Our book club has been meeting for several years and we have read some very interesting books. Not everyone has liked the selections but that always makes for good discussions. As a rule though most books are very popular and other clubs choose to read them.
Our discussions are quite casual but always lively. Though we have a solid group of people who have been attending for years, we always welcome drop-ins who have read the book. At the end of each meeting we vote on the next selection so we are often reading the very latest popular titles. We always read paperbacks. Here are some of the titles that we have enjoyed:
Click on the title to see more information about the book, including reviews.
ISBN-13: 9780375714368 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Vintage, 01/01/2010
I'm really glad Cutting For Stone is now in paper. This book is what I think of as a saga. It's the story of twin brothers who grow up in Ethiopia. The author has created memorable characters, people you care about. While the political situation in Ethiopia is the backdrop for most of the action, this is most definitely a story about people you won't easily forget. I hope you get the chance to read it then come in and talk about it. I love to talk about books. I can even talk to you right here on this page. I'd love to hear what you have enjoyed reading recently. Linda
ISBN-13: 9781565129771 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 01/01/2010
Most of the 11 attending the meeting liked the book. There were notable exceptions though. We spent a good deal of time on the main characters. Most felt that they were not very likable people. One member found the plot predictable.
There was one comment that the novel had no literary value.
Personally, the book was page turner for me. I found it entertaining. I really am happy when there is give and take in a book discussion. It spices things up. What do you think?
Linda
Diane liked the book but thought it obviously was written by a man- ask her to explain this- when you see her.
ISBN-13: 9780385343039 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Delta, 08/01/2009
Rana says: This story shows the mystery of memories, and how bigotry can twist anything. Olivia Harker Cross does not understand why certain families in town hate her and are killing the wolves brought in by her Grandfather. The family secrets nearly get her and her friends killed, too. Once I started reading this story, I could not put it down until I found the answers.
Linda says: Olivia Harker Cross lives on a mountain in rural Kentucky. Life has not been easy, but Oliver gets by. She operates a small general store to support herself, her grandson, and her mentally unbalanced mother. When someone starts hunting the wolves on her mountain, she must unravel the secrets of the past to understand the events of the present.
Bookclub says: Everyone present liked the story and the way it was written. We spent some time trying to pinpoint just when the story took place, but that proved to make the novel more interesting--did the author intensionally make it vague?
ISBN-13: 9780307454546 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Vintage, 06/01/2009
Diane says: I never thought I would be drawn to read a book about a 24-year old pierced and tattooed genius hacker but this one led me on a merry chase around Sweden. Maybe the locale was the draw for me but the mystery quickly captured my attention. This book, part family saga, part love story, part financial intrigue, shows the dark and seedy side of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden. It is a sensation in Europe and is likely to be one here too. (That was an understatemnt!)
This triology is very popular and once you read the first one, you can't wait to read the next two. Too bad that the author died and we won't be getting any more novels from him.
ISBN-13: 9780061624773 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Harper Paperbacks, 09/01/2009
Linda says: Once I started to read this novel, I hated having to put it down. The main character, Towner Whitney, is unique and appealing. The story moves with ease between the events of the past and their results in the present. It is a haunting story set in contemporary Salem, Massachusetts where witches have become a tourist attraction. It's a real page-turner.
Diane says: I loved it also. The ending was a surprise and that made the book even better.
According to the book, witchcraft is a tourist industry in Salem and after reading the book, I definitely want to visit and see for myself. What a great book for discusssion!
ISBN-13: 9780451226815 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: NAL Trade, 05/01/2009
Linda says: This novel, set in the 1970's, beautifully captures the heart and soul of the characters who inhabit this city on the verge of revolution. They are young people coming of age in a climate where brutality and fear are facts of life. The appealing characters and vivid sense of time and place make this a terrific read and a great book club choice.
Diane says: Mahbod, a local author, has written a wonderful love story that takes place in a tumultuous time in Iran. The 17 year old protagonist has a pure and lasting love for the girl next door who just happens to be promised to another. Of course bad things happen during this time of the Shah so politics comes into the mix to make the story interesting to men and women alike.
Book clubs will enjoy discussing this book and learning more about the Iranian people. The author is available to visit book clubs in this area.
ISBN-13: 9780345485557 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Ballantine Books, 12/01/2008
Diane says: I enjoyed this book and the opportunity to meet the characters who divided up Mesopotamia into Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Through the eyes of Agnes Shanklin, a naive spinster schoolteacher, we meet Winston Churchill, Gertrude Bell, and T. E. Lawrence, otherwise known as Lawrence of Arabia. The author has made up interesting portraits of each of these participants in the Cairo Peace Conference and a colorful travelogue for the area. The characters were well researched by the author but it did lead me to Wikipedia to learn more.
Isn't that what novels are about- teaching you something or leading you to learn more on your own?
ISBN-13: 9780452295292 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Plume, 04/01/2009
The story takes place during the siege of Leningrad when two unfortunate guys are given the impossible of finding a dozen eggs in a city cut off from all supplies and suffering unbelievable deprivation. If they can produce the eggs, needed by a powerful colonel whose daughter is getting married and wants a wedding cake, they will be released from prison and probable execution.
The story is fast-paced with plenty of action as the two young men come together and form a bond. They try to survive behind enemy lines in the face of the abuses of war and carnage and the deprivations in the civilian population.
Diane says: This coming-of-age story was surprisingly good though not for the feint-of-heart. The siege of Leningrad is an interesting subject and I would recommend The Madonnas of Leningrad for those who would prefer a little less graphic take on the war. Or try The Skeletons at the Feast for an even more brutal look at the the flight of Germans east as the Russian army advances on Germany. I really enjoyed them all.
ISBN-13: 9780307278258 Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days Published: Vintage, 04/01/2009
Bookclub says: Most of us do not read short stories but we like this author. Each set of characters was so interesting that we were not happy that the story ended and we had to leave the characters. We wanted more about the various people who inhabited this unaccustomed earth.
Tuesday evening will be our book club discussion of Cutting For Stone. If you've read it and want to hear what other readers thought of it, please join us at 7 PM. If you can't make it, check here for a a report on our discussion.
Has anyone read anything new? As I've said, I love to talk about books, but I also like to hear what you've been reading. After our book club discussions, I ask everyone what else they have been reading. I get lots of good recommendations that way.
Our book club met last Tuesday to discuss A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. There were 11 of us and most of us liked the book. There were notable exceptions. We spent a good deal of time on the main characters. Most felt that they were not very likable people. One member found the plot predictable. There was one comment that the novel had no literary value. Personally, the book was page turner for me. I found it entertaining. I really am happy when there is give and take in a book discussion. It spices things up. What do you think?
I'm really glad Cutting For Stone is now in paper. This book is what I think of as a saga. It's the story of twin brothers who grow up in Ethiopia. The author has created memorable characters, people you care about. While the political situation in Ethiopia is the backdrop for most of the action, this is most definitely a story about people you won't easily forget. I hope you get the chance to read it then come in and talk about it. I love to talk about books. I can even talk to you right here on this page. I' love to hear what you have enjoyed reading recently.
There are so many really good books out now or coming soon. While I recommend paper backs when you are in the store, I do read a lot of hard cover titles. I have found some very good books and look forward to the day they come out in paper so I can recommend them to you. One I have just finished is called Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin. It is historical fiction that looks at the friendship between the child Alice Liddell and Charles Dodgson,who wrote under the pen name Lewis Carroll. I really enjoyed the story and found the character Alice very appealing. This is one book groups will love to discuss when it is available.
People often ask me to recommend a good book. I usually ask them what they read that they liked. Taste in reading is highly subjective. I believe that being in a book club exposes me to many different types of stories and has helped me to grow as a reader. Before I recommend anything I need to find out what kind of books you like and try to recommend something similar. I don't like to recommend books I haven't read because I take my recommendations seriously. If you ask me, I promise I will not suggest anything I didn't like. If you ask about something I haven't read I'll tell you so and pass along any comments I've heard. Stop in and talk books with me sometimes. I like hearing about what you've been reading, too.
Did you get to come to book talk? I really was excited to find so many books that I read in hard cover will soon be out in paper. This is good news for book clubs. I predict lively discussions ahead. Which book are you looking forward to reading?
We have been reading good books for quite a few years now. I always look forward to our meetings. After we discuss the book, we talk about other titles members have read. I've heard about some very good reads that way. Our meetings are the second Tuesday of the month at 7 PM. We choose the next selection at the end of our meeting so we can always choose something that is popular at the moment.
![[]](/sites/all/modules/ubercart/uc_cart/images/bullet-arrow-up.gif "Expand cart block."){kind=icon}
Book Club
Tuesday evening will be our book club discussion of Cutting For Stone. If you've read it and want to hear what other readers thought of it, please join us at 7 PM. If you can't make it, check here for a a report on our discussion.
Linda
books, of course.
Has anyone read anything new? As I've said, I love to talk about books, but I also like to hear what you've been reading. After our book club discussions, I ask everyone what else they have been reading. I get lots of good recommendations that way.
Linda
Reliable Wife discussion
Our book club met last Tuesday to discuss A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. There were 11 of us and most of us liked the book. There were notable exceptions. We spent a good deal of time on the main characters. Most felt that they were not very likable people. One member found the plot predictable. There was one comment that the novel had no literary value. Personally, the book was page turner for me. I found it entertaining. I really am happy when there is give and take in a book discussion. It spices things up. What do you think?
Linda
Cutting For Stone
I'm really glad Cutting For Stone is now in paper. This book is what I think of as a saga. It's the story of twin brothers who grow up in Ethiopia. The author has created memorable characters, people you care about. While the political situation in Ethiopia is the backdrop for most of the action, this is most definitely a story about people you won't easily forget. I hope you get the chance to read it then come in and talk about it. I love to talk about books. I can even talk to you right here on this page. I' love to hear what you have enjoyed reading recently.
Linda
What I've read lately
There are so many really good books out now or coming soon. While I recommend paper backs when you are in the store, I do read a lot of hard cover titles. I have found some very good books and look forward to the day they come out in paper so I can recommend them to you. One I have just finished is called Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin. It is historical fiction that looks at the friendship between the child Alice Liddell and Charles Dodgson,who wrote under the pen name Lewis Carroll. I really enjoyed the story and found the character Alice very appealing. This is one book groups will love to discuss when it is available.
Linda
Good Book
People often ask me to recommend a good book. I usually ask them what they read that they liked. Taste in reading is highly subjective. I believe that being in a book club exposes me to many different types of stories and has helped me to grow as a reader. Before I recommend anything I need to find out what kind of books you like and try to recommend something similar. I don't like to recommend books I haven't read because I take my recommendations seriously. If you ask me, I promise I will not suggest anything I didn't like. If you ask about something I haven't read I'll tell you so and pass along any comments I've heard. Stop in and talk books with me sometimes. I like hearing about what you've been reading, too.
Linda
book club
Did you get to come to book talk? I really was excited to find so many books that I read in hard cover will soon be out in paper. This is good news for book clubs. I predict lively discussions ahead. Which book are you looking forward to reading?
book club
We have been reading good books for quite a few years now. I always look forward to our meetings. After we discuss the book, we talk about other titles members have read. I've heard about some very good reads that way. Our meetings are the second Tuesday of the month at 7 PM. We choose the next selection at the end of our meeting so we can always choose something that is popular at the moment.
Linda