My Year with Eleanor

[November 2012]

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My Year with Eleanor, Noelle Hancock

number of voters: 7

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 9

lowest rating: 7.4

average rating: 8.09

*****

My Week with Noelle

I was astounded at the amount of sheer wussiness before me. —Noelle Hancock

Imagine lying on a beach in Aruba, on holiday from your job writing juicy blog posts covering the latest celebrity gossip. Your successful, faithful, and gorgeous boyfriend (“in possession of all his hair”) lounges by your side. Life. Is. Perfect.

Until the phone rings, and you learn you have been downsized.

It can be charming if you don’t have your life together in your twenties, but when people find out you don’t have some sort of direction by your thirties, they’re a little embarrassed for you. —Noelle Hancock

You are (relatively) unskilled and (completely) unemployed. After a few weeks of drowning your sorrows in liquor and/or coffee, you tell yourself it’s okay, that you’ve got a new lease on life, the world is your oyster. But the truth is you are (utterly, desperately, pathetically, embarrassingly) afraid.

I was stuck in one of those trances where it appears some invisible hand has smeared itself over your world. —Noelle Hancock

As the weeks go by, that blank sheet of future is as blank as ever, the coffee shops are all beginning to look the same, and the economy has just shed another 80,000 jobs. But surprisingly, your life is about to be saved by none other than Eleanor Roosevelt…or at least a famous quote of Eleanor Roosevelt’s, scrawled on a blackboard in pink chalk:

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

And so you do. One scary thing. Every day. With Eleanor as your guide you tackle 365 fears—from the mundane (speaking up for yourself more) to the grandiose (shark diving, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro).

“Do the things that interest you and do them with all your heart.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

And you write a book about it. And you become a different person than the one you were before.

I will never take any of you for granted again! —Noelle Hancock

And your readers learn so much more about Eleanor Roosevelt.

“I was so impressed by what Eleanor Roosevelt did—how her life was a fantastic example of finding perseverance.” —Angela

And your readers are inspired to conquer their own fears.

“It was like free therapy!” —Megan

And a group of women—some who have known each for years—learn that they are not just a book club… They are a group of women doing with all their hearts what interests them.

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Me Talk Pretty One Day

[September 2012]

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Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris

number of voters: 6

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 8

lowest rating: 5

average rating: 6.92

*****

There are a limited number of people in the world who could pull off Me Talk Pretty One Day, an autobiographical selection of short stories that straddles topics from the devastating lows of drug addiction to the social humiliation of a turd that refuses flushing.

David Sedaris has so much Voice with a capital V that your life feels—without a hint of jealousy—wholly unremarkable in comparison. The book unfolds in chaotic bursts of nearly-normal-No-wait-this-isn’t-normal-at-all stories. It all feels larger than life and yet somehow almost completely ordinary. (You may have taken a French class, but it was never as interesting or comical. Your father may have had a nickname, but nothing as quirky as “The Rooster,” who refers to himself in the third person. You possibly have created a work of art at some point in your life, but—guaranteed—it was not a performance piece in which you heated up a skillet of plastic soldiers and poured a milkshake over your head.)

Reasons you might like this book: It is authentic, hilarious, remarkable. It is about a not-so-average average guy whose life is sometimes messy and messed up but maybe no more than you, the average reader.

Reasons you might not like this book: It is visceral, shattering, unpleasant. It is about a once drug-addicted, often messed up not-so-average average guy whose life is often well-intentioned and rarely in one piece but maybe no more than you, the messed-up reader.

Like it or not, you won’t read anything else quite like a David Sedaris book. Guaranteed.

(Milkshake not included.)

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

[July 2012]

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Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, Beth Hoffman

number of voters: 6

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 8.5

lowest rating: 6

average rating: 7.167

*****

Early on in Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, twelve-year-old Cecelia describes a moment with her mentally ill mother in this way:

“We whirled through the living room, into the dining room, and around the table. Right in the middle of a spin, Momma abruptly stopped….”

That one moment symbolizes life for CeeCee from that moment on. Momma stops—run over by an ice cream truck—but CeeCee keeps right on spinning, through a whirlwind of eccentric characters, bizarre situations, and Southern charm.

Bewildered and bemused, heartbroken and confused, CeeCee is both the observer and observed. Her life becomes a parade of events: She buries her mother, is whisked away to Georgia by a long-lost aunt, commits (in her own mind, at least) an assault by garden slug, becomes a confidante to her housekeeper, and on and on it goes.

The book unfolds like a set of short stories, dreamlike, sometimes nightmarish, but always completely, unmistakably, quintessentially Southern. A fine summer read to take you for a spin when the world around you has stopped.

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House Rules

[June 2012]

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House Rules, Jodi Picoult

number of voters: 4

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 6.75

lowest rating: 4

average rating: 5.6875

*****

The Case of the Disappointed Book Club

In September of 2003, the First Monday Reading Group was formed. They met monthly, discussing and rating one book per month. The group was a success. By December of 2005, they had read 22 books, but not one of the books had ever received that elusive perfect rating—a 10.

Then, that December, came a book by Jodi Picoult titled My Sister’s Keeper. The book was a hit. It received not only the first individual rating of 10 but also the highest average rating (8.49) of any book that had come before it.

Years passed, the group became the Final Monday Reading Group, and in 2012 they decided to read another Jodi Picoult book, House Rules. It was to be the group’s 96th book. Many of the earlier group member’s had moved away or had their time occupied by other interests and responsibilities. But expectations were still piqued by the return of a Picoult title.

Those expectations would be dashed, severely. House Rules, they discovered, was exactly like every other Piccoult story: controversial topic + young love + courtroom drama + unconventional ending = bestseller.

One might argue that what some people call formula others call style or genre or niche. One might argue that the formula is the reason Picoult’s books are bestsellers. One might argue that our expectations were too high. One might argue that, yes, Picoult did indeed need every single one of those when-will-it-ever-end five hundred and sixty pages.

If that is the argument you want to make, a Jodi Picoult book is just the book for you. But if you ask the Final Monday Reading Group, we recommend that Jodi Picoult book be My Sister’s Keeper.

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The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

[May 2012]

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The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley

number of voters: 8

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 9

lowest rating: 6.5

average rating: 7.875

*****

She could have gagged and bound us as we walked through the door. She might have offered us parting gifts of poisoned lipstick. Thankfully Rachelia de Livre chose a chemistry display.

We met at Thurston-on-McKenzie on what could have been a dark and stormy night but was instead a balmy spring evening. Rachelia had prepared for us a reader’s delight of book-inspired décor and hors d’oeuvres. And on the discussion table sat a plate of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

We ate it up. Nearly every last bit of it. We relished the quirky heroine. We delighted in the descriptions and word choices. We savored the twists of plot and turns of character.

If anything left a bitter taste in our mouths, it may have been the heroine’s young age, the too-frightening conclusion, or the unbelievability of it all. But another bite of the sweetness was enough to balance the sour.

Yes, this was a dish best served in the summer, and we were glad to have partaken. Will we have another helping of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie? Sometimes the flavor in your mouth is just enough, and a second helping might only serve to ruin both your enjoyment and appetite. But we might just take that chance.

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Just for funsies, here are some other covers for this title (international and other editions):

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

[April 2012]

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A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers

number of voters: 4

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 10

lowest rating: 9

average rating: 9.5

*****

Look at us! We are young! We read books! Not just any books. We read literature. We read postmodern literature. We read Pulitzer Prize–nominated postmodern literature.

And we love it. We love it so much that we take notes.

This book is big and tragic and rambling and brave and irreverent. And so original that you’ll be forgiven if sometimes you don’t understand, like, could someone actually hide the Statue of Liberty? is it really possible to hear Clinton’s semicolons? and what does any of this have to do with the plot anyways?

Ah, yes! The plot!

[INSERT PLOT SUMMARY HERE.] No, I won’t do it. [WHY NOT?] Because the plot is not relevent to this recap. [OF COURSE IT’S RELEVANT; IT’S THE PLOT!] But you don’t need to know the plot to know what we thought of the book. [BUT PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THE PLOT TO KNOW IF THEY WANT TO READ THE BOOK.] But knowing the plot might also make some people NOT want to read the book. [NOW YOU’VE MADE EVERYONE CURIOUS AND YOU’LL HAVE TO REVEAL THE PLOT!] Okay, fine. The plot is:

Heartbreaking.

[CHEATER.]

Yes, heartbreaking. But also funny. Like, laughing-so-hard-you’re-crying funny. And highly informative… that is, if you’ve ever wanted to:

1. Start a magazine;
2. Audition for MTV’s The Real World; and/or
3. Sprinkle your deceased loved one’s ashes in a way that makes you look neither ridiculous nor tactless.

Then there is the writing. Did I mention rambling? It’s rambling. Stream of consciousness. Kind of like you are actually thinking the author’s thoughts yourself. At times a little long-winded, too introspective. But it is so real it bleeds. (You can actually feel its pulse.)

Listen, here’s all you need to know: It is heartbreaking; It is staggering; Yes, it is genius.

Still think you need to know the plot? Here is a drawing of a stapler:

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Somewhere Inside

[March 2012]

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Somewhere Inside, Laura Ling and Lisa Ling

number of voters: 3

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 7.5

lowest rating: 6.75

average rating: 7.083

*****

The title says it all: Somewhere Inside: One Sister’s Captivity in North Korea and the Other’s Fight to Bring Her Home.

Journalists Lisa and Laura Ling offer a competent, back-and-forth account of Laura’s detainment in North Korea and Lisa’s tireless efforts to rescue her sister. But while the story is interesting and the writers capable, overall the book leaves something to be desired—mainly, any sort of understanding of North Korea and the real danger Laura Ling was in.

We are told that the sisters feared for Laura’s life, that North Korea is an awful place to be imprisoned. But, by her own description, Laura is kept in fairly tolerable conditions, treated respectfully, and allowed regular care packages from home. While that doesn’t diminish any misery she might have endured, more explanation on North Korea itself might have helped the reader understand her terror.

What the book does well is offer a glimpse into the inner workings of international relations, particularly interesting when leaders from those nations will not communicate with each other directly. Good reading for a poli-sci major, perhaps, or an especially political average citizen.

There is one issue that the Lings completely overlook. As readers we are constantly reminded of the sisters well-connectedness, yet it barely occurs to them that were it not for their social and political class they might very well be still fighting for Laura’s release. It’s an unfortunate point to overlook when the authors so freely denounce the classism of North Korea.

Ultimately this is a book about the separation of two sisters and the diplomatic posturing of two nations. It holds your attention long enough to read through to the conflict’s resolution.

{Author’s note: It’s a delicate thing to review a book about real, traumatizing events without running the risk of diminishing the trauma itself. The author respectfully recognizes the ordeal the Ling sisters endured and would like to be clear that this article is no more than a review of the book itself.}

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One Day

[February 2012]

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One Day, David Nicholls

number of voters: 5

% of voters who finished the book: 83

highest rating: 9

lowest rating: 5

average rating: 5.21

*****

Stepping over the beer bottles on the floor, we greeted each other like the old friends that we are. Some of us have known each other for years, after all, meeting at the same time each and every month. I guess the only difference between us and the characters in the books we read is… well, I suppose that depends on that month’s book. But let’s take this book, for example — One Day, by David Nicholls.

I’d like to think we’re more likable than these characters. And that we make better choices. (I hope.) What’s normal for Dexter and Emma — failed relationships, drug addiction, a whole slew of missed opportunities — is certainly not normal for us. It isn’t that the characters aren’t interesting, but whether they are likable or relatable is up for debate.

The concept of the book was interesting… visiting the main characters on the same day each year for twenty years. But even with only twenty days to work with the author could get long-winded.

Okay, so I guess we aren’t anything like the characters in One Day. But we DO meet every month! And we DO have our sad times, like when we lose a member (thankfully just to Texas and not to tragic death! We’ll miss you Joanna!). And we DO have our good times, like when we celebrate a new birth (welcome, Charles!).

And for the record, the beer bottles were decoration only, for ambiance, to complement the theme of the book. ’Cause that’s just how awesome we are. Somebody oughta write a book about us.

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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

[December 2011]

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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

number of voters: 8

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 10

lowest rating: 8.25

average rating: 8.99

*****

Dear friend,

   I do hope this letter finds you in the best of health and surrounded by both treasured friends and treasured books. It is to these precise subjects that I find myself writing to you.

   Chance has brought to me the loveliest of books, and I am compelled to send you a copy for your very own. I am confident that you will want to make a place for it on your bookshelf.

   You see, there exists a fictional little world on the very real island of Guernsey in the English Channel. Authors Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows have imagined a cast of characters so rich and entertaining that one wishes they were real people with whom one could travel to Guernsey and visit.

   Not only are the characters rich, the story itself is rich in its own right. Set during World War II, the plot presents a very personal and moving description of life under German occupation. But despite the weighty topic, the authors manage to keep the story light without taking it lightly.

   Don’t be tempted to set the book aside because the format of a novel written via correspondence is daunting. Give it a little of your attention at the first and it will grab hold of all your attention by the end.

   Without further ado, I present to you The Guernesy Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I pray that you will enjoy it as I have, and I look forward to discussing it with you upon my next visit. Keep the kettle hot.

   With warmest regards,

   A

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Unbroken

[January 2012]

*****

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, Lauren Hillenbrand

number of voters: 6

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 10

lowest rating: 8

average rating: 9.05

*****

In her book Unbroken, author Lauren Hillenbrand present the facts on the life of Louis Silvie Zamperini.

Louis grew up as a trouble maker of a kid who finally found an outlet for his energy by running track. He qualified for the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin, where Adolf Hitler took notice and requested to meet the young runner. In 1941 Louis joined the Army and eventually became a bombadier. While on a rescue mission, his plane crashed, leaving only three survivors: Louis, his best friend, and another crewmate. The three men drifted on two small life rafts for 47 days, during which time they starved, baked in the sun, fended off shark attacks, and were strafed by Japanese planes. The men eventually reached land, where they were captured and taken as prisoners of war. While languishing in some of the most brutal Japanese POW camps, Louis was assumed lost at sea and declared dead...

These are the facts of the early years of Louis Zamperini’s life. Hillenbrand tells his story with a precision for detail, but also with a storyteller’s gift for narrative. There is more to the story, which I will withhold so as not to spoil it, but even if you know the tale from start to finish you will not be disappointed with Hillenbrand’s telling. It is a testament both to Zamperini’s life and Hillenbrand’s writing that knowing the story does not lessen the book’s impact.

In her pursuit of factual precision and objectivity, Hillenbrand does not come out and say what I will tell you now: Louis Silvie Zamperini is an inspiring man who has lived an extraordinary life. Any retelling of his tale is bound to be engrossing; Hillenbrand makes it riveting.

How to Be an American Housewife

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[November 2011]

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How to Be an American Housewife, Margaret Dilloway

number of voters: 7

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 8

lowest rating: 5

average rating: 6.857

*****

A compliant reader will not question where her book came from or what other books the author has written, or what critics have to say. Such pryings might drive a good book away.  It is important to mind your own business and stay within the arena of the book itself. —modified excerpt from the book “How to Be an American Housewife”

Should you find yourself in posession of a book titled How to Be an American Housewife by author Margaret Dilloway, you may want to consider your options. Please allow the First Monday Reading Group to elaborate on a few misconceptions.

First, this is not, in fact, a how-to book. It is a novel. The “How to” in the title refers to a how-to book that the protagonist in the novel reads. Also, note: This how-to book that the protagonist reads is not, in fact, an actual how-to book; it is a made-up how-to book written by the author of the “How to…” book.

Second, this is not, strictly speaking, a book about an American housewife. It is about a young Japanese woman who marries an American soldier after World War II. While this technically makes her an “American housewife,” the “American housewife” in the title actually refers to the idea of American housewife-ism in general, as exemplified by the old-fashioned advice of the fake how-to book mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Third, if you are comfortable with points one and two, this may be the book for you! While not what we originally expected, it was an interesting and quick read. The characters were not very well drawn, but the multicultural aspects were intriguing. The husband was endearing — (perhaps the book should be retitled How to Be an American Husband?) — but the children were unlikable at best and poorly written at worst.

In summary, should you decide to undertake How to Be an American Housewife, may we politely suggest you relish its strong points, overlook its weaknesses, and enjoy a decent read by a promising author? It may not transform you into an American housewife, but it might just inspire you to join a book group as cool as ours to discuss books like this one.

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The Hunger Games

[October 2011]

*****

The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
number of voters: 7
percentage of voters who finished the book: 100
highest rating: 9.75
lowest rating: 5
average rating: 8.43

*****

I could see the pipe cleaners on the far side of the cornucopia. There would only be a moment for me to decide: Could I make it there in time, before someone else got there first… or got to me first.
“GO!”
No more thinking about it, I had to move. I dove for the bag of pipe cleaners, but they were snatched from my fingers by the girl from District 7. Quickly I scanned the area for something else I could grab, anything of use. Legos… gone. Scrabble tiles… gone. A roll of toilet paper and a crayon… it would have to do. Now, to create something from these meager items…. something that represented the book and how I felt about it.

The girl from District 7 made a bow and arrow with the pipe cleaners. She said she loved the book, that the social commentary was interesting, that she liked the characters.

The girl from District 10 made word art with the Scrabble tiles. Peeta, Cinna, Capital, Mockingjay. Well played, District 10! She loved the author’s words and pace. She liked the whole concept, but she wanted more info about the minor characters.

The District 12 girl made word art too, but with cards and clothes pins. She had numbers from the districts and a card that said “vote.” I was impressed with what she could do with so little. She loved loved loved the books, how they were easy to read but so visual. I thought she was so brave to admit she didn’t love the ending (was that the best-case-scenario), even though she was so passionate about the story.

The girl from District 5 had crepe paper. What could anyone do with that? A parachute! Brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that? She thought the book was captivating. She was entertained but it also made her think. How would I survive amidst such tough competition?

The girl from District 3 had the coveted Legos. She was surprised that she did NOT like the book because she liked the idea of it, and yet it was just too hard to read about kids killing each other. With her Legos she fashioned a noose around a reader’s neck, signifying how she felt while reading.

The girl from District 9 had a bag of buttons. She made a beautiful tribute to Rue. She had loved the books and Katniss and Cinna and the hope that everyone saw in the Girl on Fire.

It was up to me now, what could I do with my toilet paper and crayon? Could I represent District 2? I had drawn the entire series on the roll of toilet paper, square by unending square. In every scene, Katniss is sad and confused. What can I say? I liked the book, but I thought Katniss was tedious.

In the end, the Gamemaker decided we all would live to tell others about The Hunger Games, to recommend it to our friends. But not before hosting possibly the best book club meeting ever.

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Room

[Sept 2011]

Room, Emma Donoghue
number of voters: 7
percentage of voters who finished the book: 100
highest rating: 9.75
lowest rating: 4
average rating: 7.393

*****

This month we read Book. Some people call Book “Room,” but that doesn’t make any sense. Book is not a room; Book is Book.

Book is a story. It’s a story about Real things but it is not Real.
The story is told by five-year-old Jack, who lives in Room with his Ma. Jack has lived in Room with his Ma his whole life because Jack was born in Room. Jack was born in Room because Old Nick keeps Ma locked in Room.

This is the part of the story where some people decide they don’t want to read Book. That’s because even though Book is not actually Real it is a lot like Real and sometimes Real is bad. (It helps some people if they know nothing really bad ever happens to Jack.)

Some people don’t like Book because they think Jack is annoying. That is Real, too, because sometimes five year olds are annoying.

One of the best parts of Book is what happens in the second half of the story. It would ruin it to tell. But if you are brave enough to read Book and not too annoyed by Jack, you might be surprised at how Book makes you think about Life in a whole new way.

The Help

[July 2011]

The Help
Kathryn Stockett

There are people out there. People who get together & read. God made them just like us but they are different. Especially the ones who form groups. Groups who all read the same books & talk about them. They've got a language all their own & it's dangerous. It's fine to talk to these 'readers' (& hire them to do work for you...& raise your children) but don't ever share or borrow a book from them. They have different germs, different diseases. Diseases that are passed through the pages of those books they all read in one big happy group. God loves them (& I do too, of course, being a good Christian woman) but I just don't understand. I'm starting to think that we might need a separate 'readers' bathroom in the garage. I do have a friend, Skeeter, who insists on being a part of a book group & I pray for her. She seems to want to understand & hear different readers point of view. She's even taken to 'rating' the books she reads with numbers AND stars. Lord help her. So please, just be careful when you meet someone who is a reader. I wouldn't want you to become one, too. In other news, I am so proud to announce that i am the chairwoman for the annual fundraiser to end illiteracy! This really is a huge problem that we should all be aware of & help in any way we can. Please drop off your old boots at our house anytime to help all of these poor illiterate children.

number of voters: 9

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 10

lowest rating: 8.5

average rating: 9.22

average star rating: 4.5 stars

*****

movie review:
i wanted to write a big amazing review of 'the help', comparing the movie & the book, astounding all with my astute observations (& use of the word astute) but i don't have a lot to say. Only that i loved the book & i loved the movie (have seen & read both twice). i thought that the movie followed the book really well. the characters were so well cast, (my very favorites were Abelene, Hilly & Celia). There were a few relationships that i thought the movie portrayed so well: between Ablene & Mae Mobley, between Abelene & Minny, & between Minny & Celia. All of those connections were so sweet & funny, they made me very thankful for some of my own relationships. There were a few things left out of the movie (as per usual) that i thought were just fine. Not meeting Stewart's parents was not a film killer, but i was sad that they weren't able to make the arc about Constantime & Rachel more true to the book. i understand why they didn't (not enough time, too far off the story's path) but i thought it was such an interesting part of the book, i was disappointed that it couldn't be included in the movie. also i wish we could have seen Skeeter after she went to New York. in the book she comes back & someone sees her with her long hair & short skirt. This definitely has more to do with my love of fashion, but still!!! it would have been fun :) in conclusion, i loved the book & i loved the movie (oh, that was my beginning, too). did you see the movie? what did you think?


REVIEWS by EMILY

The Host

[June 2011]

The Host, Stephenie Meyer

number of voters: 5

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 7.8

lowest rating: 6

average rating: 7.1

average star rating: 3 stars

*****

It seemed as though the reader’s eyes were not her own; they would not adjust to the page, no matter how hard she tried. Could this really be her book club book? This was, after all, the group that had read To Kill a Mockingbird and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Little Women. Then again, this was also the group that had read Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Confessions of a Shopaholic and Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons. But this book — this massive science-fiction-meets-romance-novel of a tome — was something new altogether.

The reader resisted at first. As anyone in the same position might have. Science fiction wasn’t her thing. Romance novels seemed so — she hated to say it — junior high. And its length (600 some odd pages long!) didn’t help its chances either.

But here she was, reading The Host, and if not exactly liking it, at least trying.

It was a slow start. Yet she had to admit that the concept was interesting: Alien race takes over earth using human bodies as hosts, one human refuses to be conquered, etc. etc. etc. Intriguing. Not a page turner yet, but definite possibilities.

Then, just when the reader was tempted to give up, the plot took a serious turn for the better. She was hooked. Like an out of body experience, she was reading science fiction…and liking it.

As she went on, the book got better and worse in turns. There were moments of intensity, where the reader feared for the protagonists lives; these moments were often followed by pages upon pages of intricate descriptions of cringe-worthy emotional conflict.

In the end, the reader had to admit it was entertaining. Cheesetastic in its own right. The author, if anything, has cornered the market on the science fiction/romance genre. Yes, the book could have been about 300 pages shorter. Yes, the reader slid further down into her chair hoping no one noticed her or the book, but she kept reading to the bittersweet end.

The History of Love

[May 2011]

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The History of Love, Nicole Krauss

number of voters: 3

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 8

lowest rating: 6

average rating: 7

average star rating: 3.3 stars

note: One reader chose not to finish the book because she very much disliked it. She did not give it a rating.

*****

THINGS WE LEARNED FROM ‘THE HISTORY OF LOVE’

1. There are layers to this book that we didn’t even realize existed until after we’d put it down.
2. It is possible to write a piece of modern fiction that doesn’t fit the modern mold of the modern fiction genre.
3. It’s okay to not always know what is happening as it is happening.
4. Sometimes it’s a good thing to leave giant spaces on a page and make a reader try to turn the pages as fast as she can read them.
5. If you’re going to write a book in which the title of the book refers to a book within that book, make sure the book within the book is better than the book within this book.

There is probably more. And yet. How can we convey the nuances of the story? How can we express the dichotomy of simplicity and complexity that fills its pages?

See for yourself. What will you learn from “The History of Love”?

Little Bee

[April 2011]

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Little Bee
Chris Cleave

number of voters: 8
percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 7.5

lowest rating: 3.5

average rating: 5.0625

average star rating: 2.5 stars

special prize: most brilliant marketing concept ever

*****

We want to tell you what happens in this book.

It is a truly mediocre story and we want to spoil it.

However, you need to know enough not to buy it, so we will just say this:

[SPOILER ALERT!!!]

This is the story of two women (an African girl who calls herself Little Bee and a spoiled, unlikable British woman named Sarah). Their lives collide one fateful day (on a Nigerian beach, where Little Bee is fleeing for her life and Sarah is being a stubborn, stupid British tourist), and one of them has to make a terrible choice (cut off your finger and possibly save a girl’s life or return to England with all ten digits in tact). Two years later, they meet again (when Little Bee shows up on Sarah’s doorstep on the day of Sarah’s husband’s funeral)—the story starts there (well, not really… it actually starts somewhere else, but that isn’t as interesting for the book’s front flap)…

Once you have read it, you’ll want to tell your friends about it (because you’ll want them to know that it’s best not to judge a book by its totally awesome cover). When you do, please tell them what happens (because you’ll want to warn them to not believe the hype). The magic is more in how the story unfolds than that there is some giant plot twist.

Let us say just one more thing: Little Bee does indeed have something to offer. It is far from amazing and completely over-hyped, which can lead to an overwhelming sense of disappointment; however, there are moments of dazzling color, and the story raises some intriguing topics to discuss. The thing of it is, we feel you should decide to read this book not because of the hype or the great mysterious plot twist pushed by its marketing campaign, but because it sounds interesting to you.

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The Hundred Secret Senses, Amy Tan

[March 2011] 

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The Hundred Secret Senses, Amy Tan

number of voters: 5

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 10

lowest rating: 6.5

average rating: 7.68

average star rating: 3.3 stars

alternate title: The 100 Secret Plots

*****

My book group friend believes she has yen eyes. She longs for those plots that have trailed off or died as though they were still sitting in her kitchen on Hampshire Street in Eugene.

Actually, I believe her. I’ve seen some of those plots myself, although I won’t admit it—to her or to anyone. Maybe people will think I am as crazy as my book group friend and lock my future book choices up in that place where book group recommendations go to die.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

You see it all started when our book group read The Hundred Secret Senses, by Amy Tan. Some of us loved it, while others struggled to get through. Just to set the record straight, there were two that night who admitted they couldn’t finish it—and that isn’t counting the others who didn’t even bother to attend (not that I blame them, but this is just a factual account, you understand).

But I digress.

The important thing is that my friend, she loved this book. Sure, many of us were able to follow the story, for the most part. Some of us even enjoyed it. But my friend, she gets it. She sees the story like an elaborate quilt, the various plot threads all woven together. While we stumble along trying to find our needle and thread, she is happily piecing together the grand work of art—the story, the language, the characters, the thoughts, the other-worldliness of it all.

Maybe you too have yen eyes—that longing for plots that require patience and suspension of disbelief and a sort of hold-on-and-don’t-let-go ride. Maybe you will be able to follow the story, for the most part. Maybe you will even like it. Or maybe, if you are like my book group friend, you will get it.

In any case, it is likely you will never read another book quite like this one. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is all in how you see it.

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Same Kind of Different as Me

[February 2011]

Same Kind of Different as Me, Ron Hall & Denver Moore

number of voters: 8

percentage of voters who finished the book: 88

highest rating: 8.5

lowest rating: 7

average rating: 7.9375

average star rating: 3.875 stars

*****

This is probably my twentieth attempt to begin this recap.

A sample of what’s already been tried (and deleted):

-God can use anyone.

-Do you consider yourself courageous?

-Let me tell you my version of events… (from Deb’s perspective)

-Did you wake up today? Be glad!

-Even if you ain’t a big reader type, this here is one good story.

-An art dealer, his chipper wife, and a homeless guy walk into a bar…

As you can see I’ve not made a lot of progress.

It’s ironic that a book that our group rated so highly should leave me so stymied to recap. Then again, maybe it’s because this book is so unusual.

Same Kind of Different as Me is a real story about real people and their very real journey from ignorance and indifference to trusting both in people and in God. And yet somehow that summary doesn’t even begin to convey the depths of this book. I could relay the plot, but only in reading it for yourself will the story come to life. It is more than a story; it is a journey.

So, I guess in conclusion I will say: God CAN use anyone, and even if you ain’t a big reader, this here is one good story.

Half the Sky

[January 2011]

Half the Sky, Nicholas D. Kristof, Sheryl WuDunn

number of readers: 7

ratings: unrated, recommended

*****

“Women hold up half the sky.” —Mao Tse-Tung

And the sky is falling.

Today, right now, this very moment… women and girls are being exploited, oppressed, and abused.

Today, right now, this very moment… you can do something about it.

Will you?

Can you seize this opportunity to decide that you will not look the other way? That you will not shrug? That you will not think the problem is so big that one person cannot make a difference?

Are you wondering what you could possibly do to change the world? Here are a few suggestions from someone who feels exactly like you do:

• Read the book Half the Sky.

• Get involved at http://www.halftheskymovement.org/get-involved

• Visit http://www.kiva.org/

There are millions of causes out there. And there are millions of ways to help. The first step is choosing not to look away.