Tag Archive for: Book Club

The God of the Woods

The God of the WoodsTitle: The God of the Woods
Author: Liz Moore
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: Audio
Pages: 478
Length: 14h 36m
Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld
Source: Owned
Reason: Book Club
Rating:
Spice: 1.5 Flames
My Thoughts

I thought THE GOD OF THE WOODS was a very interesting read with a lot to discuss (i.e., it’s a great book for a book club). I wanted to love it, but I didn’t. I loved the concept, but the story seemed really disjointed, way too long, and so depressing. I also despised most of the characters, making it hard for me to love the story since I’m a character-driven, rather than plot-driven, reader.

I don’t think I was in the right frame of mind when I started this one. However, it’s my book club’s pick for November so I kept going. I would’ve rather read this when I was more in the mood for this type of story. I might’ve liked it more, but maybe I wouldn’t have. The beginning held so much promise and then it just kept letting me down.

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Here One Moment

Here One MomentTitle: Here One Moment
Author: Liane Moriarty
Genre: Contemporary
Format: Audio
Pages: 501
Length: 15h 53m
Narrator: Caroline Lee, Geraldine Hakewill
Source: Owned
Reason: Book Club
Rating:
Spice: 1 Flames
My Thoughts

I adored HERE ONE MOMENT. I loved the premise of the story and all the characters. I laughed, cried, and stayed up way past my bedtime finishing it. I loved the message of using our one life to love, learn, live, and overcome our fears and anxieties.

I loved the way Moriarty portrayed how personal, all-consuming, and physical grief can be. I loved the serious look at and discussion surrounding mental health. I loved the advocacy of therapy and not suffering alone, that reaching out for help doesn’t mean you’re weak. I also loved the use of math and statistics to show the probability of how life and death sometimes feels cold and calculating, and unfair, how it can be sudden or expected.

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My Friends

My FriendsTitle: My Friends
Author: Fredrik Backman
Genre: Contemporary
Format: Audio
Pages: 436
Length: 13h 7m
Narrator: Marin Ireland
Source: Owned
Reason: Book Club, Book of the Month
Rating:
Spice: 1 Flames
My Thoughts

I don’t know what it is about Fredrik Backman, but he has the ability to tell a story with so much feeling and depth without it being boring or seeming contrived. He writes characters, situations, and the feelings of both better than any other author I’ve read. I love his ability to tell his stories in parts.

MY FRIENDS was a beautiful story about growing up, found family, resilience, and finding the silver lining in really shitty circumstances. It deals with hard topics like bullying, immigration, abuse, sickness, and grief. Even though the story is sad, it’s interspersed with laughter and happiness, and ends with a feeling of hope. There are also a lot of farts (iykyk). This one kept me guessing until the end and I loved taking the journey with the characters.

Hello Beautiful

Hello BeautifulTitle: Hello Beautiful
Author: Ann Napolitano
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: Audio
Pages: 383
Length: 15h 6m
Narrator: Maura Tierney
Source: Library
Reason: Book Club
Rating:
Spice: 1.5 Flames
My Thoughts

HELLO BEAUTIFUL is a touching story about love, loss, depression, betrayal, forgiveness, and second chances. Even though I’m not a huge fan of Little Women, I liked how Napolitano used it to shape the Padavano sisters. (And, in this case, Laurie ended up with the right sister.)

This book will definitely give my book club a lot to discuss. Also, while I didn’t mind the audio for the most part, there were times that I thought the narrator sounded robotic and with no emotion in her voice.

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The Soulmate

The SoulmateTitle: The Soulmate
Author: Sally Hepworth
Genre: Thriller
Format: Audio
Pages: 327
Length: 7h 44m
Narrator: Barrie Kreinik, Jessica Douglas-Henry
Source: Owned
Reason: Book Club, BotM Backlist
Rating:
Spice: 1.5 Flames
My Thoughts

This is the second Hepworth book I’ve read. With both books, I really enjoyed the suspense, but I struggled with the mental health aspects. I feel like Hepworth uses diagnoses like Borderline Personality Disorder or Bipolar Disorder as a crutch to explain why her antagonists are psychotic. Also, the ending in this one wasn’t very satisfying.

Despite THE SOULMATE’S flaws, the story was intriguing. I liked the dual narrators and the back and forth between the then and the now. The suspense kept me reading because I wanted to know the whole story.