Thursday, April 28, 2016
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
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! |
Michaelene - 2.5
Joyce - Made it to chapter 9!
Melissa - 3.5
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!
Recommendation: Although we did somewhat enjoy the book, I'm not sure many of us would highly recommend it for the reasons above.
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!
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!
Friday, April 1, 2016
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
Kim - 3.5
Tracy - 4
Michaelene - 3.25
Joyce - 3.75
Melissa - 4
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!
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!
Friday, May 1, 2015
May Book Club Selection - Joyce
The Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins
Below is a description of the book (taken from Amazon) we will be reading in May. We will discuss this book on Wednesday, May 27th.
Below is a description of the book (taken from Amazon) we will be reading in May. We will discuss this book on Wednesday, May 27th.
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She's even started to feel like she knows them. "Jess and Jason," she calls them. Their life -- as she sees it -- is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.
And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough. Now everything's changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?
Compulsively readable, The Girl on the Train is an emotionally immersive, Hitchcockian thriller and an electrifying debut.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
These Things Hidden - Discussion
 |
| Book Club Feast!!!!! |
Meeting Place: Barb's House
Ratings:
Melissa - 4.5
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.
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!!!
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| Kathy's streak is on! |
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!
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
April Book Selection - Michaelene
These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
Below is a description of the book (taken from Amazon) we will be reading in April. We will discuss this book on Wednesday, April 29.
Below is a description of the book (taken from Amazon) we will be reading in April. We will discuss this book on Wednesday, April 29.
When teenager Allison Glenn is sent to prison for a heinous crime, she leaves behind her reputation as Linden Falls' golden girl forever. Her parents deny the existence of their once-perfect child. Her former friends exult her downfall. Her sister, Brynn, faces whispered rumors every day in the hallways of their small Iowa high school. It's Brynnshy, quite Brynnwho carries the burden of what really happened that night. All she wants is to forget Allison and the past that haunts her.
But then Allison is released to a halfway house, and is more determined than ever to speak with her estranged sister.
Now legacy of secrets is focused on one little boy. And if the truth is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable for the adoptive mother who loves him, the girl who tried to protect him and the two sisters who hold the key to all that is hidden.
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