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Overbooked
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Posted by icastillo Wed Nov 30, -0001 00:00:00 PST
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0 responses 0 comments By Lauren Helper
MÁS staff

The Oprah Book Club, the Jane Austen Book Club — they’ve got nothing on the MÁS Book Club, recently created by MÁS reader Norma Takahashi, or Twinkie, as she’s known online.
     Not only can participants read in their favorite chair or curled up in bed, they can also discuss the book with other club members without having to leave home, a major plus for those individuals who are “overbooked,” so to speak, with busy schedules.
Members will read and discuss about one book a month, using the MÁS Web site: www.masbakersfield.com
The first selection was “Love in the Time of Cholera,” a novel by Gabriel García Márquez about a 50-year love triangle between Fermina Daza, Florentino Ariza and Dr. Juvenal Urbino set in the late 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century.
The book for January is “¡Caramba! A Tale Told In The Turn of the Cards,” the debut novel by Nina Marie Martinez set in Lava Landing, Calif., home of a dormant volcano and the annual Miss Magma beauty pageant.
Twinkie is holding a contest/drawing for a free signed copy of the book.
She spoke with MÁS about why she started the book club and why she hopes more readers will participate.
 
Q: Why did you decide to start a MÁS Book Club? Have you always been interested in literature?
A: “As a little girl I loved to read, and I would read every chance I could get. Sometimes I’d read way past midnight to get through that really good book, then the next morning I’d be so tired at school. Somehow in between growing up, having kids, work, and being a wife, I stopped making the time for me and time to do what I love to do. One of them being reading. The other one being socializing. Then one day my friend, Camila Chavez, asked if I’d like to join a book club she helped start in Bakersfield called the Chicana Book Club. I said yes and started eagerly reading again and going to the monthly meetings. Then life caught up with me again and I couldn’t make it to the meetings anymore. That discouraged me and I stopped reading again. I needed a reason to finish the book. I needed my social outlet. Reading is fun, but discussing the book and your thoughts and how the book really meant something to you and how you can relate to certain characters — or can’t understand others — is even more fun. Starting the MÁS Book Club was my way of reaching out to others like me who also like to read but don’t ever make the time. Being part of a reading group hopefully will be an incentive for them to finish that book! I’m also hoping to reach those who would love to join a book club so they can participate in book discussions, but don’t necessarily have the time to go to a meeting because of household obligations.”

Q: Who can join? 
A: “Anybody can join. If you love to read, or if you don’t but need a reason to. All you have to do is open a (free) MÁS account (at: www.masbakersfield.com). That’s it.”

Q: What is your role as the moderator?
A: “My role as the moderator will be to get the discussion started. I will read the book along with everybody and ask a few questions if needed. Also, I will take whatever action I need to take if the discussion ever gets abusive or out of hand. In addition, I will be hosting contests and drawings from time to time to keep the discussion fun and exciting to participate in.”
 
Q: If people want to participate in the MÁS Book Club, how do they get started?
A: “All they have to do is go to: masbakersfield.com and open their FREE account. Once they have a profile, they can start participating in the discussions anytime they want. I post articles with ‘MÁS Book Club’ in the title. They can enter that in the ‘search’ feature of the: masbakersfield.com homepage and find the most recent discussion and then jump on in and leave their own comments pertaining to whatever book we are currently discussing. If they have further questions or aren’t sure how to open their account or what book we are discussing at the time, they can e-mail me at: ntlopez_99@hotmail.com. Just make sure you put ‘MÁS Book Club’ as the subject so I know it’s not SPAM.”

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