So... it looks like I must be coming up a over year on the book club I go to, because my "books that I have read" collection is a little past 12. We also skipped some months due to other's travel plans.
I really like the book club I am in. We all contribute and bring food for a nice lunch, people can bring their kids if they want, and they go off and play. I really enjoy hearing others people's thoughts on the books as well as expressing my own. It is a good activity for me.
The first book club I went to, I just went to listen, since it was too late to read the book. They discussed "Little Women." I watched the movie ages ago, but did not remember enough of it to contribute to the conversation. I do want to eventually read this book when I get the chance.
The first book I read for book club was "Plain and Simple" by Sue Bender. It was a short book. It is about a woman who went to visit the Amish. I found it interesting to read about how Amish live. I thought the author was a little strange, though.
The second book chosen was a favorite of mine, "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. It is a book about prejudice, and how it was viewed through a child's eyes. The movie is really good too, but I suggest you read the book first.
The third book that was chosen was "The Goose Girl" by Shannon Hale. I had never heard of it before, but I am glad it was chosen, because it became a favorite of mine. A unique fairytale, with twists and turns, and a little humor and violence as well. A good summer read.
The next book was "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre, d. Ält. Dumas. I felt a lot of pressure to get this one read in only a month. It is about a man who is unjustly arrested and escapes from prison, wanting to get revenge on all who had done him wrong. At times it felt like the plot was long and drawn out. I think I would I would have liked it better, had I had a little more time to enjoy it. Most people I know really love this book. I thought it was okay.
After reading "The Count of Monte Cristo," I was nervous to read "The Scarlet Pimpernel" by Emmuska Orczy, I had read it once before, right after seeing the movie (which I loved), and I was VERY disappointed in it the first time. It was so different from the movie I had seen, I decided it was the worst book I ever read. I now really like the book, now that I have given it a second chance.
"The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare turned out to be another favorite of mine after reading it for book club. I once described it as "To Kill a Mockingbird Meets Anne of Green Gables." It is another book about prejudice. It is set in the time when there were witch trials. It has some romance, and an orange cat (I love orange cats).
"The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde is a tragic tale of the changing of one man's soul. It was great discussion book, and my book club had mixed reviews on it. I never decided whether I liked the book or not, but I thought it had a good concept.
Around the month of December we read "The Christmas Box," by Richard Paul Evans. It was a short, easy read. For most of us, it was just okay. A young couple and their small child go to live to care for a rich elderly woman in her home, to learn the first gift of Christmas.
I know many of my friends really enjoy this book and read it to their kids once a year. Some of the members of my book club were disappointed when they found out that the book was fiction. It had a disclaimer right in front that said it was not a true story, but I guess they missed that part. I enjoyed the first part of the book, but it was very predictable and it a seemed little lacking in something in the end, I am not sure why. I briefly caught some of the movie later on T.V. and thought it was funny, because I felt the demeanor of the characters were totally changed. In the book the characters seem calm, in the movie they all seem angry.
"The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis was certainly different. C.S. is a favorite author of mine, but I would not say this is one of my favorite works of his. However, the way this is written in comparison to his other works, just proves how talented he truly is. It is a series of letters written by a devil to his devil apprentice. It is all very one-sided and selfish, and C.S. Lewis does a great job of making you loathe the main (and really the only) main character.
"The Princess Bride: S Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure" by William Goldman. It expands on what the movie already shows you. One person in my book club did not like it just because it was too much like the movie, but I like it because of that, as well as giving more depth to the characters. Some funny questions brought up in book club were, "Did Morgenstern (who supposedly was the original author) exist?" (I think not), and "How does 'The Princess Bride' compare to 'The Lord of the Rings?'"
"The Horse Boy: A Father's Quest to Heal His Son" was a very interesting book. I was not expecting to like it at all. It is a true story about a boy with autism, and how he relates to animals, mainly horses to connect with the human world. His father then takes him to Mongolia where a long adventure begins. I am really glad I read this book. I don't think I would be able to endure some of the things this family went through, but it was interesting nonetheless.
The book we are reading now is called "The Seven Miracles That Saved America, Why They Matter and Why We Should Have Hope," by Chris Stewart and Ted Stewart. It took forever to get it from the library, due to so many holds. So far, it is pretty interesting. I guess I will write my review of it later.
After that book is finished, we will read "Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder," by Joanne Fluke. This is the first book I have been able to pick out for book club. I really debated on what I should choose, and I definitely had some others in mind, but I decided to go with something a little more light, and fun. It is about a cookie maker who gets involved in solving a murder mystery in a small town. It has a little suspense, a little romance, and an orange cat, which I love.
