The Council of Elrond decreed that we form a bookclub, and we obliged.

For our seventh bookclub meeting we are reading Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book.  Join us for discussion of our current book as well as voice your opinion for our next selection.

The Graveyard Book’s Amazon Review:

In The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman has created a charming allegory of childhood. Although the book opens with a scary scene–a family is stabbed to death by “a man named Jack” –the story quickly moves into more child-friendly storytelling. The sole survivor of the attack–an 18-month-old baby–escapes his crib and his house, and toddles to a nearby graveyard. Quickly recognizing that the baby is orphaned, the graveyard’s ghostly residents adopt him, name him Nobody (“Bod”), and allow him to live in their tomb. Taking inspiration from Kipling’s The Jungle Book, Gaiman describes how the toddler navigates among the headstones, asking a lot of questions and picking up the tricks of the living and the dead. In serial-like episodes, the story follows Bod’s progress as he grows from baby to teen, learning life’s lessons amid a cadre of the long-dead, ghouls, witches, intermittent human interlopers. A pallid, nocturnal guardian named Silas ensures that Bod receives food, books, and anything else he might need from the human world. Whenever the boy strays from his usual play among the headstones, he finds new dangers, learns his limitations and strengths, and acquires the skills he needs to survive within the confines of the graveyard and in wider world beyond. (ages 10 and up) -–Heidi Broadhead

Update:

Watch every chapter read by the author Neil Gaiman online: http://www.mousecircus.com/videotour.aspx

thanks to fellow nerd @MailorderAndie for the tip!

When: Monday, March 8, 2010 – 6:30pm-8:00pm

Where: Second floor of the Noble Tree Cafe 2444 N. Clark Street Chicago, IL

Cost: Free

The Chicago Nerd Social Club will be joining Chicago Movieoke for a night of movie scene karaoke. There are movie clips of all types in the 200 scene movie library, ready to be performed by our nerds on-stage. Costumes are provided. Come out and join us and have some fun with your favorite movie.

When: Monday, December 7, 2009 – 8:00pm
Where: The Whistler – 2421 N. Milwaukee, Chicago, IL
Cost: Free

The Chicago Fandom Meetup Mashup is meeting for a night of fun with a cross-section of Chicago fandom including door prize give-aways.   Last month’s event had 81 attendees from many local meetup groups and groups represented this year will include:

The Chicago Horror Meetup – They may just turn you into a zombie! The horror group will be showing you how to do good makeup effects, just in time for Halloween!
The Chicago Boardgames Meetup – Play some fun, fast-paced games.
ChiSciFi.net – Talk about anything and everything Science Fiction & Fantasy related, or pretty much anything geeky at all!
The Chicago Browncoats – Talk about all things in the Joss ‘verse.
The Chicago Boardgames Design Group – Check out some innovative new games that can’t be found anywhere else!
RPG Chicago – Cast some spells, slay some zombies!
The Empire of Chivalry and Steel Meetup – Learn about historical Medieval re-creations.
The AnimeChicago Meetup – All things Anime in Chicago, bringing out the Otaku in you!
The NE Illinois J.R.R. Tolkien/Lord of the Rings Meetup – Celebrate everything Tolkien!

When: Monday, October 5, 2009 – 7:30pm-10:00pm

Where: Mystic Celt – 3443 N. Southport, Chicago, IL

RSVP and More Information: http://www.meetup.com/chicago-sci-fi-fantasy-group/calendar/11264423/

Spend your Thanksgiving weekend at the 2009 Doctor Who Convention and meet the eighth Doctor.  Guests include:

• Paul McGann – the eighth Doctor
• Daphne Ashbrook  - Dr. Grace Holloway
• Yee Jee Tso – Chang Lee
• Naoko Mori – Toshiko Sato of Torchwood
• Phil Collinson – Doctor Who series producer for seasons 1-4
• Gary Russell – Director of Doctor Who: Dreamland

The formalized schedule will be announced in early November, 2009 but reservations are available online.

Where: The Westin Lombard Yorktown Center – Lombard, IL

When: November 27-29, 2009

Tickets: Available online

Next Bookclub:
Monday, January 11, 2010 – 6:30pm-8:00pm
2nd Floor of Noble Tree Coffee & Tea – 2444 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614
Discussing The Snow Queen by Joan Vinge
Detailed event info and ticket information

The Chicago Nerd Social Club’s Science Fiction/Fantasy Bookclub is open to new science fiction and/or fantasy readers as well as die hard fans.
The CNSC Bookclub meets from 6:30pm-8:00pm on the 2nd Monday of every month at the Noble Tree Cafe.  Our book choices alternate between the Science Fiction and the Fantasy genre, and after our second meeting on October 12th, 2009 we are opening up the book selecting to our book club attendees.

CNSC Bookclub Reads:

• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman – Meeting March 8, 2010 – Book nominated by Paul Callan and voted on at February meeting.
• Makers by Cory Doctorow – Meeting February 8, 2010 – Book nominated by Anne Petersen and voted on at January meeting
• The Snow Queen – Meeting January 11, 2010 – Book nominated by Anne Petersen and voted on at December meeting
• Lies of Locke Lamora – Meeting December 14, 2009 – Book voted on at November meeting
• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card – Meeting November 9, 2009 – Book chosen by Eric Barnes of the CNSC Bookclub
• American Gods by Neil Gaiman – Meeting October 12, 2009 – Book chosen by Phil Kalata of the Chicago Nerd Social Club
• Dune by Frank Hebert (meeting was September 14, 2009) – Book chosen by the Chicago Nerd Social Club