Author Archives: Broadened Horizons

book club Thursday

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Trying to discuss The Year of Living Biblically in one short evening might be large undertaking, but we sure enjoyed it!

I always look forward to book club Thursday’s, even when the turn-out is small. Three of us were in attendance while the snow fell quietly outside.

Jacobs learned a great deal about the Bible through his crash-course in reading it and then following through with this 12 month book project. He says this about his background with the Bible: “I grew up in an extremely secular home in New York City. I am officially Jewish, but I’m Jewish in he same way The Olive Garden is an Italian restaurant. Which is to say: not very. I attended no Hebrew school, ate no matzoh.”

We all agreed he had a religious experience not a spiritual one. But it seems he definitely enjoyed this more than he expected too. Wearing white clothes, carrying a staff, the works. It seems it was like a game to him, a fun project, not an honest spiritual searching.

The first 8 months or so he follows the teaching from the Old Testament and when he got to the end of that and looked to what the New Testament says, he hit a speed bump. “The emphasis on faith is a key difference between modern Judaism and current evangelical Christianity.”

Did you finish the book? I don’t want to give away the ending. Hope you find time to finish this great read some snowy winter night.

Leave a comment with your favorite strange command that Jacobs practiced or tried out. Some of ours… the stoning scene: hilarious! The handy seat… and why he bought it: classic! Dropping money on the sidewalk!

What’s Next?

February 17th is quickly approaching, have you found a copy of The Chosen yet? Be sure to check the sidebar for a heads up of what books we’ll be reading in the next few months. And never miss a blog post by signing up with Feedburner at the top of the sidebar.

Winter in Indiana

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Maybe it’s because we’ve never met in January* before or maybe it’s just because it’s winter in this great Hoosier state… but last night was the first time we had to cancel and postpone a meeting due to weather.

If you didn’t get an updated email from Evite please email me. (sarahronk (at) gmail (dot) com)

Also on a book keeping note, if you’d like to be added to or removed from the Evite mailing list please let me know.

A Year of Living Biblically will be discussed
next Thursday Jan. 27th at 7pm at Paradise Bakery and Cafe
RSVP if you can make it!

*We usually read a long book for February and take January off.

The Year of Living Biblically Discussion Questions

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I hope you’re almost done with this month’s book “The Year of Living Biblically” by A.J. Jacobs. Our meeting is tomorrow night (Thursday) at 7pm at Paradise Bakery at Hamilton Town Center.

I’m including just a few questions as the book provides plenty of fodder for discussion without my help 🙂

1. How did the book end in comparison with your expectations?

2. Did any part of Jacobs’ journey give you pause, or reflection about the way you are currently living, reading the Bible, or your beliefs?

3. Do you feel like Jacobs’ approach to the Bible would be similar to other non-believers or religious people?

4. If you were to pick up the holy text for another religion, how would you go about reading and interpreting it?

5. Which was your favorite strange command that Jacobs practiced or tried out?

6. Would you recommend this book?

(If you can’t make it, but you read the book, pick a question and answer it in the comments! We can join in the discussion on the interwebs. :D)

From Stunts to Bestsellers: About A.J. Jacobs

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The author of this month’s book, The Year of Living Biblically, isn’t afraid to undertake a crazy experiment or project for the sake of a story, and after reading the titles of some of his other works, it’s no wonder that some call this genre of writing “stunt journalism” or “stunt books.” In addition to his quest to follow the Bible as literally as possible for an entire year, Jacobs read all 32 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica over the course of a year (That project is chronicled in The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World). He also became a “human guinea pig,” undertaking a series of lifestyle experiments on a quest to improve every area of his life, which he writes about in My Life as an Experiment: One Man’s Humble Quest to Improve Himself. His current project is attempting to “perfect his physical condition” for his next book, called The Healthiest Human Being in the World.”

Jacobs was born and currently lives in New York with his wife and three sons (The birth of his twin boys occurred during his year of living Biblically). He is the editor at large for Esquire magazine and three of his books are New York Times bestsellers. He has also written for numerous magazines and is a periodic commentator on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday. You can read Jacobs’ full bio (written by him, but in the third person) on his website.

And if you feel bad for his wife, who has to live with him during all of his crazy stunts (I know I do!), it sounds like she got the opportunity for some revenge as he describes the last chapter of My Life as an Experiment. Here’s the quote from his website:

Whipped (a.k.a. the perfect spouse):
At the suggestion of readers who point out that my wife is a saint, I vowed to spend a month agreeing to her every command. Sure, it was a month of Kate Hudson movies and foot massages —but also of stereotype-shattering insights into the politics of the modern American marriage. Plus, at one point, I had wear a male chastity belt. (It comes in three varieties—clear plastic, wood-paneled and camouflage!) And Julie gets to write the final section.

Go Julie! And if this book is inspiring you to take your own crack at some stunt journalism, I encourage you to learn form A.J. Jacobs and put yourself in the shoes of everyone around you who has to put up with your antics. You never know when they might get their chance for some payback!

There is still time to read The Year of Living Biblically before our next meeting on January 20 at 7 p.m. at the Paradise Bakery and CafĂ© at Hamilton Town Center. Hope to see you there!

Introduction to The Year of Living Biblically

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This is a book you gotta read.

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It’s interesting. Humorous. Educational. Thought provoking.

Pretty much a page turner type book.

The Year of Living Biblically is A.J. Jacobs’ attempt to follow every commandment of the Bible. He’s not attempting this feat to be legalistic, but to see what it truly would be like to follow something so strictly.

It is great to see his thoughts evolve . . . from never having read the Bible in its entirety or seriously, to seeking to interpret it literally.

A favorite quote thus far:

Regarding Leviticus 19:16,

I feel I have to clam up. It’s the best way to battle the overwhelming urge to spew biblically banned negative language . . . . My theory is this, my thoughts are lazy. They say to themselves, “Well, we’ll never make it out into the world, so why even bother?”

Much to the dismay of his wife and son . . . this year will affect them too. Their son begins to receive the rod, his wife has to live with a very harry man who has eating restrictions, sitting restrictions (which a funny story), is bluntly honest (almost to a fault), and a few bedroom restrictions . . .

Don’t miss this book!

2010 Book Club Christmas Party: A Recap

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The fondue was ready…

The table was set..

The atmosphere at Janet’s house was just lovely…

It was December 22, and time for the Book Club Christmas Party!

Complete with our discussion about December’s book – Little Women, a classic game of Telephone Pictionary…

And our “White Elephant” Book Exchange.

We all wrapped a used book we have enjoyed, wrote a three-word description and then did our “white elephant” exchange. We didn’t unwrap our books until everyone was done exchanging, and there were definitely some surprises. Can you guess what these books were from just their three-word descriptions? (The answers are at the bottom of the post.)

  1. Murder, Modern, Motivational
  2. Comedy, Christian, Laugh
  3. Real, Like Lewis, Letters
  4. Happiness, Relationship, God
  5. Oats, Ginger, Cab
  6. Romantic, Spontaneous, Old-Fashioned
  7. Adventure, Non-Fiction, Silly
  8. Grandpa, Goats, Free Spirit
  9. 1800s, Journal Format, Fiction
  10. God, Honesty, Growth
  11. Mystery, Suspenseful, Male Author

We all left with something new to read and a lovely handmade ornament (constructed from the pages of A Christmas Carol).


And what book club event would be complete without a group photo?

The not-so-successful…

and the successful!

I know I had a great time; I hope the rest of you who attended our Christmas Party did too! We hope you can join us in January as we read The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs!

We’re looking forward to some great reads in 2011!

Answers:
 1.  The Secret Life of Bees
 2.  Stuff Christians Like
 3.  Lord Foulgrin’s Letters
 4.  The Secret of Happiness
 5.  Black Beauty
 6.  The Bridges of Madison County
 7.  Round Ireland with a Fridge
 8.  Heidi
 9.  Stepping Heavenward
10. Honest to God
11. A Painted House

    I’m reading Little Women.

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    Really, though, I should be done by now. Our meeting is in 2 days, and boy is it going to be a PARTY! The Christmas party is always the best meeting of the year, and so I hope you’re all ready to get your fondue on. AND discuss the book. 1st things first, though–discussion questions!!!

    ~Which character did you relate to the most?

    ~Was there any aspect of life in the time of the Little Women that seemed particularly appealing to you?

    ~If I were to put on a play that I had written, would you rather: fall out of a poorly made castle or get shut up in a cot?

    ~Miss Louisa May wrote a sequel to this book called Little Men. If you were to write a sequel, what would you call it and what would it be about?

    ~Do you prefer to dip food in chocolate or drink warm wintry beverages?

    I know these questions are hard, so put your thinking cap on and I’ll see you Wednesday! (Don’t forget your used, wrapped book for the gift exchange!)

    Christmas Party Details

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    We still have one week until our party and discussion. Plenty of time to finish Little Women! (If you don’t have a copy yet, read it free online here.)

    What you need to know:

    We’re meeting on Wednesday December 22nd at Jodi’s house

    Our format for the evening will be a little different than usual. We’ll be discussing Little Women, enjoying chocolate fondue, maybe a game or two (telephone pictionary anyone?!) and having a book exchange!

    Book Exchange info:
    Please bring a used copy of one of your favorite books wrapped for our book swap game. Please choose a book we have not read and wrap it completely, and don’t put your name on it. (To see a list of the books we have read check the side bar on the right.)

    What else:
    If you would like you can bring something for the chocolate fondue. This is not necessary, but if you do please let us know what you’re bringing when you RSVP. If you need some ideas just think of anything that’s good with chocolate. Marshmallows, shortbread cookies, pretzels mandarin oranges, vanilla wafers, kiwi, grapes or nuts and even cheesecake! I’ll stop there before I get more carried away!

    But please RSVP to the evite with what you are bringing if you choose to bring something.

    We hope you can make it, it’s always a blast!

    Little Women / Christmas Party

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    late 1860’s.
    Four sisters.
    Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy.
    Concord, Massachusetts.
    vanity, a hot temper, shyness, selfishness.
    dances, play acting, an author, an artist, a pianist.
    I won’t spoil any more of it for you… in case you haven’t read it yet!
    Little
    Women.

    It’s the perfect book to curl up with by the fire and read this cold and snowy time of year! If you’ve read it several times or if this is the first time I think everyone will say it’s a wonderful story.

    _________________________________________

    **This month’s meeting is not on it’s usual day. With busy schedules and many holiday festivities we’re meeting on a WEDNESDAY. December 22 at Jodi’s house at 7pm. AND… it will be the annual Christmas party! Please RSVP if you can make it. (in a comment or to the evite)

    Please bring a USED copy of a favorite book wrapped for our book exchange and something to dip on our chocolate fondue! (when you RSVP leave a note of what you’ll be bringing)

    Have a joyful, peace-filled December! Hope to see you on the 22nd!!

    Who is Louisa May Alcott?

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    Louisa May Alcott was born in 1832 and taught under her father – essentially she was a homeschooler along with her 3 sisters.  Her education was unconventional due to her father being a Transcendentalists.  Let me retract my previous statement.  She was probably “unschooled” then.  Louisa was often thought of as a tomboy, much like character “Jo” in this month’s novel.

    Louisa began writing when she was young.  I imagine her and I would have gotten along quite well.  Already, we share the whole tomboy thing and I bet she and I could sit at a Farmer’s Market, making up all sorts of stories about people walking past us.

    However, we become different when it comes to acting.  I do like the lime light, but not as a lurid villain.

    Her family suffered a season of poverty which prompted her to seriously earn a living from her writing.  She did this quite successfully.  Although she is most popular for her children’s literature, Alcott explored the themes of self expression and women’s rights through her adult fiction works.

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    (She kind of looks like she has a headache. 

    That or she is reading a book.)

    But you will have to read those for yourself.  There is an idea for the book giveaway – search for one of Louisa’s adult fiction books.  (I won’t be giving one of you her works.  I already picked up my book at 1/2 Price books . . . it will make you laugh.  At least it did me.)

    She wrote over 30 stories.  She followed her father to the grave two days after he died.

    In closing,

    You have a good many little gifts and virtues, but there is no need of parading them, for conceit spoils the finest genius. There is not much danger that real talent or goodness will be overlooked long, and the great charm of all power is modesty. 

    or consider this loosely paraphrased quote regarding her father:

    a philosopher was like a man up in a balloon: he was safe as long as three women held the ropes on the ground.

    – Louisa May Alcott