Little Thoughts About Books and Stuff

Since I fell behind in my posts for March I missed posts for my various book clubs. Here's what I read and a brief review of the books. First up here are February and March's books for Forever YA: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell My rating: 5 of 5 stars I really loved this book. I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of Rainbow Rowell's work. The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson My rating: 4 of 5 stars I enjoy Laurie Halse Anderson's books, I think she writes some of the best YA fiction.  I enjoyed this book, but struggled a bit some of the plot. For our last Winter Book Club* meeting in March we read: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern My rating: 2 of 5 stars I could not get into this book.  I thought the plot was a great idea, but I just felt like everything dragged. For Tea & A Book** we read: Suite Francaise by Irène Némirovsky My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is in two parts with the author originally pl...

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have had this book on my To Be Read list since it came out, but because of all the mixed reviews when it came out I never got around to reading it.  This is one of the things I love about book clubs, I get to read books that I never would have picked up, or that I've put off reading. I didn't know how the book would translate into information I could use, I'm not on an upward climb to the top of the corporate ladder. I'm surprised at how much I was able to take from the book, just the idea of sitting at the table and leaning in, is something that can be applied no matter what job a woman holds. At the discussion I found that a lot of us were able to apply some of the basic concepts to our jobs. We all agreed that we liked the idea of work being like a jungle gym rather than a ladder.  The idea that we can make those lateral transitions and still have access to growth is a bet...

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book had been on my TBR List for awhile now.  I wasn't too sure about it, but a number of patron who I share similar reading tastes had really liked it, so I kept it on my list.  I'm always happy when a book club picks a book I've been meaning to read, I feel slightly accomplished in being able to cross a book off my ever growing list. I really enjoyed this book, Enzo was a great narrator and told the story as best he could from a dog's point of view.  I think presenting this book from his point of view gave the reader a perspective other than their own to judge the actions of the characters.  Enzo, being a dog and innately loyal, would view his master as a hero and see very little fault in his character.  As a reader, we see Denny as a flawed and at times very selfish (or at least the members of the book discussion did). During our discussions we talked about decisions Denny made ...

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was one of those books that the patrons of the library raved about, which meant that I pushed it to the bottom of my To Be Read list. I guess I’m a bit of a book snob, but the greater the reviews the longer it takes me to read a book (for the most part). I might not have read the book, if not for it being picked for the first book of the Winter Book Club. I enjoyed the story and the characters immensely. The differing plot lines that all intertwined gave the novel a sort of soap opera feel, but it also added to the charm of the story. Seeing some of these characters at different points in their lives drives you forward to the point where the past and the present meet up. These characters are all flawed, but not one of them is flawed to the point of no redemption. Well, except for Richard Burton, he was my favorite character. Dee Moray, has landed a small role in the movie Cleopatra, unfortunately things do not go...