I joined a book club last summer mainly to recondition my "Mommy Brain" back to a state of thoughts that did not involve routines, diaper changes and the trials and triumphs of breast feeding. Sadly I have not been able to attend that many, there has always been a conflict, despite the fact I truly am a homebody. The meetings I have attended have been fabulous, the book club has a great group of smart ladies. Some of the books on the other hand have been down right awful.
The two I do not recommend are "Marley and Me" by John Grogan. It's a cute story but in our book club session we couldn't find anything to talk about, as far as the book goes. It was given a unanimous two thumbs down by the whole group. Another book was "Best Friends" by Martha Moody. Another two thumbs down and very little discussion about the book during the meeting.
My favorite book so far was "Sunflower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See. What a fantastic book, I could not stop thinking about it for weeks after I finished. Lily and Snow Flower are best friends and you see their friendship and lives develop and change during 19th century China. This book does not leave out any details about female bonds, foot binding and how stifling it was for Chinese women during that time. Needless to say it was given a two thumbs up from everyone in the book club. The meeting lasted a lot longer than normal and the only discussion was about the book.
We are now on the last book of the list which is "Please Don't Come Back From the Moon" by Dean Bakopoulos. One member of the book club has read it and has already given it a thumbs down. I haven't even opened it yet, so we shall see.
We voted on the next list and here it is:
1. The Road - Cormac Macarthy
2. The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Settterfield
3. Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
4. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
5. Stolen Lives - Malika Oufkir
6. The Raw Shark Texts - Steven Hall
I am proud to say that my suggestion is number 5! I am very intrigued with number 4. He is also the author of "The Kite Runner" a book that I have read and heard wonderful things. We will see about the others.
Sadly, I will have to leave my book club due to the imminent move but I have the list, friends from the book club and hopefully will find another that is just as fabulous.
4 comments:
Stumbling upon this blog really makes me wish I read more often. I have been eyeing Marly and Me for awhile, but perhaps now I won't read it. I've also wanted to read Kite Runner for awhile but haven't quite made it to the bookstore.
As a fellow book worm, may I recommend Middlesex and Cane River. They are two great (but very different) books.
Good luck with your move!
Thanks for the book suggestions! Marley and Me is cute fluff, a great book if you are heading to the beach and don't want to think a whole lot.
I love that you have book suggestions! I am always looking for a good book. Kite Runner was good but Jesus, it was depressing and upsetting. I have a couple of recommendations, too: The Time Traveler's Wife (thought it was fun and a quick read), The Other Boleyn Girl (historical fiction and fascinating) and my favorite of this year, The Glass Castle (amazingly written memoir by Jeanette Walls). Enjoy!
Interesting to know.
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