Book Club Report: Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

This was a special "travel" edition book club for me! I knew I was going to be in DC last weekend, so my DC buddies and fellow bloggers Michelle, Swapna and Jennifer met at Michelle's to discuss GLOW.

Short Summary: Even though she's only 15, Waverly figures she'll marry Kieran - sooner rather than later. See, they're on one of two spaceships traveling towards a new home planet and children are an essential part of the mission. But when the other spaceship makes contact after years apart, Waverly learns some shocking secrets and hard truths about the crews.  Who can she trust? Who can anyone trust?

The Group's Verdict: We all enjoyed this one.  It was fun both to read and discuss, and its themes reminded me a lot of the Battlestar Galactica reboot. Waverly's chapters were more creepy and extreme, and what she goes through in book 1 is certainly going to affect her actions going forward into the sequel. We really liked that there were no clear cut heroes and villains in the story, and even the reader never knows who to trust. It has a dystopian vibe to it, definitely, though it's more of a sci-fi thriller than anything.  I'll be interested to see where the next books take us.

Book Club Report: The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

When I downloaded this to my Nook, I wasn't aware I was getting the Young Readers Edition, so I was quite surprised to get to the end of part 1 and find an author's note telling me that if I wanted to read the whole book, I should buy the print version!  This same thing happened to another book club member, so a lot of our discussion concerned the differences between the adult print version, the young readers eBook edition and the movie (two members watched the movie instead of reading the book).

Short summary:  Peekay is only 5 years old when he is sent to boarding school, a harrowing experience that shapes his life to come.  This book, set in South Africa during WWII, is part semi-autobiography, part myth.

The group's verdict:  Despite all the different versions we were going off of, everyone enjoyed reading about Peekay's adventures.  Granpa Chook, Peekay's pet chicken, was a favorite character and everyone got a kick out of Peekay's friend Doc, especially his sayings.  I think we probably would've had a better discussion if everyone had been on the same page, so to speak, so if you're thinking of reading this one for your book club, make sure everyone has the same version!

Up next:  Summer break!  Everyone was asking when they could read MY book for book club.  And that struck me as kinda weird.  Do authors discuss their books with their own book clubs?  I don't think I've ever heard of any examples of this, have you?

Book Club Report: Three Cups of Deceit by Jon Krakauer

Our hostess for May's book club chose THREE CUPS OF TEA by Greg Mortenson for us to read - before the scandal erupted over alleged falsehoods in both of Mortenson's books and mismanagement of his charity CAI.  I was the sent the young readers version for review when it first came out, and read a few chapters back then.  I recall finding it a bit off-putting that Mortenson's co-writer engaged in some serious hero worship when it came to Mortenson, but I was looking forward to picking it up again and discussing it with the group.

But before I could even pick back up where I left off, I heard about Krakauer's 70 page expose THREE CUPS OF DECEIT (more info at Byliner.com) and I decided to read that instead.  Krakauer paints Mortenson as a good intentioned man who bought too heavily into his own myth.  It's a fascinating read with heartbreaking allegations. 

Naturally, the group didn't end up discussing Three Cups of Tea itself as much as we did the scandal.  I found it an especially enlightening discussion because the hostess and her husband (both of which were present) both come from Pakistan and were able to share insight into the cultural background there.  They also made excellent food and milk chai tea.  Yum!

I should probably also mention that I didn't finish the club's last two picks. In April we discussed THE SLAP by Christos Tsiolkas.  I got through two chapters before I threw the towel in because of the excess vulgarity. I did love our discussion though.  One member described it as middle class Melbourne residents who behave like gangsta rappers and have unhealthy fixations on bodily fluids.  Pure gold!

The March pick was THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN, of which I read about half.  It wasn't bad, I just ran out of time.  And now that the end is spoiled, I'm in no big hurry to finish.

And that's all for this month's report! Next meeting in June ...

First Book Blogger Book Club

The First Book Blogger Book Club is a way to let people know about the great titles that schools and programs serving low-income kids can get through First Book, and get people talking about books!

This month the book club read The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart, which I read and reviewed way back in June of 2008.  Here's a excerpt of my review:

Two of my favorite themes in literature are coincidence and the search for identity --And when you get a book about how coincidence can have a part in shaping identity, all the better.


Frankie is a strategist, a debater, and someone who wants to be a real “off-roader”. She asserts her unique identity by using “neglected positives” (i.e. ept to mean skilled – from inept) in everyday speech, by challenging the unwritten rules of who sits where in the caf, and of course by covertly taking over the basset hounds.


Frankie is a great character – one that I immensely enjoyed spending time with!

Check out the book club!

Book Club Report: Lamb by Christopher Moore

The member who picked our book this month wanted something funny after all the dark, heavy reads we've had.  She just couldn't resist the subtitle The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal.

Short Summary: Biff is brought back from the dead 2000 years after the death of Christ to tell his version of Jesus' life.  After all, the gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John only cover his birth, one incident at 12, his short ministry and his death.  What the happened the rest of the time?  Biff is here to tell us.

The Group's Verdict: This novel was a chunkster, so guess who was the only member of the book club to read it all the way to the end?  Yep, that would be me. Soo...our discussion was mainly me talking about what happened in the book and the rest of the group members explaining why they only got 10/40/250/400 pages in or didn't start it at all.

Moore writes in his afterward (in my version anyway) that he thinks the people who would "get" the references the best (because they know the Bible) are the very people who would refuse to read it because it is sacreligious.  None of my book club members were this type of person, however.  Most of them are simply new moms with little time.

I am a Christian (a Baptist even) and I had no problems reading this.  I know it's fiction.  Moore is not trying to sell these events as "gospel truth".  I know a lot of people that would have problems reading this though. I just thought it was a clever story, written in an engaging manner (I didn't skip over anything - yay).  The first half was more detailed while the second half was more rushed, almost as if Moore suddenly got tired of the story and just wanted to get it over with.  But I liked it.  And I think it would be a good book to discuss with a book club.  You know, if they all actually read the book.

Up Next: THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN by Garth Stein - which is a book I would NEVER in a zillion years choose for myself.  (Race car driving? Dog narrator? Saintly husband with a wife dying of cancer? Ummm..no thanks.) So, we'll see how this goes!

Book Club Report: The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith

Our October book pick was donated by the lovely publicists at Hachette.  I wasn't aware that THE SECRET SPEECH was the 2nd in a trilogy (that begins with CHILD 44) until I read the author interview at the end of the book.

Short Summary: Stalin is dead and the new government issues a secret speech that condemns the brutality of his regime and those who worked for it, including our protagonist Leo. At the same time, one of the victims of Stalin's secret police starts hunting down former agents in revenge and ends up kidnapping Leo's adopted daughter in a plot to make him suffer as much as she did.

The Group's Verdict: We were divided - some thought the novel was just too violent for their tastes and didn't finish while others were quite impressed by the plot and character development of this historical thriller.  I personally had a hard time putting this one down and am looking forward to picking up the other books in this series (including the upcoming A NEW WORLD, due in February 2011).

Up Next: The book has not yet been chosen for the November meeting, but since I'll be in the US, I won't be able to attend anyway.  I should mention that my choice for our September meeting was THE HUNGER GAMES.  Everyone enjoyed it immensely and immediately wanted to start CATCHING FIRE.  Reactions to CATCHING FIRE were mixed though, with several members abandoning it after just a few chapters.

Book Club Report: Persuasion by Jane Austen

Last Thursday my book club got together and discussed Jane Austen's last novel, written while she was sick and published after she died.

Short summary: 27 year old spinster Anne Elliot regrets ever being persuaded not to marry her first love Frederick Wentworth - especially when he shows up 8 years later.

The group's verdict: We all enjoyed this one, even if it wasn't our favorite Austen (Pride & Prejudice and Emma fill that slot for us). We had a lively discussion. We listed many reasons for hating Anne's sisters and father (all very self-absorbed), and wondered why teenaged Anne would defer her own happiness for the likes of them. We pointed out that Anne's "loss of her bloom of youth" was probably due more to her sorrow over a bad decision than aging (because 27 is so totally NOT old). And we reasoned that if Jane hadn't died after writing her first draft, she probably would've written a much better scene at the end where Anne and Wentworth walk back to her house after he writes her that letter (and oh! that letter!). As it is, it seems like a place holder to be fleshed out during the revision process.

Up next: We're taking a break for July, and then reading Anne Patchett's THE PATRON SAINT OF LIARS for August. I actually read this title years ago and didn't much like it...but I do have a lot of friends who loved it. So it should be an interesting one to discuss!

Book Club Report: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I read this last November (read my review), but it was still very fresh in my mind as we discussed it last night.

Short summary: It's 1962 Mississippi and three women - aspiring writer Skeeter, professional nanny/maid Aibileen and sassy maid Minny -come together for a project that puts them all at risk.

The group's verdict: Everyone LOVED this one unreservedly. No one even had a single word of criticism in fact. We just gushed about how real the characters seemed (favorites were Minnie and Miss Celia) and how much the narrative pulled us in. We discussed how a decent man was hard to find in the novel, who might be cast in the movie version, southern cooking, and the meaning of Skeeter (one of the members of our group is German, and couldn't find Skeeter in a German-English dictionary).

Up next: Persuasion by Jane Austen. Which I am quite excited about. Especially since Diana Peterfreund has a post-apocalyptic retelling of Persuasion called For Darkness Shows the Stars due in 2011!

Book Club Report: The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer

I just got back from my latest book club meeting.

Short summary: Milo used to work for the CIA as a black ops "tourist" until he married and settled down with his new wife and daughter. But when a criminal known as the "tiger" tracks him down, Milo is drawn back into the spy game in order to clear his name and uncover an international conspiracy.

The group's verdict: This one is what it is - an entertaining thriller that falls short of its literary aspirations (it's no Graham Greene) but is still a cut above most novels in the genre. The majority of the group enjoyed reading it - we just didn't have all that much to discuss, besides that George Clooney is developing the book as a starring vehicle. In any case, my favorite scene was the one set in Frankfurt. It's always cool to read about places you know well.

Up next: THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett. I've read it already (here's my rave review) but I'm excited to get to discuss it with a group.

Book Club Report: Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon

My book club met again on Thursday to discuss our latest pick.

Short summary: The lives of three strangers interconnect in unforeseen ways in this twisted novel about identity and identity theft. Miles is once again on the search for his troubled twin brother Hayden who has been on the run for ten years. Lucy graduates high school and leaves town with her charismatic history teacher to hole up in a long deserted hotel. Ryan fakes his death when he finds out that his uncle is really his father and decides to reinvent his life.

The group's verdict: Everyone appreciated the innovative structure and plot of this one, though some were disapointed that many of the characters never really got closure in their character arcs and that fates were left ambiguous (that didn't bother me though). We spent some time discussing what might have happened to the characters where the story left off, and also about how easy/hard it is to reinvent yourself when you move to a new town where no one knows you. A very thrilling book to read which lead to some interesting chats in our group.

Up next: THE TOURIST by Olen Steinhauer

Book Club Report: The Invention of Curried Sausage by Uwe Timm

I don't know if I mentioned it before, but my new (non-paranoid) book club has a few native Germans sprinkled in (we are mostly Americans). For our February meeting, we read Uwe Timm's THE INVENTION OF CURRIED SAUSAGE and our hostess treated us to what else? Curried Sausage! Daniel ended up reading the book and coming with me, and everyone seemed pleased to have a man's perspective on the novel.

Short summary: A man recalls eating currywurst as a child at his neighbor's fast-food stand and is convinced that she invented the recipe. He goes to her nursing home to talk to her and get the true story. But it is no simple explanation, rather a very in-depth narrative that starts with an affair she (Lena) had at the end of World War II with a Nazi soldier (Bremer) she hid in her Hamburg apartment.

The group's verdict: This gem from 1993 is listed among the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, and everyone in the group that finished it agreed that it was worth reading. We had a interesting chat about conditions during the war, and the Germans in the group told us some family stories from that time period. We also talked about the parallels of Bremer's experience to that of Odysseus' and what tactics Lena used to keep both Bremer and the author of the story captive. A great pick! Oh, and I read this in the orginal German, which counts towards my personal challenge of reading more in German.

Up next: AWAIT YOUR REPLY by Dan Choan

Book Club Report: Becoming Madame Mao by Anchee Min

This was our book club's 4th pick.

Short summary: Madame Mao, dubbed the "white-boned demon", is one of the most reviled women in recent history as many blame her for the excesses of China's cultural revolution. In this work of historical fiction, Min offers a more sympathetic portrait of a woman driven by ambition and a futile attempt to keep Chairman Mao's love.

The group's verdict: Only half the group (me included) was even able to finish this one. Madame Mao is definitely a fascinating personality but Min didn't do her any favors by choosing a strange writing style that shifts between first person present and third person present every other paragraph. This set-up seems especially senseless since both POVs are too close to Madame Mao's emotions - a lost opportunity for a more distanced assessment of her often reprehensible actions. Recommended only for those with a moderate to high interest in China and its history.

Up next: The Invention of Curried Sausage by Uwe Timm. I'll be reading this one in its original German.

Book Club Report: The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti

This was the third pick from my new book club (I missed our meeting to discuss pick 2 because I was in Africa).

Short summary: Ren is an orphan and because he is missing a hand, it is unlikely a family will adopt him. When a man who claims to be Ren's long lost brother appears, he introduces Ren into a completely different world filled with scam artists and grave diggers. Is this the family Ren has always longed for?

The group's verdict: Everyone really enjoyed the more realistic beginning, but only those of us with a healthy appreciation for the absurd (such as myself) really liked it by the end. I personally loved the character of Dolly, a dim-witted thug who is "raised from the dead" and becomes Ren's friend and champion. It is partly through him (and the excellent landlady Mrs. Sands) that Ren reevaluates the meaning of family, an important theme in the novel.

Up next: Becoming Madame Mao by Anchee Min

Book Club Report: Author Chat with Kathleen Kent

On Tuesday, my book club had the privilege of chatting with Author Kathleen Kent about her debut novel THE HERETIC’S DAUGHTER. Thanks to Val at Hachette Books for setting it up!

Being that Kathleen is in Texas and my book club is in Germany, we did the chat over speakerphone. Kathleen is an extremely engaging and enthusiastic speaker and she told us some interesting stories. Here are a few of the highlights:

- Kathleen grew up knowing that Martha Carrier (the “heretic” of the book’s title) was her grandmother to the 9th generation and heard stories all her life about the Carrier family and the Salem witch trials.

- Salem in the late 1600s was a village in crisis. Contrary to the pious, Victorian image we have of it, Salem was actually more Elizabethan in character and a “hotbed of misdeeds”.

- Those tried as witches were often “ferocious women” who fell outside the margins of what a woman “should be”, such as the insane, midwives who had lost too many children, and outspoken, strong-willed women like Martha.

- Town folk claimed that the Carriers must be witches because their cow gave golden milk. But if you feed a cow pumpkin, like the Carriers did, it will produce a sweeter milk that is golden in color. Try it out for yourself!

- The “red book” that Martha buried for her daughter Sarah in the novel is a literary device. Kathleen got the idea from a court transcript of Sarah’s trial in which Sarah claimed she became a witch because “My mother put my hands on the red book.” The red book is a symbol of the family’s history and its content will finally be revealed in Fall 2010 when the prequel is released.

- The prequel concerns the life of Martha’s husband Thomas Carrier before he came to America. He is rumored to have been one of the executioners of King Charles I of England, and according to Benjamin Franklin’s paper “Poor Richard” of 1735, he was 7 ft tall and lived to the ripe old age of 109.

If your book club might be interested in a chat with Kathleen, you can send your request to hereticsdaughter@yahoo.com

Find out more about THE HERETICS DAUGHTER at Kathleen’s website.

Friday Fabulous! (17)

Time for another Friday Fabulous list!

1. I will be cheerleading for the 24 hour read-a-thon tomorrow as well as some reading I'm sure. This is such a fun community event and I look forward to checking in on everyone's progress (366 participants in all so far - how many will I manage to visit?)

2. Lauren of Shooting Stars Mag and Chelsea of The Page Flipper are doing the Leave a Mark auctions again this year to benefit First Book. I ADORE marked up books so you can be sure I'll be bidding again. I won two books last year, and it is just too fun to get that behind the scenes look at books direct from the authors themselves.

3. Nicole of Linus Blanket is starting a new radio show interviewing book bloggers called That's How I Blog! She's doing a trial run of 12 shows with fab book bloggers starting next week and going until mid-January. I am so excited that she asked me to participate! My show will be in January, and of course I'll remind you when the time comes.

4. In addition to all those books I brought home from the Frankfurt Book Fair last week, I also got a couple more in the mail and bought some. When my dad told me I got Courtney Summer's latest SOME GIRLS ARE, I squealed. Of the advanced readers who have reviewed in on GoodReads so far, not one has given it less than 5 stars!! I also got Lauren McLaughlin's RECYCLER, Catherine Fisher's INCARCERON, and Lucy Christopher's STOLEN.

5. Finn got neutered today (which isn't fab, but rather sad) and we were much relieved that the pre-op ultrasound showed that his missing testicle was just under the surface of where it should have been instead of floating around somewhere that would have necessitated cutting open his belly. He's sleeping on my lap as I type and we hope for a speedy recovery.

6. My new non-paranoid book club met on Wednesday to great success. We discussed Kathleen Kent's THE HERETIC'S DAUGHTER which I actually read and reviewed last year. Hachette was extremely generous and donated 10 copies of the book and are setting up a telephone date with the author for us as well. The reaction the novel was overwhelmingly positive, though one member maintained that no one could ever do the Salem witch trials better than Arthur Miller (THE CRUCIBLE).

We had a lively discussion about mother-daughter relationships, whether witches actually exist, the hardships of early America, and how birth seemed to be a recurring theme for Kent - all while snacking on an incredibly delicious apple cake baked by our hostess. I have a great feeling about this group and copies of the book will be donated to the US Military overseas library so that other international English book clubs and readers can enjoy Kent's novel as well.

What exciting things do you have to report this week?

Book Club Report: Midwives by Chris Bohjalian

I met with my new book club for the third time this past week to discuss Midwives, a book from 1998 set in the early 1980s (and an Oprah Book Club pick).

Short summary:
Sibyl, a Vermont based midwife, is accused of manslaughter and practicing medicine without a license after a woman in her care dies giving birth. Sibyl insists she was not at fault, but her journal entries may tell a different story. The trial sets up a showdown between midwives and those in the medical community who believe babies should be born exclusively in hospitals.

The group* verdict:
The novel was generally well-liked although some found it lacking real tension and somewhat repetitive.

The actual book discussion didn’t last very long and devolved into topics both related (childbirth) and unrelated (the impact of social media).

My favorite parts were the court scenes, especially jury selection, and I thought the conversations Sibyl had with her lawyer were quite illuminating.

Up next:
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. I’ll miss the meeting though since I’ll be out of town.

*Since it has come to my attention that not all members of my book club feel comfortable about my posting of the group’s opinions, I am including only the opinions of those members who gave me permission to do so.

Book Club Report: The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos

I met with my new book club for the second time on May 27th to discuss The Night Gardener.

Short summary:

When a teen is found murdered in a Washingtion DC garden, it reminds veteran police officer Gus Ramone of a case he worked on as a rookie cop. Could the same killer, dubbed The Night Gardener, be on the loose again?

The group verdict:

The group is all women and we agreed that this novel seems more suited to men. Not only is there is grusome premise and a gritty setting, but the focus is on the male characters, the pages are full of men bragging about their sexual conquests in colorful language, and there is a primarily action driven plot.

We all expressed our frustration at the lack of real closure and the introduction of ancillary characters that had nothing to do with the main story. Perhaps they were there to show that the author has some familiarity with the DC criminal scene, but all the superfluous characters were just confusing to most of us.

I did enjoy the interogation scenes, and specifically that those being interogated always asked for the soft drink Slice and had to make due with Mountain Dew. I guess Slice is the criminal drink of choice in the DC area.

Up next:

Undecided. The next meeting is a movie night to watch Slumdog Millionaire.

Book Club Report: Atticus by Ron Hansen

I finally found a book club to join! I had no part in picking the book - a literary fiction/mystery novel published in 1997 - but I did enjoy the resulting discussion (a week ago Thursday) very much.

Short summary:

When Colorado rancher Atticus hears that his wayward son Cody has been found dead in Mexico, an apparent suicide, he travels to the scene to do his own investigations. What he finds makes him suspect that Cody was murdered.

The group verdict:

Most of the group wasn't that impressed with this one. The main criticism was the abrupt change in tone that occurs midway through the book. I personally thought the narrative was solid if a tad unexciting up to the big reveal that changes everything. And then it did get pretty strange!

A few in the group really liked the parallels with the bibical story of The Prodigal Son and everyone seemed to respect Atticus as a character. He's the reserved cowboy type, but his actions belie a deep love for his son.

The supporting characters felt very sketchy, and nobody could really figure out Cody's girlfriend Renata's motivations. We had a long discussion about why people leave their native countries and came up with four main reasons: a job, love, to find themselves or to escape from something. Renata didn't seem to fit in any of these categories.

It wasn't the most exciting book to read and not everyone finished, but it did lead to a fun discussion, so I would deem it a moderate success.

Up next:

The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos. It is billed as a haunting story of three cops - one good, one bad, one broken - and the murder that reunites them in a showdown decades in the making.