B.A.D. Girls Book Club

The Hangman's Daughter

2011-12-12T22:06:00.000-08:00

Author: Oliver Potzsch

One-sentence summary: In 1600s Germany, a town hangman and young physician race to save the life of an innocent midwife accused of witchcraft and sentenced to burn at the stake.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7 (unanimous rating)

Our favorite thing about it: We loved the setting (Germany, medieval) and the pace of the story.

Our least favorite thing about it: The torture scenes.

Main Topics of Discussion: Medieval times, Superstition, Women/Men, Death & Killing, Ethics, Roles in society, Family heritage, Orphans

Our favorite quote: “I believe that there are evil people. And I don’t care if they are witches or priests.” (p.146)

Notes: Overall we really enjoyed this book. The mystery and action of the book makes it move at a brisk pace, which is fun to read. We all said that we kept wanting to pick our books up again to find out what happened and how it all worked out.

We loved the unique setting, which was Germany in the 1600s. Right in the middle of medieval superstition and fear of the unknown. The realities of medieval life really set the stage and painted a vivid picture of the conditions of living. And hearing the history and interesting facts about hangmen (an actual “profession” during that time was enlightening. The author descends from a hangman himself so he offers a unique perspective and historical insight.

The characters were interesting and varied. The hangman (Jakob) and Simon (the physician) were the most interesting, but they were also the two main characters. The hangman’s job is to kill people, yet his whole endeavor in the book is to save an accused witch. Simon is a physician in medieval Germany who dresses in the latest fashions and finery and wants to practice a medicine that is a little before it’s time. The devil is well-described, but a bit one-sided. However, we all agreed that this really fit the mood of the story. There were other, more subtle, “evils” that were more “well rounded” and filled out the place of villain in the story.

What we did not really like were the very descriptive torture scenes. None of us really enjoys reading about the ways a person is being tortured or killed. Since the book is about a person who does this for a living, it didn’t really seem gratuitous, but it just wasn’t our favorite thing about this book!

A couple of other things bothered us about the story. First, we felt that what should have been the climax of the story was completely left out. The final and decisive “battle” between the hangman and the devil down in the tunnels was not even written. We see the outcome and are left guessing at what actually happened. With all the build-up of adversity between the two, it seemed cheap to leave this out of the book entirely.

Also, the fact that the book is titled, “The Hangman’s Daughter,” seems strange to us since the daughter is just another character in the book. We did not see any way that she could be considered a major part of the plot. The story was about the hangman.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We played our annual Jeopardy game (Lindsay won by 1200 points), and did our Christmas book and gift exchanges.

What We Ate: Goat Cheese and Olive Tapenade Crostini, Angel Hair with Tomato Basil Sauce and Arugula Salad with Lemon Parmesan Dressing. For dessert…hot chocolate bar with mix-ins and dessert bites (Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookie Bites, Mint Truffle Brownie Bites, and Caramel Brownie Bites).

Meet Christina!

2011-11-27T21:49:00.001-08:00

Introducing the newest B.A.D. Girl...Christina! She is married to Dustin and has two boys, Ashton (3.5) and Brennan (1). And so we can all get to know her book-ish side...here's her questionnaire (the same one we all filled out when we joined/started book club):

Hardback or paperback? Hardback

Buy online or not? Yes, I love to receive books in the mail! I enjoy looking for books in the store, but I don't have much time for that right now, with young kiddos!

Bookmark or dogear? I prefer a bookmark, because I like my pages neat and straight!

Keep, throw away or sell? I keep all of the books I buy :)!

Keep dustjacket or toss it? Definitely keep the dustjacket.

Read with dustjacket or remove it? I have to remove mine, otherwise, I'm constantly worrying that it will get torn, bent, etc

Short story or novel? Novel

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Harry Potter

What kind of books (mystery, memoir, fiction, etc.)? romance, science fiction, historical fiction, mysteries...oh, I like them all!

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? I try to read until chapter breaks, but since I usually read at night, it's time to stop when I start snoozing on and off. This happens with the most interesting books, too, not because I'm bored!

New or Used? I prefer new, or like new ;)!

Tidy ending or not? Yes, a tidy ending for me, please! I can appreciate a not-so-tidy ending, though.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? Nighttime

Stand-alone book or a series? I have a thing for series, but love stand-alone books, as well.

Favorite Series? Definitely, Harry Potter.

Favorite books of all time? Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Harry Potter Series, Twilight Series, The Hunger Games Series, and The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, just to name a few.

A Lineage of Grace

2011-11-23T19:46:00.001-08:00

Author: Francine Rivers

One-sentence summary: The stories of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary are told from their perspectives and highlight the lineage and heritage of Jesus.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8

Our favorite thing about it: We loved the bits of historical context to the stories we have heard so many times that add layers of meaning of which we were previously unaware. And because we couldn’t just pick one thing…we also loved that these stories highlighted the fact that God used/chose such unlikely women to be cornerstones of the lineage of Jesus. The significance of that was not lost on us.

Our least favorite thing about it: If we had to pick something, it would be that there were a couple of choices by Rivers that interrupted the flow of the novellas for us…what the women/men were saying in the Ruth story and some of the “dialogue” of the demons in Mary’s story.

Main Topics of Discussion: Patriarchal Societies, Culture, God, Israelites, Foreigners, Sin and Consequences, Faithfulness, Prayer, Reputations, God’s Plan, Motherhood, Women

Our favorite quote: “As she spoke her faith, assurance came, bringing comfort with it.” (p. 505, Mary’s story)

Notes: About the book in general….we all really enjoyed reading it. As mentioned above, we really loved getting a fresh and more in-depth look at these stories we’ve heard since we were children. This is something that Rivers does so well in all of her books. Some of the details she brings to light just totally shifted the way we understood these women’s stories. We loved seeing them through a different lens and really focusing on what their lives were possibly like.

It was so interesting to us that all of these women were outsiders or unlikely women to be part of the lineage of the Messiah. Tamar was not an Israelite, Rahab was also a foreigner and a prostitute, Ruth was a foreigner, Bathsheba committed adultery with the King, and Mary was a common woman surrounded by scandal over Jesus’ conception. All of them were not only brought into the fold of the Chosen People of God, but they were part of the heritage of Jesus. This was such a powerful statement to us of God’s plan, his forgiveness, and the scope of his love.

Another thing that we gleaned from hearing these stories from these women’s perspectives is the magnitude of the faith they must have had and also how trapped they were as women in that time period. Their lives were so hard and yet, they all placed uncommon faith in God.

Interestingly, sex or rumors of sex play a part in each of these stories. And it is interesting that the theme of sin and consequences runs throughout each of the stories. The law and customs of the Israelites was a prominent theme as well as the idea of being an outsider, as mentioned before.

There are so many details that we discussed in each of these stories…too many to list or retell here.

Memorable Meeting Moments: This was the longest book discussion that any of us remember ever having. Since there were 5 novellas in this book, not only was one of our longer books, but it was just chock full of things for us to discuss. We almost couldn’t stop talking about it.

What We Ate: Chicken Tortilla Soup, Chips, Guacamole and Salsa, and Oreo Cheesecake!

*** ALL of my photos from this meeting got deleted by accident! Sorry, ladies! ***

Juliet

2011-10-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

Author: Anne Fortier

One-sentence summary: A modern-day Juliet unravels a mystery using clues her mother left for her in Sienna, Italy, revealing more than just her own history.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8 (unanimous rating)

Our favorite thing about it: The intricate layers of the story and the location.

Our least favorite thing about it: Some of the book was predictable and a little cheesy.

Main Topics of Discussion: History, Sienna, Shakespeare, Power, Culture, Characterization, Love, Siblings

Our favorite quote: “Whatever demons, evil or good, had been conjured from the collective soul of the people of Sienna, they had been given life, and only the battle itself, the race, could execute justice.”

Notes: We all really enjoyed reading this book, although we all noticed some of the same faults with it. Despite those faults we still rated the book fairly high because the experience of reading the book and following the story was so enjoyable.

We loved the location…Sienna, Italy. The book divides the narration between the 1300s and present day, so we also got a good dose of history. We learned interesting things about medieval Sienna as well as the historic Palio for which the city is famous. The city, with its architecture, culture, and city wards (contrade) is almost a character in its own right.

We also loved how the medieval and present day stories and characters were woven together in this romantic mystery. The dynamics between families and individual characters was constantly changing and being peeled back as the story unfolded. We felt that this book would actually make a pretty good movie.

Despite all those things that we loved and appreciated, there were still a few things that we didn’t like or would have changed. First, some parts of the romantic story were a bit cheesy as well as some of the dialogue. And the author, in trying to tie the medieval Romeo and Juliet together with the present day counterparts, took some turns in the story that seemed a little contrived to us.

We also thought that some of the characters were a little one-dimensional and we didn’t really like the Janice character at all. We didn’t really know why the author chose to make her more of a main character halfway through the book, but we would have rather her stayed in the US for the rest of the story.

So, overall this was a good story with an interesting setting and historical context.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We gave Lindsay birthday books and cards and she chose the next book…only to correct her choice the next day! I think we stayed as late as we ever have at a meeting…12:30am.

What We Ate: Sangria, Baked Mac n’ Cheese topped with Herbed Bacon Bread Crumbs, Arugula Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette, Roasted Tomato Soup with Basil, Garlic Bread, Angel Food Cake with Berries and Fresh Whipped Cream, and Pumpkin Cinnamon Cookies with Spiced Glaze.

The Scorch Trials

2011-09-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

Author: James Dashner

One-sentence summary: In the sequal to The Maze Runner, the boys find themselves in the middle of another dangerous test where nothing is as it seems and loyalties are put to the test.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8 (unanimous rating)

Our favorite thing about it: The story itself was very entertaining. And the added layers to the character’s relationships propel the reader through the story.

Our least favorite thing about it: Perhaps that we still feel like we don’t know anything about what is going on (maybe this is a good thing.)

Main Topics of Discussion: Loyalty, Bravery, Means vs. End, Friendship, Storytelling, Trilogies

Our favorite quote: “Rose took my nose, I suppose.”

Notes: This book was an unofficial book club choice. We all read it on our own and chose to discuss it at this meeting while also going to see the movie, The Help (a previous book choice.)

We all really liked this book and would even rank it a little higher than its predecessor, The Maze Runner. We thought the characters were more relatable and the story was slightly more smooth and enjoyable. This story didn’t have the lulls that the first book did and overall had a bit more action. It was still repetitive in the themes and the questions/confusions that the characters were pondering, but for some reason, it was not as annoying as it was in The Maze Runner.

Relationships were tested in this book, which added a different layer to the story. That was, in fact, a large part of the story and even ended up being part of the action. It seems that the curtain was pulled back in a few places to give the reader a glimpse into what is behind it (in other words…what is really going on.) It seems obvious that saving the world is a major reason behind these extreme and deadly “tests,” but some major things remain a mystery as well as many, many small details.

In fact, many more questions were raised than answered in this book. This makes us all look forward to the third installment this fall. However, this third book is in a precarious position. It can either be a triumph and end the series by wrapping everything up satisfactorily OR it can wrap things up in such a way that the reader thinks, “Really? That’s what was going on?” Or worse…the final book doesn’t answer all the questions the first two have brought up. We will see. Overall, this book was an enjoyable read for all of us.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We went to dinner at Fuzzy’s Tacos to celebrate Dara’s birthday. She opened her cards and books and then we went to Dessertapalooza. After picking out our desserts, we ate on the patio with absolutely perfect weather. Rachel used the word “colloquial” in a discussion of grammar in advertising, and we enjoyed listening to tunes from the 80s and 90s blasting on the patio. Then, we went to see The Help, which we read together two years ago. We were the ONLY ones in the theater so it was a private showing!

What We Ate: Various Tacos, Seasoned Chips and Salsa and Queso at Fuzzy’s Tacos. Then, red velvet cupcakes, cake balls, and chocolate cake at Dessertapalooza.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

2011-09-12T14:58:00.000-07:00

Author: Rebecca Skloot

One-sentence summary: A black woman, who dies from aggressive ovarian cancer in 1951, unknowingly “donates” her cancer cells, propelling the scientific world into unbelievable discoveries and research around the world.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7 (unanimous rating)

Our favorite thing about it: The whole story was incredibly interesting from the scientific implications to the ethical ones.

Our least favorite thing about it: We sort of didn’t like that it jumped around in time. We wondered if a more chronological timeline would have served the book better.

Main Topics of Discussion: Medical/Scientific Ethics, Family, Spiritualism/Mysticism, Civil Rights/Race Issues, Cancer, Death, Loss, Family History

Our favorite quote: “Maybe her cells have done good for some people, but I woulda rather had my mother.”

Notes: This book begins by giving some background on Henrietta’s life and then some details of her excruciating death. It was hard for all of us to read about how much pain she was in, how little they could do for her, and how (because of what they did and didn’t tell patients) she was not really able to say goodbye to her family. She died at 31 and left behind 4 children.

That story, in and of itself, is tragic and an interesting commentary on the treatment of cancer in the 1950s. It also spoke to the treatment of patients during that time…what they were told, what was withheld for their “protection,” as well as the difference between white and black patients.

The main portion of the book chronicles the research and discovery that the author went through in order to write the book, which is kind of unique. It was interesting to read about how difficult it was for her to get any of the family to talk to her and their different opinions about their mother’s cells. Family relations, grief, and healing took up a good portion of our discussion as we sympathized with Henrietta’s family. They had to deal with not only her death at a very young age with young children, but also the tragic fall-out that resulted in a family without a mother. And then the discovery that her cells were harvested and replicated many times over for scientific purposes without her or their knowledge.

The rest of our discussion centered on the ethical implications of this book. And there were many of them. Not only whether a patient should have to give consent for any of their tissues to be used for research, but also the inhumane practices and tests done on the patients at the asylums at that time. At the core of the discussions is the tension between monetary gain, scientific gain (with the purpose of saving lives), and valuing humans as individuals with respect to their own bodies. All of these things made this story of one woman a much larger discussion.

Overall, we enjoyed the book and the thought-provoking and eye-opening issues within. We gained historical as well as scientific knowledge by reading this book, which we all appreciate.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We got to hold sweet babies while we ate and planned a special meeting for next month. Chris made dinner for us, and Dara made dessert!

What We Ate: Pimiento Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Basil Soup, Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Salad with Balsamic Reduction, Pork, Rice and Asparagus, and Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

Third Annual Lake House Weekend

2011-08-03T12:58:00.000-07:00

As the title of this post suggests, this was our third book club trip to Rachel's parents' lake house. This year we were lucky enough to leave on Friday morning. We took our time on the trip out there and stopped at Cracker Barrel for brunch.

In the parking lot, we saw this hilarious car sticker and couldn't pass up taking a photo.

Although it's true that we need no help in the conversation department, we did pick up some Mad Libs at Cracker Barrel's store to play on the rest of the way to the lake. Fun with words...totally appropriate for a book club.

After getting settled on Friday, we took the golf cart out for spin to see the lake, some of the fire damage from this spring, and apparently...a few deer that were out running around despite the heat.

Then, it was over to our favorite spot...the pool. The pool is a magical place when you don't have children to corral or watch like a hawk. You can do things like carry on a conversation with a friend with no interruptions. Or float on a floatie for more than 2 seconds together. Or actually swim if you want to.

Steph made friends with a dragonfly, and her head became its favorite perch. It kept landing on her and would just sit there for a while. See it?

Friday night at dinner we discussed our book, Mao's Last Dancer. Sometime during the discussion, it became apparent that we did not read the same edition of the book. So, we took a closer look at our book copies and noticed the discrepancy.

Dara and Lindsay had read the "young readers' edition" of the book. It left out a few (more adult) parts of the book. Stephanie and Rachel kept talking about things that Dara and Lindsay did not remember at all.

After several more trips to the pool (including one at night - which was awesome), some hot tub hopping, star gazing, movie watching, and of course...eating, we had to come back home. What a great weekend to relax, be off-duty, on our own time, and enjoy friends!

Other memorable moments: "And thank you most of all for this pizza." Floatie flips. "You have nicorette gum?"

Mao's Last Dancer

2011-08-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

Author: Li Cunxin

One-sentence summary: A peasant boy plucked from his family in rural China goes to study ballet in Bejing as a part of Madame Mao’s cultural program and gains the opportunity to visit the United States.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7

Our favorite thing about it: We loved the overall story and learning more about 20th century China.

Our least favorite thing about it: It is hard to find something we just didn’t like, but we did think the writing was just so-so.

Main Topics of Discussion: Hope/Hopelessness, Communism, Poverty, Chinese culture, Family Dynamics, Freedom, Opportunity

Our favorite quote: “If you are ever in doubt about your own abilities, all you need to do is think of your parents and what they have gone through. Your desire to help them is your incentive to work hard.” (p. 191)

Notes: This was an inspiring and interesting true story and we all really enjoyed reading it. The beginning of the book is fascinating because it details the harsh realities of peasant life in communist China in the 1950-1970s. The Li family endured much hardship and was constantly hungry despite their relentless hard work. It was heartbreaking to read about their way of life and their sense of being trapped in it.

Beyond the practicalities of daily life, it was also interesting to hear about some of the cultural intricacies of Chinese life. Their customs, their behaviors, their way of thinking, and their family dynamics. Just by describing his childhood, Cunxin drew a vivid picture of Chinese life and culture that we soaked up as we read.

One of the most interesting things the book describes is what life under a communist regime is like. The propaganda in schools, the blind loyalty, and the outright lies as told from Cunxin’s perspective were fascinating to learn about. Watching Cunxin experience the freedom and wealth of America after coming from such a polar opposite lifestyle was interesting and humbling. Cunxin describes how he felt so deeply betrayed by his government after visiting America and seeing for himself what it was like.

The story has a fairy tale quality to it because Cunxin is literally selected from millions of Chinese children to take part in a ballet school program that catapults him to international fame and success as an adult. Watching that unfold was truly remarkable. But even more remarkable is Cunxin’s loyalty to his family and especially his parents. Due to their values and character, Cunxin is an extrememly thoughtful, caring, and humble person, even as a child. Their relationship, although expressed differently from what we are used to, was extremely touching to “watch.”

Memorable Meeting Moments: This meeting was at the lake house! About halfway through our discussion, we discovered that Lindsay and Dara had read the “young reader’s” version of the book, which left out a few more “adult” details (although those were not very detailed either.)

What We Ate: Chicken Bacon Artichoke Pizza from Papa Murphy’s (which we all loved), Veggies with Ranch Dip, Cookies and Icing (homemade double doozies!).

The Maze Runner

2011-07-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

Author: James Dashner

One-sentence summary: A boy who can’t remember his past is thrust into a strange world with other boys who are trapped in the middle of a giant, dangerous maze.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8

Our favorite thing about it: We loved the inventiveness and flow of the story.

Our least favorite thing about it: The beginning was a little slow and frustrating for us.

Main Topics of Discussion: Survival, Hope, Loyalty, Order

Our favorite quote: “As bad as things were, giving up would only make them worse.”

Notes: We all really liked this book. We felt the setting and the overall ideas behind the book were interesting and more than surface-deep. We all got very interested in the story at different points, but all ended up being really engaged and interested to read the second book.

We noted the emphasis on maintaining hope at all costs. The boys knew in the back of their minds that there might not be a way out of the maze, but would not allow themselves to think that. They had to believe there was a way out in order to stay sane. And work was emphasized as a means to stay busy, productive, and to keep from thinking about their seemingly hopeless situation. It was an interesting commentary on the importance of hope to survival no matter the circumstances. We have read several books in which that theme came up…several of them being true stories.

All of us have read several books now that take place in an “alternate” world – like Hunger Games, Uglies/Pretties/Specials, etc. The authors have all created unique languages in those worlds. While some of that has been annoying (and still seen for the swearing that it actually is), we recognize the narrative device being used…to alert the reader to the fact that they “are not in Kansas anymore.” We discussed this device and how it works to frame out the setting and community of characters as different from our world. And that is key in these other-worldly or dystopian books.

One different thing about this book from others we have read is that it is from the perspective of a young boy (teen), and there are no girls except for one character who is pivotal, but at the same time, not a big character. So, we discussed what that meant to us, a bunch of girls, as readers. We all felt that we did not feel as attached to this narrator/main character as we did to others like Katniss in The Hunger Games. However, we also felt that Tommy was not quite as well written as Katniss so it is probably not the gender thing that got in the way of that. But what we felt was missing from the community of boys were more connections between them. Other than Tommy and Chuck, the boys hold each other at a distance to some extent. We felt that the relationships were not developed as much in this book as we would have liked.

One thing that kind of bugged all of us was that the book was a little hard to get into. We felt that the beginning lagged a little because we were dropped into this strange world just like Tommy and we had no idea what was going on. We recognize that as a useful device (just like the language thing) for developing a “new” world for the reader and characters, but we felt in the dark to the point of being frustrated in the beginning.

Really, we felt that the last few chapters of the book in which you discover a tiny bit of the purpose behind the maze were the most interesting. Obviously, not much was explained because there is a second (and third) book. But, interestingly, we have a feeling that the second book may be just as, if not more, interesting and engaging than this first one because of all the layers of meaning and back-story we now have. Since we all plan to read it (or already have)...we will see!

Memorable Meeting Moments: We did a lot of planning for our upcoming lake house trip in a couple of weeks.

What We Ate: Mojito Slushies, Grilled Burgers with Chipotle Mayo, Arugula, and Muenster, Grilled Corn Salad with Lime, Chili, and Cotija, and Sweet Potato Fries with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars for dessert with tea.

The Kitchen House

2011-06-03T12:25:00.001-07:00

Author: Kathleen Grissom

One-sentence summary: An orphan from Ireland finds herself a servant in the kitchen house of a tobacco plantation living with the slaves.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8

Our favorite thing about it: We loved the story and the characters.

Our least favorite thing about it: We didn’t like that most of the story was so depressing with very little hope.

Main Topics of Discussion: Slavery, Relationships, Family, Hope, Loyalty, Hate, Survival

Our “favorite” quote: “That day I was awakened to a new realization and made aware of a line drawn in black and white, though the depth of it still had little meaning to me.”

Notes: We all rated this book favorably, but were all unanimous in feeling that the story was littered with one depressing thing after another. We understood that writing about slavery on a plantation in the 1700s is a depressing subject. What made it more depressing (and realistic) was the feeling the author created that the characters had few choices available to them. There was very little hope and a lot of helplessness. So, some of the heart wrenching story elements were hard to read, especially since they were not really countered with much hope.

The one bright spot were the relationships the slaves had with each other. They were able to tenuously maintain their family ties as long as one of them was not sold. But, because of their positions with their owners, they were able to stay together for the most part and gained a lot of happiness and stability from their family. They were fiercely loyal and would sacrifice themselves for each other. They kept each other well mentally and physically.

What was unique about this story about slaves is that the owners were not immune from heart ache and tragedy. Their story was depressing too. As was the way hatred was bred in a new generation, which was previously unaware of any differences.

All of the characters were very well written in our opinion. We felt that we knew each one and could almost anticipate their actions based on what we knew of them. The main character was also very likeable and an interesting choice as a narrator because of her odd position in the kitchen house: a white, orphaned immigrant servant girl. It was very clever of the author to use this unique perspective to tell the story.

We were less than thrilled that the end of the book offered little more than a glimmer of hope and happiness for the characters. It was a far cry from the happier ending we had hoped to read after trudging through the depressing events of the story. However, we recognize that not all stories end that way. Ultimately, we still loved the book and enjoyed the story.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Dara lost track of time on her way to the meeting, we had two desserts with our tea, and had a great discussion about GMOs!

What We Ate: Chicken Pot Pie, Steamed Veggies, Spinach Salad, and Snickerdoodle Cookies with Ice Cream (plus a bonus dessert: a cookie and brownie combo)

I Know This Much is True

2011-04-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Author: Wally Lamb

One-sentence summary: A man whose twin suffers from paranoid schizophrenia confronts his brother’s current mess as well as their joint and individual past suffering in search of meaning and redemption.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8

Our favorite thing about it: We loved how real the story and characters were, the amazing writing and story and the depth of meaning in the book.

Our least favorite thing about it: This book has a lot of foul language and it is quite a long book as well.

Main Topics of Discussion: Twins, Relationships, Parenting, Siblings, Love, Conflicting Emotions, Imagery, Parables, Grief, Mental Illness

Our favorite quote: “That love grows from the rich loam of forgiveness; that mongrels make good dogs; that the evidence of God exists in the roundness of things. This much, at least, I’ve figured out. I know this much is true.”

Notes: We could have talked about this book all night long. And not just because it was a hefty book. It had layers upon layers of story and meaning; metaphor and imagery. We all thought this was a fantastic read. One of the things we kept mentioning over and over again was how real the characters and story seemed to us. So real that we felt we could reach out and “touch” them. The characters were so believable and well rounded. They all had amazingly real voices even at different ages throughout the book.

Throughout the book, the narrator (Dominick) is searching for some meaning to the suffering he has experienced both in his past and currently. His relationships are all broken or sick. We loved how even the language of the narrator changed and softened as he became more aware of himself and his shortcomings. He gravitated toward forgiveness and understanding as well as an acknowledgement of God. The spiritual journey that hovered all around his physical and emotional pain was very well written and interesting to read.

This book was about so many things but front and center were relationships of all kinds. And each of these relationships was written so true to life even with all the ugliness and conflicting emotions they contain. Love, hate, guilt, regret, romance, fear. Experiencing completely opposite emotions at the same time was a repetitive theme in this book. Other interesting and prominent themes were monkeys, rabbits, keys, water.

The history of the narrator was told from the perspective of his grandfather and took place in a world that seemed realistic, yet contained a palpable mystery to it. The author so subtly made that “history” a myth and parable for instruction for the narrator and moved between both worlds absolutely seamlessly.

We all found ourselves identifying with the middle-aged male narrator, which is quite a feat considering that we are not middle aged men. But we felt pulled right along with him in his journey of pain and healing, discovery and understanding.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Our first breakfast for dinner! Stephanie’s birthday celebration, and Dara’s solo of “True” by Spandau Ballet circa 1983. (I Know This Much is True…)

What We Ate: Mimosas, Cinnamon French Toast with Banana Rum Syrup, Bacon (and Prosciutto), Greek Yogurt Parfait with Honey and Fresh Berries

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

2011-04-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

Author: Jamie Ford

One-sentence summary: A Chinese-American man living in Seattle alternates between present time and the 1040s living and retelling his story about love, loyalty, and loss that is truly bitter and sweet.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8 (unanimous rating)

Our favorite thing about it: We loved the story because it was so engaging, and we also loved learning about the historical context of the novel.

Our least favorite thing about it: If we had to pick something, we might say that Henry’s father may have been written slightly one-dimensionally as he was a bit extreme.

Main Topics of Discussion: Asian culture (Japanese and Chinese), war, fear, loyalty, honor, family, father/son relationships

Our favorite quote: “Like so many things Henry had wanted in life – like his father, his marriage, his life – it had arrived a little damaged. Imperfect. But he didn’t care, this was all he’d wanted. Something to hope for, and he’d found it. It didn’t matter what condition it was in.” (p.142)

Notes: We universally liked this book. We thought the story flowed really well and the author’s decision to narrate alternately from the 1940s and then the present time was perfect for this story, and happened seamlessly. The setting of both time periods was Seattle, Washington in and around the Chinese and Japanese towns. The insight into the cultures of both of those Asian cultures, with the added prism of American culture, was fascinating and enlightening. One of our favorite things was learning about those cultures and how they were treated and viewed following Pearl Harbor and during the rest of WWII. Quite often, we focus on the German/European side of WWII and the Asian side gets lost. And in this book, the focus was on the Asian side of the war IN America.

However, the war was not really the primary theme of the book. It served as the backdrop for Henry and Keiko’s story, which is really a timeless one. The title of the book spells out the main theme of the book perfectly…bitter and sweet. That is a theme that is really relatable to most readers because most of us have experienced things in our life that are simultaneously bitter and sweet. This made the story and theme resonate with us.

One point of discussion was the father/son relationship, which we see in Henry and his father as well as Henry and his son. The differences and similarities between both of those relationships was interesting, especially through the lens of their Asian backgrounds and thoughts on obedience, honor, and loyalty. National pride played a large part in Henry’s relationship with his father and may have prevented Henry’s father from relating with his son.

We enjoyed following along with Henry’s love for Keiko and the cultural as well as physical distances that separated them. The end of the book, although only an implied resolution, was satisfying enough for all of us.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We went to A Taste of Home restaurant in Wylie, which is housed in a historic Victorian home.

What We Ate: Comfort food! (Like Shepherd’s Pie and Meatloaf), Raspberry Iced Tea, Sweet Potato Fries (with a special dipping sauce), and Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake.

Paramedic to the Prince

2011-03-03T08:38:00.000-08:00

Author: Patrick (Tom) Notestine

One-sentence summary: An American paramedic takes a job in Saudi Arabia at a hospital and ends up working for the Crown Prince and living there for over a decade.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 5

Our favorite thing about it: We enjoyed the insights into the Saudi Arabian culture, mindset and Muslim religion.

Our least favorite thing about it: We could not get past the terrible writing and disorganization of the book.

Main Topics of Discussion: Religion and Politics, Saudi culture, Saudi women and children, Corruption, World cultures

Our “favorite” quote: “Very often it’s fear that makes people stay with what they know.”

Notes: Well, aside from the interesting facts about the Saudi culture and religion, we were so annoyed by the writing style and the complete lack of organization of thoughts in the book. It sort of read like this guy’s journal, but in a bad way. That style of writing can be done well and be so engaging, but this choppy and scattered book was anything but. There was no flow to the thoughts and he would jump around from one subject to the next with absolutely no warning. In short, we were left wondering if an editor ever read the manuscript before going to print. And if he/she did, then their competency should be brought into question.

All of that aside, we did find some of the details about the Saudi way of life and thinking very interesting: the lack of any kind of work ethic, the disregard for the environment, the wasteful practices of the people but especially the rulers, the corruption. These were the things that we had no knowledge of previously.

Many of the Muslim practices we were already familiar with, including their handling of women, but what was different and interesting is how having a “national” religion really shapes the thinking of a whole country. The concept of “Insallah” was new to us and the impacts on the Saudi behavior were fascinating.

The author praises the Saudis in many ways, but also lived there long enough to witness the hypocricy of their ways, often their religious beliefs and how they inform their behaviors. We also discussed how our society (and Christianity) is hypocritical in different ways from the Saudis, but that human society always has to deal with the presence of evil and hatred manifested in whatever form.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We went to Gloria’s for dinner, sponsored by Amberly (thank you!). We also got to love on Stephanie’s sweet and tiny twins, Sadie and Luke!

What We Ate: Gloria’s and Oreo Cheesecake

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

2011-01-28T13:33:00.000-08:00

Author: Helen Simonson

One-sentence summary: An elderly and very traditional British Major falls in love with a widowed Pakistani woman who lives in his village despite their different backgrounds and cultures.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7 (unanimous rating)

Our favorite thing about it: We all loved the writing style, the main character, and the setting/culture/and history detailed in the book.

Our least favorite thing about it: We figuratively raised our eyebrows at a couple of plot “twists,” namely the climactic ending which seemed to come out of nowhere.

Main Topics of Discussion: British and Middle Eastern Cultures, Friendship, Romance, Family, Grief

Our favorite quote: “Sometimes when we pick and choose among the rules, we discover later that we have set aside something precious in the process.”

Notes: I think we all loved the personality and narrative voice of the main character. We all admitted to laughing out loud several times at his inner monologue or the things he would say in response to the silly people around him. We loved hearing the wisdom of Mrs. Ali through her dialogue. We enjoyed learning about some details of the traditional British culture from the Major and his circle of friends and were amused by his interactions with more modern individuals as well as Americans. We also enjoyed the infusions of Middle Eastern culture through Jasmina and her family.

The Major’s fixation on his father’s two guns spurred a discussion of how we feel about family possessions after a death. We also discussed how people grieve differently and how friends and acquaintances try to navigate the unclear waters of someone in the midst of grief. We spent a little time talking about the Major’s pitiable, but also horrible son.

A couple of things seemed ever so slightly out of place to us or perhaps just out of character for the well-rounded characters the author had developed. We weren’t sure that the Major and Jasmina’s real characters would have acted so impetuously at the Colonel’s cabin or that Jasmina would have run away without discussing her plan with the Major in the first place. Also, the action-packed events near the end of the book seemed to be a little bit of a departure from the easy going and calm narrative of the rest of the book. However, these two minor complaints really didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the book.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We played a 2010 year-in-review Jeopardy game, courtesy of Lindsay. Rachel opened her birthday books and we all enjoyed her birthday dessert, courtesy of Dara. We watched the movie, Eat Pray Love since we all read that book a couple of years ago (although it was not one of our book club books).

What We Ate: Curried Cottage Pie, Pear and Gorgonzola Arugula Salad with Walnuts and Balsamic Vinaigrette, Bread and Garlic Herbed Butter, Molten Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream and Hot Fudge

Kindle Lending

2010-12-30T13:36:00.000-08:00

Whoa baby, now we can loan books for Kindle. You don't have to own a kindle, the iPhone and iPad apps work for this as well. The only drawback? You can only lend a book ONE time so that is a bummer. Here is a quick tutorial on how it works...

http://mashable.com/2010/12/30/kindle-lending-how-to/

This is a step in the right direction for Kindle, don't you think?

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

2010-12-20T11:33:00.000-08:00

Author: Laura Hillenbrand

One-sentence summary: A miraculous true story of one man’s experiences with running, war, captivity, and redeemed life.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8

Our favorite thing about it: It is hard not to love the ending to this amazing story.

Our least favorite thing about it: Our only meager complaint might be that the book is really detailed and therefore, quite long.

Main Topics of Discussion: Determination, Redemption/Salvation, War, Hope, Survival, Humanity

Our favorite quote: “Life was cheap in war.”

Notes: We all really enjoyed reading about Louie’s experiences before, during, and after the war. We were blown away by what he had seen and experienced in just his twenties as a soldier and then a POW in Japan. We were also blown away not only by the human ability to inflict suffering on other humans, but also the human ability to endure such suffering and survive. This was a book that we all could not wait to finish to see how it all turned out for Louie.

We discussed how much Louie’s extraordinary determination must have played a part in his survival, coupled with just sheer luck. We could not believe that he survived for more than 5 weeks lost at sea and battling sharks (even a Great White!), only to be captured by the Japanese and held as a POW for years. The time at sea alone is a harrowing tale of survival.

We talked about war a lot. We wondered at the staggering statistics of the WWII aircrafts…that for every one plane and crew lost in battle, 6 were lost in accidents. Unbelievable. Our featured quote (above) captures this sentiment in just 5 words and is so true. We even discussed how this is still true today, despite the fact that we believe we have learned so much from our past wars.

We also discussed how war is ugly for both sides. The Japanese were so cruel to their captured enemies that at times we could not fathom it except that we knew this story to be true. We also thought it strange that they could so easily just walk away from the POWs after the war was won by the Allies even though they had a “kill order” previous to their defeat. We talked about how culture played such a large part in the behavior of the Japanese in this war. They refused to be captured alive and apparently were so ashamed of their defeat, they no longer exerted any of the power they could have still held over the POWs. They could have easily just killed them all at the end of the war.

One last thing about war that we discussed….the fact that war is such an uncivilized thing…why are there/were there rules about the treatment of captives? It seems silly to assume that they would be followed or that any rules apply in war. They were used to prosecute war criminals after the war, but just years later, when the US needed Japan as an ally, those crimes were forgiven in the interest of politics.

As for Louie, we were not at all surprised by his struggles when he returned home. We also talked about what troops returning today have to deal with. We were amazed at Louie’s redemption at the end and his experiences with hearing a young Billy Graham. The fact that Louie’s conversion erased all symptoms of his PTSD is nothing short of amazing, but even more humbling is Louie’s willingness to forgive his greatest tormentor.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We had a great dinner out and then dessert at Lindsay's house. Our annual book and gift exchange. Amberly and Stephanie…we missed you! It’s just not the same without you guys!

What We Ate: Dinner at Brooklyn’s Pizza…slices of pizza, a bottle of wine, and a huge shared salad. Dessert (Chocolate Berry Parfaits) at Lindsay’s house.

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception

2010-11-21T12:47:00.000-08:00

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

One-sentence summary: A high school girl’s eyes are slowly opened to a new world that has been hidden all around her including the world of love and her own supernatural abilities.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 5

Our favorite thing about it: We liked that we learned a little bit about faeries and we liked the idea of a book about that hidden world.

Our least favorite thing about it: Probably the worst thing about this book is the extremely under-developed story line and character development.

Main Topics of Discussion: Faeries, Love, Writing, Story-telling, Character development, fantasy

Our “favorite” quote: “Delia was an overbearing cake with condescending frosting, and frankly, I was on a diet.” (Wow.)

Notes: Well, we unanimously thought this book was lacking. While we liked the idea of a book about the fantasy world of faeries, we agreed that this particular story was poorly executed. This may be one time that we would have liked for a book to be longer so that it could have included all the plot-points and information about characters that it needed to be a truly well crafted story with characters a reader can enjoy.

We felt that the characters were very under-developed and we would have liked much more background and/or details about many of them. Luke’s character, for example, became so much more real to us when we finally learned about his past. But for the majority of the book, he was too much of a mystery and we didn’t feel like we connected with him until the book was almost over. And he was a main character. As for James, we felt like we understood his role as the faithful friend / possible love interest, but he too was not fleshed out as a character very well in our opinion. We all thought that Diedre’s parents and aunt could have been better served with more details. The relationship between Diedre’s mother and her aunt Delia was almost interesting, especially when you find out that they have a past with faeries. Too bad that past is shrouded in mystery and never really explained or detailed. And the evil villain of the novel – the Faerie Queen – is only spoken of for the majority of the book and never seen by Diedre until the end. When we finally do meet her, it is only briefly, we find out nothing about her, and then the book is over.

In addition to sketchy characters, there were several plot holes that made the story confusing instead of compelling. What happened between Diedre’s mom, her aunt, and the faeries? What happens on that last night that Luke and Diedre spend together? How do they part / say goodbye? Why does Diedre have special powers…is it hereditary, just a coincidence? Why does Delia betray Diedre to the faeries? Who are Brendan and Una really? And what is their past with Luke? Why the heck does Eleanor become queen instead of Diedre? What’s the deal with the faerie dogs?

And finally, the climax of the story was anti-climactic and rushed. The book ended abruptly, in our opinion. We all thought that the ending was appropriate, but could have taken another chapter or so.

Ultimately, we felt like this book elaborated when it was unnecessary and was tight-lipped when it should have given more details. So, it was a frustrating and dissatisfying read for all of us, despite the potential that was there with the concept for the story.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We played Scattergories and listened to 90s music.

What We Ate: Josh made a wonderful meal for us, including the winning recipe from the crepe episode of Bobby Flay’s Throwdown show: Cuban Crepes. We also had Fresh Mango Batidos, Texmati Rice, and Salad. For dessert, Dara made us some decadent Sprinkles Spice Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting!

The Thieves of Manhattan

2010-10-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

Author: Adam Langer

One-sentence summary: A down and out writer gets the offer of a lifetime but finds that it comes with a price and an adventure he never imagined.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7

Our favorite thing about it: We liked the sometimes laugh-out-loud, witty writing and the discussion of memoir versus fiction in the writing and publishing worlds.

Our least favorite thing about it: We were most annoyed by the drastic and cheesy turn the story took about 2/3 of the way through. If you read it, you will know what “turn” we are talking about!

Main Topics of Discussion: Truth vs. Fiction, Relationships, Writing, Storyline and Plot, Character Development

Our favorite quote: “Truth can be the best kind of lie; what makes it false is why you’re telling it.”

Notes: We all enjoyed this fast read, but were unanimously disappointed in the way the story developed into an unbelievable and hurried ending. But, we enjoyed the humor in the story as well as the main character himself. We agreed that he was written well and we all identified with him and liked him. We could not say the same for any of the other characters. The main character is always (or at least usually) the most fleshed-out character in a story, but we felt that the other characters (even major ones) were not as well done. We didn’t get a true read on Faye, which would have been nice.

We also all enjoyed the beginning part of the book the most when the author delves into the publishing world and gives an inside glimpse into writing memoirs and how much is and should be true. We loved the discussions on people’s “small stores” of their lives and how that factors in publishing. The ideas presented about how to tell lies and what passes as truth were interesting as well. In fact, we enjoyed this so much that we really wished the book had followed up on the “original” plot and showed how it all turned out. Instead, the story took a sharp left turn into the realm of the improbable and left us unsatisfied as to the outcome of the main character’s memoir fiasco. The fast-paced ending to the book just didn’t work for us and we felt like it was too contrived. None of us bought into it and therefore, were not as satisfied with the book as a whole.

Other than the last 1/3 of the book, there were also other parts to the book that we thought were not believable to us. The relationship between Blade and Anya, Joseph’s character as a whole, etc.

The author’s habit of using literary references (Fitzerald, Kerouaking, Canino, etc.) as nouns and verbs throughout the book was intelligent and interesting the first few times, but by the end of the book it began to read more like a gimmick than a clever device in our opinion.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Lindsay received her birthday books and cards, and for the first time, we were down to only 4 attendees at this meeting due to Amberly living in the Philippines and Dara’s illness.

What We Ate: Chipotle Corn Chowder, Maple Dijon Pork, Asparagus, Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes, Pumpkin Pie

The Other Wes Moore

2010-09-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

Author: Wes Moore

One-sentence summary: The true stories of two boys with the same name who travel very different paths in life based on their opportunities and choices.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7

Our favorite thing about it: We most enjoyed the insight into the life of a young black man in the late 80s / early 90s.

Our least favorite thing about it: We wish there had been more details of the conversations between the two young men, Wes and Wes. We would have found those conversations very interesting.

Main Topics of Discussion: Sacrifice, Choices, Redemption, Love, Revenge, Violence, Opportunity, Role Models

Our favorite quote: “I guess it’s hard sometimes to distinguish between second chances and last chances.”

Notes: We discussed the individual circumstances of each Wes as well as the things we saw as similar in their lives and how they might have impacted their course in life. We agreed that a combination of multiple caring family members as well as mentors outside his family allowed the author, Wes, to end up a Rhodes Scholar among his other accomplishments. While both men were deprived of their fathers, we saw those two things as the biggest difference between the two.

However, we also realized that this book seeks to do more than just try to figure out what made the difference in the author’s life versus the other Wes. It shows how perspective influences a young person’s mind as shown by Wes traveling to South Africa and living in the shanty town with a host family after apartheid. The successful and powerful black men that the author, Wes, encountered allowed him to see the possibilities in his life despite where he might have come from or the difficulties in his path. The decisions of each young man’s family as well as their own impacted their fates as well. We saw the imprisoned Wes’s fate change the day he took on the responsibility of a father when he impregnated his girlfriend. Even though he fought hard to get out of the drug trade, his responsibilities of paying for four children placed a heavy burden on him financially.

There were powerful tales of sacrifice on the part of the author, Wes’s mother and grandparents to send him to military school, which ultimately threw him into the company of other people outside his family that believed in him and genuinely cared for him. This seemed to make a great impact on his life.

The way the Wes and Wes viewed violence and revenge also seemed to have a great impact on their respective lives. The imprisoned Wes’s instinctive reaction to being wronged was to lash out, sometimes violently, against his enemy. The author, Wes, did not seem to share that ingrained view of revenge.

We realize that his book gave us a unique glimpse into the lives of two men that would otherwise be unknown to us and we enjoyed learning more about that perspective. One thing we agreed on is that the book was not personal to us. We did not identify emotionally with the characters. This may have been because their situations and backgrounds are so different from our own, or it may have been a result of the writing style…or a little of both. In any case, this brief tale of two young men did interest us and made us think about the relationship between opportunity, choices and how we influence each other’s lives.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Dara opened her birthday books and cards and we discussed two books – one that was not even an official book club choice, but that we had all read (Mockingjay); Chris cooked the delicious Greek feast for us

What We Ate: Basil Feta Cheese Spread, Greek Bruschetta, Greek Pasta Salad, Tabbouleh, Pork with Mustard Cream Sauce, Green Beans, Orange Cake with Chocolate Topping

Mockingjay

2010-09-25T13:29:00.000-07:00

* Warning - Major Spoilers Contained in this Review! *

Author: Suzanne Collins

One-sentence summary: Katniss Everdeen is faced with the choice to be the champion of a war against the Capitol while also dealing with the even more cruel atrocities committed by war parties against those she loves.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8

Our favorite thing about it: As with the first two installments, we loved the thrilling story as well as the wonderful and insightful writing style.

Our least favorite thing about it: We unanimously agreed that the end of the book felt rushed and we felt unsatisfied with a few major points that were glossed over.

Main Topics of Discussion: War, Violence, Love, Redemption, Tragedy, Sacrifice, Justice

Our favorite quote: “Finally, he can see me for who I really am. Violent. Distrustful. Manipulative. Deadly.”

Notes: First and foremost, we felt that the last section of the book (everything after Katniss’s big moment with the bow and arrow), too briefly wrapped up several major plot points that had been brewing during the whole book and in some cases, the whole series. Specifically, Katniss’s decision between Gayle and Peeta (although a satisfactory choice, in our opinion) was given scarcely two sentences. This was an issue that was a huge part of all three books and was wrapped up with very little elaboration. We had the same complaint about Peeta’s recovery from his mind/memory issues and his reuniting with Katniss. There was very little discussion of how Peeta and Katniss rekindled their romance after their forced mental separation in the last book. It just seemed too rushed to us.

We also discussed how this last book seems much more violent than the first two because of the scale of the violence. However, we acknowledged that this was because the last book is about war whereas the first two are about an allegory or a micro-war played out in the Hunger Games. More violence, although disturbing, makes sense in the context of the book. In fact, the nature of violence on both sides of this war just makes the poignant point that there are no innocent parties in a war. Katniss (and others) assumed that “their” side was just and blameless and that was definitely not the case. Both sides committed atrocities as do all parties that engage in any war.

The death of Katniss’s sister was so tragic to us, not just because it was someone she was close to, but because the first book starts out with Katniss making a major sacrifice to keep her sister from danger…Katniss volunteers for the Hunger Games. This makes her death that much more tragic, but also brings an interesting circular quality to the stories.

For some reason, we were all a little shocked (and saddened) by Finnick’s death. Some of us assumed that either Peeta or Gayle might die at some point in this final book and were surprised that one of them didn’t die. We were also shocked and frankly, confused by Katniss’s decision to vote for the Hunger Games for the children of the capitol. We did not understand if there was an underlying rebellious theme there that we didn’t see or if she was truly voting that way because she wanted revenge. We wish there had been a little more insight into this decision, which seemed very out of character for Katniss.

So, overall we still truly enjoyed the conclusion to this series, but we had great expectations that were, in some cases, not exactly met. To us, it was still a powerful story, a truly creative way to write about the realities and complexities of war, and a genuinely exciting story to read.

Memorable Meeting Moments: The discussion of this book, which was not even a book club choice, took place spontaneously at the meeting for The Other Wes Moore at Stephanie’s house. We had all eagerly awaited the release of this book and had completed it by this meeting, so we decided to discuss it.

What We Ate: See notes on the meeting for The Other Wes Moore.

The Girl with the Orange Dress

2010-08-31T12:15:00.000-07:00

Author: Margot Starbuck

One-sentence summary: A woman struggles to come to terms with her adoption, an absentee biological father, and feeling unloved.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 5

Our favorite thing about it: It was a little bit of a chore for us to pick a “favorite” thing, but we finally decided that we liked the sometimes witty writing of the author as well as the touching parts about her sweet grandmother.

Our least favorite thing about it: Hands down, we all disliked how much the author harped on her problems in a way that we felt was very overdone.

Main Topics of Discussion: Relationships, Parents, Abandonment, Isolation, Seeking, Contentment, Self Help, Ministry, Love

Our favorite quote: “Though my head and my heart were certain of God’s extravagant love, my deep insides had no idea.”

Notes: Unanimously, we were all a bit put off by the overall tone of the book, which was the author working through her feelings surrounding her adoption as a baby…ad nauseum. It got annoying to listen to her complain about the same things over and over again and not ever seem to be able to move past them. We wondered at the infinite patience of her husband to be able to put up with her frail emotions over finding her birth parents and establishing a relationship with them…or not. She constantly felt very unloved, but it seemed to us that she did not (at least in the book) acknowledge the people in her life that did love her. We wondered why a biological father, who was not even aware of her existence at first, would derail a grown woman to such a degree. We also wondered how she was able to minister effectively with her often paralyzing emotions. Overall, we just didn’t relate to the author, which did not draw us into the book at all.

Memorable Meeting Moments: From abroad, Amberly treated us to a meal out, and we celebrated Becky’s birthday with books, cake…and funny cards!

What We Ate: Samui Thai Cuisine and Peanut Butter Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

Photos from the Joint Meeting

2010-07-27T12:37:00.000-07:00

The Angel's Game

2010-07-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon

One-sentence summary: A desperate young Barcelonian author accepts an offer he can’t refuse from a mysterious man and subsequently unravels a dark and sinister series of events from times past to the present.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7

Our favorite thing about it: We liked the writing style, descriptions, and metaphors used by the author.

Our least favorite thing about it: We were all disappointed by the clunky and confusing ending to a story that had great potential.

Main Topics of Discussion: Good vs. Evil, Spiritual/Physical realities, Relationships, Story Development, Villains, Religion

Our favorite quote: “It is part of our nature to survive. Faith is an instinctive response to aspects of existence that we cannot explain by any other means, be it the moral void we perceive in the universe, the certainty of death, the mystery of the origin of things, the meaning of our lives, or the absence of meaning. These are basic and extremely simple aspects of existence, but our limitations prevent us from responding in an unequivocal way and for that reason we generate an emotional response, as a defense mechanism. It’s pure biology.” (p. 202)

Notes: How the story was handled ate up most of our discussion. We all felt that the seeds of a fantastic story were there but they were fumbled badly in the last third of the book, which was hurried, confusing, and not up to par with the first parts of the book or other books by this author. Quite a few of us also thought that there were too many characters and had trouble keeping up with them all, which only added to the confusion of the story. There were parts that we felt could have been left out because they seemed to do nothing for the general storyline (the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, the encounter with the Witch of Somorrostro, etc.) The fact that there were so many loose ends and questions unanswered at the end of the book was generally unsatisfying to us all.

The setting and Gothic themes of the book were positives. For the most part, we appreciated the cadence and imaginative metaphors the author used to describe things. We also discussed the major theme of the book: the interrelatedness of the spirit world and the physical world. Most of the mystery was woven based on this dualistic view of reality and how the two worlds collide. The most interesting chapter to us was the one in which Andreas Corelli discusses his views on myth, fables, and religion.

Memorable Meeting Moments: This meeting was a gathering of all three book clubs at Richarson East (at least those members who were able to attend). We shared the responsibility of bringing food as well as a different experience in discussion than any one group usually experiences. We also had a dirty book swap, thanks to Becky cleaning off her book shelves. There was actually some stealing involved in the game with one of the most desired books being a non-fiction book.

What We Ate: Quesadillas, Roast Chicken, Corn cakes, Guacamole, Tomatillo Salsa, Queso dip, Taquitos, Layered dip, German Chocolate Chess Squares and Carmel Sparkle Bars.

Cutting for Stone

2010-06-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

Author: Abraham Verghese

One-sentence summary: Twin brothers born out of (and orphaned by) tragedy grow up fostering a fascination with medicine as their lives remain tied to each other no matter their different paths.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8 (unanimous rating)

Our favorite thing about it: We really enjoyed the writing and story-telling of this novel, both of which we thought were top-notch.

Our least favorite thing about it: Some of us disliked the somewhat graphic medical descriptions and situations.

Main Topics of Discussion: Love, Family, Betrayal, Loyalty, Resiliency, Tragedy, Medicine, Ethiopian culture

Our favorite quote: “Not only our actions, but also our omissions, become our destiny.” (p.351)

Notes: We all loved the rich, but not overly wordy writing style of this author. We thought he told the story beautifully and wove everything into an amazing epic tale of these two brothers. There were some incredibly poignant phrases and quotes as well.

We also enjoyed the setting of Ethiopia and the political backdrop of the story. We all agreed that it was not overpowering, but just enough of information to pertain to the story and remain interesting.

The medical situations, themes and information are not only a part of the story but in many ways, they are the story. At least a few of us remarked that we felt like we were watching a compelling medical drama at times. This unique central theme and setting is interesting and novel.

There were a few things that didn’t resonate with us as much. For one thing, the supposed connection between the twins even as babies was a little unbelievable and even annoying at times. We definitely all liked and identified more with Marion. That is probably because of his personality and also because he is the narrator.

We all also agreed that despite the many tragedies and dark events in the novel, we did not come away with that as the pervading theme of the book. We all liked how it ended and how the author treated the events of the lives of the brothers (and other characters).

Memorable Meeting Moments: Amberly attended this meeting after having knee surgery the very same morning! Becky also brought us our completed, and very cute, aprons.

What We Ate: Guacamole and Blue Corn Chips, Lime Marinated Chicken with Tomatillo Corn Salsa, Black Beans and Rice with Cilantro Pesto, and Key Lime Pie with Whipped Cream

The Catcher in the Rye

2010-06-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

Author: J.D. Salinger

One-sentence summary: A 16-year-old boy roams around New York City for a couple of days after getting kicked out of school and shares the details of his inner thoughts about the people and situations he encounters before being sent to a sanatorium where he is recounting these events.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 6

Our favorite thing about it: Some of us were interested in the way Salinger portrayed the themes of the book and the insights into an adolescent mind.

Our least favorite thing about it: Several of us were put off by the negativity of the main character and narrator and the repetitive foul language among other things.

Main Topics of Discussion: Innocence, Childhood, Loss, Adolescence, Cynicism, Change, Alienation, Loneliness

Our favorite quote: "Among other things, you'll find that you're not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You're by no means alone on that score, you'll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spritually as you are right now. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles. You'll learn from them - if you want to. Just as someday, if you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It's a beautiful reciprocal arrangment. And it isn't education. It's history. It's poetry."

Notes: First of all, it should be noted that our opinions varied greatly on this book, but by in large, it was not a favorite. Those of us who didn't care for it thought it was negative, boring, and hard to read in the sense that the story had no compelling movement. Those of us who liked it slightly better did so because they thought the writing was top-notch, the themes poignant, and the message interesting. For those folks, the book was also a very fast read.

As for the themes, we discussed the main character's (Holden) repulsion to a loss of innocence in children. This was the basis for the title, which comes from Holden's incorrect memory of song lyrics. He envisions himself the "catcher in the rye" in which he "catches" all the children running in a rye field before they fall over the precipice to their death, which symbolizes their loss of innoncence. He idolizes two important children in his life...his sister, Phoebe, and his late brother, Allie. He identifies with them because they are children and not "phony" adults. Holden finds fault with every adult or peer he discusses. He is incredibly cynical about their motives and actions. As a reader, his constant talk about how "phony" everyone was got old.

Holden also aggressively fights against change of any kind, which sort of mirrors the theme of losing innocence. He talks about a museum as a symbol of a static world where nothing changes inside. The only thing that changes is the museum-goers, who are never able to stem the tide of everyday changes in their lives.

Ultimately, because Holden is afraid of the adult world and all that it means to him, he builds a wall around himself and refuses to get close to anyone. He alienates himself with his talk of "phoniness" and remains lonely because of it. Again, to those of us who enjoyed the exploration of these themes by Salinger, we thought he displayed them carefully and cleverly within the story.

We also discussed the fact that Holden uses foul language a lot. He is the narrator of the entire novel, so most of us were tired of his swearing before the book was over.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Well, this "meeting" took place during our trip to the lake house, so we were on the porch in the evening enjoying the outdoors and the view.

What We Ate: Before we discussed the book, we ate a quick dinner of pizza and salad after our trip to the lake house.

The Yellow House

2010-05-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

Author: Patricia Falvey

One-sentence summary: A determined young Irish woman fights to regain her sense of family and home amid the violence and turbulence of the Irish War of Independence.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7

Our favorite thing about it: We loved the setting, the historical references, and the interesting story.

Our least favorite thing about it: Some of the characters were predictable and perhaps a bit flat and in at least one instance, we felt that one character acted way out of character to suit a certain ending.

Main Topics of Discussion: War, Hatred, Family, Story and Character Development, Culture and History

Our favorite quote: "Passion flames like a bright candle, but all the while it is melting into tears of wax. You want it to burn forever, but you know in your heart it will consume itself in the end. The wick will turn black and charred, and the wax tears will cleave into a cold, formless mass. The light and warmth and scent will dissolve into a wisp of smoke and you will descend into emptiness." (p.205)

Notes: We all really enjoyed reading this book and thought the story was both interesting and moving. For most of us, that made it a fast read. The setting was a beautiful mountainous region of Ireland and the historical significance of the region added to the interest of the story. In fact, we all enjoyed learning the factual historical insights in the book. By developing the story somewhat against the backdrop of the Irish War for Independence, the author gave us readers a glimpse into what fuels the deep-seated hatred on both sides. Some of the characters were interesting and fun to read, however, some of them seemed predictable and one-sided to many of us. Frankly, several of us were surprised and annoyed at the massive shift in character for James at the end of the book when Eileen visits him in jail. We also questioned Eileen's decisions on several occasions and while she may have been the most well-rounded character, she seemed to have a split personality sometimes based on her actions. We were split in our feelings about the family gathering at the Yellow House in the end of the book. There were those of us who thought the ending a bit too tidy and perfect despite the changes in some of the characters. But, there were also some of us who thought it was those tragic changes which kept the ending from being perfect at all. One thing that we found amusing at the very least was the selective, but frequent, use of Irish pronunciations.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Becky brought several show and tell items, one of which was our almost-completed apron. We did a lot of planning for our upcoming trip, 5 year memorabilia, and tasted Irish cream in our tea.

What We Ate: Baked ham with vegetables, Mashed potatoes with cabbage, Angel food cake with fresh strawberries and cream.

Prayers for Sale

2010-04-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

Author: Sandra Dallas

One-sentence summary: An elderly Colorado woman weaves together stories from her life while trying to reach a lonely young woman who is new to town.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 6

Our favorite thing about it: We liked some of the stories individually and appreciated the brief history of the town and the mining industry there.

Our least favorite thing about it: The novel was too formulaic and predictable for all of us.

Main Topics of Discussion: Storytelling, Quilting, Friendship, Tragedy, Character Development

Our favorite quote: “I’m gladder for my friends than I am for almost anything, maybe even quilting. I’m proud to say I have as many friends as I do quilts.” (p.119)

Notes: While all of us enjoyed parts and pieces of this novel, we were disappointed by a few things that kept us from rating this book higher. We liked a few of the stories as stand-alone stories and appreciated their drama. However, as parts of a whole novel, even these favorite stories fell short of making us care about the characters or eliciting any real emotion from us. We felt that the weaving together of these stories was weak and did not lend itself well to being presented as a novel. We felt the characters were often very one-sided and therefore, became annoying at times. We were most disappointed in the “convenient” and nicely wrapped-up ending. We were especially annoyed at the constant reminder by the author that the main character was “going to have to deal with” something before the end of the novel. Some things we did enjoy were the history of the town and getting a glimpse of what it might have been like to live their over the years as the main character did. Overall, a nice read, but nothing incredibly memorable or powerful about the story, characters or anything else.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Amberly got smacked in the face by a plate while awaiting dinner, Dara set a very sweet “Colorado” country-style table and gave us all small plants to take home, Stephanie got (almost all) of her birthday books :), and we discussed the pronunciation of “vehemently.”

What We Ate: Vegetable Puree Dip with Crostini, Biscuits with Butter and Raspberry Jam, Homestyle Pot Roast, Potato and Turnip Puree, Asparagus, and Dara's Lava Cakes. Yum!

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

2010-03-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

Author: Junot Diaz

One-sentence summary: A family friend retells the story of Oscar and his entire family and how the fuku curse of the Dominican people has caused pain and suffering.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 5

Our favorite thing about it: Although this was not one of our favorite books we appreciated learning more about the Dominican culture and history.

Our least favorite thing about it: We felt that this book was hard to follow and understand because of the writing style and confusing references, not to mention the lengthy footnotes. This, more than anything, kept us from really enjoying this book.

Main Topics of Discussion: Relationships, Storyline/Narrative, Writing Style, Dominican culture/history

Our favorite quote: “And I wonder: what hurt him more? That I was never really his friend, or that I pretended to be?” (p.181)

Notes: There were not many things that we liked or enjoyed in this book, although the actual events of the story could have been more interesting if they had been told in a different way. We felt that the writing style really got in the way of the story. We also realize that the writing style was very deliberate…it just did not appeal to us. The author uses a lot of literary (especially fantasy and sci-fi) references as well as Spanish words and phrases. Deciphering these sometimes bogged down our reading and did not help the flow of the narrative for us. In addition, there were several lengthy (as in, several paragraphs each) footnotes. Again, we realize this was deliberate on the author’s part, but we were very annoyed by the interruption in reading the story. We felt that if the information was interesting or imperative enough to the story (and sometimes it really was), then it should have just been included in the body of the novel. We did not feel connected to any of the characters, which we feel is essential in really enjoying a book. We are not sure why none of us felt compelled by any of them, but we really didn’t. We read their stories and sometimes intense tragedies with the aloofness of an outsider. The writer did not succeed in drawing us into the story.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Becky’s entirely homemade dessert was a hit, despite her doubts….Rachel made a “homemade ladyfinger” comment (“they look homemade…”)…and Amberly shared an accidental Scooby Doo impression (“rale role model”)…and Dara may have drifted off near the end of the meeting!

What We Ate: Garlic Coriander Pork Tenderloin, Summer Squash Casserole, Spinach, Strawberry Torte

FYI- Book Club Kits

2010-03-02T06:37:00.000-08:00

These are the titles available as book club kits at my library:

Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian
The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
One Thousand White Women: The Journals of Mary Dodd by Jim Fergus
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
The Time it Never Rained by Elmer Kelton
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8. Lee
The Color of Water by James McBride
After This by Alice McDermott
Black Swan Green by David Mitchell
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
Digging to America by Anne Tyler
Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler
The Commoner by John Burnham Schwartz
Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman
Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison
Brother I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat
The Madonnas of Leningrad by Donna Dean
Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver

I left out about a dozen titles that either we have already done as a club, or I personally have read. If any of you have read any of these titles, leave a comment so we know that one is off limits. Isn't this a great list and a neat service for the library to provide?

Born to Run

2010-03-01T12:40:00.000-08:00

Author: Christopher McDougall

One-sentence summary: A writer for Men’s Health magazine tracks down and studies a little-known tribe of ultra runners in Mexico and delves into their running secrets.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7

Our favorite thing about it: We enjoyed the inspiration to run the book exudes as well as the interesting facts about running and the Tarahumara tribe itself.

Our least favorite thing about it: The unnecessarily long chapter about evolution that was equal parts boring and annoying.

Main Topics of Discussion: Running shoes, Nutrition, Desire to Run, History of Running, Marathons, Evolution of Running

Our favorite quote: You don’t stop running because you get old. You get old because you stop running. (p.202)

Notes: Several of us agreed that this book was inspirational and very interesting. We enjoyed learning a little bit about the Tarahumara tribe in Mexico, which we had never before explored. There is an assumption to the book that everyone is born to run (even very long distances) and that anyone can enjoy running. We pretty much disagreed with this premise, although, we did acknowledge some of the research presented that could help some of us enjoy it more.

There were some annoyances with the writing style for some of us: the stringing together of what seemed like some separate magazine articles and the frequent use of hyperbole. It sometimes got old hearing that this tribe of people was absolutely perfect in every way because they were super runners.

The story of the big race in Mexico as well as the individual stories of the runners was very interesting to all of us. We enjoyed that thread of storyline throughout the book. We all marveled at the endurance and will of the runners and were absolutely in awe that they could run that far all at once.

We discussed the issue of barefoot running or at least running with less-padded shoes than we are all used to. We all agreed that it would be worth trying since the argument made in the book was pretty convincing. We have plans to do a barefoot book club race in the near future. (ha!)

Memorable Meeting Moments: Amberly received her birthday books

What We Ate: Beef Stew with Rice, Salad, Bread Rolls, and Chocolate Velvet Cheesecake

A Meeting at Amberly's House!

2010-01-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

Amberly's beautiful new dining room table...

Lindsay, why do you look mad in this picture? You were SO far from being mad that night! :)

Amberly's secret weapon...

Imaginiff Lindsay was a tool...

The Unlikely Disciple

2010-01-21T13:56:00.000-08:00

Author: Kevin Roose

One-sentence summary: A true-story account of a 19-year-old non-Christian’s semester at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7

Our favorite thing about it: Although there were several things we liked about this book, our favorite thing was probably Roose’s objectivity in approaching and analyzing his experience at Liberty. We really appreciated this about the book.

Our least favorite thing about it: It is hard to pick out something we didn’t like, especially about a book based on a real experience such as this one. It is probably more accurate to say that there might have been some things which bothered us, like the fact that the author had to pretty much lie in order to get an authentic experience. Like him, we had mixed feelings about this.

Main Topics of Discussion: Faith, Religion, Education, College, Spiritual Growth, Conversion, Christianity, Bible

Our favorite quote: “Okay, so the problem with calling a gay kid “faggot” is not that it hurts his feelings, but that it might make him more gay. Point taken.” (187)

Notes: I think we would all say that this book really made us think. It was so interesting to see what a non-Christian thought about some of the things we are used to (like prayer, church, spirituality, etc.). Some of the impressions were convicting. This immersion experience for Roose took place at the ultra-conservative Liberty University, the brain-child of the late Jerry Falwell, so in many ways, we agreed wholeheartedly about the assessments the author made about what he encountered.

As mentioned above, the author took great care to present his findings with an honest heart and with amazing objectivity. He did not hold back what he thought, but when analyzing things, he really and truly delved into the material and relationships with people before coming to any conclusions. He became involved in just about everything he could so as to learn the most he possibly could. He read books he probably would never have chosen for himself, went on a ridiculous Spring Break trip, joined prayer and support groups, and shared very openly about his spirituality and other things.

We enjoyed the writing style and the often witty writing. We wondered how his experience would have been different with in a slightly less conservative environment and also if he had encountered even more aged Christians. He gained most of his material from college students, who were themselves struggling to find their faith. However, that did not distract from the book at all. We discussed several things that bugged us about the brand of Christianity that Roose discovered and we discussed his moral dilemma of having to lie about his true past in order to be truly accepted at Liberty. Overall, we enjoyed this fast-read and gleaned a lot of insights into how we should act and speak as Christians. We look forward to possibly hearing back from Roose in response to our video “interview.”

Memorable Meeting Moments: We had our very first meeting at Amberly’s house (not just her new house!). We also celebrated Rachel’s birthday month, played the game, Imaginiff, and created a video of thoughts and questions on the book for the author. And we might have played a drinking game involving Lindsay’s spiritual exclamations.

What We Ate: Balsamic Roast Pork Tenderloin, Tortellini with Spinach Walnut Pesto, Frozen Fruit Salad, and Pecan Cheesecake Pie.

Percy Jackson

2009-12-28T20:13:00.001-08:00

Have you heard of the Percy Jackson series? It's 5 books and they are very highly rated and are supposedly similar to the Harry Potter series.

Check them out!

Christmas Party 2009

2009-12-18T13:59:00.000-08:00

The Host

2009-12-18T13:35:00.000-08:00

Author: Stephanie Meyer

One-sentence summary: An alien "soul" takes up residence in her host's human body, finds herself tracking down her host's family, and experiencing a roller coaster of human emotion completely new to her despite her previous 8 lives as other beings.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7

Our favorite thing about it: We thought the book brought up several interesting scenarios and things to ponder about an alien parasite/host relationship and what implications that has.

Our least favorite thing about it: There were actually a few things that we could list (and will below), but probably our least favorite was the overall pace of the book and how there was so little driving the story along.

Main Topics of Discussion: Aliens, Human Emotion, Love, Relationships, Ethics, Mind/Body Connection

Our favorite quote: "This was my planet, and they wouldn't make me leave. I would stay in the dirt, in the dark grotto with my friends. A human grave for the human I had become." (p. 590)

Notes: Overall, the majority of us enjoyed the experience of reading this book and liked following along with the story, which most of us thought was interesting. A few of us found the lack of action brought the story down. A couple of other things that bothered some of us were that Ian's love for Wanda just seemed unbelieveable, there were several unnecessary details and scenes, Jared was not a likeable character, several characters seemed one-sided, and some of the vocabulary (hiss, as an example) was overused so as to take away from the powerful description it might have provided.

We discussed how the book brings up several interesting themes like how a body and a mind work in conjunction with each other and although they may seem like they are separate, they never really are. We also discussed this fact in relation to love and relationships. Several ethical questions were posed by the premise of the book, which we briefly discussed and thought were interesting. The concept of the book and an alien invasion of earth, seemed well-explored, including the nature of the parasites, their world, thier tools, and their purpose. We also discussed the survival-mode, or instinct-based human emotions and actions.

Memorable Meeting Moments: This was our 2009 Christmas party, so we did a "Dirty Santa"-style book exchange, explored Amazon's new large-format Kindle, exchanged gifts for each other, played our traditional Jeopardy game about 2009 and planned a few exciting things for 2010!

What We Ate: Garlic and Romano Crostini, Champagne and Pomegranate Cocktail, Peppercorn Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Roquefort Chive Sauce, Gruyere Potato Gratin, Green Beans with Cranberries, Blue Cheese, and Walnuts, and Double Brownie Cheesecake. Recipes are all on the recipe blog.

Get Excited!

2009-12-14T09:51:00.001-08:00

8 Months

2009-12-10T17:07:00.001-08:00

Just saw that the third book of the Hunger Games trilogy is set to be released Aug 24, 2010.

I don't plan to pre-order it yet, though Amazon is accepting pre-orders.

Let the Great World Spin

2009-11-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

Author: Colum McCann

One-sentence summary: On the day a tight rope walker walks between the two World Trade Center towers in August 1974, the lives of New York residents spin around that event yet have vastly different outcomes, attitudes and lives.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 6

Our favorite thing about it: The interconnectedness of the stories was well done and there are some brilliant, poignant, and completely beautiful passages in the book.

Our least favorite thing about it: This is not a book with a traditional storyline; there was no build up to a climax and then a wrap up in the end, which can make it slow at times and also dissatisfying at the end. But mainly, there were several completely unnecessary parts and stories that bugged us.

Main Topics of Discussion: Relationships, Cities, Faith, Human Nature, Death, Hope

Our favorite quote: “It had never occurred to me before but everything in New York is built upon another thing, nothing is entirely by itself, each thing as strange as the last, and connected.” (p. 306)

Notes: Most of us thought the book started out a little bit slowly. But some of us thought that it sort of picked up the pace a little bit toward the end. As noted above, there is no real storyline so the momentum and pace was different than another type of novel. The characters were all written completely differently, which we thought was very interesting. The author really seems to squeeze himself into the skin of each of his characters when he tells their stories. Hearing the lives of the people through their voice and vernacular lends a very real quality to the book. In fact, a general feeling we got about the book was that it was a very real and raw book about life in New York City in the 1970s. Death is a central theme and ties several of the characters together. Crime and corruption are also themes as well as hope, which is where we think the tight rope walker relates to the stories. Love and faith are discussed in a somewhat different way than most books, which was fresh and interesting. There were a few parts that seemed completely unrelated to the underlying string that tied the stories together. Frankly, we wondered why those did not end up getting cut by the editor. They slowed the book down and were even confusing at times. Overall, we didn’t enjoy reading this book as much as some of the others we’ve read; however, the glimpses of truth and beauty that the author wrote were well worth reading. He had a way of saying so much with so few words; he would describe things so explicitly without volumes of language. We really enjoyed those nuggets of writing.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We literally raved about Lindsay’s soup, nearly all gave this book the same rating, and did a little planning for our Christmas meeting next month.

What We Ate: Herb-Simmered Beef Stew (aka: the best beef stew any of us has ever had), corn bread, and (the best) chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice cream and Dara’s dulce de leche. And hot tea!

Should I?

2009-10-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

I'm seriously considering reading this book. Should I?

What about this related one?

You just have to look. Really.

Wal-Mart vs. Amazon

2009-10-16T09:27:00.001-07:00

This could be good news for us...

Wal-Mart and Amazon.com trade price cuts on books

I've never thought to check out Wal-Mart online before, but I'll be doing it from now on.

A Book a Day

2009-10-12T10:37:00.001-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/nyregion/12towns.html?_r=1

go directly to the web page of a lady who is reading one book per day!!!

You've got to read about this- truly amazing!

Catching Fire

2009-10-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

Author: Suzanne Collins

One-sentence summary: In the sequel to The Hunger Games, Katniss has little time to revel in her victory in the Games before the Capitol is out to seek revenge for what they see as her rebellious act, which ignites hope in the people of Panem that they may yet be free.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 9 (another unanimous rating)

Our favorite thing about it: The creativity that we loved in the first book makes its return in this book as well. The imagery, the set up of the Games, and the story itself is just so unique and diverse.

Our least favorite thing about it: If we are forced to pick something, we would say that Katniss’s persistent cluelessness can be a bit annoying. We understood that to be a necessity since Katniss is the narrator and therefore the lens through which the reader sees the plot unfold. If Katniss had known all the details when perhaps she should have, the story would not have been as intriguing. Still, she seemed awfully dense at times as to what was going on around her.

Main Topics of Discussion: Symbolism, Loyalty, Love, War, Oppression, Heroism

Our favorite quote: “Everything is happening too fast for me to process it. The warning, the shootings, the recognition that I may have set something of great consequence in motion. The whole thing is so improbable. And it would be one thing if I had planned to stir things up, but given the circumstances…how on earth did I cause so much trouble?” (p.68)

Notes: This is the first sequel we have ever read together as a book club choice. And only our second book to have an anonymous rating…and a nine again, no less. We were all wondering how well the second book would be written since, traditionally, second books tend to fall in the shadow of the first book. This book did not do that, however, and definitely held our attention again. The same themes and metaphors spoke to us as they were seamlessly woven into the narrative. Most of us came out of this book with completely opposite feelings of who we thought Katniss should be with as opposed to how we felt after the first book: Gale or Peeta. We all agreed that one of the main plot twists in this book was predictable, but also agreed that the author made it completely believable as to how it came about. This book ramps up the stakes, and makes the Games a completely different arena (literally and figuratively) than the first book. We all thought that the actual arena in this book was brilliantly devised. Some of the dangers were of a more psychological nature but just as deadly. And the inner workings of the arena made it a perfect setting for the true intended outcome of the Games.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Lindsay received birthday books (most of which are also movies), Josh prepared another winning meal for us, Becky stepped in as sous chef on the risotto, and Dara aced her first attempt at homemade dulce de leche for her cake.

What We Ate: Bruschetta, Pine Nut and Herb Encrusted Cod with Golden Raisin Reduction, Risotto, Spinach, Ooey Gooey Cake, and Pumpkin Bread.

The Hunger Games

2009-09-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

Author: Suzanne Collins

One-sentence summary: In a post-America sci-fi world called Panem, a common teenage girl finds herself fighting for her life in the cruel and deadly Hunger Games held yearly and enforced by the oppressive Capitol.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 9 (the first time we have all given the same rating for a book)

Our favorite thing about it: If we had to pick one thing it would be the creativity of the book. From the concept to the details, the book is extremely creative and different from anything else we’ve ever read.

Our least favorite thing about it: It is hard to pick something we didn’t like, but in some cases, the plot can be a bit predictable. Sometimes it seems that the author intends for that to be the case and sometimes you can just see where she is going. But that didn’t really take away from the overall enjoyment of the book for us.

Main Topics of Discussion: Relationships, Government, Rich/Poor, War, Reality TV, Imagery, Survival, Human Behavior

Our favorite quote: “It’s funny, because even though they’re rattling on about the Games, it’s all about where they were or what they were doing or how they felt when a specific event occurred…Everything is about them, not the dying boys and girls in the arena.” (p.353-4)

Notes: This book kept us on our toes reading it and none of us could put it down. This was one of our fastest reads and definitely one of our highest-rated books. And we all gave it the same rating, which has never happened since we began rating books. Strangely, after reading a summary of the book, a few of us were not sure if we would like it at all. This book is not like any other book we have read but we unanimously enjoyed it. The originality of it was amazing to us all.

Another thing we loved were the parallels the author makes to our own society. She speaks to the dichotomy of rich and poor on many levels and in many different ways. She definitely touches on the themes of social awareness, oppression, control and justice.

Through the narrative, the author speaks to many a basic human instinct - survival - and how that manifests itself in each character, especially the tributes in the Games. But, it takes place not only in the area during the Games, but back home in the Districts as citizens struggle to keep themselves and their families alive.

The images in this book (coal, fire, forest, mockingjay, etc.) really help highlight some of the themes in the book mentioned above. Even the names of the characters and the terminology of Panem (reaping, tributes, etc.) evoke powerful imagery with only one word.

Ultimately, the concept of this book, once discovered, drew us in completely and the momentum of the story kept our attention. We can’t wait to read the second book and the other(s) that follow.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Food, Glorious Food! (see below), Dara’s Birthday, a dip in the hot tub, and our first sequel as a book club pick

What We Ate: Lamb Stew with Winter Vegetables (with significance from the book), Greek Salad, Moroccan Olive Bread, and the most decadent apple pie

The Help

2009-08-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

Author: Kathryn Stockett

One-sentence summary: Despite the racial climate of Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s, a young white woman enlists the help of several brave black maids to help her write a truth-telling book about being a maid in a white household and raising someone else’s children.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8

Our favorite thing about it: We loved this story and the characters really resonated with us. We also loved the glimpse into the perspective of the black maids.

Our least favorite thing about it: At least one of us did not care for the ending, which seemed to be rushed compared to the pace of the rest of the book.

Main Topics of Discussion: Civil Rights, Raising Kids, Social Rules, Friendships, Relationship Power-Dynamics, Racism

Our favorite quote: “Wasn’t that the point of the book? For women to realize, we are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I’d thought.”

Notes: We enjoyed the unfolding of this story and getting to know the characters, who we thought were very interesting. We really appreciated learning more about the social structures in Mississippi in the 1960s and hearing about it from the black women’s perspectives. We talked a lot about how the various white women fit into their social circle because of their views. The contrasts between the friendships of the black women and the friendships between the white women were very interesting. The humor and candor of the book was refreshing to balance out some parts that were very real and heartbreaking. We also discussed the fact that the author, a white woman, chose to write from the voice of two black women. We think she did this well, but we also think that is a hard thing to pull off. The fact that the author included the perspective of a white woman added depth and interest to the story as we followed the consequences to her actions, which were different from the black women’s consequences. Again, at least one of us thought that the ending didn’t quite fit the rest of the book and felt like the author just didn’t know how to end it. That may have been the biggest thing that held our rating back from a 9, although some of us rated it that high individually.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We ate dinner at Sawadika Thai Zone Restaurant and we all shared different dishes to get a taste of everything. We gave Becky her birthday books and then made our way over to Half Price Books for a quick browse. Finally, we went to see The Time Traveler’s Wife…one of the first few books we read.

What We Ate: Ginger Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Thai Basil Chicken, Pad Pra Ram, Pad Thai

The Forgotten Garden

2009-08-04T06:10:00.001-07:00

I was looking at another Kate Morton book on Amazon, "The Forgotten Garden," and thought it looked really good. So while shopping at Barnes and Noble yesterday, I picked up a copy. Let me tell you, it is the best deal on a book I have ever found at the overpriced Barnes and Noble. I did not see it anywhere in the new release section (it's a hardcover) so I finally asked the info desk about it. The lady took me to an end cap at the very back of the store and pulled the last copy off the shelf. It had a big 50% off sticker on it. I think my jaw was hanging open as I asked if that literally meant it was half off the cover price of $26. I just could not fathom buying a new hardcover book at Barnes and Noble for $13. I walked in a daze to the front of the store and bought it.

I'll read it and bring it to the next meeting so someone can borrow it.

The House at Riverton

2009-07-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

Author: Kate Morton

One-sentence summary: An elderly woman reminisces about her days as a servant in a great English household in the early decades of the twentieth century and the events that led up to a pivotal moment in her life.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7

Our favorite thing about it: We liked reading and following the story and appreciated how it flowed and held our interest. We also liked the time-period and interesting details of being a servant in a turn of the century British estate household.

Our least favorite thing about it: The story wrapped up quite conveniently and seemed to borrow quite a few plots, characters and other details from many different books we’ve read. It wasn’t as original as we’d like.

Main Topics of Discussion: Servants, Wars, World War II, Relationships, Lies of Omission, Elderly, Unrequited Love, Secrets

Our favorite quote: “Wars make history seem deceptively simple. They provide clear turning points, easy distinctions: before and after, winner and loser, right and wrong. True history, the past, is not like that. It isn’t flat or linear. It has no outline. It is slippery, like liquid; infinite and unknowable, like space. And it is changeable: just when you think you see a pattern, perspective shifts, an alternative vision is proffered, a long-forgotten memory resurfaces.” (p.271)

Notes: We first discussed how pretty much all of us enjoyed reading this book and enjoyed the story-line. Most of us loved the time period and the descriptions of how the world changed over the ninety-plus years of the main character’s life. We were all hanging on as we read to find out what the true secret was as it was revealed on the last few pages of the book. We appreciated the descriptions of war and how it devastated a country, individual families and individuals. The insight into servanthood in an estate during the early twentieth century in England was very interesting.

We did feel that some of the mysteries were hinted at pretty strongly…perhaps on purpose. At least one of us did not connect with the characters very much and we all agreed that the main character wasn’t really the “main character” in the story. The connections made at the end of the book seemed a little trite and we could not believe all the similarities we picked out to other books that we’ve read: Rebecca, The Thirteenth Tale, Atonement, etc.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Our first meeting with Amberly back from the Philippines! We played a welcome-back game with questions about what we did and what she did the past 2 years. We played a spontaneous middle-name game. And we unveiled our new monogrammed tote bags!

What We Ate: Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas, Spanish Rice, Black Bean Salsa, Banana Pudding…ALL recipes from our recipe blog!

A Reunion!

2009-07-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

Here are the pictures from our July (2009) meeting...our first with Amberly in 2 years! Welcome back! Stephanie - I am so sorry, but you and I are strangely missing from the pictures except for the group shots. And look...I added our new group photo to the sidebar. Much better.

15 Books

2009-07-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

Here is a list my mother-in-law saw making the rounds on Facebook and thought I would enjoy. I think it would be fun to hear all of your answers too. But you have to follow directions. Promise? I mean it. No cheating!

OK, I am trying to write it from memory so it won't be exact, but here goes.

List 15 books that are unforgettable to you. They can be from any time of your life, just the first 15 that come to mind. Do not think too hard about this. In fact, don't take more than 5 minutes to make your list! These are 15 books that have made an impact on you in some way and are memorable to you. It works better if you do not read any other person's answers first, so do not scroll down and look at my answers...head straight to the comments and make your own list first. GO!

1. Beloved by Morrison
2. Life of Pi by Martel
3. Pride and Prejudice by Austen
4. The Shack by Young
5. 1000 Splendid Suns by Hosseini
6. Left to Tell by Ilibagiza
7. Night by Wiesel
8. Little House on the Prairie Series by Wilder
9. Little Women by Alcott
10. The Pursuit of God by Tozer
11. Living with Less by Tabb
12. Screwtape Letters by Lewis
13. Light in the Attic by Silverstein
14. The Monster at the End of This Book (Sesame Street)
15. A Voice in the Wind by Rivers

A lot of my list ended up being religious books which surprises me. Although, I think this list could come out slightly different depending on what time of day you do it and where your thoughts might be. These are not all the best books I have ever read (some are), but all have impacted me and were very memorable.

Middlemarch

2009-07-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

Author: George Eliot

One-sentence summary: The lives of the inhabitants of a small, provincial town in England in the 1800s intertwine through love, marriage, scandal and family, reflecting a detailed portrayal of timeless human relationships and emotions.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 6

Our favorite thing about it: We loved and appreciated the depth of description of the characters, their thoughts and their emotions. Despite the fact that there were many characters, the author used each opportunity to expound on the human condition in detail and some of those paragraphs were beautiful, enlightening, and profound.

Our least favorite thing about it: We all felt that parts of this book could have been left out with no damage whatsoever to its overall magnitude…namely, the boring political parts. It is not that we don’t appreciate a cultural and/or historical context to stories such as this, but more than most books, this one delved into way too much description of politics, which actually seemed irrelevant to the main story.

Main Topics of Discussion: Marriage, Family, Communication, Etiquette, Poverty, Wealth, Role of Women, Emotions, Relationships

Our favorite quote: “Of course men know best about everything, except what women know better.” (700)

Notes: Overall we enjoyed the story of this book. It had intrigue, scandal, love and other very interesting parts. It was hard to get into because of the slow start and the language barrier…that is, we all had to become accustomed to the nineteenth century way of speaking. Beyond those things, we generally felt that the book was too long. As mentioned above, we felt that many parts could have…in fact, should have…been left out altogether. We are not opposed to long books in general (and have read several long ones in which every word was necessary), but this one seemed to lag in places and lack relevance to the overall work. We discussed marriage quite a bit since it was the main focus of the novel. We were not surprised to find that many of the issues dealt with in the book are issues that marriages still face today. There were, of course, issues specific to that time and we discussed those too. We spent a bit of time discussing each character and how we identified with them or not or if we liked them or not. Most of the characters were well developed in the novel so we had a lot of material to reference.

Memorable Meeting Moments: This meeting took place during our lake house weekend. The book was brought up on several occasions although our main discussion took place on Friday night.

First Ever Weekend Getaway

2009-06-29T15:46:00.000-07:00

Be sure to check out ALL the photos here. You won't want to miss Becky's "shampoo commercial" photo! Thanks for such a wonderful weekend, ladies!

A Book-less Book Club Meeting

2009-05-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

See all the pictures up close and personal here.

The Irresistible Revolution

2009-04-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

One-sentence summary: This author chronicles his extraordinary experiences in Calcutta with Mother Teresa, in Iraq with the locals, and in urban Philadelphia where he is part of a community that truly seeks to emulate the type of community that loves directly through radical and countercultural actions and lifestyle.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8

Our favorite thing about it: Probably the best thing about this book, in our opinion, is that while it provides a grim and realistic assessment of Christianity and discipleship in America today, it also remains hopeful that not only is a change possible but even eminent.

Our least favorite thing about it: The footnotes (although we loved the content) were slightly disorienting to some of us as we read and if we are completely honest…this book carries a very challenging message to read and digest.

Main Topics of Discussion: Love, Community, Selflessness, Relationships, Humility, the Church, Spirituality, War

Our favorite quote: “It seems to me that God could surround us with elders as we bring new energy into an aging body, but it will take tremendous courage from old folks to dream new dreams and allow a new generation to make their own mistakes. And it will take great humility from the new generation of the church to listen to the wisdom of our elders and know that we can learn from others’ mistakes.” (354)

Notes: Well, we had a whopper of a discussion on this one. We were all deeply impacted by the message of this book and all felt that it would not soon leave us. In fact, we all remarked that the sentiments in the book are the kind that get under your skin and just won’t leave you alone. As it should be. There were so many things that were brought to our attention that some of us had been thinking about but not heard articulated so well before. And there were things that we had not thought about in this particular way before. There are too many of these things to list here, but we agreed with all of them. We really appreciated the unbiased tone of the book despite the fact that the material is made up of religion and politics – both separately and together. And we really appreciated that, despite the author’s radical lifestyle and thoughts, he specifically cautions the younger generation against “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” when discussing leaving the church, which he believes has roots and wisdom too beneficial to discard. Ultimately, we were left wondering where we go now and how our lives and actions should be impacted by the things that were brought to light and simply cannot be ignored, in our opinion. This was a very powerful book and we believe that we all benefited greatly by reading it.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Lindsay’s Thai cuisine was a huge hit, Stephanie received her birthday books and we decided to read a 800-page book next , for which we will allow TWO months to read!

My Sister's Keeper

2009-03-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

Author: Jodi Picoult

One-sentence summary: A 13 year-old girl challenges her role in her family as an unquestioning donor to her older sister with a life-threatening illness.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7

Our favorite thing about it: We liked the plethora of ethical questions brought up in the novel and how the different scenarios delved into many relational, medical and other issues.

Our least favorite thing about it: We didn’t care for how the book ended. We thought it a little bit trite and convenient. We would have liked a more untidy ending, which we believe would have been in keeping with the difficult issues dealt with in the story.

Main Topics of Discussion: Sisters, Motherhood/Fatherhood and Parenting, Illness, Death/Dying, Choices, Genetics/IVF

Our favorite quote: “I came to your office because just for once, I wanted it to be about me instead of Kate.” (291)

Notes: Overall, most of us enjoyed this book. Besides the ending, the other things that annoyed us were the occasional “cheesy” phrasing or dialogue, but for the most part, we liked how the story was crafted. One other thing we all agreed on disliking was the relationship between Julia and Campbell. We thought the reason they had stayed apart for so long was totally bogus and unbelievable and we really didn’t see how their story had anything whatsoever to do with the main story of the book. We discussed how Picoult really did a good job of balancing all the different voices in her book. The chapters were all told from a different point of view (7 total, I think) and each character even had their own font. We most appreciated how the questions raised were never presented as just black and white. As readers, we were constantly challenged to look at things from another point of view and reassess what we originally thought. We had a great time discussing what we would have done and what we thought of the decisions that some of the characters made. We sympathized and disagreed with the characters…sometimes simultaneously. The book kept us interested and we agreed that we would have loved to see how Picoult would have constructed an ending that went along the same lines as the rest of the story instead of making a twist that seemed contrived.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Chef Josh did it again…we enjoyed White Peach Sangrias, Prosciutto and Tomato Puree appetizers, Pan Seared Red Snapper with Olive Tapenade and Saffron Rice with Spring Vegetables. Then, there were the made-to-order crepes that were simply amazing (and unfortunately, not pictured)!

A Night of Firsts

2009-02-24T13:20:00.000-08:00

Collard greens and the hot tub!

Same Kind of Different As Me

2009-02-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

Author: Ron Hall and Denver Moore

One-sentence summary: A wealthy art dealer and a former sharecropper and homeless man become unlikely friends, changing each other and their communities irrevocably.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 9

Our favorite thing about it: There were two favorite things: hearing the unique perspective of a homeless man and the motivation we felt after reading the book to extend ourselves beyond our comfort zones to make a tangible difference in the lives of others.

Our least favorite thing about it: A very minor thing…that Deborah seemed way too perfect! We’re sure she had some flaws, but Ron and Denver just chose not to elaborate on those (and rightly so).

Main Topics of Discussion: Homelessness, Poverty, Judgments, Hope, Perceptions, Nature vs. Nurture, Death and Dying, Forgiveness, Friendship, Marriage, Faith

Our favorite quote: “If you is fishin for a friend you just gon’ catch and release, then I ain’t got no desire to be your friend…But, if you is lookin for a real friend, then I’ll be one. Forever.”

Notes: In general we loved this book. The story, the message and the testimony of faith all touched us significantly. We loved how the perspectives of Ron and Denver were written in their own unique dialect. Right from the start that set the tone for their stories and also was the only clue as to who was talking, which we thought was brilliant. The telling of Deborah’s battle with cancer and eventual death brought us all to tears while we were reading it. We were all profoundly affected by both Ron’s and Denver’s perspectives of Deborah’s passing. We marveled at the details of mid-century sharecropping in the United States, of which we were not aware. We also appreciated the honesty of Ron as he described his shortcomings and his true feelings when he began spending time at the mission. Equally, we appreciated insight into Denver’s true feelings as a homeless man and how he viewed Ron and Deborah as well as his situation itself. We thought it was great to read a book that is set so close to home…Fort Worth. Ultimately, we felt we could not ignore what we took to be one of the messages of the book…that God works in true love and relationship to change people. We felt compelled after reading the book to find ways in our lives to allow God to use us more effectively for that purpose.

Memorable Meeting Moments: After enjoying a truly southern meal (complete with collared greens, which were a first for all of us), we finished off our night in the hot tub!

Wiesel Article

2009-02-17T08:51:00.000-08:00

I saw this article on USAtoday.com and found it very interesting, especially since it is about this author we have read together. I copied it below:

NEW YORK — The Elie Wiesel Foundation has reported that it is among "the victims" of Bernard Madoff, having lost nearly all its assets in what may be the largest investment fraud in history.

But "victim" is not a word that Wiesel, the 80-year-old writer and humanitarian, likes to apply to himself.

A survivor of the Nazi death camps and a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Wiesel vows that his foundation, which deals with questions of global ethics, will survive.

"All my life has been about learning and teaching and building on ruins," he says. "That will not change."

In his book-lined office in Manhattan, Wiesel, whose latest novel, A Mad Desire to Dance, arrives today, avoids naming Madoff, who's accused of a $50 billion Ponzi scheme. Madoff, who faces criminal charges, has promised not to contest civil claims that his investment firm was a fraud.

"I don't want my name linked with that crook," Wiesel says, as soft-spoken as ever. "I don't want to be known as one of his victims. I want my name linked to peace and literature and human rights."

Wiesel would rather discuss his new novel, part psychological mystery, part love story. Its main character, the son of a Jewish Resistance fighter from France, asks, "In a mad world, isn't the madman who is aware of his madness the only sane person?"

But it's hard to avoid Madoff's financial madness and its link to Wiesel.

'It's not about me'

Wiesel and his wife, Marion, started the foundation in 1986 with a portion of his Nobel award. In December, it reported it had $15.2 million, "substantially" all its assets, invested with Madoff.

Authorities have identified 13,000 of Madoff's investors, including Wiesel's foundation, which sponsors conferences of Nobel laureates and centers in Israel for refugees from Ethiopia and Darfur.

The irony has been noted: "It takes an extraordinarily heartless conman to swindle a survivor of Auschwitz and Buchenwald and Nobel Peace Prize winner out of all of his charitable funds," wrote James Bone in The Times of London.

Wiesel shrugs and says, "People ask, 'How could he do it to you?' To me! As if I'm the only one. It's not about me."

Nor, he says, is it a particularly Jewish question, despite the fact that Madoff is an Orthodox Jew and that most of his investors were Jewish.

Wiesel says that in the past 20 years, he met Madoff only twice and briefly. "I was introduced by friends — friends that he also betrayed. It's repulsive."

He answers most questions about Madoff with his own questions that are left unanswered: "Was he a crook because he was a Jew? Was Ponzi a crook because he was a Christian?"

Since the foundation's financial loss was reported, Wiesel says, it has been flooded by unsolicited contributions — "big and small, from young and old, Jew and non-Jew. It's an expression of their outrage."

He says the foundation has received about $200,000 in such contributions — enough to keep its programs going. Among those who have offered to help, he says, is "my good friend Oprah Winfrey."

In 2006, Winfrey's book club chose Night, Wiesel's Holocaust memoir. In his office is a small photograph of him and Winfrey, huddled against the cold in the ruins of Auschwitz, which they visited for her show. In 2007, the Wiesel Foundation awarded its annual Humanitarian Award to Winfrey.

"The question is how she'll help," Wiesel says. "Should I go on her program? Or should we do something else? But when she says she'll do something, she means it. She's a great lady." (Winfrey, through a spokeswoman, declined to comment.)

Moments of redemption

As an author, Wiesel is best known for Night, published in French in 1958 and English in 1960. It recounts how at 15, he was packed in a cattle car and sent to a series of concentration camps, where his parents and younger sister died, and how he struggled with survivor's guilt.

In it, he writes, "Never shall I forget that night, the first in a camp, which has turned my life into one long night."

Asked about his hometown in Transylvania, Wiesel offers a lesson in European history: "When my father was born, it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. When I was born, it was Romania. And when I was deported, it was Hungary."

Behind his desk is a photo of the farmhouse in Sighet where he was raised. It's now a museum. He likes the photo because "it reminds me of where I came from, not to be taken in by all this fame."

After the war, Wiesel was placed in a French orphanage and, although he speaks fluent English, he continues to write in French ("it's my language") and rely on translators.

He moved to New York in 1956 as a correspondent for an Israeli newspaper and was advised to see the rest of the country. He was shocked and shamed by the segregation he saw in the South.

"For the first time in my life, I felt shame — not because I was a Jew, but because I was white."

He thought of that last month at President Obama's inauguration: "In my own lifetime, I've seen history trying to redeem itself. What a beautiful gesture America has given to itself."

The first black president could pave the way to another first, he says: "My son or grandson will live to see the first Jewish president. It's harder now for anyone to say, 'It can't happen.' "

Wiesel became a U.S. citizen in 1963. "It was the first time I had a passport. Before then, I was stateless. I was unwanted, even as a journalist. I still carry my passport, even though I don't travel much anymore. I'm proud to have it."

He has written more than 50 books, fiction and non-fiction, but says only about five deal predominantly with the Holocaust, although the horrors of his childhood hang over most of what he writes.

His new novel features a 60-year-old scholarly European Jew living in New York, who seems incapable of relationships with others, especially women.

Doriel Waldman is haunted by the memory of his parents, who died in a car accident shortly after World War II. His mother joined the Resistance; his father did not. In the novel, he explains, "she was blond and attractive. She could easily pass for Aryan, whereas he, with his brown hair and sad brown eyes, looked more Jewish."

In desperation, Waldman goes to a therapist. He mostly argues with her, much as he has argued with God. At one point, the therapist, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, questions whether Waldman's memory is lying to him.

"This can happen even to people who are healthy psychologically," she tells him. "With the years, the past becomes blurred. We forget real events and 'remember' dreams or imaginary episodes."

One of the last survivors

That prompts a question for Wiesel about whether recent cases of Holocaust memoirs that were falsified are examples of just that.

"I don't know. I don't understand that," he says. "If you want to write a novel, then write a novel." But, he adds, "I favor survivors."

In 1997, he wrote a glowing blurb for Misha: A Memoir of the Holocaust Years by Misha Defonseca, who vividly described fleeing the Nazis and eluding capture by hiding with friendly wolves.

It turned out that the part about the wolves and other dramatic elements in the memoir were a hoax.

Wiesel asks: "Who am I to question and interrogate survivors? It's an act of faith. They deserve it. Haven't they suffered enough?" But he also fears that when any Holocaust survivor exaggerates or lies, then "someone can say that all of us are liars."

Wiesel, who teaches religion and philosophy part time at Boston University, is among a dwindling number of concentration camp survivors: "We're an endangered species. Someday, there will be just one left. I don't want to be that person. It would be too heavy a burden to have the last word, the last memory."

But, he says, "I tell my students and my readers that whoever reads or listens to a witness becomes a witness."

Great American Novels List

2009-02-12T06:12:00.000-08:00

Check out this list I read on Ken Jenning's blog. He was the guy that won for so many weeks on Jeopardy a couple of years ago.

February 9, 2009

The great American novels

Around this time last year I assembled a deeply idiosyncratic list of the best bands from each of the fifty states. So why not do the same thing with novels, I thought to myself? What’s the best novel set in each of the fifty states?

I found a couple sites on line running similar lists…I tried not to look too closely, but it looked like most of them were recommending books by an author from each state, or maybe a book that quintessentially sums up each state, or something. My list is simpler: what’s the Great Book set predominantly in each state? Doesn’t matter where the author’s from, doesn’t matter if the book could be set anywhere. Only geography matters.

Alabama To Kill a Mockingbird, whose Maycomb is closely modeled after Harper Lee’s own Monroeville.

Alaska The Call of the Wild. Granted, big chunks of this take place in the Yukon, but the longest setpiece is a trip up the Alaskan panhandle to Skaguay, and London even refers to some clearly Canadian (see what I did there?) locales in the book as “Alaska.”

Arizona The Bean Trees. Barbara Kingsolver’s first book.

Arkansas I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Okay, this is probably an autobiography, strictly speaking. But it’s novelistic. What do you want me to do, settle for whichever Grisham book is set in Arkansas?

California Gotta be Steinbeck, right? The Grapes of Wrath is less “local color”-y than something like Tortilla Flat, but it’s the go-to Canonical Classic here, I guess.

Colorado Wallace Stegner’s Angle of Repose actually has just as many scenes set in California and Idaho, but this is the only slot I had for it. Amazing book, if you love the West.

Connecticut So, some book about how suburbia is a chilly, soul-smothering nightmare, I guess. Revolutionary Road, maybe? Actually, I’m partial to Rick Moody’s The Ice Storm. I guess Richard Yates should have put more Fantastic Four references in Revolutionary Road.

Delaware I was so desperate here I was looking at books that have Delaware Indians as characters, for crying out loud, like Last of the Mohicans or Blood Meridian. What about Tom Coyne’s well-regarded golf novel A Gentleman’s Game? Hey, Amazon tells me they made a movie out of it with Gary Sinise. What do you want from me? There are no books set in Delaware.

Florida Their Eyes Were Watching God. It’s very-very-very Floridian, it’s read seriously from junior high to Ph.D programs, it’s a real page-turner.

Georgia Frankly I’d go The Color Purple here. But do I look like a PC sellout putting it back-to-back with Their Eyes Were Watching God? Plus there’s Maya Angelou up there and you know there’s going to be some Toni Morrison coming up later. Should I just appease the powerful cracker demographic and say Gone With the Wind? I hear that’s in Georgia.

Hawaii I have nothing here but the ultra-haole From Here to Eternity. Well, I have Michener, but how is that any better?

Idaho Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson! Great book. My only regret is that now I can’t use Gilead for Iowa.

Illinois So many great Chicago writers to choose from here: Nelson Algren, James T. Farrell, Theodore Dreiser… I’ll go with Saul Bellow, nice safe choice, and say The Adventures of Augie March. But part of me really had a hard time turning down Chris Ware’s Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth.

Indiana Okay, The Magnificent Ambersons is set in an unnamed “Midland city.” But it’s pretty clearly Booth Tarkington’s native Indianapolis.

Iowa For a long time I was leaning Philip K. Dick’s Ubik here, since it devotes a lot of time-traveling pages to Des Moines. But that seemed a little perverse. A Thousand Acres by native Hawkeye Jane Smiley, then. Is this King Lear? No, it’s Iowa.

Kansas If I’ve already let Maya Angelou in, I guess I can’t claim In Cold Blood isn’t a novel now.

Kentucky Uncle Tom’s Cabin. At least the parts everyone remembers–the cabin, the chase across the ice-floes, etc. I think Simon Legree’s plantation was actually in…

Louisiana Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, no question. Still read by undergrads everywhere, plus it’s full of local Creole color.

Maine I know Richard Russo’s upstate New York books won’t even make the top ten when I get to the Empire State, but luckily Empire Falls, one of his best, at least pretends to be set in Maine instead.

Maryland Pretty much all of Anne Tyler’s books are set in Baltimore. She’s like the John Waters of literature. (No, of course not. Wrong Baltimore director. She’s the talented, but slightly dull and middlebrow Barry Levinson of literature.) I’d go with The Accidental Tourist, but Breathing Lessons is pretty solid too.

Massachusetts I can’t really not go Hawthorne here…The Scarlet Letter, I suppose, though The House of Seven Gables probably has more Massachusetts history.

Michigan Song of Solomon is pretty clearly set in Detroit, right?

Minnesota Native son Sinclair Lewis set Main Street in a thinly disguised version of his hometown. That’s good enough for me.

Mississippi All of Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha books are set in Mississippi, right? (I think I may have misplaced the ‘W’ in Yoknapawtapha. No, the first version looks better.) The Sound and the Fury then.

Missouri Great, another easy one! Tom Sawyer. (Probably a lot of Huck Finn too, but I’m not 100% sure how that breaks down.)

I’ll put the second half together tomorrow…that gives me 24 hours to find some book actually set in Rhode Island. Or the Dakotas.

February 10, 2009

The great American novels: the sequel

Continuing yesterday’s quixotic quest to find the best novel set in each of the fifty states. Onward toward the Dakotas!

Montana A River Runs Through It is actually a pretty skimpy novella, which would leave us with A. B. Guthrie’s The Big Sky. Never read it, but the Kirk Douglas movie is awesome. And–holy crap–James Drury’s Amazon review calls it “poetry in book form”! Is this for real? The Virginian is an Amazon reviewer now?

Nebraska If I pick a Willa Cather novel, and I don’t want to repeat authors, then I have to find something other than Death Comes for the Archbishop for New Mexico. Sigh. Well, I have to do it. Nothing’s more Nebraskan than My Antonia, right?

Nevada The Ox-Bow Incident is apparently set in the Nevada Territory. Another Western I’ve never had to read because, luckily, there’s a pretty good movie.

New Hampshire Yes, John Irving–but not the one you’re thinking. A Prayer for Owen Meany is a better book and doesn’t move to Vienna halfway through.

New Jersey This has to be something by Newark’s one Philip Roth, right? Portnoy’s Complaint made me laugh more than American Pastoral, so it’s in.

New Mexico Not Death Comes for the Archbishop, that’s for damn sure! Thank goodness for Bless Me, Ultima.

New York I can’t think of any books set in New York. Well, there’s not going to be any Fitzgerald on this list if I don’t choose The Great Gatsby here, so let’s go with that. Suck it, Edith Wharton and Henry James.

North Carolina I loved Look Homeward, Angel so much that I stole the copy I borrowed once from my sister and later bought her a new one. (Okay, the borrowed one got water-damaged too.) Hey, maybe I should have chosen Bonfire of the Vanities for New York so I could have had Tom Wolfe and Thomas Wolfe back to back.

North Dakota Thank you Louise Erdrich for apparently setting your first novel, Love Medicine, not in your native Minnesota but across the border in North Dakota!

Ohio Okay, I screwed up by choosing Song of Solomon for Michigan, since now I can’t use Beloved for Toni Morrison’s home state. Let’s retroactively make Michigan one of Jeffrey Eugenides’ books, or maybe something Detroit-set by Elmore Leonard.

Oklahoma I already used Barbara Kingsolver and Toni Morrison. Grapes of Wrath only has a few chapters in Oklahoma. I guess that leaves me with (Oprah’s Book Club selection!) Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts. If Oprah can get a president elected, surely she can help me choose the best Oklahoma novel.

Oregon Sometimes a Great Notion, hands down. I love that book. Wait, is Cuckoo’s Nest set in Oregon too? Not sure.

Pennsylvania Something by the late, great John Updike. Almost all his books are set in some analog of his Pennsylvania hometown. Rabbit, Run, I guess.

Rhode Island Someone pointed out yesterday that if I burned Updike on Pennsylvania, I couldn’t use Witches of Eastwick for Rhode Island. Well, I’ve got an ace up my sleeve–an Oprah-approved ace! She’s Come Undone, by Wally Lamb. No, I haven’t read it. Mindy said it was all right, though.

South Carolina All I have here is Prince of Tides. Am I missing something? “Lowensteeeein….”

South Dakota Giants in the Earth, making Ole Rolvaag (I think) the only foreign-born writer on this list.

Tennessee James Agee’s A Death in the Family is set in Knoxville. So are all of Cormac McCarthy’s early books, but I’ve never read any of them.

Texas Speaking of Cormac McCarthy–do you go with him or McMurtry here? If I’m remembering right, Lonesome Dove is mostly set on the cattle trail north of Texas, and most of McCarthy’s “Border Trilogy” is actually set in Mexico. Hmmm. I guess I could go with No Country for Old Men. Who am I missing here?

Utah The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey. Because when I think of Utah, I immediately think of radical environmentalism. I guess I could have stuck with John Fitzgerald’s Great Brain books. Honest injun, I used to plumb love those.

Vermont If kiddie lit counts, The Day No Pigs Would Die is something of a classic. My fourth-grade teacher skipped all the swears when she read it to us and I’m still bitter. Otherwise, it’s pretty slim pickings. It looks like Bernard Malamud set a book in Vermont: Dubin’s Lives. No idea.

Virginia I thought there’d be some slam-dunk 19th-century classic here, but I can’t think of anything. Moll Flanders ends in Virginia, I guess. William Styron’s Confessions of Nat Turner must be set in Virginia. Let’s go with that.

Washington No obvious pick for my home state, either. Most of Sherman Alexie’s best work is short stories. One of Tom Robbins’ books? I’ll stick with Snow Falling on Cedars, set out in the San Juans somewhere. That’s a good safe choice.

West Virginia Wow, this was almost as hard as Delaware. I thought of Cloudsplitter, Russell Banks’ John Brown novel, but I doubt the bulk of the book is set around Harper’s Ferry. Which would leave me with…well, apparently there’s a Newbery winner set in West Virginia called Shiloh. I bet it’s about a dog, or something. If it won a Newbery Medal, the dog probably dies.

Wisconsin This was looking pretty bleak as well. Is Little House in the Big Woods really the best-known book set there? Then Oprah came to the rescue! The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is apparently set on a Wisconsin farm.

Wyoming Brokeback Mountain is actually a short story collection, so let’s go with The Virginian here. It’s what Amazon reviewer James Drury would have wanted. Hmmm, I wonder if Drury’s reviewed Brokeback yet. On my way to check it out…

Sister Carrie

2009-02-02T15:26:00.000-08:00

Author: Theodore Dreiser

One-sentence summary: A young woman from a small town moves to Chicago in the late nineteenth century in search of a job and a new life and meets two men who will change her life indefinitely.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7

Our favorite thing about it: We really loved the author’s insightful commentary on human nature and desires.

Our least favorite thing about it: There were superfluous parts to this book that we felt weighed it down and could have been eliminated without affecting the story and message of the book.

Main Topics of Discussion: Youth and Beauty, Job Seeking, Employment, Nineteenth Century Culture, Vanity, Human Nature, Choices and Decisions, Relationships, Morality

Our favorite quote: “People in general attach too much importance to words. They are under the illusion that talking effects great results. As a matter of fact, words are, as a rule, the shallowest portion of all the argument. They but dimly represent the great surging feelings and desires which lie behind. When the distraction of the tongue is removed, the heart listens.” (p.120)

Notes: We had a lot to say about this book for two reasons. First, it was a lengthy book. As stated above, we all felt that there were parts that we had to wade through. And secondly, there were so many topics and facets to this story. In fact, there were almost three main characters.

In the first part of the book we discussed Carrie’s job search and how we identified with it and how it painted a perfectly hopeless picture of her situation. We moved from that to discussing Drouet and what we thought of him as a person. We were a little divided on his character. There was no doubt that he was a shameless flirt and liked women. However, most of us thought that he had a good heart and good intentions where Carrie was concerned but was just very emotionally immature and clueless. Others of us believed that he was not entirely faithful to Carrie and was not good for her at all. But all of us agreed that, whatever his intentions, he probably changed Carrie’s life in the most tangible way. Without his care and money, she would never have even met Hurstwood and in all likelihood would have returned to her family in the country.

We discussed what we believed to be a seminal moment in the book: Hurstwood’s stealing the money from his bar. We all thought the description of motives and thought here was superb and more than any other decision in the book, was expertly described and detailed. We couldn’t believe that Carrie would decide to stay with him except that her situation back in Chicago was bleak.

A great deal of our discussion surrounded the latter part of the book and the dwindling relationship between Hurstwood and Carrie. We all agreed again that Dreiser’s depiction of Hurstwood falling from high society to homelessness and all the mental stages of that decline were written very well. For all of the characters, we found it hard to come to a consensus about what we thought of them because they were so multi-faceted. One minute you would agree with their decision and like them more for it, and the next minute, they would seem despicable for another thought or decision.

So many of the motives and decisions in the book were made (by all characters) based on money, comfort and vanity. Dreiser’s true story was about the common desires, needs and impulses we all have as humans and his descriptions of such we thought were brilliant.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Rachel received her birthday books, we all drank tea from our “initial” mugs (except Becky!), and we talked the voice right out of Becky!

What Should I Read Next?

2009-01-17T19:39:00.001-08:00

A friend posted this website on her blog & I immediately thought of you ladies, of course. (And any other readers for that matter...)

What Should I Read Next?

Christmas Meeting 2008

2008-12-30T12:32:00.000-08:00

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

2008-12-30T06:43:00.000-08:00

Author: Lewis Carroll

One-sentence summary: A little girl named Alice follows a white rabbit down a hole and enters a world in which nothing is as it seems and absolutely nothing makes sense.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 6

Our favorite thing about it: There are some very witty plays on words in this book and many parts are very fun fantasies.

Our least favorite thing about it: The parts that weren’t witty or fantastical were just plain weird. So weird that we didn’t much care for them!

Main Topics of Discussion: Fantasy, Childhood, Dreams, Culture differences of fantasies, how the book was written, strangeness

Our favorite quote: “And the moral of that is – Be what you would seem to be – or if you’d like it put more simply – Never imagine yourself not to be otherwise than what it might appear to others that what you were or might have been was not otherwise than what you had been would have appeared to them to be otherwise.”

Notes: We talked a little bit about how this book differed from the Disney movie that we love. There are several parts that are missing in the movie and some in the movie that are from the sequel to this book, Through the Looking Glass. One part of this book in particular struck us all as very strange and almost disturbing: the house with the Duchess and the pig. The conversation at the Mad Hatters table was frustrating but very nearly matched the Disney representation. Some of the plays on words that we enjoyed involved using a word with a double meaning. Those little nuggets of wit were fun. We also enjoyed some of the more clever parts of the story like the deck of cards as the Queen of Hearts’ guards as well as the croquet game with flamingoes and hedgehogs. Alice seemed to be very well portrayed as a little girl. In fact, her constant interrupting and question-asking is very characteristic of a little child. We were all glad that we’d read this classic but agreed that we probably wouldn’t read it again although it was a very fast read.

Memorable Meeting Moments: This meeting was just chock full of memorable moments. We started out at Brooklyn’s Pizza and then went to Dara’s house for hot chocolate and smores. We had a super-fun game of Jeopardy again, courtesy of Becky that summarized our year of meeting and reading. We exchanged gifts and had a dirty Santa book swap. Pictures to follow in the next post!

Be A Book Reviewer

2008-12-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

I saw on someone's blog that they had become a book reviewer for Thomas Nelson publishing. I was highly intrigued, so I checked it out. It looked like a really fun experience, not to mention a good deal. You get the book free, in exchange for reading it, and posting a 200 word review on your blog and also on a consumer retail site. You review one book at a time, and can request your next book when you finish reviewing the first. I signed up and started today. They gave me 5 books to choose from and 2 of them looked good to me. I chose one called The Unseen by T.L. Hines. It is a fiction suspense tale. If you are interesting in this then check it out at the Thomas Nelson website.

On-Location Meeting

2008-11-26T20:02:00.001-08:00

Pictures from our last meeting that I meant to post earlier...the timed shutter release works like a charm again for a group photo. And we commandeered Caleb's car seat for extra seating.

My Hitch In Hell: The Bataan Death March

2008-11-20T07:43:00.000-08:00

Author: Lester Tenney

One-sentence summary: An American POW tells his harrowing tale of capture, torture and survival in the Philippines and Japan during WWII.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7

Our favorite thing about it: We liked learning about the history and a piece of WWII of which we were previously unaware. We also appreciated this tale of extraordinary human strength and courage.

Our least favorite thing about it: Obviously, it was difficult to read the graphic depictions of war and more specifically the gruesome treatment of the POWs.

Main Topics of Discussion: War, Morals and Values, Decisions, Relationships, Survival, Faith

Our favorite quote: Under normal conditions, in the real world, only two possible courses of action are open to us: either we can try to make our lives conform to our beliefs, or we can modify our beliefs to conform to our lives. Although true contentment may depend a great deal on which path we choose, under the conditions I faced on the march, I quickly found that in order to survive emotionally and physically I had to choose a little of each. p.58

Notes: Despite the graphic nature of this book and the attention that demands from any reader, we discussed more of the psychological and practical aspects of Les’s survival. We were truly amazed at how he was able to survive. One of the first things we discussed is how he was able to do this. He mentions several things in his book, one of which is a general positive outlook and a desire to survive. We all noticed that he did not mention God or faith once as a reason for his survival, which was interesting in contrast to other survival tales such as Left to Tell. Another thing that he does not specifically mention is luck, which we believed in several cases did save his life. We also marveled at the selflessness of some of the POWs. Lester was saved on more than one occasion by a fellow POW. Those captured troops who became traitors to America and other Americans truly appalled us. We discussed several instances where Les had to make a decision and whether we would have done the same thing or not and why. Overall, we were all interested to learn about the part that the Philippines played in WWII. None of us were previously aware that it had any part at all, which brought up the topic of how history is written and told. We appreciated that Les has written his story down as one of the few survivors of the Bataan Death March so that story and piece of history is not forgotten forever.

Memorable Meeting Moments: This book choice was Amberly’s and we really missed discussing it with her! We met at Pei Wei for dinner and then made a stop at Half Price Books before ending up at Barnes and Noble for our main discussion…and coffee, tea and dessert! What a fun night!

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

2008-10-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

Author: Kim Edwards

One-sentence summary: A father’s choice at the birth of his twins sets in motion the direction of his family’s life and the secret that separates them despite their love for each other.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7

Our favorite thing about it: There were occasional glimmers of really great writing and imagery that we appreciated.

Our least favorite thing about it: That the storytelling really was mediocre.

Main Topics of Discussion: Relationships, Choices, Consequences, Ethics, Secrets

Our favorite quote: “The world was made of hidden things, of secrets; built of bones that never saw the light.” p.202

Notes: The main thing we discussed about this book were the choices that all of the characters made, not just David, and the consequences that those choices brought. We talked about what we might have done and how the culture of the time (60s-70s) would have colored those decisions. We discussed how the secrets of all the characters prevented them from having any real intimacy in their relationships and how that ultimately tore their family apart. Those secrets prevented true disclosure and therefore hindered any real communication. The relationship that suffered the most was probably David and Norah, closely followed by Paul and both of his parents. These three were always getting into situations where they would misunderstand each other. Their conversations, which were meant in some cases to offer an olive branch by one party, ended up dividing them more because of the misunderstanding. This was frustrating to us as readers. We all agreed that the first chapter of the book was engaging and may have been the climax of the book; in it the choice that shapes the rest of the book is made. Therefore, the story of the rest of the character’s lives just doesn’t live up to the moment of choice in that first chapter. We discussed how the author would break through the sometimes bland storytelling and say something spectacular, which we all enjoyed and recognized.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We celebrated Lindsay’s birthday with birthday books and cookie sundaes and played three games together: Name That Author, First Lines: BAD Girls Edition, and Guess The Spice. We also briefly spoke to Amberly, who put in her rating for the book and spoke about her next choice for our group.

The Shack

2008-09-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

Author: William P. Young

One-sentence summary: A grief-stricken father returns to the site of his daughter’s murder because of a mysterious note and has a unique and enlightening experience with God.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8

Our favorite thing about it: We enjoyed the concept of the book and seeing how God was portrayed in various ways as well as the fresh ways of thinking about things we already believe.

Our least favorite thing about it: At times we felt there were contrived parts that led the main character and the reader through a certain experience or metaphor.

Main Topics of Discussion: Relationship, Grief, Love, Judgment, Renewal, Imagery

Our favorite quote: “I am about the process that takes you to the living answer and once you get to him, he will change you from the inside (198).”

Notes: We talked a lot about how this book gave us reminders as well as a fresh look at things we already may have known and believed about a God and our relationship with Him as His creation. We really appreciated some of the vivid metaphors and descriptions of the facets of God and were really engaged by the conversations in the book. We all felt that we had to stop and think more than once about the theology being discussed. We agreed on liking how Papa was personified as well as how the Holy Spirit (Sarayu) looked and acted. We found it hard to read this book with such an emphasis on relationship without examining our own relationships with God. We recognized that such a story takes on a great task of explaining things that we often don’t want to delve into thinking about or explaining. As a result, it takes on a great responsibility as a book because so many people of varying experiences with God will be reading it and processing it in different ways. Ultimately we believe it is a good thing. Some of us read this book not knowing that it was entirely fiction and that colored the interpretations and reading of the text, which was interesting to discuss. By constructing the book as a true story even when it is not, the author asks whether or not the reader believes something like this could happen. This book made us all think a lot about how humans relate to God, the limitations that we have to overcome as humans in that relationship and ultimately a glimpse of the beauty of a perfect relationship with God.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We celebrated Dara’s birthday month with birthday books and Lindsay made a wonderful and memorable sweet potato soup.

How It All Began

2008-08-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

Our book club has been going strong for 3 years now. I figured now is as good a time as ever to tell how we got started, share a few secrets of our success, and a few tips for those who may want to try and start their own reading group.

I have always loved reading, and I started to think that it would be fun to start a group that could read together and share their thoughts. I decided that 6 members would be the perfect number because if we met every other month, each person would get to choose one book per year. The trouble was deciding which 5 to ask. Over the course of about a month, I asked several women from church. I knew some better than others, and not all of the women knew each other very well. A couple turned it down because they weren't interested or were too busy with other commitments. Finally, 5 had accepted the invitation, and we were ready to begin.

First I sent out a questionnaire. There were questions like, "What is your birthday?" "What are your favorite books?" "What is your favorite literary genre?" We discussed a plan for meeting and decided that every two months was a good idea. The person who had chosen the book would host the meeting at their house and cook a nice dinner. At that meeting, the next person would announce the new book choice. I chose first since I had organized the group, and then we went in order of birthdays from there.

We had been meeting for about a year when we agreed that we loved our meetings and it seemed to take forever for the next meeting to come around. We would have to sit on the next book choice until a week or two before the next meeting. We unanimously decided to start meeting once a month instead. We worried at first that it might be too demanding, but we have never had trouble scheduling a date, and the frequency has been perfect. We have all been glad that we changed to monthly meetings.

The more we met, the stronger our friendships grew. As I said, not everyone knew each other very well at first. Before long we were convinced we needed a fun name for our book club. We came up with the title B.A.D. Girls. It captures the feeling of having fun evenings out, stepping out of our roles as wives/mothers/employees for a time of renewal. It also describes what our group is about: Books and Discussion. We even had t-shirts made.

The nice thing about our group is our flexibility. We have a procedure for meetings, but we like to shake things up sometimes. We've met at restaurants, had special Christmas parties, had a meeting that included our spouses, gone on outings to book stores, watched a movie based on a book we read, and had book exchanges.

Sometimes we each bring a book from our shelf that we don't mind parting with, then have a book exchange. About a year ago we added "birthday books." Each of us has our birthday in a different month. When we meet during a birthday month, we each bring the birthday girl a book. It's convenient and amazing that we each have a birthday month to our self.

A while back we started a blog to help us stay even more connected. Rachel takes notes at our meetings and posts summaries for us. Any of us can post about books we are reading or articles we have found online. It has been a great tool for sharing information.

We have read all kinds of books. We never know what the next person is going to pick. It forces us to read books that we may have not thought of before. I've heard of other book clubs that vote on which books to read- more of a group choice. But, since we all love reading so much, we enjoy this broadening of horizons. We also enjoy being surprised each month.

Sometimes I wonder why our group has remained so cohesive and excited about the club over the years. I think part of it has to be chalked up to luck. The right 6 people came together. Six who truly love reading and sharing together. There's no drama or tension within the group. We really like meeting together and each of us brings so much to the group. We like to create fun environments and experiences. That kind of thing can't be planned. But you should be careful who is invited to the group. This is the main dynamic that can make or break a reading club.

Here are a few of my top tips for a successful book club:

1. Not everyone has to be best friends at the beginning (or even know each other!), but invite people who get along easily with others. Make sure the people know what they are getting into and can commit to it.

2. Everyone should have an equal share in choosing and hosting, and be equally invested in the club.

3. A structure for meetings should be established, but variances and special occasions are valuable too.

4. Embrace chances for camaraderie: our club shares recipes together, has a blog, and special activities.

There are a lot of women out there who enjoy reading and would love to be a part of an awesome book club. It's not that hard to start one. All it takes is desire and a little initiative.
If it's something you are interested in then my advice would be to go for it!

Rebecca

2008-08-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

Author: Daphne Du Maurier

One-sentence summary: A young second wife to a wealthy Englishman aquaints herself with his enormous estate, Manderly, as well as his secretive past with his late first wife, Rebecca.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 9

Our favorite thing about it: We loved the writing style and quality of this book. We also really enjoyed the setting of the book as well as the surprises of the story.

Our least favorite thing about it: We were alll thoroughly annoyed that the main character (the 2nd Mrs. de Winter) did not have a first name!

Main Topics of Discussion: Setting, Flowers/Greenery, Guilt, Strength, Marriage

Our favorite quote: "If only there could be an invention...that bottled up a memory, like a scent. And it never faded, and it never got stale. And then, when one wanted it, the bottle could be uncorked, and it would be like living the moment all over again." (37)

Notes: We all agreed that we were surprised in varying degrees about the ending of the book. We also all agreed that we were frustrated with the behavior of the main character when she first arrived at Manderly and her naivete regarding the costume Mr. Danvers suggested. Overall, we loved the descriptions in the book and were enthralled by the story and the characters. We noticed how the lands and flowers surrounding Manderly were described with characteristics relative to what was happening in the story at the time. We discussed at length the miscommunication or lack of communication between Max and Mrs. de Winter as well as the strange (an understatement) behavior of Mrs. Danvers. We all agreed that Rebecca could have almost been the main character, although she was not the narrator, because of her prominence in the story. We also (warning...spoiler ahead) discussed how we felt about Max after learning that he murdered Rebecca, especially after she hinted that she was pregnant.

Memorable Meeting Moments: What wasn't memorable about this meeting? First, we were served a gourmet dinner by chefs Josh and Jon (not pictured...sorry!). Then, we celebrated our own Rebecca's birthday (Becky) with book gifts. Then, we were treated to a candle-lit dessert right out of the book...an English Tea with cakes and goodies. And finally...a B.A.D. Girls first...we watched the movie, Rebecca, which was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and filmed only two years after the book was written. What a great (and full) evening!

I Capture the Castle

2008-08-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

Author: Dodie Smith

One-sentence summary: A teenage girl who lives in a castle in England in the 1930-40s chronicles her life in her journal including meeting the new inhabitants of the adjacent estate who bring with them excitement and her first experience with love.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8

Our favorite thing about it: We loved the sharp, witty writing, which we all agreed was top-notch. We also really enjoyed the eccentric castle setting and the engaging main character, Cassandra, who is also the narrator.

Our least favorite thing about it: A few of us thought the book started off slow and the action took a while to build. Also, some of us did not like the ending, which, although it is not sad, leaves the reader with many questions as to what happens next.

Main Topics of Discussion: Love, Unrequited love, family, responsibility, imagery, setting, journaling, relationships

Our favorite quote: “Just to be in love seemed the most blissful luxury I had ever known. The thought came to me that perhaps it is the loving that counts, not the being loved in return – that perhaps true loving can never know anything but happiness. For a moment I felt that I had discovered a great truth.”

Notes: We all enjoyed reading this book and following Cassandra’s story. We agreed that the setting of the castle lends itself to the story and really sets the stage for the eccentricities of her family and the occurrences within. The writing was so evocative visually and we especially connected with the musings and description of the dinner party.

As far as characters, we discussed almost all of them. We thought Topaz’s name was fitting and were amused by her character and how the author rounds out her personality nicely with the revelation of her hard work for the family around the castle. Mortimain makes a funny and frustrating father and we wondered at his lack of a sense of responsibility for his family. And we wondered if he really was crazy. We all agreed that Rose was annoying and self-centered. We did not appreciate the way she acted as a character. We were amused with Miss Blossom and her bluntness and way with wording the truth! We absolutely loved Stephen and thought that maybe he was a tad bit too perfect. We all willed Cassandra to love him as we were reading the book.

As far as plot, we were shocked by the development of Neil and Rose’s relationship. None of us predicted that. We were all puzzled by Simon kissing Cassandra. We could not figure out what he thought of her and why he would have done that if he was so in love with Rose. We discussed the boldness of Cassandra and Thomas when they imprisoned their father and if we would have taken such drastic measures in such a situation. As indicated in our favorite quote, the plot is replete with cases of unrequited love: Stephen for Cassandra, Simon for Rose, Cassandra for Simon and perhaps a couple of others.

Memorable Meeting Moments: This meeting took place in Becky’s new house. Since they haven’t moved in yet, we had a camp-out of sorts complete with camping chairs in the middle of her empty living room. We were honored to have our meeting in her new space and get the grand tour.

Classics We've Never Read

2008-08-01T09:01:00.001-07:00

Ok, everyone list at least 5 "classics" they've never read, but would like to, (this point is very important) in the comments section. Maybe, just maybe, there will be one in common!

The Book Club Companion: Post #4

2008-07-23T07:21:00.001-07:00

What is a classic? This is what the author (Diana Loevy) says are some of the criteria of a classic:

It can be read, reread, and read again
You are unafraid to bring it up to the club
It can be read aloud without the slightest bit of embarassment
You will find new things in it every time
It improves, even on brief review
It withstands the test of time, fads and fashion
It is made better and deeper in almost every medium: miniseries, movie or audio version
It can speak to you at different times of your life - or reinforce the things it has always said so eloquently
It is its own world
Its themes are often, but not always, big ones - courtship, love, marriage, war, death, friendship
It is one of a kind, or first of its kind
You feel lucky to be able to enter the mind of the author, whose ideas will surprise you even the second time around

She also quotes Italo Calvino (author and literary critic) who says, "A classic is a book which has never exhausted all it has to say to its readers."

What do you think of her definition(s) of a classic and what is yours?

The Book Club Companion: Post #3

2008-07-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't intend for all of these posts to be lists...and they won't be. But this one is. Here are The Twenty One Indispensible Titles of Classic Fiction:

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Beloved by Toni Morrison

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

1984 by George Orwell

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz

Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

Washington Square by Henry James

The Master by Colm Toibin

And a tip on hosting with pets from our author...

If you are hosting…and you have a pet, inform members of the group via email. Describe what kind of pet it is, what your plans are for its participation in the club (he will be in the room, he will visit part time, she will roam in and out) and ask up front whether any members have allergies, asthma or fears. (26)

The Big Read

2008-07-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

The Big Read has estimated that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed. How many have you read? Actually #39 is missing and I have no idea what it is, so of the 99 left, how many have you read?

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe- CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens5
8 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

The Book Club Companion: Post #2

2008-07-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

Another list...I find these interesting. This one is The Twenty Indispensible Titles from the category, The Book Club Classic:

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner

The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer

Empire Falls by Richard Russo

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

The Hours by Michael Cunningham

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

The Known World by Edward P. Jones

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Midwives by Chris Bohjalian

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Zorro by Isabel Allende

And for the random, ridiculous or relevant...

Avoid gossiping at all costs, especially on email. (21)

The Book Club Companion: Post #1

2008-07-04T07:38:00.000-07:00

Let's start off with just a list from the book. This is a list of "10 Indispensible Titles" from the category, Beloved Books (apparently she does not list them in any particular order):

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

My Antonia by Willa Cather

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

And at the end of every post from this book, I will include a nugget from the author, which may be random, ridiculous or actually relevant. You decide which...

Maps for Everyone: Don’t scurry around at the last minute looking for an atlas. Have one right in front of you or make sure everyone has access to copies of the Region in Question. Even a map you might consider obvious, such as the position of West Egg and East Egg in many editions of The Great Gatsby, should be copied and distributed. A visual prompt is never wrong. (19)

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You

2008-07-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

Remember the book club book that Becky got at Half Price Books for $1 when we all went there for our meeting? If not, it's called The Book Club Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Reading Group Experience by Diana Loevy. I've borrowed it from her to look through (you don't really read it cover to cover like a normal book) and there is some interesting stuff in there.... along with a bit of the ridiculous. Apparently the author has an affinity for pets and includes sections on how to integrate pets into book clubs. Weird. But aside from that, there are fun lists, recipes and ideas. So, I will post some of her material every once in a while for us all to enjoy. We can still pass the book itself around, but this way we can all see it easily...even Amberly! Look for the first post in the next couple of days. I know you can hardly wait! :)

Desperate Passage

2008-07-01T11:43:00.000-07:00

Author: Ethan Rarick

One-sentence summary: A group of California-bound pioneers face hardship and tragedy as they attempt to cross the continent in 1846 by wagon.

B.A.D. Girls (and Nasta Boyz) Book Rating: 6

Our favorite thing about it: We all enjoyed learning the more intricate details of the Donner Party’s journey as well as some history into the westward movement of the 1800s.

Our least favorite thing about it: We didn’t like the writing style or the flow of the narrative since it was not entirely linear or reading about some of the more troubling parts of the party’s suffering.

Main Topics of Discussion: Westward movement in America, Starvation, Decision-making, Snow / Cold, Survival, Character

Our favorite quote: Sorry, I have no clue…anyone have one? This book is not very quotable.

Notes: Since our husbands were with us for this meeting and discussion, there was a different angle on the discussions concerning the decisions that were made within the party as well as some of the familial issues in the story. We all agreed that we might never have even set out for California and that these people would have been, by nature, much more adventurous than us. We questioned their decisions along the way as well, but acknowledged that at least in some cases, we could see how the circumstances and their knowledge would lead them to such decisions. We were amazed at the bravery of John Stark and his character considering he did not have any personal relationships with those he saved. We all agreed that despite the author’s details, we did not develop an attachment to any of the characters; this was something we missed about a fictional novel since this is a historical account. We wondered why there was not more discussion of hypothermia or why those trapped or traveling over the Sierra Nevada did not have to combat this more. We were all a little surprised that Stanton died since it was his stamina that brought him to California and back to the camp as a rescuer. A big part of our discussion was placing ourselves in their shoes and imagining what their journey and trial would have been like. It was interesting discussing the way we would have felt or acted in certain situations.

Memorable Meeting Moments: As detailed in the previous post, Josh made us a delicious gourmet meal and we played three games with our husbands. And the Nasta Boyz received bookmarks to commemorate their time with us.

A Meeting with The Nasta Boyz

2008-06-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

The Nasta (Not Always Solicited To Attend) Boyz, an entity named by member, Chris Carroll, joined the B.A.D. Girls for their book club meeting for the first time ever. The selected book was Desperate Passage...and we did actually get around to discussing the book. The details of that discussion will be posted separately.

Chef Josh prepared a gourmet 4-course meal for us. We started with a chorizo quesadilla with goat and Monterrey jack cheeses, then a roasted corn soup. The main course was filet mignon with onions, zucchini and a wine and balsamic reduction. Dessert (prepared by Dara) was molten chocolate cakes a la mode. Wonderful, delicious food...thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.

We also had a fair amount of tomfoolery going on at the meeting. Game master Becky prepared three games for us to play. Pictured above are the Nasta Boyz diligently answering the questions to a game called "Dangerous Interview" in which the men try to answer questions about their relationship with their wife with the same answers their wife would give. Chris and Stephanie won this game by answering 8 out of 10 questions the same. Other book-related games were also played...naming the title of books by their first lines and trying to come up with legitimate book titles based on only one word. Fun games and lots of laughs. (A little bit of cheating too!)

The B.A.D. Girls and their Nasta Boyz

2008-06-28T12:25:00.001-07:00

(minus Sam and Amberly, unfortunately!)

More details of the evening of shenanigans will be forthcoming!

Teenage Drama

2008-06-15T18:49:00.001-07:00

Ok girls, I know I'm not a teenager...believe me, that's painfully obvious when I check the mirror.
But, I couldn't resist seeing what the deal is with the Twilight series I have heard so much about. They are written by Stephenie Meyer, a Mormon lady (that is a bit of irrelevant trivia I am tossing in) and have been very popular for some time now. They are fantasy...the storyline involves a romance between a human teenage girl and a (gasp!) vampire! But they are believable in a Harry Potter kind of way. I actually had no problem with the fantastic story. My only complaints were that the characters actions and motivations seemed unbelievable to me sometimes. But it was a VERY interesting read and I finished it off in about 24 hours. Of course, I was on a long plane ride so that helped. It moves quickly and I enjoyed it. I rated it an 8, but I am not sure if I will pick up the next book in the series or not. The plot summary that I read on the second book just didn't sound as interesting to me. If anyone wants to borrow the first book of the series, just let me know.

The Shadow of the Wind

2008-04-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon

One-sentence summary: A young boy in Barcelona discovers a rare book which creates an obsessive fascination with the mysterious author and his real-life story that spans several years of his life.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 8

Our favorite thing about it: The wit and cleverness of the prose and how the author drew you into the story with his sharp narrative.

Our least favorite thing about it: If anything, we were slightly bothered by the rather flat character of Bea and her relationship with Daniel and for at least one of us, the almost too-tidy ending.

Main Topics of Discussion: Character development, relationships, love, parallel stories, gothic novels, mysteries, tragedy and redemption, loyalty, friendship.

Our favorite quote: Few things leave a deeper mark on a reader than the first book that finds its way into his heart. Those first images, the echo of words we think we have left behind, accompany us throughout our lives and sculpt a palace in our memory to which, sooner or later – no matter how many books we read, how many worlds we discover, or how much we learn or forget – we will return.

Notes: We all really loved reading this book. The layers and intricacies of the story gripped us and we were amused and in awe of the way the author crafted the phrases and sentences of the novel. We discussed most of the characters and each had different opinions of them in some cases. We universally thought that Bea was an under-developed character especially to be the love interest of the main character. We felt that the other characters were well developed but we had varying degrees of liking those characters. Clara seemed to be very mysterious and almost an archetype for a first love obsession. Fermin was a favorite character because of his wit and style. We seemed to process different feelings about Julian as his story unfolded. We all liked how Julian and Daniel’s stories paralleled each other and how one was profoundly tragic and the other redemptive. We talked a little bit about the Aldaya mansion and how it represented the past and a place to find answers for several of the characters. We briefly mentioned how this book shared themes with The Thirteenth Tale. Ultimately, we felt that the story unfolded nicely as a subtle mystery, which did not overtly manipulate your perceptions as a reader but maintained enough realism to balance out the more fanciful aspects.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Stephanie served a winning combo of baked ziti and olive bread and we all enjoyed a red velvet cake for her belated birthday dessert. Also memorable was the lack of revealing the next book choice since we already knew what it was…Desperate Passage, which we will be reading along with our husbands.

Kabul Beauty School

2008-04-07T11:34:00.000-07:00

Author: Deborah Rodriguez

One-sentence summary: An American hair stylist decides to open a beauty school in Kabul, Afghanistan to help the women gain skills and opportunity to better their lives.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 6

Our favorite thing about it: We loved getting a peek inside the Afghan culture, especially the lives of the women.

Our least favorite thing about it: We did not like the author that much; we found her a little selfish, insensitive to the culture at times and sort of random in her storytelling.

Main Topics of Discussion: Afghan culture, oppression of women, marriage, living abroad, relationships

Our favorite quote: It’s a city (Kabul) that is dense with sadness. There are so many people who lost loved ones in the twenty-seven years of war in Afghanistan, who have lost homes and livelihoods, who have lost entire towns and families, who have lost every dream they ever had. And there is still the occasional bombing or surprise mine explosion that rips away the happiness people finally think might be theirs.

Notes: Our overall impression of the book was that we enjoyed reading about the culture of Afghanistan and that the stories in the book were very revealing of the culture. However, our opinion of the book was mostly shaped by our opinion of the author and her writing style as well as some of the choices she made.

Some of us were bothered by the apparent randomness of the stories that were strung together to form the memoir; others of us were not as bothered by this. Most of us questioned Debbie’s seeming lack of cultural understanding. She appeared to be sympathetic to the culture for one minute and completely disregard it the next. We felt that she could have been more sensitive to cultural norms instead of imposing her will on the Afghan people she met (on the issues where no one was in danger or anything, of course). We also wondered how she could have left her two (teenage, we think) sons back in America for so long. We could not believe that after spending such a long time in the country and with natives that Debbie could not/did not learn to speak the language. We all seriously questioned her decision to marry Sam and felt at the time we read it, that she was careless in entering the marriage. We also wondered how she considered only the ramifications to her of marrying someone with a wife and family in Saudi Arabia but not how it would affect his other family.

We did acknowledge Debbie’s perseverance, foresight and bravery to have set up the beauty school and recognizing it’s potential for Afghan women. None of us were sure of the true benefit of the school before we started the book. In fact, we were skeptical, but when we actually read the book, it became apparent how the beauty school could impact the lives of these women for the better.

As for the culture of Afghanistan, we wondered at how long it would take for such a culture to change. We marveled at the widespread mistreatment of women in various ways and discussed what is/could be perpetuating the view and treatment of women in Afghanistan. We felt the hopelessness and helplessness of each woman’s situation when her story was told and gained a new perspective as to the things we complain about in our lives. We were entertained by the style preferences of the Afghan women as well as their customs in marriage and dancing.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We had dinner at Maggiano’s, where we shared a very tasty family-style meal. Stephanie received her birthday books and we had our first B.A.D. Girls Book Club field trip…to Half Price Books!

Jackpot

2008-03-22T16:06:00.001-07:00

I went to a Half Price books I haven't been to in a long time Friday night and found a ton of great books in their clearance section. The best part of it was each book was only $1. I even bought a few I already own and plan to give them to my sister-in-law who has been looking for some good books to read. These are the books I picked up-

Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Blessings by Anna Quindlen
The Time Traveler's Wife by Niffenegger
Blue Shoe by Anne Lamott
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Seeking the Face of God by Gary Thomas
The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble
A Hole in Texas by Herman Wouk
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

As always, I am happy to lend anything out so let me know if there's one you want to read.

I also just finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I don't really recommend this one for pregnant women, sensitive people who cry at commercials, or anyone looking for a light read. It's dark, and disturbing. I liked it, but I'm only giving it a 7 because it was lacking something for me and also I was sort of disappointed by the ending. But I could not put it down.

The Space Between Us

2008-03-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

Author: Thrity Umrigar

One-sentence summary: The struggles and joys of the lives of two women in modern-day Bombay who share a special relationship and history despite their different stations in life are retold alongside each other and from their unique perspectives.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7

Our favorite thing about it: We loved the power of the story and the characters as well as the inside look at Indian culture, life and relationships.

Our least favorite thing about it: The story was very sad and all of the main male characters were portrayed as villains.

Main Topics of Discussion: Love, Hate, Relationships, Indian Culture, Perceptions, Tragedy

Our favorite quote: This may not be our “favorite” quote in terms of what that usually means because of what this particular quote implies, but it was definitely the most discussed quote from our meeting and it shows the beauty and subtlety of Umrigar’s writing style.

“Tomorrow. The word hangs in the air for a moment, both a promise and a threat. Then it floats away like a paper boat, taken from her by the water licking her ankles. It is dark, but inside Bhima’s heart it is dawn.”

Notes: One of the most unique things about our discussion this time is the different perspectives we all had when reading the book and how that affected our views of what happened. Specifically, there were two very different views of how the book ended as well as the tone of the encounter between Viraf and Maya. The other main things we discussed were Sera’s decision at the end of the book, the separate tragedies of the women’s marriages, the handling of the abortion, keeping secrets (both Sera and Bhima), and the dual nature of relationships. This last point was discussed as it related to Maya and Bhima and Bhima and Sera. There was an honest portrayal of feelings of intense love and hate in the relationships of these characters that was particularly interesting. Something we discussed only briefly was the issue of education and how that affected the lives of the two women.

Memorable Meeting Moments: We had authentic Indian food, we were able to speak with Becky on the phone despite her illness and we “heard” from Amberly via her choice for our next book!

Book Obsessed

2008-03-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

I got this from Barnes and Noble in an email this morning. They have a mini-documentary series online that sounds interesting. Here is the blurb I copied from the web page:

"Welcome to Book Obsessed, a mini-documentary series that travels the length and breadth of the USA to meet folks whose love for books knows no bounds! From New York to LA, from Texas to Wisconsin, our intrepid crew tracks down obsessed readers and spends time with them, revealing a fascinating glimpse into their world and the books they love. Each week, you’ll meet a new bibliophile who is truly Book Obsessed."

I think there are currently 2 episodes online. Check them out here.

The Diary of Imaculee

2008-03-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to make you guys aware of a DVD that I saw today on Amazon.com. It is called The Diary of Imaculee and it looks like documentary of sorts about Imaculee Ilibagiza's experiences during the Rwandan genocide. It's 38 minutes long. Just thought you might want to know about it if you didn't already. I wish we could have had this to watch at our meeting when we discussed her book.

Memoirs

2008-02-28T08:52:00.000-08:00

Interesting article from USAtoday.com

By Bob Minzesheimer, USA TODAY

In an age of reality TV and personal blogs, an older form of personal confession — the memoir — is booming.

As a percentage of books and in absolute numbers, more memoirs than ever are being published. They are outpacing even debut novels.

MORE: These authors survived, and lived to write about it

Michael Cader, who tracks book deals for his electronic newsletter, Publishers Lunch, counts 295 memoirs signed by publishers last year, compared with 227 debut novels and 214 memoirs in 2006.

Memoirs accounted for 12.5% of non-fiction deals, up from 10% in 2006 and 9% in 2005.

Citing two recent best sellers, Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love, a post-divorce travelogue, and Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle, about her bizarre parents, literary agent Amy Williams says memoirs share reality TV's voyeuristic appeal.

Memoirs can "make us feel better about ourselves because whether we're honest about it or not, we all like feeling as if someone has it worse than we do, or behaved in a way we never would have," Williams says.

Agony sells, especially when touted as a true story. Of course, memoirs can be exaggerated or falsified. After acknowledging inaccuracies in his best-selling addiction memoir, A Million Little Pieces, James Frey is now writing a novel.

"Frey gave all of us a black eye," says Janice Erlbaum, whose second memoir, Have You Found Her, is about volunteering at a homeless shelter where she once lived. In her first draft, "I went overboard trying to prove the story was true. I didn't want to leave anything out. In the end, I knew I was dealing with something stranger than fiction."

One memoir often leads to another … and another.

Walls is writing another book about her family. Augusten Burroughs is following two best sellers, Running With Scissors (dysfunctional childhood) and Dry (alcoholism), with A Wolf at the Table, about his father, out April 29. Marya Hornbacher, who wrote Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia in 1998, has a new memoir, Madness: A Bipolar Life, out April 9.

Is there a memoir glut? Eat, Pray, Love has 4.8 million copies in print, but most memoirs sell modestly with first printings between 10,000 and 30,000.

"There can never be too many if one is great," Scribner's Nan Graham says. "I've vowed never to do another memoir, then someone like Jeannette Walls comes along." Memoirs resonate when they're "empowering and liberating. You can read about someone who has survived poverty or addiction or worse. It's a way to neutralize shame and stigma. And in the end, the stories are often hopeful and inspiring."

Book Sale

2008-02-28T08:44:00.000-08:00

I'm going to the book sale tomorrow. Woo-hoo!
My mother-in-law kindly offered to come watch the kids so I could go on a weekday. Nice of her, huh? If you aren't going to be able to go and have something you'd like for me to look for for you, just send me an email. (Wow, how many times can I use the word "for" in one sentence?)

http://cfbisd.edu/cfbisd_booksale.html

Joshua: A Parable for Today

2008-02-21T11:25:00.000-08:00

Author: Joseph E. Girzone

One-sentence summary: A mysterious but wise and humble man spends three months in the small town of Auburn and his presence causes people to examine their religion and incites unrest among religious leaders.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 5

Our favorite thing about it: The parable of Jesus in the modern era was intriguing and made us think about what that would be like.

Our least favorite thing about it: The repetitiveness of the message, the lack of a forward-moving story and the writing style were distracting to us.

Main Topics of Discussion: Religious practices, Jesus’ message to the Christians, Jesus as a human, interfaith relations

Our favorite quote: The function of religious leaders is to set an example, to draw people to God by their own deep faith and by the beauty of their personal lives, not intimidate people into sterile external observance. (Close second: You’re beautiful.) :)

Notes: Our discussion primarily focused on the things we would have liked to be different about the book. We were not overly impressed by the writing style, which came across as the author trying too hard. Some of the scenarios in the book we found to be unrealistic or not plausible and that distracted us a bit. Overall, we enjoyed hearing the message of the book, but we felt that it was stated over and over again with nothing new to add each time. In fact, we thought that this novel would best be packaged in a shorter version as a short story and it would have the same, if not more, impact. The novel was not lengthy by any means, but the lack of a real story line made it slightly less interesting. We were intrigued by the author’s idea of what Jesus would be like in modern times. At times, we sort of disagreed with his portrayal but recognized that this work of fiction was his vision of what might happen. One particular occurrence in the book that we all liked was when the two religious leaders who commissioned Joshua to make wooden sculptures for their respective churches ended up swapping sculptures twice and the implications that said about them as well as Joshua’s plan for them. Overall, we appreciated the message of this book but were slightly disappointed about the impact it had on us.

Memorable Meeting Moments: This was Amberly’s birthday meeting and we missed having her there very much! We discussed plans for some future meetings that will be a departure from our normal format and we’re really excited about them!

Crazy Idea

2008-02-20T11:22:00.000-08:00

Last night the craziest idea for something we could do just popped into my head. I have no idea where it came from, but it could be fun. Guess I will tell you all about it tonight. I'll leave you wondering for now....

what a book!

2008-02-14T20:05:00.000-08:00

I read A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini's follow book to The Kite Runner.) It only took two evenings and I could not put it down. It's an amazing book. It would have been SUCH a wonderful book to discuss for book club. For one thing it is so feminine oriented. The story revolves around 2 strong female characters. It is eye-opening in it's portrayal of Afghanistan. It is embedded with the most deep and profound human experiences of love, loss, sacrifice, and survival. I like it 10 times more than The Kite Runner, and think all of you would love to read it. I have a copy if anyone wants me to bring it to our next meeting.

Top 100

2008-02-06T16:34:00.001-08:00

USAToday.com lsits the top 100 books of 2007.
This list is of the Best-selling books for last year.

A Lead

2008-02-05T06:13:00.001-08:00

I've got a lead on a new book that I am now dying to read. Don't you love it when you stumble upon a recommendation, then you look it up on Amazon to find that it has a 5 star rating because everyone loves it? I'd never heard of this book until I read about it on PreacherMike's blog. It's called The Shack by William Young. Take a look.

Chef Josh

2008-01-24T16:51:00.001-08:00

Not only is Dara talented (see last post), she is married to talent. Meet the BAD Girls personal chef: Josh. Because he's married to Dara, we don't have to pay him to cook for us. That's a good thing because if we did have to pay him, we probably couldn't afford him. Just one look at the delicious plate of food he created for our January meeting, and everyone will be wishing they were a BAD Girl. Just try not to get saliva on your keyboard. Thankfully, Josh gave us the recipes and we posted them on our BAD Girl Recipe Blog. Now everyone can try to re-create his masterpiece. It probably won't be as good as the original, but at least it's something. Thank you Chef Josh for cooking for the Bad Girls. It was a special treat!

New Pink Shirts

2008-01-24T16:43:00.001-08:00

Here we are, minus one BAD Girl who is currently abroad, looking cute in our new long sleeve pink tees. Dara did a wonderful job embroidering the shirts with our names and the name of our book club. The girl has talent.

Finished The Book Thief

2008-01-18T18:20:00.000-08:00

I finally finished The Book Thief and I LOVED it!! It was excellent!! I would give it a rating of 10, hands down. It actually took me a while to get into the story, but once I did, I never wanted to put the book down. However, moving again & starting the kids in a new school put my reading on hold for a while. So, I was so happy to finish the book this morning! The one thing I wished about the book was to learn more about Liesel's adult life... who she married & how they met, what her & Max's relationship was like as they got older... or if they even continued to keep in touch, etc. When I get so involved in characters, such as Liesel, I don't want the story to end. I want to know the rest of her life story. But, that didn't take away from my love of the book at all. It would have just added greatly to it.

Becky, this was an excellent pick!! How did you find it/hear about it?

Now, on to Water for Elephants. It is waiting for me on my bedside table.

Also, I am ordering Joshua today & I sure hope I receive it soon! Keep your fingers crossed...

Water for Elephants

2008-01-17T11:02:00.000-08:00

Author: Sara Gruen

One-sentence summary: A life-changing event propels young Jacob into the circus life in the 1920s just before he would graduate as a veterinarian and his older-self reminisces about his months spent with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7

Our favorite thing about it: We loved learning about what the circus was like in that time period and also how the book alternated between Jacob as an old man and as a young man.

Our least favorite thing about it: We disliked some of the predictable parts and the fact that we weren’t as engaged with the characters as we would have liked.

Main Topics of Discussion: Character development, Circus life, Relationships, Plot

Our favorite quote: My brain is like a universe whose gases get thinner and thinner at the edges. But it doesn’t dissolve into nothingness. I can sense something out there, just beyond my grasp, hovering, waiting.

Notes: We all liked that the historical parts of the book were accurate and enjoyed learning about them. We really enjoyed moving between Jacob’s current experiences in the nursing home and his adventures with the circus. Somehow, those two very different lives were well-woven into one story, which was entertaining. We all pretty much agreed that the most moving part of the book was not when Jacob’s friends (Walter and Camel) got redlighted but when his family stood him up the day they were supposed to take him to the circus. We really wished that we could have cared more about those characters and had a more emotional response to their tragedy, but we didn’t. We had very little sympathy for August, despite his probable mental-illness and we all had varying thoughts about Jacob’s attempt at murdering him. Some of us thought that he was going to do it and some of us thought he was careless for leaving his friends at such a critical time, but all of us agreed that leaving the knife on the pillow was stupid. Surprisingly, we didn’t talk that much about Rosie, the elephant, and most of us didn’t really count her as a main character, although, she plays a huge role in the love affair of Marlena and Jacob. None of us really thought that the ending to the book was that plausible although it bothered us (or not) to varying degrees.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Josh made us a wonderful gourmet meal (recipes found on recipe blog) and we celebrated Rachel’s birthday with chocolate peanut butter brownies with cinnamon ice cream and book gifts.

3 Times

2008-01-16T07:57:00.000-08:00

Cody has, not once, not twice, but THREE times asked me if I can bring him a doggie bag from tonight. He is joking, sort of. Deep down he's insanely jealous that I get to eat a dinner that Josh has created.

Christmas Party Photos

2008-01-10T19:07:00.000-08:00

I couldn't post these pictures until after Amberly got her package- didn't want to ruin her surprise! Then, I forgot about it until tonight. Oops! Here are belated pics from our fabulous Christmas party.

After dinner, we played a rousing game of BAD Girl Jeopardy. And I must say, Lindsay really kicked butt. But everyone won nail polish just for playing. Here's Becky next to the game board she created. And as you can tell from the photo, she is giddy with excitement.

But before we played Jeopardy, we enjoyed the long awaited revealing of the gender of Lindsay's baby! What will it be, what will it be? Off comes the coat and we see BLUE! A BOY! This is very exciting. However, I will mention that Lindsay actually had doubts that we would be able to tell the gender based on this dessert. Fortunately, we were not that dumb.

After Jeopardy, we did a book exchange, dirty Santa style. At least, I think that's what it's called when you can steal presents away from a person. Here, Dara tries to decide which book to open since she has the first turn. Poor Dara had to do this many times, as we kept stealing books away from her.

See! There's mean old Stephanie swiping a book right from Dara's hands. Mean, I say! And she's even smiling as she takes it. Has the girl no heart?

Dara, with one of the many books she opened. And no, she didn't end up with this one either.

After books, it was time for our gift exchange. Each of us brought wonderful, delightful, amazing presents for one another because that is just the kind of gals we are. Below, Stephanie is all smiles after opening Arbonne Ginger Citrus scrub from Dara. (I bet she's feeling bad about stealing that book now.)

Lindsay opens a gift from Rachel. It's a personalized ornament of a girl holding a stack of books. How fitting! We each got one that looks like us. And near her leg is a box of beautiful cards from Stephanie.

Dara and Rachel open BAD Girl tees from Becky. They say, "I'd rather be reading." That is almost always the case. Almost.

Rachel is sure going to look cute in her new shirt. That is, until that belly of hers gets too large for it to fit, which may not be too far in the future!

And Lindsay gave us envelopes that promised BAD Girl photo ornaments would soon come our way. (Snapfish was running behind on them.) In fact, there's a rumor that we'll be collecting those ornaments at our January meeting. Can't wait!

It sure is good to be a BAD Girl.

2008-01-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

Menu for B.A.D. Girls

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Grilled Chicken Paillard with Lemon and Black Pepper and Arugula-Tomato Salad

Grilled Potato and Goat Cheese Napoleon with Basil Vinaigrette

Peanut butter and fudge brownies with salted peanuts and Cinnamon ice cream