Book Club Books
For the past three or four years, I have been in a mother-daughter book club with several other neighborhood gals and their mothers. Once upon a time, several years ago, I did a post about it (which can be found here). This year, I thought I would share with you our chosen books and a short description about them, as well as a list of all the other books we have read through the years.
Our book club meets once a month throughout the summer months, and then one book in September as well. Every year, we have a meeting in May to discuss any changes we'll be making to how we meet, etc., and then we pick our books.
June:
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Honestly, I had heard a lot about Fangirl, and even before it was brought up in book club I was thinking of reading it. It was on my list. However, I'm really glad I read it with a group because then I could discuss it with a group.
The story is about Cather, and her twin sister Wren, who are going off to college. Cath is all too willing to stick by her sister's side, but unfortunately Wren is off living a wild college life while Cath sits in a dorm with a girl who is not her twin, wallowing under her blankets and living off of granola bars. Cath goes to classes, and then comes back to write Simon Snow fan fiction. Her story has so many readers, and most of them consider it to be canon (accepted in the author's world as truth) as the fifth and final Simon Snow book, which is coming out soon. The problem is, Cath is having difficulties adjusting to college life and life without her sister constantly by her side. Can Cath let go of her troubles, and Simon Snow, for good?
July:
Born of Illusion by Teri Brown
I didn't really like this book, it was really different from what I normally read. However, we all voted, and so I did read it.
Anna is a magic while her mother only pretends to be one on the stage. Anna thinks of a spotlight of her own, but her mother is careful to keep her out of the limelight, even without knowing what Anna can do. However, her mom isn't above using her alleged connection to Harry Houdini (who is supposedly Anna's father). Sick of the secrets, Anna goes looking for answers and meets Houdini at a book singing. (They interact more than once, but the question of whether he is her father or not is never fully resolved). Along the way, Anna meets a few people who claim they know about her powers and can help her control them. Unfortunately, two groups claim they want to help Anna, and only one group actually will.
August:
Fallout by Todd Strasser
I felt like this book took the same issue and tried to make it bigger and bigger in each chapter. For example: we're going to die. We're going to Die. We're going to DIE. WE'RE GOING TO DIE! WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE IN HERE!!!!!!! Not a very entertaining read, in my opinion, although there were some interesting points.
Scott's family is the only on in the neighborhood that built a bomb-shelter for the war, and when the unthinkable happens and the bomb goes off, every family is trying to get inside. Scott's mom gets hurt in the scuffle, and once the hatch closes, a few extra neighbors are inside as well. Scott's dad only planned for himself, his wife, Scott and his brother Sparky, so supplies are low. In the meantime, everyone is arguing and trying to get more food/water for themselves, and criticizing Scott's father for not preparing the shelter correctly (testing the radio and cleaning out the water tank, to name a few things). This goes on in between chapters with flashes of what was happening a few days before the bomb dropped.
Now that I've said what's happening in the story, I can go back to what I don't like about it. For one thing, everyone criticizes Scott's father for everything he did wrong in his bomb shelter when theirs is non-existent and they judged him for building one in the first place. No one ever says thank you for keeping them alive by building the bomb shelter.
Because the narrator is an 11 year old boy, there is not a whole lot going on outside of the adults arguing, because the biggest thing the kids are worried about is the arguing, and how many card games they can play in the dark area before they get bored. And of course, Scott and his younger brother are worried about their mother, who is comatose. The book would probably have been much more interesting if Scott's father had narrated.
September:
The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey
This was the first book this year that I did not finish in time for book club. Awkwardly enough, because I am usually one of two who read the books while the other five or six girls get about halfway through, this means that no one read the book for out September meeting. I just couldn't get into it, and then there was much more appealing books available to me, so I read those instead. I'll read it eventually.
However, for now, here is the description:
After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.
Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.
(Description from http://www.rickyancey.com)
The Fifth Wave is also going to be a movie! It will be released in 2016, and the trailer looks really cool. It can be found in the link above on the main page of the author's website.
So that was it for book club this year! If you happen to read the books, leave a comment and maybe it will become a discussion worthy of a book club! :D
I felt like this book took the same issue and tried to make it bigger and bigger in each chapter. For example: we're going to die. We're going to Die. We're going to DIE. WE'RE GOING TO DIE! WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE IN HERE!!!!!!! Not a very entertaining read, in my opinion, although there were some interesting points.
Scott's family is the only on in the neighborhood that built a bomb-shelter for the war, and when the unthinkable happens and the bomb goes off, every family is trying to get inside. Scott's mom gets hurt in the scuffle, and once the hatch closes, a few extra neighbors are inside as well. Scott's dad only planned for himself, his wife, Scott and his brother Sparky, so supplies are low. In the meantime, everyone is arguing and trying to get more food/water for themselves, and criticizing Scott's father for not preparing the shelter correctly (testing the radio and cleaning out the water tank, to name a few things). This goes on in between chapters with flashes of what was happening a few days before the bomb dropped.
Now that I've said what's happening in the story, I can go back to what I don't like about it. For one thing, everyone criticizes Scott's father for everything he did wrong in his bomb shelter when theirs is non-existent and they judged him for building one in the first place. No one ever says thank you for keeping them alive by building the bomb shelter.
Because the narrator is an 11 year old boy, there is not a whole lot going on outside of the adults arguing, because the biggest thing the kids are worried about is the arguing, and how many card games they can play in the dark area before they get bored. And of course, Scott and his younger brother are worried about their mother, who is comatose. The book would probably have been much more interesting if Scott's father had narrated.
September:
The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey
This was the first book this year that I did not finish in time for book club. Awkwardly enough, because I am usually one of two who read the books while the other five or six girls get about halfway through, this means that no one read the book for out September meeting. I just couldn't get into it, and then there was much more appealing books available to me, so I read those instead. I'll read it eventually.
However, for now, here is the description:
After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.
Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.
(Description from http://www.rickyancey.com)
The Fifth Wave is also going to be a movie! It will be released in 2016, and the trailer looks really cool. It can be found in the link above on the main page of the author's website.
So that was it for book club this year! If you happen to read the books, leave a comment and maybe it will become a discussion worthy of a book club! :D
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