The Last Summer at Chelsea Bay - Discussion

Book: The Last Summer at Chelsea Bay by Pam Jenoff

Meeting Place: Tribes Alehouse and Grill

Ratings:

Tracy - 3.5

Barb, Sherry, Joyce

Michaelene - 2.75
Joyce - 3
Melissa - 3.5

Barb - 3
Sher - 2.25
Kim - 2.5

Average Rating:  2.93

  
We began our evening by torturing the waiter.  Poor guy!  We're glad he had a great sense of humor.  We studied his appearance and all guessed his name, which happened to be Mike.  

When Kim announced May's read a few weeks ago, she claimed it was a strong recommendation from another book club.  We all had high hopes for The Last Summer at Chelsea Bay but it ended up being a flash in the pan.  We all agreed that it was a quick, easy, beach read.  Many felt the main character was a little promiscuous for that time period.  Another flaw was the disappointing ending.  The author may want to find a new editor because we noticed many grammar errors and typos.   Although many did not like the book, a few of us somewhat enjoyed it, but definitely did not rate it in "one of the best books ever" categories.  We ended our meeting with some good ol' Fannie May.  Thanks to our former BCDP winner, Barb, for making our waist line thicker! 

Kim, Tracy, Melissa

Recommendation:  Although we did somewhat enjoy the book, I'm not sure many of us would recommend it for the reasons above.

BCDP

BCDP:  While we were guessing the name of the waiter, Kim decided that whoever comes closest alphabetically to his name wins the BCDP.  Tracy wins with a guess of "Matt"!  She won a really cool frame featuring our members of BC.  It is displayed in her living room!

The Lake House - Discussion

Book: The Lake House by Kate Morton

Meeting Place: Rockwood Tap House

Ratings:

Kim - 2.75

Drawing names and JW's dessert!

Tracy - 3.5
Michaelene - 2.5
Joyce - Made it to chapter 9!
Melissa - 3.5

Barb - 4.5
Sher - 2.5

Average Rating:  3.21

We all met at Rockwood Tap House in Downer's Grove.  We had a great
 night....well, except for the service.  Obviously, Rockwood Tap House was the last place this waiter wanted to be on this particular Wednesday evening.  Especially serving 6 women who were going to sit for awhile discussing a book.  But we did have a great meal along with Joyce's cherry-cream cheese dessert!  Yum!  Thanks Joyce!

  
We began our evening with Sherry's discussion questions.  Most of us had some concerns about the eminent author Kate Morton.  We all praised her for The Secret Keeper.  Then we read The Forgotten Garden and ratings fell slightly.  This month we read her latest The Lake House and ratings dropped again.  Her books are all pretty similar in format and we feel she needs to change things in future books.  Although we still enjoyed various parts of The Lake House, we all had similar complaints.  First, some felt the book could've been 100 pages shorter.  There were some events in the book that were irrelevant.  She adds a great amount of imagery to her books.  Some view this as too much "fluff" while others feel it paints a clear picture of the setting.  Last, some of the events were a little too far-fetched.  Way too unbelievable or coincidental to say the least!  

Baby Theo

Recommendation:  Although we did somewhat enjoy the book, I'm not sure many of us would highly recommend it for the reasons above.

Barb's win

BCDP:  Sherry had us draw out of a hat and the winner was Barb!  She picked the paper with baby Theo, one of the characters from the book.  Barb won a beautiful flowering pot!

The Hypnotist's Love Story - Discussion

Book: The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty

Meeting Place: Barb's House

Ratings:

Sher - 

Kim - 3.5
Tracy - 4
Michaelene - 3.25
Joyce - 3.75
Melissa - 4

Barb - 3.5

Average Rating:  3.67

Barb ran out to Jimmy John's and picked up sandwiches for the book club.  She also served beef barley soup and one of her famous, homemade Easter lamb cakes.  Delicious!

We couldn't find discussion questions so we just attacked different scenes, characters, and themes in the book.  We were intrigued by the stalking and hypnotherapy themes.  Most of us agreed that Saskia, the pathetic stalker, was our favorite character.  We also admired Kate, Lance's wife, who appears at the end of the book.  

One creepy scene discussed was when Saskia shows up at Ellen and Patrick's house in the middle of the night.  There were also many side discussions that can't be discussed on this blog!  Haha!  

Recommendation:  Overall, most enjoyed the book and rated it quite well.  Many talked about recommending this book to some select friends.  

BCDP:  Barb had us pick a number between 50 and 100 to determine the bcdp winner.  Joyce wins!  Unfortunately, we will not be able to enjoy one of her awesome desserts next month since she will be out of town.  Darn!

Other events:  The movie, Me Before You, makes it's grand entrance on June 3rd.  We are thinking of possibly seeing the movie together since it was a very popular, well-liked book we've read!

These Things Hidden - Discussion

Book Club Feast!!!!!

Book: These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

Meeting Place: Barb's House

Ratings:

Melissa - 4.5

Barb - 5

Kathy - 2

Joyce - 3.5

Sherry - 2.75

Kim - 3

Tracy - 3.5

Michaelene - 3.5

Average Rating:  3.47

Book club started with the ever famous "What would you do?" question.  Michaelene presented us with the following scenario:  Your significant other was convicted of a crime and sentenced to 15 years in prison.  If you were given the opportunity to take over his prison sentence, and do 2 years, would you do it?  We shared our results and discovered that we had various answers.  We discussed how our family's situation impacted our answers.  

Kathy's streak is on!

This question was related to a theme in the book.  Allison went to prison for 5 years in place of her sister, who committed the crime.  We discussed why Allison would do such a thing when her future is looking incredibly bright.  We believed that she wanted to escape the stress and pressures associated with her "perfect" life.  

Adoption and safe-haven laws were other themes in the book we discussed thoroughly.  We enjoyed the night sharing personal experiences while eating Jimmy John's, fruit, pasta and potato salad, and of course, dessert!  Not to mention, Barb created a great atmosphere with a beautifully decorated dining table, and individual floral vases we took home.  Thanks!!! 

Recommendation:  We had a wide range in our ratings for this book; 2 on the low end, and 5 on the high end.  Overall, most enjoyed the book!  

BCDP:  Michaelene drew names from a hat and Kathy won again!  She went home with a container of candy and a gift card to Starbucks.  She is going for the triple crown next book club!  

Take Me With You - Discussion

Book: Take Me With You by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Kathy winning some campfire treats!

Meeting Place: Tracy's House
Ratings:

Michaelene - 3.75
Melissa - 4
Barb - 3.75
Kathy - 2.25
Joyce - 5
Sherry - 2.25
Kim - 3.5
Tracy - 3.75
Average Rating:  3.53

For the first time ever, ACsBC headed out in the wilderness on a camping trip.  Well, not really!  But we pretend well!  Our campfire feast consisted of grilled burgers, pasta salad, kale salad, and s'more brownies.  

After reading this book, many enjoyed the plot because of the characters.  Most felt that some of the main characters possessed many admirable traits that gave us hope for the human race.  Even though some of the main topics were alcoholism and neglect, there was a "feel good" sensation, especially toward the conclusion.  Some members claimed to have a great feel for the outdoors and camping.

Recommendation:  Although many members enjoyed this book, a couple were disappointed.  They claimed the book was boring and hard to pick up.  Also, unrealistic at times.  Who would leave their kids with a complete stranger?  Overall, the book had a decent average rating.  Decide for yourself if it's worth a try!   

BCDP:  Tracy gave everyone a post-it note to submit a rating.  She felt in the past people may have been influenced by other's ratings.  Everyone submitted a post-it note with their name and rating.  First we went through the ratings individually, then Tracy drew a name out of a hat for the BCDP.  Kathy won a package of Bass-Pro shop s'more brownie mix, campfire hazlenut coffee, and bulls eyes.  

Still Alice - Discussion

Book: Still Alice by Lisa Genova
Meeting Place: Kim's House
Ratings:

Tracy - 3.5

Michaelene - 2.75
Melissa - 3.5
Barb - 4
Kathy - 2.5
Joyce - 4
Sherry - 3
Kim - 3.75
Average Rating:  3.38

We're in the midwest freezing our tails off so Kim decided to whip up a dish to take an edge off the chill.  We started our evening warming up with homemade chili and all the fixings.  Next, Kim read all the early signs of Alzheimer's Disease.  We discussed each of them in great depth, always leading us on a tangent.  Haha!  After reading this book, we were all more educated on Alzheimer's Disease and we got the chance to get the "real" feel of what it's like to be diagnosed and live through all the stages.  Most of us felt great sympathy for Alice, and can't imagine receiving this diagnosis.  Everyone agreed that they are now a little more aware of their own forgetfulness.  Sigh...  Some members plan on venturing out to the movies to see Julianne Moore's role as Alice.  She recently won the "best actress" award at the Oscar's.

Alice's diagnosis seemed to have rubbed off on the group.  Ironically, everyone "forgot" to take photos of our evening!!!  So the blog will be photoless this month.  And we finally had perfect attendance for a full member group shot!!! 

BCDP:  Kim's daughter picked a name out of a hat to find the lucky winner.  Michaelene again!  That's 2 weeks in a row!  She won a cute butterfly necklace.  There was a butterfly theme throughout the book.   

     

All the Light We Cannot See -- Discussion

Homemade German Cuisine

Book:  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Meeting Place:  Tracy's basement
Ratings:
Kim - 4.75

Tracy - 3.75

Michaelene - 2.75
Melissa - 4.5
Barb - 4
Kathy - 2.5
Sherry - 3.75
Average Rating:  3.71

Our night began with a delicious German cuisine which consisted of brauts/sauerkraut, potato pierogies, salad, pasta salad, and pears.  Melissa popped the cork to some French Champagne and we toasted the new year!  We traveled back in the 1940's to France and Germany and explored the damage and destruction of World War II.  All the Light We Cannot See presented many interesting, unique topics which made for a great discussion!  We explored all the story lines throughout the book and shared which/whom we liked the best.  Marie-Laure was highly admired because of her strength living a life blind.  We really felt the struggles and challenges a blind person experiences.  Another favorite character was her father.  We admired how he built city models for Marie-Laure so she could experience some freedom around town.  He was definitely a candidate for "father of the year".  Werner, an orphan, highly knowledgable of radio transmissions, did not go unnoticed.  Other favorites discussed were Uncle Etienne and Madame Manec.

Michaelene's the winner!

BCDP:  In the story, there were 4 diamonds floating around and being searched.  One was real and rare, the other 3 fake.  Marie-Laure's father escaped France with the real diamond, "Sea of Flames", which put him and his family in danger.     Sherry themed the BCDP with 6 "gems".  The red gem was the "Sea of Flames", where the blue were fakes.  She taped them under our chairs and the winner, Michaelene, had the real deal!  She won a gift card to Panera Bread.  

Recommendation:  There were some mixed reviews, but most members enjoyed the book and would recommend it!  We really liked the characters and the World War II setting.  Some members did not like the jumping around in time.  Sherry felt the book could've been 100 pages shorter and complained there were too many unnecessary details.  Overall, a great read with some high ratings from our members.

Extra:  Sherry bought reader wraps for the entire group!  

 

And the Mountains Echoed Discussion

Melissa cutting her cake with the BCPK!

Book:  And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

Meeting Place:  Chesdan's Pizzeria

Ratings:

Joyce - 1

Sherry - 1.75

Barbara - 2

Melissa - 3.75

Kathy - .75

Michaelene - 3

Kim - 

Tracy - 3.25

Average Rating:  2.21

Discussion:   The best part about book club is we get the opportunity to travel everywhere!  We've been to Australia, London, Paris, China, Mt. Everest,  Atlantic Ocean, etc. in the last few years.  This month we all took a journey through Kabul to Paris to San Fransisco and to the Greek island of Tinos.  Some of us enjoyed the journey, others would have rather stayed home!!!!  Another book with many mixed reviews.  The author jumped around in time which didn't flow with all readers.  Some of us really appreciated some thought provoking comments.  It was brought up that Khaled Hosseini's first 2 books were better and this one was a disappointment.    

BCDP:  Sherry won this month's BCDP!  Melissa brought in a delicious strawberry, whipped topping cake which we devoured!  Mmmm!!!

Sherry opening the BCDP!  A water bottle and fan!  

Recommendation:   Very mixed reviews on And the Mountains Echoed.   Some members did not appreciate the author's style of  jumping around in time.  Other's enjoyed the book.  You may want to research the book and decide for yourself if it's your type!

The Forgotten Garden Discussion

Beautiful patio on our garden walk!

Book:  The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

Meeting Place:  Melissa's house

Ratings:

Joyce - 2.5

Sherry - 3

Barbara - 4

Melissa - 4.5

Kathy - 3.25

Michaelene - 2.25

Kim - 3
Tracy - 3.25

Average Rating:  3.22

Discussion:   It never ceases to fail, someone comes up with a new, creative idea that bolsters our book club!  After the month of May's surprise author visit,  we moved onto June with a "themed" field trip.  Melissa organized a great day at the Crete Woman's Club Garden Walk.  This event included 6 garden views, lunch buffet at Lincolnshire Country Club, and shopping with town vendors.  One thing we realized instantly was that these gardens were NOT "forgotten"!  Many were breathtaking and absolutely beautiful.   We all stole some great ideas to enhance our own gardens. 

Following the garden walk, we returned to Melissa's place for our book club discussion.  We were served chips and salsa/guacamole, Melissa's frozen sangria, and Tracy's oreo cheesecake parfaits.  Our discussion began with book club questions we found online.  A couple members loved the book, while others felt it was too long and drawn out.  Many mixed reviews!  Even though we had differing opinions, we maintained a great discussion.  As usual, we went off on a tangent discussing vaccines and personal stories that stemmed from the book.  


BCDP:  Tracy served her oreo parfaits in colored cups.  The prize winner was the lucky person who ended up with the red cup.  Melissa won a sparkly butterfly rock for her garden!

Recommendation:   Very mixed reviews on The Forgotten Garden.  The book was rather long, and some members did not appreciate the author's style of  jumping around in time.  Other's felt it was a wonderful read.  You may want to research the book and decide for yourself if it's your type!

Too Dark to Sleep Discussion

Book:  Too Dark to Sleep by Dianne Gallagher

Meeting Place:  Kim's house

Ratings:

Tracy - 3

Joyce - 3.75

Sherry - 3

Barbara - 3.5 

Melissa - 4

Kathy - 3.75

Michaelene - 

Kim - 4

Average Rating:  3.57

Discussion:   Although May's selection happened to be our 3rd consecutive murder mystery, ACsBC enjoyed the book!  Kim decided to "theme" our meal by serving a hot, delicious breakfast.  Eggs, hashbrowns, donuts, fruit, bagels.....who doesn't love breakfast for dinner!?!?!?!?!  Kim came up with this idea based on Maggie Quinn, one of the main characters, who never slept at night.  Only in the day!   

Not only did Kim serve a great meal, but she surprised the book club......the author, Dianne Gallagher, who resides in Frankfort, IL, made a special appearance and joined our discussion!  The doorbell rang after dinner...or should I say breakfast?!  And we were wondering who was crashing ACsBC...  Kim introduced her and we all almost fell off our chairs!!!  We absolutely loved having an author join us.  She answered many of our questions and we were delighted she took the time out of her busy schedule.  This book will eventually be a part of a trilogy.  Many of us are excited to read on, and learn what will become of Maggie Quinn!  We'd also like to add, if you are involved in a book club, Dianne Gallagher would definitely make a surprise appearance!  

BCDP:  Kim put our names in a hat and Tracy was picked!  She won a Yankee Candle and dark chocolate!  Yum!  Tracy is responsible for the dessert in June, along with hosting.  Happy Reading! 

Recommendation:   We all recommend Too Dark to Sleep  and are looking forward to this new author's future books!