Little Bee by Chris Cleave

Fiction - 3.5 stars

Little Bee is the perfect book club book. The story of a Nigerian immigrant (Little Bee) to the United Kingdom and the woman she searches for and finds (Sarah), the books deals with real issues. For Little Bee and her fellow immigrants, the issues include the reasons for illegal immigration (horrors from the home countries), life in the British detention centers, and the struggle to survive outside the centers and to "belong." For the other characters in the book, issues like adultery, depression, suicide, and making the right choices are just a few of the issues that make this a complex story full of emotion. Cleave does an excellent job of creating these very different characters, yet portraying them and their issues as very similar, which makes them fit together perfectly. I enjoyed it - easy read and interesting subject matter, and I recommend it to anyone wanting a good discussion book.

The Mother Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick

Youth Fiction - 3.5 stars

The thing I love about good youth fiction is that you can finish the books in a short amount of time. This book was no exception (I finished it in one day, amidst my regular schedule), and it was entertaining to boot! A story about four unlikely "friends," it is also a reflection of the book they're reading in the book club, one of my favorites - Little Women. The realistic portrayal of the meanness of middle school girls was at times a little too close for comfort, but the setting, and the humor throughout made me able to grin and bear it. A must-read for the 6th grader in all of us.

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

Fiction - 5 stars

The third book in the Game of Thrones series, A Storm of Swords is all that and more. My favorite so far in the series, this novel is full of intrigue, lust, and violence. The characters and their relationships are so real, and the sheer commitment it takes to read this series creates an attachment I have not felt since the Outlander series. I loved this book!!!!!!