Next Read Start Date Nomination

 Our next book is a classic master piece by Leo Tolstoy, It is More than most masterpieces, War and Peace asks you to make a leap of faith and repays the effort. The characters who at first swarm at you in a mob soon coalesce into sets. Chief among them are three well-to-do families – the Rostovs, the Bezuhovs and the Bolkonskys – whose fates rise and fall in the years just before and after Napoleon’s disastrous march on Moscow in the winter of 1812.

 

Nominate a start date for the next read... come on peeps lets go

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy--Book of the Month

 "At a lavish party in St. Petersburg in 1805, amid the glittering crystal and chandeliers, the room buzzes with talk of the prospect of war. Soon battle and terror will engulf the country, and the destinies of its people will be changed forever. War and Peace has as its backdrop Napoleon's invasion of Russia and at its heart three of literature's most memorable characters: Pierre Bezukhov, a quixotic young man in search of life's meaning; Prince Andrey Bolkonsky, a cynical intellectual transformed by suffering in war; and the bewitching Natasha Rostov, whose impulsiveness threatens to destroy her happiness. As they seek fulfillment, fall in love, make mistakes, and become scarred by conflict in different ways, these characters and their stories interweave with those of a huge cast, from aristocrats to peasants, from soldiers to Napoleon himself. Battles, love affairs, births, deaths, changing family fortunes, unforgettable scenes of wolf hunts, Russian dancing, starlit troika rides, the great comet of 1812--the entire spectrum of human life is here in all its grandeur and imperfection."

If you must read any of Leo Tolstoy books, make it war and peace, it is dynamic and prophetic, playing out the power struggle on the present day modern politics.

The Anthony Briggs translation stays faithful to the original Russian but takes out all the thee's, thou's and thy's for easier reading. Also included is a list of characters in the back of the book you can refer to, because there are many, many characters and if you don't pay close attention, it is easy to get them confused.

Tolstoy blends history with fiction to create an interesting, educational, classical story about war, love, family, and power. In the latter part of the story Tolstoy mixes in his analysis of the actions of Napoleon, Alexander and the people surrounding them. The Russian Commander in Chief, Kutozov was one particular person whom Tolstoy felt should have been honored over Napoleon.

"For Russian historians (strange and terrible to relate) Napoleon, the least significant instrument of history, who never once in any place, not even in exile, displayed a trace of human virtue, is an object of admiration and enthusiasm; he is one of their 'great men'.

By contrast, Kutozov, the man who from start to finish during his period of command in 1812, from Borodino to Vilna, never once let himself down by word or deed, an unparalleled example of self sacrifice and the ability to see today's events with tomorrow's significance, this Kutuzov is conceived of by the same historians as a rather pathetic, nondescript character, and any mention of him in relation to the year 1812 always causes a stir of embarrassment.

And yet it is difficult to think of any historical figure whose activity shows a greater determination to focus continually on a single aim. It is difficult to imagine a more noble aim, or one more closely attuned to the will of an entire nation. And it would be even more difficult to find an example anywhere in history of a historical personage accomplishing his declared aim more completely than Kutuzov did after total commitment to it in 1812." pg 1208

In the Epilogue, Tolstoy analyzes how historians apply the actions of one person and represent it as the action of an entire people. He discusses the actions of Napoleon, the question of power and whether power is taken by one person or given to that person by a select few or the masses.

"How did these individuals compel whole nations to act in accordance with their will? pg 1317

What is the meaning of power and what happens if no one follows that power. What is the meaning of free will and if people are influenced by the actions of those around them or if it is all meant to be. His examination of the events of 1812 is very interesting and gives you much to think about.

Not only will we fall in love with the characters in this book, get ready to go for a ride in the whole story, how events unfolded and one person's actions affected not just one person, but everyone.

 

May Read Postponed

Dear all,  upon request by our secondary school members who are currently writing their final year exams  (WAEC), we are postponing the next read till sometime this month. We apologise for the short notice.. We will keep you posted.

MAY 2011 BOOK NOMINATION

Please go to http://www.classicreader.com/ to nominate a book you will like the club to read fromMay 6, book with highest number of nomination gets reader. All nominations should be written in the comment box of this post.

thank you

"He who does not read, will not learn, knowledge is power read a book a month it helps"  Oprah Winfrey

Febuaury:Mansfields Park by Jane Austen

We are reading Mansfield Park for the month of Febuaury. Its a small  forty-eight chapter book and we will be reading twelve chapters a week. Review every friday, if you are a fast reader please feel free to post your comments, observations, questions etc. before Friday.

Summary
Fanny Price, a poor and unloved cousin living with wealthy relatives, sets relationships straight through her passive devotion to honor and duty. A controversial figure among Austen afficianados, but demonstrably one of the greatest."

Continue reading click on the  link below:
http://www.classicreader.com/book/26/1/;

YEIF CHRONICLES ONLINE BOOKCLUB: Read, Learn, Share

A book is not only a friend, it makes friends for you. When you have possessed a book with mind and spirit, you are enriched. But when you pass it on you are enriched threefold.”

— Henry Miller
the Books in my life (1969)

What is YEIF CHRONICLES ONLINE BOOK CLUB?

 It's a smart social community for book lovers to read share and learn from each other. It's a celebration of literature and a place where old and new books get new life. Our community is changing the world and touching lives one book at a time.

What's our mission?

Very simply, we aim to connect people readers, promote reading cultures and encourage support systems through books.

How do we do it?

Read. Learn. Share. Members vote books from our book shelf, majority voted book gets chosen for the month, we read chapters agreed upon by members a week, we review, ask questions, share and share ideas. YEIF CHRONICLES is free to join. So don't be 'selfish with your thoughts - read and share!

Who are we?

Youth Empowerment & ICT Foundation is a non-governmental organization, which focuses on improving the socio-economic welfare of Nigerian youths by inspiring and motivating them to embrace information & communication technology (ICT) as a means to equip themselves and society.

Where will readers find the books we read?

For now we will be reading online at www.classicreader.com. All books are free of charge to read

Frequently asked questions

GETTING STARTED...
Q. I'm new - where should I go first?

Look through our rules & guidelines. We are a friendly forum, and keeping to these Rs & Gs helps to keep things running smoothly.
Next, start up a thread in the introductions section. Say hello, tell us a little bit about yourself and what you like to read.

Q. How can I join the club?

 Joining the club is free however, you have to be a registered member of the Youth Empowerment and ICT Foundation to gain access and this is also free.

 
POSTING...
Q. How does this book club work?

 Our aim is to read at least one book a month. Each month, every member nominates a book from the book shelf and the book with the highest nominations will be the pick for the month .Members will decide the number of chapters to be read each week depending on the size of the book and a general review will be done online every Friday. However, fast readers can review any time before Friday.

 Q. How books are review/discussed?

The aim of this book club is to share perspective and ideas. For each review, book club members go to the discussion topic assigned to the current book under review to comment on the chapters read, raise questions, comment on the opinions of other members and discuss the book.

Q. Can I start a question thread about the book under review or is that for administrators only?

All members can generate questions for discussion about books under review however, there will be basic questions raised by our administrative team.

GENERAL...
Q. How do I report something that concerns me?
By sending your concerns via email; enquiry@youthempowerment.org.ng to the foundation’s administrative team.

Q. Can we do movie reviews and how?

If members have a movie they have seen and or movies out in cinemas they think will spark interesting conversations with others, feel free to send movie titles via email; enquiry@youthempowerment.org.ng we will review and approve when it’s appropriate and post it. In such cases we will usually acknowledge the member who suggested the movie.

Posting Guidelines

Rate Topic:

As well as the forum rules, all members are expected to read and follow these posting guidelines:

General Conduct:
Basically, please show respect for fellow club members. Whilst discussion and debate are welcomed, please focus on the subject, and do not make your comments personal. Personal insults and attacks will not be tolerated, and repeated offenders may be banned from the forum.

Please be careful with the language you use. This forum is open to all, and we have younger members playing an active role in the forum. With this in mind, certain words have been filtered... do not try to find ways to get around this.

Content of posts:
The content of your posts should be your own. If you wish to include quotes, reviews etc from other people, please acknowledge your source.

When posting about a book:
When starting a new thread about a book, please put both the book title and author name into the thread title, as this aids future searching.

When posting a synopsis of the book (that is the blurb from the back of the book or from a website) you do not need to use spoiler tags as these give away major plot points but instead use it as a hook to entice others to read the book. Also, when posting a synopsis, please indicate where it's from.

When starting a new thread for a specific book, series, or even author, it's helpful if you can provide more information, as well as your own thoughts or review. Considering the amount of books and authors out there, simply asking if anyone has read it/them probably won't get much response.

We obviously welcome your book reviews, but when you post them, please simply use the book title and author name in the thread title, and do not specify 'review of'. This is for many reasons, including uniformity and encouragement of discussion.

Searching for previous topics:
When posting a new thread, please look to see if there is already a thread on that topic. You can do this either by having a look through the older threads, or by using the search facility to search for key words (e.g. the name of a book or author). This helps to keep things together neatly, so that other members trying to find information or discussions can find them more easily, rather than having things spread out over several threads.

Off Topic Posting:
Please try to stick to the topic being discussed. The threads on the forum become a great resource, and it can be frustrating if they drift into other topics. Please start a new thread if necessary, and don't drift into general conversation.

Staff members may edit threads, and move posts if necessary. General chat may be removed from book discussions.

Ensure you contribute to the thread:
Please be aware of posting a reply with just a smile, or a comment such as 'I agree'. These clutter up the 'new posts' function for other members, and waste server space. Please make sure that you're contributing to the discussion when you reply.

Multi-Posting:
which is where you submit 2 or more posts in succession. You can respond to various points in one post, and posts can be edited if necessary. If you wish to respond to various comments by quoting them, please use the multi-quote button:

Books we love

1. THE AGE OF INNOCENCE BY EDITH WHARTON

Edith Wharton’s masterpiece brings to life the grandeur and hypocrisy of a gilded age. Set among the very rich in 1870s New York, it tells the story of Newland Archer, a young lawyer engaged to marry virginal socialite May Welland, when he meets her cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska, a woman unbound by convention and surrounded by scandal. As all three are drawn into a love triangle filled with sensuality, subtlety, and betrayal, Archer faces a harrowing choice between happiness and the social code that has ruled his life. The resulting tale of thwarted love is filled with irony and surprise, struggle and acceptance. Recipient of the first Pulitzer Prize for fiction ever awarded to a woman, this great novel paints a timeless portrait of “society” still unmatched in American literature—arbitrary, capricious social elite that professes inviolable standards but readily abandons them for greed and desire.

2. PERSUASION BY JANE AUSTEN

Everyone have their own Jane Austen, this is mine. There is something about this story that stands out from the usual Jane Austen story, this book tells us wisely and wittily about the nature of romantic entanglements and the follies of being human; it is the type of book that has your mind replaying the characters even after you have finished reading it.

3. THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE BY RICH WARREN
If you read only one book this year, make it this one.

4. THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND BY GILES FODEN

This was Giles first book, I personally prefer the book to the movie "last king of scotland" in this book he gives an account of sides to Idi Amin most people didnt know existed.

SYNOPSIS
What would it be like to become Idi Amin's personal physician? Giles Foden's best-selling thriller is the story of a young Scottish doctor drawn into the heart of the Ugandan dictator's surreal and brutal regime. Privy to Amin's thoughts and ambitions, he is both fascinated and appalled. As Uganda plunges into civil chaos he realises action is imperative - but which way should he jump?

5. MANSFIELDS PARK BY JANE AUSTEN

In Mansfield Park, for example, Austen gives us Fanny Price, a poor young woman who has grown up in her wealthy relatives' household without ever being accepted as an equal.

The only one who has truly been kind to Fanny is Edmund Bertram, the younger of the family's two sons. Into this Cinderella existence comes Henry Crawford and his sister, Mary, who are visiting relatives in the neighborhood. Soon Mansfield Park is given over to all kinds of gaiety, including a daring interlude spent dabbling in theatricals.

Young Edmund is smitten with Mary, and Henry Crawford woos Fanny. Yet these two charming, gifted, and attractive siblings gradually reveal themselves to be lacking in one essential Austenian quality: principle. Without good principles to temper passion, the results can be disastrous, and indeed, Mansfield Park is rife with adultery, betrayal, social ruin, and ruptured friendships. But this is a comedy, after all, so there is also a requisite happy ending and plenty of Austen's patented gentle satire along the way.

6. THE BREAKING POINTS BY MARY ROBERTS RINEHART

Elizabeth Wheeler is a small-town, church-going girl who dreams of a man who will whisk her away from her mundane life. What she gets is an endless adventure of passion, betrayal, and murder, and just maybe the wedding of her dreams

7. ANNA KARENINA BY LEO TOLSTOY

The greatest Love story ever told with an expression of written words. If you are a die-hard romantic and do not believe love is a “conspiracy theory” you must read this.

8. WHATS'S SO AMAZING ABOUT GRACE? BY PHILIP YANCEY


Award-winning author Philip Yancey explores grace, the engine that powers Christian love and pushes evil away with forgiveness, in action in everyday life. As he searches for its presence in his own life and in the church, he finds that grace is indeed shocking and scandalous as it shakes our conventions with its insistence on getting close to sinners and touching them with mercy and hope. You will never know what love is or how to love unconditional until you can forgive much.

9. NIGHTS BY ELIE WIESEL

I first heard of this book on the Oprah Winfrey show, I had to read it, this book gives and account of what a human being can go through, endure, become and still have the ability to remain human. In this book Elie Wiese a Nazi holocaust survivor shares his experience in the Jewish camp. My wish is that the powerful message of this little book would be engraved on every human heart and will never be forgotten again.

10. A LONG WALK TO FREEDOM; AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY PAPA NELSON MANDELA.

This is the mother of all biograpghy.The riveting memoirs of one of the great moral and political leaders of our time following the momentous events of 1994, Nelson Mandela vividly re- creates the drama of the experiences that helped shape his destiny: the years operating undercover, effectively classed as a `terrorist' by the state; the surprisingly eventful quarter-century behind bars, when his dedication to the cause elevated him to a status of martyr, icon and inspiration; and the astonishing moves towards the ANC's near-landslide victory in the breakthrough multi-racial elections of April 1994, when Mandela became South Africa's first-ever black President.


Wanna share your own favorite lists with others? feel free to build your own list and post it on the comment of this post.