December 2012

We had our annual holiday festivities at Natalie's home this year with our traditional ornament exchange.  The fun was enlivened by a call from Sue's son announcing his engagement, accompanied by cheers from all the girls over the phone. We read "Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13" and it got 4 stars from our reviewers.  Alison said, "This took me longer to read than I had hoped - but I think that's a function of my life, not a reflection on the book. Although I'll admit that much of the technological aspects of the story went right over my head, it was still very readable and I enjoyed it a lot. I've seen the movie version a couple of times and found that the book filled out the story quite a bit. I do think that the movie depicted the role of Ken Mattingly in bringing Apollo 13 home safely as more significant than the book seemed to imply - but maybe I just missed something in my late-night reading."

Sue said, "I found this just as engrossing the third time around as the first. It's a well-written tale that's page-turning and makes the technical aspects of the Apollo program understandable to the layman. Great story and characters."

October 2012

Because of life changes among most of our members, we are choosing an every other month format in order to keep pressing forward.  So we'll only meet half as often, but we'll still get to meet.  This month our book is Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis.  We met at The Dodo for a great dinner.

This book got five stars from our group.

Sue said, "One of the best books I've read in a while. It drew me in from the first couple pages and the story never let up. It's part science fiction, part historical fiction, part medical thriller, and part religious exploration that's gripping and fascinating. The characters were of all ages and very interesting. Wonderful book!"

Linda said, "Loved this book and the lessons learned. It combines science and historical fiction. A great read for teens and adults. Thought about this book long after I finished it. To me that's the sign of a great book, one that makes me think."

Alison said, "Just as good - maybe even better - on this re-reading! Historical fiction. Travel travel. Spirituality. This book has it all!"

Karen said, "Sometimes you never get enough time at once to really read a book. Unfortunately that was the case with this book, it was read in stolen snatches of time over the course of 2 weeks. This book is part medical thriller, part time travel, part historical fiction. It tells two stories with connected characters in parallel hundreds of years apart. Kirvin traveling back in time to the 1300s to observe life there, while her contemporary counterparts struggles with the outbreak of the flu and the holidays in her time (around 2050). Interesting read, great book club selection."

August 2012

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

At the age of 21, Nell discovers that as a young child, she was found alone on a ship headed for Australia, and that the father she has loved for all these years is merely a man who found her.

Though they loved her like their own, Nell could not continue loving her family the way she had. In an effort of desperation, she sets out on her quest of self discovery, which leads her to the Blackhurst Manor just off the Cornish coast. It is here that Nell begins to piece together her history, learn the truth about her origins, and unbury the secrets of the Montrachet family.

However, it is Nell’s granddaughter Cassandra, suffering with her own abandonment issues, who finishes Nell’s journey and discovers the family’s darkest secret of all. After unexpectedly inheriting the Cliff Cottage on the grounds of Blackhurst Manor and its forgotten garden, Cassandra slowly finds the missing pieces of Nell’s history which lead to her own self discovery and healing. 

Holly says: This historical saga is filed with mystery and secrets, grand passions and tragic woes. It's certainly not great literature, but I loved the characters and the plot. It was a wonderful summer reading book and a delicious book to become lost in! 

Speaking of delicious, we met at my house for dinner and enjoyed a grilled shark fish—don't tell Natalie, the muscles freaked her out enough—and muscle stew. My not-so-forgotten garden provided the veggies for a tian, but the highlight was the peach dessert. Yummy!

Left to right: Sue, Leslie, Natalie, Me (Holly), and Alison. Missing (sadly!) are Karen and Linda.

July 2012

Red Glass, by Laura Resau

We gave this a solid 4 stars and had a great discussion.  

Karen said, "I really enjoyed this YA novel as it describes Sophie, a anxious teen, and her journey to Mexico. I loved all the characters, especially Dika, the Bosnian war survivor full of personality. The novel is amazingly multicultural, without feeling forced. The story deals with illegal immigration, guerrilla warfare, violence, family, love and loss in a very human way. Excellent novel."

Sue said, "Beautiful writing tells the tale of a teen with anxiety who learns that she can be strong. It's told within the context of illegal immigration, survivors of war and guerrilla activity, love for others who are different from yourself, and has some strong symbols of things people cling to when their world is shattered. Great read."

June 2012

In June we met at The Lion House Pantry for lunch and a good discussion of The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner. We also discussed some of the history and "rules" of the book group so that Linda can write a paper about us for a class she's taking. One of the chefs took our picture for her. (We were missing Karen, who had family visiting from out of state.)

Back row (l-r) - Sue, Natalie, Holly. Front row (l-r) - Leslie, Alison, Linda.
The consensus on GoodReads of those club members who read The Shape of Mercy was three stars. Sue said she "liked the diary sections and found they were honest and real," but that the moral message was "a little heavy-handed." Linda said the book "was not very memorable" though she liked the setting. Alison said "there is good food for thought" but "the writing isn't stellar." Alison has also posted some discussion questions - some but not all of which we discussed at lunch - on her personal book blog here.

May 2012

A Girl Named Zippy, by Haven Kimmel

Our chosen restaurant ended up being closed so we had to make a quick switch and ended up eating at The Wild Grape and having a lovely, though unexpected, lunch.  Our rating of this book was all over the place, so it gets 3 stars overall.

Sue said, "This book is devised as a set of sketches, although the overriding theme is that despite the group of eccentric characters surrounding her, Zippy had a happy childhood. Some of the chapters reminded me of my own growing up years, especially the interior design chapter where the different craft crazes hit her town. It's a fast read and very enjoyable, with some laugh-out-loud sections."

Alison said, "More a collection of personal essays than a cohesive memoir, A Girl Named Zippy provided me with a week's worth of pleasurable commuting time. Laugh-out-loud funny at times, it also has some tender moments. I especially enjoyed Zippy talking about her relationship with her father and about her mother's faith."


Linda said, "I thought she was a good writer and it was funny at times, but there were other times I was just disgusted - like the description of the state of her house, her describing her vomit, etc.  Some of the things she did to deliberately humiliate the other kids, I thought were very unfunny.  It kind of bothered me that the author could be making money off  the story of her bad behavior as a child."

April 2012

Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys 


We were missing some members this month as we met downtown at Martine Cafe, but we still had a rousing discussion of a book that we collectively gave 4 stars.


Leslie's review of the book is here on Compass Book Ratings.


Alison said, "Highly recommended for both young adults and adults. An important story, beautifully written!"


Karen said, "I debated for a long time about how many stars to give this book. What I liked about it, was that it tells a story that has not been told already. This is the first book I have ever read about Stalin's treatment of the Lithuanians during WWII. It is told through the eyes of Lina, a young artist, taken with her family and falsely charged then imprisoned in a Siberian work camp. I loved the portrayal of a loving family. I always felt a little disengaged from the story though. In fact, half way through I picked up another book, and read it instead, then returned to this. Overall, it is worth discovering. I also liked this quote from the author at the end, "They chose hope over hate and showed the world that even through the darkest night, there is light....love reveals to us the truly miraculous nature of the human spirit."


Sue said, "Moving story of the horrors endured by a Lithuanian family forcibly relocated to Siberia by Soviets during WWII. It's based on true stories from survivors of the forced labor camps and contains some truly horrific moments. It's definitely an older YA novel as it could be disturbing to younger readers and contains some language during stress situations. It's an important story that is well-told. I really loved it."

March 2012

Unbroken: A World War II Story Of Survival, Resilience, And Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand

We gave this nonfiction account 5 stars as we met for lunch at Red Robin in West Valley City.  We had a great book discussion and an overview of the Utah political season. ;)

Alison said, "Compelling and inspiring story. Thoroughly researched and well written."

Linda said, "Even though at times I wanted to, I found that I couldn't put this book down. I am not particularly a fan of war stories or of WWII and all its horrors, (having read too many of them - sometimes I moan when faced with another WWII read), but this story was extremely compelling. It was at times heart-wrenching and heart-warming and I gained a love and greater appreciation for those who risk their lives for love of freedom and country."

Karen said, "This an incredible story about an amazingly resilient man. It took me awhile to 'get into' it, but by the end I sat and read the last part straight, wanting to know the end. Hillenbrand is very good at nonfiction, staying with the story and not sidetracking onto tangents. I think the book is a fitting tribute to Louis, as it tells his story from troubled teen to Olympic runner, to soldier, to POW, to PTSD struggler, to finally peace, happiness & forgiveness."

Natalie said, "Amazing! Louis Zamperini is an incredible person, and Laura Hillenbrand does a masterful job telling his story. I love her attention to detail and vivid descriptions. I love nonfiction that is enthralling, and this definitely is!"

Leslie said, "So, so, so, so good!! I am not a WWII buff, but this story was fantastic, masterfully told, and I'm so glad I read it."

Sue said, "This is a fascinating story told with the same current breathlessness as the author's "Seabiscuit". Louis' story is amazing in its depiction of human depravity and the victims' subsequent resilience. The suffering of the Pacific POWs is almost unimaginable and the descriptions are graphic. I was reminded of "Ghost Soldiers" by Hampton Sides, which depicts the Bataan Death March and rescue. Even though some of the book is difficult to read, it's an important story, and ultimately, an uplifting one."

Holly said, "Great and inspiring read!"