The October FYA Book Clubs: The Most Fun You Can Have Discussing Nazi Germany

Holla, FYA! Well, another month is nearly gone. The leaves are turning colors in some other places that aren't Texas, little kids are gearing up to go trick-or-treating while adults are gearing up to perfect their punch-a-kid-in-the-face-and-steal-their-candy techniques, and lots of FYAers around the world have gathered together to discuss Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, which we first reviewed more than two years ago!

As you can imagine, discussions centered around Zusak's sweeping, moving story of a young, illiterate girl caught up in the daily trials of WWII were quiet, contemplative and bordering on morose.

Shyeah right! This is FYA! The only time we display public sadness is when the bar runs out of champers! So let's see how some of our different book clubs around the globe got on!

Boston's Thursday night book club kicked things off with a book-making craft, in honor of Max! Only they didn't send me a photo of their craft! Ladies!! How am I supposed to get my LadyNerd on now?

I can only presume that their book making craft used torn-out pages from Mein Kampf, and that they were later kicked out of the bar.

A book-makin' party!

The Brooklyn Book Club were without their ringleader Molly this month, cause she just got MARRIED!!! Woohoo!! Congrats, Molly!! Send us photos so we can celebrate through the internet!

The Brooklynites were well served by Julie, who took over reporting duties for the month, and I have to say that the most touching part was this:

One of the members's grandfather is the same age as Leisl, and he read the book and shared it with his penpal, because the story was just like his life (the living through war parts, presumably not hiding someone in the basement parts).

What's the cutest part of this story? A grandpa reading YA or a grandpa having a penpal? I can't decide!

L-R: Nicole, Alison, Julie, Gretchen, Jillian, Vanessa and Julianna!

The newly-formed Easton, Pennsylvania Book Club are hitting off things in grand style - they've already got plans to go to Breaking Dawn together! Ladies! Don't forget to play the drinking game!!! (As long as no one's driving, obvs.) They all had a good time trying to picture what Hans, Leisel's kindly foster father, would look like. Hilariously, they decided he'd look like the crook in 101 Dalmations who works for Cruella DeVille. Hee!

The weather was kind to the Boston FYA Book Club for the third month in a row, and I'd like to say that it's the POWER OF YANGELISM warming their fair city, but let's be honest, it's probably global warming. The Bostonians all thought that Hans should be awarded the Cliff Huxtable Award for Awesome Dadhood, and I agree . . . in fact, we made up that award FOR Hans!

The New Orleans book club continues their mission to make me the owner of THE MOST JEALOUS TUMMY IN ALL THE LAND, as this month they ate at Sucre. Desserts! They had a white peach reisling gelato! I mean! My god! But I'm even MORE excited cause next month they're eating at Cochon OH MY GOD. Sorry, sorry. I get really excited about New Orleans and food.

The New Orleans folks did not see the whole Massive Death By Allied Bomb coming, and a few of them even wished for a little Leisel/Max action, even though, GUYS, he's like 13 years older than her!

I WANT TO GO THERE.

The Londoners managed to out awesome themselves again by moving the discussion from The Book Thief to Footloose, plus they made plans to do a Secret Santa in December! I'm telling you guys this now so that you can steal the idea and pretend it was yours. Secret Santa!

Is that a BOY I see?

Guys. GUYS! In this picture below, our San Diego book club are eating gourmet popsicles. Lavendar lemonade and lavendar honey goat cheese. OH MY GOD I HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THESE!

Look, I just get really excited about fancy cheese desserts.

One of the book-related questions we asked this month was whether our book clubs considered The Book Thief a YA book or not. (Quick history: the book was released as an adult book in Zusak's native Australia, but was marketed as YA in the US. I bought my copy in the UK and thought it was an adult book until someone asked us to review it.) The Madison, WI book club decided it fit as YA, because they came up with what I think is probably the most concise definition for YA I've seen:

•  Age of the protagonist between 12 and 19

•  Main character's close proximity to events taking place, not adult recollections

•  First experiences---love, loss, etc.

Do you guys agree?

The Minneapolis Book Club were very intensely discussing the serious subject matter and all the ways they did not heed our DNRIP (Do Not Read In Public) warning for this book, before having their convo interrupted by . . . a drunk Vikings fan streaking through the outdoor area. Nice!

Sadly he's wearing underwear.

And last but not least, the Houston FYA Book Club! I've been feeling a little bad about my Book Club leading skills, cause uh . . . we never end up talking about the book. But then, after Book Club Member Lee, who you may remember from when she made this amazing video, recommended that we try The Davenport, we found our home. Our drunken, drunken home.

After a few too many rounds of weird-ass cocktails like "Barbie's Dirty Bathwater," our book club devolved into drinking contests, discussion of sausage, and the realization of how small our world really is. After Ginny ordered her third bad drink in a row (in the Davenport's defense, I should say we all had delicious drinks - just Ginny seemed to order weird ones that tasted awful), Carla challenged Anna Marie to a drink-off! WHO WILL BE THE WINNER?

(Answer: not me, since I didn't realize till now that I have to turn my phone sideways to record video properly.)

And that's all the news that's fit to print this month, folks! Next month we'll be discussing Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone! The book club schedule is up on the FYA Book Club Page at the top of the screen! Email Erin.at.FYA {at} gmail.com if you have any questions/comments/concerns/complaints!