July 2024 Book Club

My IRL book club met this past Wednesday. July has been our “memoir-of-choice” month for the last three years. It’s one of my favorite book club months every year.

There was a little overlap this year as a couple of people read Tom Felton’s BEYOND THE WAND memoir. Otherwise, thanks to a few people reading more than one memoir, we had a lot of good ones to talk about.

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We had a discussion about how most memoirs are sad or depressing because the author usually has had to go through some terrible ordeal (e.g. abuse, addiction, poverty, mental illness). I pointed out that Neil Patrick Harris seemed to have a really great life from what I read in CHOOSE YOUR OWN AUTOBIOGRAPHY. He talked about the inner turmoil of coming to grips with his sexuality and some of his experimentation to help him realize he’s gay. He had a good childhood, his time in Hollywood has been great, and his family life with his husband and kids is eventful but “normal.” I kind of wonder if that’s why he wrote more of an autobiography than a memoir.

Most, if not all, listened to the audiobook of each memoir. A few of the memoirs were rated 4 stars and only two were rated 5 stars, the rest 3 stars. The two 5-star memoirs were BEYOND THE WAND and WE WERE DREAMERS by Simu Liu.

Here’s what Stacy had to say about BEYOND THE WAND:

I really enjoyed this. I listened to it and appreciate that open honest nature.

Here’s what Kami had to say about WE WERE DREAMERS:

Simu’s story is sorrowful yet inspiring. I love that he sees the good and bad in his life as learning experiences. The whole book is very touching. I love how vulnerable and real he was throughout.

I loved the way he spoke about Asian representation and what that means to people of our generation. He made it so personal. It was hard to hold back tears.

If we continue this tradition next year, I’d like to read TASTE: MY LIFE THROUGH FOOD by Stanley Tucci. I wanted to read it this year, but I didn’t plan ahead in time for my hold to be ready from the library.

Next month’s book is THE UNWEDDING by Ally Condie. I’m really looking forward to reading it as it was picked as the June book Reese’s Book Club.

Have you read any of the memoirs we read this month? If so, what did you think of them?

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February 2024 Book Club

My IRL book club met this past Friday to discuss February’s book, which was BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry. We met a week later than normal and on a different day of the week so there were only 9 of us that met. Here are some highlights of our discussion:

  • There was a pretty even split between who loved and liked it vs. who disliked it.
  • I was the only one who rated it 5 stars. There were a few 4 stars, two 3 stars, and several 2 stars.
  • A couple people hated the characters.
  • A couple people felt like the story was too unbelievable.
  • One person loved the banter at first, but then felt it got old.
  • A couple people felt the characters got physical way too quickly.
  • One person hated Nora’s constant reminder that the events in the book were reminiscent of tropes.
  • Those of us who loved / liked it enjoyed the banter and sexual tension. We also loved the characters, especially Charlie.

Even though BOOK LOVERS is a contemporary romance, it still garnered a pretty good discussion. We often talked over each other trying to get all our thoughts out. We had a pretty lively discussion about sex in books and what everyone’s comfort levels are. I shared how I rate sexual content in my reviews and a few people really appreciated it, but a few others were annoyed by it.

Next month’s book is BEARTOWN by Fredrik Backman. I’m looking forward to reading it. I’ve only read one Backman, ANXIOUS PEOPLE, but it was one of my two favorite reads in 2022. Hopefully, I’ll love BEARTOWN just as much.

Have you read BOOK LOVERS? If so, what do you think about my book club’s discussion?

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January 2024 Book Club

My IRL book club met this past Wednesday to discuss January’s book, which was REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt. There were 11 of us that met and only one person hadn’t read the book. Here are some highlights of our discussion:

  • Almost all of us loved it, each of us giving it a rating of 4 or 5 stars on Goodreads. The person who didn’t “love” it still rated it 4 stars.
    • She didn’t “love” it because she didn’t have all the feels like the rest of us.
    • She also thought Marcellus wasn’t necessary to the plot while the rest of us thought he was the best part of the story.
  • Most of us were a little leery about reading a book from an octopus’ POV, but Marcellus quickly won us over.
  • I commented that Marcellus reminded me a bit of Hank from FINDING DORY.
  • One person said she wanted more from the ending. View Spoiler »
  • Some of us compared REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES to something written by Fredrik Backman. Both authors can draw you right in to the story and characters, even the unlikeable ones.
  • View Spoiler »
  • A few of us mentioned that Shelby Van Pelt has a lot to live up to with her next book.
  • A couple of people recommended we watch MY OCTOPUS TEACHER on Netflix. It’s a documentary about a common octopus and her friendship with the videographer.

I love that REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES has a lot of meat to it. It garnered a great discussion. Even though we all rated it pretty high, there were other things to talk about.

Next month’s book is BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry. I’m very excited to read it. I’ve heard a lot of great things.

Have you read REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES? If so, what do you think about my book club’s discussion?

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December 2023 Book Club

Due to how busy I’ve been, this is the first time I’ve read my IRL book club’s book and attended the discussion since September. I’m glad I was able to go because not only do I love my book club, I look forward to December’s meeting all year.

We met in-person last Wednesday evening to discuss December’s book, THE CHRISTMAS MURDER GAME by Alexandra Benedict. There were thirteen of us who met together and only one person didn’t read the book. Here are some highlights of our discussion:

  • Most of us listened to the audiobook. One person both listened and read the physical book.
  • Most of the group really disliked the book, rating it 1 or 2 stars on Goodreads. The rest of us were so-so about it, rating it 3 stars.
  • Those of us who rated the book 3 stars thought it held our interest which kept us from being bored.
  • Some of us thought the premise sounded promising, and most of us thought the execution was too convoluted and felt forced.
  • One person wanted there to be more types of word clues rather than just anagrams. Most of us thought the author tried too hard thinking up the anagrams which made the writing clunky and irritating.
  • Several people said the time setting was confusing. Sometimes it felt modern day (e.g. cell phones, internet) and other times it felt victorian (e.g. corsets, View Spoiler » word usage).
  • Most of us knew who the antagonist was right away. However, none of us guessed the ending.
  • Most of us didn’t care about the protagonist or any of the other characters, whether they were murdered or they were the murderer.

The discussion was pretty lively considering none of us really loved THE CHRISTMAS MURDER GAME. We often talked over each other trying to get all our thoughts out, which isn’t always the case at our meetings.

The rest of our book club was our annual Christmas party. For the party, we each bring a treat to share if we can. This year we had a wide variety–homemade shortbread cookies, peppermint Oreo ice cream pie, oranges, muddy buddies, tortilla chips with seven-layer bean dip, and potato chips with homemade dip. It was all really yummy.

We also have a book exchange. We each bring a wrapped book, one of our favorite reads from the year, and then we play a white elephant type swapping game. Once each book is unwrapped, we play one more round so everyone has a chance to “steal” the last book unwrapped if they want it.

We had quite a few awesome books up for grabs. I would’ve been happy with any of them. I brought MEET ME AT THE LAKE by Carley Fortune and I ended up with MIDNIGHT AT THE BLACKBIRD CAFE by Heather Webber, which looks interesting. The other books up for grabs were:

  • THE ADVENTURES OF AMINA AL-SIRAFI by Shannon Chakraborty
  • THE BLUE ZONES by Dan Buettner
  • THEY BOTH DIE AT THE END by Adam Silvera
  • MY BEST FRIEND’S EXORCISM by Grady Hendrix
  • CHICKEN SISTERS by KJ Dell’Antonia
  • THE REMARKABLE JOURNEY OF COYOTE SUNRISE by Dan Gemeinhart
  • ALL MY RAGE by Sabaa Tahir
  • SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE by Claire Keegan
  • BEAST OF NOOR by Janet Lee Carey
  • DAISY DARKER by Alice Feeney

Next month, we’re reading REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt. I’m excited to read this one.

Anyway, have you read THE CHRISTMAS MURDER GAME? If so, what do you think about my book club’s discussion about it?

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December 2022 Book Club

Due to my recent health issues, this is the first time I’ve read my IRL book club’s book and attended the discussion since September. I’m glad I was able to go because not only do I love my book club, I look forward to December’s meeting all year.

We met in-person last Thursday evening to discuss December’s book, IN A HOLIDAZE by Christina Lauren. There were eleven of us who met together and only two people didn’t read the book. Here are some highlights of our discussion:

  • A couple of us really enjoyed the story, especially the romance part of it.
  • Most of the group thought it was fun but nothing to write home about. One of them didn’t think the big reveal was big enough. View Spoiler »
  • A few people really disliked the book. Interestingly, two of them don’t like the movie GROUNDHOG DAY either. The other person was just sick of implausible romances.
  • A couple of people wished there had been more GROUNDHOG DAY scenarios. I was okay with how that part happened. Although, I would’ve been okay with more as well.
  • Some of us liked the underlying message of seizing the day and taking life by the horns.
  • Most of us, if not all of us, loved that it’s set in Park City, Utah (about an hour from where we all live). This lead to a discussion about the authors. Most of us had no idea that Christina Hobbs (the Christina part of the duo) is local.
  • Some of us liked reading about the Christmas traditions Maelyn and her family/friends participate in each year. We liked that the story explored remembering why each tradition is important and not just going through the motions because that’s what’s always been done.

Even though IN A HOLIDAZE is mostly fluffy romance, we had a pretty good discussion. Next year, we want to find a Christmas murder mystery to read for the ones in the group that aren’t big romance fans. If you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments.

The rest of our book club was our annual Christmas party. For the party, we each bring a treat to share if we can. This year we had a wide variety–one of our member’s homemade shortbread cookies which are everyone’s favorites, peppermint Oreo ice cream pie, gingerbread cookies, apples with dip, and chips with homemade seven-layer bean dip. It was all really yummy.

We also have a book exchange. We each bring a wrapped book, one of our favorite reads from the year, and then we play a white elephant type swapping game using dice. Once each book is unwrapped, which took about 35 minutes for that to happen, we each roll the dice once more until ending on the last person who unwrapped a book. (If someone rolls “unwrap” during that last round, we let them roll again, steal someone’s book, or keep the one they have.)

For those interested in the dice game, here it is:

  • 2: Steal or stay the same
  • 3: Trade with someone wearing red
  • 4: Trade with the person on your right
  • 5: Pass once to the left
  • 6: Pass twice to the right
  • 7: Unwrap
  • 8: Pass twice to the left
  • 9: Pass once to the right
  • 10: Unwrap
  • 11: Trade with someone wearing green
  • 12: Steal or stay the same

We had quite a few awesome books up for grabs. I would’ve been happy with any of them. I brought A RIVER ENCHANTED by Rebecca Ross and I ended up with PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION by Emily Henry, which I’m very excited to read. The other books up for grabs were:

  • THE MEASURE by Nikki Erlick
  • RESCUE by Jennifer A. Nielsen
  • THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET by Catriona Ward
  • I MUST BETRAY YOU by Ruta Sepetys
  • THE STORIED LIFE OF AJ FIKRY by Gabrielle Zevin
  • CRAVE by Tracy Wolff
  • BETTER THAN THE MOVIES by Lynn Painter
  • THE PASSION OF DOLSSA by Julie Berry
  • THE DARK DESCENT OF ELIZABETH FRANKENSTEIN by Kiersten White

Next month, we’re reading MY GRANDMOTHER ASKED ME TO TELL YOU SHE’S SORRY by Frederik Backman. I’m excited to read another book by him since I adored ANXIOUS PEOPLE earlier this year.

Anyway, have you read IN A HOLIDAZE? If so, what do you think about my book club’s discussion about it?

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