you have an "old same," or are you part of a sworn sisterhood? In what ways are those relationships similar or different from the ones in nineteenth-century China?

Remember, you can participate by leaving a comment here, or posting about the question on your own blog and leaving a link to your thoughts in the comment section.

Snow Flower Question #1

Let's start with the basics.

Did you guys enjoy this book? If so, why? If you didn't like the book, was it because of the plot or the author's writing style?

You may participate by leaving a comment here, or posting about the question on your own blog and leaving a link to your thoughts in the comment section here. Either way, I can't wait to find out your thoughts!

Suggested books - please read

I received a few e-mails regarding our next book. Some people suggested new books and others wanted to add the titles that were up in our last poll (The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Digging to America) into the vote for this month. I think that it is important to keep things fresh and new. Therefore, I would currently like to take suggestions for books that haven't been up in a previous poll. Then, every six months we could put up a poll entirely of the books that ended up in second place in all of our previous polls. That way we are consistently reading new stuff, instead of regenerating the other books each and every month.

So please, send me an e-mail with your new book suggestions. I would like to get the ball rolling so while discussing Snow Flower we could also pick our next book!! E-mail me at forksblog@optonline.net.

Our next book

I just can't wait until Friday when I will be posting questions regarding Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Talk about an interesting book!

In the meantime, let's start thinking about the next book we want to read. Please e-mail me at forksblog@optonline.net with any books that you would like to submit for consideration. I will then post a poll in the near future with three or four books to vote on.