Book Club

So I've started a book club. I've never been part of book club before, and neither has anyone else who is participating so we will need lots of advice. Any of you out there who have been in a book club before, please help. The club started as Me, Emily, and Maggie. It now contains Me, Emily, Maggie, Ally (Emily's friend), Jenn (Emily's roomate), Andrew (my husband), Jessica (Maggie's roomate), Sara (my friend). Did you notice that Andrew is the only guy so far? We accidentally let it slip to a few of our other reading friends and it started growing. I guess book clubs sound more exciting than we thought. We have picked our first book.

Most amazing, none of us have ever read it before. We are meeting in about a month and having a potluck dinner. Do I need to plan more structure than that? What do you do to prepare for a book club? Do you have any suggestions for other books to read?

Cold Mountain

By Charles FrazierI liked this book a lot. But I don't know that I would have finished it if I didn't have as much free time as I do. It isn't a book that forces you to keep reading because you want to know what happens next. You have to be interested in the time period and the details of what the characters are doing. The book is about Inman, a Confederate soldier who leaves the war and walks home to the Blue Ridge Mountains and to Ada the woman he loves. Ada is a well bred woman who is provided for by her father and hired help. Half of the story follows Inman's journey home and the people that he meets along the way. The other half is about Ada, her father's death, and her survival. She is befriended by Ruby, a homeless but resourceful woman. Together they restore Ada's farm and create a home.

The book is a funny sort of romance in that the characters are motivated by their feelings for each other, but they are apart for most of the book and they never had much of a relationship to begin with. It was very real, with the characters having real problems, and changing because of them. I liked that. I also liked all of the details in the book about what the characters are doing and thinking. I like details. I wasn't too happy with the ending. But I'm not going to tell you why. You have to read it to find out.

The Mermaid Chair

By Sue Monk KiddOnce I started this book I couldn't put it down (but that's normal for me). Sue Monk Kidd is an amazing writer. I even cried at a few points during the book. But when it ended I felt very dissatisfied. The whole idea of needing to cheat on your husband in order to find yourself just didn't sit well with me. In my opinion, the character just didn't have enough consequences for that. The book was an easy, interesting read, but just doesn't list high on my all time favorites. Not something that I will probably read again.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes

By Diana Gabaldon
This book is the sixth book in the Outlander series and you should not read it without reading the others! My Poppy (my mom's dad) recommended these books to me and was even kind enough to send me all of his copies. I love them. Andrew hates it when I start one because I carry it with me everywhere. I can't think of a good way to describe them that doesn't sound kind of cheesy but trust me they aren't.

The premise of the series is that a woman, Claire, accidentally goes back in time and ends up in the 1700's. She falls in love with a Scottish Highlander, Jamie. The series is about their lives during the Scottish uprising, traveling to the colonies, and the American Revolution. I'm not a big romance novel person, but the romance in this book is balanced with some reason, not very mushy, and includes normal realistic fights. I'm not a big time traveler book, but the characters in the series are just as confused about the time traveling as I would be, so that makes it better. And I love historical fiction! My favorite thing about these books is the glimpse into the day to day life of the characters, not just an action packed plot. You really feel like you know them and that they are fairly normal people. The author is also pretty funny and remembers to write about both the humorous and sad things that happen in life.

There are at least 2 more books coming, the author is working on one that should be done at the end of this year and she says that it isn't the end of the story. Each of the six books is between 600-1100 pages, so don't get started on these unless you like a long, in depth detailed book.

The English Patient

By Michael OndaatjeThis book was a good follow up to The Twilight Saga, and a good break from school. I say that because it was very low-key and relaxing. It was enjoyable to read but nothing really exciting happens. The book is about 4 people who accidentally come together at the end of World War II. They live together in a deserted Italian villa that is wired with undetonated bombs. While they are together, we gradually learn their stories.

There is Hana, a young Canadian Army nurse, who has lost her father in the war. She is caring for "the English patient," a man who is burned beyond recognition in a plane crash and claims to be English. Carvaggio is a Canadian who was a friend of Hana's father before the war. He is a spy turned thief who was caught by the Germans and punished. Finally, there is Kip, a Sikh who specializes in bomb disposal. All of the characters have very interesting stories. Throughout the book their stories are told in a very dreamlike way, little bits at time.

I'm not sure that I recommend this book, just because I think that you have to have a distinct personality and be in a specific mood to really enjoy it. If you are big into plots, then this book isn't for you. It is very beautifully written but it sort of meanders around the point. And then it just stops suddenly. I don't say this very often, but I am wondering if it makes a better movie than a book. Has anyone seen it?

The Twilight Series

By Stephanie Meyer



So I just finished reading these three books last weekend. Several people had been trying to get me to read them and I had been resisting. For some reason I get stubborn about reading books that people gush over. Then my mom brought me up the first one. I didn't even pick it up for a few days. Once I did I was doomed. I read all three back to back and didn't do anything else for an entire weekend.

The basic plot line is fairly simple. A teenage girl, Bella, moves to Forks, WA and falls in love with a vampire, Edward. The rest of the story is about them trying to figure out how they can be together without her getting killed.

They are really well written, have a fairly unique plot line, and complex characters (for teen books). I'm always a little hesitant about romantic plot lines but this was really well done. And the vampires and werewolves thing wasn't weird at all (I was worried about this). I highly recommend them, they move along fast and are fairly easy reads. However, I don't recommend reading one until you want to read all three. I can't wait for the other two books to come out!

Something New

I have always loved reading, I kind of devour books. I have tried several times before to keep track of all of the books that I have read and how I felt about them, but nothing ever stuck. I recently started blogging about my reading on our main blog. But after only 2 weeks, I am thinking that my books could take over the blog. So I am moving my book diary here. I think it will help it be more organized and user friendly, I want to be able to find my thoughts someday! Just like I was doing before, I plan to explain what the book was about and a few thoughts on why I did or didn't like it. If you have any reading recommendations leave me a comment, I am always looking for a good book!