I apologize for getting this going late. I must also apologize for the fact that Running with Scissors is non-fiction. This was my first selection and I wasn’t very diligent in doing my research before selecting it as my book of choice.

This book was an emotional trip for me because of the life this child endured. It is simply beyond any reality I have known in my personal life. I was drawn into this book due to the manner in which it was narrated. Do you think this book did a proper job of conveying the emotions and growth Augusten experiences throughout the course of his childhood?

He obviously had an interesting life, stemming from his parents (the mother in particular) and continuing on in his experiences with Dr. Finch and the entire Finch family. What is your take on the fact that his mother so willingly passed him over to the Finch family, especially considering the type of family and people she handed him over to? How much of who Augusten is, as a person, do you believe was influenced by his time spent with this family, as opposed to how things would have been if he had stayed with his mother?

To me, this entire story is unbelievable in the sense that it is so outrageous. What do you pick up as the main undertone in the story? Do you feel Augusten regrets the way his life happened to him, or do you get the impression that it gave him an interesting story to tell and pushed him to become more than he would have become had he not faced such a different type of childhood?

As Augusten reaches adulthood, he seems less and less affected by the story of his upbringing. Do you think the book portrayed him as someone who overcame the obstacles in his path or was his life forever damaged as a result of the manner in which he was raised? Finally, what surprised you the MOST in this story?

Today was shopping day and it included a trip to Barnes & Noble. I was having memory problems, so I had to go to the info counter to find the books I wanted.

Me: I'm looking for a book but can't remember the name of the author.
BOOk Boy: What's the name of the book?
Me: Veronika Decides to Die. That's Veronika with a K.
BOOB: [snigger] Paul-o Coal-o.
Me: Paulo Coelho.
BOOB: We don't have a copy at this store.
Me: Okay. Could you tell me what section Running with Scissors is in?
BOOB: [snort] Augusten Burroughs. Biography.

As I walked away, I wondered what was so funny. A little while later, I had to go back.

Me: I'm looking for another book. Kiss Me, Judas.
BOOB: Are you the one with all the weird titles?
Me: I guess. Is Kiss Me, Judas, weird?
BOOB: A little. Will Christopher Baer. We don't have one in stock.
Me: Thanks.
BOOB: I'm not putting you down or anything. Those titles are just weird. Interesting.
Me: Ah.

I'm glad I didn't have to ask him for Amy Hempel's name because I was also looking for Reasons to Live.

Those wacky folks at The Guardian mentioned The Gender Genie again:

Graham Thomson: The Gender Genie thinks your blog was written by a male. Was it?

Belle: It was not. Incidentally, the Gender Genie also thinks Orbyn was written by a male - her photo gallery would indicate not - and Wherever You Are is female - I am reliably informed otherwise.

I might have to add a new category to go along with "fiction," "non-fiction," and "blog" submissions: "London call girl bloggers who write tell-all exposés yet still manage to keep their anonimity, which, let's face it, is probably much more interesting than the actual content of the book."

(Is it me or does Belle de Jour seem wrong? I'm thinking Belle du Jour sounds better. Or maybe I'm just in the mood for soup.)

CNN.com has a sweet article about Ron McLarty, an author whose novel, The Memory of Running, was finally published after more than 30 years of rejection letters:

Then last September -- after a lonely 35-year literary odyssey involving a thoughtful audiobook producer, a small-town librarian, and novelists Danielle Steel and Stephen King -- Ron McLarty got published at age 56.

Never give up, never surrender.

I find this Best of Blogs Awards thing quite amusing.

At first I was amazed at being nominated. We get decent traffic and average about 875 visitors a day, so I've always known people were stopping by. However, most of that is for the Gender Genie and from search referrals for answers to crappy homework assignments. Outside of our monthly discussions, this place is pretty dead so I've never expected the blog to do much beyond being a place to have a book club.

When the whole award thing happened, I thought I ought to make an attempt to add a new post each day to give the voters a reason to pick us. But I don't have the time. Then, I began checking the results page relentlessly. But we're dead last. Not only are we dead last, but as of right now we have fewer votes than we have members. Finally, I had to laugh when a finalist in the Biggest Blog Whore category left an inane comment on the previous post, proving that some people really do go around trolling for links.

As of right now, I hope we stay in last place. This spot is supposed to be a fun diversion. Getting all wrapped up in prizes and links and stats would make it feel like an obligation.

Some of our charter members might be wondering what's up with our next selection, Running with Scissors: A Memoir. It isn't fiction. All I can say is that Chandos snuck it by me, so please don't get indignant about the time I steered you away from your non-fiction choice. At any rate, the press I've read about it has all been positive and makes it seem like a good fit with the rest of our reading list.

For more information on Augusten Burroughs, check out:

BookPage: A Walk on the Wild Side

The Black Table: Augusten Burroughs' Magical Way of Thinking

Bookslut: An Interview with Augusten Burroughs

The new year is starting out very nicely.

First, we're a finalist for The Best of Blog Awards 2004. Voting is open, by the way. Vote early and vote often.

In looking over the stats, I noticed a link from BlogCruiser, a blog that rates other blogs. We were given a 9-star rating. Go us!

A member of Christopher Moore's bulletin board posted about our discussion of The Stupidest Angel. Moore stopped by and took a look at our discussion, probably because the poster mentioned that most of us "don't seem to get it." Personally, I think we got it; we just all didn't like it. And that's okay.

Happy New Year, all!

I am very pleased to start out 2005 with some good news. BookBlog is a finalist in the Best Literary/Book Blog category for The Best of Blog Awards 2004.

BookBlog was created as a place for good friends to discuss books in an intimate setting. I never expected there to be much interest in it beyond the members. With the popularity of The Gender Genie, many others have taken notice of our tiny spot on the Internet.

Thanks so much to all of you for making this a wonderful place. I've learned about many books and authors I would have otherwise walked right by in the bookstore. I now find myself giddily looking forward to getting my hands on each new selection. Thanks also to DirtyTalkinGirl for nominating us.

We're in good company, so you'll want to pay the other nominees a visit. There are so many good book places to be found.