November 2009 book- Blink

    This is an awesome book. The power of thinking with out thinking or “gut instinct”- when it works, and why. Also what happens when we get it wrong. We gave it four and a half stars. It is one of those books that makes you think.

October 2009 book- Twilight

 

Every year for book club we try to choose something to fit the holiday of Halloween for our October selection. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer wrote a new version of the vampire story. What could be more fitting than vampires. I have to be honest that I haven’t finished this book even at this late posting. It just isn’t working for me. I guess I am not much of a romance reader and as much as this book is about vampires it is a love story. The folks in our club either loved or hated this book the ratings were 4 stars or 1 star. The average is two and three quarter stars.  It might be a nice book if you are trying to encourage younger folks to join your club others wise it wasn’t much of a hit.

September 2009 book- Queen Of The Road

  Queen of the Road: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of It’s Own by Doreen Orion. This is a great book for something light hearted. Our club gave it 4 stars. A couple of psychiatrists  DINKS decide to hit the road in a tricked out RV for one full year. What they learn about the country, each other, and themselves is worth the journey. It is worth the quick read for a bit of smile.

August 2009 book- Three Cups Of Tea

Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin have made a most amazing account of how one person can really change the world. Mortenson took a failed climbing attempt at K2 and turned it into a life’s mission to educate girls in central Asia. That journey is detailed in this incredibly inspiring book. Relin who tells the tale of Mortenson’s life does a wonderful job of keeping Mortenson human. He shows him with all his flaws as well as his single minded desire to move mountains- literally- to bring education to girls in these rural areas. Our club gave it a unanimous five stars. Read this book it will change your life. I for one wrote this guy a check. Check out the organization at this https://www.ikat.org/

July 2009 book- The Screwtape Letters

July’s book was The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I hate this book. I don’t say that very often but I really hate this book. I didn’t like it when I read it when I was fifteen and I really don’t like it now. It is whiney and malicious. The club hated it as well. We considered giving it a zero and then settled on a one. It is by consensus the worst book we have read as a club. On to August.

June 2009 book- Under The Tuscan Sun

I am going to preface this book club entry by telling you Under the Tuscan Sun by Francis Mayes I one of my personal favorite books. I have probably read this book a half a dozen times. I can relate to her story in a very personal way. It is almost as if she lives a parallel life to me in many ways. She is a teacher as am I. She went through a very painful divorce she didn’t ask for – as did I. She married again to another teacher- as have I. Her and her husband bought a very old house in Italy and restored it to live in. Our house is not quite as old- only 180 years and is in Cedar Springs, but you get the idea. It is a story about recovery and reinventing oneself. I read it every February when I have begun to wonder if I will ever again see anything green. The book is full of gardens and recipes along with remodeling and rediscovery. The rest of the club was – so so on it. They just didn’t find the story as moving as I have. The over all rating was three stars. I was not dissuaded.I will be found again in February curled up on he couch with my head deep in a field of sunflowers and my toes in the garden dirt of Italy.

May 2009 book- Nine Parts Of Desire

I am WAY behind in posting book club. May was yet another Geraldine Brooks book. This makes four and also makes her the only author we have read that many books from. This book was truly amazing. It is, in my opinion, the most unbiased look in to the lives of women in countries controlled by Islamic fundamentalists, that I have read. You have a real sense the author respects her subjects and has a meaningful grasp of the complexities of their lives. I can see why she  won the Pulitzer. We gave it our highest rating of five stars. We felt we walked away with a deeper understanding of the Islamic faith and it’s role in the culture in these countries. It is highly recommended.

April 2009 book- People Of The Book

Once again book club posts have gotten away from me. Our April book was People Of The Book by Geraldine Brooks. She is also the author of March and Year Of Wonders which our book club has also read. We really liked both of those books and we loved this one. We gave it five stars. The history is fabulous as is the story line. The descriptions move you back in time. The characters are engaging and believable. There is quite a bit of Hebrew but it is relatively easily understood in context. I highly recommend it.

March 2009 book- The Highest Tide

This book by Jim Lynch was a sweet coming of age tale of a boy and the ocean. It is a tale of the one amazing summer of adolescence. Our group liked this book.  It is an easy read.  I think I read it in about 3 hours.  We gave it three and a half stars.  This was also the “One County One Book” selection that is done every year.  It is a nice way to spend a few hours.

February 2009 book- Away

 

Away by Amy Bloom is the tale of a Jewish woman who immigrates to America after losing her entire family in a Russian pogrom.  It is beautifully written but horrible to follow.  The story takes lots of side trips that don’t seem to make much sense and the ending leaves you confused.  It made for an excellent discussion but not a pleasant read. It is quite sexually graphic in what seems to be an arbitrary way. It seemed as if she were trying to write seven or eight different books all at the same time.  We didn’t like it as a whole.  We gave it one and a quarter stars. The best quote of the book discussion- “Well it wasn’t the worst book I have ever read.”

January 2009 book- A Year In Provence

A year in Provence by Peter Mayle, we all really liked this book.  It is a quick read.   Most of us read it in one or two sittings.  It is a less descriptive and French version of Under the Tuscan Sun.   It has colorful characters and a pleasant rhythm to the story.  It is funny and sweet.  It is a nice pick me up on a cold winter day. We gave it four stars.

November 2008 book - So Brave, Young and Handsome

I am just realizing that I haven’t been posting our book club books. Here they come fast and furious!

This second novel by Lief Enger is again a wonderful little modern cow boy tale. He has a remarkable way of taking the classic old west tale – cow boys, horses, train robbers and the good guys trying to catch them and some how makes it fresh and modern. Our book club also read Peace Like A River his first novel. He came to Grand Rapids for our “One County One Book” program as the featured author and I had the pleasure of meeting him and having dinner with him. I really enjoyed this book. It is a charming tale and you get a sense it is a bit autobiographical as the main character is an author with writers block. Our book club really liked this giving it 4 1/2 stars

October 2008 book- Dracula

For October we always try to pick some thing to get us in the Halloween spirit. We also try to periodically pick a classic. Dracula by Bram Stoker fit both of these categories. I think I was the only one who had read it before- and I read it when I was about twelve, so it had been awhile to put it modestly. We particularly liked the format of journal entries. The story line is a classic good vs. evil. the ending drags a bit but other wise we liked it. The characters are well developed and the descriptions are picturesque. We gave it three and a half stars.

September 2008 book- Lucky You

Lucky You by Carl Hiaasen was our book this month. It is an over the top really funny, slightly racy story about two very different people winning the lottery and having to split it. It is a classic good versus evil and you know where the story is going and how it will end but the fun is in getting there. Believe me it is fun. I for got to ask for a star rating we were all laughing to hard. This was recommend by Roger one of our members, and it was quite the hit. I recommend it as long as you aren't easily offended. I will get the stars back to you next month. All in all a funny, enjoyable read.

August 2008 book- Girl With A Pearl Earring

Our August book was Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chavalier. This books tells a fictional account of the possible story behind this famous painting. The basics of the story are historically accurate as far as history and the facts are known. It is a simple story with complex, well developed characters. It didn't hurt that Roger, one of the group had been to Delft and even Johannes Vermeer's house - which still exists. Our group loved this book. We gave it four and three quarter stars. I highly recommend it.

July 2008 book- God Grew Tired Of Us

Whew I am behind- we meet for our August book in two days and I haven't posted July's book. July's book is God Grew Tired Of Us by John Bul Dau. It is an auto-biography as one of the lost boys of Sudan. He chronicles his trip out of Sudan all the way to Syracuse NY. It is inspiring and sad all at the same time. It is a very quick read- I read it in a couple of hours. The last 30 pages is a bit of a drag but otherwise it is fabulous. On a personal note I didn't realize that Grand Rapids took the largest amount of lost boys as immigrants. Both Clint and I have had them in class but just assumed that other cities were taking a similar number. Yeah for Grand Rapids. On a scale of 1-5 we gave this book 4 stars.

June 2008 book - Eye Contact

June's book club book was Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern. The premise of the story is a boy with autism is the only witness to a murder and he becomes the key to solving it. We decided the author did a very good job of capturing what it is like to have autism, but she didn't do a very good job of writing a murder mystery. Most people in the group didn't like the ending. It wasn't that it was a "bad" ending, but more that it wasn't plausible. We gave it an average of three stars.

May 2008 book - The Life And Times Of The Thunderbolt Kid

Our Club has read this author before- A Walk In The Woods and The Lost Continent. Clint and I have also read, Notes From A Small Island, and A Short History Of Nearly Everything. Bryson is acerbic and funny. The club gave it four and a quarter stars. I was on the high end of this average. Clint liked it even a bit more than I did. In many of Bryson's books it is as if he gets tired of the subject before he completes the book. Usually the last fifty pages or so are a bit whiny but this maintains the humorous tone. All in all a good read even if you didn't grow up on Iowa in the nineteen fifties.

April 2008 book- Regrets And Promises

April's book- Regrets And Promises by Dennis McGarry, is one of the best books I have read in a while. The author is local and came to our book discussion. We gave it 4and 3/4 stars. One person of the twenty three people didn't like it, and that was because there are two swear words. You think you know where the story is going but you don't. There is a fabulous twist at the end. Besides really liking the story it was fun to read something taking place in towns I know- Trufant, Pierson, Cedar Springs, and Big Rapids. He published the book himself and is currently looking for a publisher. He will come to schools and provide copies for English classes. He wrote the story to connect with high school students. Kids- Mr. Lanning has a copy to preview- courtesy the author. The author sells the books for $8 each and he lets you read it first. The book is currently going for $25 on Amazon. I do not currently have the authors contact information but I will get it and post it here.

March 2008 book - A Free Life

March's book club book was A Free Life by Ha Jin. This was also the "One County- One Book" book. The author came to speak on the 1st of April. I didn't go. Our book club was rather lukewarm on this one, two and three quarters stars. I didn't like it much at all. I was on the low end of that average. I think it could have been a good book with a better editor. It is about 350 pages to long. It does do a nice job of capturing the immigrant story coming form communist China in the 1980's, I just had a difficult time liking any of the characters much. It was quite the six hundred page slog. I won't publish the questions unles some one asks. I am ready to be done with this book. On to next month.