Current O onboard reading book

[TrolleyGirl]

For those of you that are interested the current onboard reading book is Save Me the Plums authored by Ruth Reichl.  It is quite a deviation from the prior book club selection.  

 

I think the reading program is poorly promoted onboard.  There is no signage either by the front desk where you pick up your copies of the book, nor is there any promotional signage in the Crows Nest near the "library".  As a result we only had two participants in the reading recap on our recent NA sailing, my sister and myself.

[woodworker&knitter]

Sorry to hear but when I book a cruise joining O onboard is the furthest thing from my mind. 
I can read a book at home for free. Just saying 

[bennybear]

The only fiction book on-board, apparently hasn’t been changed in months.  Princess had some interesting suggestions.  Two for every two months. Then two new ones.

[seachef318]

11 minutes ago, bennybear said:

The only fiction book on-board

It’s not even fiction - it’s a memoir.  I read half of it as the hotel I work in was given a few dozen copies of it for free to give out......6 months ago and I still can’t get rid of them.  

[TrolleyGirl]

1 hour ago, woodworker&knitter said:

Sorry to hear but when I book a cruise joining O onboard is the furthest thing from my mind. 
I can read a book at home for free. Just saying 

 

I'm not sure what you mean read for free at home.  You may not understand how the program works.  The books are free to read, you just pickup a copy at the front desk and it's yours to use the duration of the cruise.  My point in the post was if HAL is going to have a program such as the O reading group, they should at least promote so guests know it exists and how it works.

[TrolleyGirl]

21 minutes ago, seachef318 said:

It’s not even fiction - it’s a memoir.  I read half of it as the hotel I work in was given a few dozen copies of it for free to give out......6 months ago and I still can’t get rid of them.  

 

I can understand that!  The reading selection really boggled my mind.  I can see perhaps steering away from controversy, but certainly a more interesting book could have been chosen! 

[oaktreerb]

7 hours ago, TrolleyGirl said:

 

 

I think the reading program is poorly promoted onboard.  There is no signage either by the front desk where you pick up your copies of the book, nor is there any promotional signage in the Crows Nest near the "library".  As a result we only had two participants in the reading recap on our recent NA sailing, my sister and myself.

I agree!  I’ve tried to participate twice.  The first time the CD announced the meeting and handed out the books.  He wasn’t looking forward to reading it and I lost interest.  If HAL still had librarians this might be a viable program.  The second time I had every intention of reading the book (about marriage)  which I picked  up at the front desk but again lost interest. If the book had been itinerary related I would have been more motivated.  We were on a 21 day Alaska itinerary and there were a lot of great Alaska books on the Maasdam.  The Oprah programs like the bookclub, wellness, and product lines have not been integrated into the itineraries.  

[tkwbear]

I'm not an Oprah fan, so I have no interest in what book she thinks is good. However, I always see in the daily program when the get-together sessions are. 

 

I wonder how much HAL pays her for using her name? I've been in the Crow's Nest before when the sessions are being held. Very few people show up.

 

The Konigsdam had an Oprah shop. It wasn't very popular either. I noticed that much of the merchandise was marked down to half for the deck sale. No one was buying it then either. I haven't seen any more Oprah shops since.

[sail7seas]

On 11/5/2019 at 10:14 AM, TrolleyGirl said:

For those of you that are interested the current onboard reading book is Save Me the Plums authored by Ruth Reichl.  It is quite a deviation from the prior book club selection.  

 

I think the reading program is poorly promoted onboard.  There is no signage either by the front desk where you pick up your copies of the book, nor is there any promotional signage in the Crows Nest near the "library".  As a result we only had two participants in the reading recap on our recent NA sailing, my sister and myself.

 

 

 

Poorly promoted could mean  severe   l ack of interest .  .

 

"O' has no meaningful long lasting tie to HAL  that   many of us recognize .

 

 

 

[DenDenDen]

I have been reading "Save Me the Plums" by Ruth Reichl before our Nieuw Amsterdam cruise departing Nov. 16.  It's a quick, fun read for me (and includes a handful of recipes).  "Gourmet" was one of those famous old-line magazines that was killed off by Condé Nast during the '08-'09 recession and Reichl was its last editor-in-chief.  She has had a fabulous foodie life and her stories are often fascinating.  I think it's a great fit for a HA book club, but others may disagree.

[*Miss G*]

Thanks for all the informative posts.  I agree that there should be information available.  I had no idea how it worked until I read these posts!  Thank you for this thread, TrolleyGirl.