Musical Chairs

[November 2020]

Musical Chairs
Amy Poeppel

Average rating: 7.164
Highest rating: 7.75
Lowest rating: 6.75
Number of voters: 7
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100




A simple but twisty story that is amusing and engrossing but unlikely to leave a lasting impression

The Night Circus

[October 2020]

The Night Circus
Erin Morgenstern

Average rating: 8.25
Highest rating: 9
Lowest rating: 7
Number of voters: 4
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100




A dreamy, fantastical, and wholly original piece of escapist modern fiction

The Nickel Boys

[September 2020]

The Nickel Boys
Colson Whitehead

Average rating: 9.625
Highest rating: 10
Lowest rating: 9
Number of voters: 4
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100




A powerful, must-read book about systems of injustice

The Keeper of Lost Things

[June 2020]

The Keeper of Lost Things
Ruth Hogan

Average rating: 7.71875
Highest rating: 8.5
Lowest rating: 7
Number of voters: 8
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100




For fans of sweet stories set in big British houses full of tea and nostalgia

My Sister, the Serial Killer

[May 2020]

My Sister, the Serial Killer
Oyinkan Braithwaite

Average rating: 6.5625
Highest rating: 8
Lowest rating: 5
Number of voters: 8
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100




A curious little myster that had its funny moments but failed to resonate with our crew.

 "A cross between So I Married an Axe Murderer and While You Were Sleeping…set in Africa." —Lindsay

Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After

[April 2020]

Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After
Heather Harpham

Average rating: 8.71875
Highest rating: 10
Lowest rating: 7
Number of voters: 8
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100




An excruciating but beautiful story about marriage and family and the difficulties of parenting a chronically ill child

A Place for Us

[March 2020]

A Place for Us
Fatima Farheen Mirza

Average rating: 8.5
Highest rating: 9
Lowest rating: 8
Number of voters: 7
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100




A challenging but intriguing and important read about the intergenerational cultural conflict between first-generation immigrants and their children

The Huntress

[February 2020]

The Huntress
Kate Quinn

Average rating: 7.2083
Highest rating: 8.5
Lowest rating: 6
Number of voters: 6
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100




A middling historical fiction account of crime during wartime that was well-liked but predictable

Artemis

[January 2020]

Artemis
Andy Weir

Average rating: 5.8583
Highest rating: 6.5
Lowest rating: 4.9
Number of voters: 6
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100




A moderately interesting but ultimately disappointing anthropological study disguised as crime thriller

Kudos to Rachel for her themed snacks though! Sweet space balls of fire, Star cheese crackers, Half moon cookies, and GUNK

The Admissions

[December 2019]

The Admissions
Meg Mitchell Moore

Average rating: 7.1333
Highest rating: 8.4
Lowest rating: 6.5
Number of voters: 6
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

An easy but somewhat shallow look at one somewhat shallow family in the throes of the college admission process and the admissions they make to themselves along the way

My Brilliant Friend

[November 2019]

My Brilliant Friend
Elena Ferrante

Average rating: 7.7143
Highest rating: 10
Lowest rating: 5.5
Number of voters: 7
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

An unflinching and sometimes violent portrayal of adolescent friendship in 1950s Naples

A Gentleman in Moscow

[October 2019]

A Gentleman in Moscow
Amor Towles

Average rating: 8.917
Highest rating: 9
Lowest rating: 8.75
Number of voters: 3
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

An immersive cloak and dagger tale of friendship. The likable characters and the unusual setting—the confines of a hotel with the titular gentleman under house arrest—leaves you wanting more.

The Summer Wives

[September 2019] 

The Summer Wives
Beatriz Williams

Average rating: 5.786
Highest rating: 7
Lowest rating: 4
Number of voters: 7
Percentage of voters who finished the book: 100

A tale of privilege and heartbreak in which the most likeable character is the island on which the story is set

 
Quick takes:

"Unnecessarily confusing"
"Shallow"
"Predictable"
"Stereotypical"
"Quick summer read"
"Insufferable"
"Maddeningly awful"
"I just have so many questions"

Fun fact:

The worst books can sometimes lead to the best discussions! Some of us found this book so confusing that we did an impromptu acting out of the book and had one of our most fun meet-ups ever.

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!


**********

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