Christmas Cheer

Instead of selecting a book by votes this time, please enjoy one or more of the holiday-themed books, and share your thoughts and feelings about the book with the rest of us. This might seem odd, but my 94-year-old mother-in-law told me this is how her book club operated all of the time. Each member would read a book and do a report on the book each month.

After the holidays, we will return to our usual format.

Let's begin discussion about our books January 9.

Happy holidays.

Time to Vote!

Amidst the confusion and joy of Thanksgiving, we had a somewhat abbreviated discussion about The Lost Wife, which everyone seemed to like in varying degrees.

But enough about the Holocaust. Time to bring on Christmas cheer.

Here are our December choices:

Lost December, by Richard Paul Evans
1225 Christmas Tree Lane, by Debbie Macomber
The Puppy That Came for Christmas, by Megan Aix
Comfort and Joy, by India Knight
A Chistmas Blizzard, by Garrison Keillor
Christmas Homecoming, by Anne Perry

I know there are a lot, and we'll see how it goes. Since I'm not anticipating that there will be a lot of intense discussion about a holiday novel, maybe we can pick a couple, and people can just discuss the one we each read. I don't know -- I'm making it up as I go! Bec and I found these all at Barnes and Noble. Some might only be in hardcover, but they are all very inexpensive at B & N and Amazon.

Please vote by Sunday the 4th

A Different Look at Love

I hate books that make me cry. I hate movies that make me cry. I hate when life makes me cry.

I dislike crying at a book so much that I have been known to glance at the ending of a book that I suspect might end sadly to see if the main character is still living and breathing. Nothing makes me feel more cheated than having a character of whom I have grown fond die of some deadly disease at the end.

Having said that, I must tell you that I LOVED this book. I simply couldn't put it down. I would walk around the house reading it. I took it with me to the bathroom. If my hands weren't otherwise occupied, I was reading this book.

And obviously it wasn't because I wanted to see what happens next. I know how the Holocaust ends. And besides, they tell you in the first chapter that Lenka and Josef find one another.

I found Richman's writing to be hauntingly beautiful. I reread passage after passage just because I liked the way the words sounded.

The story was about love. Through all of the atrocities, in the end, the story spoke about the love people had for one another. Not just Lenka's and Josef's love, though that was intense. The love of Lenka for her family. The love of Lucie for Lenka's mother and her whole family. Even the love that Lenka and Josef had for their respective spouses.

I thought that the love displayed by the people in the concentration camps for one another was amazing (though there were some disturbing stories of people stealing from each other, but given the circumstances, it's not surprising). But what about when Theresa (the artist who could paint with such detail that Lenka thought she had gotten ahold of gold leaf) made that flower for Rita so that she had something beautiful to wear when she married? That almost took my breath away.

The stories about life in the concentration camp will haunt me for a long time. But I loved the will that people had to live. I particularly loved the idea that Lenka's mother kind of came out of her shell while teaching the children at Terezin.

I cried and cried and cried while reading this book. It scares me to think that there is a possibility of people forgetting that this happened or pretending that it didn't once all of the survivors have died.

I loved Richman's use of color to describe people and situations. I guess that probably tied in with Lenka being an artist. It made me sad to think that she was unable to make art after life in Auschwitz. But I was very happy that she found happiness (or some degree of happiness anyway) in her life with Carl

Didn't you just love Carl? The passages describing how Lenka stayed with Carl as he died were so touching and probably made me cry as hard as any other part of the book.

How did this book impact you? Did you learn anything new about the Holocaust?

While I think it's probably high time we read a more cheerful book, I have to say that this is one of my favorite books that I've ever read. Five stars in my opinion.

October/November book selection

The book chosen for our next discussion was The Lost Wife, by Alyson Richman. Discussion will begin November 20, 2011.

Enjoy your read!

It seems as though we all enjoyed The Paris Wife, and learned a lot about the era following World War I, and about Ernest Hemingway.

Randomly, several of our choices for our next read are about the period surrounding World War II. I am offering five books this time because I bet some of you have already read Room.The last book was on our list for last time, and came in a close second.

Our choices are: The Well and the Mine, by Gin Phillips; Wildflower Hill, by Kimberly Freeman; The Lost Wife, by Alyson Richman; Room, by Emma Donoghue; and State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett.

Please email your selection for our next book club read to kzmclain@comcast.net by Sunday night.

The Paris Wife

From Beckie:

I'm glad we voted for The Paris Wife, because I really liked the book.  Many of you know that I'm a former English teacher, and I think the time between the two World Wars is one of the most interesting literary periods.  I don't care for Hemingway's writing, so I don't know too much about him.  I'm assuming this book is well researched, and, if so, then I learned a lot about both the time period and Hemingway himself. 

 

I've never understood why so many of the great American authors of that time became ex-patriots, often living in Paris.  World War I was horrendous, and it left its mark on every man who fought.  I'm not sure why these Americans would go to Paris, when France was the site of much of the worst fighting.  Hemingway (at least as he's portrayed in this novel) never shook off the horrors he experienced.  He was such a macho guy, and it must have been humiliating for him to be haunted by those nightmares.  It seemed like he was running from his memories, trying to experience one over-the-top adventure after another, to erase what he had experienced.  I suppose this turned him into a better writer, but I certainly wouldn't have wanted him for a friend. 

 

I didn't find Hadley to be a very sympathetic character, etiher.  She put up with a lot from her husband, but she also drove me a little crazy.  When he needed to travel because of his work, she was so clingy.  She was definitely set up to be a contrast with the "modern woman" who was emerging at the time.  There's nothing wrong with relishing the role of wife and mother, but it caused her to lose her identity and independence, at least for a while.  I did sympathize with her toward the end of their marriage.  The social code of their friends made her feel that she was somehow an old-fashioned prude if she didn't turn a blind eye to Ernest's infidelities. 

 

Despite not finding either of the main characters especially likeable, I enjoyed the interplay between them.  Their relationship was complex, and it definitely reflected the time period.  They lived a wild life, overindulging in everything...food, alcohol, sex...  As a reader, I watched them spiral more and more out of control.  I honestly don't think the end of their marriage was so much from his other relationship as it was from the effects of their social circle.  The need to constantly out-do each other in terms of drinking, adventures, and even putting up with bad behavior created intolerable pressure.  It's hard to see how any marriage could withstand that.

 

Finally, I enjoyed the insight into the creative process of an author.  Obviously, there are many ways to approach writing; Hemingway's work schedule and determination were admirable.  I enjoyed tracking his progress as a writer and his struggles to get his work published.  He wasn't a pleasant man, but he took his writing seriously and had incredibly high expectations for himself.

 

With that, I'll throw the discussion out to the rest of you, with just a couple of minor questions:

 

What was your reaction when Hadley lost all of Hemingway's manuscripts on the train?  I literally groaned out loud.

Was anyone else annoyed with the nicknames? I found it maddening, especially Hadley and Ernest calling each other Tatie.  Tatie???

And the winner is....

It was a very close vote this time. We will be reading The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain. Discussion will begin Wednesday, September 21.

Enjoy your month in Paris!

August/September Book Club Choices

Great discussion on Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. I just finished reading his first novel, Hell at the Breech, and, while good, it wasn't nearly as good.

The next book choices, offered by Bec, are:

Caleb's Crossing by Gerladine Brooks;
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett;
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain; and
A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron.

Please have your votes to me by Sunday, August 14, by emailing me at kzmclain@comcast.net.

Which letter was crooked?

I’m a big fan of Jan Karon’s Mitford novels. As you probably know, these novels take place in the fictional pretty little North Carolina town of Mitford. The characters are eccentric but sweet. Happiness and joy abound.

Contrast this with Franklin’s story that takes place in rural Mississippi. Dark and mean. Many of the characters are angry and violent. Poverty abounds.

I wonder if one author’s south is more accurate than the other’s. Probably not. Probably snapshots of different lives.

I LOVED this book, and will be very interested to see if others felt the same. I can’t remember the last time I cared so much about a character in a book as I did about Larry – poor Larry who carried such a difficult burden for such a long time.

The story, while very dark, was absolutely compelling. I never believed that Larry was guilty of the original crime, but Silas’ role in the whole event took me by surprise. I liked Silas, but am not sure I can ever forgive him for making Larry carry this burden for so long.

Having said that, I will say that it’s also been a long time since I’ve wept over a book, and the ending of this novel made me cry like a baby. What Silas gave to Larry was so simple, and so absolutely dear and heartfelt.

I have never read anything by Tom Franklin, but I think he is one of the best writer’s I’ve ever read. His descriptions were magnificent. When he would describe food, I could taste it. When he would describe a scene, I could smell the dust in the air and see the sun coming through the trees. His writing was astounding.

Obviously Wallace Stringfellow was a terrible fellow. But Larry’s father and Cindy’s father were evil, plain and simple. Three very despicable characters.

Such a picture Franklin drew about the poverty and the prejudice that Larry and Silas grew up with! I was horrified at the scene where Larry’s dad made Larry and Silas fight over the gun, and then mocked Larry over his stuttering. I was angry at Silas for holding Larry on the ground, resulting in Larry calling him a nigger, and then holding a grudge for so many years. But what a picture Franklin painted of the anger of youth, especially when that anger is fueled by evilness and poverty.

Was the book too dark for you?

Who did you think was the most evil character?

Did Silas’ role take you by surprise?

And most importantly, what in the hell does the title Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter mean?

July book

Votes are in, and we chose Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, by Tom Franklin.

Discussion will begin August 5. Happy reading!

Vote for your next book!

Our next book choices are: Celia Garth, by Gwen Bristow; How High the Moon, by Sandra Kring; Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter, by Tom Franklin; The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, by Kelly O'Connor McNees; and Spooner, by Pete Dexter.

Please email me your votes (kzmclain@comcast.net) by Sunday, June 26. Happy reading.

Secret Life

For me, reading The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes was a bit like eating fruit for dessert – it tastes good, but it doesn’t really completely satisfy.

I have never read anything by Diane Chamberlain, who appears to be quite prolific. Some of the reviews of this book on Amazon indicated it took a bit longer to get into this book than some of the others she has written. I can’t compare, but I will say that it took some time for me to get into this book. Once I did, I found the author’s writing to be quite good, drawing me into wanting to read the next chapter.

Having said this, I struggled with this book on a number of accounts. I have said before, if one wants to enjoy reading, one has to very often suspend reality. And so I tried very hard to convince myself that it was possible that a 16-year-old girl with no parents could be convinced to become involved in a kidnapping. And not just an ordinary kidnapping (is there such a thing?), but the kidnapping of a very well known public figure. However, CeeCee seemed to be so sensible in all other aspects of her life that it really was hard for me to overcome this nagging doubt that this basic element of the book would happen.

I was intrigued by the underground network that helped her escape with Cori, and wondered if such a thing actually exists. Don’t know. Seems unlikely.

The other thing that I really struggled with was Cori’s rejection of her mother during her college years and after. I recognize that the boyfriend was largely responsible for this rejection, but I felt as if the author didn’t present Cori and Eve’s relationship in such a way to indicate that Eve had been very overprotective. There were a few comments by Eve’s husband that he should allow Cori to be hurt, experience shyness, etc., but not to the extent that you would totally reject your mother.

Furthermore, it seemed somewhat unrealistic that the governor/university president would so quickly fall in love with his daughter; likewise, the sister. Finally, recognizing Cori’s intense dislike for her mother, it troubled me to see just how quickly she forgave her and came around to her side. Though, maybe that just indicated that her anger was never really genuine.

This review makes it sound as though I heartily disliked this book, and I didn’t. As I said, I found it very readable once I got into it. I liked most of the characters (not Timothy and his brother, of course). I enjoyed Marian very much, and also liked Eve’s husband (though I have to admit he was much more forgiving of someone who had fed him so many untruths than I would have been).

Having Eve be so sick with rheumatoid arthritis provided depth to the book that I liked. It provided a realistic element.

I’m curious to know if all of you were able to suspend reality better than me. Also, who were your favorite characters and your least favorite characters, and why? Would you read anything else by Diane Chamberlain?

Cee Cee

Voting is complete; we chose The Secret Life of Cee Cee Wilkes, by Diane Chamberlain. We will begin discussion Saturday, June 4.

May book choice

This month, our "host" is Andrea. Here are her offerings:

Alias Grace, by Margaret Atwood; The Kitchen House, by Kathleen Grisson; The Secret Life of Cee Cee Wilkes, by Diane Chamberlain; Every Last One, by Anna Quindlen; and Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand.

Email your vote to me at kzmclain@comcast.net. Voting ends May 2.

Annie Freeman

In all honesty, I can’t tell you that I never abandon a book. In fact, I abandon books all the time. When it comes to reading, my motto has always been Life is too short to read a bad book. Furthermore, there are lots and lots and lots of really good books to read, and so little time to read them.

I will tell you, however, that I generally give books more time than I gave this one. What’s more, I rarely have to write a book review about a book that I have so unsentimentally tossed aside. But here goes.

With apologies to any of you who enjoyed this book (and that’s why there are so many authors and so many kinds of books), I thought this was one of the worst books I have ever read (or attempted to read). I have never read anything by this author, so I’m reluctant to use such a broad sweep in dismissing her, but I don’t think I will ever attempt another book by Kris Radish.

Her characters, whom I was undoubtedly supposed to like and commiserate with, were pretentious and overbearing. In the short time I spent with this book, I came to heartily dislike them all – and Annie Freeman most of all.

The dialog was unrealistic. Nobody talks that way. The narration was so over-the-top. I just felt that I could never be friends with any of the characters, and most assuredly not with the author. Isn’t that so unfair of me?

The chapters were mostly blessedly short. But even a few pages devoted to a bra was simply too much to bear. It’s a BRA for God’s sake. The bra could be made out of mink lined with silk and I wouldn’t be that distraught over its destruction. And were I to ever interact with a UPS delivery person in that way, I would most assuredly be incarcerated.

I am more than willing to allow for literary license. If we were to require that all books be totally like real life, none of us would likely read at all. But still, these women were thrown together in these unlikely circumstances, and simply loved each other immediately. Really? And not only that, but everyone around them loved them as well. REEEEEAAALLLY?

I wanted to like this book. I really love the idea of friendship books. Not to bring up a sore subject, but that is one of the things I like most about Fannie Flagg (Remember? Our last author? The one you all hated?) I love the friendships among her women characters. But I just didn’t like any of these women, and didn’t want to be any of their friends. I didn’t know how they could stand each other!

Please, please, please, if you disagree with me, tell me why. I really hope that I misunderstood something about this book.

March/April book

The book chosen is Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral, by Kris Radish. Deadline to begin discussion will be April 23.

Enjoy reading.

New Book Choices

Following are the book choices offered by our March/April host, Jen:

The Echo Maker, by Richard Powers;

Lark and Termite, by Jayne Anne Phillips;

Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral, by Kris Radish;

and

Life, Love, and a Polar Bear Tattoo, by Heather Wardell

Please vote for your book choice by Thursday, March 17, by emailing kzmclain@comcast.net.

Interesting choices!

Stars Fell on Alabama

So, who could possibly have thought when we chose this book that I, your esteem host, would subsequently have a nearly month-long stay in the hospital, only to leave minus part of my bowel. Thanks to all of you for your prayers and good wishes. I am on the road to recovery.

As a result of my illness, however, I was unable to read this or any other book until recently. While it was slow getting into, I enjoyed this book a great deal.

While I love any Fannie Flagg book, the subject matter is nearly always eccentric and uncomfortable and the characters are always (to use an old-fashioned and currently politically incorrect term) queer. I honestly can't think of a better word. Off-beat. Weird. Funny. Loveable. Even the bad guys. Don't you LOVE that Babs Babington never came around to being nice? She spent that entire day with Maggie, but proudly proclaimed at the end of it that she was still going to be an evil bitch, and proud of it.

And really Ladies, how can you not like a book where the character driving the entire story line is a midget who has been dead for a number of years? Hazel was one of the most decent and loveable characters I have ever come across in a book. She positively impacted her friends tremendously, and they will love her forever because of that. And talk about not feeling sorry for yourself? Hazel certainly never did.

True, suicide is an uncomfortable topic. And I never could quite figure out why exactly Maggie felt the need to leave this earth. But her plans for carrying out the deed, and the way she carried them out, making sure that all of her debts were paid and she took care of those she loved prior to the suicide were so sweet to me. And I loved the way she would run into her roadblock and simply go put the suicide note away until she solved the newest issue facing her.

When you read Fannie Flagg, you must know that you are going to have to struggle a bit with a serious issue, but she will never let you down. Her characters' decency always rise to the top. And she always makes me laugh out loud.

January/February Book

We have chosen I Still Dream About You, by Fannie Flagg, as our January/February book. Discussion will begin on February 25. Happy reading!

January/February Book Choices

We had tremendous discussion about our last book. Thanks for all of your comments.

Here are our choices for the next book discussion: 29: A Novel, by Adena Halpern; I Still Dream About You, by Fannie Flagg; Raising Jake, by Charlie Carillo; and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, by Helen Simpson.

Please cast your vote by Wednesday, January 18, by emailing me at kzmclain@comcast.net.

Good Daughters is a good read

The Good Daughters caught me from the very beginning and never let me go. I liked almost everything about this book.

I had never read anything by the author, in fact, had never heard of her. I approached the book with some trepidation as a result. As it turns out, I absolutely love her writing style.

I thought the characters were (for the most part anyway) realistic. There were good guys and bad guys, but not in the black hat/white hat way of some books. The characterizations seemed genuine. For example, the character that I liked the least, really disliked in fact, was Dana’s father. However, he wasn’t abusive in the strictest sense of the word. He didn’t sexually abuse her, nor did he physically abuse either of the children. Yet, he was so immature and unavailable that I wanted to strangle him. And really, Val wasn’t much better, though I found her to be less disturbing.

On the other side of the coin, I really liked Edwin. Despite the fact that he had cheated on his wife (who appears to be somewhat frigid), he was just so very kind to his daughter. I felt like he really went out of his way to be kind to Ruth, perhaps because he observed that her so-called mother was so distant to her.

Which character did you like best and who did you like least?

I said that I liked almost everything about the book. There were some things that I thought weren’t particularly realistic. For example, I felt that it was too predictable that Dana loved farming and Ruth was artistic. Having said this, however, I have to say that I never suspected the truth about the girls’ father until Ruth’s Connie came and took her away upon learning that she was pregnant with Ray’s child. Ah ha, I said. Perhaps I shouldn’t ever decide to be a detective. At what point did you suspect the truth?

I also am curious as to your opinions on whether or not Connie ever knew that Val had an affair (or at least a one-night stand) with Edwin. She knew that Val was Ruth’s mother, but did she know that Edwin was Ruth’s father? I guess I think she did, and suspect that is part of why she had so much interest in Val as well as Dana.

I also was somewhat disconcerted by the fact that Connie apparently just went along with Edwin when he suggested that they not make a big deal about the switching of the babies. Really? That didn’t seem terribly realistic to me.

Overall, I thought this was one of the best books I’ve ever read, and I would rate it an 8 out of 10. I will definitely read something else by this author.

As an aside, I was so interested in her that I looked her up on Wikipedia. I learned that she lived with J.D. Salinger for some time starting when she was about 18 years old. Interesting.