June Book Club

My IRL book club met on Wednesday evening to discuss June’s book. We met in-person and discussed THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY by Matt Haig. There were six of us who met together and five of us read the book. Here are some highlights of our discussion:

  • Everyone who read the book liked the premise and message.
  • A couple of people thought the book was predictable, but it didn’t change what they thought about it.
  • One person thought it was preachy, but it wasn’t hit-you-over-the-head preachy.
  • All of us who read the book are still thinking about it. We all think it’s a book that will stay with us for a long time.
  • I was the only one who felt Matt Haig wrote it about and for me.
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  • A couple people said they had to suspend belief while reading about Nora’s experiences because they don’t think she’d be able to just jump into a life as easily as she seemed to.
  • After our discussion, the person who didn’t read it said she wasn’t going to read it. She said it sounded too preachy, even though the person who said it was told her it wasn’t a bad preachy.

This was a really interesting book club. We had a lot of great discussion about regret, living life fully rather than passively, and making life enjoyable. I love books like THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY because whether you liked the book or not, its subject matter always encourages a lively exchange.

Next month, we’re all choosing a memoir to read. During our July meetup we’ll review each memoir. I hope this will be fun and garner a lot of discussion. Right now, I’m leaning toward reading:

  • AS YOU WISH by Cary Elwes,
  • TASTE by Stanley Tucci,
  • BECOMING by Michelle Obama,
  • FAILURE IS AN OPTION by H. Jon Benjamin,
  • GIRLS CAN KISS NOW by Jill Gutowitz, or
  • LET’S PRETEND THIS NEVER HAPPENED by Jenny Lawson.

Have you read any of these memoirs? Which one do you think I should read? Or, do you recommend I read another one instead?

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

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April Book Club

My IRL book club met on Wednesday evening to discuss April’s book. We met in-person and it was fun to get out and see people. We discussed DREAD NATION by Justina Ireland. There were eight of us who met together and all of us read the book. Here are some highlights of our discussion:

  • One person disliked the book. A couple of people thought the book was enjoyable and they won’t read the second book. The rest of us really enjoyed the book and are interested in reading the sequel DEATHLESS DIVIDE.
  • One person already read the sequel and it disappointed her. She’s the same person who disliked DREAD NATION. (I’m not sure if she disliked DREAD NATION because of the sequel or if she was hoping reading the sequel would help her like DREAD NATION more.)
  • A few of us said we really enjoy books, movies, and tv shows with zombies. A couple of others said they were indifferent about them. The others said they hate zombies and they don’t think they’re plausible.
  • One person was really interested in the science of it all–what caused the dead to rise, would a vaccine really work, could zombies evolve, etc.
  • Most of us liked the setting and how Ireland used it as a platform to address racism, oppression, and inequality.
  • Some of us wondered how the rest of the world fared in the story since the book focuses on Civil War Era United States.
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  • One person thought Ireland started the duology with the dead rising in Gettysburg because it allows her to write a prequel if she wants to.

We had a really interesting conversation about zombies. After we talked about whether we liked the idea of zombies or not, we talked our preferences in types of zombies, favorite reason they could exist, the plausibility of an actual zombie apocalypse, and who’d survive. It was a lot of fun.

I gave everyone the bookmark I made for our upcoming list of books that we start reading for June’s meeting. I think, other than our Christmas party, getting our yearly bookmarks is the highlight of everyone’s year.

Next month’s book is CARVE THE MARK by Veronica Roth. I’m looking forward to reading this one. I’ve heard mixed reviews and I’m not sure where I’ll fall in the mix of opinions. I really liked the Divergent trilogy, including the ending, which I know was very controversial.

Anyway, have you read DREAD NATION? If so, what do you think about my book club’s discussion about it?

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Upcoming Book Club Picks

When I first joined my book club back in September 2011, the group was meeting after a three-month hiatus. They didn’t meet during the summer because it was too hectic with family vacations (that changed in 2013, though). Because we didn’t meet in the summer, we don’t pick our new list of books at the end of the year.

Every February or March, each person submits books they want to read. We then vote on the selections and the 12 books with the most votes win. Our reading schedule is from June to May of each year. (We still have two books left from our current schedule.)

Here are the books we picked for this upcoming reading year:

  • The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
  • A memoir of our choice
  • Lines of Courage by Jennifer A. Nielsen
  • The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth
  • Feed by Mira Grant
  • The Maid by Nita Prose
  • In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
  • My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Frederik Backman
  • The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty
  • The Silence of Bones by June Hur
  • The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe
  • The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

I’m very happy with this list. I’m excited to read all of these books except THE MAID, but I think that’s because I don’t really know very much about it. I’m also excited to choose a memoir to read in July. I just have to figure out which one I want to read. Right now I’m leaning toward Stanley Tucci’s TASTE: MY LIFE THROUGH FOOD, but I’m not sure. Do you have any suggestions?

This year, we started our selection process in February and we had all our books voted for by our March meeting. I’m only just posting the list today because every year I make bookmarks for everyone so we can keep track of what we’re reading each month. Since I unveiled the bookmarks via text yesterday, I can share them online now too. I’m really happy with how they turned out.

Have you read any of the books on our list? Which ones do you recommend?

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March Book Club

My IRL book club met yesterday evening to discuss March’s book. We finally met in-person and it was great to get out and see friends, especially since I’ve been cooped up with my illness for the past three weeks.

We discussed NINE PERFECT STRANGERS by Liane Moriarty. There were only five of us who met together and all of us read the book. Here are some highlights of our discussion:

  • Two of us, including myself, really liked the characters and marveled at how good of a puppet master Moriarty is.
  • Three people liked the book, but they got bored with the story. They felt like nothing happened and the book was too long. They also didn’t particularly like any of the characters.
  • I’m the only one who mentioned Moriarty’s deftness at dealing with hard topics like mental illness, suicide, suicidal ideation, and psychedelic therapy.
  • A couple of people compared this book to ANXIOUS PEOPLE by Frederik Backman. Most of us liked ANXIOUS PEOPLE more, though.
  • A couple of people listened to the audiobook.
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  • One person was upset with Ben and Jessica’s fate. The rest of us were okay with it.
  • I’m the only one who plans to watch the Hulu series based on the book.
  • A couple of people thought this book wasn’t up to Moriarty’s usual standards.

We also found out which books made the cut from our vote for the next year starting in June. I’ll share those in a separate post (in the next two weeks or so).

Next month’s book is DREAD NATION by Justina Ireland. I’m really excited to read it. I love zombie stories and this will be my first historical fiction zombie story. It will also be my first experience reading about zombies. I’ve only ever experienced zombies on TV or in the movies.

Anyway, have you read NINE PERFECT STRANGERS? If so, what do you think about my book club’s discussion about it?

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February Book Club

My IRL book club met this past Tuesday to discuss February’s book. We again opted to meet via Zoom rather than in-person because of the Omicron variant, but I think we’re going to be brave next month and meet in person.

We discussed TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE by Jenny Han. There were seven of us that met and all of us read the book. Here are some highlights of our discussion:

  • One person hated the book with a fiery passion because of the “fake boyfriend” trope and the ending.
  • Most, including me, liked the story but disliked different aspects of it, such as the love triangle, the ending, one or more of the characters, etc.
  • A couple of people loved the book and the characters and didn’t mind the things that the rest of us complained about.
  • All of us watched the Netflix movie as well and every one of us loved the movie. Those of us who only liked or hated the book thought the movie fixed the problematic parts of the book.
  • Most of us don’t plan to read the rest of the series. Some of us don’t plan to watch the other two movies either (me included). A couple of people have already read the whole series and watched all three movies and advocated for us to at least read and watch the second book/movie.
  • Most people like the addition of the Korean culture and the Korean protagonist and how that changed/added to the story.

We actually had a really good discussion about the book and the movie. It spurred on discussions about other tropes we like and dislike, own voices, and whether or not the book being YA played a role in our opinion of it.

We also each recommended some books to vote on for our next list of books to read. I recommended A TALE FOR TIME BEING by Ruth Ozeki, any book by Fiona Davis, THE LAST ANNIVERSARY by Liane Moriarty, any book by Sally Hepworth, and TASTE: MY LIFE THROUGH FOOD by Stanley Tucci. We should have all our books voted on and figured out by next book club.

Next month’s book is NINE PERFECT STRANGERS by Liane Moriarty. I’m so excited to read it. I love Liane Moriarty so much. Everything I’ve read of hers, I’ve adored. I’m usually the one who requests we read something written by her each year. This will be our fourth book for book club. We’ve read WHAT ALICE FORGOT, BIG LITTLE LIES, and TRULY MADLY GUILTY. All of them made awesome book club books because of the discussions we had.

Anyway, have you read TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE? If so, what do you think about my book club’s discussion about it?

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