After more than a decade of not belonging to an adult book club, I was finally able to join a group of readers the fall of 2017. It is great fun and because of the club, I have read so many more books outside of my comfort genres. I like a good plot but do enjoy quirky characters. I don't like too much violence or language. I am not a fan of steamy books either; I like it pretty clean. Here is a tour of the books we read last school year, starting September 2017. Maybe you will find a good read in this bunch!
Funny In Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas
This was a great memoir about a woman describing her childhood growing up in America in the 1980's as an Immigrant from Iran. She writes with much humor and nostalgia. This was a great read for our first book and most readers really enjoyed the book. I read it quickly and really liked the book. I rate it a 4 out of 4. Highly recommend!
The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum
Our October selection was also a non fiction choice and perfect for the season. It really was a fascinating account of the start of forensic medicine and how many times poisons were choices of murder in the early 20th century. I found descriptions of how much prohibition contributed to murder and mayhem very interesting. Although not my typical genre, I read the book easily and have thought of it many times over the course of the year. I have read that New York was an especially dark time period at the beginning of the 1900's. This narrative has that feeling of darkness and gloom. I recommend this book as well. I might have had to put it down a few times in my reading process because it wasn't lighthearted. I give it a 3.5 out of 4 rating. I recommend this book.
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
In November we read a book on the Amazon best seller list. It has been on a lot of best read lists and is going to be made into a mini-series at Hulu. Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon are playing leading roles!
It is a story set in the carefully planned community of Shaker Heights in a Cleveland suburb. The author actually lived there as a child and teen, so it is a real community where even the small details of where the garbage cans are located in homes was thought out. The story is about several families. One is the Richardson family who play by the rules and the other is a single mother and her daughter who live a artistic gypsy-like lifestyle. Their lives become entwined and the daughter becomes friends with the four Richardson children. There are a lot of secrets carried by different characters which all collide to form a custody battle of an an Asian child which divides the town.
I have discovered that I don't like reading about contemporary teenage angst and this book has episodes of this when the teenage characters are involved. I don't know why but it always feels whiny. So I had to plow through some of the scenes to get to the better parts. I rate this book a 3.5 and recommend it.
I have discovered that I don't like reading about contemporary teenage angst and this book has episodes of this when the teenage characters are involved. I don't know why but it always feels whiny. So I had to plow through some of the scenes to get to the better parts. I rate this book a 3.5 and recommend it.
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
This book was on Amazon's Charts most of last year and was also voted by Good Reads as best book of 2017. Lisa Wingate writes in a style that is easy to read and hard to put down. She writes this historical fiction book about a real life scandal from the 1930's that involved George Tann and a Memphis adoption agency. Ms Tann made adoption so popular that children were stolen in or support the buying and selling of children. This book has suspense and some romance. We loved it. I rated it a 4 out of 4 and recommend it often.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
We wanted to read a classic and Jane Eyre was our choice. It is a tough read because of the vocabulary and length of text. I read it on my Kindle, looking up words, and then followed along much of the time with Audible. I have done this before with tough reads. It is very enjoyable way to "read" a book. We recommend this for kids and it translates to my reading as well. I am so glad we chose this book. References to Jane Eyre come up all the time and now I know what they are actually referring to. I give this a 3 out of 4 rating.
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
This is not a novel but a book of lists and anecdotes from the author's life. Lots of funny and quirky musings about life done in a encyclopedia type of writing format. It is short and a quick read. I found myself thinking about things and this format while I was reading this book. One of our book club members did some writing in a journal in this format as well. This author has written many children's books that are always heartfelt and quirky. It was fun to read an adult book of her. I give it a 3 out of 4 rating.
The Cartographer of No Man's Land by P. S. Duffy
This is not an easy read but it was interesting to read about a Canadian perspective in WWI. Our book club was fortunate to have Ms. Duffy come to our book club and talk about the book with us. She happens to live in Rochester. She was fabulous and very interesting to talk to about her novel. So even though this book was a tough read for me....I was so worth reading in order to meet the author. I give the book a 2 but our visit with Duffy a 4!
Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly
This was a very interesting and fast read. It is part of Bill O'Reilly's "Killing" series. This is about the life and events that led up to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. I stopped and looked at many things online as I was reading this book...particularly when they were talking about televised speeches. After I read this book I also watched the movie Jackie which gives you a different perspective. I rated this a 4.
The One by John Marrs
I couldn't put this one down. It wouldn't have been one I would have picked out on my own, but that is why I am in a book club! This is a psychological thriller about a British woman who has figured out how to make romantic matches using a DNA swatch. Sounds simple but gets very complicated! The plot focuses on 5 different who have been matched and how their news affects their lives. Just a warning, this book has the blush factor in some of the scenes. This is not great literature but a entertaining story. I give it a 3 because I can't recommend it to everyone.
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
Bert Cousins shows up at the christening party of his co-worker's child and ends up kissing his wife, Beverly, by the end of the evening. The marriage falls apart and Beverley weds Bert. Two families with children are now merged...forever. This book spans five decades and follows four parents and six children and their rather unhappy lives.
This was a forgettable book for me. I just didn't connect with the story or characters and plodded through the reading. I give it a 2 out or 4.
This was a forgettable book for me. I just didn't connect with the story or characters and plodded through the reading. I give it a 2 out or 4.
The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck
Marianne von Lingenfels promises to take care of the widows of one of the resistance groups in Germany who plotted to kill Hitler during World War II. She finds them after the war and invites them to live with her in the castle that she has inherited. It isn't glamorous or easy but she is earnest in helping after the war. Sometimes she seems to be bossy and meddling, but she is determined to make restitution and do the right thing. This was an interesting perspective of WWII as you learn how Germans get back to their lives after the devastating war. Of course, lots of sad scenes. I didn't love it as much as The Nightingale by Hannah, but it is one I would recommend. I give it a 3.5 out of 4.
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