Night Circus

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is a mystical, magical, mysterious train ride of a circus story. This circus arrives without warning and only opens at midnight. Visitors find themselves swept into tents upon tents of unimaginable performances carried out by a variety of interesting characters. All the while a competition is also taking place where only one individual should be left standing, until love wins it all.

The Bells

Mixed reviews for "The Bells: A Novel" by Richard Harvell. However all agreed this was a unique book that would appeal to Opra (not Oprah) fans as well as fans of dramatic, historical, and romantic novels. Our main character, Moses Froben, is blessed with a voice that takes him from a very humble beginning to a life of love and accomplishment.

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

If you're expecting a book that tells a story about the history and people of Maine, forget this one. A more appropriate title would have been "The Summer Cottage." Maine basically focuses on a cottage and the lives of four women (Alice, Maggie, Kathleen, and Anne Marie). A secret family tragedy spins Alice off into an unwanted life as a wife, mother, and grandmother. The ripple effect of her early life decisions leads her daughter, Kathleen, to break away. Kathleen's daughter, Maggie, faces her own life altering decisions, and Anne Marie, as an in-law, never quite feels part of this family.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society

Upon the urging of her editor our main character, Juliet, is looking for a story to write. She finds not only a story to tell, but a life to live - her own. Reading through a series of letters between Juliet and the residents of Guernsey, readers learn just how the Guernsey Literary and Potato Society book club was created and how its members survived the German occupation of their tiny island. This is a book about survival and the ultimate power of love.

Started Early, Took My Dog

Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson. Kate Atkinson is the author of one of our club's most well reviewed novels - "When Will There Be Good News." In "Started Early, Took My Dog" several stories lead the reader through the complex lives of a number of quirky characters including tough cop Tracy (woke up early, took the child) and wandering Jackson Brodie (woke up early, took the dog). This is not an easy read - at times it's a tedious read - but the writing is superb (you'll want to use your highlighter), the story line keeps the reader interested, and the ending brings satisfaction. "All roads lead home," says Julia. "All roads lead away from home," Jackson replies.

The Red Garden

The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman weaves through the life and times of characters living in the fictional town of Blackwell, Massachusetts. Beautiful writing, interesting combination of realism and mysticism, the reader is led through fourteen combined stories that begin in 1750 when the town's founder, Hallie Brady, makes her stand for survival. Concluding in the present time, characters come and go and despite hardship and heart break, life continues to move forward and Blackwell continues to grow. The heart of this town belongs to Hallie Brady and a bear, so pay attention to the bear's spiritual power and its hold on the town's red garden.

A Cup of Friendship

A coffee shop located in Afghanistan, lovingly protected and run by Sunny, an American transplant, is the setting for this story written by Deborah Rodriquez. The reader gains a limited insight about the life and culture of the people of Kabul as we follow the lives of Sunny, Yazmina, Halajan, Ashmet, Isabela, Rashif, and others. A hard life to live indeed - especially for women. All these characters are connected by the coffee shop, where free expression and conversation is welcomed. Overall this novel is nothing more than a romance novel, so it proved somewhat disappointing. Average rating from the Ratted Out book club was 2.7

Book List

BOOK LIST August 2008 - February 2011

2008
Three Cups of Tea (Greg Mortenson)
The Friday Night Knitting Club (Kate Jacobs)
The Wednesday Letters (Jason Wright)
The Story of Edgar Satelle (David Wroblewski)
Christmas Jars (Jason Wright)
2009
When Will There Be Good News (Kate Atkinson)
Where are You Now? (Mary Higgins Clark)
Little Pink House (Jeff Benedict)
The Nick Adams Story (Ernest Hemingway)
The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (Jamie Ford)
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Alan Bradley)
Flipped (Wendelin Van Draanen)
Julie vs Julia (Julie Powell)
The Old Cape Magic (Richard Russo)
The Mighty Queens of Frenville (Amy Dickinson)
South of Broad (Pat Conroy)
The Christmas Cookie Club (Ann Pearlman)
2010
Sarah's Key (Tatiana de Rosnay)
Love and Bullets (Mary Kate Kopec)
Noah's Compass (Anne Tyler)
The Last Child (John Hart)
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand (Helen Simonson)
The Irrestible Henry House (Lisa Grunwald)
Winter Garden (Kristin Hannah)
The Other Wes Moore (Wes Moore)
The Forgotten Garden (Kate Moron)
The Mountain Between Us (Charles Martin)
The Christmas Train (David Baldacci)
2011
Life is So Good (George Dawson)
Unbroken (Laura Hillenbrand)

Noah's Compass

Anne Tyler is one of my favorite authors. There is no other author that I know of who can capture the quirky, crazy, and inspiring character personalities like Anne Tyler does. She quietly writes stories about random individuals struggling through their mainly crazy but ordinary lives. There are no murder mysteries to be solved, no vampire romances to fantasize about, no human super powers to save the day. Just everyday normal boring crazy people like you and me. And still Anne Tyler has a way of pulling you in to care about the lives of these ordinary folks.

Meet Liam Pennywell, age 61 years old. Forced into retirement from teaching, he goes to bed one night and wakes up the next morning in a hospital with no memory as to how he got there. I loved this book! Liam reminds me a lot of my own pathetic, quirky, sad, lack of direction old self (lol). Many of us probably need a hit on the old noggin' from time to time so that we stop bobbing along in life. Or maybe just a good book to read. A book that softly takes direct aim at our own life compass - one that points us in a new and more aware direction.

I'm so behind! Let's see I can't remember what we read in September (it was that good), ditto for October and Novemer (lol). We read "The Christmas Cookie Club" in December by an Ann Arbor author whose name I also can't remember. Note: I was born in 1955 and I turn 55 this January 5th; apparently my old age is showing! Cheers and Happy New Year!

That Old Cape Magic

An old love, a new love, and all the relatives in between lightly summarizes Richard Russo's "That Old Cape Magic" novel. Jack Griffen is a 50-year-old husband and father coming to terms with his past and embracing his future (not to mention attempting to get his mother's voice out of his head). As he prepares to attend his own daughter's wedding, he must come to a decision about his own marriage. As Russo reveals "There is nothing further to do but hope that chance, not known for compassion, would intervene in his undeserving favor." Our "Ratted Out" book club gave this novel thumbs up (with a caution to other readers - it's a slow read unless you've actually vacationed at Cape Cod).

Flipped for Flipped

Ok, I've not kept up on the book club blog - but our group has met each month and reviewed some very good (and not so very good) books.

On the one-year anniversary of our book club gathering (July 2009) - we shared our thoughts about "Flipped" by Wendelin Van Draanen. This is a very charming, easy to read, coming of age, love story. Main character Bryce Loski's grandfather notes "Some of us get dipped in flat, some in satin, some in gloss... But every once in a while you find someone who's iridescent, and when you do, nothing will ever compare." Still it takes young Bryce a lot of growing up to do before he actually sees that iridescent sparkle coming out of the book's other main character, Juli Baker.

Flipped is also being made into a movie right in our very own neighborhood - one of the reasons we made it a book of the month choice. How fun to see cast and crew playing out the characters and story line right in our own backyards! Can't wait to see the movie!