The Red Thread & The Blessings of the Animals

The Red Thread

by Ann Hood 

304 pages

This was my book club's pick a few months back, chosen by a member of my club who is currently waiting for her adopted son to come home to her from South Korea.*  It is the story of Maya (a mother whose baby daughter died due to an accident) and the adoption agency she establishes.  It is also the story of several couples, Maya's clients, and the daughters they hope to adopt from China.  

The book was a very emotional read for just about everyone in the club, though for a variety of different reasons.  One of the best parts for me was the story of each baby girl - how and where she was born, what her birth family was like, and why she was given up for adoption.  I have to admit that many of these stories made me cry.  The other emotion I felt was anger, though this was directly mostly at a few specific adoptive families.  There were definitely some unlikeable people in this book!  It was interesting to discuss with my club which characters we liked the least - very few people agreed with me on who the worst character in the book actually was.

As I read this book I realized that certain scenes would stay with me for a very long time.  It's a quick read but it packs an emotional punch.

* Update: My friend got the call from the adoption agency last week and is in Korea right now.  If all goes as planned, she and her husband will meet their son today!

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The Blessings of the Animals

by Katrina Kittle

428 pages

This was another recent book club book, and one that I voted against reading.  It is just not the kind of book I would ever pick up on my own.  I don't tend to read womens fiction, books about divorce, or books focused on animals - all of which are good descriptions of this book.

Unfortunately this book met my rather low expectations.  It was easy to read but not at all memorable. I didn't identify with any of the characters nor did I find the story all that appealing or all that believable.  I know that a lot of people loved this book ... sad to say, I was not one of them.

Reading a Classic for the First Time: To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

284 pages

About the Book: 

In a sleepy Alabama town in the 1930s, young Scout Finch grows up on a quiet street with her brother, Jem, and her father, Atticus.  The town is shaken up when a black man is accused of raping a white woman and Atticus is assigned to defend the man.  This big event, seen through the eyes of Scout, consumes the town for over a year.


My Thoughts: 

I never had to read this book in high school or college, but my husband (a non-reader) said it was the best book he'd ever read.  I watched the movie many years ago and thought, "eh, it's a nice story," but that's about it.  Still, after my husband's high recommendation and all the good things I'd heard about this over the years I figured I ought to give it a chance.  So I recommended it to my book club and they decided to read it for our May meeting.

I picked this up a few days ago and couldn't put it down.  Even knowing how the whole plot turned out (from seeing the movie), I was captivated by the writing in this book.  I mean, the writing - it is just beautiful!  The characters are so real, so vivid ... it's like I know these people.  Harper Lee has a way with words that makes her story flow like water, like a smooth, slow river.  I don't know how else to explain it. And I certainly understand why people love this book!


My Book Club: 

We're meeting to discuss this book on May 22 and I can't wait to see what everyone else thought of it.  I think most of the ladies have read it before, and one of them teaches it in her high school class every year, so I'm sure there will be lots of interesting discussion.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

by Stieg Larsson

600 pages

translated from Swedish

*** About the Book ***

Financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist is in trouble.  His magazine, Millennium, published an expose he wrote about a dirty industrialist named Wennerstrom.  Wennerstrom in turned sued Mikael ... and won.  Now Mikael has been convicted of libel and sentenced to 90 days in prison.  He's also taking a leave of absence from the magazine to allow it to recover. At this very low point in his life he's offered a freelancing job by a wealthy, retired industrialist named Vanger.  Vanger's beloved niece disappeared over 40 years ago, possibly at the hands of another family member.  Vanger is an old man and wants Mikael to find out the truth about the disappearance before he (Vanger) dies.

Then we have Lisbeth Salandar, a secretive 20-something who freelances as a background investigator.  Her work bring her into contact with Mikael and the other main players in the Millennium, Wennerstom, and Vanger dramas.


*** Why I Read It ***

I'd never have picked this up if not for my book club; it was chosen as our November book.  It was impossible to get it from the library considering that there were 224 people who'd reserved it prior!  So I purchased it via the Kindle App on my phone and read it that way.


*** My Thoughts ***

It is clear that this book was meant to be the start of a series.  Like many other firsts-in-a-series it spends a great deal of time setting up character background.  It was slow going for a while but when I looked at it as part of a series rather than an individual book I  was able to enjoy the journey.

That said, the story didn't really pick up until more than half of the book had elapsed, though at that point things began to happen very quickly.  I guessed the solution to one of the big mysteries long before the truth was revealed, which could be a good thing or a bad thing; it means that the climax didn't come out of nowhere but it also means that part of the story was a bit predictable.

The author's wording choices often seemed awkward to me, but this could be the fault of the translator rather than the author.  Still, some portions were consistently difficult to read. Lisbeth's dialogue is a good example.  One line reads as follows: "If you even try to hurt me I'll have to do you an injury. You'll be sorry."  See what I mean?  Can you actually imagine someone speaking those words? Also, the word "anon" was used quite often.  I wonder if the translation of that word is common in Sweden or if the translator could have picked a better word in English. 

I don't read a lot in the mystery/thriller genre so this is definitely not a book I'd have picked up on my own.  That said, it was pretty good (though slow to start) and I enjoyed it.  What I don't get is why this book is so wildly popular.  Is it really that different from others in the genre?  It didn't seem so to me, but again I don't read a lot in this genre. It wasn't a bad book but it wasn't a great book either.  I just don't get the reason for all the hype ...

WARNING: There is a fair bit of sexual violence in this book.  Sexual harassment of women is one of the main themes, and Larsson reiterates this fact by quoting crime statistics at the beginning of each book division in addition to includes it in the various plots.


*** The Movie Version ***

I haven't seen the movie yet but I do plan to.  Like I said in my warning above though, there IS a lot of sexual violence in this book.  I'm not sure how that will be played on in the movie and I'm very leery of it.  Here's the official trailer if you want to check it out:




*** Your Thoughts ***

• What, exactly, is it about this book that made it such a huge hit?  It is really that different from other mystery/thriller novels? 
• Did anyone have the same thoughts regarding the translation?  
• For those who have read the rest of the series, is it worth continuing? 
• For those saw the movie, what did you think of it?

Garden Spells

Garden Spells

by Sarah Addison Allen

290 pages

*** About the Book ***

Claire Waverley is content.  She is perfectly happy to be on the outer edges of town life, living in her grandmother's old house and tending to the family garden.  The garden brings her peace, and she in turn uses her "family talent" to turn the flowers into delicious delicacies.  In fact, she's used her family's eccentricity to create her own business - a catering company that creates food that influences its eaters in not-so-subtle ways.

Claire's quiet life is interrupted when her estranged sister, Sydney, returns after a ten year absence, with a young daughter in tow, and moves back into the family house.  Claire is torn between the comfort of her old life and her desire to be a family with her sister and her niece.  She's also trying to fend off the attentions of her new neighbor.  Meanwhile, Sydney's arrival has stirred up the town gossips and re-opened old wounds.

And in the middle of all this is the apple tree in Claire's garden that keeps tossing apples at anyone nearby ...


*** Why I Read It ***

My book club voted to read this for our October meeting.  My copy came from the library.


*** My Thoughts ***

Confession #1: I did not want to read this book. I thought it sounded stupid and boring.  I was not looking forward to wasting my time, and I put off reading it until the week before book club.

Confession #2: I WAS SO WRONG ABOUT THIS BOOK!!!!

Ok, so ... yes, the plot sounds rather silly, and yes, this is not a genre that I ever - EVER - read by choice (women's fiction maybe, but Southern fiction never). BUT this book is wonderful!  It is somewhat predictable and not all that deep, but it is a comfort read if ever I read one.  And it is original in a way that is completely endearing.

The "magic" in this book is presented in the tradition of magical realism.  It is simply a part of life, a part of the way the world works, and as such it merits no explanation.  The characters, and hence the reader, simply accept it and continue on with the story.  "Yes, Claire can make food that has special powers.  Yes, the apple tree has personality and thinks for itself.  And your point is?"

I breezed through this book in just a few days. It was a pure pleasure to read and I will definitely pick up a copy of the author's other books. 

I am a bit concerned about my book club meeting though. I mean, I really enjoyed this book but I don't know that there will be a great deal to discuss.  I hope the gal who is in charge of this meeting comes up with some good questions.  There are some great short stories, recipes, and general tidbits on the author's website so maybe I'll bring some of those along ...

(Oh, and I have to tell you - I love that apple tree! I want to hug it and kiss it and lay under it and decorate it with ribbons.)


*** Your Thoughts ***

Have you ever been completely wrong about a book, in a good way?  Which book, and why did you decide to give it a try?

graphic memoirs for book club

This month my book club tried something completely different: graphic memoirs.  I tell you how it turned out in my regular monthly post at Reading Group Guides so come check it out!

Smile

Smile

by Raina Telgemeier

graphic novel/memoir

224 pages

I think I just found my favorite graphic memoir.

*** About the Book ***

When Raina was in the 6th grade she tripped and fell and knocked out her 2 front teeth.  Over the next 4 years she went though a whole slew of dental procedures to get her smile back.  After telling people her crazy story for years she decided to make it into a weekly web comic, which was later compiled into this book.  The story includes not only her dental issues but the typical issues of a tween/teen - boys, friends, acne, siblings, etc.


*** Why I Read It ***

This month my book club chose "graphic memoirs" as our theme.  Everyone chose a different book to read and at the meeting we shared our thoughts on the book and the genre.  One of the other gals read this book and said that it reminded her of growing up in the 1980s.  Since she and I are the same age I thought I'd give this one a try, so I took it home with me that night.


*** My Thoughts ***

Did you catch the first line of this review above?  I LOVED THIS BOOK! I started reading it when I got home from book club and devoured the entire thing before I fell asleep that night.

Let me remind you, dear readers, that until now I have not been all that impressed with the graphic book format. I've said before that although I did enjoy some of the ones I read, I wasn't really a convert to the genre.  After reading Smile, I just might have to revise that ...

My reasons for loving this are very personal.  Not in the "personal-meaning-private" way but in the "personal-meaning-individual-to-me" way.  I don't know if other readers would have the same experience I did so I'll share with you why I loved this book so much.

First, it's set in the late 1980s and/or early 1990s.  Raina reads The Baby Sitter Club books, plays Mario Brothers on the original Nintendo (and subscribes to Nintendo Power!), shops for lightning bolt earrings at Contempo, talks to her friends about New Kids on the Block, and so on.  These are all the things I did at her age! It was like revisiting my tween and teen years.

Second, when I was in the 3rd grade I was tripped in gym class and knocked out one of my brand new front teeth.  The part in the book where Raina is lying on the ground making sure she hasn't broken any bones? Been there, done that.  The part where she sits up and realizes there is blood dripping down her chin?  Been there, done that too.  And the part where she has her friends scavenging around in search of her tooth?  Oh yeah, I've done THAT too.  Thankfully the root of my tooth was intact and a sliver of it still protruded from the gum.  I had to have it bonded (another experience I share with Raina - she describes it very well) and for the most part it looked pretty normal.  It felt a bit thicker than my other front tooth but I got used to it.  It does have a tendency to yellow more than a real tooth though, so before I got married I had it rebonded.  It's been 12 years since then and it's definitely starting to show ... eventually I'll need a porcelain cap if I want it to match the rest of my teeth. ANYWAY, my point is that I really identified with Raina's experiences.

Third, Raina does a great job capturing the feeling of being a tween/teen.  She talks about her first crush, the way her "friends" tease her (they even pantsed her - another experience we share, except that when it happened to me it was done by a boy I had a crush on, and when my pants came down my underwear went with them - oh the horror!), the drama of acne, and so on.  It was so real for me.  I mean, of course it was REAL - this is Raina's real story after all - but it felt real as well.

And finally, I love the illustrations (which she did herself).  They have the feel of the Sunday comic section of the newspaper, if that makes sense.  The images move in standard comic strip logic, across the page from left to right and top to bottom.  That format works much better for me than the more creative layouts I've seen in other graphic novels/memoirs.

Oh, I just had to add that Kiddo started reading this one as well.  He saw it on the couch and read up to page 20 before he had to go to bed.  I think he wants to continue with it - what fun!


*** Your Thoughts ***

Ok, now that I've told you why I love this book so much (picture me actually hugging the book and you'll get the idea) it's your turn to chime in.  Have you read this one?  What did you think of it?  If you haven't read it, have you heard of it?  Are you interested in reading it?  Please share your thoughts.

American Widow

American Widow

by Alissa Torres

illustrated by Sungyoon Choi

224 pages

*** About the Book ***

On Sept. 10, 2001 Eddie Torres went to work for the first time at the World Trade Center in New York City.  That evening he and his wife, Alissa, who was 7 months pregnant, had a fight, and they went to bed angry with each other.  The next morning he headed off to his second day of work.  Just a few hours after leaving the house he was killed when terrorist attacks caused the the Twin Towers to collapse.  Alissa's life was changed forever.  The next few months were a blur, filled with condolences, offers of help, deep depression, the birth of her son, and days upon days spent in bed.  Then came the mass of paperwork and unfulfilled promises of aid from the government, and feelings of anger and jealousy from friends, neighbors, and strangers.

This is the story of Alissa's life in the months after Eddie's death. It's the story of how one woman dealt with her very personal loss under the close scrutiny of the public eye.


*** Why I Read It ***

I don't know where I first heard about this but I've had the title written on a post-it note on my desk at work for over a year.  When my book club voted to do a graphic memoir month (graphic memoir rather than graphic novel) in September I knew this was the book I wanted to read.


*** My Thoughts ***

Talk about perfect timing ... I picked up this book on Sept. 9 and started reading it the next day.  I read most of it on Sept. 11 - exactly nine years after the tragedy that was 9/11/01 and the death of Alissa's husband, Eddie.

This is a very moving and personal book.  As I read it and looked at the illustrations I kept visualizing myself in Alissa's situation, or in that of her friends.  I imagined me being the one not knowing what to say, or saying the wrong thing.  It was also a very informative book. I know I heard about many of the financial and political issues surrounding the families of the 9/11 victims but reading Alissa's story made it all very personal and very clear. In addition, it is a quick read despite the large number of pages.  I was able to easily read it over three days without devoting that much time to it. (I lent it to a friend and she read it in two days.)

That said, I'm still not a huge fan of graphic novels or graphic memoirs.  Although I like the illustrations and feel that they certainly add to the story, I'm much more text-focused and I know I don't appreciate symbiosis of the text and the visuals the way I should.

For those of you who ARE graphic novel/memoir fans, I highly recommend this book. It is well worth tracking down a copy; Alissa's story is heartbreaking yet uplifting.  For those who aren't fans of graphic novels/memoirs, I'd still say the book is worth reading - just don't expect it to change your opinions about the genre.


*** Your Thoughts ***

What do you think of the recent trend toward memoirs in graphic format?  Which ones have you read?  Are you familiar with this book?

Book Club Report: meeting an author

My book club has been around since 2005 and I really love being a part of it.  There are some fabulous women in there, some of whom I knew before the club began and some of whom I've only met because of the club.  In August we read our 46th book together.  Quite an accomplishment, no?

Anyway, our August book was FINNY, by Justin Kramon.  I first heard of this book in an email from the author - he was looking to connect with book clubs to discuss his book.  Then, while I was in NYC for BEA, I ran into Justin and had a chance to talk with him.  I came back from NYC and polled the gals in my club and we decided to read FINNY and invite Justin to our meeting to discuss it.  (I reviewed the book last month, in case you want to check out that post.)

Six club members were at this meeting, which we held at our local library.  Usually we meet at someone's home or church but this time we decided to be more "official".  (Actually, we were hoping we'd need the extra space so another local book club could join us, but it didn't work out.)

Each of the gals brought food to share.  The idea was to bring Maryland themed food since Finny (and our club) is from Maryland.  We had Berger Cookies and Crab Chips, plus local fruit salad and some standard finger foods.  Then we jumped right into a conversation about the book.

To start things off we went around the room and shared which character was our favorite and why.  Some we liked for their good qualities (like Mr. Henckel) and some we liked because it was like watching a disaster in action (Judith).  Then Justin talked a bit about the inspiration behind some of the characters and also where his idea for the book as a whole came from.

From there we talked about several of the books that influenced Justin's writing, but we focused mostly on GREAT EXPECTATIONS.  Justin explained that FINNY is meant to follow the same basic structure as Dicken's classic work, but to have a more modern feel to it. 

When you have an author at your meeting you can't exactly discuss a book the same way you would at a regular meeting.  For example, most people wouldn't feel comfortable saying "Oh I really hated the part whem ..."  So the conversation necessarily focuses more on the author's writing process and the inspirations behind the story.  If you get lucky an author may even give you insight into the why behind a character's actions.  Justin didn't indulge our curiosity in that area though - he really wants readers to draw their own conclusions about the characters and their actions.

One of the gals had already left before I remembered to get out my camera - darn! That's me in the white pants, and of course Justin is the only guy in the photo.

This is the third author my book club has been privileged to host and only the second to attend our meeting in person.  It would change the dynamic of our club too much if we did this kind of thing regularly, so we try to shoot for a once-a-year author meeting.  That seems to work well for us. 

Just is traveling the northern mid-Atlantic area to meet with book clubs; contact him on his website if you'd like him to come to your club's meeting.

I'm looking forward to seeing Justin again at the Baltimore Book Festival ... in fact, he might even drop in at one (or both) of the panels I'm moderating.  If you're there, be sure to say hi to the both of us!


Today's post is my stop on the TLC Book Tour for FINNY.  You can check out what other people thought of the book by following the links here.

Finny

Finny

by Justin Kramon

384 pages

*** About the Book ***


At the start of the story Finny is an opinionated and slightly odd 14 year old girl who feels like she doesn't belong in her own family.  A chance meeting with an unusual boy named Earl starts her down the road to romance, but when her parents find out about her relationship they send her off to boarding school.  There she meets Judith, her gorgeous and intimidating roomate, and Poplan, the caretaker of the girls at the school and a quite unusual person.  

These people - Finny's family, Earl, Judith, and Poplan - plus a few others form the cast of Finny's life for the next twenty years.  Through good times and bad times, Finny grows up with this oddball group of people and they influence her for better and for worse.  Who will Finny turn out to be in the end? 



*** Why I Read It ***

The author emailed me to see if my book club would be interested in reading his book and having him visit our meeting.  After meeting him myself in New York at the Book Blogger Convention, I asked my club to vote on it.  The majority were interested in reading it and meeting Justin, so we chose this as our August book.  I'll be recapping that meeting in just a few days.


*** My Thoughts ***

Let me tell you what this book is NOT.  It is not a coming-of-age story ... not exactly.  It is not a Young Adult (YA) book ... too many "unusual" sexual situations to be appropriate for that audience.  It is not a re-imagining of David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens ... though there is a lot of that in there. 

As for what it IS ... well ... it is an unusual story of a not-always-likable girl and how she changes (or doesn't) over twenty years.  It is full of over-the-top characters with strange habits or personalities.   It is a story filled with both humor and sadness. 

The two things I enjoyed most about this book are the crazy characters and the glimpses of "truth" that sometimes appeared.  The characters remind me very much of those in Charles Dickens, with habits or personalities that can make you laugh, cringe, or think "Say what?!"  For me that was the biggest strength of the book and I loved many of the characters.  Then there were the times when a character would say or do something and I'd think "Yes, that is SO TRUE, that's exactly how real life is." I loved that about the book as well.

On the other hand, I didn't really feel that connected to Finny or invested in how her story would end.  I don't usually read books like this (not that any book is really "like" this one - it's someone in a class of it's own) because I don't feel like I get anything of lasting value from them.  For the most part I enjoyed reading this book, but I'm finding that I'm happier with my book choices when I don't stray from my tried-and-true favorite genres.


*** Author Events ***

If you are in the greater PA/MD/DC/NYC, Justin may be available to visit your book club.  You can contact him through his website if you are interested.  And if you'd like to meet him, he'll be reading from FINNY at the Baltimore Book Festival on 9/25 and possibly dropping in for my panels on 9/26.


*** Your Thoughts ***

Have you read FINNY? Heard of it? What did you think? I've you've read it, how would you describe it?

Both Ways is the Only Want I Want It

Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It

by Maile Meloy

256 pages (paperback)

read via the Kindle app on my phone

*** About the Book ***

In this collection of short stories connected only by their Midwestern setting, Meloy looks at the lives of various people whose desires and feelings seem to conflict with themselves.


*** Why I Read It ***

This was my book club’s pick for August. I’d never heard of the book prior to it being nominated.


*** My Thoughts ***

First a bit of a rant …I had a heck of a time trying to get a copy of this book! The library’s wait list was atrocious (I ended up getting the book a week after my book club meeting) and the bookstores were out of the hardback in anticipation of the paperback coming out. Finally someone suggested that I buy the eBook – duh! Why didn’t I think of that?! So just days before our meeting I downloaded the Kindle App for my phone and purchased my very first (not-free) eBook. YAY!

Some of the stories in this book really struck me. In one story, possibly my favorite in the book, a father confronts the girlfriend of the man who murdered his only daughter. The father is looking for answers but ends up learning things he really didn’t want to know. I read this around the time that I watched the episode of Deadliest Catch where Captain Phil dies. These two stories, one true, one that reads like truth, both dealing with an unexpected death albeit in very different ways, will forever be linked for me.

There were other stories that I really didn’t connect with, stories that really bothered me. These usually had to do with parents making poor decisions that would eventually affect their children.

I enjoyed this book but not nearly as much as the only other short story collection I’ve read in recent years, Jhumpa Lahiri’s INTERPRETER OF MALADIES. Still, I’m glad I read it – it gave me some stories that I’ll continue to think about for a very long time.


*** Your Thoughts ***

Have you heard of this book before? If you are a fan of short stories, does this book appeal to you?

Tea With My Book Club

Last month my book club did something a bit unusual - we went to High Tea at a colonial-era tavern in Annapolis, Maryland.  I think my club is wonderful, and it fascinates me to see how each member found her way to us ...

Here's my mom (obviously she joined the club through my sister and I), a friend from high school (who was invited by another high school friend), and me:

Below on the left is a gal who found our club on the internet a few years ago and who has become a vital member of the club and a great friend, and next to her is a friend she recently invited to join

Below on the right is my sister, and on the left is a gal I met through blogging ... and yes, both of them are pregnant [update: my sister is the one who just had her baby]

These are not all the members of my club (sorry to everyone who wasn't included!) but this is the group we had for our High Tea.  We had a lovely afternoon doing something that most of us had never done before.  Unfortunately the book didn't prove to be all that great, but that didn't really matter since we were having such a good time.

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

by Alexander McCall Smith

audiobook: 8.25 hours

narrated by Lisette Lecat

*** About the Book ***

After the death of her father, Precious Ramotswe uses the money he's left her to start her own detective agency - the very first ladies' detective agency in Botswana.  In this first book in the series, Mma Ramotswe hires a secretary and dives into her first cases; these include a wife who suspects her husband is cheating, another wife whose husband is missing, and an inconsistent doctor - just to name a few.



*** Why I Listened To It ***

I'd already seen the HBO miniseries based on this book series so I wasn't really planning to read it. But then my book club chose it for our May read, to bring something light and fun to kick off our summer.  So I checked it out from the library and gave it a shot.


*** My Thoughts ***

I think the fact that I watched the miniseries first may have ruined this book for me.  I loved the show - it was fun, sweet, amusing, and much more - and I was expecting to love the book just as much.  Unfortunately, I felt the the book was a bit slow.  It was still a great story with great characters, but things seemed to drag in places and the humor was much more understated.

The narrator did a fantastic job with this book; I'll definitely look for other books she's worked on!

Here's a preview of the show from HBO.  It doesn't capture all the best parts of the show but you can get an idea of what it was like:




*** Your Thoughts ***

If you've read the books and seen the show, which did you prefer?  Which did you first experience - the book or the show?  Have you ever found that you actually liked a tv/movie adaptation better than the book i was based on?