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Old 01-04-2011, 05:41 PM
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Something Borrowed Reading Club: Week TWO: January 17-21/ Discuss: January 22-23

Something Borrowed
Reading Club



An unexpected love affair threatens a long-lived friendship in this soap opera–like debut from Atlanta ex-lawyer Giffin. Since elementary school, Rachel and Darcy have been best friends, with Darcy always outshining Rachel. While single Rachel is the self-confessed good girl, an attorney trapped at a suffocating New York law firm, Darcy is the complete opposite, a stereotypical outgoing publicist, planning a wedding with the handsome Dex. After Rachel's 30th birthday party, she knocks back one drink too many and winds up in bed with Dex. Instead of feeling guilty about sleeping with her best friend's fiancé, Rachel realizes that Dex is the only man she's really loved, and that she's always resented manipulative Darcy. Rachel and Dex spend a few weekends in the city together "working" while Darcy's off with friends at a Hamptons beach share, but finally Rachel realizes she'll have to give Dex an ultimatum. The flip job Giffin pulls off—here it's the cheaters who're sympathetic (more or less)—gives Dex and Rachel's otherwise ordinary affair extra edge. Rachel would be a more appealing heroine if she were less whiny about her job and her romantic prospects, and rambling dialogue slows the story's pace, but this is an enjoyable beach read—one that'll make readers cast a suspicious eye on best friends and boyfriends who seem to get along just a little too well.

WEEK ONE: *Start reading Ch. 1-2 on Monday, January 10.*

Schedule
Chapters/ When to Read/ When to Discuss
1-2/ January 10-14/ January 15-16
3-4/ January 17-21/ January 22-23
5-6/ January 24-28/ January 29-30
7-8/ Jan 31- Feb 4/ February 5-6
9-10/ February 7-11/ February 12-13
11-12/ February 14-18/ February 19-20
13-14/ February 21-25/ February 26-27
15-16/ Feb 28-March 4/ March 5-6
17-18/ March 7-11/ March 12-13
19-20/ March 14-18/ March 19-20
21-22/ March 21-25/ March 26-27
23-24/ Mar 28-April 1/ April 2-3
25-26/ April 4-8/ April 9-10


*Before the weekend, Jenn will top a thread at the John Krasinski board to discuss what's been read.
*Try not to talk too much about what you know will happen later in the story because we do have some first time readers. Predictions are always welcome.
*I have some discussion questions at the end of my book (you may too) that I'll be putting up as well.
*Something I always suggest to students is to read with a post-it to jot down things you want to talk about. Saves time searching the book for talking points. Luckily enough, post-its make great bookmarks as well. Win-win-win.

Participants:
Sara
Jenn
Hann
Mel
Liz
Hilary
Kush
Hannah

Please don't post book related material in this thread until the designated time.
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Old 01-06-2011, 07:20 PM
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Thanks for starting.

I picked up my book today.
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Old 01-08-2011, 08:51 PM
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Looking forward to this

Thanks for starting the thread.
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Old 01-09-2011, 05:32 PM
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We start reading tomorrow!
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Old 01-10-2011, 10:31 PM
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Going to read some tonight before I go to bed.
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Old 01-15-2011, 10:40 AM
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Thoughts on the first two chapters?

I'm such a Rachel.
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Old 01-15-2011, 12:23 PM
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I'm not wild about the first-person point of view; I like third person but I liked the first two chapters.

I like Rachel quite a bit.
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Old 01-15-2011, 12:59 PM
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There is a quote from page three that always makes me laugh. It is when Rachel is talking about turning thirty and how it's not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things but that she is bummed because it's too late to train for the olympics.
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Old 01-15-2011, 01:07 PM
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I didn't care for the first person initially either but I think it's better since I've read the whole thing. I also think it helps make the second book more interesting, but that's a later discussion.

I think it's interesting how badly Rachel feels about hurting Darcy when it affects Dex as well and he's more concerned about covering it up. If it's such a mistake to her right now, you'd think she'd be more worried about getting herself out of the mess before worrying how it would affect Darcy. It amazes me that even though she talks about times when Darcy isn't such a great friend, she's still her first worry rather than any kind of revenge.
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Old 01-15-2011, 01:14 PM
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I always thought that Rachel and Darcy both have such complex insecurities and from the outside their friendship looks superficial, but they both depend on each other at this point.
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Old 01-15-2011, 01:14 PM
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I always thought that Rachel and Darcy both have such complex insecurities and from the outside their friendship looks superficial, but they both depend on each other at this point.
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Old 01-15-2011, 03:25 PM
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I don't feel like their friendship is superficial from my viewpoint, I just don't get why if you're going to hold a grudge over little things like who loved Ethan first, then how can you not feel like sleeping with Dex is a tiny bit of revenge. Not that she has to feel good about it, I just think that's how I'd view it.
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Old 01-15-2011, 05:03 PM
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I don't think their friendship is superficial either but it's not really a good or healthy one. Oh and there's no doubt in my mind that, despite what she says, there is some kind of revenge at play. There's no way there couldn't be.

At any rate, I don't think I'd want to be friends with either of them.
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Old 01-15-2011, 05:25 PM
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I think superficial was the wrong word to use, I meant that their friendship doesn't seem very deep. From Rachel's perspective it's like she has to be Darcy's friend because Rachel has no one else and they have all that history. But Rachel mentions more negatives than positives.
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Old 01-15-2011, 05:51 PM
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IA with that. It's definitely not a good or healthy friendship but there are friendships like that in the real world, so it feels 'real'.
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