Porthsmouth Book Club June Meetup - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Tonight we discussed, "Book of Vice" by Peter Sagal and we expected a small turnout not because of the material but because of the number of RSVPs. However, it turned out to be a very large group for this particular group discussion which I was not prepared for! We had to bring out extra tables for all of the new people. I couldn't have anticipated a better evening.

Many of us enjoyed Mr. Sagal's satryical point of views on naughty vices, but his words fell short on ears that had not before heard his tones and voice. I love Peter on his NPR talk show, "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me..." as most people do who have ever heard him speak. You fall in love with him, his intelligence, his extreme articulation, his humor and his positive demeanor which never seems to evaporate. But if you are not familiar with him, the book might seem to feel a bit dry. You almost NEED to hear his narrative in your mind while reading this book.

Personally, I liked this book. I did have a difficult time getting through it, as most people, because it wasn't a novel. It wasn't the sort of book where you get to be attached to characters. But it was a lot of fun and for me, a lot of laughs.

I brought five nominations of books to the club tonight. We added another book to the selection which has been added countless times before. To my astonishment, this rogue book was picked. Our club actually picked, "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies".

If you have never seen this book before, you might be thinking, "WHAT?" I encourage you to look it up. This book has a cult following. Even the most reserved readers I have spoken with say that this book is hilarious and a "must-read". So let's take that into account.

Here is a brief synopsis from Barnes and Noble of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies:

So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton - and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she's soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers - and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield. Can Elizabeth vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to listen to..

I am pretty sure this will be a LARGE group in June!

The Portsmouth Book Club

The Rosa, Portsmouth NH

7pm June 8, 2010