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        <description>bookbuffet.com::for book groups that click</description>
        <copyright>Copyright 2007, Bookbuffet LLC</copyright>
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            <title>bookbuffet.com::for book groups that click</title>
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            <title>Wine & Book Group Pick for December</title>
            <link>http://www.bookbuffet.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/news.article/type/home/article_ID/A86269D8-A751-4958-B09C48F78915DD4C/index.cfm</link>
            <description><![CDATA[ There has been a general trend in western society toward political apathy to the point where both the US and Britain have gone down on the "democracy index" as compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, a think tank that examines information collected on countries around the world. Evidence shows poor voter turnout, bounding cynicism, young people like those of the occupy movement disenfranchised with the political system, the candidates running and disgust for the collusion between big money and big government. The US is frustrated by political gridlock and a seemingly backward mandate by fully 50% of the political combatants. The Euro debt crisis further shows government mangling our collective economic future. 

As a timely respite, Canada Reads —the countrywide competition to choose the next book that Canadians will read en mass, discuss and possibly become influenced  by—was announced yesterday. The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis is a great way for folks on both sides of the 49th parallel to enjoy a political satire addressing all of the above. The Globe writes: "[Best Laid Plans is a] political satire about a crusty old engineering professor named Angus McLintock who agrees to run as an MP because he&#039;s certain to lose. He is accidentally swept into office and decides to see what good an honest MP, who doesn&#039;t care about being re-elected, can do in Parliament and hilarity results."

Ali Velshi, the CNN journalist who defended Best Laid Plans, said Canada needs people like [the fictional character] McLintock. "This book is about the current thing that affects us now in our world, which is the people who make decisions for us," he said. The book "speaks to frustration and disenfranchisement around the world."

Former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque agreed, saying the book could inspire interest in the political process in younger readers. "Today, in Canada, people don&#039;t vote and we live in a democratic country. If people read this book, they would want to vote. We need this," he said.

Best Laid Plans also won Canada&#039;s Stephen Leacock Award for Humor. We&#039;re picking a wonderful Canadian winery for the spirit side of things: Laughing Stock Winery in BC has some fabulous choices. Join the group, purchase the wine and discuss this book with your group!]]></description>
            <author>PKS</author>
            <category>Wine & Book Club</category>
            <pubDate>Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
            <source
                url="http://www.bookbuffet.com/feeds/bb-wineandbook-rss2.php">Bookbuffet LLC</source>
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            <title>Wine & Book Group Pick For Aug-Sept 11</title>
            <link>http://www.bookbuffet.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/news.article/type/home/article_ID/27B10B3C-41AD-40EE-AB54D3F429AE9305/index.cfm</link>
            <description><![CDATA[Fantasy isn&#039;t generally speaking "my bag" but this book came so highly recommended by people I admire that I decided to give it a try. Glad I did. Lev Grossman writes in a style that&#039;s easy to fall into within the first page. The Magician King (Penguin, 2011) is categorized as psychological fiction. Some call it urban fantasy. It is the sequel to Grossman&#039;s first NYT bestseller and "literary phenomenon of 2009". Juno Diaz (author of The Brief and Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao) calls it "a stirring, complex adventurous coming-of-age fantasy." It&#039;s about three brilliant college students who&#039;ve known each other since childhood owing to the Brookline school system&#039;s propensity to "sort out the gifted [students] and shove them together, then separate the ridiculously brilliant ones from the merely gifted ones and shove them together; and as a result they&#039;d been bumping into each other in the same speaking contests and regional Latin exams and tiny, specially convened ultra-advanced math classes since elementary school." pg 4. Everyone loves to read about exceptional people. And fantasy has been reeling them in from Narnia to  Harry Potter. We are drawn into contemporary fantasy where the landscape is the imagination. 

Quentin is the thin tall hero of the story. Julia and James are his schoolmates. Together they find unexpected power and the dark side of hedonism and disillusionment in a place called Fillory. (Don&#039;t worry - like all good fantasies there is a map on the first page.)  I can&#039;t think of a better way to lose oneself at the close of summer. 

And now the wines...]]></description>
            <author>PKS</author>
            <category>Wine & Book Club</category>
            <pubDate>Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
            <source
                url="http://www.bookbuffet.com/feeds/bb-wineandbook-rss2.php">Bookbuffet LLC</source>
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            <title>Wine & Book Group Pick for Oct-Nov &#039;10</title>
            <link>http://www.bookbuffet.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/news.article/type/home/article_ID/2BA3DEFB-FC7D-4CBC-9AE90160C0B28AB7/index.cfm</link>
            <description><![CDATA[Take October and November to discover these two great finds matched for the pleasure of Wine & Book Club members here at BookBuffet. When a book is named best work of fiction by the Texas Institute of Letters and long-listed for the Orange Prize (alongside Toni Morrison  and Marilynne Robinson) and short-listed for the Orange Prize for New Writers, you can safely assume it will be a worthwhile read. I am referring to Ann Weisgarber&#039;s debut novel The Personal History of Rachel DuPree. For the feature wine we&#039;ve selected a wonderful Zinfandel from Quivira Vineyards situated in a wine growing region called the "Dry Creek Valley" in California near the village of Healdsburg. We passed through this picturesque town on a drive up from LA to Vancouver-Whistler and walked the streets, toured the lovely bookstore, stopped for a delicious lunch. From there it&#039;s a short drive up to Quivira, a local family owned estate winery where they make a wonderful Zin and some up-and-coming Sauvignon Blancs as well. Add to that their fabulous estate garden, a 130 year old fig tree and estate sold honey, olive oil and preserves and you get a full terroir experience right there at the tasting room.  The BookBuffet Wine & Book Club is a great way to discover new wines and touring destinations. So read the book, taste the wine at home or with friends and share your discussion/tasting notes online. You are in for an incredible reading and tasting experience. We believe in feeding the mind and the body!]]></description>
            <author>PKS</author>
            <category>Wine & Book Club</category>
            <pubDate>Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
            <source
                url="http://www.bookbuffet.com/feeds/bb-wineandbook-rss2.php">Bookbuffet LLC</source>
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            <title>Wine & Book Group Pick For Aug-Sep &#039;10</title>
            <link>http://www.bookbuffet.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/news.article/type/home/article_ID/EF4E56A1-419B-4CC0-992D5CAC996A9CA6/index.cfm</link>
            <description><![CDATA[My girlfriend was excoriating me the other day for not having read any novels by Swedish blockbuster crime writer, Karl Stig-Erland Larsson. On and on she went about the gripping plot, the insights into Swedish history, politics and culture. The sordid scandals and speculation over the author&#039;s sudden death at age 50. (Was it a heart attack or murder? Had he been offed by a Swedish right extremist group?) Then the fact that the first two books in the trilogy have been made into foreign feature films, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo starring a cast of people with an impossible number of consonants in their names. I admitted my guilt. I begged off with vague references to... something I refer to as "The Dan Brown Phenomenon"; as soon as I see a blockbuster novel/movie, I run the other way. I do anything I can to avoid exposing myself to mass culture and hysteria.  I&#039;m still receiving therapy over Da Vinci Code, truth be told. Then I looked up Larson&#039;s book sale statistics: He was the second best-selling author in the world in 2008, behind Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini, who admittedly I enjoyed. His Millennium Trilogy Bundle, : The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet&#039;s Nest, has sold 27 million copies in more than 40 countries. And the English language version of the "Tattoo" is currently under production starring Daniel Craig, Robin Wright, Stellan Skarsgård scheduled for release in 2011. So, in deference to my dear friend who is trying to save me from turtling into an elitist literary shell, I thought I&#039;d place the last of Larsson&#039;s trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet&#039;s Nest up for our Wine & Book Club pick over the summer. After all, don&#039;t we all love a good hornet&#039;s nest during a summer picnic? I bought the 3-book pack and my husband bought the audio book and we&#039;ve been listening to it here at the ranch after our work day, with great anticipation. For all you book and wine people, we recommend some cool Ice Wine from Sweden to accompany your meeting.]]></description>
            <author>PKS</author>
            <category>Wine & Book Club</category>
            <pubDate>Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
            <source
                url="http://www.bookbuffet.com/feeds/bb-wineandbook-rss2.php">Bookbuffet LLC</source>
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            <title>Wine & Book Group Pick for Feb-Mar</title>
            <link>http://www.bookbuffet.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/news.article/type/home/article_ID/7B8DFD1A-B789-4D8A-972C8C06266E049C/index.cfm</link>
            <description><![CDATA["When a major writer emerges, the time for comparison ends, and the time to celebrate begins,"  so says The National Post about one of Canada&#039;s fresh literary voices, Rabindranath Maharaj whose forth novel, The Amazing Absorbing Boy has just been published by Knopf, Canada, 2010. But I can&#039;t help compare Maharaj&#039;s writing style and subject matter as a cross between Junoz Diaz&#039;s The Brief and Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao for its liberal use of foreign slang throughout the book, and Michael Chabon&#039;s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay for its character&#039;s obsession with comic books. It seems many talented writers of this generation refer back to comics as the portal to their protagonist&#039;s relationship-slash-coping mechanisms for the real world. It makes me wonder if anyone has ever done a study on the affect that super hero, super powers has on the socio-development of little boys. No one seems to quote Archie. It&#039;s always Spider Man, the Incredible Hulk, etc with Hugh Jackman-type actors filling in the film roles. I suppose GI Joe is the inspiration for writers like "Full Metal Jacket" or why boys become Jar Heads?  Psychology aside, I read this book in three sittings. It captures the culture of Trinidad through the eyes of a 17 year-old boy whose mother has died and whose father reluctantly sends for him to come to Canada. With fantasies of reuniting with his long-lost, deadbeat dad, he soon discovers his father has no intention of making up for lost time with his son. Left to fend pretty much for himself, Samuel negotiates the strange streets of Toronto with its frigid northern temperatures and unfamiliar immigrant neighborhoods, giving the reader an incredibly fresh view of Canada&#039;s culture and the machinations of assimilation. To accompany this book we&#039;ve selected an Alsace Pinot Gris as recommended for spicy Indian style foods by Decanter]]></description>
            <author>PKS</author>
            <category>Wine & Book Club</category>
            <pubDate>Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700</pubDate>
            <source
                url="http://www.bookbuffet.com/feeds/bb-wineandbook-rss2.php">Bookbuffet LLC</source>
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