Murder on the Orient Express

For the month of October we chose "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie. This is no new murder mystery. In fact, several of us had read the book ages ago, or seen a movie version and all of us felt like this was a brand new story. Just goes to show that you should go back and read old novels, even ones you’ve read before!

The story takes place in exotic times and in interesting places. But mostly, this is a tale of mystery and set on a train. We follow Hercule Poirot, a famous Belgian detective known for his attention to detail as he heads to Istanbul. He gets notice to head to London for an urgent appointment and ends up on a train called the Orient Express. While on the train, a murder takes place and immediately after, the train becomes stuck in a snowbank, stranding the passengers and virtually eliminating all other cars on the train as potential suspects.

Poirot is asked to look into the case, interview the passengers on the car where the murder took place and solve the crime before thy arrive (after being dug out of the snowbank) in the nearest town. The officer on the train is afraid that if the mystery is not solved it will be a problem for the train company and Poirot takes the case.

What follows is a detail oriented, artistic storytelling through interview and observation, leading the reader down various paths before the true murderer is unveiled. I think most of us who read it did not see the ending coming, which just shows the brilliance and artistry of Agatha Christie.

We really enjoyed this classic tale, and in November many of us were able to go together to see a new movie version at the theater together. The movie was really enjoyable, well acted and all who were able to attend thought it was a wonderful telling of the story in its own unique way. Not to mention we all loved Poirot and his mustache. So fun!

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

A truly fascinating non-fiction choice for our book club was "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking" by Susan Cain. 

Interestingly enough, most of the people who attended book club for this particular read considered themselves introverts or at least right in the middle. A very introspective and thoughtful book analyzing what our culture praises (extroversion) and how both extroverts and introverts have strengths that are worth examining. It was an interesting book especially with the backdrop of what is popular in society, who gets elected, how teachers an work environments favor and dismiss certain natural characteristics that can be both bad and good.

As a non-fiction book it was not dry and dull, but full of anecdotes and even analytical tests and thoughtful exercises to self-examine our culture, motives, and detect how these two ways of thinking/operating (extroversion and introversion) play in our society. More particularly it addressed how there is power in understanding the strengths of both extroverts and introverts and how they can be used to benefit and provide balance.

We had a lovely turnout and all of us thought the book thoughtful and interesting, leading to much discussion. Great book choice.

The Chemist

For August we chose “The Chemist”, by Stephanie Meyer. This latest novel from the author of the Twilight series was a little more mature, and not as ‘teenage drama’, but was rather intense in its characters and action.

The story follows the rather frightening life on the run of the main character, who uses several names throughout to keep herself safe. She is a chemist and as it turns out, specialized torturer for the government in an unusual, clandestine unit that has now collapsed and is after her.

She encounters others, both meant to kill her and meant for her to kill, all with their own interesting backstories, and they work frantically to solve the overall mystery of why she is being so pursued, what truths and lies have been twisted to bring about her situation. The story comes together in an intense and tightly plotted tale of action adventures and some pretty cool trained dogs.

As a review I hesitate to say too much, as it is a very action packed and there are various twists and turns. Most in our book club found it slightly more violent and intense than our average read, and more so than maybe we had expected from Stephanie Meyer, but most of us enjoyed the story. It was a fun book to discuss.

A Man Called Ove

What a delight was our April choice “A Man Called Ove” by Fredrik Backman! We had a wonderful turnout and a lot of discussion for this clever, funny, unique, and touching novel about an older man in Sweden. 

Well written, with wonderful characters full of charm and personality, the story slowly unfolds the tale of the main character, Ove, and both his experiences and principles that have guided his life.

We were all charmed by this story, the amazing characters that end up bringing such meaning and life into Ove’s world, despite his disgruntled attitude at times. I think many of us weren’t quite sure about the story at first but were sucked in by powerful storytelling and quirky adventures of this grumpy man, neglected cats, diverse neighbors who are bad at parking, long personal journeys of neighbors and friends. Not to mention tender reflection of true love, the importance of family and friends, and what unity can do to overcome governmental bullying. 

It is a tale worth reading, and one that leaves you thinking about these well painted characters, how important neighbors can be to one another, and the reflection of living a good life and loving those around us. 

Science Fair

"Science Fair", by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson is a riot! Anyone who loves a cute, funny read and, in particular, has ever either been through middle school, lived the struggle of working on a science fair project, or understands the early puberty woes of dealing with Star Wars fanatics will LOVE this book.

Though it is quite targeted to the younger set, it is full of hilarious twists and turns, and with the typical pre-teen angst and parental issues, but a joy to see the cute characters come to a victorious end. Not to mention Mentos/cola explosions, floating frogs, attack owls and mysterious Darth Vader and Wookie characters threatening the main character. Even with his discount batteries messing up his specialized Darth Vader voice.

From squashed vegan burritos, to diced fruit and very stinky cheese, there is a lot more than a food fight going on between the spoiled rich kids, the hard-working kids being blackmailed and a couple of goofy guys from a country that has no vowels. An enjoyable read and a lot of fun.

The Secret Keeper

We chose “The Secret Keeper” by Kate Morton for or March book club. This novel is a mystery, historical novel, romance and family drama all wrapped up in one elaborate story. It begins with a memory of Laurel, a sixteen year old in the 1960’s. She is witness to a violent crime but has pushed the event out of her mind for the past 50 years. Now an accomplished actress, she reflects on her own memories and begins to wonder about this piece of her past.

Her mother, Dorothy, is approaching her last days and Laurel realizes that if she wants answers to the many tangled and unanswered questions about the past she must investigate now, while her mother is alive. Nostalgia, memories and family bonds tie siblings together as Laurel works to solve the mysteries of her mother’s past, learning she kept many secrets.

The story mixes history and fleshes out the history of family and strangers from the 1930’s, to the 1960’s and into the modern day. Slowly Laurel finds more and more detail and comes to realize an amazing dramatic plot twist that none of us saw coming.

It was a beautifully written story, very visual in description and detail. The mystery of all the events could at times be confusing, trying to keep each intertwining tale straight, but it was enjoyable and kept all of us reading until the end. It was a great choice, and as it was set in England, we had a beautiful tea, complete with little cucumber sandwiches, and a variety of sweet herbal teas and some delicious scones.  

Big in Japan

In February we were in for a delightful and different story. We chose “Big in Japan” by Jennifer Griffith, a lovely author who we were able to speak with over the phone during our meeting.

This tale begins with an overweight young man, Buck, living in Texas who visits Japan on a business trip with his parents. While there, he is swept up into the world of Sumo Wrestling, a completely unfamiliar sport to him, and to most of us readers. The story follows Buck as he endures the grueling training, abuses from fellow wrestlers, and culture shock. Buck’s attitude and strong convictions help him through tough times and face long odds to overcome his challenges. There’s a sweet romantic story to go along with the fascinating Sumo tale, and a lot of really fun and interesting cultural details included.

Some of the treats and decor.

Several of our book club members had lived in or visited Japan and we were able to have a myriad of interesting foods to try during our meeting, some directly imported from Japan. Our readers universally loved this book and we talked a lot about the motivations of various characters and discussed many topics that are touched on in this story. We were extremely lucky, in that we had the chance to touch base directly with the author from her home in Arizona.

It was fascinating (and really fun) to hear her answer some of our questions, even speak Japanese with our host who had also lived in Japan. It was a treat for all of our members to be able to learn a little more about Japan, about the author, how she came up with the story, and express to her how much we enjoyed the book. Thanks Jennifer for being so accommodating and taking the time to speak with us, and for creating such a universally enjoyed book!

Tea and soup with Tofu.

Yay! Pocky!