A Christmas Carol

For our December book club we chose a classic. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. This sweet tale that is very familiar to most, tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a name now synonymous with being a Grinch! After years of miserly, grumpy behavior, Scrooge has a visionary evening where he meets three spirits: The Spirit of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

The experience changes him to realize just how important it is to be happy, to share and love one another and to help the poor and needy in the world. It is a beautifully written and well-told tale that uplifts anyone who listens, reads or watches this classic tale.

We chose to watch a version of it for our book club. The version we went with was the Patrick Stewart one, and even though it isn’t THAT old, some of the special effects reminded us that movies have come a long way! Still, it’s a joy to watch, and to review this beautiful story and remember the gratitude, the love and giving that should be in our hearts at Christmas and at any time is a blessing. It was a wonderful choice for our book club evening.

Till We Have Faces

We chose Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis for our November book club selection. This retelling of the Cupid and Psyche story is a mythical and interesting story.  The story is told mainly from the perspective Orual, the older sister of Psyche. She has strong opinions about her environment and her family, and her love for her sister. Orual has a deformity and her face is unattractive. She adapts in a harsh, male dominated world by using education to become a

Being a daughter of a King and having her sisters marry and being unmarried herself, she becomes a powerful leader in her country.

The first portion of the tale leads the reader to think that the author is perhaps, anti-God(s) but events later in Oural’s life allow her to finally accept and believe in God and the afterlife and have faith. It’s not the easiest read in the world, and it’s deep and it is full of mythical, religious and familial overtones.

Most of us enjoyed the book even if we had a difficult time fully understanding what each part really meant. It is C. S. Lewis the genius after all! But it was a delight to read and even more delightful to spend time discussing this interesting book.

Edgar Allan Poe

In October we decided to review stories, poems and any works by Edgar Allan Poe. We discussed such pieces as "The Tell Tale Heart", "The Fall of the House of Usher", "The Masque of the Red Death", "The Raven", "Annabel Lee" and others. We also spent quite a while discussing Poe's life and how that must have influenced both the topics and the style in which he wrote.  Most of his tales are dark and often focus on death and dying, and Poe's real life losses seem to be reflected in his work. It was a perfect fit for a pre-Halloween book club.

We learned that Poe, an American poet and writer, lived between 1809 and 1849, and died relatively young at the age of 40-his death surrounded by mystery. His entire life was riddled with loss. His mother, a famous actress, died of tuberculosis when he was only two and his father had already abandoned his family.  He was mostly raised by a merchant family, John and Francis Allan, which gave Poe his middle name.  He had several women who influenced his life, from his mother, adoptive mother, friends of the family and his wife who all died of tuberculosis.

He had many works, but not much fame and fortune. "The Raven" was probably his most popular piece but he still only made a very small amount from it and was always struggling to make ends meet.  He spent time working as an editor as well as author and was known to be a scathing critic. His pieces are fascinating reads, especially in a time where so little was known about mental illness. One can see in his descriptions of some of his characters, defining features of things we know today as various mental illnesses.

We read pieces from a few of his works and discussed how his difficult life must have impacted his choices in his writing. He was clearly a huge impact on writers all around the world, and much of his work is quite simply fascinating.  It was an enjoyable evening and left us uplifted knowing more about this incredible talent and the works he left behind.

Wonder

In September, our Book Club selection was “Wonder” by R. J. Palacio. This book is nothing short of wonderful! I think the general consensus is that not only should you read this book EVERYONE should read this book. 

It is a story of a young boy named August who was born with a severe facial deformity. He has been home schooled and the story begins when August and his family are making the decision to send him to a regular school with children his age.  As we follow August and his family throughout the year we see good and bad and grow to love the family and appreciate love and kindness in the world.  Though it addresses difficult topics, it is not depressing or preachy. The writing is artful and insightful and lifts the viewer to see love, kindness and joy beyond the flawed, meanness of the world.

The author has chosen to give us multiple view points in different chapters, each uniquely written, to allow us to enter into the difficult and yet beautiful lives of people facing such a challenge.  It is tenderly written, both with humor and emotion, exposing good and bad, in short, a delightful way to fall in love with a family of characters one can connect with on many levels.   

It is targeted to a younger audience, such as about 5^th grade but is very difficult to put down no matter what your age. Truly, “Wonder” is one of the best books out there and the overall theme, being kind to others, is one that we can all use.  If you haven’t read it yet, seriously, go find it and read it!

The Secret Life of Bees

In June our book club was able to review "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd. This well written story about a teen girl working through her personal trials is set South Carolina with the volatile era of the 1960's and the racial tensions in the south as a backdrop.  Lily Owens runs away from the peach farm where she is being raised by her father to help her nanny, who has run into trouble with local white racists over the right to vote. They flee to a town where Lily suspects has something to do with her mother who died when she was a young girl.  There they are taken in by three black women who run a honey farm.  Lily finds comfort, friendship and answers to many of her questions and thrives under the loving care of the women. 

It is a tale full of heartache for this young girl, but one filled with wisdom and kindness expressed in times of turmoil and violence. Struggles with internal conflicts as well as trouble with family, problems and issues of society in the era are well handled and addressed. There is uplifting and calming messages in the book about compassion, how to live as well as how to help those around you. The story is one that is sure to stay with you and our book club members enjoyed it very much. The sweetness of honey only with a few stingers, and an overall wonderful choice to read.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

For our August book club we chose "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones" by Cassandra Clare, a young adult novel.  A movie adaptation was coming out that very day and this popular book gave much for us to discuss. The story follows a teenage girl, Clary Fray, who is living her very normal life in New York City when she witnesses a murder at a dance club and seems to be the only one who could see either the victim or the murderers.  Properly upset she tries to carry on, only to see the young man who did the killing the next day and realizing no one else can see him.  In the midst of this confusion, her mother is suddenly attacked and disappears.  She comes to realize she can see this young man because she is a part of a special race of humans known as Shadowhunters, they are slightly magical warriors who live in the "mundane" world, protecting "mundanes" aka, regular mortals, from the demon world and other downworlders (werewolves, vampires, fairies, warlocks etc)

The book is action packed, full of interesting twists and turns, fascinating characters and some amazingly well done symbolism.  Part of a series of books that delve into the fantasy world of Shadowhunters, City of Bones is the first in this series by Cassandra Clare.  We were able to discuss some of the various issues facing the characters, and most of our group enjoyed this very modern fantasy tale. In addition we discussed the issue of what content is now being pushed out at our teenagers, and what is appropriate and how we as parents can be aware of the content in the books our kids are reading or asked to read in class.

So, on that note, a small warning: This book does contain some light profanity and some violent content. It has no strong sexual scenes but does briefly touch on issues such as homosexuality as an accepted norm in society. It is aimed at a 16-18 year old audience but some of the behavior is a lot more violent than your average older teen would actually engage in-but it is not gory or detailed. Likely most people ages 13 and up would be fine with the series.

The movie is PG-13 rated and does take liberties to adapt from the book. As often is the case, many will say the book is better but as one who has seen and read the books I think the adaptation is pretty good, made some clever and interesting adjustments going into making the sequels and the filming and acting is very good. Artistically it's a beautiful movie as well.

Overall we enjoyed this book and being introduced to this magical world created by Cassandra Clare.  Thank you to those who participated, we appreciate that we have a wide variety of genres in our book club!

Favorite Children's Book Day!

In July, with all the wild activities our area had been hosting, such as an amazing Trek experience in Wyoming, we decided to go easy for our book club. Those who were able to attend brought their favorite children's books to share and discuss. We had many different types of books, from picture books to pre-teen chapter books and had a wonderful time discovering one another's favorites.

If you have a very busy month for your book club, we highly recommend this as an option as we have all had a wide variety of experience and exposure to different books over the years.  Many books were ratty cornered and some chewed on, others were a little more intact but all cherished for many reasons and much fun was had sharing our love for these formative books. Thank you for your participation book club members and remember to always encourage reading on all age levels! That will guarantee thriving book clubs in the future right!?

The Glass Castle

"The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls is not your typical, fun book club story. It is a memoir written by a talented and tough woman who retells her past in a fresh and frank style.  Jeannette was one of a brood of four children that grew up in a nomadic, gypsy-like manner in the United States in the 1960's and 70's. With parents who were clearly intelligent but cut from a different cloth, the Walls children wandered from towns in Nevada, Arizona and West Virginia, growing up in poverty but learning to fend for themselves.

This is a tale not for the faint of heart. Some of the things that Jeannette tells from her past are quite shocking (but not full of abuse- generally neglect and ignorance-likely due to the parents mental illness and alcoholism), and many of us wondered if our child protective services have improved. Though as children they did not want to be taken from their family, much of the neglect would clearly justify them being removed. The gypsy lifestyle showed a clear lack of honesty on the part of her parents, but surprisingly the children appear to have become strong, independent adults despite their unusual upbringing.

It is a riveting read, and one that is almost guaranteed to make any mother or father feel like a great parent in comparison! The writing is not judgmental; in fact,  you can clearly see the love and affection the children and parents share, despite their dysfunctional family life. It is a refreshing read that doesn't victimize the author, but sets her free with her ability to rise above her past. It is loaded with fascinating turns of fate and a strong sense of overcoming one's challenges, helping your family, staying loyal, and unconditional love. Though not as much of a feel good romantic tale, it was definitely a good choice for our book club meeting.

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

The book chosen for our April book club was entitled "The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" by Alexander McCall Smith.  This is the first in a series of books about a woman who lives in Botswana and decides to open up a detective agency in her small town.  We learn about the past and culture in which Precious Ramotswe, our Ladies Detective, is operating and as the story unfolds we find little mysteries resolved that lead to an overall arc of a larger mystery. Her practical sense of her environment, her logical analysis in her universe and a wonderful sense of humor is included in this first tale of mystery.

Botswana becomes almost as a character itself and unique qualities of the country play a part in most of the mysteries she must solve to make her living. A sweet relationship story between her friends and family members unfolds and it leaves one completely charmed by the main character, the country and the story. Each mystery has a unique appeal, subtle humor underlying and clever perspective to allow us as readers to see through the eyes of this Lady Detective. 

The compassion, kindness and importance of using your mind to resolve issues both great and small, both cultural and universal allows a reader to sink into a world they may initially have been uncomfortable entering. Especially notable was a lack of race-blame that can sometimes be common in books about Africa-either one race or the other being painted as inherently bad. This was not a part of these tales, only a clear indication that people are good and bad, judgment by race was not a factor. It was very well written, clever and easy to read. It was a delightful choice that, though few of us were able to attend due to nasty weather, all of us thoroughly enjoyed.

The Guardian

In March we reviewed "The Guardian" by Gerald Lund. This is not a historical/church history book like many of the books you may have read by this author. He is very good at research and history and some of that does appear in this book, but it has a totally different storyline. 

The tale begins with a teaser, providing us background information on the family history of the main character, Danni.  When the story begins she is a 13 year old that receives a family heirloom for her birthday. She learns and grows to a 16 year old and then begins to understand and figure out the special and magical family gift she has been given.

All seems well and Danni is growing up, learning through the bumps and normal problems of teenagers how to deal or not to deal with problems that face her. Most of us can relate to both how she feels as as teen and the struggle between parents and teens that can be a little rocky. 

Some in our group felt it took a little while to get the background story but once the family was faced with danger and Danni has to learn to use her brains and resources the story is quite action packed. The setting is in Southern Utah, giving a colorful and unique backdrop to the tale of magic, intrigue, greed and sacrifice.

Lund sneaks in quite a few learning moments that are sweet and remind us how we are all unique, important and that we are not alone in this life. Overall most of us agreed that while there were a few things here and there that seemed a little different than your typical novel, it was an interesting and engaging read.

Edenbrooke

In February we choose a sweet, romantic tale set in the Regency era and a debut novel for LDS author "Julianne Donaldson".  The story was pure delight, a lot of fun and a refreshing find in this world of smutty romantic 'literature'.

The tale begins with the story of Marianne Daventry in Bath being pursued by a rather unappealing suitor and immediately had me hooked in to the story.  Marianne is living with her grandmother and the two clearly have a unique and clever relationship. Feeling a prisoner to the city in Bath she is overjoyed at being invited to a beautiful country estate where she is to meet her twin sister to spend the summer. 

On the way she faces a highwayman, deals with the crisis with aplomb and shows spunk when an unhelpful gentleman crosses her path.  Once she makes it to her destination, she realizes the...well I'm not going to tell you, but it's awesome. :) The sweet romance and fun interactions, beautiful descriptions and characters bring life to a refreshingly enchanting tale.  Definitely recommended reading, and I think all of us in book club agreed-we're looking forward to more by Julianne Donaldson.

Enchantment

The book we chose for our January 2013 book club meeting was "Enchantment" by Orson Scott Card. This is a modern day twist on the Sleeping Beauty story is set in Russia and the United States, involves time travel and plays with myths and legends in a fun and interesting way.  The main character is a man who grew up in Russia, emigrated to the United States and then returns after the Cold War to do literary research, and is drawn by some force to a memory of his childhood.

This leads to him discovering the 'Sleeping Beauty' of the story and all kinds of things begin to happen. There are magical twists, family concerns, relationship differences across the ages and a lot of fun, romance, humor and action to keep the book interesting. I read it twice and enjoyed it immensely both times, surprised how much I was engaged both times with the story.  There was clearly a lot of research done by the author as much is tied to mythical Russian tales and history. This firm foundation of knowledge made the fantasy of crossing time and facing a fairy tale head on plausible and fun to read.

Most of our group enjoyed the book though the common consensus was they were all a little surprised at some of the language in the book. It wasn't extremely bad-minor cussing, but sort of unexpected from an LDS author. It wasn't rampant, but I thought I would warn anyone who happens to read this review just in case they weren't expecting a few 'b' words.  Mostly, I thought everything from awkwardness of changing times/embarrassing situations, and romance were handled with a tasteful and clever pen.

"Enchantment" was definitely enchanting and enjoyable, a fun read to start off the year!

The Book of Mormon

Our Stake emphasized reading and studying The Book of Mormon for the year 2012 and as December is generally a time of much busyness and leaving little time to read extra books, we decided to wrap up the year and discuss The Book of Mormon in our book club. 

As a mostly LDS book club, those who were able to attend in December all read this book of scripture many times and we each discussed favorite stories, scriptures, characters and things we have learned from The Book of Mormon. We also watched a locally made (ward) youth video depicting the Tree of Life story, which was fun as we all know the kids who made it. If I can figure out how to get it up online I'll post a link here for your enjoyment.

The Book of Mormon is a second witness, a second testament of Jesus Christ and his ministry here upon the earth.  We learn in the Bible that the Lord provides us two witnesses. One is the Bible and the other is The Book of Mormon. One does not replace the other but both testify of Jesus Christ, his divine birth and work and of his atonement and sacrifice for all mankind to be able to return to our Father in Heaven. The Book of Mormon is scripture written by a people brought over to the Americas around 600 BC, their descendants and others who were also led there as well. It was written on plates, preserved in the earth and translated by Joseph Smith, Jr. 

I don't give a review here, there are plenty of places you can find out about the content of The Book of Mormon, and words pleasing and condemning, but I will add that I personally know it is a true book that provides insight and guidance to us here in our day. If you want to know if The Book of Mormon is true, stop messing around, reading others opinions and just read the book, get on your knees and pray about it. As in any book of scripture, you must go into reading and praying with an open heart, believing or wanting to really know.  God knows and loves each of us individually. You are his child and he is your Father and you can know if you but ask.

It was a delight to be able to discuss The Book of Mormon in "book club" style, not heavy doctrinal discussion but touching our favorite and most inspirational parts of the book and sharing our feelings on it. This is what makes a book club such a lovely experience and I thank all those who are able to come for being a part of sharing joy of books, including this one, with one another.