Clubbing in January -- Part 2

Overbooked members ventured into Middle-earth to kick off their second year of book discussions with The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien. The classic tale follows its hero, Bilbo Baggins, as he sets out on an adventure with thirteen militant dwarves who are searching to reclaim their treasure from Smaug, the dragon. As they continue to encounter dangers and challenges, Bilbo learns about himself and life outside his safe little hole. This is a story that can be read over and over, while getting something new out of it every time. The discussion group thoroughly enjoyed it and gave a strong 4.5 rating to this classic. 

Young Soul Readers discussed I'm the Girl by Courtney Summers for their January selection. Georgia Avis might only be sixteen years old, but she has high hopes of escaping the poverty she was born into. Her dreams of the beautiful life she thinks she deserves are interrupted when she discovers the dead body of another teen. Georgia teams up with the victim's sister, Nora, to solve the crime and the two find themselves in a world of immense wealth and privilege. While she's witnessing all she thought she ever wanted, she also learns the dangers that can accompany such a lifestyle. The discussion group enjoyed the book and gave it a solid 3.7 rating. 

The Readers discussion group chose a fantasy for their first discussion of 2024. The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alex E. Harrow follows January Scallar as she grows from a young ward of Mr. Locke, who is aptly named since he basically locks her away when he learns of her special powers to see doors to other worlds. Encountering dangers and adventures behind each new door, January finds new purpose in her life as she waits to be reunited with her family, from whom Mr. Locke has desperately tried to keep her separated. The Readers found the concept of this novel intriguing and gave it a strong 4.33 rating. 
 

Clubbing in January -- Part 1

The Night Owls kicked off their 2024 discussions in January with Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sustanto. This comical first book in a series received a 3.2 out of five stars, meaning the majority of members liked it. Main character, Maddeline Chan finds herself in quite the predicament when her blind date ends up dead and her mother and aunties concoct a plan to dispose of the bodies. The Chans have a family wedding business, and they can't let a pesky dead body in their cooler throw a wrench into their success. While they try to figure out a solution to this farce, Maddeline runs into an old flame, which only complicates things more. Some discussion members liked the slap-stick comedy, likening it to a Weekend at Bernie's kind of situation, while other members thought a lot of it was just absurd and hard to believe ever happening. The aunties were definitely the highlight of the book. 

The Questers discussed The Last Lecture in January. Professor Randy Pausch was told he only had months to live when diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. While many teachers offer up inspirational words of wisdom in what is known as their last lecture, his was literally, his last opportunity to tell his students, his children, and the world what he had learned. In this book, the reader gets a glimpse into that lecture and the thoughts and actions behind his words. While the Questers found the book generally inspiring, some had a hard time reading it, as it hit a bit too close to home. Many members agreed that it could be read differently at different stages of life, and also thought it would make a great graduation gift. Overall, the group gave it 3.68 stars.

Once Upon a Crime members began a new year of discussions with Cat about Town by Cate Conte. It is the first novel in this cozy mystery series. When Maddie James opens a cat cafe, she is not prepared for one of her new feline friends to stumble upon the dead body of the town bully. She's gone from the cat-whisperer to the main suspect, while still managing to attract two eligible bachelors who are trying to woo her. This is the perfect read to curl up under a blanket and enjoy a touch of mystery, a touch of humor, and a touch of romance. The discussion group gave it a 3.7 rating.
 

The Readers -- December 20, 2023

 

The Readers met on December 20 to discuss The Boat of Dreams, A Christmas Story, by Richard Preston. The story, which was originally written for the author's friend who was dying of breast cancer, centers on the Foster family in a Maine lobster town. Sarah Ann and her two children, Will and Lila, live in a small trailer and are struggling to make ends meet. They have recently received news that Will Sr, has been lost in the Vietnam conflict and they are on the verge of losing their home. The children come home one day to find a grouchy, smelly old man in their trailer, whom they soon come to realize is actually Santa Claus. Due to a crash with the Hoover Dam, he will now need their help, as well as their father's boat, to deliver dreams for Christmas.

The group gave the book an overall rating of 3.17. While the book was void of the usual sweetness found in Christmas books, it was not overly uplifting either. It was confusing as to whether or not the author wanted us to believe that the stranger was Santa Claus or God. It was hard to picture Santa guzzling beer from a recliner while watching a soap opera. There were some touching moments in the book, like when the local fisherman refused to let the Foster family lose their boat, and when Lila gave up her favorite stuffed animal to another child, but all in all, it was just an ok read with an ending that felt like no more than a footnote.

Questers -- December 13, 2023

The Questers ended 2023 on a high note with a book almost everyone in the group liked. The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin received 3.6 stars.

The book introduces readers to three main characters: Alice, Jake, and Harry. All three have experienced great loss, loneliness, and grief, but when their lives surprisingly intersect on Alice's bee farm, we see a beautiful friendship develop. As the bees are threatened by the newest chemicals being used by local farms, the three misfits band together to help the bees, their community, and each other. 
 

The Questers agreed that this was a pleasant read with very likable characters. When we put the book down, we felt good about what we read. It also provided a lot of interested information about bee keeping and bees in general. There was just enough conflict to make it interesting without leaving the reader feeling a lot of angst. 

Once Upon a Crime -- December 5, 2023

The Once Upon a Crime book club met to discuss our December book, One by One, by Ruth Ware. With seven members present, it received 4.2 stars out of 5.

Most of us were caught off guard by the ending. There were many twists, turns, and hints throughout the book that we thought pointed to other characters. 

A group of people from a business travel to a winter chalet for a bonding trip. They get checked in and rest for the evening. The next morning they all leave to go skiing. Just as they are preparing to come back, they experience an avalanche. One of the members is knocked off of the mountain. The rest of the group make it back to the chalet and are devastated when they realized one member doesn't return. Many of the buildings are knocked down and buried, leaving them with no electricity or Internet. The group is torn up over the loss of their friend. The next morning they discover another member of the group is found dead. Many strange things are starting to happen. Two more people are killed and one comes up missing.

The discussion group agreed this is a very good book. If this sounds like a book club you may be interested in, let us know and we can add you to the mystery book club. Our next meeting is January 2nd and we will be reading A Cat About Town, by Cate Conte. 

 

Overbooked -- December 4, 2023

Overbooked got into the holiday spirits (pun intended) with December’s book club pick, the Charles Dickens classic novella, A Christmas Carol. The story begins on Christmas Eve as the reader is introduced to the main character Ebenezer Scrooge, the penny-pinching curmudgeon who is visited by the spirit of his long-deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, who brings him a dire warning and a chance for redemption from three Christmas spirits. 

Members discussed the impact of Dickens’ story and how it has become a cultural touchstone not just in literature but in other forms of media as well, particularly in film. One member commented “Imagine the world without A Christmas Carol” and others were hard pressed to disagree, especially given how quintessential it has become in relation to the holiday season. Members were also tickled by the connection between the story's name and the chapters being called “staves” which is not immediately clear to non-music reading folks. For members that have previously read works by the author, they agreed that A Christmas Carol is probably the best entry point for anyone wanting to dip their toes in the Dickensian literary pool, as his other novels can be a bit more difficult to wade through. 

Overall, the Overbookers were delighted to have read the novel and still be surprised by a story we all know so well even if you never read the book previously. A Christmas Carol was given a positive 4.4 out of 5 star-rating.

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.