The Sunrise Group Books

Different kinds of individuals with very diverse opinions meet to discuss books in a book club, and if there aren’t any guided inquiries to funnel these discussions, the outcomes could be chaotic. The participants may go through shortchanged, some may grow uninterested, and some may even end up fighting!

If you are a book club moderator or a very active participant, it is therefore very important to have a list of questions to steer the flow of debate and make sure that it achieves its purposes – to dissect the literature into relevant pieces, and to make sure that participants go back home more analytical and inspired. Here are a few things to remember when formulating book club questions.

Concentrate on character analysis. Most books are not concerning the plot, but concerning the people. Each one of the participants often will relate to a number of from the characters in the book, therefore it is smart to ask everyone who they can relate to and why.

Relate the theme and conflicts from the book to real life. Literature is just relevant if this contributes something to the ‘now.’ Ask the participants how they connect the conflicts in the book to day-to-day struggles. Ask them the way they experience the resolutions and conclusions, and what specific aspects of it are especially highly relevant to the patterns of modern human interaction.

Always request suggestions. Avid book readers probably have alternative tips to every book they have ever read – along with a book club is a great place to bring all of them out. Ask the members the way they think the novel could have been better – the way they would write the ending, for example, or the way they would change any character or setting.

Before giving a magazine assignment, it’s a wise decision to inquire about the participants to highlight parts of it they believe should be discussed, so they can easily make reference to them throughout the discussion.

During the meeting itself, give everyone a chance to speak. Politely interrupt a ‘monopolizing’ member by providing him or her food or drinks, or segueing into another question and then asking another person to reply to it.

Title: Tailwind: Days of Cottonmouths and Cotton Candy

Author: Lad Moore

Publisher: BeWrite Books

Publisher’s Address: 363 Badminton Road, Nibley, Bristol,BS37 5JF

ISBN number: 1-904492-02-9

Price: $16.75

Publisher phone number and/or website address: http://www.bewrite.net

Tailwind: Times of Cottonmouths and Cotton Candy

By Lad Moore

Review by Aaron Paul Lazar

Author of the LeGarde Mystery Series

Tailwind shines with vignettes that drip like pearls of dew, one at a time, to be savored as cool water on the parched tongue. Each story, replete with humor and pathos, transports your reader to the world of rural East Texas in the mid-twentieth century. Mr. Moore’s boyhood was filled with toy soldiers, hot tar on bare feet, fireflies, and shenanigans born of times less electronic, less structured, and definitely less affluent than today.

Imagine hanging out a campfire with a storyteller whose history blazes with events so exotic, so traumatic, but so rich that they captivate you with greater intensity compared to biggest Hollywood blockbuster. Now, envision the writer speaking in a comfortable voice, resonant with humility and humor. This is Lad Moore. This can be a writer for all mankind, a universal genius.

Mr. Moore writes having a folksy elegance that is unparalleled within this age. Reminiscent of the great American masters, Tailwind should and will also be included as a fundamental part of America’s heritage. The ultimate revelation comes when readers realize that Mr. Moore’s tales are true – stemming from the tumultuous and difficult childhood by which he was abandoned by his mother at six months, barely raised by a glamorous, oft-absent father, and shipped off to military school at the age of eight. Betrayed by his father’s second wife, who stole the family fortune, Mr. Moore suffered poverty together with his beloved grandmother, but thankfully was taught of deeper riches via her warm affection and exemplary morality.

Tailwind becomes an extension of one’s being. This reader allowed himself a story every few days – stretching the knowledge as long as possible, relishing each chapter with nostalgic reverence.

Take for example, the following vignettes:

In “Bologna Sandwich Ceasefires,” young Lad entertains himself with sweetgum armies, creating legions of soldiers from twigs, spent bullet casings, and acorn hulls. Using rubber band missiles, he demolishes entire battalions within an afternoon.

“Cannon fire – sweetgum burs collected inside a Mrs. Tucker’s lard can – rained recorded on the standing forces in the hill above them. Shots fell equally, alternating between the armies, with full sound effects coughed out from deep in my throat. After the barrage, casualty count determined the winner and loser. Soldiers that lost their upright stance from the bombardment should be broken in two – to not be recycled. A mass grave awaited them within the storm sewer.”

In “Nitelites,” young Lad imagines he’s a railway signalman, waving firefly “lanterns” in the air as trains rush past in the dark night. He confesses of “smudge pot rolling,” too.

“…rolling smudge pots was worth it. I could suffer just a little tennis-shoe cleanup to determine the trail of flaming oil spilling out as the pot rolled across the street. On a good hill, and a skillful roll, I possibly could leave a fireline from Hendry’s store up to the underpass. Sometimes a few magnolia leaves would catch fire and increase the excitement.”

In “Solomon of Hardesty Farm,” Mr. Moore describes the enduring friendship of young Lad and an elderly black farmhand in times when racial bigotry was common.

“Old Solomon towered over me like a big tree together with his little spectacles hanging from his nose like a pine cone, ready to break free and fall….Like a detour barricade, Solomon stood between the grape rows with his hoe, its handle worn slick and stained by the sweat from his hands. He moved in reverse like the fiddler crab zigging within the aisles of dirt.”

In “New Cars of Short Duration,” Mr. Moore describes the pain sensation of having a callous older brother who wrecked their deceased father’s 1956 Buick almost as soon because he claimed it. Describing the incident, Mr. Moore writes, “It had that strange smell of broken windshield glass – a nearly sweet odor – like nutmeg and hot plastic.” When young Lad harbored about having a car for himself, they were dashed. “My dreams collapsed just like a severed elevator.”

Do you want to join a ‘book from the month’ club but aren’t able to find one that is in your area? Maybe it’s time you started one! You heard right – organizing a ‘book from the month’ club is simple if you know where to start and how.

STEP 1: Be heard. Your first concern should be telling everyone regarding your club. Inquire if you are able to set up posters around town. Good quality locations are bookstores, the town hall, church, frequently visited shops as well as schools. You can also call for membership during public engagements, such as town meetings or after church services. For those who have more time, why don’t you go door-to-door? You’ll be able to meet a lot of people inside your vicinity, and recruit new members, too.

Remember: Unless you are organizing a ‘book of the month’ club that caters to a very specific age group or background, your goal ought to be to reach and attract an easy group of people – the more dissimilar the attitudes and viewpoints of your members, the greater stimulating your book discussions is going to be. Inside your posters along with other advertising materials, make it clear the club is open to anyone who loves books (and anyone who is willing to test).

Step two: Lay down the ground rules. Once you curently have a great membership base, hold an over-all assembly to discuss the guidelines and standards of your ‘book from the month’ club. Some of the important things you need to discuss include book reading schedules, cost limits to book choices, and also the regularity of meetings and operations for moving them to other dates.

It may be smart to elect officers for the club, or at least delegate specific tasks to a particular members (such as food and beverage arrangements, venue, etc).

Step three: Pay attention to your members. Do an informal survey concerning the book preferences of your members. Everyone ought to get the opportunity to express what their expectations of the club are, what kinds of books they have already read, and the things they look forward to reading, amongst other things. This is especially important if your ‘book of the month’ club includes a very diverse membership.