Girls' Book Club: 'The Curse of Dusk'

[Petra Sleptova]

OPEN TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE BOOK CLUB - GIRLS ONLY.

Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.

It was her second meeting for the book club and Pet was almost as nervous about it as she had been the first. Having never been the president of a club before, the territory was very new, but she thought she was getting the hang of it. At least she hoped she was. In a secluded corner of the library where they wouldn't disturb anyone if they spoke, Pet had a circle of chairs set out for the members she expected to turn up. 

Her nerves about the meeting mainly stemmed from the fact that she felt the book she had set last month was a terrible read. She hadn't read it at the time and had hoped it would prove to be as good as reviews she had read claimed, but she felt very disappointed. Would the other girls mistrust her book recommendations from now on? Pet very much hoped not, though fiction books weren't exactly her area of expertise where books were concerned. 

Pet sat in her chair, a few books on her lap as she waited for the book club members to arrive. Once most of them seemed to be present, she decided to start things off. Standing, she placed two of the books from her lap onto her chair, keeping the third in her hands. "Welcome back everyone! I hope you've all gotten a good start to the new school year, I also hope you've all had time to read the book for last month - The Curse of Dusk." In this instance, she actually was inclined to hope they hadn't read it. "If you've not read it yet and don't want the plot ruined for you, you're more than welcome to leave and come back in about 45 minutes after we've discussed it and then we'll select the book for October." Really, once she found her stride with public speaking, she didn't find it all that bad.

Pet sat down and waited for anyone who didn't want to have the book ruined for them to leave, and then continued. "Who wants to start?"

OCTOBER 3RD, 1885 | 348 WORDS | @'Velda Aesalon' @'Angelica Fawley' @'Katherine Midford' @'Artemisia Carrow' @'Johanna Echelon' @'Topaz Urquart' @'Eden Webster'

Part of the DADA Challenge – do not remove!

  

[Eden Webster]

She’d finished The Curse of Dusk in four days. It was no literary masterpiece -- the writing fell on the mediocre part of the spectrum, and the characters were walking tropes -- but the plot was engaging, and that alone kept Eden’s interest sparked. 

But even if it wasn’t an interesting read, she would have still finished it. She viewed the Book Club as an obligation. A fun obligation, but an obligation nonetheless. Why join it in the first place, if she couldn’t keep up with the reading?

(Many of the girls didn’t seem to share her opinion, it seemed. They’d had an entire month to finish the book!)

“I really liked how engaging the plot was. It was fast-paced, and that kept things interesting. However, I felt that the author brushed over important facts and didn’t put the necessary detail at times. In a way, it felt more like reading a play than an actual novel. The characters also felt like walking tropes, but they worked within the setting. I’d give it three stars out of five.” 

---

OOC ~ Googling the book got me no results so I assume it's a made up book we can make up shit for. xD

  

[Angelica Fawley I]

A soft sigh escaped Angelica’s lips as she sat among the other ladies in the book club, her fair face exhibiting an expression of tiredness as she clutched last month’s book to her chest. Although the day had been rather long and all she had wanted to do was return to the comforts of her dorm, she had been unable to bring herself to miss this month’s book club meeting. Not only would it have been poor club participation on her part, but she was also genuinely curious about what the other members’ views on the book were. She’d enjoyed it, of course -- the plot was particularly entertaining -- but the overall quality, however, was a different story, and she was intrigued to hear their thoughts.

She listened politely as Miss Webster began the book discussion, nodding here and there to show her agreement, though felt inclined to add, her voice soft, “If I may say so, I felt that the author didn’t quite wrap up the ending as neatly as he/she* could have. There are some parts of the story that I still have some questions about which had gone unanswered, but I suppose that goes back to what Miss Webster said about the lack of necessary detail.”

“But it was still a good story nonetheless,” she continued, giving Miss Sleptova a friendly smile, hoping that the book club’s president wasn’t too put out by their opinions on the book she had chosen, “and I’d recommend it to anyone in search of some fast-moving and straightforward entertainment.”

Words: 258 | Tag: Book Club Members | Outfit: School Robes | Notes: *I wasn't sure what gender the author was. xD

  

[Katherine Midford]

The book was boring but that didn’t stop Kathy from reading it. She liked finishing every book she had started to give a final verdict. It might have been a bit boring but It was still entertaining. Not every book that will be recommended to them would be an amazing piece of literature. She frowned a bit too see some of the Ladies leaving. Why join the book club if they couldn’t dedicate some time to read a book....even if it was mediocre. Katherine had always enjoyed the club meetings, especially the book club. As much as possible she tried to participate in all of her clubs actively.

After listening quietly to Miss Webster and Miss Fawley  she gave the two a soft smile before starting to speak. “I like the author’s idea and message in the story and How fast paced it was The Characters were sometimes monotonous. Like what Miss Fawley and Miss Webster had pointed out, The author had left out some information vital to the story .” The ravenclaw chose her words carefully. She didn’t want Miss Sleptova hurt because she chose a bad book. She still trusted her recommendation.

“With some tweaks here and there it could have been a lovely book. I still liked the book and would recommend it...” She added cheerfully.

  

[Petra Sleptova]

Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.

Pet was both relieved and dismayed to hear the critiques offered so far. She was relieved that they weren't blind to the flaws, but she did hope that they didn't hold the quality of the book against her. "I hadn't actually read the book when I recommended it, I read a couple reviews that praised it quite highly so I must admit I was somewhat disappointed." That would hopefully restore their faith in her taste in literature. 

"I agree with what you've all said already, the characters were somewhat predictable, and it was wanting for a little more attention to detail in places. I did wonder if some of the unresolved plot points were keeping the story open for a sequel. I was intrigued by the author, however. Do you suppose M. U. Rutherford is a gentleman or a lady?" Pet hoped it wasn't a man, it wasn't exactly the sort of literature she would cite in an argument for women writing books.

OCTOBER 3RD, 1885 | 163 WORDS | @'Angelica Fawley' @'Katherine Midford' @'Eden Webster'