June 2010

This was Karen's first time to choose, and she had us read I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. We gave it 4 stars.  We had a great lunch at The Cheesecake Factory in Murray.

Alison says: I really liked the first part of this coming-of-age novel, written by the same woman who wrote The Hundred and One Dalmatians. I liked the last part of the book as well. I got bogged down in the middle, though, getting a somewhat frantic, even slapstick feeling when I'd try to read a bit before falling asleep at night. I will admit that my work situation, which was somewhat frantic with long, long days, may have contributed to that, and if I'd had the time and energy to read more of the book at a sitting, I may have enjoyed it more. Overall, I did like it, especially the eccentric characters.

Sue says:  I loved Cassandra's journal and her perceptions of the people around her. This is a lovely coming-of-age book as she deals with her first love and her quirky family. Very nice.

Holly says: I Capture the Castle was first published in 1948. And its story is told through Cassandra’s journal entries, an exercise she has undertaken in order to teach herself to write.  Hey, that’s the reason I started my blog—writing practice! By the time Cassandra has “captured the castle” she had captured my heart too!  I really enjoyed this book.

May 2010

Natalie chose Slob by Ellen Potter. We gave it 4 1/2 stars.  We lunched at Tony Caputo's in downtown Salt Lake City at 314 W 300 W and looked longingly at the lovely handmade chocolates.

Alison says: I absolutely adored this book! I'm not sure what words to use to describe it. I'll try these: Touching. Poignant. Heart-breaking. Heart-warming. Insightful. Wonderful. 

Karen says:  What an incredible read! I read this book in one sitting. The story of Owen is stirring and inspiring. I think it will be a great discussion at book club. 

Sue says: I really liked this story of a young man who learns how that revenge is not always the best policy, that looks can be deceiving, and that it is possible to recover from deep pain and loss. Great story.  

April 2010

Karen joined our group and now we were up to 6 members.  Sue chose "Jane Austen Ruined My Life" by Beth Pattillo and we gave it 3 1/2 stars.  We lunched at The Olive Garden in Murray.

"Emma packs up what few worldly possessions she has left and heads to England on a quest to find the missing letters of Jane Austen. Locating the elusive letters, however, isn't as straightforward as Emma hoped. The owner of the letters proves coy about her prize possessions, sending Emma on a series of Austen-related tasks that bring her closer and closer to the truth, but the sudden reappearance of Emma's first love makes everything more complicated. In the end, Emma learns that doing the right thing has very little to do with other people's expectations and everything to do with her own beliefs."


Leslie says: How wonderful it is when historical figures leave us with very little to go on regarding their personal lives! Speculating about Jane Austen's love life is almost as fun as reading her books. This is a fun, almost plausible story about what might have been, with a little DaVinci Code flavor thrown in. 

Karen says: 3 1/2 stars. What a fun read! It sucked me in right from the beginning, though it was a bit predictable, it is an enjoyable story for Austen fans. Made me want to go back a reread a few Austen classics.

Holly says: I liked this book.  It was my first Jane-Austen-fan-book, and it was a fun little read.  I zoomed right through it.  It won’t win any literary awards. But if you’re looking to read a little romance, and don’t want to take on anything complicated...you might enjoy it.   

March 2010

Holly chose "A Northern Light" by Jennifer Donnelly and we gave it 4 1/2 stars.  We had a delightful lunch at the Beehive Tea Room in downtown Salt Lake City at 12 W Broadway.

Leslie says: A delightful read.
My thoughts at the end were regarding the author's summary of the actual trial. She said that people in the courtroom wept as they heard the letters read aloud. I thought about how tragic it is that under similar circumstances, those letters probably wouldn't inspire weeping today. In a world where someone shoots another man in the face four times because he got lawn mower clippings blown on his clothing as he walked down the street, we are absolutely desensitized to this kind of murder. In comparison it seems almost gentle. So sad to not be moved to tears by this woman's horrible fate. I think it is a very good thing to be reminded of different times, in the context of a novel that helps us really connect with the characters and feel more for them than we might if we read the story in the newspaper.

Sue says: This book is based on a true murder case in New York that was then novelized in "An American Tragedy" by Theodore Dreiser. I read that book several years ago and it was very interesting as Dreiser delved into modern ideas of psychology to explain Chester Gillette's actions. This book tells the story of a teenage girl working at the resort where they stayed and how the life of Grace Brown, the deceased girlfriend, intersects with hers. It is a powerful story of women and their emergence as writers and includes many fun literary references. Mattie struggles to resolve the divide she sees between having words and having love. She repeatedly comes face-to-face with real-life examples of having to choose and it scares her. It finally scares her into actions that she will regret and some she will prize.
Quotes I liked: "She wasn't what he wanted; he wanted Daisy. But he couldn't have Daisy, so he finally took what was offered. Like we all do."
"I know it is a bad thing to break a promise, but I think now that it is a worse thing to let a promise break you."
"Jane Austen ruins you for farm boys and loggers."

February 2010-our first anniversary

Leslie chose "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead and we gave it a sold 4 stars.  We had breakfast, instead of lunch, at Ruth's Diner up Emigration Canyon.  It was snowy and cold but the food was great.

Leslie says: My favorite part of this book came after I finished (devoured) it. I turned it over, hoping for more, and here's what I read on the back cover: ". . . an intriguing look at how global warming is affecting the arctic regions . . . "

And I was like, "HUH????" Because there was a couple of allusions to the future when the earth needs a dome, but what the heck?? What kind of distracted, not-paying-attention-person gets THAT out of it?
 
And then (after an embarrassingly long time) I realized that review was for Stead's first book.

My second epiphany was when it occurred to me that maybe I'm not a very thorough reader, and even though I knew who the future person was about halfway through, I should probably read a little more for comprehension. Or at least not start in the middle of a page and read selected sentences.

So thanks, Rebecca, for an amazing book that addressed not only the issue of global warming, but helped me become a more careful reader. I congratulate you on your Newbery award.

Alison says: One of the most unique children's books I've ever read, When You Reach Me is required reading for time travel aficionados, fans (of all ages) of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, and grown-ups who loved Harriet the Spy, The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and The Westing Game as young girls. (I belong to each of those categories.) It's also great for those - unlike me - who see the late 1970s as "history."

January 2010

Alison chose "Lost and Found" by Carolyn Parkhurst because she loves the TV show "The Amazing Race" and it's written as a fictional race.  We gave it 4 stars and had lunch at Noodles & Co. in Murray.

 

What do a suburban mom and her troubled daughter, two recently divorced brothers, a pair of former child stars, born-again Christian newlyweds, and a couple of young millionaires have in common? They have all been selected to compete on Lost and Found, a daring new reality TV show. In teams of two, they will race across the globe--from Egypt to Japan, from Sweden to Englan ...more "What do a suburban mom and her troubled daughter, two recently divorced brothers, a pair of former child stars, born-again Christian newlyweds, and a couple of young millionaires have in common? They have all been selected to compete on Lost and Found, a daring new reality TV show. In teams of two, they will race across the globe--from Egypt to Japan, from Sweden to England--to battle for a million-dollar prize. They must decipher encrypted clues, recover mysterious artifacts, and outwit their opponents to stay in play. What starts as a lark turns deadly serious as the number of players is whittled down, temptations beckon, and the bonds between partners strain and unravel. Before long the question is not only who will capture the final prize, but at what cost."

December 2009

Natalie picked the children's classic "Ballet Shoes" by Noel Streatfeild and we gave it 4 stars.  Alison and Sue were excoriated for never having heard of the series as girls, but took it all in good fun.  We were treated to a delicious lunch hosted by Holly at her home, had an ornament exchange, and caught up on our personal news.  We had a lovely time.

November 2009

Sue chose "The Alchemist's Daughter" by Katharine McMahon and we gave it 3 1/2 stars.  We lunched at Mimi's Cafe in Murray.

"There are long-held secrets at the manor house in Buckinghamshire, England, where Emilie Selden has been raised in near isolation by her father. A student of Isaac Newton, John Selden believes he can turn his daughter into a brilliant natural philosopher and alchemist. Secluded in their ancient house, with only two servants for company, he fills Emilie with knowledge and records her progress obsessively. In the spring of 1725, father and daughter begin their most daring alchemical experiment to date - they will attempt to breathe life into dead matter. But their work is interrupted by the arrival of two strangers: one a researcher, the other a dazzling young merchant. During the course of a sultry August, while her father is away, Emilie experiences the passion of first love. Listening to her heart rather than her head, she makes a choice. Banished to London and plunged headlong into a society that is both glamorous and ruthless, Emilie discovers that for all her extraordinary education she has no insight into the workings of the human heart. When she tries to return to the world of books and study, she instead unravels a shocking secret that sets her on her true journey to enlightenment."

Sue says: This was a feminist book set in the early 18th century. The title character is raised to be a scientist with a functioning brain, but is so sheltered that she doesn't realize that in her society, women are chattel who belong to their husbands. So when she marries and learns this sad truth, she has to use her intelligence to remake herself into an independent woman. It is painful and costly, but the benefits to her and those she influences are great. There are also sub-themes of the slave tra ...more This was a feminist book set in the early 18th century. The title character is raised to be a scientist with a functioning brain, but is so sheltered that she doesn't realize that in her society, women are chattel who belong to their husbands. So when she marries and learns this sad truth, she has to use her intelligence to remake herself into an independent woman. It is painful and costly, but the benefits to her and those she influences are great. There are also sub-themes of the slave trade and the dearth of good medicine for women in childbirth, along with interesting details about science and alchemy. 

October 2009

Holly picked "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman and we gave it 3 1/2 stars.  We ate at Lone Star Taqueria in Salt Lake City at 2265 Fort Union Blvd.

Holly says: Who knew the graveyard was such a jungle?

Alison says: I adored this Newbery Award winner! I will admit I was a little worried that it would be too "creepy" for my taste - but I was hooked from the first page. The following quote from the Newbery website sums it up well:

A delicious mix of murder, fantasy, humor and human longing, the tale of Nobody Owens is told in magical, haunting prose. A child marked for death by an ancient league of assassins escapes into an abandoned graveyard, where he is reared and protected by its spirit denizens.

Sue says:What a fun book! I really had no expectations when I started it and didn't know anything about it except that it was the pick for this month's book club. It has a very unusual story with fun characters and a satisfying conclusion. It is essentially a coming-of-age book, but with some very different aspects. Who knew so many interesting things happen in a graveyard?
 

September 2009

This was Leslie's pick to lunch at Jason's Deli.  We read "My Family and Other Animals" by Gerald Durrell and gave it 3 stars.

Alison says: I think I'm in the minority, but I didn't love this memoir. The "family" parts were somewhat interesting to me - sometimes downright laugh-out-loud funny - but the "other animals" stuff just isn't my thing.

Sue says: As my friend Leslie said, "This book is one outrageous story after another". This book is very funny and I enjoyed reading it.
the family members-hilarious
the animal stories-hilarious
the other characters-hilarious
the natural history-fascinating
the descriptions of the Greek island Corfu-beautiful

July 2009

Alison picked "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins and we gave it 5 stars.  We lunched at Cafe Rio in Taylorsville.
This book generated a lively discussion about the societal implications of the games and also the brutality in a young adult book.

Leslie says: Couldn't put it down!

Alison says: This YA novel has a compelling plot - as well as some great social commentary to contemplate long after the final page. I'm eager to read Catching Fire, the next book in what I've heard will be a trilogy. 

June 2009

This month we instituted rotating responsibility for book and lunch choices with the caveat that we wouldn't complain about choices, but you had the freedom to not read a book you didn't like.  And we could all still be friends.  :)

Cheryl chose "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and we gave it 4 stars; lunch was at Sweet Tomatoes in Sandy.

Alison says: I found the writing to be somewhat uneven - which is sometimes the case in a memoir - but the content of Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Infidel is such an important one! That the basic human rights of women and female children can be violated with such little thought and/or in the name of religiosity is tragic, and we all need to be a little more aware of the problem so that we can find a solution. 

Cheryl says: What a shocking book this one was for me. Her descriptions of life as an Islam woman go beyond anything I have ever read before. I tried to remember, as I read the book, that she was someone who left a faith and I have never run into anyone who has done that where their descriptions are bitter and not totally fair. Reading Infidel has increased my commitment to read the Koran, myself, to see if she is accurate in what is found there, or whether her bad (extremely bad!) life's experiences so dramatically colored her objectivity. I think that this book is a must read to understand women's experience in a Muslim world. But, I am choosing to remain a bit skeptical on some of her analysis of what the Koran actually does and does not teach so far as war and peace.