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.

The Hobbit

In November we were able to review "The Hobbit" by J. R. R. Tolkien, one of my favorite books by possibly my favorite author of all time. This is a shorter tale, that anyone familiar with Lord of the Rings will know, introduces you to hobbits, wizards, goblins, elves, dwarves and of course, one particular ring that causes quite a bit of trouble for Middle Earth. Tolkien originally wrote this story with children in mind, not really knowing or having a full idea of the epic scale that Lord of the Rings would become.

In fact, changes were made to "The Hobbit" to smooth out problems that were eventually fleshed out in Lord of the Rings. "The Hobbit" is charming and fun, cute and different than most fantasy, adventure tales. It follows the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, a respectable hobbit in the Shire, who is swept off on a quest with thirteen dwarves to re-claim their kingdom. And by the way, there is a dragon that needs to be slain.  He is recruited by Gandalf, a wizard who acts as a guide and pushes Bilbo into realizing just how much of a difference one brave soul can be.

Many who have read "The Hobbit" prior to reading "The Lord of the Rings" will grow a strong attachment to the endearing character of Bilbo Baggins. When launching into reading "The Lord of the Rings" one may wonder why Bilbo is not the main character instead of Frodo and Sam.  It is a fantastic novel of budding, epic proportions, ringing true the fact that tales (and life) go on and on, just the characters and challenges change.

This book is a magical adventure involving goblins, spiders, elves and Bilbo must learn to find his strength and bravery to help his friends through the troubles. It is a landmark book that ushered in the birth of 'fantasy' novels and is read by millions, young and old, every year. We read and discussed the book in anticipation of the upcoming first installment of "The Hobbit" in theaters. Definitely a highly recommended book and a great pick for our book club. 

“It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit