The Yada Yada Prayer Group by Neta Jackson

Fiction - 2 stars

Our April Book Club selection, The Yada Yada Prayer Group, redeemed itself in the end. However, for the first 1/3 of the book I wavered between disgust with the main character (Jodi) and her judgmental, uber-controlling ways and impatience with the lack of storyline. Once I got past the "introductions," the story was somewhat decent, and Jodi definitely grows as a result of her experiences. However, she was still controlling and annoying. This is definitely a book for readers who are interested in stories of "girl power" and not really for people who want an intellectual discussion. That being said, it sparked the best book club discussion we've had. I would only recommend it if you want a really light read about the power of women supporting each other.

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

Fiction - 3.5 stars

Sage Singer is a baker for a reason. She works at night to escape people, her own loneliness, the guilt from a hidden relationship, and the memory of her mother’s death.Her constant reminder, a significant facial scar, is her constant companion. Sage meets Josef Weber, an elderly man in Sage’s grief support group, and they strike up an unlikely friendship. They see past each others' scars, and they grow comfortable together.

Everything changes when Josef asks Sage for an unimaginable favor. The request begins a story of horror and heartbreak, and through it, Sage begins a journey of self-discovery that will make her realize who she really is. 

I really liked this book. Though the subject matter is tough (the Holocaust), it is an interesting and easy read. I would recommend it for a book cub read. 

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Fiction - 3.5 stars

As part of my quest to read the classics assigned in high school with an adult perspective, I re-read this classic to see if I enjoyed it more than my 11th-grade self did. While I did understand the themes and context much more, I will say that I did not find it an enjoyable read. Hawthorne's language is unnecessarily complicated and flowery, and it tends to make the read very slow and dry. I am not a fan of over-description, and he is definitely guilty of that.  

That being said, the subject matter of the book is more modern than most of that time. It is set in 17th century Puritanical New England, and it tells the story of Hester Prynne who has a daughter through an adulterous affair and is forced to wear a scarlet "A" on her breast for all to see. The purpose of her penance is for her to create a new life of repentance and dignity, but it eventually becomes a part of her for which she is nearly unapologetic. I recommend the book as a reminder of how the founders of our country behaved and treated citizens. 

A Place at the Table by Susan Rebecca White

Fiction - 3.5 stars

I will admit, at first I was a little worried about this book, as it is one of Oprah's book club picks (not a huge fan of Oprah). However, once I got into it, I really enjoyed the story. This is the story of three  outcasts whose paths meet at Café Andres. 

Bobby Banks is a young gay man who grew up in Decatur, Georgia. While struggling with his parents' rejection, the AIDS epidemic in 1980s New York City, and utter heartbreak, he is enlisted by the aging café's owner to revive the place with his new interpretation of southern cooking.  

Alice Stone, the former chef at Café Andres, is famous, but has a mysterious past. During her tenure, she wrote a groundbreaking cookbook celebrating her poor Southern heritage, and it causes problems for a few closest to her. 

Dealing with the breakup of her marriage, Connecticut resident Amelia Brighton seeks comfort from her aunt, an editor living in New York City.  During her time of healing, a family secret is discovered in Alice’s cookbook, and the three lives are affected as they come to grips with the past together. 

Because the story is broken into three parts without explanation of the character changes, the book is challenging to follow at times. However, once the story finally comes together, it is touching. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber

Fiction/Short Story - 3 stars

This short story is a glimpse into the imagination of Walter Mitty, a daydreaming man who is given tasks by his wife while she gets her hair done. He struggles to remember the tasks due to his overactive imagination. A super-short (maybe 7-8 pages) story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty has inspired two full-length films. The first, from the 1930s,

starred Danny Kaye and was harshly criticized by Thurber, who thought it was ridiculous. The second, one of my all-time favorite movies, was written and directed by Ben Stiller, who stars as Mitty.

A heartwarming and deep film, Stiller's version is also different from the short story, and I can only wish that Thurber could have seen it.  The story's good, but the movie's awesome.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Fiction - 3.5 stars

Claire Waverley is a caterer who uses plants from her garden to evoke feelings in her clients. She works in her garden, talking to her mysterious apple tree as if it can hear her. Family legend says that if someone eats from the apple tree, he sees the most important event in his life. Claire's sister, Sydney, flees with her daughter from her life across the country with an abusive man. She comes back to Claire in Bascom, NC and finds herself in the very place she escaped. Evanelle, an older cousin, has the gift of clairvoyance, and distributes gifts before the receiver know they're needed. These Waverley women are the talk of the town, and their legacy of loneliness and magic brings them closer together as they find love and friendship. Garden Spells is an enchanting, easy read, and like The Peach Keeper, it's just a good story. It's an awesome read for a lazy Sunday.

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

Fiction - 4 stars

Judd Foxman's father has died, his wife has cheated on him with his boss, he's quit his job (see previous for reason) and he's moved into a basement apartment of a noisy house inhabited by a Chinese couple. He's not doing well. On top of all of this, his father's final wish is for his (dysfunctional) family to sit shiva and spend seven days and nights under the same roof. Longstanding grudges resurface, secrets are revealed and former passions are reawakened in this week-log remembrance of a man they all loved but barely knew. This is one of the books I won during Barnes & Noble's Page to Screen weekend giveaway, and I am so lucky. I probably would not have picked it out myself. I can see why they've made a movie of the story, and I highly recommend it for anyone feeling a little down about their own dysfunctional family.

Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon

Historical Fiction - 5 stars

Swoon! In this eighth installment of the Outlander series, Written in My Own Heart’s Blood, the story of Jamie and Claire Fraser continues into 1778. In the cliffhanger from the previous book,  An Echo in the Bone, Jamie Fraser returns from "the dead" to discover that Lord John has married Claire to protect her from the British Loyalists. Meanwhile,  William has discovered who his father really is, Ian has fallen in love with a Quaker, and Claire is busy trying to stay sane. No spoilers here - I'll merely say that things don't calm down upon Jamie's return.
 
The Frasers are under the illusion that Brianna and her family are safe in twentieth-century Scotland. However, all is not peaceful at Lallybroch. She and Roger embark on their own journeys in search of family.

According to Barnes and Noble review, "Written in My Own Heart’s Blood is the brilliant next chapter in a masterpiece of the imagination unlike any other." I whole-heartedly agree.

The Call of the Wild and White Fang, by Jack London

Fiction - 5 stars

Megan presented three books for her book club to choose the one their next going to read, and White Fang was one of her three choices. While they did not pick that one to read, I decided to read it anyway, I got the combo of The Call of the Wild and White Fang on my nook, and I really couldn't read one without the other.

So, I began with The Call of the Wild, London's masterpiece about Buck, 1/2 St. Bernard, 1/2 Scotch shepherd who lives a comfortable life as a family dog in California. He's taken from his pampered surroundings and shipped to Alaska to be a sled dog. In Alaska, the landscape is as harsh as life itself during the gold rush of the 1890s. All but forgetting his earlier existence, Buck succumbs to his instincts, encountering danger and adventure as he becomes the leader of a wolf pack and undertakes a near-mythical journey, ultimately to answer the undeniable call of the wild. The details come from London's knowledge of Alaskan frontier life, and they make the writing exquisite. Once it was finished, I immediately began reading White Fang.

Although written much later, White Fang has often been called a companion novel to The Call of the Wild because it takes the story and reverses it. The story begins with a glimpse into the life of a wolfpack, hunting and finding prey often among the sled dogs of the 19th Century Klondike Gold Rush. White Fang's mother is part dog, part wolf, and when she and another wolf have puppies, White Fang is the only survivor.  Living in the frozen north, he learns to hunt in the wild, and then is "adopted" by Gray Beaver, an Indian living in a camp on the Mackintosh River. White fang is the alpha male, and he is well-known for his ability to strike dogs dead in an instant. When Gray Beaver enters Fort Yukon with White Fang, he is immediately noticed by Beauty Smith, a cruel man who manipulates Gray Beaver with whisky and gambling to gain White Fang as a debt payment. Beauty places White Fang in the dogfight ring where he is undefeated, until a pitbull is introduced and White Fang is nearly destroyed by the men's vicious cruelty. He is saved by Weedon Scott, and under Scotts care, White Fang is lucky enough to experience the one thing that can save him human love. He gradually comes under the spell of man's companionship, and when Scott returns to his family home in California, White Fang is is constant companion and eventually proves his worth to everyone.


I can't say enough about these books. I enjoyed them from the moment I began, and while the cruelty is hard to read, it gives a true glimpse into a period of history that many of us don't know about. People, as well as their dogs, had to be tough survivalists, doing anything to stay alive. Also, the adventurers who went to Alaska to seek fortune in the gold rush were not all peace-loving men. They were a mix of entrepreneurs and alcoholics, low-lifes and fur traders, businessmen and ex-convicts. London again had first-hand knowledge of these men, and depicts their lifestyle vividly in both books.

I love them both and recommend them to anyone who likes animals or is interested in the history of our country. 

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Youth fiction - 4.5 stars

May's Mother-Daughter Book Club book was a short, but somewhat deep novel about friendship and support set in 1970s New York City. While her mother is prepping to be a contestant on The $20,000 Pyramid, Miranda begins receiving a series of mysterious notes. While she doesn't immediately make sense of them, they are clues that her favorite book, A Wrinkle in Time, may not be entirely far-fetched. She meets a series of friends, all the while trying to figure out why one friend has left her. the story comes together in the end, and Stead closes it up with a super happy ending.

That's all I'm giving away! One of Megan's book club selections was A Wrinkle in Time, and without reading it, this book would have been a little obscure. Overall, we really enjoyed it, and I would recommend it to middle schoolers looking for something a little deeper.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Youth Fiction - 4.5 stars

Another mother/daughter book club selection, Stargirl is the enchanting story of a free-spirited newcomer to a small Arizona high school. Stargirl is told from the point of view of Leo, director of Hot Seat, the school's talk show. Leo becomes the love interest of Star Girl, but her free-spirited ways, at first accepted by the other students, soon become a source of contention between them. To show her love, Stargirl gives up her free-spirited ways and becomes "normal," but her reputation with the other students is beyond repair. She only has one true friend who likes that she is not like everyone else, and is angry when she changes to please Leo.

This sweet story about the price of popularity, the meanness and exclusiveness of high school, and the challenge of first love is probably one of the book club selections that Megan most identifies with. We both loved it. It is a quick read, but so provocative and insightful.

Death Without Company by Craig Johnson

Mystery - 4.5 stars

Book #2 in the Walt Longmire mystery series is just as well-written as the first. In this book, the sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming is investigating the poisoning murder of a Basque woman whose story is so intriguing, Walt can't let it go until he's figured out the puzzle. Including realistic scenes of hand-to-hand fighting, shooting, and even drowning, this book is one I couldn't put down. I recommend it for any mystery fan.  

Cold Dish by Craig Johnson

Mystery - 4.5 stars

George and I got hooked on the Longmire series on A&E this summer, and because we both fell in love with the show, we decided to read the first book in the series. We are both so glad we did as the show is so different from the books. Cold Dish is such a fantastic first novel for Craig Johnson. It introduces Walt Longmire, Sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming, and a supporting cast of characters that will quietly and subtly knock your socks off. Walt's best friend, Henry Standing Bear, is a perfect example. Henry, like Walt, is a Vietnam War veteran. He is not content living too far away from the Cheyenne Reservation on which he grew up, and so he owns the local bar placed just outside the Reservation boundaries. He is a big, tough man whose quiet ways and thoughtful presence make him oh so popular with the ladies. Vic, the deputy from Philly who cusses like a sailor and gives Walt a really hard time, is also an attractive woman and competent forensics investigator. The best aspect of the books is Johnson's humor. I found myself laughing out loud many times at Vic's attitude and at the self-depracating comments that almost always escape Walt's lips. George is on book 5 right now, and has loved them all. I can't wait to start on the second one! However, it may have to wait until I get done with my next Mother-Daughter selection.

John, Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith

(Youth) History - 5 stars

5 stars for a history book? you say. History books are so boring - Wrong! This book is a hilarious look at 5 (yes, 5) of the most influential men in early American history (John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson), as it places the characteristics most remembered about them into their personalities as children. It is targeted for the 6-8 year old crowd, but it is definitely enjoyable for kids of all ages. I laughed out loud when reading about each of them, and when reading the true/false section that sets the record straight in the back of the book. This is the perfect teaching tool for this 4th of July week. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves teaching kid, humor and history.  

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Fiction - 2 stars

I gave this book 2 stars only because I am supposed to appreciate it as a work of fine literature. Never before reading this, and not since I read Love in the Time of Cholera have I experienced such a violent dislike of book or a writer. Now, I am not a huge Hemingway fan, but I would read A Farewell to Arms once a week for a year before I would pick up another Faulkner work. If you are a Faulkner fan, I am sorry if I've offended you. However, "No way, Jose - you can't make me" is what I would say if anyone asked me to read Faulkner again. Can you tell I didn't like it?

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Fiction - 5 stars

If you've never read this book, you absolutely are missing one of the best stories ever told. It is the story of Huck Finn and Jim, the runaway slave that he takes with him down the Mississippi. This sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is truly a classic, and I am glad to have read it. 

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

Youth Fiction - 5 stars

I am so glad that our book club picked this book. It was the most profound children's book I think I've ever read. In this Newberry Medal winner, Elijah is the first child born in a freed former slave community of Buxton, near Toronto. In the book, a short history of the community is presented, but more importantly at the forefront is a realistic view of how African Americans of the time viewed slavery and its legacy attitudes. Megan and I both loved the book, and its provocative content provided many discussion topics. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

Common Sense by Thomas Paine

Non-fiction, 4.5 stars

Can you say "I-Am-A-Nerd?" And yes, I am that big of a nerd that I read Thomas Paine in my spare time. As part of my classics/new novel switch-off, I picked up Paine for relatively little on my nook, and I am glad I did. Anyone who wants to read the sentiment that was in the minds of American colonists prior to the Revolution needs to read this. It not only tells why, in particular, colonists wanted independence, but it also gives sound arguments against monarchy - even extending back to biblical times. This particular version has an introduction by, none other than, Diana Gabaldon. Short, compelling, and a slice of American History, this book has it all!

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Non-fiction - 5 stars - I grew up with the tv show, a classic for my generation. After reading this book, I only wish I had read these when I was a kid! The story is so revealing about family relationships and the culture of late 1800's pioneer families. Megan and Danny especially liked the stories of the tree that Pa mistook for a bear and the bear that Ma mistook for a cow.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Fiction - 4 stars - I can see why this book is part of the literary canon, but if I had read it in high school, I would not have caught the subtle depth of the book. It is an interesting portrait of the 1940s, and a very deliberate use of emotional struggle to make the reader sympathize with this disturbed character.