Pride Among the Pines Book Club
Queer Lit Discussion Group
Meets Online
Second Friday of Every Month
7:30 pm
Meets Online
Second Friday of Every Month
7:30 pm
|
|
This month's book club selection is Fun Home by Alison Bechdel! We will be meeting on Friday, July 8th at 7:30 pm in an online video chat. You can find the link in the sidebar of this blog (look to the right)!
Alison Bechdel is an American cartoonist. Originally best known for the long-running comic strip Dykes To Watch Out For, in 2006 she became a best-selling and critically acclaimed author with her graphic memoir Fun Home. Fun Home has also been adapted into a Tony Award-winning musical. Bechdel has been named a MacArthur Fellow and Cartoonist Laureate of Vermont, among many other honors. |
So, what's the book about?
In this graphic memoir, Alison Bechdel charts her fraught relationship with her late father.
Distant and exacting, Bruce Bechdel was an English teacher and director of the town funeral home, which Alison and her family referred to as the Fun Home. It was not until college that Alison, who had recently come out as a lesbian, discovered that her father was also gay. A few weeks after this revelation, he was dead, leaving a legacy of mystery for his daughter to resolve.
Distant and exacting, Bruce Bechdel was an English teacher and director of the town funeral home, which Alison and her family referred to as the Fun Home. It was not until college that Alison, who had recently come out as a lesbian, discovered that her father was also gay. A few weeks after this revelation, he was dead, leaving a legacy of mystery for his daughter to resolve.
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: in store, online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. Our booksellers will be happy to help you get the book in the format that you prefer!
Buy Online:
We are open to the public for in-store shopping Mon-Sat from 11am-7pm & you can pickup your orders at the register. However, you can also pickup your book using the pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We offer free media mail shipping for orders $30+ and free local delivery, as well (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us!
Finally, you can RSVP & add this event to your personal calendar--do that here! We hope to see you at our next meeting!
Finally, you can RSVP & add this event to your personal calendar--do that here! We hope to see you at our next meeting!
Reviews & Interviews
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic - NYT
Mars Reviews Fun Home - The Lesbrary
The Alison Bechdel Interview - The Comics Journal
Mars Reviews Fun Home - The Lesbrary
The Alison Bechdel Interview - The Comics Journal
|
This month's book club pick is Night Sky With Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong! We will be meeting in an online video chat on Friday, June 10th at 7:30 pm. You can find the meeting link in the sidebar of the blog (look to the right)!
Ocean Vuong is the author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection Night Sky With Exit Wounds and the New York Times bestselling novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. A recipient of the 2019 MacArthur Genius Grant, he is also the winner of the Whiting Award and the T.S. Eliot Prize. His writings have been featured in The Atlantic, Harper's Magazine, The Nation, The New Republic, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. Born in Saigon, Vietnam, he currently lives in Northampton, Massachusetts. You can find him on his website. |
|
So, what's the book about?
Ocean Vuong's first full-length collection aims straight for the perennial "big"—and very human—subjects of romance, family, memory, grief, war, and melancholia. None of these he allows to overwhelm his spirit or his poems, which demonstrate, through breath and cadence and unrepentant enthrallment, that a gentle palm on a chest can calm the fiercest hungers.
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: in store, online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. Our booksellers will be happy to help you get the book in the format that you prefer!
Buy Online
We are open to the public for in-store shopping Mon-Sat from 11am-7pm & you can pickup your orders at the register. However, you can also pickup your book using the pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We offer free media mail shipping for orders $30+ and free local delivery, as well (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us!
Finally, you can RSVP & add this event to your personal calendar--do that here! We hope to see you at our next meeting!
Finally, you can RSVP & add this event to your personal calendar--do that here! We hope to see you at our next meeting!
Reviews & Interviews
Review: 'Night Sky with Exit Wounds,' Verses from Ocean Vuong - NYT
“Only to Feel This Fully”: Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong - Kenyon Review
Ocean Vuong: Interviewed by Kaveh Akbar - DIVEDAPPER
Ocean Vuong: Poetry, Bodies, and Stillness - The Marginalia Review
“Only to Feel This Fully”: Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong - Kenyon Review
Ocean Vuong: Interviewed by Kaveh Akbar - DIVEDAPPER
Ocean Vuong: Poetry, Bodies, and Stillness - The Marginalia Review
|
This month's book club pick is On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong! We will be meeting on Friday, January 14th at 7:30 pm in an online video chat. You can RSVP and get the linkhere.
Ocean Vuong is the author of the critically acclaimed poetry collection Night Sky with Exit Wounds and the New York Times bestselling novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. A recipient of the 2019 MacArthur Genius Grant, he is also the winner of the Whiting Award and the T.S. Eliot Prize. His writings have been featured in The Atlantic, Harper's Magazine, The Nation, The New Republic, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. Born in Saigon, Vietnam, he currently lives in Northampton, Massachusetts. You can find him on his website. |
|
So, what's the book about?
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity. Asking questions central to our American moment, immersed as we are in addiction, violence, and trauma, but undergirded by compassion and tenderness, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is as much about the power of telling one’s own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard.
With stunning urgency and grace, Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds, and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are. The question of how to survive, and how to make of it a kind of joy, powers the most important debut novel of many years.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity. Asking questions central to our American moment, immersed as we are in addiction, violence, and trauma, but undergirded by compassion and tenderness, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is as much about the power of telling one’s own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard.
With stunning urgency and grace, Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds, and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are. The question of how to survive, and how to make of it a kind of joy, powers the most important debut novel of many years.
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: in store, online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. Our booksellers will be happy to help you get the book in the format that you prefer!
Buy Online
We are open to the public again (Mon-Sat from 11am-7pm) so you can pickup orders at the register. However, you can also pickup your book using our pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We offer free media mail shipping for orders $30+ and free local delivery (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us!
Finally, you can RSVP on the Facebook event to get reminders & updates about any changes to the event! Do that here! You can also add it to your personal calendar - check out the event page to see our Google event calendar where you can RSVP!
Finally, you can RSVP on the Facebook event to get reminders & updates about any changes to the event! Do that here! You can also add it to your personal calendar - check out the event page to see our Google event calendar where you can RSVP!
Reviews & Interviews
On Earth is Gorgeous All the Way Through - NPR
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous Review - The Guardian
Survival as a Creative Force: An Interview with Ocean Vuong - The Paris Review
Ocean Vuong on reading, life during the pandemic, and xenophobia - The Seattle Times
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous Review - The Guardian
Survival as a Creative Force: An Interview with Ocean Vuong - The Paris Review
Ocean Vuong on reading, life during the pandemic, and xenophobia - The Seattle Times
|
This month's pick for book club will be The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass. We will be meeting on Friday, October 8th at 7:30 pm in an online video chat! You can RSVP and get the link here.
Ryan Douglass is an author, poet, and freelance writer from Atlanta, Georgia. His work on race, literacy, sexuality, and media representation has appeared in The Huffington Post, Atlanta Black Star, Everyday Feminism, Nerdy POC, Age of Awareness, LGBTQNation, and Medium, among others. You can find him on twitter at @ryandouglassw. |
|
So, what's the book about?
Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston sees dead people everywhere. But he can't decide what's worse: being a medium forced to watch the dead play out their last moments on a loop or being at the mercy of racist teachers as one of the few Black students at St. Clair Prep. Both are a living nightmare he wishes he could wake up from. But things at St. Clair start looking up with the arrival of another Black student--the handsome Allister--and for the first time, romance is on the horizon for Jake.
Unfortunately, life as a medium is getting worse. Though most ghosts are harmless and Jake is always happy to help them move on to the next place, Sawyer Doon wants much more from Jake. In life, Sawyer was a troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school before taking his own life. Now he's a powerful, vengeful ghost and he has plans for Jake. Suddenly, everything Jake knows about dead world goes out the window as Sawyer begins to haunt him. High school soon becomes a different kind of survival game--one Jake is not sure he can win.
While this is a YA pick, there are some trigger warnings we would like you to be aware of: abuse, attempted rape of a minor, blood, bullying, gore, gun violence, homophobia, microaggressions, murder, racism, school shooting, and suicide. Not all of these are graphic or discussed in depth, but they are touched on throughout the book.
Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston sees dead people everywhere. But he can't decide what's worse: being a medium forced to watch the dead play out their last moments on a loop or being at the mercy of racist teachers as one of the few Black students at St. Clair Prep. Both are a living nightmare he wishes he could wake up from. But things at St. Clair start looking up with the arrival of another Black student--the handsome Allister--and for the first time, romance is on the horizon for Jake.
Unfortunately, life as a medium is getting worse. Though most ghosts are harmless and Jake is always happy to help them move on to the next place, Sawyer Doon wants much more from Jake. In life, Sawyer was a troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school before taking his own life. Now he's a powerful, vengeful ghost and he has plans for Jake. Suddenly, everything Jake knows about dead world goes out the window as Sawyer begins to haunt him. High school soon becomes a different kind of survival game--one Jake is not sure he can win.
While this is a YA pick, there are some trigger warnings we would like you to be aware of: abuse, attempted rape of a minor, blood, bullying, gore, gun violence, homophobia, microaggressions, murder, racism, school shooting, and suicide. Not all of these are graphic or discussed in depth, but they are touched on throughout the book.
If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. If you're looking for an audiobook, our partners at Libro.fm have it available for easy access on our affiliate website. You can get it here. You can also get it in e-book format, as well! We have a new e-book partner called My Must Reads & you can buy the e-book here.
We are open to the public (Mon-Sat from 11am-7pm) so you can pickup orders at the register. However, you can also pickup your book using our pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window anytime Mon-Sat from 9am-7pm. We offer free media mail shipping for orders $30+ & local delivery if you're within Boone town limits. Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us! Please let us know how we can help you get your copy of our book club book this month!
Finally, you can RSVP on the Facebook event to get reminders & updates about any changes. Do that here! We encourage you to leave comments to let us know what you think of the book we've chosen each month or to make suggestions for future titles!
We are open to the public (Mon-Sat from 11am-7pm) so you can pickup orders at the register. However, you can also pickup your book using our pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window anytime Mon-Sat from 9am-7pm. We offer free media mail shipping for orders $30+ & local delivery if you're within Boone town limits. Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us! Please let us know how we can help you get your copy of our book club book this month!
Finally, you can RSVP on the Facebook event to get reminders & updates about any changes. Do that here! We encourage you to leave comments to let us know what you think of the book we've chosen each month or to make suggestions for future titles!
Reviews & Interviews
The Taking of Jake Livingston - Kirkus
Ryan Douglass evokes 'Get Out' in his horror debut - The Young Folks
Our Friend is Here! A Discussion with Ryan Douglass - On Why We Need Radical YA Books - The Quiet Pond
Interview with author Ryan Douglass - WOC Read
Ryan Douglass evokes 'Get Out' in his horror debut - The Young Folks
Our Friend is Here! A Discussion with Ryan Douglass - On Why We Need Radical YA Books - The Quiet Pond
Interview with author Ryan Douglass - WOC Read
We hope to see you for the second meeting of Pride Among the Pines on October 8th at 7:30 pm! Happy reading!
Authors
Max Ruthless (they/them) -- Store Owner
Event Link
Join us on Google Meet to chat each month:
meet.google.com/mrx-dhpz-wjq
meet.google.com/mrx-dhpz-wjq
Archives
August 2022
July 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
Categories
All
Alexandria Bellefleur
Alison Bechdel
Aliza Layne
April Meeting
Asian Authors
Audre Lorde
August Meeting
Beetle & The Hollowbones
Black Authors
Chinese Author
Contemporary Romance
Count Your Lucky Stars
Cozy Fantasy
Essays
Family Tragicomic
Fantasy
Female Authors
First Meeting
Fun Home
Gay
Gearbreakers
Graphic Novel
Heaven Official's Blessing
Honey Girl
Horror
Indigenous Author
Indigiqueer
January 2022
Joshua Whitehead
July Meeting
June Meeting
Legends & Lattes
Love After The End
Magical World
Mecha
Memoir
Middle Grade
Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
Night Sky With Exit Wounds
Ocean Vuong
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
Poetry
Romance
RomCom
Sapphic Books
September Meeting
Short Stories
Sister Outsider
Speculative Fiction
The Taking Of Jake Livingston
Tian Guan Ci Fu
Travis Baldree
Trigger Warning
Two Spirit
Vietnam
Welcome
WLW
Young Adult
Zoe Hana Mikuta
RSS Feed