May’s Book: The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton

Book club was very interesting this month because we were so polarized by our feelings for this book. Some loved it and some did not. Either way, we all found something to relate to and the writing was very good. We love book club and our differences in our book choices make our discussions exciting and enjoyable. Thanks Heather for a wonderful evening and the popcorn was to die for!!

Because of a scheduling conflict Sue will be moving our meeting date backward by one week. We still have 4 weeks to read her book so hopefully everyone will be okay with the change. Sue will host on Thursday April 26th at 7pm.  Her book pick is:

                                    

Goodreads review says:       On a farm in western Missouri during the first half of the twentieth century, Matthew and Callie Soames create a life for themselves and raise four headstrong daughters. Jessica will break their hearts. Leonie will fall in love with the wrong man. Mary Jo will escape to New York. And wild child Mathy's fate will be the family's greatest tragedy. Over the decades they will love, deceive, comfort, forgive—and, ultimately, they will come to cherish all the more fiercely the bonds of love that hold the family together.

A goodreads readers says:      This story is quaint, charming, old-fashioned, sometimes sad, and very well written. It's about rural family life in Missouri in the early 1900s.
The book starts in the voice of Mary Jo Soames, the youngest daughter by a far margin. It's the early 1950s, and all the grown daughters are finishing up their yearly summer visit on the farm with their parents, Matthew and Callie. From there it goes back in time to explore the joys and struggles of the various family members. It's all told in the third person, so each section is about the whole family while focusing more on one person.
The author showed an impressive understanding of family dynamics and each person's inner battles as they try to find a balance between satisfying their all-too-human urges and doing right by those who love them.
And besides all that, it's just a thoroughly enjoyable, revealing, sometimes funny story about a bygone time with no running water or 'lectricity.

Enjoy reading and we will see you at Sue’s home on April 26th.

April’s book: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

We had a grand time discussing Outliers at Margaret’s home. Each of us brought a slightly different opinion and point of view, but in the end we all agreed preparation and opportunity plus our own unique set of circumstances most likely spells success (which can be defined in more than one way). Whew! It was a good book and one that opens our minds to interesting things to think about. Thanks Margaret and yummy dessert too!

Welcome to Sue Woodleaf. We are so glad you could join us and look forward to seeing you again. We are always open to new friends joining in on the discussion.

Our next book will be hosted by Heather Demars on MARCH 29. Her book pick is:

                                      

A review from Goodreads:  Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five boroughs of New York. His goal is to find the lock that matches a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11. This seemingly impossible task will bring Oskar into contact with survivors of all sorts on an exhilarating, affecting, often hilarious, and ultimately healing journey.

A goodreads reader wrote:  …  just finished Jonathan Safran Foer's novel last night, late, because I couldn't sleep and I only had a little bit left to read. At it's end, I wept. It is not a sentimental book. It's written in experimental style, with doodles and photos and random placement of words, phrases, dialogue running into each other sometimes, weird indentations, and POVs that once in a while jump around, even tho' sticking with the "I" voice. There were times I thought, "Hey! This seems like a writing exercise he just threw in there! An excellent one, but nonetheless, seemingly distracting."
Yet it all comes together in the end. Not comes around -- no, it's not circular in that neat, narrative way most fiction perhaps tries to attain. It's random and all over and often exasperating to follow. But it FEELS like experience and in the end, it FEELS like you lived it, because the final words encompass you in a most comprehensive, compassionate, resonant, moving way.

I think that sums this book up nicely. I too read the book and it was random and seemingly unconnected, but I finished it and began again. I loved the last 50 or so pages and it made me want to read the book again. The second time around was so different for me because I understood the connection and it made sense. Not that you have to read it twice, but I feel different about the book because of my second read through.

Happy reading. See you on MARCH 29th at 7pm at Heather Demars home.

March’s Book: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

What an exciting time we had a book club this month!! Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet sparked several differing opinions but we all agreed that the book was a great one to read. We love our ladies and the fun we have together.

Margaret Vidmar will be hosting March 1st (the first Thursday in March) at 7pm.  Her book pick is:

                                        

Goodreads review says:  

"In this provocative and inspiring book, Malcolm Gladwell examines everyone from business giants to scientific geniuses, sports stars to musicians, and reveals what they have in common. He looks behind the spectacular results, the myths and the legends to show what really explains exceptionally successful people." Gladwell argues that, when we try to understand success, we normally start with the wrong question. We ask 'what is this person like?' when we should really be asking 'where are they from?' The real secret of success turns out to be surprisingly simple, and it hinges on a few crucial twists in people's life stories - on the culture they grow up in and the way they spend their time.

A goodreads readers writes:

I picked up this book on a whim not knowing anything about it and was captivated by the subject and writing. Malcolm Gladwell explains in an academic yet simple way how seemingly "self-made" superstars in business, sports and life are actually the result of hard work, incredible opportunities, culture and timing. From Mozart to the Beatles to Bill Gates to hockey superstars he builds a case for this very theory. Surprisingly fun and a fast read, this book prompts much thought and discussion involving the secrets to success. Outliers is a book that you read out loud to anyone who is nearby (and will listen) and causes you to bring up these examples in conversation. I am not sure I have read a book recently that covers such a thought provoking ideas while reads so smoothly. Gladwell uses such relevant examples that you have a very easy time "getting it". I highly recommend this book and have already secured my copies of his other two similar books, Blink and Tipping Point. I highly enjoyed this!

This is a fascinating book and I am looking forward to our discussion.

Happy reading!!

February’s Book: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

It is a brand new year!! So many books, so little time. I am looking forward to reading our book club picks this year. It is a wonderful evening full of discussion and laughter. We are very blessed to have such a wonderful group of friends.

We will start out with Telarry Anderson hosting our February meeting on the 2nd at 7pm. Please note that we have switched our meetings to the first Thursday of each month.   Telarry’s pick is":

                                

In the opening pages of Jamie Ford’s stunning debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol.
This simple act takes old Henry Lee back to the 1940s, at the height of the war, when young Henry’s world is a jumble of confusion and excitement, and to his father, who is obsessed with the war in China and having Henry grow up American. While “scholarshipping” at the exclusive Rainier Elementary, where the white kids ignore him, Henry meets Keiko Okabe, a young Japanese American student. Amid the chaos of blackouts, curfews, and FBI raids, Henry and Keiko forge a bond of friendship–and innocent love–that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. And after Keiko and her family are swept up in the evacuations to the internment camps, she and Henry are left only with the hope that the war will end, and that their promise to each other will be kept.

“A tender and satisfying novel set in a time and a place lost forever, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet gives us a glimpse of the damage that is caused by war--not the sweeping damage of the battlefield, but the cold, cruel damage to the hearts and humanity of individual people. Especially relevant in today's world, this is a beautifully written book that will make you think. And, more importantly, it will make you feel."
-- Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

A goodreads reader reviewed this book:     I'm always a little behind the curve when it comes to reading blockbuster NYT bestsellers. I think a part of me resists because I love finding "little" books that deserve kudos and talking about them. But I had heard so many good things about THE HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET that I bought it, though I sat on it a while before I cracked it open to read. Once I did, I was hooked instantly by the wonderful character of Henry Lee, a 12-year-old boy in Seattle's Chinatown during the early years of America's involvement in WWII. Henry's relationship with Keiko, a Japanese girl at his otherwise white school, is frowned upon by his father (in fact, he doesn't even tell his parents about Keiko for a long time). I so enjoyed seeing the boy Henry was (in the 1940s) interspersed with more modern chapters (1980s) so I also viewed the man he became. A sweet and eye-opening tale about love and humanity during an uncivil era. Highly recommended for readers of all ages.(less)

This is a wonderful book. Enjoy reading and see you on February 2nd at 7pm.

December’s book: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Thank you Bethany for a wonderful evening in your home. Chocolat by Joanne Harris was a great book and the discussion and desserts were Yummy!

Because of scheduling conflicts our normal book club date needed to be changed this month.  I hope this will will work for most of us. Our next book club meeting will be NOVEMBER 29 at 7pm. This is a Tuesday. Diane will be hosting. Her book pick is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas :

                               

Falsely accused of treason, the young sailor Edmond Dantes is arrested on his wedding day and imprisoned in the island fortress of the Chateau d'If. Having endured years of incarceration, he stages a daring and dramatic escape and sets out to discover the fabulous treasure of Monte Cristo, and to catch up with his enemies. A novel of enormous tension and excitement, The Count of Monte Cristo is also a tale of obsession and revenge. Believing himself to be an 'Angel of Providence', Dantes pursues his vengeance to the bitter end, only then realizing that he himself is a victim of fate.

I realize this book is a long one, but hopefully you have gotten your hands on a copy and have enjoyed reading. The book is very different from the movie but the same themes remain in both. I look forward to our discussion.

SEE YOU ON TUESDAY NOVEMBER 29 at 7pm at my house.

Looking ahead to January, we will be watching the movie THE HELP at Linda Abrams home. This will be on January 3 or 4th depending on if we need to move the day we meet for book club for next year. Telarry Anderson will be hosting in February. Her book  pick is  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. 

Diane

November’s book: Chocolat by Joanne Harris

What a wonderful discussion we had at Beth’s home last month. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand was an amazing book to read and ponder. Thanks to everyone who came and shared memories of this greatest generation and the trials and circumstances surrounding WWll.

Our next book club meeting will need to be changed from our usual date. It will be moved to Tuesday Nov 1st at 7pm at Bethany Whiteley’s home.

Her book pic is:    Chocolat by Joanne Harris

                              

A goodreads review of the book says:

Illuminating Peter Mayle's South of France with a touch of Laura Esquivel's magic realism, Chocolat is a timeless novel of a straitlaced village's awakening to joy and sensuality. In tiny Lansquenet, where nothing much has changed in a hundred years, beautiful newcomer Vianne Rocher and her exquisite chocolate shop arrive and instantly begin to play havoc with Lenten vows. Each box of luscious bonbons comes with a free gift: Vianne's uncanny perception of its buyer's private discontents and a clever, caring cure for them. Is she a witch? Soon the parish no longer cares, as it abandons itself to temptation, happiness, and a dramatic face-off between Easter solemnity and the pagan gaiety of a chocolate festival. Chocolat's every page offers a description of chocolate to melt in the mouths of chocoholics, francophiles, armchair gourmets, cookbook readers, and lovers of passion everywhere. It's a must for anyone who craves an escapist read, and is a bewitching gift for any holiday.

A Goodreads reader writes:

Joanne Harris made me long to move to Europe. More fantasizing about small town, rural life. And the descriptions of the chocolate left me dreaming about rose creams, amaretto, pain au chocolat...why is it that these books that leave me hungry and dissatisfied are some of my favorites? Really.
This book is full of luscious sentences, beautiful descriptions, and alluring personalities. It's different from the movie - but both have the same spirit of magical glamor. And both make me need to go get a truffle.

Yummy! Happy reading and we will see everyone on Tuesday Nov 1st at Bethany’s home.

October’s Book: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Isn’t is wonderful that we can get together as friends and discuss such amazing books?  Every book we read and discuss leaves an impression upon us. Our blessings are numerous and life is a wonderful gift. Thanks for a great evening LuAnn.

Welcome to Janene Anderson. We are so glad to have you join us for however long it lasts.

A sad farewell to Debbie. You will be sorely missed. Your comments and insights have been spot on and well thought out. Keep reading and know that we will miss you. What about a once a month commute?

Beth Adkins will host our next meeting on

Wednesday October 5 at 7pm.  Her book pick is:

                             

A goodreads review says:

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.
The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.
Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.
In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit.
Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity,Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

                                          See you at Beth’s !