Our book for June was Sister, by Rosamund Lupton. Not very many people made it out to the discussion. I'm not sure if this is a reflection of their busy schedules or their opinion of the book. Sister is Lupton's debut novel and earned a star review from Publishers Weekly and was listed on Amazon's Best Books of the Month for June 2011.
The novel is written as a letter from Beatrice (Bee) to her dead sister,
Tess, recounting the events since Tess's disappearance. Within this
framework, Bee alternates between having a conversation with Tess and
re-telling her story to a lawyer. The reader is kept in suspense as to whether Tess was murdered, as Bee believes, or has simply committed suicide, as the police believe.
I found the storyline
intriguing, trying to guess what really happened. However, it
was also quite confusing keeping the timeline straight. There was the present
(Bee writing the letter), the past (her recounting the events to the
lawyer), and the "distant" past (the things that she was telling the
lawyer about). The writing itself has a bit of a dream-like quality to
it. (I liked the concept of "singing your song" to the one you love.)
Between the time jumps and the passive writing style, it was hard for me
to be fully drawn into the story.
Those who attended the discussion had mixed reviews: the rating scores ranged from 4 to 10 (based on a 1 - 10 scale, with 10 being "I loved it.")
Feel free to add your comments!
Friday, July 5, 2013
Sweet Salt Air
Our book for May was Sweet Salt Air, by Barbara Delinsky. I was lucky enough to win advance reader copies (ARC) for our group with the proviso that we post comments on Barbara Delinsky's
Facebook page (https://facebook.com/bdelinsky) or on our own personal Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and/or blogs. If you've read the book, and haven't already done so, please post comments somewhere. Thanks!
In Sweet Salt Air, Nicole and Charlotte are lifelong friends until a secret sends Charlotte away. Ten years later Nicole, who now has secrets of her own, invites Charlotte back into her life to collaborate on a summer project. Charlotte, lured by the island life she misses and feeling she owes Nicole, agrees. Will the bonds of friendship be strong enough to withstand past betrayals? The story takes place on an imaginary island off the coast of Maine. Delinsky does such a wonderful job describing Quinnipeague that it comes to life in much the same way a character would.
Themes of friendship, loyalty, betrayal, trust, honesty, fear of success, meaning of family, love, and so much more are in this easy-to-read novel. However, none of these themes are explored very deeply and the book reads like a Hallmark movie. (Making this a beach read? A piece of fluff? Not worth your time? You decide.) A big complaint was the number of typos found, but remember these are ARCs and the final product should be free of these issues.
I loved the romance story within the story as well as the "mystical" aspects of the garden. I couldn't put it down.
Here are some of the thoughts expressed by various members of our group:
* "I thoroughly enjoyed it."
* "If you read this book late at night, you promise yourself that you will only read a few more pages but you keep reading."
* "Would love to believe that the treatment he received can help MS as I know several people with it."
* Cecily's story & herb lore were interesting. Was the herbology true?
* Recipes should have been included or an online addendum would have been nice
* We all loved the cover!
Seven people attended the discussion and nine people rated the book. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being "I loved it" it scored 6.3.
Feel free to add your comments!
Facebook page (https://facebook.com/bdelinsky) or on our own personal Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and/or blogs. If you've read the book, and haven't already done so, please post comments somewhere. Thanks!
In Sweet Salt Air, Nicole and Charlotte are lifelong friends until a secret sends Charlotte away. Ten years later Nicole, who now has secrets of her own, invites Charlotte back into her life to collaborate on a summer project. Charlotte, lured by the island life she misses and feeling she owes Nicole, agrees. Will the bonds of friendship be strong enough to withstand past betrayals? The story takes place on an imaginary island off the coast of Maine. Delinsky does such a wonderful job describing Quinnipeague that it comes to life in much the same way a character would.
Themes of friendship, loyalty, betrayal, trust, honesty, fear of success, meaning of family, love, and so much more are in this easy-to-read novel. However, none of these themes are explored very deeply and the book reads like a Hallmark movie. (Making this a beach read? A piece of fluff? Not worth your time? You decide.) A big complaint was the number of typos found, but remember these are ARCs and the final product should be free of these issues.
I loved the romance story within the story as well as the "mystical" aspects of the garden. I couldn't put it down.
Here are some of the thoughts expressed by various members of our group:
* "I thoroughly enjoyed it."
* "If you read this book late at night, you promise yourself that you will only read a few more pages but you keep reading."
* "Would love to believe that the treatment he received can help MS as I know several people with it."
* Cecily's story & herb lore were interesting. Was the herbology true?
* Recipes should have been included or an online addendum would have been nice
* We all loved the cover!
Seven people attended the discussion and nine people rated the book. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being "I loved it" it scored 6.3.
Feel free to add your comments!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
A Field Trip to Hancock Shaker Museum
On Friday, May 31, 2013 some of us were able to join the Orange Library Association on their annual outing. This year they went to the Hancock Shaker Museum and the Arrowhead Museum (aka the
Herman Melville House) located in Pittsfield, Mass. Because the trip serves as a professional development opportunity for area librarians, the first part of the outing involved a behind-the-scenes tour of the Hancock Shaker Museum's library. The curator showed us various primary source documents and photos and explained how they obtained the items in their collection. It was quite interesting, albeit a bit dry, and a tad too long - even for us librarian types!
Our tour guide then took us around one of the larger buildings, explaining various aspects of Shaker life. Believe me, Ms. Kuhn's did her homework in A Simple Murder! Remember how Rees described the silence during meals? Evidently, each 4-person section of table (2 people on either side) had its own salt, pepper, water pitcher, etc so everything was within reach and one didn't even need to ask one's neighbor to pass something. Walking the grounds and touring the building, I was able to put myself right into the book's setting. The tour guides were dressed as Shakers so that added to the ambiance.
Lunch was included in our tour at Hancock Shaker Village and consisted of: "Assorted Sandwiches on Breads and Wraps, Tossed Salad with Dijon Herb Vinaigrette, Garden Vegetable Pasta Salad, Kettle Chips, Cookies and
Brownies, Iced Tea, Lemon Water and Coffee Station." It was delicious! I had a veggie wrap and part of a roast beef sandwich. (Thanks for sharing Barbara H!). The salads were also very good.
After lunch we were free to roam the grounds for a short time. There was so much to see we didn't have time for it all! (I will certainly be going back on my own!) If you couldn't join us, I would encourage you to try to make the trip on your own. Visit http://hancockshakervillage.org/ for more information.
At 1:30 we departed Hancock Shaker Village and headed to Arrowhead Museum, home of Herman Melville. Here we were treated to a tour of the home and a history of the Melville family. Evidently many of the men were sailors/ whalers! If you're a Melville fan, interested in whaling or just enjoy history then you might enjoy a visit here. For more information go to http://www.mobydick.org/
An account of our day wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention the bus ride. I think it was easily 85 degrees that day and wouldn't you know it, the air conditioning wasn't working! We were roasted, steamed and then baked. The windows were the kind that don't open so it quickly got very hot on our short trip to Arrowhead. The bus driver made calls during our tour but couldn't resolve the situation. Part way home (it was a 2-hour drive!) arrangements were made to change buses. We pulled off at a service area and fled the bus as quickly as possible! While we waited on the grass for the replacement bus, it started to rain, which felt somewhat refreshing. Look! It's our new bus! Did I hear a few cheers? The cheers were short-lived when we were told that this bus's air conditioning broke on the drive to get us. Wet, we piled back onto our original bus and headed home. What a frustrating way to end a marvelous day!
Our tour guide then took us around one of the larger buildings, explaining various aspects of Shaker life. Believe me, Ms. Kuhn's did her homework in A Simple Murder! Remember how Rees described the silence during meals? Evidently, each 4-person section of table (2 people on either side) had its own salt, pepper, water pitcher, etc so everything was within reach and one didn't even need to ask one's neighbor to pass something. Walking the grounds and touring the building, I was able to put myself right into the book's setting. The tour guides were dressed as Shakers so that added to the ambiance.
Lunch was included in our tour at Hancock Shaker Village and consisted of: "Assorted Sandwiches on Breads and Wraps, Tossed Salad with Dijon Herb Vinaigrette, Garden Vegetable Pasta Salad, Kettle Chips, Cookies and
Brownies, Iced Tea, Lemon Water and Coffee Station." It was delicious! I had a veggie wrap and part of a roast beef sandwich. (Thanks for sharing Barbara H!). The salads were also very good.
After lunch we were free to roam the grounds for a short time. There was so much to see we didn't have time for it all! (I will certainly be going back on my own!) If you couldn't join us, I would encourage you to try to make the trip on your own. Visit http://hancockshakervillage.org/ for more information.
At 1:30 we departed Hancock Shaker Village and headed to Arrowhead Museum, home of Herman Melville. Here we were treated to a tour of the home and a history of the Melville family. Evidently many of the men were sailors/ whalers! If you're a Melville fan, interested in whaling or just enjoy history then you might enjoy a visit here. For more information go to http://www.mobydick.org/
An account of our day wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention the bus ride. I think it was easily 85 degrees that day and wouldn't you know it, the air conditioning wasn't working! We were roasted, steamed and then baked. The windows were the kind that don't open so it quickly got very hot on our short trip to Arrowhead. The bus driver made calls during our tour but couldn't resolve the situation. Part way home (it was a 2-hour drive!) arrangements were made to change buses. We pulled off at a service area and fled the bus as quickly as possible! While we waited on the grass for the replacement bus, it started to rain, which felt somewhat refreshing. Look! It's our new bus! Did I hear a few cheers? The cheers were short-lived when we were told that this bus's air conditioning broke on the drive to get us. Wet, we piled back onto our original bus and headed home. What a frustrating way to end a marvelous day!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
A Simple Murder
On April 17 we met to discuss A Simple Murder, by Eleanor Kuhns. The story takes place in Maine, in the late 1700s, with much of the action revolving in and around a Shaker community. We were very privileged to have the author join us and lead our discussion!
Ms. Kuhns explained that she chose to write about this time in history because there are very few books that take place during the period after the Revolution. She made her main character a weaver because she wanted a person who would be traveling and because she's a weaver herself. Shakers interested her because, among other things, the women have equal authority, a rarity especially in that time period. Ms. Kuhns provided all manner of background information on the Shakers, their history and current day status. We were given an intriguing, behind-the-scenes look into her thought processes in writing the book as well as insider information on publishing. Eleanor was an engaging speaker and we're looking forward to reading her next book, Death of a Dyer. You can follow her on her website at www.eleanor-kuhns.com.
If you attended the discussion, feel free to add your thoughts.
Ms. Kuhns explained that she chose to write about this time in history because there are very few books that take place during the period after the Revolution. She made her main character a weaver because she wanted a person who would be traveling and because she's a weaver herself. Shakers interested her because, among other things, the women have equal authority, a rarity especially in that time period. Ms. Kuhns provided all manner of background information on the Shakers, their history and current day status. We were given an intriguing, behind-the-scenes look into her thought processes in writing the book as well as insider information on publishing. Eleanor was an engaging speaker and we're looking forward to reading her next book, Death of a Dyer. You can follow her on her website at www.eleanor-kuhns.com.
If you attended the discussion, feel free to add your thoughts.
Welcome and Happy Anniversary!
April 2013 was the group's 12-year anniversary! What a run we've had! So many good books, a few truly wonderful reads, and, yes, some duds as well. Literary, historical, multicultural, and popular fiction, award-winners, biographies, non-fiction, and banned books are among the genres we've tackled. More than once I've heard someone say, "I never would have read this if it weren't for book discussion." Over the years we've all read something outside our normal "comfort zone" and I think most of us were happy to have our reading horizons expanded.
In addition to our monthly discussions we've had potluck dinners, guest speakers, scholar-led discussions and field trips. We've visited the home of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site (Val-Kill), Peter's Valley, and Mills Mansion. We've gone to the movies, attended a lecture by Pete Hamill, and enjoyed several murder mystery dinners, one of which was aboard a cruise on the Hudson River.
Our group would be nothing without the ladies! We're a well-rounded group, from all walks of life: stay-at-home moms, professional women, and retired women of all ages. The thing we have in common is our love of books and the desire to talk about them. Indeed, sometimes it's our differences and varied life experiences that make our discussions so enjoyable: we each offer a unique perspective on the topic. Thank you to everyone who has made our book discussion group such a great success!
It's been a great twelve years and I'm looking forward to many more!
In addition to our monthly discussions we've had potluck dinners, guest speakers, scholar-led discussions and field trips. We've visited the home of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site (Val-Kill), Peter's Valley, and Mills Mansion. We've gone to the movies, attended a lecture by Pete Hamill, and enjoyed several murder mystery dinners, one of which was aboard a cruise on the Hudson River.
Our group would be nothing without the ladies! We're a well-rounded group, from all walks of life: stay-at-home moms, professional women, and retired women of all ages. The thing we have in common is our love of books and the desire to talk about them. Indeed, sometimes it's our differences and varied life experiences that make our discussions so enjoyable: we each offer a unique perspective on the topic. Thank you to everyone who has made our book discussion group such a great success!
It's been a great twelve years and I'm looking forward to many more!
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