End of 2010 Books

Hmmm...I guess having a baby and then going back to work slowed me down on my updating!!!  We've been meeting for book club though!  We've been on a roll with really good books lately.  Here's to more great books in 2011!

Our August Book

Island Beneath the Sun

By Isabelle Allende

This was a book that I didn't finish.  I started it and the language was beautiful, but very literary.  I was just too sleep deprived that once I started it I was asleep!  I'd like to go back to it someday though.

Our September Book

Tricks 

By Ellen Hopkins

 This book I loved.  Ellen Hopkins has a way of getting down and dirty when it comes to teen issues.  She talks about topics that aren't easy to broach.  I love her novels in poetry.  This book was interesting because it tied in so many different stories.

Our October Book

Pope Joan 

By Donna Woolfolk Cross

I was at least halfway into this one when book club snuck up on me.  I need to check it our from the library again so I can finish it.  I liked the writing, it reminded me of Beneath a Marble Sky and The Red Tent.

Our November Book

Room 

By Emma Donoghue

I listened to the audiobook in my car and found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next!  This book starts of without telling you where the main character is and what his circumstance is.  I liked the way it was written from the perspective of a 5-year-old. 

Our December Book

Zeitoun 

By Dave Eggers

I'm still only at the beginning of this book, but I really like the few chapters I have read.  This book is a nonfiction account of a man who experience Hurricane Katrina.  I'm hanging on to this one so I can finish it even though we had book club tonight.  

Our June and July Books

Our June Book:

The Devil in the White City

By Erik Larson

I have been so caught up with having my baby that I haven't blogged about book club!  In June we read one of my all-time favorite books: The Devil in the White City.  It was fun reading about Chicago history since we live in/around Chicago!  We ate yummy pizza and talked about the book!  (But I totally forgot to take a picture...I blame pregnancy brain!)

Our July Book:

The Botticelli Secret

By Marina Fiorato

In July, we read The Botticelli Secret...well, everyone else did because I was just a little bit busy having my baby and then feeding him nonstop!  I did, however, make it to book club with Danny!  It was fun eating at California Pizza Kitchen.  From what everyone said this was a pretty cool book, it was like The DaVinci Code except actually set in the past.

Nefertiti

Our April Book:

Nefertiti

By Michelle Moran

What another great work of historical fiction! This book was abo

ut (you guess it!) Nefertiti, the first female pharoah of Egypt. It's actually written from the perspective of her younger sister as she deals with Nefertiti's rise to power. This is one book that we all read and all really enjoyed...even though it was a loooong book!

The City of Thieves

Our March Book:

City of Thieves

David Benioff

It was a small group this month for book club! We had fun though! We had lots to talk about this book. It took me the first few chapters to get used to the story and what was going on but once the grandfather starts telling his story of living in Russia during WWII I was hooked. I've read quite a few WWII books, but never one about people in Russia during the time. It's a great story about a guy who's sent on a mission to find a dozen eggs when everyone everyone is struggling just to find any food to eat. It's also a love story...at least, I thought it was a love story. And it was also funny because of the characters, it's weird to say it was funny, but it was funny. Overall, I the two of us who came to discuss the book really enjoyed it!

I'm so sad that we forgot to take a picture this time...bummer.

Our October Book

Moloka'i

By Alan Brennert

Only a few of us made it through this book. It was a great book but it was a tad long and the print was a touch, well, actually, super tiny and it was 400 pages long. Those of that did read it thoroughly enjoyed it. We talked about some parts that we wish they had explained more and parts that struck a chord with us. There were so many interesting issues brought up in this book...maybe it was a little bit forced, but I thought it was great. This book chronicles the life of one girl who is quarantined to an island when she contracts leprosy. This was a historical fiction book that many of enjoyed because it gave some insight to a part of history we had either not heard of or briefly heard of before.

We did remember to take our picture this month! All is right in the world.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

Our September Book

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

This, personally, was a favorite of mine! This book is written through letters and notes and newspaper clippings to tell the story of Juliet, a writer who befriends a man in Guernsey after WWII. They write letters back and forth as two book lovers until Juliet goes to visit Guernsey and finds herself more than just in love with books. I don't think everyone was entirely smitten with this book as I was but we did have some good discussions about Markum Reynolds and Elizabeth.

Can you believe we didn't take a picture this time!?!?! I'm saddened by this. Sorry.

Beneath a Marble Sky

Our June Book:

Beneath a Marble Sky

By John Shors

This month we ate at California Pizza Kitchen to discuss John Shors' Beneath a Marble Sky.  There were some mixed emotions about the book but I think most of us liked it.  We thought it was interesting to read about the history of the Taj Mahal...but weren't sure how much was true or what happened after the story ended.  (I'll have to go do some research.)  We're pretty sure though the royal family were based mostly on real characters.  We seemed to like how smart/witty the main character was at times.  We discussed the fact that the author was a man writing in the perspective of a woman.  It didn't seem that noticeable, at least not to me anyway.  Silvia noted that fact that we have read a few books that all have people who are in polygamist marriages and that that was interesting how it crosses cultures but yet is so harshly regarded in our society.  Here we are, our little group this month:

The Red Tent

February Book of the Month

The Red Tent

By Anita Diamant

I can't speak for those of us who couldn't make it to book club tonight, but everyone who was there really enjoyed the book this month!  The Red Tent is a religious fiction book about Dinah, the daughter of Jacob.  I thought this was a great book about family and mothers and daughters.  I have to admit that it was a little slow moving, especially in the beginning of the book, but I found myself really liking the character.  

We welcomed a new member(...or two or three???) to the book club tonight.  Kim joined our book club this time and got a dose of our craziness.  We also have a potential new member...our waiter!  ...Or maybe his wife, perhaps?  

The Hour I First Believed

January Book of the Month

The Hour I First Believed

By Wally Lamb

We had some more crazy weather this month...but we decided to go ahead with book club anyway.  We met at the mall again this time.  I kind of like meeting at the mall because it gives me an excuse to get some shopping done!  Although, I don't think Chad necessarily likes all the bags I came home with!  In my defense, I think every single thing I bought was on sale!  

We had a pretty good discussion of the book because there were so many things to discuss.  I, personally, thought it was a well-written book and I liked the story and how so many things intertwined with each other, but at the same time I thought it was crazy that there were sooooo many different storylines going on and there were so many people with so many crazy issues.  I have to say it wasn't my favorite book though.  Tania, on the other hand, really liked this book and Wally Lamb is her favorite author.  She explained how she could relate to it because her family and friends remind her of the characters in the stories...as far as having crazy stories and issues themselves.  

In the Lake of the Woods

December Book of the Month

In the Lake of the Woods

By Tim O'Brien

This month we read In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O'Brien.  Unfortunately, because of a crazy snowstorm that is supposed to hit tonight we aren't out eating and discussing this book right now!!!!  Unfortunately, I did not finish the book this time!  Unfortunately, this has been a crazy month for The Chicks with Books.  

I'm about halfway through the book right now.  I have to say this was a really hard book for me to get into.  I think the plot is actually interesting but I think the way the story was told was really hard for me to follow and to figure out what is actually going on.  I guess I'll have to finish it and see if it all makes sense in the end.  I'm slowly trying to make my way through it.  

My dad is a Vietnam veteran and he has post-traumatic stress disorder.  Post-traumatic stress disorder is something many war veterans and other people who have been through extremely horrible experiences suffer from.  Again, I have to finish the book, but at this point I'm kind of disappointed with the way he portrays John Wade, the main character, in terms of being a Vietnam veteran.  I'm sure everyone deals with post-traumatic stress in different ways, and obviously, the kind of person you are before the war will play into how a war, especially Vietnam, will effect you.  I just hope not everyone gets the impression that all veterans, from Vietnam or any other war, are all as strange as John Wade.  I will definitely post when I actually finish the book, but I really felt that I had to explain that the main character is, in my opinion, psycho before he goes to war, and that that seems to play a major role in how he acts when dealing with the war and as he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.  

I am glad the author describes some possible experiences for a soldier in Vietnam and isn't afraid to talk about them.  In my knowledge of the Vietnam War, so many things that happened were hidden or even denied and no one wanted to acknowledge what soldiers went through in Vietnam.  I think besides having to deal with the horrible unimaginable experiences the soldiers had to go through, when they came back from Vietnam they weren't able to talk about it or deal with it, instead they had to keep it to themselves and try and pretend like they had no problem going back to being in normal society.  This is something we do see in John Wade, the main character.  He keeps everything to himself and it haunts him even more because he tries to tell himself it didn't happen.  I think it is so sad that these soldiers had to deal with all their memories on their own.  Just think of how common it is to talk through a problem with a friend, or to share an experience with a friend, and how much better it makes you feel.  What if you had something, probably many things, completely unbelievable that you have no choice but to keep with yourself.  It breaks my heart.  I think that now that post-traumatic stress disorder has been recognized as an actual disorder, soldiers are getting help when they come back from war.  I hope at least they have the chance to discuss and deal with their experiences in the war instead of having to hide it and keep it to themselves.   

I would really love to hear your opinions on the book and I hope we can discuss this book at our January book club along with the book we pick for January.  I welcome any thoughts you have now...and feel free to ask me any questions you have.  

Those Who Save Us

November Book of the Month

Those Who Save Us

By Jenna Blum

We had a fun night at this month's book club!  We met at a Tapas restaurant and enjoyed lots of red wine sangria!  I think this was a book that we all really liked.  It was definitely well-written and also written from an interesting perspective.  This book is written from the perspective of a young woman living in Nazi Germany who has a daughter with a Jewish man and then does what she has to do to keep the two of them alive through the war.  The book is also written from the perspective of the daughter when she is a grown woman and how she sees her mother and her journey to understand her mother, who refuses to ever talk about their life in Germany.  There were of course stories of the Holocaust that were horrible to read and that accurately portrayed the gruesomeness of the war.  We could not believe people could have treated others so awfully and are hoping that our mentality is common among our generation and that the world will only get more and more tolerant and embrace the difference among us.  

Here are the Chicks:

Peony In Love

September Book of the Month

Peony In Love

By Lisa See

This month we read Peony In Love by Lisa See.  We met at P.F. Chang's because Peony In Love is a historical fiction book about a girl growing up in China studying The Peony Pavilion.  It was a very interesting book that provided an in-depth insight into the beliefs in the Chinese culture in regards to death and ghosts, and their traditions.  

I, personally, thought the book was very well written.  I was completely enthralled by the story. I thought it was yet another example of women being strong and smart, which seems to be a trend in our books.  I loved that the story was very much based on a true story.  My favorite saying in the book was: man-beautiful.  

Here we are with our books!  It was another great night of yummy food and good company!! 

Water For Elephants

August Book of the Month

Water For Elephants

By Sara Gruen

It seemed unanimous that we loved Water For Elephants!  This was a great story about Jacob Jancowski, a man who suddenly loses both parents in a car accident and leaves his life to join the Benzini Brothers circus.  I, personally, learned a lot about the traveling train circuses from the 20's and 30's.  We liked Jacob as a character, both as a young man and an old man.  This is also a love story, in more ways than one.  It is a great piece of historical fiction.  

My camera was really low on battery so we barely had time to turn it on and snap a picture...but we do have a picture!  We were a small group this time...what did everyone who couldn't make it think?  Please post!  

The Other Boleyn Girl

July Book of the Month

The Other Boleyn Girl

By Philippa Gregory

This month we chose The Other Boleyn Girl which was recommended by Alba.  Those of us that read the book seemed to have really enjoyed the book.  The Other Boleyn Girl is the story of Mary Boleyn, younger sister to Anne Boleyn who married King Henry VIII.  Through Mary Boleyn, the author tells the story of all the Boleyn siblings.  We thought that the author made a wise choice by picking Mary Boleyn as the main character because she was a like-able and relate-able character who also was in all the right places to tell the story.  Overall, we felt bad for the young people of that time because it seemed like their parents/family just played them as pawns to improve the status of their family.  We were missing quite a few book club members this month so please comment on what you thought of the book!  

We ate at an Irish restaurant called Peggy Kinnane's.  The food was great and pretty much everyone who worked there was hot.  No complaints!  Here is our group of lovely ladies!

Loving Frank

June 2008 Book of the Month

Loving Frank

By Nancy Horan

This month we chose to read Loving Frank by Nancy Horan.  Loving Frank is a historical fiction piece written about a woman who had an affair with Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous architect.  The author wrote the story based on research she did about their lives together.  We met at Maggiano's for yummy Italian food because during part of the book Mamah, the main character lives in Italy.  

We all seemed to agree that Frank Lloyd Wright was not such a great guy (that's kind of an understatement).  We had mixed feelings about Mamah and her decision to leave her marriage that she was not happy in.  We were proud of her for leaving and for not staying in a situation she was not happy in, but really disappointed in how she dealt with it.  Her selfishness was evident, and it led to her greatly impacting the lives of so many people: her ex-husband, her sister, but, most of all, her kids.  

Escape

The May 2008 Book of the Month

Escape

By Carolyn Jessop

The May book of the month was recommended by Veronica.  The other books it beat out were Belong To Me by Marisa de los Santos and The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.  We met at Ram to discuss the book over a tall glass of Merrill "Buttface" Jessop beer and a plate of shrimp.  

Escape is the "dramatic first-person account of life inside an ultra-fundamentalist American religious sect, and one woman's courageous flight to freedom with her eight children."  We were all appalled to read about the suffering and abuse women and children had to face within the FLDS cult.  Even more outrageous is to think that this was happening recently and is still going on even today.

We didn't really have focused discussion questions but the discussion kind of just led itself.  Here are some of the topics we discussed:

1. Which part of the story appalled and outraged us the most?

2. How were the men in the FLDS able to totally and completely control the women and children?

3. What do we learn from Carolyn's relationship with her children in regards to mothers?

We all agreed that Carolyn has an amazingly strong will and that she is definitely smart to have been able to carefully plan her escape so she would be successful.  We also discussed our opinions of long underwear.  To end the night, we all shared a mile high mudpie.  Yum!