Book Clubs

It’s been so long since I posted! Not that I haven’t been reading, I just seem to have swept into the Book Club vortex! I facilitate two different book clubs each month for my job, and for some reason, for the last couple of months, we’ve been reading some pretty hefty books. I guess somebody needs to pay a little more attention to the page count! By the time I finish one, it’s time to read the other, and not a lot of  time for extracurricular reading. : ( Here’s some of the titles we’ve read recently, and not a bad apple in the bunch!

        

What’s cookin’?

When my boss asked me to choose some books for our book club discussions that were themed to our summer reading program, little did I know what an adventure it would turn into! Our theme this year is “Reading is so delicious”, sooo, needless to say, I read a LOT of food books in my search! But you know what? Now I can’t stop!

Before my life got stupid crazy, I used to cook. I loved cooking. I loved reading cookbooks, loved watching the cooking shows, all that. And then, I lost my inspiration. I stopped cooking. Well, happily, the inspiration is back, and here are some of the books that have gotten me back into the groove. Thanks Jessie!

Practical Jean by Trevor Cole

Jean Horemarsh lives in a quaint small town, where she owns a ceramics shop. She’s been married for 29 years to Milt, a substitute teacher, and they live a quiet, ordinary life. When Jean’s mom becomes terminally ill, it’s up to Jean, as the only daughter in the family to care for her, and the experience leaves Jean with a new perspective on life – and death. No one should have to suffer the way her mother did, so Jean determines that she’ll be doing her best friends a favor by sparing them the indignities of aging and illness, and one by one, sets out to kill them.

Cole addresses the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters, as well as women and their friends in this darkly humorous tale. A quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

1Q84 by Haruki Mirukami

The year is 1984. The place is Japan.

Tengo is a math teacher and a writer who lives a very quiet life. He finds himself struggling though, to get his ideas onto the page. When he is contacted by an editor friend to “fix up” a book written by a seventeen year old girl. When he gets his working copy of the book, he finds himself diving head first into the rewrite, completely engrossed in the story and the world that the girl has created. Soon though, Tengo notices certain changes in the world around him, and he discovers that maybe the young girl’s book isn’t fiction after all.

Aomame is a hired assassin for a secret organization. On the way to a meeting, she begins to notice strange things, and finds that she has been transported to another world. This new world is very similar in many ways to the world she’s familiar with, but it’s also very different. She calls this place 1Q84.

Tengo and Aomame went to elementary school together for a while, and had one encounter that was very memorable for both of them. Now, twenty years later, in this new world, Tengo and Aomame find themselves thinking about one another, and yearning to find each other. Little do they know that in 1Q84, their fates are tied together in ways that they don’t completely understand.

At 925 pages, 1Q84 is a big book, in more ways than one. It took me a month to read, which is a lot for me, since I can usually knock out a book in a couple of days. I almost gave up a couple of times, but I couldn’t. I had to know what happened! The book, while a little repetitive in spots, is so well written, there were times I just had to stop and reread a section or a phrase. Mirukami’s writing style is simple, elegant, and very observant to the details of everyday life, sometimes to the most minute detail. I’m still not sure I “get” what the alternative reality was about, but that’s OK, because this is one of those books that I won’t mind re-reading, probably again and again.

Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks

At 22 years old, the Kid doesn’t have a lot going for him at the moment. A loner by nature, he doesn’t have any friends, he barely finished high school, and he’s never even kissed a girl. After being kicked out of the army, he gets arrested for meeting up with a minor he met on the internet, and is now on parole. As a registered sex offender, he’s not allowed to live within 2500 feet of any school or day care center, or frequent areas where kids might congregate, and he’s not allowed to use the internet. He’s also not allowed to leave the county, and in this busy area of Florida, that doesn’t leave him a lot of options. So, he’s set up camp under the Causeway with his six foot long iguana, in the only place in the area that’s isolated enough to allow him to obey the law, and still be able to get to his job.

The camp is populated by other offenders who’ve sought refuge there as well, and their ragged encampment makes the townspeople very uncomfortable. After a raid on the camp makes the news, the Kid is approached by the Professor, a larger than life college professor who claims to be doing research on sex offenders and homelessness and maybe help the camp’s residents improve conditions so that the authorities will lay off. Although sceptical, the Kid slowly begins to trust the Professor, and accepts his help.

When a hurricane blows through, the encampment is endangered, and in the wake of the storm, there is more than physical damage to deal with. The Professor has been keeping some secrets, and when they are revealed, threaten to topple the Kid’s already shaky foundation.

Although it’s a really tough subject, Mr. Banks has crafted an amazing tale. The character stories are revealed one layer at a time in a way that makes you want to keep reading. And he while he doesn’t excuse the Kid’s behavior, heck, even the Kid knows he was acting like a dumb ass, given the back story, you can see how the Kid landed here, and at the end, you feel hopeful and heartbroken for him, all at the same time.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

In the 70’s in rural Mississippi, two young men become unlikely friends over the course of one fateful summer. Larry is the son of white lower middle class parents and Silas is the son of a black single mother. Despite the warnings of both of their parents, the boys friendship continues to grow, until Larry takes a girl out on a date, and the girl disappears and is never heard from or found.

Living under a cloud of suspicion, Larry is ostracized by the community, and he is sent away to the military. After his father’s death, he tries to hang on to the family business, a mechanic shop, but no one wants to do business with a suspected killer.

Twenty or so years later, the two friends have lost touch when Silas comes back to town as a police officer. Another girl disappears, and once again, Larry is under suspicion. As the investigation continues, the two men are forced to revisit the events of the past, and confront the secrets that have been buried for so long.

This book starts out with a bang, and I was immediately drawn into the story. I devoured this book in one afternoon, and enjoyed every page! The story shifts back and forth between the past and the present, and the secrets of the past are unfolded layer by carefully constructed layer. Mr. Franklin’s writing style is just beautiful, and I can’t wait to get my hands on some more.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Hadley Richardson is 29 years old when she meets a young Ernest Hemingway in Chicago in 1920. Following a whirlwind courtship, the couple are soon married, and are off to begin their life in Paris. It’s the Jazz Age in Paris, and the city is full of artists, writers, and beautiful people. Soon, their circle of friends includes the company of Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. The couple aren’t quite prepared for the unusual lifestyles and heavy drinking of their peers, and while their wild behavior provides a bit of amusement, it soon takes its toll on their marriage.

As Ernest struggles to write and get his work published, Hadley has struggles of her own as she tries to be supportive of her husband and his work, and yet maintain a sense of her own identity. The couple is still very much in love, and when the betrayal comes, they are both shaken.

Drawing from Hemingway’s own memoir of his life in Paris, “A Movable Feast”, as well as other biographical sources, Ms. McLain has given us a glimpse into the Paris of the 1920’s, and into the mind and heart of one of the world’s greatest writers. As a love story, the tale of Hemingway’s marriage is sometimes sweet, often volatile, and a great read. I’m predicting that this one will be a book club favorite.

The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly

Karen has led a relatively sheltered and scholarly life. On the verge of her graduation from university, she has a chance meeting with Biba, and she is immediately drawn to the free-spirited young woman. Soon, Karen is living with Biba and her brother Rex in their falling down mansion on the edge of the Queen’s Wood, and having a secret fling with Rex. Karen is thoroughly entranced by her new bohemian friends, and the summer is filled with non-stop parties and drama. It all comes to a shocking end one evening however, and everyone’s lives are forever changed.

Fast forward ten years, and Rex is released from prison, where he has done time for murder. He goes home with Karen, and nine-year-old Alice, and the little family tries to pick up the pieces. But the past continues to haunt Karen, and now she must risk everything to keep her family intact.

Taut, suspenseful, and a very compelling read. Couldn’t put this one down!

When Tito Loved Clara by Jon Michaud

Growing up in Manhattan, Clara had a tough time. Having been brought to New York from the Dominican Republic and her grandparents farm, it was a difficult adjustment. But, with hard work and determination, Clara was able to escape from her chaotic home life. She went to college, became a librarian, and is now making a quiet life with her husband and young son. She’s worked hard at putting her past behind her, and she’d like to keep it that way.

Clara’s grip on her well-ordered quiet life becomes tenuous though, when her pregnant 16 year-old niece moves in , and threatens to upset the balance. Not only that, but Clara’s unemployed husband is increasingly distant, and they aren’t making much headway into their fertility issues.

Enter Tito, the boyfriend from Clara’s senior year of high school. Tito loved Clara back then, and even though he’s a grown man in his 30’s, he still lives at home with his parents, and he can’t seem to make a relationship with a woman work out. He’s always trying to recapture the feelings he had with Clara. That is, until one day, when they were 18, she just disappears. Now, he’s found her again.

A very well spun story, told from differing viewpoints, and with a cast of lovable but very flawed characters.

Agent X by Noah Boyd

Oh, Steve Vail! You’re my favorite ex-FBI agent/bricklayer/sculptor ever! Too bad you’re so hung up on Kate…

When Steve worked with the FBI on a difficult case in “The Bricklayer”, it was supposed to be a one shot deal. When he goes to Washington DC for what he hopes will be a romantic New Year’s Eve date with Kate, it becomes much more complicated when he is asked by the FBI to take on another case.

A Russian agent has informed the FBI that one of their own is working as a double agent. As Steve and the team try to figure out Calculus’ puzzles, the body count starts to rise, and Kate is brought under suspicion.

This story had so many twists and turns, I almost lost the plot, but it was a most entertaining ride! I’m hoping they’ll bring Steve to the big screen – the world could use another hero like him!