Upcoming

February - The Call of the Wild by Jack London (Rachelle)
March - The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff (Danica)
April - Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (Sarah)

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

   Loved It
   Liked It
   Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Reading Group Guide

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

   Loved It
5 Liked It
2 Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• It was a fast read and very entertaining. - Sarah
• I read this years ago and can't remember much except for liking it at the time. - Danica
• Quick read, but very interesting. Parts have really stayed with me. - Carrie
• The journey of the main character was inspiring. - Melissa
• Fast read (I finished it!) Loved the journey. - Tami
• Enjoyable. I think it's a good book to read for a new year. I wonder what my Personal Legend is? - Kerry
• This book didn't resound to strongly for me. Although I didn't mind finishing the story, the wisdom wasn't quite earth shattering for me. The adventure of his travels kept me interested more than the journey to find his Personal Legend. - Marlo

Reading Group Guide

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

2 Loved It
1 Liked It
   Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• The book is fast and so whimsical. - Sarah
• I thought it was funny and sweet and a pleasure to read. - Steph
• I really loved the Toad character and his craziness. The writing style was fun and lyrical, a pleasure to read. - Danica

Conclusion: While most didn't read the book, those of us who did, loved it.


On the occasion of our 8th birthday as a book club, we took our annual picture!

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton

   Loved It
3 Liked It
1 Neutral
1 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• It was too obvious and of course each girl in the group was perfect. - Sarah
• It took me awhile to get into this book. It took me awhile to decipher between the characters. Overall, I enjoyed the friendship that developed between them over the years. - Melissa
• I had a really hard time getting into the story, keeping everyone's names straight and just liking the characters. In the end, some of the history woven into the story was interesting but overall it was just OK. - Danica
• I enjoyed the story. I liked reading about how different things were for women such a short time ago! It is interesting to take a look back at the lives of women on whose we stand. - Kerry
• I enjoyed this book. It was obvious at times, but it was a very good-hearted story with interesting insight into five very different women at a time so different from today. - Carrie

Conclusion: Liked but not loved, the most interesting part of our conversation had to do with the woman's history in this story and how far we've come because of the hard work done by that generation which happens to be our mother's.

Reading Group Guide

Welcome Eliana Leah

Eliana Leah was born on November 6th at 7.0 lbs, 19 1/2 in. long. Mom and baby are doing great - mom even emailed some further details to us from her Blackberry, two days after the birth!

Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

   Loved It
2 Liked It
2 Neutral
2 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• I was really excited to start his book, I've never read Mark Twain. I could not get into it. I kept picking it back up thinking it's got to get better. Finally, I gave up and only made it halfway. - Carrie
• I enjoyed the writing style and the insight into that time period and life. - Melissa
• Although I didn't finish the book in time, I am enjoying it. Mark Twain had a wonderful way of building characters that reflect the time period. He also makes it sound like a fabulous lifestyle to just float along indefinitely on a raft. - Marlo
• I had a hard time concentrating on this story. There were parts were I was completely engaged and others where I was just bored. - Danica
• The story was OK, the author was really good about keeping the dialect of the characters. - Sarah

Conclusion: A definite mixed bag but still an important read in understanding that period of time.

Reading Group Guide

Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosney

3 Loved It
5 Liked It
1 Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• Was a very sad story, although I felt Julia's reaction to Sarah's story was extreme and felt very fake. - Sarah
• The story of Sarah's little brother will continue to haunt me, despite being very fictitious. Before reading this book, I was completely unaware of the French roundup. So although I'm gla to now be aware of such a significant event, I though this book could have ended much sooner. The storyline of Julia seeking out Sarah's son didn't resonate with me at all. - Marlo
• I really enjoyed reading this book. I did not know about the French roundup, so this gave me information that I was interested in. I thought the stories blended together. - Tami
• I thought this was an interesting story. Though a bit contrived, the feelings and emotions were well portrayed. - Kerry
• The emotional component to this book was a bit overwhelming at first. However, I really enjoyed the characters, the history and the writing style. - Melissa
• While reading this book, I also saw Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds. Some of the themes run together and some run apart, but I found it very interesting to compare and contrast the two. - Danica
• I spent a large portion of this book crying, but I still loved it. It took a very small part of history from a big moment in time and gave a very individual look into the impact on her life. - Mari
• I liked it but I thought the end - romantic question - was weird and I'm not sure I'd recommend it. But overall - it was OK. - Steph
• It was a quick read, and I found it intriguing. Sad... and hard to read at times. It kind of left a big gap in Sarah's life, and I would have liked to have had more of her story and less of Julia's. - Brandi
• This book was such a fast read. Easy to get connected to the characters. Very sad at times. I liked the idea of a fictional story about the war, it was a very interesting spin. - Carrie

Conclusion: All the members read this one!!! A feat in itself. We also had a lot to say, good and bad about it...

Reading Group Guide

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

8 Loved It
   Liked It
   Neutral
1 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• I hated it as a child and I dislike it now. I just did not care. - Sarah
• Although I must have read it back in high school, I had no recollection of the story. This time, I loved it. The children were so fun to follow and I loved the varied characters and various aspects of human nature that were presented. - Marlo
• I read it as a student, yet enjoyed it again. This is why it's called a "classic." The message is as relevant today as it was when written. - Brandi
• This is a book I had read as a teenager and loved. I actually remember this one much more fondly than I felt for it the second time around. I guess I can chalk it up already knowing the story and not getting that fresh perspective. Still good after all these years but not as amazing as I remembered. - Danica
• I loved this book. The voice of the story and all the characters were so easy to get attached to. I never read it in high school, but expect I will read it again. - Carrie
• This is now one of my top 5 favorite books. - Melissa
• That you Tami for bringing this book to us. I read it in Jr. High and now have a renewed appreciation! - Kerry
• Loved it - so much of the classic literary stuff one loves to read - great character development, plot and climax - loved it! - Mari
• I loved this book in high school. I loved it now. Though I did not read it this time (I listened to it as I drove) I got hooked with Scout, Jem and Atticus and really enjoyed getting caught up in the loves, again. -Tami

Conclusion: Almost all of the group loved this book and were anxious to discuss it.

Reading Group Guide

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

3 Loved It
2 Liked It
1 Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• I absolutely loved this book. It has changed my professional practice. I love that it is told in first person. I have told everyone I know about this book. - Carrie
• I liked this book for its different point of view. As a person with short-term memory problems, this book SKERRED me! - Kerry
• I enjoyed this book. It was a wonderful insight into the life of a person dealing with Alzheimer's. - Melissa
• Loved this book. It was a fast read. I really enjoyed the insight of the person telling the story. Definitely recommend it to others. - Tami
• This book was so resonant of my days working with Alzheimer's patients. It just inspired such empathy and compassion for people stricken by the disease, and the families that have to pick up the pieces. I loved the first hand narrative and understanding that the future is so blurry. - Marlo
• To its credit, it was not long enough to dislike but long enough to connect and like. - Sarah
• I appreciated getting and Alzheimer's perspective; really getting a look at what the patients go through. I didn't love it because it is not my cup of tea. But I appreciated this perspective. - Mari

Conclusion: We had a long, in depth discussion related to this book. Even those that didn't read it could contribute and those that usually don't read, finished and enjoyed it. Definitely a conversation starter.

Reading Group Guide

Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

   Loved It
4 Liked It
   Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• I didn't get far, but did enjoy what I read. There were some interesting ideas and correlations presented. - Marlo
• It was good. He had really unique ways of looking at the world. - Sarah
• Very interesting. The sociological perspective made economics much easier for me to grasp. - Kerry
• I really enjoyed this sociological study but was disappointed at how short it felt. I thought I was only halfway through when I indeed was at the end. - Danica

Conclusion: We spoke very briefly but those who did read it, enjoyed it.

Reading Group Guide

Street Gang by Michael Davis

   Loved It
   Liked It
   Neutral
1 Disliked It
1 Hated It

Comments:
• It was a great book... about Captain Kangaroo. - Melissa
• I just couldn't get past the per-amble - I was on something like chapter 6 and Sesame Street still had not been in production. I just couldn't take any more background so I put it down. - Danica

Conclusion: We were pretty excited about this one, but no one ended up even finishing it!

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

   Loved It
2 Liked It
1 Neutral
1 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• It was a little boring. I guess I just did not get it. Fast read. - Sarah
• I enjoyed the book, still not finished. I will finish it, two books in a row, yah!! I now want to see the movie. - Tami
• I only read 30 pages, so I don't know if my opinion would have changed, but it wasn't really my style of book. - Amy
• One chapter was enough for me. The format of a graphic novel had my interest. However, the story subject matter was not my cup of tea, to say the least, and I found the format distracting. - Marlo
• I really enjoyed the story but was having trouble with the graphic novel format. I think the drawings could have been better too - I kept getting confused and some plot points would have made greater impact had they been more iconic. - Danica

Conclusion: This was a great experiment but most of the group would have rather read a novel.

Beyond the Pale by Elana Dykewomon

2 Loved It
2 Liked It
   Neutral
1 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• Trying to be like The Jungle but just not as good. Really, come on, does everyone really need to be gay? - Sarah
• I do not finish many books, but I got into this one and really enjoyed it. It was a quick read. I liked how the author switched narrators, and it easily transitioned through the rest of the book. - Tami
• There were parts (like the first half) which were great and really realistic. The second half sort of lost steam and became a statement piece that lost its way. There were a few different characters that narrate the story but the way they were written, the voice was the same - a little disappointing and confusing on that end. Overall I liked it but didn't love it. - Danica
• I really enjoyed this book. It was easy to get into the lives of the women and their experiences. - Carrie
• The was the most enjoyable read I've picked up in awhile. Although I've read many books growing up about Eastern European immigration and pogroms, this was not romanticized, but felt realistic. I didn't feel that the love story was quite realistic, but enjoyed the characters anyway. - Marlo

Conclusion: This was mostly well liked and we were so eager to talk about it that we skipped our usual book club business conversation and dove straight into the discussion.

To Hold the Crown by Jean Plaidy

   Loved It
   Liked It
3 Neutral
2 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• I'm just about to finish it. I liked reading about the royal family and customs, but didn't feel tied to any character. - Kerry
• I usually like this genre of book but this one was just not good. It jumped around too much and the author constantly repeated herself. Your time would be better spent reading something by Phillipa Gregory. - Sarah
• Do not expect this book to follow the description on the cover. It was good for what it was, but many parts of the story were redundant. I enjoyed it enough to finish it, but wouldn't necessarily recommend it. - Carrie
• This one wasn't very interesting to me, despite normally liking the genre. I never felt engaged with the characters, and felt like there wasn't anything new to offer in telling this history. - Marlo
• I slogged through this even though being disappointed in the first 50 pages. She introduces a whole lot of densely packed history, characters and motivations in the beginning and then sort of gets into the story. As soon as you are attached to any one character, they are gone and you are back to reading about a bunch of things that don't really matter and you really don't care about. I agree with Sarah about reading Phillipa Gregory's work instead. - Danica

Conclusion: Not much of a discussion went on except for voicing our dislike. It felt like there wasn't much to say.

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

2 Loved It
2 Liked It
   Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• I enjoyed this book very much! I loved her writing and was so touched by the themes of how it feels to be an immigrant, Indian and even human. -Kerry
• I loved this book. Each story was so unique and had such great themes running through. The writing style was also quick and easy. It makes me hungry for Indian food, too. -Carrie
• Although I only read about a third of this, I am really enjoying it. The author has quite a way of portraying "quiet discontent" without making characters blatantly sad. There was a sense of acceptance of customs regarding family, mixed with a restlessness to break free of binding foreign cultures. -Marlo
• I enjoyed her writing style and really felt the theme as it wound itself through each of the stories. There were a few that hit very close to home and made me really sad, but I guess that means that the characters were relatable and believable. -Danica

Conclusion: We really didn't spend much time on a discussion but I think it may have just been that we were really chatty this meeting. I had a really hard time getting everyone to focus on our regular book club business of choosing whose house next, a date, voting on a book and ordering.

Reading Group Guide

Dreams of My Father by Barack Obama

2 Loved It
2 Liked It
2 Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• I enjoyed parts of the book. About halfway through I could have been done, but continued to gather more insight into the passions of our future president. Had he not been recently elected, I probably would not have finished. - Carrie
• I am in the first section and I am enjoying it. Plan to continue and finish this one. - Tami
• Very engaging. I enjoyed the personal voice and self deprecation humor that sprinkled the dialogue. I can't help but wonder if I might have read it differently pre-presidential campaign. - Marlo
• I have to admit, I cheated a bit... got the audio book read by Obama. Hearing it in his owm voice was AMAZING!! He actually changed accents and was so mesmerizing. - Brandi
• I enjoyed reading this book. I think it provides great insight into the life of a man who promises to be a significant figure in modern history. - Kerry
• I enjoyed parts of the book but was bored during most of the community service in Chicago part. I think I would have enjoyed Obama's second book The Audacity of Hope more because it was written with a more political/ideological purpose. I want to know more about him in his own words but this felt neither completely an autobiography nor completely an ideological tome. Both became watered down because of the other. - Danica

Conclusion:
I am really proud of us, we had a really civilized conversation that lasted a nice portion of book club. Most of us had read all or a nice chunk of the book and were ready to talk about it. Because we are in this moment in history, I think we read this book at the perfect time and it lent itself really well to a wonderful discussion.

Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley

4 Loved It
2 Liked It
   Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Reading Group Guide

Comments:
• Powerful. I can see why this is such a classic. Everyone should read this. I especially enjoyed the beginning when Kunte was still happy in Africa. Alex Haley did an excellent job making all want the transoceanic crossing to end! Of course, I would have loved to know what happened to certain people, but I suppose the point was that those people didn't get to say goodbye. - Marlo
• I am so glad that I read this book. My favorite part was the last chapter. All throughout the book I wondered how he was able to trace his roots back to Africa. Amazing! - Kerry
• Ditto to what Marlo wrote. - Carrie
• I did not like that they dropped story lines. Also, the book could have been cut by half. The whole cock fighting this was just boring. - Sarah
• I didn't read it : ( - Steph
• This is my favorite book of all time. - Melissa
• I really enjoyed the majority of this book a lot. I could have done without so much detail regarding Chicken George and his story but other than that, I found it fascinating. The end gave me goose bumps once we find out how everything links up and allows him to tell the story of his "Roots". - Danica

Conclusion: This is the second meeting we have had with the new way of handling talking about the books. It was a wonderful book for a discussion and although Melissa (who led this one) hates doing the questions, it did spark some nice conversation. We didn't even decorate the tree because we spent more time discussing and exchanging gifts.


Another year, another book club anniversary (7th), another picture
: )

Dinner at Bj's

Because we are taking an extra month to accommodate the length of Roots, we are going out to dinner just to enjoy each other's company!

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

2 Loved It
1 Liked It
1 Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• I loved it. Nothing like a classic! - Sarah
• I didn't finish, so I can't say I disliked it with qualification. I felt very uncomfortable reading about a pedophile protagonist and worried deeply about my daughters. - Steph
• I enjoyed this book a lot. I was surprised how the story portrays Lolita not as an aggressor but more of a flippant, flirty child and how the current pop culture reference to Lolita is more of aggressive jail bait. - Danica
• Although I am not done yet, I'm loving it. - Melissa
• Although there were many, many disturbing scenes, and flippantly dropped tidbits, I love Nabokov's play with language. He manages to portray a cynical, despicable madman. Oh... and Lolita was a brat. - Marlo
• Very interesting. I'm glad I have a better knowledge of the Lolita reference. - Kerry

Conclusion: This was the first meeting where we had the person who brought the book in lead the discussion. I think it worked out really well. Those of us who had read it actually did get into quite a nice discussion about the content, writing style and pop culture references.

Reading Group Guide

Dictionary of the Khazars by Milorad Pavic

   Loved It
1 Liked It
1 Neutral
1 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• Didn't get into it. - Carrie
• This book is not for everyone. There are no characters to get emotionally attached to and it has to be read like a bunch of short stories. - Sarah
• I read the first of the three sections. There just wasn't enough of an interest there to keep me wanting to read more. - Danica
• Although I started this with high hopes and good intentions, even trying alternate methods to read through it, I decided I could make better use of my time by reading an encyclopedia or dictionary. - Marlo
• Another one I didn't read : ( Darn kids! - Steph

Conclusion: Only one member actually made it through the book - while we sometimes have pretty bad statistics, this is really really bad stats!

Welcome Aaron Michael!

Aaron Michael was born on August 28th at 6:08 pm. He was 7 lbs. 5 oz. and 20 in. long. Mom and baby are doing great. Tami snuck into West Hills after hours, saw him and took this photo. He is absolutely gorgeous and loves his mommy.

This now officially concludes Baby Boom 2008!

Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

2 Loved It
3 Liked It
2 Neutral
2 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• I first read this in high school and loved it then. Re-reading it has been so much fun. I'm seeing everything with a new perspective. I love the story and creativity behind it. It will always be one of my favorites. - Carrie
• This book was a waste of time, paper and ink. - Sarah
• I couldn't push through it. Too many unnecessary details. - Melissa
• Ditto. Couldn't finish it. Got bogged down. - Brandi
• I went into reading this book with very low expectations and the content as a complete fantasy, I think that helped me enjoy it and get more involved with the characters rather than the details. - Danica
• I really, really like this book - only got 1/2 way through. If I finish it, I think I might "Love It". - Steph
• I am enjoying it but as usual, not done : ( - Tami
• This has been one of my favorites since junior high. The characters are so well described that I feel like I actually know them. I even enjoy the extensive description of the local flora & fauna. Can't say enough about this one. - Marlo
• I couldn't get into it. - Kerry

Conclusion: All I can say is that the group was extremely polarized by this book. It seems like you either love it or hate it...

Little Ryan Has Arrived!

Ryan David was born today at 12:06PM. He is 6 lbs 13 ozs and doing
well. His mommy is very happy to have him out of her tummy, she felt done at the last book club!

Ines of My Soul by Isabel Allende

1 Loved It
4 Liked It
   Neutral
1 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• Way too much history - I just did not care. - Sarah
• Although I love her style and enjoyed the story, it was too heavy handed on the history. - Melissa
• This book ranks among my top favorites. I love the writing style, and just felt completely immersed in the adventure. Inez was such a strong, spunky lady and her storytelling had me completely captivated. This second read was as enjoyable as the first. - Marlo
• I really enjoyed the story, but I got lost with some of the history. At times it felt like a history book, with a story entwined. - Carrie
• I enjoyed the book although not as much as some of her other books. I know she did extensive historical research but she did not strike a good balance between the fiction and the history. - Danica
• This was not the usual type of book I read, but I really enjoyed it. The writing was great and the story fascinating. I found the history very disturbing. - Hillary
• I'm a fan of Allende and went to the book reading when this book came out. I enjoyed her and the book very much. - Kerry

Conclusion: As mentioned by Kerry a small group of us went to a signing and author talk when this came out. Allende is a great speaker and anytime there is a chance to see her speak, we highly recommend the trip. As for the book club, we mostly enjoyed this one although the consensus with those who are her fans was that this was good but not her best work. We had a great discussion about the history, and the viewpoint of both the Conquistadors and the Native Americans.

Reading Group Guide

Tar Baby by Toni Morrison

   Loved It
   Liked It
1 Neutral
3 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• The main story line is OK, but there was a lot of stuff I just did not get. - Sarah
• I read about 100 pages and just couldn't identify with the characters and get into the story. I didn't like it and put it down. - Danica
• Not a fan of this one. There were some interesting ideas, and as always, beautiful language, but I felt the story was a bit disjointed. It just didn't engage me. - Marlo
• Beautifully written, but slow going. The ideas were interesting, but I didn't feel any connection to the characters. - Hillary

Conclusion: Most didn't finish this one because no one could get into the story. For us, it was a dud. There was some mention that we should have read one of Morrison's other works.

Rashi's Daughters, Book I: Joheved by Maggie Anton

8 Loved It
1 Liked It
   Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• Though I haven't finished it, I love it! - Stacey
• I have not finished it! I loved it though. It will be finished. Looking forward to the wedding. - Tami
• I liked it, a fun read. It made me remember a lot of my religious learning from when I was a child through the talmud learning in the book. It also made me realize why I approached my studies and thesis the way I did in grad school. It seemed natural to me at the time whereas now I see that it was the way I was taught to approach learning in general. - Danica
• Again, historical fiction is always a favorite of mine. I really connected with the characters. - Melissa
• This was a new subject matter for me, and I found it so interesting. I learned a lot. - Kerry
• I really enjoyed this book. Looking at the female side of this time period was enlightening. I have already finished book 2 and anxiously await book 3. - Carrie
• Since I am newly married to a Jewish man, I find that I'm fascinated by the Jewish religion and I keep wanting to learn more. This book helped me explore my thirst for knowledge. Plus, it was great historical fiction - well developed characters within an interesting setting. - Rachelle
• I'm loving it so far! Can't wait to finish it! - Brandi
• Very much a woman's book. I enjoyed the intimate relationships I was able to have with the family in the books. The characters are relatable and enjoyable to spend time with. - Marlo

Conclusion: We really enjoyed reading this especially because we got to meet with the author! We had a wonderful meeting and a great time speaking with Maggie.



Reading Group Guide

In anticipation of our author visit with Maggie Anton, we have emailed a list of questions to her. Since the list is so long, she has emailed some of her responses already. Here are the questions with the answers that we have received. Ms. Anton's answers are noted with an "MA:"

1. Where did you find your inspiration for the character traits of each daughter?
MA: Each of the daughters is based on my own different traits.

2. Was Rashi known to have a temper? How much is known about him and his family?

3. Judaism praises and mandates modesty in all aspects of life, from business to love. What really happens especially when it comes to wealth and modesty is another discussion altogether... How do you reconcile including such explicit sex scenes into a relationship that more than likely was healthy however would have been much more modest living in such proximity to the rest of the family?

4. Which character is your favorite? Does one resonate more closely to you than another?
MA: As I write each book, that character becomes my favorite.

5. When you finish a book, do you "miss" your characters?
MA: Haven't finished the series yet.

6. What is your best writing tool? ie: quiet room? lucky typewriter? cat in your lap?
MA: Quiet room with no interruptions. Instrumental music is OK, but no singing or talking.

7. How did you decide which talmudic passages to include?

8. Have you been to that region of France?
MA: Yes, for 3 weeks in March 1998.

9. You wrote the characters to be very similar in ritual and practice to today's Orthodox Judaism however the everyday interactions and relationships seemed much more liberal in comparison. Do you feel that the Jews of that period were not as separationist, strict and regimented in all aspects of life as today's ultra Orthodox community has become in the last 20 years?

10. What do you feel you gained/learned the most in writing this story?

11. Do you have any advice for an aspiring novel writer?

12. Can you compare/contrast the roles of women in Judaism then and today?

13. The inclusion of the demonology surprised me because it seems to have fallen away as such a strong element of Judaism and life today. Do you feel that it was a reflection and influence of the time? or a part of the religion that has fallen away to make room for more modern thought?

14. Did differing views/interpretations of the Talmud cause disharmony within communities?
MA: Sometimes.
Were accepted interpretations consistent in schools, communities, geographical areas? MA: No.

15. Can you clarify the issue of Kashrut that Rashi disputed? Specifically, if there were, why were there different slaughtering laws or customs for different communities?

16. Why was the term "Christian" not used?
MA:"Christ" means Messiah; so Jews, for whom the Messiah hasn't come yet, never use it to refer to Jesus.

17. You noted on your website that you were surprised to learn that few Jews made a living as moneylenders. Why do you think that is a common perception?
MA: Maybe Shakespeare and his character Shylock? But there are many misperceptions about how Jews lived in 11th-12th century Europe.

Ice Cream & Milkshakes @ Sarah's

As an interim to our long break between clubs, we are having an ice cream & milkshake night at Sarah's. We will also be doing all of the book club business for the month so we don't have to do it at the author visit.

Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

5 Loved It
4 Liked It
   Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• I cried practically through the entire book. It was deeply moving. I also enjoyed the attention to historical detail. - Melissa
• I totally enjoyed this book. It was fun, interesting, sad and everything all into one. - Sarah
• I liked this book so much! I didn't finish it - but I will soon... - Steph
• I loved this book. I got so attached to the main character. The history was fascinating. Very moving! - Carrie
• I read this book a long time ago. Beautiful story! - Kerry
• I have not finished it, but I love it and will finish it soon! It is a great story! - Tami
• This was a really interesting book to me as I've never read anything about this subject. I felt like I really knew the characters and that they were real people rather than characters. So much was heartbreaking yet I also understood a society wanting to contain a contagious disease that wasn't understood at the time. - Marlo
• I immediately was sucked into this story. I loved it all the way through! -Danica

Conclusion: This was very well liked by all the members. I definitely would recommend this to other book clubs.

Reading Group Guide

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

1 Loved It
3 Liked It
2 Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• Couldn't get pat the 1st 3 chapters. I don't have time to try to get into a book. Writing style was too journalistic for me. - Carrie
•The story could have been shorter. I just did not care. It also had too many details about hiking. - Sarah
• I thought the story was very inspiring although it was also very overt it its call for donations. It also felt very biased but it was nice to get some perspective on fundamentalism and poverty in that area. - danica
• I enjoyed this book and what it's about - caring about what happen to people halfway around the world. - Kerry
• This was a very inspiring story. It was great to read about what a big difference one individual could make, without even starting with financial resources. It was also nice to get another perspective of the rise of extremist Islam. I was definitely ready to be finished at the end, but enjoyed the story immensely and recommended the book several times. - Marlo

Conclusion: Those of us who liked it had a lot to say. We didn't have an immensely engaging conversation but some of us did carry it over after the club broke off into socializing. One thing that did come up was that this was the hot book of the moment - some of us couldn't understand why it is spreading like wildfire.

Reading Group Guide

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

3 Loved It
5 Liked It
   Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• I really liked how the story is told through food. It is really different and a good story. - Sarah
• Watching the love story unfold was really great. Beautiful and sad. - Melissa
• I enjoyed (and actually finished) this easy read. I wish we would have learned more about Pedro, I didn't feel his character was worthy of her love. - Brandi
• So far, so good - I hope it has a happy ending! (I'm in July). - Steph
• I found this one to be very thought provoking, despite being an easy read. There were several themes that tie together such as cold or temperature. This is the type of traditional style voices I enjoy, similar to the tone used by Sandra Cisneros in the House on Mango Street (but turn of the century.) There was a nice evolution of characters and depth of plot line. - Marlo
• I really enjoyed it. Did not finish it, but will tomorrow. It is a great love story. - Tami
• I really liked the unique writing style. The story was fun and very creative. I read it overnight. - Carrie
• I had read this when I was a teenager and fondly remembered it. Reading it again, I enjoyed it just as much. - Danica

Conclusion: Liked by all, we had a great conversation about it. A definite recommendation to other book clubs!

Reading Group Guide

Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs

   Loved It
3 Liked It
1 Neutral
2 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• Finally I read a book. I heard it was an easy read. It was. I enjoyed the book. Figuring out the mystery was fun. A great book to read when you have a new baby at home. - Tami
• It was pretty good. Nothing deep or totally amazing. - Sarah
• While I was very excited because it was of a different genre than what we usually read, it completely was a bust. I did make it through the whole story but the writing style made me crazy and for a fun romp, there were just too many stories going on at the same time. I much prefer a legal thriller by John Grisham. - danica
• I felt like I was reading a really good episode of CSI. - Melissa
• I didn't like it at all - the story wasn't that good - the writing was bad. The characters were 2D and unbelievable - I am so surprised that some (most) people liked it! - Steph
• It was a quick read. Didn't need to really think about it while you're reading. It was an interesting story. - Carrie

Conclusion: While some liked it, we didn't really have much to talk about with this one.

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

2 Loved It
4 Liked It
1 Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• I loved this book. You really identified with the characters quickly. - Sarah
• I wanted to finish, but ran out of time. I liked it so much for so many reasons. The brevity of the chapters - change of voice was great. The stories and perspective were really good - different than I've ever heard before... - Steph
• I found the book intriguing... especially with the surprise twists. I haven't finished it yet, but I'm looking forward to the ending. - Rachelle
• I enjoyed this book. I think the story of the author is so interesting. - Kerry
• This has been one of my most favorite books in a long time. I read it cover to cover, all the end notes, addendums etc. This is another look at WWII from a perspective often forgotten, the occupied. Sure, when WWII comes up, you think about the Holocaust, Pearl Harbor, the atomic bombs in Japan, D-Day, but this is about reacting to, coping and living with an occupying force. I loved it and am still thinking about it a week and a half later. - danica
• I'm loving it so far. Will absolutely finish it! - Brandi
• Despite not wanting to keep picking this up, I did finish it. However, I do find myself thinking about certain situations - specifically the exodus from Paris. I didn't care for the majority of the characters, but it was interesting to contemplate the reality of enemy occupation. - Marlo

Conclusion: Although we had a lot of other things to occupy us this book club, we did have a REALLY good discussion about this book. It brought up WWII family stories, what we would do today if something like that were to happen here. We even talked about fleeing natural disasters. It made for a great book club.

Reading Group Guide


It has been yet another year and on our 6th birthday, we once again decorated a member's Xmas tree. This year Stacey let us muck about with her tree!

Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes

   Loved It
2 Liked It
2 Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• I liked the author's voice, but I thought there were too many characters. I didn't know enough about any one to relate to. - Kerry
• I had a difficult time connecting to this story. I felt that the symbolism (double meaning of the title) was weak. - Melissa
• I enjoyed this book, although I was really ready to be done by the end. The different character voices were interesting but I felt that Valuable was rather annoying rather than someone who inspired any sympathy. - Marlo
• The main storyline is pretty good, but the author takes too long to get to the point. - Sarah
• I started, got 50 pages in and just was not feeling it. - Danica

Conclusion: Most of our members didn't finish the book because most had problems getting attached to the characters.

Reading Group Guide

All the four new babies made it to book club this month. They were oh so cute!

Baby TT Finally Has Arrived

The last of our four 2007 book club babies has finally arrived.

Tanner Tristalynn arrived at 6:29am weighing a whopping 9lbs, 11.4oz, 22 inches long.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

3 Loved It
4 Liked It
   Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• I really liked 2/3 of the book. I thought the last part could have been condensed much more as a "Where are they Now" type of thing. I found the part where they were in the village the most interesting and I really didn't need much else past the escape. - danica
• It was a good story that I really liked. - Sarah
• At first it was difficult to get into the many different chapters/characters, but overall I enjoyed it. - Melissa
• I really enjoyed the concept and story. I thought it dragged in the end and jumped around too much in time periods. Overall, I did like the book. - Carrie
• Although I'm a slacker and haven't finished, I am truly enjoying this book. Each character is so interesting, evoking a differrent emotion or reaction. I can't wait to see how it all plays out. - Marlo
• This is one of my favorite books. I read it years ago and was glad to have the opportunity to read it again. I love the characters and themes of this story. - Kerry
• One of my very favorite books! - Steph

Conclusion: This one was well-liked overall and the discussion, once we actually got to it, was really interesting in a very good way. Everyone was engaged in the conversation which doesn't always happen!

Reading Group Guide

Another Book Club Baby

Yet another one of our members gave birth today! Little Luke Jordan arrived at 12:49am weighing 7lbs 15oz, 22 inches long. One more baby to go now with our four pregnant members.

Bob Dylan: Intimate Insights by Kathleen Mackay

   Loved It
   Liked It
1 Neutral
2 Disliked It
1 Hated It

Comments:
• Wasn't able to finish it... didn't feel it gave any insight and the descriptions were too flowery with regards to the other artists. It felt like she was kissing the artist's rears as a thank you for doing the interview. - Brandi
• This book was OK. I liked the overall theme of Dylan's contribution to music, but the chapters and interviews were inconsistent in their contributions. - Kerry
• The book was fun to read. I didn't especially care for the style of writing, but the memories of childhood it conjured was pleasant - of course, I just dated myself. - Stacey
• Didn't finish this one - my time is too valuable. The writing seemed completely unfocused with an occasional tidbit of Dylan. - Marlo
• I was really excited about this book because I am a big Dylan fan. Boy, was I disappointed. I kept thinking I should just stop reading but once I made it halfway, I just kept going. She made Dylan's autobiography sound really interesting when she quoted it, I wish I had read that instead. - danica

Conclusion: This one landed with quite a thud! If we hadn't won our copies, I think the group would be rallying for a refund.

The Girls by Lori Lansens

1 Loved It
1 Liked It
2 Neutral
1 Disliked It
1 Hated It

Comments:
• I have no words to convey how much I hated this book. I just don't care. - Sarah
• Didn't really like the book (not as strong of a reaction as Sarah). Didn't enjoy "Ruby's"writing style. - Stacey
• An easy read. Not very interesting. - Melissa
• It was OK. Nothing spectacular, but I read it. Parts were interesting. - Brandi
• I loved this book! Both characters were interesting albeit due to the "freak" factor. This was a quick read for me since I didn't want to put it down. - Marlo
• I read it and didn't hate it but I also didn't like it either. I did like the way the two personalities were portrayed through the writing but not enough to actually like the book. - Danica

Conclusion: This definitely didn't go over well although it wasn't a slam dunk stinker. We didn't really have a great conversation about it either.

Reading Group Guide

2 New Book Club Babies

We had quite a prolific day yesterday. Two of our members both gave birth to their second children on Saturday August 4th. What a great day!


Dov Yosef


Luka Alexandra

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

3 Loved It
5 Liked It
   Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I really loved hearing the women's perspective and watching her exploration through the religion. I have already recommended this to many people. - Carrie
• I was initially concerned that it would be SO anti-Muslim, but she presented herself so well. I enjoyed reading about the emotional dilemma between her religious beliefs and her morality regarding the treatment of women. - Brandi
• I was fascinated by Hirsi Ali's story. Even though I'm not sure I agree with everything she says, she definitely brings up a lot to think about - and discuss. - Kerry
• The first half of this book made me feel very overwhelmed by the realities of the world and religion. The second half made me feel like she had a very specific agenda and included only that which supports it. Past that, on a whole I liked it and have thought a lot about my own cultural experience since finishing it. - danica
• Though I did not finish it, I have enjoyed her story so far. I plan on finishing it this week. - Tami
• Ali's plight was fascinating. Her journey from being a Muslim girl to an independent, free-thinking woman was inspiring. - Rachelle
• This was an eye-opening experience. Very graphic at times. - Melissa
• It was OK. Some parts were sad. - Sarah

Conclusion: Most really liked the book and we had a very good conversation once everyone settled down. We definitely recommended it to other book clubs.


4 of our members are pregnant, with 2 due in the next month, so we decided to take this picture before the new little members arrive!

Wonder of Reading Has Sent Us a Thank You Note

Back in May, we gathered new elementary school appropriate books to donate to The Wonder of Reading. They were delivered early June and we have recently received a thank you letter from them expressing their appreciation.

The letter read as such:

June 11, 2007

Danica B
Babes With Brains Book Club

Dear Ms. B:

Thank you for putting faith in Los Angeles's youngsters by requesting that your book club donate books to The Wonder of Reading. We truly appreciate your support and the contribution, which included one bag of new books and was presented by a Montague Charter Academy school member on June 5, 2007.

More than 1,200 elementary school students from Wonder of Reading schools work hard, with the help of their volunteer reading partners, to improve their reading each year. In recognition of their tremendous effort, The Wonder of Reading seeks to find resources, such as books you donated for schools in our 3R program. Many of the children participating in our program have no books of their own. In addition, most of the school-based parent centers at our schools have a tremendous need for books to read with their children. Without community support like yours, The Wonder of Reading would not be able to fulfill its purpose - to inspire in children the love of reading.

Thank you very much for bringing reading resources to the young students of the greater Los Angeles area.

Sincerely,
Karyn Lee-Garcia
Program Coordinator
The Wonder of Reading

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

3 Loved It
3 Liked It
1 Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• Touching story at the end, but the first zoo pages made me want to barf. - Sarah
• I really enjoyed this book. It was at times sad, but I enjoyed the love story. It was the first book I finished in awhile, I am glad this is the one I finished. - Tami
• I loved reading this story! The characters were unique and striking. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the young man just starting his adult life and the old man, with his wry sense of humor, trying to hold on to himself in the face of an impeding death. - Melissa
• I really enjoyed this book. Such a unique story, looking at circus trains during the depression era. I also loved the first person of the old man, hearing his perspective on late life. - Carrie
• I really enjoyed the book. Nice transitions between the time periods. I thought it was a little rushed at the end. Very good. - Brandi
• It has been awhile since I have really liked a book. This renewed my enthusiasm in reading, I thought I was getting bored with everything. This kept me going. - danica

Conclusion: Everyone attending had finished the book. That says a lot these days! We all seemed to like it.

Reading Group Guide

Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire

   Loved It
1 Liked It
3 Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• Was not as good as Wicked. - Sarah
• I felt that too many loose ends were left flapping in the wind. - Melissa
• I tried, that is about all I can say for myself. I didn't like Wicked and if this was not a book club book, I would have never even started this it. I made it 140 pages in and was just not motivated to pick it up. -danica
• I liked it better than Wicked, but was not happy with the ending. Too many questions left unanswered. - Carrie
• Didn't get to read it... - Steph
• Rather blah - Hard not to compare to Wicked and find this one lacking. Much of the storyline remained unfinished without enough substance for another in a series. - Marlo

Conclusion: This was by no means a success. We barely even spoke about it. Most didn't finish it. We did have a good time though at California Pizza Kitchen and Borders, buying books to donate to The Wonder of Reading.

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

   Loved It
1 Liked It
2 Neutral
2 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• The book was too long. The main story was good but all the extra stuff sucked. - Sarah
• I enjoyed it. I could do without the "Blind Assassin" (aliens or whatever), but really liked the main story. - Carrie
• Couldn't get through it. Tried to muscle through, but just couldn't bear it. - Brandi
• Yawn. Like it OK, but prefer the "present day" story over the novel within the novel. - Marlo
• I tried and made it to page 300 but I just couldn't get into it. - danica

Conclusion: Most didn't read this one and those of us that did, most didn't like it and didn't even finish it.

Reading Group Guide

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

   Loved It
3 Liked It
2 Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• Good book but the first part about the fair was slow - but after that, it was good - loved the contrast between the two plots. - Stacey
• I liked the tidbits about things from the fair. My favorite parts were about the "devil." - Kerry
• It was OK. The stuff about the fair was way boring. They could have made it a really short book about a murderer. - Sarah
• I definitely got bored in many places. What kept me going was the serial killer parts of the story. I didn't care as much about the trials and tribulations that went into the architecture of the fair. There were some interesting facts about what debuted and who worked on it though... Overall it was just OK. I made it through so there is that... - danica
• Got a bit long-winded about the fair, but found the part about Holmes interesting... I kept reading it although a few parts dragged. Decent read. - Brandi

Conclusion: Only about half of us actually read this one and it was received as just OK. Our conversation was pretty good and it interested even those that didn't read the book. It was a jam packed meeting with a lot of personal announcements - almost half of our members are pregnant, throw in an engagement and some charitable giving and that pretty much sums up our March book club.

Reading Group Guide

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

   Loved It
6 Liked It
1 Neutral
3 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• The author thought much more of this book than I did. - Kerry
• I only got through a few chapters. Too close to the movie (almost verbatim). I probably would have liked it if I hadn't seen the movie first. - Carrie
• I really loved this movie, but I have not seen it in years however, I remembered more that I thought. I liked the book although I could not help but see how Palahniuk weaved the eventual plot twist throughout. I could not tell whether it was just more explicit in the book or if my knowledge clouded the story. When I saw the movie, I was totally surprised by it - if I read the book first, I don't know if I would have been as surprised. - danica
• Liked it better than the first time through, but the second time I could see signals earlier in the book. - Stacey
• I thought the book was more predictable than the movie. - Sarah
• It was an easy read. Since I saw the movie, it was hard to read because I knew the ending. It was word for word to the movie. - Tami
• I liked the book because it was different than other books we've read. Short chapters, easy read. Also, I liked how it was written from a mentally disturbed person's point of view. - Rachelle
• I enjoyed it. Saw the movie only days before reading the book, so I head Edward Norton;s voice reading all the lines. "I am Joe's broken spleen." - Brandi
• I enjoyed the book. It had been years since I had seen the movie. Such a dark story. Easy read. - Melissa

Conclusion: One thing is for sure, if your copy has a forward, afterword or acknowledgments, do not read them - he comes off as way too much of an egotist and it taints the book.

Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by by John Grogan

   Loved It
3 Liked It
3 Neutral
2 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• This was super cute although at times, I was a little bored. However, at the end, I must admit, I did cry. He has a very conversational style which worked well to tell a series of Marley mishap stories but it just did not read like a novel or a good memoir hence the boredom at times. - danica
• The book did not have so many funny dog stories. The book should have been called "Me, My Wife, Some Kids and Oh, Yeah, We Have a Dog". - Sarah
• When I remembered that the author is a columnist, it explained why the chapters were so short and choppy. It seemed like he included things about his life because he was writing a book. Sometimes the dog-in-my-life theme was too loosely tied in. I appreciate that he and his family liked their dog, but at the end of the day I didn't really care. - Kerry
• I could have done without the long descriptions of the breed's qualities and it dragged out a bit at the end, but as a dog lover and owner of a "bad dog", I empathized and cried at the end. - Brandi
• I couldn't get through it. It was just not my thing. - Melissa
• Quick and easy read. Some cute stories. Reminded me of my old dog at times. I would only recommend this to a dog lover, specifically a Labrador lover. - Carrie
• Easy book to get through. Enjoyed most of it, but wanted to read more about the dog. Cried at the end! It's a good read for animal lovers. - Rachelle
• Really enjoyed the stories about Marley and how he and his wife brought up their family with their dog. Very sad but expected ending. Very easy reading. - Tami

Conclusion: While a fun book for those who have and love dogs, it is definitely not the perfect book club book.

Reading Group Guide

Every Boy's Got One by Meg Cabot

1 Loved It
3 Liked It
2 Neutral
3 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• I thought the book was easy reading. I enjoyed it. It was fun and very predictable. - Tami
• I thought this book was great. It was fun and written differently. Quick easy book. - Sarah
• Quick was about the only thing good about it. Very generic. The "hate-him, hate-him, love-him" bit is tired. I thought the email thing would be more interesting than it was. - Brandi
• This was such fluff! Girl meets boy, girl hates boy, girl hates boy, girl hates boy and then all of a sudden they are in bed, the end. I am not unhappy that I read this one but it definitely did not enrich my life. What is a greater time suck, this or a video game? It would have been either one so I guess it really doesn't matter in the end. - danica
• I almost hated it. I finished it but it never got better. I didn't like the characters, the style, the story... it wasn't fun or light - just ANNOYING. - Steph
• I haven't finished it yet, but I've been entertained so far. Not a book I'd typically read, but a nice change. - Kerry
• A bit too fluffy from a girl who really likes marshmallows! There was some cuteness, but overall I was glad to have finished. The format had potential, but the story lacked depth. - Marlo
• Obviously too unrealistic. Quick read. Couldn't relate to or enjoy the characters. Outcome is predictable by back cover. Just didn't really enjoy it. - Carrie
• I liked the writing style. A fun, easy read. - Melissa

Conclusion: If you like the beach read genre, this book was cute although really formulaic.

Because it was our 5th birthday, we decided to have gift exchange again and decorate Steph's tree. It has been a great year with some new members, fun adventures, great books and wonderful conversation.

The Birthday Party and The Room: Two Plays by Harold Pinter

   Loved It
   Liked It
1 Neutral
5 Disliked It
3 Hated It

Comments:
• I was kind of confused about what was going on most of the time. Not enough back story. - Sarah
• Wasn't interested enough to finish it. - Brandi
• I read both (as promised) but didn't care for it. - Kerry
• I really much prefer fiction to reading plays. I would rather see a play staged than read one. These two plays did not engage me or draw me in. I read them and don't remember much about them two days later. - danica
• I barely got through the plays... Just read quickly and prayed for an interesting ending. Sadly, I was disappointed. - Rachelle
• It was not my favorite. I read them in two days but was not pleased. - Tami
• If it had taken more than 2 days, I wouldn't have finished it. I fell asleep reading multiple times and didn't even bother re-reading. - Carrie
• Although I finished both plays, I couldn't wait to be done. Had they been any longer, I would have just given up. I didn't wonder what the heck was going on and never really found out. - Marlo
• I just didn't get it. - Steph

Conclusion: It is pretty obvious that we didn't like this one! These plays won awards etc and maybe we just missed some nuances but still that makes them very non-accessible.

Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors

3 Loved It
6 Liked It
   Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• Enjoyable read. - Brandi
• Very impressed by the history. The strength of the female characters - not only in the time period, but having been written by a man was also impressive. - Melissa
• I absolutely LOVED this book! I could not comprehend how a man could write a princess so well. This is probably my favorite in a long time. I can't wait for his next novel. - Carrie
• This book was amazing. I really enjoyed hearing about the love story of the princess. I didn't want to put it down. - Tami
• I really liked this book! Couldn't put it down - the characters, setting and story were wonderful - great writing style. I particularly liked the ending. Can't believe it was written by a man. - Steph
• What a beautiful novel. The relationships between the characters are so touching and relatable. I knew nothing abut the Taj Mahal and it was a great way to learn about it. These are characters that will resonate with me for a long time, and a book I will likely need to read again. - Marlo
• Phenomenal read. Enjoyed the love story. Great character development. Would recommend it to all. - Rachelle
• Was a very good read. Interesting and never a dull moment. Not any better or worse than other books in this genre. - Sarah
• I really enjoyed this book. I didn't love, love, love it, but I really, really liked it. The characters were very engaging and believable. At points, I felt a lot of relevancy in today's world situation concerning religion taken to a militant extreme. The story of being torn between loyalty and love kept me reading to find out what finally happens in the end and I was not disappointed. - danica

Conclusion: We all really liked this book a lot. What made it even better was that John Shors, the author had a conference call with us to discuss it. On top of all of that CBS was doing a story on his involvement with book clubs and they decided to send a camera man out to film us talking with John on speakerphone about the book! So we may be on The Early Show or on the CBS Evening News! If this does happen, I will post some stills from that as well. Again, we would all like to thank John for taking the time to indulge our questions and comments, it was a wonderful treat to be able to discuss this book with its creator. We highly recommend Beneath a Marble Sky for book clubs!

Below is a picture of all of us with the CBS camera man!

Well, the story aired on November 1st on the CBS evening News with Katie Couric and November 2nd on The Early Show. It is up at CBS.com as streaming video.

And the stills....










Beneath a Marble Sky Web Site
Reading Group Guide

Mama, Are We There Yet? by Rose Saposnek

   Loved It
9 Liked It
   Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• This was such an interesting read. I didn't realize the horror of the Bolshevik Revolution and really felt for the people who had to build a new life in a foreign place. - Marlo
• I really liked this book. I liked the voice - a very unique perspective and the theme I came away with was one of hope and friendship. No matter where they were, people/strangers risked their lives to help them. - Steph
• This book is so interesting. I know so very little about this and it was so unique to hear about it from a child's point of view. - Kerry
• It was really different than any other book I have read. Very refreshing. - Sarah
• I liked the book and the bit of history it touches on. It's prompted me to do research on the web. - Stacey
• I liked the book. It was very interesting to hear about the voyage one needed to take to come to America. - Tami
• This was a really quick read. It is amazing how many people of that generation had similar circumstances just different settings. I grew up hearing these stories and completely related. I found it interesting that it was written from the perspective of a child although it sometimes felt a bit bratty but I understand what the author was trying to accomplish. I also found it really interesting that in all the chaos, the main character, a child, was not really told what was happening and that she was never prompted to talk about what she was experiencing. - danica
• The book was very interesting... especially seeing events surrounding the Bolshevik Revolution from a child's eyes. - Rachelle
• This book was very engaging. Very interesting point of view. Enjoyed the history. - Brandi

Conclusion: We had a really wonderful time meeting with the author, Rose Saposnek. Everyone read and came very well prepared and I think she enjoyed us as much as we enjoyed meeting with her and her daughter. That is Rose, seated in the middle of the bottom row in the pink shirt.

The History of Love: A Novel by Nicole Krauss

   Loved It
5 Liked It
4 Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• It was OK. Not a very memorable book. Three weeks after I read it, I couldn't recall the story. - Sarah
• What I read, I liked, but it made me cry and I couldn't finish it. - Stacey
• I enjoyed it. It wasn't my favorite book, but I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed the way she wrote the characters. - Tami
• I liked it - I just got a little confused. - Steph
• I loved the first chapter. I really enjoyed being inside his head. The rest was okay. Nothing special. - Carrie
• I cried through most of it. I enjoyed the way that the different lives and generations intertwined. - Melissa
• The character of the old man was definitely my favorite. I thought his descriptions of his aging body were beautiful and showed such realism. The story itself didn't engage me too much as I thought several of the loose ends were conveniently tied up. - Marlo
• I enjoyed it, but I hated the ending, I liked all the writing styles for all the characters. - Brandi

Conclusion: Although not an overwhelmingly success, most made it through the book and that is a triumph these days. There were good elements but they did not add up to a good story.

Reading Group Guide

The Birth of Venus: A Novel by Sarah Dunant

4 Loved It
4 Liked It
   Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• I really liked this book. I genuinely cared about the main character. - Steph
• This book had so much drama. I loved it. - Sarah
• Liked the book, but it was hard to get into it. - Stacy
• This was a great read. The premise took me absolutely by surprise, but I liked the conflict. I would have liked more development of the romantic relationship. The tattoo was very intriguing and I love anything set in the Renaissance Period. - Marlo
• The historical aspect that was woven through the story - or, rather, the story was woven through the history - was refreshing. The growth of the main character was a driving force. - Mellissa
• I really liked the book. There were times when it slowed down, but once I got into it, I never put it down. - Tami
• I enjoyed the book and especially the development of the main character. It was interesting to watch her growth and understanding through the years. - Carrie
• The prologue hooked me right away and I wanted to see where it was going and how it was going to end up encompassing what was revealed. - danica

Conclusion: I think this was a hit! Everyone read it and most really really liked it.

Reading Group Guide

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

7 Loved It
3 Liked It
   Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• A fast read - completely engaging with a great story and characters. I've recommended it to lots of friends. - Steph
• I enjoyed reading this book. I've read so many in this time/place, but learn something every time! - Kerry
• Well written and I loved the way the author painted a picture of the event/story. - Stacy
• Beautiful and touching story. Although on the surface a story of friendship, I really felt it was a love story. - Marlo
• I really enjoyed this book. I loved seeing this culture from the women's perspective. - Carrie
• Very good read. Loved how it told the history though the characters. -Brandi
• Excellent book... Foot binding fascinated me. Also, the development of characters was thoroughly interestingly. - Rachelle
• This book was so good and interesting! I loved it. Such an easy read. - Tami
• Fun read. This story is more unique than other stories of this genre. - Sarah

Conclusion: Everyone read it, most finished it, everyone really liked it. This is a definite recommendation to other book clubs!

Reading Group Guide

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

3 Loved It
2 Liked It
1 Neutral
   Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• It was a really good book, but I would not recommend the extended version. It got a little too political with a rant about Socialism. - Sarah
• I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Except for the end, too political. I couldn't put it down. - Carrie
• This wasn't quite the non-stop meat packing horror I expected. It seemed more focused on the plight of the immagrant families and the lack of support in society. Although I liked the storyline of the main character involved in politics, the Socialist commentary at the end was too contrived. - Marlo
• I thought this book was increadibly insightful and still relevant. - Steph
• I thought this book was a really important read - a real look into the life back then. Makes me glad to be a vegetarian - Brandi

Conclusion: We sure had a chatty book club and didn't even get down to business until 9PM. I think we all miss each other and the time was well spent even though we weren't discussing the book as much. We did get down to it at the end and we all had similar feelings as demonstrated in the comments.

Reading Group Guide

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

   Loved It
1 Liked It a Lot
3 Liked It
1 Neutral
2 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• The writing style was too muh like A Million Little Pieces to really get into it. - Sarah
• I really enjoyed this book. Would have said "Loved It" but got sick of the long monologues. Paragraghs and sentences are not meant to be 2 pages long. - Carrie
• I have only read the 1st few chapters. What else is new? So far, it's good. - Tami
• The relationship between the brothers was very touching. I loved the silly games that were described and how they were so rude to each other, yet there was so much love between them. I enjoyed the first half of the book much more than the second. - Marlo
• I didn't really like the stream of consciousness narrative. I was kind of worn out by A Million Little Pieces and for this to be only a month after, I was burnt out. Nonetheless, I did read it and finish it almost as a challenge although I was annoyed most of the way through. - danica
• Didn't quite finish but... got sick of the MTV interview part, otherwise enjoyed the story. I'll finish it eventually. - Brandi
• The best part of the book was the title. I read the whole thing, but never got into it. Found it boring. - Steph

Conclusion: Not an overwhelming success. I think the comments pretty much cover how we all felt.

Reading Group Guide

Bee Season by Myla Goldberg

1 Loved It
1 Liked It
1 Neutral
1 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• It was an interesting story, but only got really good at the end. - Sarah
• Didn't read it : ( - Steph
• Recommended it - I really enjoyed this story. I especially enjoyed the perspective of the little girl. It was well written and truly conveyed an eight year old experience. - Marlo
• Started it today : ( First 40 pages look good. Hope to finish it next week. - Tami
• Quick, easy read. Enjoyed it through the read, but towards the end changed my mind. - Carrie
• Neither loved it nor hated it, it was just kind of there. It took me longer to read than it should have. There were elements that I did enjoy but on a whole, it was OK. - danica

Conclusion: We ended up having a fairly small book club meeting. We spoke about the book briefly and ended up mostly socializing and talking about movies.

Reading Group Guide

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

   Loved It
3 Liked It
2 Neutral
1 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• Wild ride. Interesting even if not true. What do you expect a drug addict, criminal to tell the truth??? - Sarah
• Fun to get in his head. But never really believed certain details. - Carrie
• I enjoyed reading this, although I did find some parts questionable. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. - Marlo
• This book was enjoyable BECAUSE I knew it wasn't all true... It was a novel, to me. - Brandi
• Enjoyed the book. Some of it is not believable. Enjoyed it as a story. - Tami
• I don't feel any better for having read it and because of its inauthenticity, the message of triumph does not shine through as it must have once done. - danica

Conclusion: While the debate raged on about truth and lies, we did have a good discussion. If not about the subject matter, than about what the term "Memoir" means.

Reading Group Guide

Three Junes by Julia Glass

   Loved It
2 Liked It
1 Neutral
1 Disliked It
1 Hated It

Comments:
• I read this a couple of years ago and don't remember being impressed. - Marlo
• Hard to get into, but got better. I didn't really like the main character - kind of irritating. - Carrie
• Stupid from the start. Waste of your time. - Sarah
• I didn't get a chance to read it. : ( - Steph
• Liked what I read, but didn't finish it... wanted to, though. -Brandi
• It took me forever to read it. I was only interested in the characters and the story in the middle section - the rest was just a time suck. - danica

Conclusion: It seemed like most of us didn't get to finish it - whether we lost interest or everyday life stuff just got in the way. The few of us that did make it to the end, were not wholly impressed. Book club ended up being mostly about business and socializing this time - we did have a lot to figure out and discuss other than the book.

Reading Group Guide

A Man without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut

1 Loved It
4 Liked It
1 Neutral
1 Disliked It
1 Hated It

Comments:
• If you're a socialist, you would like it. - Sarah
• Liked some parts of it. But overall, I didn't enjoy it! - Sonia
• Read it twice in a row! Good sound bites still ring in my head. - Kerry
• I can't get enough of Kurt Vonnegut - he's one of my favorite writers of all time. - Steph
• A surprisingly fun read. I enjoyed his wry humor and shots at the administration. - Marlo

Conclusion: Most liked it and we discussed it a bit, but we didn't have an AMAZING discussion. I think a lot of us didn't feel like getting into a strong political debate so we just discussed a few different passages.

My Life in Orange: Growing Up with the Guru by Tim Guest

1 Loved It
2 Liked It
1 Neutral
1 Disliked It
1 Hated It

Comments:
• Was interested in this cult before, good insight into what it was like living it. - Lilac
• A complete waste of tim. Reading the mundane details of someone's childhood who you couldn't care less about. - Stephanie
• The subject matter held my interest, but the writing style was rather dry. I would have liked to see some sort of evolution of character or mindset. - Marlo
• Was an interesting look at this boy's life. - Sarah
• More a glimpse into the author's life than an in-depth loook at the cult, but it was still an enjoyable read. - Brandi
• I wanted something more, but not sure what that "more" would be. I was left unsatisfied. - danica

Conclusion: Wow, we could not agree on this one at all. We also didn't have much to say about it and didn't even want to do the reading group questions.

Reading Group Guide


Because it was our 4th birthday, we decided to have gift exchange and decorate Kerry's tree. It must be mentioned, Brandi left early and Lilac couldn't move, therefore both are not in this picture.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

4 Loved It
1 Liked It
   Neutral
1 Disliked It
   Hated It

Comments:
• Was a lot better than expected from reading the back of the book. - Sarah
• Reads like a non-fiction book, very insightful to how severe the situation in Afghanistan was. - Lilac
• Such a good book. Loved the themes - guilt, courage and redemption. - Kerry
• A great book on many levels. Excellent story and imagery - I couldn't put it down. - Stephanie
• Very hard to become excited about the main character. - Julie Ann

Conclusion: Recommended for book clubs. We had a lively discussion and most really enjoyed the book.

Reading Group Guide

Khaled Hosseini on NPR

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

6 Loved It
   Liked It
   Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• I am now seeing its principles in life all the time. - danica

Conclusion: Great book, great discussion. Recommended for other book clubs that read non-fiction as well as fiction.

Reading Group Guide

Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African Soldier by Alexandra Fuller

   Loved It
3 Liked It
4 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• Didn't like it, didn't hate it. - Carrie
• Good, interesting read although non-fiction, I didn't believe the ending! - Stephanie

Conclusion: Very interesting subject matter but this book was not loved - it wasn't hated either.

Reading Group Guide

My Sister's Keeper: A Novel by Jodi Picoult

6 Loved It
3 Liked It
   Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• Very thought provoking. - Brandi
• Good discussion for that book! - Lilac
• Very easy read. - Lilac
• Good story, interestingly written, brought up good discussion. - Stephanie

Conclusion: We all really liked it and actually all finished it. We also had a really good diiscussion on ethics. Definitely recommended for book clubs.

Reading Group Guide

The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge by Carlos Castaneda

   Loved It
   Liked It
1 Neutral
4 Hated It

Comments:
• Don't waste your time. - Carrie
• Terrible! Without substance. - Stephanie

Conclusion: Carrie is right!

The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost

1 Loved It
3 Liked It
1 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• Cute, funny and interesting. - Stephanie

Conclusion: Fun and different type of memoir.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

8 Loved It
1 Liked It
   Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• Fun, fun, fun!!! - Brandi
• OMG! So… intriguing, interestiing, different. - Lilac
• Unique and well written. - Stephanie

Conclusion: A resounding love, love, loved it. Everyone actually read and finished it and loved it. Recommened for other book clubs.

Reading Group Guide

The Wind Done Gone: A Novel by Alice Randall

   Loved It
1 Liked It
1 Neutral
2 Disliked
1 Hated It

Comments:
• A bit far-fetched, although I liked the premise. - Brandi
• I enjoyed watching Gone With the Wind again with everyone better than reading this book. - danica
• I didn't understand the references to the movie and found it tedious and annoying. - Stephanie

Conclusion: Pretty luke warm response.

Reading Group Guide

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

5 Loved It
1 Liked It
1 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• I am a sucker for Steinbeck, I love everything by him. - Lilac
• Chapter 2 is just an unbelievable piece of poetry. I could have put the book down then and been completely satisfied. - danica
• One of my favs. - Julie Ann
• One of my favorite books!!! - Stephanie

Conclusion: Most people like Steinbeck. We liked Steinbeck. We still like Steinbeck.

Reading Group Guide

A Lesson Before Dying: A Novel by Ernest J. Gaines

2 Loved It
3 Liked It
   Neutral
1 Hated It

Conclusion: We seemed to mostly like this one. Unfortunately it is really hard to please everyone : )

Reading Group Guide

On another note...
For those of you who missed it, the wee ones just about out-numbered the adults! Next Gen of Babe(ies) with Brains. I think they were discussing "The Very Hungry Catepiller" this month. Next month's selection... "Goodnight Moon."

The Sea Hunters: True Adventures with Famous Shipwrecks by Clive Cussler

   Loved It
1 Liked It
1 Neutral
2 Hated It

Comments:
• Some chapters were better than others. - danica
• Boring. - Stephanie

Conclusion: Most of us lost interest and did not finish. I think it would have been a better idea if we read one of Cussler's pure fiction novels.

This was the first book where we decided to implement a change on how we choose which books to read. The new scheme is as follows. One member is chosen per meeting to bring in two to three books to present for a vote. We all vote and a new book is chosen. We choose two months in advance so there are always three books in our queue.

Running with Scissors: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs

   Loved It
2 Liked It
2 Neutral
1 Disliked
2 Hated It

Comments:
• Eh, could have done without the whole homosexual scene. - Lilac
• Weird, quirky but honest and good. - Stephanie

Conclusion: It was not widely liked.

Middlesex: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides

5 Loved It
1 Liked It
1 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• Amazing! - Lilac
• A page turner. -Stephanie

Conclusion: Recommended. We LOVED this one and had a great dialogue about it as well.

Reading Group Guide

I, Lucifer: Finally, the Other Side of the Story by Glen Duncan

1 Loved It
1 Liked It
1 Neutral
1 Disliked
1 Hated It

Comments:
• Didn't finish it… just didn't like it. - danica
• Very contrived and insincere. - Stephanie

Conclusion: We had such high hopes for this one. The premise sounds like it could be fascinating. Some of us didn't like the writing style while others just got bored, although a few did like/love it...

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi

2 Loved It
3 Liked It
   Neutral
1 Hated It

Comments:
• I just loved it! - Stephanie

Conclusion: Again, most of us liked it, but not all of us.

Reading Group Guide

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

1 Loved It
1 Liked It
2 Neutral
2 Hated It

Comments:
• Hated it, and then some. - Marlo
• Weird, sick and without merit. - Stephanie

Conclusion: This is one of the rare books were we completely ran the gamut of loved to hated. There were definitely some strong opinions that came up in book club. Not necessarily recommended but it did engage us.

Reading Group Guide

The Best Awful by Carrie Fisher

   Loved It
   Liked It
   Neutral
1 Disliked
4 Hated It

Comments:
• Terrible book - couldn't get past page 30! - Stephanie

Conclusion: We all really did not like this one. Most of us never even made it through the whole book.

Geisha: A Life by Mineko Iwasaki

3 Loved It
3 Liked It
1 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• I found Memoirs of a Geisha more believable than the "real" memoir. - Kerry
• Very interesting. - Lilac

Conclusion: Well liked and a good comparisons to Memoirs of a Geisha which most of us read and loved but is fiction.

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

5 Loved It
1 Liked It
   Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• A good read... - Stephanie

Conclusion: Recommended for book clubs! This was really liked across the board.

Reading Group Guide

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

3 Loved It
1 Liked It
   Neutral
1 Hated It

Comments:
• Cool twist at the end. - Lilac
• This is the one book club book that I did not even start but it keeps coming up at meetings that I really should take the time to read it. - danica
• One of my favorite books ever! I think of it often and recommended it to lots of people. -Stephanie

Conclusion: There was definitely strong feelings about this book. For the most part, it was well liked.

Reading Group Guide

Dude, Where's My Country? by Michael Moore

1 Loved It
3 Liked It
   Neutral
1 Hated It

Comments:
• Didn't have time, but wanted to read it. - Brandi
• Michael Moore is entertaining. - Lilac
• Not as good as Stupid White Men ...and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Nation! by him but Moore is always very funny. - danica
• A fresh look at the troubles of America. - Stephanie

Conclusion: It sparked less of a conversation than I think we expected but we had still had a good book club.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

   Loved It
6 Liked It
2 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• Still a classic! - Lilac
• I never read this as a child but I found it way too dogmatic. - danica
• Read it when I was eight. - Julie Ann
• I couldn't get past the in-your-face dogma. - Stephanie

Conclusion: Most of us liked it and I seem to remember that we had a good conversation about it.

Reading Group Guide

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

6 Loved It
3 Liked It
   Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• A fun read! - Brandi
• Fast read. - Lilac
• Loved the ideas and it kept my interest but it was very poorly written. - danica
• I couldn't put it down even though the writing was terrible! - Stephanie

Conclusion: We overwhelmingly liked this one. A definite recommendation to other book clubs. We also had a really good religion and philosophy discussion because of it.

Reading Group Guide

Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence

1 Loved It
2 Liked It
3 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• I expected a lot more controversy. - danica
• One of the most amazing books I've read. - Julie Ann
• Definitely a good read - great style. - Stephanie

Conclusion: For all of the mystique surrounding this one, it does not deliver.

Reading Group Guide

Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis

   Loved It
1 Liked It
3 Neutral
2 Hated It

Comments:
• Couldn't get into it. - Tami
• I enjoyed some chapters more than others. It has come up in my work and I have often thought about about it many times since. - danica
• Not compelling. - Stephanie

Conclusion: Unless you are a history buff, this may not be the book for you.

Reading Group Guide

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

3 Loved It
2 Liked It
3 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• I had such high hopes for this book and it just did not deliver. - danica
• I loved this book! I keep recommending it to others who just don't share my enthusiasm. The plot was layered, and the idea of such a politically charged climate in the land of Oz just really entertained me. - Marlo
• I liked it for a long time but got bored by the end. - Stephanie

Conclusion: Some loved it, some didn't. We did have a good discussion though and I think most of us finished it...

Reading Group Guide

Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love by Dava Sobel

1 Loved It
1 Liked It
4 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• I couldn't get into it. -Stephanie

Conclusion: No one hated it but most of us had a lackluster response although this is one of the members favorite books.

Reading Group Guide

Pastoralia: Stories by George Saunders

2 Loved It
1 Liked It
   Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• I'm a sucker for short stories. - Stephanie

Conclusion: For those of us who actually read and finished this book, enjoyed it.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) by J.K. Rowling

4 Loved It
   Liked It
1 Neutral
2 Hated It

Comments:
• Just not a Potter fan... Sorry.  Didn't help that I never read the first 4.  Couldn't finish it. -Brandi
• I didn't finish it. - Stephanie

Conclusion: It seems like you either love the Harry Potter books or hate them. Maybe it wasn't such a great choice to choose book 5 when half of the group had never read any of them before.

Odd Girl Out by Rachel Simmons

   Loved It
5 Liked It
   Neutral
1 Disliked
1 Hated It

Comments:
• All the more relevant now that I have a daughter. I plan on re-reading it soon! - Brandi
• Anyone who knows girls (or is one) realizes how mean girls can be. Wished she had more ideas on prevention/solutions. - Kerry
• Educational, gave insight to the future family therapist. - Lilac

Conclusion: A very important read for us both as women having gone through similar sitautions and for us as teachers/mothers/aunties of girls.

Reading Group Guide

A Day Late and a Dollar Short by Terry McMillan

4 Loved It
2 Liked It
   Neutral
1 Disliked
   Hated It

Comments:
• Loved it, loved it, loved it! - Lilac
• Good story - easy, fast and a good read. - Stephanie

Conclusion: I think we all actually finished this one and we all really liked it for the most part.

Reading Group Guide

Catch Up Month

Because we had a lot going on this month, an anniversary, a wedding, the beginning of a pregnancy (with a baby boom to come - it was contagious), too many books that we started and did not have a chance to finish and life of course, we decided to take a book free month and just get together for dinner. A good time was had by all.

Suspension by Richard E. Crabbe

   Loved It
   Liked It
1 Neutral
3 Hated It

Comments:
• Forced myself to finish it and sorry I did. - Kerry
• I don't even remember if we talked about the book past a raise of hands of who finished. - danica

Conclusion: After the lesson we learned from slogging through Possession: A Romance by A. S. Byatt (we hated it), most of us ended up putting the book down for something more enticing. This book club we mostly enjoyed each others company.

The Color of Water by James McBride

3 Loved It
1 Liked It
2 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• Thoughtful, interesting, sad and true. - Stephanie

Conclusion: Good read. Good conversation. Good book club.

Reading Group Guide

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins

   Loved It
5 Liked It
1 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• This is one of my favorite authors, though not my favorite book of his. - Kerry
• I like his style. - Stephanie

Conclusion: Those of us that ended up reading the book this month enjoyed its quirkyness but Kerry's comment also rings true.

Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros

1 Loved It
2 Liked It
2 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• I didn't finish it. - Stephanie

Conclusion: Although not as good as The House on Mango Street, also by Cisneros, I think we solidly liked this one.

Reading Group Guide

The Fasting Girl by Michelle Stacey

   Loved It
   Liked It
1 Neutral
5 Hated It

Comments:
• A fraud, I think. - Kerry
• I couldn't get into it - didn't finish. - Stephanie

Conclusion: I think most of us didn't even finish this book and those that did, didn't really like it.

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

3 Loved It
2 Liked It
2 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• Loved it. Until the end, when I was shocked and dismayed. - Kerry

Conclusion: Luke warm response but we did have a good discussion about the caste system.

Reading Group Guide

Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama

4 Loved It
2 Liked It
   Neutral
   Hated It

Conclusion: This was a good continuation of The Moon Pearl discussion and theme.

Reading Group Guide

My Forbidden Face by Latifa

   Loved It
4 Liked It
2 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• A bit juvenile, but good. - Brandi
• No real depth, but learned a bit about life in Afghanistan under the Taliban. - Kerry

Conclusion: I think Kerry pretty much sums it up.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

2 Loved It
3 Liked It
2 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• Was entertained, but never found any redeeming qualities in the main character to relate to. - Kerry
• A truly despicable character but still a pretty good read. - danica
• An old favorite. - Stephanie

Conclusion: We were all over the place with this one. At least no one hated it.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

3 Loved It
3 Liked It
1 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• Still applies to today's society! - Lilac
• Very relevant and lent itself to a great discussion. - Stephanie

Conclusion: This is such a classic, we had to read it because not all of us got to in high school.

Reading Group Guide

The Forest People by Colin M. Turnbull

   Loved It
3 Liked It
1 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• Interesting and charming. - Stephanie

Conclusion: We had a good time at book club talking about the book and listening to recordings of the Mbuti Pygmies. If you are interested in Anthropology, this is a good bet.

Ask the Dust by John Fante

1 Loved It
2 Liked It
1 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• I really enjoyed the portrayal of historic Los Angeles. - danica
• Great style - I liked the old LA imagery. - Stephanie

Conclusion: While some of us really liked the book, others had a luke warm response.

Possession: A Romance by A. S. Byatt

1 Loved It
   Liked It
   Neutral
3 Hated It

Comments:
• Blah! What a drag!!! - Brandi
• I remember grudgingly making it through, but only through my own stubbornness. This comes up often as the book to beat for the worst response prize. - danica
• Loved this historic background and research into that genre's core. - Julie Ann
• Didn't read it. - Stephanie

Conclusion: We all REALLY hated this book.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

5 Loved It
2 Liked It
   Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• This was the best book club discussion! I think we actually talked about the book the ENTIRE meeting! - Brandi
• I still think about it three years later. - Stephanie

Conclusion: Definitely recommended for book clubs. This was one of the few where everyone either liked it or loved it.

Reading Group Guide

The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan

   Loved It
3 Liked It
2 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• It didn't seem relevant anymore. - Stephanie

Conclusion: We felt that we needed to read this only because we hadn't in the past. It invoked some thought and comparisons to the choices of today's women - so I guess it did what it intended.

Reading Group Guide

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

1 Loved It
1 Liked It
2 Neutral
   Hated It

Comments:
• I liked it but I only read the first 100 pages! - Stephanie

Conclusion: When we read this, there was a lot of press about the book. There were parts that are very engaging and others that we could have done without. It created some good conversation but a bunch of us could not undersatnd all of the buzz.

Reading Group Guide

The Moon Pearl by Ruthanne Lum McCunn

2 Loved It
2 Liked It
   Neutral
   Hated It

Conclusion: This was a great start. Easy reading, everyone finished it and good conversation. Not everyone loved this one but I don't remember anyone hating it.

Reading Group Guide

And in the beginning there were books....

We didn't read but we did eat!

We worked out how we are going to choose books, when we would meet and where. For books, we decided to choose books for six months at a time. Everyone brings in suggestions and we vote on a final list. We meet once a month with different members hosting. Once in a long while, we meet at a restaurant and do a book store run through.