Book Club Roundup

This year I've been a part of a woman's book club called the ABC (appetizers, books, and cocktails) club. What I've enjoyed about the club is the opportunity to mix with people outside of my social circle as well as being introduced to new and interesting literature. I love to read but I've found that having good recommendations and a firm deadline is necessary at this stage in my life. Here are the last six book club books we've read and my personal opinions. We usually focus on recent bestsellers and acclaimed novels.

 

The Book Thief is a novel about pre World War II Germany and a young girl who lives with a Jew hiding in her basement. This book started off oddly, being narrated by 'death' himself, but once you got into the meat of the plot it was a good read. A little too sad for my taste but I'm glad I read it.

Rating: B-

 

 

 

A definite page-turner, I found this book really enjoyable. I was completely loving it until the end, which left much to be desired.

Rating: B

 

 

 

 

This is the true story of a young woman who left America to start her own beauty school in Afghanistan. She takes you deep into the culture of the Afghani women. Written with great humor and insight, this book was a delight.

Rating: A

 

 

 

Call the Midwife is the first of three memoirs of Jennifer Worth, a midwife who worked for a monastery in the slums of London during the 50s. The stories are eye-opening and heartwarming, filled with humor and vivid illustrations. I fell in love with the characters and this book. There is now a PBS series based on it.

Rating: A

 

 

 

I love anything Khaled Hosseini and this book didn't disappoint! I didn't enjoy it as much as I did a Thousand Splendid Suns, and the ending left me feeling a little sad and unsatisfied, but gosh he is such a wonderful storyteller!

Rating: B+

 

 

A novel about a Native American teenage boy who is on a quest to find out who brutally attacked his mother and why. The plot is interesting (I love a mystery) and I enjoyed the glimpse into Native American culture, but I couldn't get over the author's long-windedness and seemingly irrelevant rabbit-trails. She also never utilized quotation marks in her conversations, so it was frustratingly difficult to know when someone was actually speaking.

 

Rating: C-

 

 

This month we are reading The Orphan Train, which I'm excited about! And I will be hosting the meeting which I'm even more excited about!