Hey y’all,
As expected, I showed up around 5:30 (was visiting my cat in quarantine) and didn’t see anyone. Would also like to know how it went and it a book has been chosen. I’d love to read one of Austen’s if anyone was up to it…
I also showed up at 3 o’ clock and toured all the seating areas around the book shop served by two ‘stands’ - Dante (how appropriate !! It wasn’t hell I quickly add !!) and Barista - but could not see anyone sitting at a table with a small sign saying ‘reading group’. I waited about 45 minutes in the hope I might be able to recognise possible potential reading group members !! I even walked around the area a couple more times but still failed to see anyone sitting at a table with said sign. Sorry Tianfu. Perhaps we all should have had the sign ??!! Apologies also to those who did actually come. I’m still interested and if the others are too then we should organise another first meeting.
Did you approach any foreigners who seemed interested in you. If they were actually trying to make eye contact with you, they probably were the people you were looking for. Most foreigners don’t actually look at foreigners.
[quote]
Did you approach any foreigners who seemed interested in you. If they were actually trying to make eye contact with you, they probably were the people you were looking for. Most foreigners don’t actually look at foreigners. [/quote]
That’s a good idea, but the mall was extremely crowded yesterday with more than the usual complement of foreigners, and I didn’t want to be the creepy staring / furtive eye contact guy : )
I did see one really tall skinny blond guy sitting alone at a table.
It’s seems like we ahve 5-7 people interested now. Let’s have another go next week and more than one person bring a sign this time (great idea goodfella), or we can exchange cell numbers by pm. I already have tianfu’s.
In reply to ImaniOU i have to say i didn’t actually sense any foreigners were ‘interested’ in me ( so perhaps I didn’t have the ‘reading group’ look about me ?? ) As I wrote, I did three or four tours of the seating areas outside Page One but failed to see anyone(s) sitting at a table with a sign saying ‘Reading Group’. If you were there Tianfu then I apologise again for not finding you. Which brings me to a question: who actually went yesterday? As far as I can tell, Beautiful Spam and Travelinchica and myself. In fact we obviously missed each other, Beautiful Spam - a pity. We can all meet again same time, same place - ie the seating area directly outside the front entrance to Page One - and all have a little sign. Why not ? It’s almost the stuff of a short story (isn’t it ?)
Hey everyone,
I tried to use a piece of 3-way folded a4 paper as a sign, but it kept blowing off the table every minute. I also couldn’t find a table in front of page one – i couldn’t BELIEVE how crowded it was – i had only been there twice before, and it was actually almost empty those times.
i also asked two foreigners if they were there for the reading group, and they looked at me like I was crazy, so I gave up and splurged at Jason’s.
I like the idea of us all having signs, sitting in front of page one…but this time, not at a table, we should meet RIGHT in front of the main entrance.
but i’m glad we’re all still committed, I think next time we’ll get it right. =)
maybe you guys could try using your cel phones next time?
Sorry to have missed you Tianfu - but how ? Maybe we should meet outside the entrance to the book shop - with our signs ?? And yes canucktyuktuk you have a very good point. So, can we now look forward to your coming on Sunday too ?
I note no more messages since my last one. Hope that’s a good sign. Out of curiosity: who is coming on Sunday ? And is the meeting place the entrance to Page One now ?
I’ll be there, with a sign. 3:00 front entrance to page one, ie the first one you see as you enter the coffee shop.
I’m planning on coming.
Just not til about 3:30…
Good to meet all of you this afternoon. Sorry I wasn’t able to stay longer. So, which book did you decide to read / discuss for the next meeting ( and where and when: I think we agreed two weeks from today. ) It feels great to have started something like this. Thanks for your support.
I also enjoyed meeting everyone today. The first book we’re reading is “This Side of Paradise” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. We’ve agreed to meet again in two weeks on Sunday, November 19th to discuss this book.
We’ve been discussing possibilities for a different location.
The second book we chose, IF I remember correctly, is by J.G. Ballard (who wrote the books which the movies Empire of the Sun and Crash are based on); beautifulspam will have to remind me of the title. Discussing this book is tentatively scheduled for 4 weeks from now.
The third book is Bronte’s Jane Eyre, scheduled, I believe, for 6 weeks from now.
We are planning on meeting every two weeks to discuss different books that group members propose. Anyone and everyone is welcome to come! We’re willing to read multiple genres from multiple time periods depending on members’ interests.
Come come!
I also enjoyed meeting everyone today. The first book we’re reading is “This Side of Paradise” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. We’ve agreed to meet again in two weeks on Sunday, November 19th to discuss this book.
We’ve been discussing possibilities for a different location.
The second book we chose, IF I remember correctly, is by J.G. Ballard (who wrote the books which the movies Empire of the Sun and Crash are based on); beautifulspam will have to remind me of the title. Discussing this book is tentatively scheduled for 4 weeks from now.
The third book is Bronte’s Jane Eyre, scheduled, I believe, for 6 weeks from now.
We are planning on meeting every two weeks to discuss different books that group members propose. Anyone and everyone is welcome to come! We’re willing to read multiple genres from multiple time periods depending on members’ interests.
Come come!
I also enjoyed meeting everyone today. The first book we’re reading is “This Side of Paradise” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. We’ve agreed to meet again in two weeks on Sunday, November 19th to discuss this book.
We’ve been discussing possibilities for a different location.
The second book we chose, IF I remember correctly, is by J.G. Ballard (who wrote the books which the movies Empire of the Sun and Crash are based on); beautifulspam will have to remind me of the title. Discussing this book is tentatively scheduled for 4 weeks from now.
The third book is Bronte’s Jane Eyre, scheduled, I believe, for 6 weeks from now.
We are planning on meeting every two weeks to discuss different books that group members propose. Anyone and everyone is welcome to come! We’re willing to read multiple genres from multiple time periods depending on members’ interests.
Come come!
I also enjoyed meeting everyone today. The first book we’re reading is “This Side of Paradise” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. We’ve agreed to meet again in two weeks on Sunday, November 19th to discuss this book.
We’ve been discussing possibilities for a different location.
The second book we chose, IF I remember correctly, is by J.G. Ballard (who wrote the books which the movies Empire of the Sun and Crash are based on); beautifulspam will have to remind me of the title. Discussing this book is tentatively scheduled for 4 weeks from now.
The third book is Bronte’s Jane Eyre, scheduled, I believe, for 6 weeks from now.
We are planning on meeting every two weeks to discuss different books that group members propose. Anyone and everyone is welcome to come! We’re willing to read multiple genres from multiple time periods depending on members’ interests.
Come come!
Looks like your browser is stuttering there, tianfu. 
The JG Ballard book we’ll be reading is The Best Short Stories of JG Ballard
All interesting different and ‘readable’ selections. Would like to know how you arrived at your respective decisions - or was it a case of the bookshop having enough copies ? Although I have read ‘Tender is the Night’ and ‘The Great Gatsby’ ( many years ago ) plus some short stories by Scott Fitzgerald, ‘This side of Paradise’ was one that ‘escaped’ me. As for Jim Ballard, I have read a few novels by him too ( including ‘Empire of the Sun’ and ‘Crash’ ) but not his short stories. However, I can hardly remember them: the film versions stick in the mind more. I should have read Charlotte Bronte’s ‘Jane Eyre’ as it’s one of the classic British novels but haven’t ( which might lead into a reading of Jean Rhys’ ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’.) After our discussion yesterday it occurred to me that you may find Steven Levitt’s ‘Freakonomics’ enjoyable ( if you haven’t already read it: I know it was and still is a bestseller in the States ) a ‘rogue’ economist’s take on conventional wisdom. I’m really looking forward to discussing books etc with you. Now that we’ve got the ball really rolling some more readers out there may like to come and join us. Please do.
Goodfella, the process was that each of us chose a book. What book do you want added to the reading list?