Little Fires Everywhere

[January 2019]

Little Fires Everywhere
Celeste Ng

Average rating: 8.5333
Highest rating: 9.25
Lowest rating: 7.5
Number of voters: 6
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100





In case you're wondering: The title is literal. Little Fires Everywhere blazes out of the starting gate with the burning of the Richardson home, with literal fires everywhere. From there, the novel is a retrospective of how a thousand tiny sparks burst into a thousand figurative fires that ignite a teenage girl's desire to burn down her own house.

Also in case you're wondering: I haven't spoiled anything by telling you how it all ends. One of the joys of Ng's writing is that even when you know how it ends—maybe because you know how it ends—you want to know how the author and the characters will get there.

And it's quite the journey. Touching on issues of privilege, race, and class, Ng focuses most tightly on what makes a mother. (Hint: There are many ways to be a mother. Also: There are many way a mother can abandon her children.*)
 

Little Fires Everywhere isn't a perfect book. Some of us wanted more character development. Others felt the plot pushed believability in places. But in spite a few little flaws, Little Fires Everywhere is can't-put-it-down, harrowing tale of survival in the suburbs. No one walks away without getting singed.



*Quote credit to Emily! Again!

Pachinko

[December 2018]

Pachinko
Min Jin Lee

Average rating: 8.394
Highest rating: 9
Lowest rating: 7.5
Number of voters: 8
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

Holiday party menu: kimchi, mochi, and lots of yummy treats!


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Pachinko is, to put it simply, a really sad story beautifully told.* Simultaneously instructional and riveting, it is a sweeping saga of several generations of Korean immigrants making their way in Japan through much of the 20th century.

Min Jin Lee writes characters with depth and insight, asking nothing of the reader but to hear their stories—yet telling those stories so richly that we wouldn't think of turning away. These characters draw us in and cause us in turns to love them and to loathe them, but almost always to root for them.

There is an element of historical fiction in Pachinko, as major events of the 20th century impact the family in ways both expected and unexpected. But the book never loses the feel of being a novel.

Pachinko is moving, angering, entertaining, shocking, educating, and utterly riveting. To put it simply, it is a really sad story beautifully told.

(Content disclaimer: Several in our group found the sexual content gratuitous, so consider yourself warmed.)



*Quote of the night! Thanks for the good material, Emily!

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

[May 2018]

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Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
Gail Honeyman

Average rating: 9.18
Highest rating: 9.5
Lowest rating: 9
Number of voters: 5
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100


***


Spoiler alert: Eleanor Oliphant is not completely fine.

This is the story of an unusual girl living what would seem an ordinary life. Eleanor Oliphant is occasionally endearing, periodically unlikeable, often pitiable, sometimes relatable, always unique—but not fine at all.

At first, Eleanor does seem fairly normal. It is only as the novel progresses that it becomes more apparent that something isn't quite right. There is an edge of something just beneath the surface that leaves you uneasy.

In her first novel, Gail Honeyman displays the talent of slowly revealing information so that the reader is continually interested but must continually show patience. You can trust Honeyman; she delivers plot points and character insights in her time—and the humor and pop culture easter eggs are an added bonus.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the story of an unusual girl. But it is also a story of friendship and the barriers we erect to protect ourselves. It is the story of how none of us stay the same forever.

Like Eleanor, we might say we are completely fine. Someday that might actually be true.

Before We Were Yours

[April 2018]

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Before We Were Yours
Lisa Wingate

Average rating of finishers: 7.89

Host: Carrie
Highest rating: 9
Lowest rating: 5
Number of voters: 7
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100
Menu: Sweet tea, crustini, pimento spread, blackberries

***

Meet Rill and Avery, two southern women who are connected in ways neither could have imagined.
Before We Were Yours takes a river boat's journey down the Mississippi and into a heart-breaking chapter of American history that is barely known. 

The writing is uneven, and some of the characters lack depth. There is a certain amount of predictability. But the story is authentic and real, revealing tragedies without horrifying the reader with details. Author Lisa Wingate deserves credit for doing her research and writing a compelling narrative that simultaneously shines a light in the dark places and reminds us that sometimes light can come from darkness.

Landline

[March 2018]

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Landline
Rainbow Rowell

Average rating of finishers: 6.42

Host: Angie
Highest rating: 7.5
Lowest rating: 4.5
Number of voters: 7
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

***

The 1990s are calling and it wants to save your marriage. Or not. Or … maybe?

We wish we had cared enough about these characters to care about the landline to the past. As it is, we were left wanting more—more reasons to like the main characters, more reasons to root for them, more from the more interesting minor characters... and more 90s throwback references.

An easy and entertaining read, Landline isn't necessarily a waste of time. Many of us would recommend it, some of us would not. One reader said it left her "massively unfulfilled." (Ouch!) Those of us who have read Eleanor & Park would say read that instead.

We look forward to hearing more from Rainbow Rowell, but we won't be calling Landline again.

The Whistling Season

[October 2016]

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The Whistling Season
Ivan Doig

Average rating of finishers: 7.5

Host: Megan D.
Highest rating: 8
Lowest rating: 4
Number of voters: 5
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 80

***

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

[September 2016]

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The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
by Gabrielle Zevin

Average rating: 5.794

Host: Christina
Highest rating: 7
Lowest rating: 4.75
Number of voters: 9

***

A Ridiculous Story about Books

You might not like this book. I know I didn't sometimes. In fact, I admit freely that the writing is pretty terrible. Uneven pacing, shallow characters, super unrealistic. But then there are moments when suddenly you sit up and take notice, and you are looking for a pencil to write down an inspiring quote (or maybe you grab your phone to take a picture... I know how it is with kids these days) because you want to share with your book group a gem like this: "Why is any one book different from any other book? They are different, A.J. decides, because they are. We have to look inside many. We have to believe. We agree to be disappointed sometimes so that we can be exhilarated every now and again." I can't say whether you will be disappointed by this book or exhilarated by it. But, as the author says, "You have to look inside many." And to that I might add: At least it isn't Infinite Jest.

—me

Counting by 7s

[February 2015]

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Counting by 7s, Holly Goldberg Sloan
Host: Emily (at Old School)

Average rating: 7.921
Highest rating: 7+2 = 9
Lowest rating: 7-1 = 6
Number of voters: 7

Menu: French Fries, Donuts, 7-Up

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

[January 2015]

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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
Host: Christina

Average rating: 8.8167
Highest rating: 9
Lowest rating: 8.4
Number of voters: 6

Menu: Jelly beans & peanuts, cookies, Baby Ruths

The Snow Child

[December 2014]

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The Snow Child, Eowyn Ivey
Host: Rachael
Christmas party and book exchange

Average rating: 7.86875
Highest rating: 9.1
Lowest rating: 6.25
Number of voters: 8
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

Key adjectives: Delightful, Magical

Menu:
Moose Meatballs
Endives with Cranberry Almond Chevre
Pesto Torte
Ginger-infused Chocolate
Popcorn

*****

A Homemade Life

[November 2014]

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A Homemade Life, Molly Wizenberg
Host: Megan (and special guest Aunt Nancy)

Average rating: 7.375
Highest: 8
Lowest: 6.75
Number of voters: 8
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

Quotable:
"Everyone has a food story."

Menu:
Burg's Potato Salad
Fruit Nut Balls
Stewed Prunes
Winning Hearts and Minds Cake

*****

baby proof

[October 2014]

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Baby Proof, Emily Giffin
Host: Megan L

Average rating: 6.525
Highest rating: 8
Lowest rating: 5
Number of voters: 8
Percentage of voters who finishes the book: 100

Menu: Baby Gouda and Baby Carrots

*****

Orphan Train

[September 2014]

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Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline
Host: Angie (at Sy's Pizza)

Average rating: 6.9285
Highest rating: 8.5
Lowest rating: 5.25
Number of voters: 7
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

Menu: Sy's New York–style pizza

*****

Gone Girl

[July 2014]

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Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
Group Choice

Average rating: 6.1967
Highest rating: 8
Lowest rating: 5.5
Number of voters: 6
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

*****

Orange Is the New Black

[June 2014]

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Orange Is the New Black, Piper Kerman
Host: Michelle (at Oakway)

Average rating: 6.229
Highest rating: 7.5
Lowest rating: 6
Number of voters: 7
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 85

Winner of the "wear orange" prize: Angela

Double Identity

[May 2014]

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Double Identity, Margaret Peterson Haddix
Host: Isabel (at Market of Choice)

Average rating: 7.625
Highest rating: 8.25
Lowest rating: 7
Number of voters: 6

Menu:
Marionberry scones (in lieu of blueberry muffins)
Peaches and cream (in lieu of peaches and cream oatmeal)

The Cellist of Sarajevo

[January 2014]

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The Cellist of Sarajevo, Steven Galloway

host: Angela

number of voters: 7

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 8.7

lowest rating: 6

average rating: 7.65

menu: Bosnian bread with cheese, baklava, cream puffs

*****

Arrow.

A young woman, forced to trade youth for a sniper’s rifle, plays a survivalist game of cat and mouse with enemy soldiers.

Kenan.

A middle-aged father of three criss-crosses a death-trap of a city to retrieve water for his family and an elderly neighbor.

Dragan.

An elder baker on his daily journey to a promised meal dodges and hides from dangers physical, emotional, and social.

…

In the midst of it all, a cellist performs in a war-ravaged street, defying the constant threat of death. His goal: to play an adagio every day for 22 days to honor the 22 victims killed in the bombing of a bread line.

Light on the historical and heavy on the fiction, The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway reflects on how these disparate individuals respond to the siege of their city and how music has the power to transcend in the direst of surroundings.

Short chapters and intriguing situations keep the plot moving forward, even when the action begins to drag. The characters are roughly drawn—and thus highly relatable—while at the same time unique.

Perhaps The Cellist of Sarajevo is best described as short symphony: Not useful for learning about the history of music or the history of war, but a beautiful piece of music that causes the listener to reflect on music, war, and the human spirit.

Recommended.

…

For another perspective on the book, you might this article interesting:

In The Cellist Of Sarajevo Is Fiction A License To Lie?

Cutting for Stone

[March 2014]

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Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese
Host: Angie

Average rating: 8.0375
Highest rating: 8.5
Lowest rating: 7.25
Number of voters: 4

Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

[February 2014]

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Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan
Host: Emily (at Barnes & Noble)

Average rating: 7.8028
Highest rating: 8.5
Lowest rating: 6.4
Number of voters: 9

Decor: Red "BAM" shirts, chained book, headphones, e-readers, code books
Menu: The perfect bagel, lots of yummy desserts

tiny beautiful things

[December 2013]

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Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on life and love from Dear Sugar, Cheryl Strayed

host: Christina

number of voters: 8

percentage of voters who finished the book: 88

highest rating: 9

lowest rating: 4

average rating: 6.75

menu: “dear sugar” cookies; “honey buns”; “sweet pea” bites; black bean & “pumpkin” empanadas; sparkling “peach” punch

*****

Dear Sugar,

I’ve been reading your book lately. I don’t mean to make you blush when I say that it is full of profound and piercing advice, written with stunning beauty and candor. Sometimes I will send the kids to their rooms, turn down the lights, curl up on the couch (under a blanket, in a fetal position), and read until I have exhausted myself with tears, laughter, empathy, and self-reflection. This usually occurs after only a few pages. At that point I have to put the book down and allow myself time to recover. Then I get up and go about my day, wanting to tell anyone and everyone to read your book.

And yet…

I know not everyone will appreciate your book. I know there are people—people I admire, people I love—who will be repelled by the harshness of your tone, your choice of words, and sometimes even the advice you give. Some will find your use of colorful language… ahem… a bit much. (A few of your word choices could make even a salty sailor blush.) Others will disagree with your moral code. I imagine many will not find it as insanely beautiful as I do. Maybe some will loathe it.

What do I do? How can I freely reveal to friends my passion for your book, knowing that my enthusiasm could be met with resistance, indifference, or possibly even disdain? What if I offer my fragile heart and it is shattered? Wouldn’t it be easier to stay on the couch (under that blanket, still in that fetal position) and keep reading, all alone?

Signed,

Introspective Reader

Dear Introspective Reader,

“That your friends have those opinions...does not mean that they don’t love you or value as a friend.”

“We are obligated to the people we care about and who we allow to care about us….. Our main obligation is to be forthright.”

“You don’t have a right to the cards you believe you should have been dealt…. You have an obligation to play the hell out of the ones you’re holding and, my dear one, you and I have been granted a mighty generous one.”

“Isn’t this cool? It really is, pumpkin.”

“You cannot convince people to love you. This is an absolute rule. No one will ever give you love because you want him or her to give it. Real love moves freely in both directions. Don’t waste your time on anything else.”

 “You will learn a lot about yourself if you stretch in the direction of goodness, of bigness, of kindness, of forgiveness, of emotional bravery. Be a warrior for love.”

Yours,

Sugar

p.s. “The best thing you can possibly do with your life is to tackle the mother-f***ing s*** out of it.”