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

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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.”

Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

[November 2013]

Where’d You Go, Bernadette?, Maria Semple

host: Lindsay

number of voters: 11

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 9.75

lowest rating: 7

average rating: 8.78

menu: Christmas party! Snacks galore!

*****

From: A.  Reader

To: Members of the First Monday Reading Group (aka Final Monday Reading Group aka FMRG aka Book Group)

RE: Where’d You Go, Bernadette?

Hello, LADIES!

As you all well know, last month we read Where’d You Go, Bernadette, by Maria Semple. And as you also know, WE LOVED IT. A quick rundown of all the adjectives we used to describe this book: fun, quirky, unique, engaging, entertaining, satirical, hilarious, unbelievable (in a good way!), insightful, witty, intelligent, mysterious un-put-down-a-ble (okay, I made that one up).

Well, what more is there to say? A LOT APPARENTLY! I am pleased to announce that due to our high praise of Bernadette and our longstanding presence in the community at large the local Readers and Educators Association and Directive (READ, for short) has asked us to host the REGIONAL ANNUAL DISCUSSION and INTERVIEW CONVENTION AMONG LITERARY-TYPES (RADICAL) for 2014!

I don’t need to tell you what an incredible honor this is. Obviously we will need to put the idea up for a vote, and I urge you all to vote either 5 stars or perfect 10. Anything less than 4.5 stars or a 9 (whichever is higher... and by the way do we have a star/numerical conversion committee in place?) and we will forfeit the opportunity to the Tuesday Night Readers of Greater Oregon. I do not need to point out that the TNRGO have already hosted the READ RADICAL for the past 5 years.

I urge you all to recommend Bernadette to all your friends; I am confident you will have no trouble doing this, as you all loved the book. Also, please refrain from mentioning anything about the parts of the book you found slightly distasteful. Instead, you may refer to this list of approved talking points: PNW/Microsoft setting! Clever format! Facts about architecture and Antarctica—and architecture in Antarctica! Contemporary cultural references!

That’s all for now. Let’s win this one for the First (or Final) Monday Reading Group!

Sincerely,

A.  Reader 

p.s. If you needed any more reason not to let those girls over at TNRGO host their sixth straight RADICAL, check out the gift they gave to the READ committee in an attempt to win them over and you can see what we are up against:

(Source: http://www.mariasemple.com/whered-you-go-bernadette-praise/)

Seven

[October 2013]

Seven, Jen Hatmaker

host: Megan

number of voters: 6

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 8.72

lowest rating: 7

average rating: 7.7 (I don’t make this stuff up people!)

menu: (no food items were purchased in the preparation of tonight’s snacks) cheese sticks, cuties, truffles, chicken wontons

*****

Day 1: Must. Start. Reading... Seriously. There are only 30 days until book group. And did I mention? I LOVE MY BOOK GROUP! They are such an amazing bunch of women. I look forward to meeting with them every month. It’s most fun when I’ve read the book though, so off I go to get my hands on a copy of Seven by Jen Hatmaker.

Day 4: Did I mention I am the procrastinator of the group? Still haven’t gotten a copy of Seven, but I did find this tidbit on the author’s website: “7 is the true story of how Jen (along with her husband and her children to varying degrees) took seven months, identified seven areas of excess, and made seven simple choices to fight back against the modern-day diseases of greed, materialism, and overindulgence.” Sounds interesting! And a little gimmicky. But mostly interesting. And totally not the kind of book we usually read. This should be fun!

Day 7: Text message to Emily from Angie: “Can I borrow your copy of Seven?”

Emily’s response: “Yes!”

Day 14: So I finally connected with Emily and started reading this month’s book. And can I just say, this girl is FUNNY, people! I mean, when she writes, it’s totally like you are right there with her hanging out like you are one of her besties. Or maybe like you are some creepy stalker reading her blog and pretending like you are one of her besties. Anyways, the first month is all about food and giving up food and only eating seven foods for a whole month, and I am not joking when I say Jen LOVES herself some food. For the whole chapter you can practically FEEL the starvation and withdrawal. When Jen says she would sacrifice a small child for a plate of tableside prepared guacamole from her favorite restaurant, you kinda believe her.

Day 17: I’m in the middle of the chapter on clothes. You guys, Jen is wearing only 7 articles of clothing for a whole month. (Okay, so she cheats a little and get extra underwear and an extra pair of shoes. You can discuss the fairness of this on your own time, but I am totally in my besties’ camp on this one.)

Day 24: OhmanIcan’tbelieveit’saweektilbookgroupandIhaven’tgottenpastthesecondmonth!

Day 26: Chapter three: Jen is giving away 7 possessions every day for a month. Could I do that? (Side note: She just gave away her brand new boots. I will not be giving away my brand new boots. I love you, Jen, but back away from my boots. Hmmm... I may have some growing to do in this area.)

Day 27: I’m on a roll! Three days until book group and I am half way through chapter four. This one is all about giving up media... No TV no gaming no facebook no radio no candy crush saga. This is starting to hit a little too close to home. This right here just laid me bare: “When I say I don’t have time, I’m a gigantic liar. I have time. I just spend it elsewhere.” Story. of. my. life.

Day 30: Full confession: I did not finish the book. The good news: I still get to go hang out with my book group girls, who love me even when I don’t finish a book, when I spend too much time online, when I’m too materialistic. When I throw out food or sometimes put my recycling in the garbage. When I overspend or overstress. When I procrastinate.

Conclusion: Jen’s book was funny and moving and thought-provoking...and did I mention funny? On a deeper level, I think Angela said it best: “It exposes the gap between what I say I believe and how I act on my beliefs.” And as Jen’s bestie I think I can finish with this: There is always room for growth, and always room for more grace.

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Ender's Game

[September 2013]

Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card

number of voters: 11

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 9.26

lowest rating: 4

average rating: 8.26

menu: “Bean” dip. pineapple upside “down is the enemy gate” cake. hive queen cocoons. “Valentine” cookies. giant eyeballs. the Giant’s drink.

*****

The message on the desk read: 

“Ho Launchies! You’re assigned to Dragon Army. Report to the battle room at 1900. Follow gray orange gray. Commander Overall.”

We’d never had a battle at Group before. This would be a first. It seems like it’s been all firsts lately: There was the first time we meet at a park under a play structure, the first (and only) time a reporter wanted to do a story on us, and the first time a teenage boy joined Group for a night. It was even the first time we’d read a sci-fi classic.

We donned our Group gear and prepared, mentally and physically, to meet whatever the Colonel would throw at us. We followed gray orange gray to the doorstep of the battle room.

But we were in for a surprise. It wasn’t a battle at all. Commander Overall had instead prepared for us a night of rest and nourishment, a chance to let our guards down and discuss Ender’s Game, the story of how Ender saved us all back in the days before we knew we didn’t need saving.

Many of us confessed that if it weren’t for Group we never would have read about Ender. But we loved him, and pitied him, and wanted to fight for him or hold him—or maybe both. His story engrossed us, even those of us who admitted to skimming the battle scenes.

The people surrounding Ender were a complex lot. Never fully good or evil, but sliding scales of good intentions and mistakes, selfishness and altruism. Moment to moment, they could swing from loveable to despicable and back again, leaving us as full of doubt as our young hero.

Perhaps most shocking for this group of self-proclaimed non-sci-fi fans was that in the 1970s our 21st century technological future was foretold in such vivid detail. Ender’s Game is a layered, nuanced tale of a world where nothing is black and white, the future is uncertain, and child geniuses rule technology. 

Sounds familiar.

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

[June 2013]

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On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, Andrew Peterson
Host: Isabel

Average rating: 8.275
Highest rating: 10
Lowest rating: 7.65
Number of voters: 6

Menu: Cheesy Chowder, Totatoes, Sugar Berries

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

[May 2013]

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Wild, Cheryl Strayed

number of voters: 7

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 9

lowest rating: 7

average rating: 7.98

number of book group members who have hiked Oregon on the PCT: 1

number of book group members who have huddled under a tent-like structure at an urban playground to discuss Wild: 7 (as far as we know anyway)

*****

In 1995, Cheryl Strayed was so broken and lost that she did something brave and—if you’ll forgive us for saying so—a little stupid: She decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, alone, without any training… and she brought possibly the heaviest backpack the trail has ever seen.

The book opens with a moment about midway through her journey when Strayed’s backpack—nicknamed “Monster”—literally propels one of her boots over the edge of a cliff. The only logical thing to do with its now-worthless mate would be to huck it over the edge too, and so she does.

That’s a pretty apt metaphor for the story of Cheryl Strayed’s life BT (Before Trail): The world had tossed her half-way over a cliff and her only logical response was to fling herself the rest of the way down. That the PCT was her least devastating method of self-destruction may have saved her life.

Her adventure on the trail is pretty much what you would expect from a story about an inexperienced hiker in over her head. But Strayed’s skillful story-telling makes you care about every step and every misstep, every trial and every triumph. Life as metaphor is rarely so well written.

One minor complaint from this group of Oregonians was that the book moves too quickly through our backyard. Between California and the Washington border we are rushed to a conclusion that Cheryl-the-hiker yearned to see but Cheryl-the-author could have elaborated on.

But life on the trail is only part of the story of Wild. Details of her hike are adeptly woven together with the story of her life BT as she reveals why the only thing that could save her was being alone with herself in the wild. More than a trek across a thousand miles of wilderness, it is a voyage of self-discovery, and lucky for us we get to go along for the ride.

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The Amateur Marriage

[April 2013]

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The Amateur Marriage, Anne Tyler

number of voters: 4

percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

highest rating: 9

lowest rating: 6.5

average rating: 7.8125

number of 30th anniversary cakes consumed: 1

*****

“Did you like the book I brought you?” she asked, expectantly.

He scanned the newspaper and gave a non-committal: “Mmm.”

“It’s okay if you didn’t like it, but… Well, did you at least read it?” she asked, still hopeful.

“Of course, I read it,” he sighed, without looking up from the paper. “You asked me to read it, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes,” she replied, now hesitantly. “But just because I asked you to read it doesn’t mean you actually did.”

He folded the newspaper abruptly. “Now what is that supposed to mean?”

“It doesn’t mean anything.” Now it was her turn to sigh. “Why do you have to take everything so personally? I just wanted to know what you thought of the book.”

“I take everything so personally? I—” He exhaled sharply, inhaled slowly. “The book was fine.”

She waited for him to expound. He picked up his newspaper.

“Fine, as in swell, or fine as in just okay?” she asked impatiently.

“Fine as in fine!” he said, resigning himself to the fact that the newspaper would have to wait. “What do you expect me to say about a book?”

“Well, did you like the characters?” she tried.

“No.”

“Not even early on when they were in love?”

“No. They were foolish to marry so young and with so little in common. They were selfish and annoying.”

“Yes, I’m sure you couldn’t relate to that at all,” she muttered. Then louder, “You must have liked the setting, then. It was so quintessentially mid 1900s America, don’t you think.”

“Sure. Peachy. Just like I remember Mom and Dad during the War.”

“Why do you have to do that?” she pouted.

“Do what?!” he retorted.

“Respond to everything so scathingly.”

“You want to know what I think? I think this lady was really good at making me not like these people. All they did was walk around in their little ‘me’ orbit and misread each other’s words and actions at every turn. The immigrant story was interesting, but it was a little depressing to read about the complete implosion of a marriage.”

She smiled. “I knew you’d like it.” Then she added, “See, was that so hard?”