http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2007/12/13/biographies-a-hit-or-a-miss/ Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:52:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2007/12/13/biographies-a-hit-or-a-miss/#comment-6 Keir Thu, 13 Dec 2007 21:36:19 +0000 http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2007/12/13/biographies-a-hit-or-a-miss/#comment-6 Maybe this is a too-prosaic concern, but it seems to me that biographies have another possible drawback: they can be loooong. Unless your group meets quarterly, it might be hard to get through, say, Richardson's Life of Picasso--never mind how good it is. Maybe this is a too-prosaic concern, but it seems to me that biographies have another possible drawback: they can be loooong. Unless your group meets quarterly, it might be hard to get through, say, Richardson’s Life of Picasso–never mind how good it is.

]]> http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2007/12/13/biographies-a-hit-or-a-miss/#comment-5 Linda Thu, 13 Dec 2007 21:33:39 +0000 http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/2007/12/13/biographies-a-hit-or-a-miss/#comment-5 My group (I'm a participant; not a leader) also had a great discussion with Obama's first book. I think it was the right balance of narrative, good writing and issues (and we also read it before he was a household name). Coincidentally, we also discussed "The Sisters," but my experience was positive. It turned out to be a springboard for discussing issues more so than the book, which I know can be frustrating to people who want book clubs to just stay focused on the book/writing itself. Another winner for us was "Travels with Myself and Another" by Martha Gelhorn (war correspondent). But other memoirs haven't been too successful with us, either. I think we'd give biographies another try, but we're memoired-out. My group (I’m a participant; not a leader) also had a great discussion with Obama’s first book. I think it was the right balance of narrative, good writing and issues (and we also read it before he was a household name). Coincidentally, we also discussed “The Sisters,” but my experience was positive. It turned out to be a springboard for discussing issues more so than the book, which I know can be frustrating to people who want book clubs to just stay focused on the book/writing itself. Another winner for us was “Travels with Myself and Another” by Martha Gelhorn (war correspondent). But other memoirs haven’t been too successful with us, either. I think we’d give biographies another try, but we’re memoired-out.

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