Overbooked -- November 6, 2023

Overbooked met in November to discuss the National Book Award winning title The Round House by Louise Erdrich. Told in first person perspective by Joe Coutts, the story centers around the assault his mother suffered when he was 13 years old and the ensuing investigation that pulls in several members of the community who reside on an Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota. Growing frustrated with the abysmal investigation into his mother’s case, Joe sets out with the aid of his friends to seek justice on her behalf and learns too late that some actions lead to life-haunting consequences.

 Some members initially admitted to being lost at different points in the story due to the scattered dialogue. Other members however believed that may have been intentional as it was reminiscent of the fractured thoughts of a 13 year old boy being retold by his adult self. Yet members all agreed on the profoundery of Erdrich’s writing with members reading aloud passages that resonated with them. This was a novel that members stated is a deeply thought provoking work of literature for anyone that appreciates this genre of books and that greatly benefits from group discussions. The Overbookers all expressed interest in reading more of this author’s work for future book discussions.

The Round House received an overall positive response, averaging a 4 out of 5-star rating.

 

The Readers -- November 15, 2023

 

The Readers Book Club met recently to discuss The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson. The story is told through the first-person perspectives of five women. Lorraine is the ever-patient nurse in a nursing home, taking care of the steady but sharp-tongued Margaret, and her friend and sidekick, the wacky Bernice. Rhonda is the hairdresser who takes on an extra job as the hairdresser for the home, and comes to love the residents. There is also April, Lorraine's daughter, who works hard to become a doctor, the profession she dreamed of as a child. 

Unfortunately, the group did not care for the book, only giving it a rating of 1.83 out of a possible 5 stars. Most of the members felt that the book had no purpose and left them with the feeling that reading it was a waste of time. The characters, while likable, had no depth and the stories were not developed. The book was confusing, as there seemed to be no flow from one character's story to the next. The time jumps in the plot happened without wrapping up anything that occurred before. It was as if the author was trying to be Steel Magnolias, but fell short. 

Night Owls - November 13, 2023

The Night Owls book club met in November to discuss The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. It received 3.3 out of 5 stars. 

It is the summer of 1950 and at the once grand mansion of Buckshaw, a young Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, is intrigued by a series of inexplicable events. A dead bird is found on the doorstep, and a postage stamp is bizarrely pinned to its beak. Then, hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath. 

For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. "I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn't. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life." 

Though the group thought the plot was slow at times, and overall stamps are pretty boring, everyone found Flavia to be a delightful protagonist. Witty and smart, her dialogue and interactions with the other characters helped compensate for the slow progression of the mystery. 
 

Once Upon a Crime -- November 7, 2023

The Once Upon a Crime book club met in November to discuss The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the book and it received 4.3 out of 5 stars.

A woman suffering from the fear of going outside her home watches out her window to see the neighbors and what is going on around her. Without actually being out, she sees her neighbor lady, who had just visited her, be murdered. Unfortunately, no one believes her. She had been in a car accident that claimed both her husband and her daughter, to whom she still "talks" and she just doesn't have much credibility among law enforcement. When she calls the police, they do investigate, but the person she claims she saw get killed, clearly was not, so who was it?! 

This book was very interesting with lots of quirks and tiny little hints of what is truly going on. Some clues a few a group members didn't pick up on until the group discussed it! There were a lot of surprises, including the ending.

The group all agreed this was a great read and hard to put down.
 

Questers - November 9, 2023

Out of the Clear Blue Sky by Kristan Higgins introduced the Questers to Lillie Silva, who suddenly finds herself alone when her son leaves for college and her husband leaves for another woman. Up until the moment Brad announces he has found someone else who helps him find his "joy", she thought they had an ideal family and marriage, and was even planning a European vacation for the two of them. The news prompts her to get closer to the sister she grew distant from in adulthood and forces her to navigate her rocky relationship with her own mother, since her in-laws abandoned her also. 

The book offers glimpses of humor as Lillie allows herself some vindictiveness toward her husband's mistress, but when she meets his soon to be step-daughter, her heart begins to soften. She finds herself thrust into the role of midwife for the young and beautiful Melissa, the object of Lillie's disdain. 

The Questers liked the book, giving it 3.3 stars out of 5. The humor helped to balance the sadness of the destruction of this marriage. The mother-daughter relationships in the story provided the growth in characters needed for it to not spiral into a chaotic, depressing tale. 
 

Overbooked and Night Owls - October 9, 2023

It was a melding of the minds (or groups) for October as Overbooked and Night Owls members both met to discuss the Shirley Jackson gothic mystery, We Have Always Lived in the Castle. The novel, the last to be written before Jackson’s death, is told from the perspective of the main character, 18-year old Mary Katherine “Merricat” Blackwood as she recounts the tragic events that have befallen her family which isolate her and the remaining members from their local community.

 Members noted that from the start of the novel, Merricat is not trusted as a reliable narrator, given her tendency to dissociate from situations as a means of coping with the difficult realities around her. While the author’s writing initially appears simplistic, members couldn’t shake the feeling that everything has a much deeper meaning and adds an additional layer of uncertainty while reading through the novel. Merricat’s other relatives, her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian, also made for interesting points of discussion as members closely scrutinized and analyzed the characters’ peculiarities to find deeper and darker meanings.

Despite some members admitting that this is not the typical book they would normally reach for, they could appreciate the novel’s gothic elements and its inclusion as our October book. I think one book club member best summed up the book by saying “it reminds me of Anne of Green Gables if Anne were a psychopath.” Overall, the book received a modest 3.2 out of a 5 stars rating.

The Readers -- October 18, 2023

The Readers Book Club met on October 18 to discuss A Bad Day for Sunshine, by Darynda Jones. The book is the first in a series about Sunshine Vicram, who returns to her hometown of Del Sol, New Mexico, as the newly elected sheriff. Sunshine's first day on the job proves to be much more interesting than she had anticipated. The day begins with the delivery of muffins, which everyone swears are bad luck. This seems to ring true, as shortly following the delivery, a car crashes through the front window of the department. The car is driven by a distraught mother, whose daughter is missing. Also filling Sunshine's first day on the job is an escaped convict, a stolen prize rooster, a missing boy, and an ex flame, who may or may not be involved in her own unsolved abduction from years ago.

The group was all over the board with how they felt about the novel. The ratings were as low as a 2, and as high as 4.5, giving the book a final score of 3.375. One of the issues the group had with the novel was how many story lines were introduced, many of which seemed unnecessary and contrived. Sunshine was abducted as a teenager and much of the book touches on this. The case went unsolved, and it is still that way at the conclusion of the book. In spite of this, the book was fun. The characters had good rapport, particularly Sunshine and her daughter. The people surrounding Sunshine are loyal and kind, and she comes across as witty and intelligent. A few of the club members intend to finish the series, and have been instructed to report back to the rest of the group as to who actually abducted Sunshine and fathered her daughter.

Young Soul Readers -- October 16, 2023

Little & Lion is a stunning novel on love, loss, identity, and redemption written by Brandy Colbert. When Suzette comes home to Los Angeles from her boarding school in New England, she isn't sure if she'll ever want to go back. L.A. is where her friends and family are, along with her crush, Emil. Her stepbrother, Lionel, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, needs her emotional support. But as she settles into her old life, Suzette finds herself falling for someone new...the same girl her brother is in love with. When Lionel's disorder spirals out of control, Suzette is forced to confront her past mistakes and find a way to help her brother before he hurts himself--or worse.

The novel did a good job of representing multiple diverse identities, including race, sexuality, religion, disability, and non-traditional family structures. A significant theme of the novel is Suzette’s exploration of her bisexuality. This book is a recipient of the Stonewall Book Award, which recognizes exceptional LGBTQ+ literature. In addition to the diversity represented by the main characters, the peripheral characters are also diverse in race, sexuality, and ability.

Members did like how realistic this novel portrayed the different identities. However, some of them didn’t have relevance to the story causing it to be a slower read. The nonlinear narrative style was a little frustrating also. It didn’t necessarily have to be written that way for readers to understand the story. Overall, members decided, for a YA read, it was satisfactory. They rated it three out of five stars.  

 

Questers -- October 11, 2023

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a classic American tale of two drifters trying to find a little piece of the world where they belong. As they work as ranch hands, they have a goal in mind to own a piece of land, raise their own animals and food, and just live their lives in peace. They face challenges along the way, especially when Lennie's lack of intellectual development is taken advantage of by others. 

This is a tragic tale that masterfully creates an emotional investment for the reader. We want the diminutive George and gargantuan Lennie to see their dreams come true, but foreshadowing makes us doubt that possibility as much as the characters doubt themselves. Dangers lurk around every corner for Lennie, who doesn't understand his own strength or the motives behind George's orders to stay away from people who might cause them trouble. 

The Questers gave the book a 3.13 rating out of 5 stars. They respected the writing and agreed the author created a classic by giving the readers an emotional storyline that resonated with our own deep desires for human connection and a place of belonging. However, it is a deeply sad book, which contributed to such an average rating.  

 

Once Upon a Crime -- October 3, 2023

The Once Upon a Crime book club met to discuss the book, Elevator Pitch, by Linwood Barclay. With seven members voting, the book received 4.4 out of five stars. The group enjoyed the many unforeseen twists and turns and surprises in the plot. However, they did agree that the author rushed the ending and it didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story.

A very upset government aid is getting back at the mayor for something he did years ago. He's figured out how to gain control of the elevators in some of New York's tallest buildings. He's trying to do away with the mayor's biggest money backers by sabotaging the elevators in their offices. This was intriguing, but the group discussed why some of the people were killed when they weren't really directly involved with any campaign for the mayor. 

A terrorist group was also in attendance at the gathering at the city office and most were pointing fingers at them. This is a most riveting story which will have a reader a little hesitant to enter an elevator!