The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco was my pick for our March discussion. I knew ahead of time that I would like/love this book as I have read some of Eco's work before. When I chose this title as one of my two picks for the year I knew that some people would not agree with my choice. That is how book clubs work, at least ours does. We tend to have a lot of differences in reading but always approach the book with an open mind.
This lengthy book is basically a murder mystery. The depth and drama goes beyond a simple mystery because it is set in the13th century within the Catholic Church. Eco's attention to detail is remarkable, making it seem as if we know these people, places, events, church liturgy, and even the creation and illustration of books during that time.
William of Baskerville, the main character, reminded us of Sherlock Holmes. He uses observation and logic to solve the mystery. William's companion reminded us of Dr. Watson as well.
The villain in this story is a monk, but rather than being a bad person he is a man committed to truth. It proves to be his downfall. This led us to explore truth and occasions when we do the right thing for the wrong reasons, or the wrong thing for the right reasons.
Several of our members said that while they did not love the book they were glad to have read it. The large number of characters, minute historic detail and use of Latin made this book a heavy read for us all.
Since we act as facilitator for the books we choose each year I did some research as prep for this role after finishing the book. When it was published in 1980 having The Name of the Rose on your coffee table was the sign of an intellectual. I was very put-off to think that the 80's were still so shallow, and so glad to be part of a group that doesn't worry about who reads what. We just read.
The Name of the Rose is not for casual reading. But it would be ideal for a long winter week-end or a quiet get-away book. You will be glad you read it, even if you don't end up loving it. Eco's Prague Cemetery is still on my list but I will wait for a suitable time in the near future to begin.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin
I finished The Aviator's Wife last week and am just getting around to blogging about it. This isn't due to a lack of things to say, or because I am not excited to share this book with my readers. No, it was due to the lack of time to do this book justice.
I heard about this book thanks to Amazon. You know--"if you liked ______ you may like_____." I have learned to trust what Amazon knows about my reading habits and don't feel the least bit worried about that. If the worst thing anyone ever knows about me is what I read I'm happy about that. The Aviator's Wife was reccomended because I had recently downloaded and read our February book club selection The Paris Wife. Amazon's intuitive software recognized the connection.
The Aviator's Wife is about Anne Morrow Lindberg, the wife in the shadows just as Hadley Hemingway lived in the shadows of her famous husband. There are also many other comparisons. Anne lived a life guided by her husband, his interests and his image. In the pages I read how wonderful and how horrible life with a famous, egotistical man can be.
Anne Morrow first met Lindberg when he appeared on the big screen as the hero of our country with his plane The Spirit of St. Louis. Not long afterward she met him in person at the home of her parents in Mexico where her father was a U.S. Ambassador.
I first met Anne Morrow Lindberg years ago when I read her book Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead the story of their life together and the tragic kidnapping of their firstborn, Charles Lindberg Jr. While the story of the "Lindberg Baby kidnapping" was part of my childhood the details were either never shared or long forgotten.
This historically based novel by Melanie Benjamin offered a new view of this once famous family. Love and commitment are not always enough. Ego and loneliness both damage a relationship. Trust is difficult to repair. Political alliances can harm reputation and image.
Please read The Aviator's Wife. The Lindbergs already seem to be fading into distant history for our generation so we may not have the images and biases our parents carried of this celebrity couple. Visit their lives from a perspective so very different from the sense of "celebrity" we carry now. You will be treated to a wonderful story with all the trials, tears, mistakes and blemishes of a real life.
I heard about this book thanks to Amazon. You know--"if you liked ______ you may like_____." I have learned to trust what Amazon knows about my reading habits and don't feel the least bit worried about that. If the worst thing anyone ever knows about me is what I read I'm happy about that. The Aviator's Wife was reccomended because I had recently downloaded and read our February book club selection The Paris Wife. Amazon's intuitive software recognized the connection.
The Aviator's Wife is about Anne Morrow Lindberg, the wife in the shadows just as Hadley Hemingway lived in the shadows of her famous husband. There are also many other comparisons. Anne lived a life guided by her husband, his interests and his image. In the pages I read how wonderful and how horrible life with a famous, egotistical man can be.
Anne Morrow first met Lindberg when he appeared on the big screen as the hero of our country with his plane The Spirit of St. Louis. Not long afterward she met him in person at the home of her parents in Mexico where her father was a U.S. Ambassador.
I first met Anne Morrow Lindberg years ago when I read her book Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead the story of their life together and the tragic kidnapping of their firstborn, Charles Lindberg Jr. While the story of the "Lindberg Baby kidnapping" was part of my childhood the details were either never shared or long forgotten.
This historically based novel by Melanie Benjamin offered a new view of this once famous family. Love and commitment are not always enough. Ego and loneliness both damage a relationship. Trust is difficult to repair. Political alliances can harm reputation and image.
Please read The Aviator's Wife. The Lindbergs already seem to be fading into distant history for our generation so we may not have the images and biases our parents carried of this celebrity couple. Visit their lives from a perspective so very different from the sense of "celebrity" we carry now. You will be treated to a wonderful story with all the trials, tears, mistakes and blemishes of a real life.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
The Paris Wife, February's Book Club Pick
The discussion was lively and diverse when we met Friday to discuss Paula McLain's book The Paris Wife. Everyone in attendance had great things about the book. McLain covered all the bases, it appears, in discovering and depicting this portion of Ernest Hemingway's life. They are all there, his friends, acquaintances, and his first wife Hadley Richardson. The people who loved him, the people who trusted him, the people who used him and the people he used all make their appearances. The list reads like a guide to literature: Ezra Pound, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, Sherwood Anderson and many more.
As a young teenager the people included in this book were more real to me than the students who passed me in the hallways at school. They returned as I read, each as amazing and flawed as I had remembered them.
While this is a novel it is a wonderful way to discover the feel and lifeblood of Jazz Age Paris. Literature was growing,developing and re-inventing leaving a lasting stamp on what we believe and read today.
If you love Hemingway--read this book. If you know very little about the man Hemingway--read this book. If you ever wondered what the art and literary explosion in Paris during this time was really like--read this book. The popularity of The Paris Wife by Paula McLain is not a fluke. You might as well save yourself a trip to the library or book store and get a copy of Hemingway's A Movable Feast while you are at it. You'll want to read that as well!
As a young teenager the people included in this book were more real to me than the students who passed me in the hallways at school. They returned as I read, each as amazing and flawed as I had remembered them.
While this is a novel it is a wonderful way to discover the feel and lifeblood of Jazz Age Paris. Literature was growing,developing and re-inventing leaving a lasting stamp on what we believe and read today.
If you love Hemingway--read this book. If you know very little about the man Hemingway--read this book. If you ever wondered what the art and literary explosion in Paris during this time was really like--read this book. The popularity of The Paris Wife by Paula McLain is not a fluke. You might as well save yourself a trip to the library or book store and get a copy of Hemingway's A Movable Feast while you are at it. You'll want to read that as well!
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Fire Watch by Connie Willis
Fire Watch is a collection of twelve short stories by Connie Willis a well known science fiction author from my home state, Colorado. She has won six Nebul awards--more than any other science fiction writer. If you enjoyed her novels Blackout or All Clear you will enjoy the title story Fire Watch which is in the same setting, but Willis has a varied offering in this collection.
The stories cover a large scope of subject matter. They range from Daisy, in the Sun a story about the sun going super nova to A Letter from the Clearys about a family's life in the aftermath of a nuclear war. My favorites were Samaritan and Blued Moon. Samaritan brings up the question of whether animals have souls in a unique and thought provoking way. Blued Moon takes place in Wyoming at a site where a company is sending waste into outer space and the unique consequences that result.
Many are moving and some are a little creepy but they all kept me reading. Most of them are not for someone who worries about what will happen in the future because the stories in this collection are not all "happily ever after" tales.
Sometimes a short story fits into my schedule more seamlessly than a longer book. It is easy to pick up, read a quick story and then put it down again. A short story also seems to required less energy and commitment from the reader, although at least one of the these stories seemed quite intense to me.
I always encourage people to read something by Connie Willis. Her storytelling skills are top notch and her imagination runs everywhere!
The stories cover a large scope of subject matter. They range from Daisy, in the Sun a story about the sun going super nova to A Letter from the Clearys about a family's life in the aftermath of a nuclear war. My favorites were Samaritan and Blued Moon. Samaritan brings up the question of whether animals have souls in a unique and thought provoking way. Blued Moon takes place in Wyoming at a site where a company is sending waste into outer space and the unique consequences that result.
Many are moving and some are a little creepy but they all kept me reading. Most of them are not for someone who worries about what will happen in the future because the stories in this collection are not all "happily ever after" tales.
Sometimes a short story fits into my schedule more seamlessly than a longer book. It is easy to pick up, read a quick story and then put it down again. A short story also seems to required less energy and commitment from the reader, although at least one of the these stories seemed quite intense to me.
I always encourage people to read something by Connie Willis. Her storytelling skills are top notch and her imagination runs everywhere!
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Mrs. Dalloway, January Book Club
Let me start by saying everyone should read something by Virginia Woolf at least once in their lifetime. I think this holds true for man authors such as Shakespeare, Hemingway, Joyce, and Rand. You don't need to fall in love with the book or the author but you just may.
While I did not love Mrs. Dalloway, or the author Virginia Woolf I am extremely glad I read the book. The style, stream of consciousness, was at first a chore to read but gradually I got into it. The story takes place on one day of the life of Mrs. Dalloway and includes some peripheral characters that touch her life very remotely. As someone who loves the extremely large epics this book forced me to change my focus.
This book was the pick for our early January discussion at book club. Since it was for our group I was committed to reading the whole book. Since my book club met on January 4th I began reading after Christmas and read in several large chunks. For me that may have helped to hold everything together.
One thing I have learned belonging to a book club is that the book you love is not always the book that generates the best discussion. Some books lend themselves to a lively and diverse discussion while some do not. Mrs. Dalloway is an excellent discussion book.
Have you read a Woolf book? If not, I do highly recommend Mrs. Dalloway. You many not fall in love with the book or the author but you will be glad that you read it. If possible share this book with someone else, you will have a lot to discuss.
While I did not love Mrs. Dalloway, or the author Virginia Woolf I am extremely glad I read the book. The style, stream of consciousness, was at first a chore to read but gradually I got into it. The story takes place on one day of the life of Mrs. Dalloway and includes some peripheral characters that touch her life very remotely. As someone who loves the extremely large epics this book forced me to change my focus.
This book was the pick for our early January discussion at book club. Since it was for our group I was committed to reading the whole book. Since my book club met on January 4th I began reading after Christmas and read in several large chunks. For me that may have helped to hold everything together.
One thing I have learned belonging to a book club is that the book you love is not always the book that generates the best discussion. Some books lend themselves to a lively and diverse discussion while some do not. Mrs. Dalloway is an excellent discussion book.
Have you read a Woolf book? If not, I do highly recommend Mrs. Dalloway. You many not fall in love with the book or the author but you will be glad that you read it. If possible share this book with someone else, you will have a lot to discuss.
Welcome Back!
I feel like this message is for me, but I intend it for you as well. It seems like summer arrived, we tackled a huge landscaping project and suffered through the heat then suddenly school began. I just fell off the bandwagon and I apologize. It was heart warming to come back and discover that you've been here all along, checking in from time to time. Thank-you.
My resolutions for 2013 including blogging every book I read this year. Although I won't complain about books I don't like I will at least least acknowledge that they were read.
So, lets skip the lame excuses and go right to the books!
My resolutions for 2013 including blogging every book I read this year. Although I won't complain about books I don't like I will at least least acknowledge that they were read.
So, lets skip the lame excuses and go right to the books!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Seaside Knitters Mysteries
I have been a big fan of mysteries since I was a pre-teen. It was about that same time that I first learned to knit through 4-H. Move ahead many years and it is not surprising that I read a couple of knitting related mystery series.
Recently I finished the latest installment of the Seaside Knitters Mystery series, A Fatal Fleece. This is the sixth book and Sally Goldenbaum continues to turn out engaging new plots.
The characters are all inhabitants of a small seaside town but vary enough to offer many twists and turns to the plots. Despite age and career differences they are tied together through the women at the local knit shop. In many books a young yarn shop owner, her aunt and uncle, a lobster fisherman, the singer with a local band and a rich elderly woman would not have a lot in common. I have found knitting to be a bond like that in real life as well.
Goldenbaum's mystery plots are well worth the read even if you are not a knitter. The main tie to knitting is the relationship between characters. Although I have never lived by the sea the details seem plausible and real. This particular book touched me because the murder reminds us that "family" is not necessarily and can take on many shapes within a community. I have experienced this many times in my own life.
Although this is a series it would not hurt to pick up or check out a copy of A Fatal Fleece, you will learn everything that is important to this story. Then, perhaps, you will choose to start back at the beginning. Don't knit? Don't worry the mystery and setting will keep you engaged.
Recently I finished the latest installment of the Seaside Knitters Mystery series, A Fatal Fleece. This is the sixth book and Sally Goldenbaum continues to turn out engaging new plots.
The characters are all inhabitants of a small seaside town but vary enough to offer many twists and turns to the plots. Despite age and career differences they are tied together through the women at the local knit shop. In many books a young yarn shop owner, her aunt and uncle, a lobster fisherman, the singer with a local band and a rich elderly woman would not have a lot in common. I have found knitting to be a bond like that in real life as well.
Goldenbaum's mystery plots are well worth the read even if you are not a knitter. The main tie to knitting is the relationship between characters. Although I have never lived by the sea the details seem plausible and real. This particular book touched me because the murder reminds us that "family" is not necessarily and can take on many shapes within a community. I have experienced this many times in my own life.
Although this is a series it would not hurt to pick up or check out a copy of A Fatal Fleece, you will learn everything that is important to this story. Then, perhaps, you will choose to start back at the beginning. Don't knit? Don't worry the mystery and setting will keep you engaged.
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