February’s Book Club pick: Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

I thought I would do a review for our February’s book because you may need to find it outside of a library. This way, you will have plenty of time to find it and read it. Debbie Mullin will be hosting on Wednesday Feburary 2. Her pick is:

                                     

A beautiful retelling of the Celtic "Swans" myth, Daughter of the Forest is a mixture of history and fantasy, myth and magic, legend and love... To reclaim the lives of her brothers, Sorcha leaves the only safe place she has ever known and embarks on a journey filled with pain, loss and terror. When she is kidnapped by enemy forces and taken to a foreign land, it seems that there will be no way for Sorcha to break the spell that condemns all that she loves. But magic knows no boundaries, and sorcha will have to choose between the live she has always known and a love that comes only once.

A goodreader’s review:

I have to admit that when a colleague of mine lent me this book, I didn't really have all that much hope for it. Sure, she couldn't stop raving about it, but there was something so dull and lacklustre about the cover that it took me a good while to actually get around to reading it.
But, I can safely say that I really, really loved this book.
I'm not exaggerating when I say that this is one of the best fantasy books I've read in a while. Like my colleague, I initially thought that this book was intended for a much younger audience, but I truly think that older and younger readers alike will be completely and utterly charmed by this magical little tale…
Juliet Marillier has a gift for writing. Not only that, she has a gift for creating characters that are incredibly multilayered, complex and unbelievably likeable. I loved Sorcha's character from the minute I started reading and couldn't help but laugh, cry and rooting for her throughout the novel. She's brave, flawed, strong and courageous and has a strong sense of loyalty towards those that she loves.
That's not the only reason I love this book though. The writing itself is beautifully descriptive; old Celtic folklore coming to life under the hands of Marillier, who demonstrates a vivid understanding of Celtic myths and legends.
The world she creates is filled with magic, legends and wonderfully crafted heroes, while at the same time also managing to create villains that are so dripping with menace, you actually feel like you have to find some hiding spot for fear of having them find you.
All in all, I'd highly recommend this book.

Hope to see you in February at Debbie’s home.

January’s Book Club Meeting: Movie Night

We had a wonderful visit together at Michelle’s home last night and  really missed all of you who could not be there. The universal truths found in The Alchemist are indeed hidden treasures worth seeking and we enjoyed discussing it together. Welcome back to our friend Jenna Lake. She is one of the original members of this book club and we are thrilled to have her coming again. 

Book club will be changing from Tuesday to Wednesday nights next year.  We will meet the first Wednesday of every month. A hosting schedule was put together for next year but there are still some openings. We will look to complete  that at our next meeting together.

We wanted to continue the tradition of a movie night in January. We have some ideas on a gathering place for that and will get details out soon.

Looking ahead for February, Debbie Mullin will be hosting our book club. She has chosen Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier. This book has been hard to find in a library but is available on Amazon. I will do a review on that next month.

In the meantime, keep reading and enjoy your Christmas season with friends and family. Here are some suggestions for reading from  last night:

• A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
  by Ishmael Beah
• The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent
• Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert
• Authentic Happiness by Martin E.P. Seligman
• Winter Solstice and The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
• Amazing Grace by Eric Mataxas
• The Chinese Ginger Jars by Myra Scovel
• I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
• Eleni by Nicolas Gage
• Positivity by Barbara Fredickson
• The Travelers Gift by Andy Andrews
• Gifted Hands by Ben Carson
• Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick
• Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Mouk

Reminder: Book club is next Tuesday

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. It is time to be thinking about our next book club meeting.  Book club will be next Tuesday, December 7th at Michelle Holdaway’s home. Her book pick is THE ALCHEMIST by Paulo Coelho.  Also, if possible, come prepared with a month in mind  that would work for you to host. That way we can get our calendar ready for next year. We will need to change our day of the week we meet. It was suggested that we meet the first Wednesday of each month starting in January. Hope to see everyone this month at Michelle’s home.