BIC book club!

[prettyinpa]

Some of us here have expressed an interest in a book club, myself, @mermadelove, @LCResz, @ZombieMetroAnt, @Mcakes. If you'd be interested in joining, reply below. My initial thought was to mail the books around but if it means that some people can't participate, then I'm all for dropping that requirement. I'd love this to be a place where we nominate our favorite book and others can read it and comment. Something fun for the new year!  ETA: the booklist:

1. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (16)
1. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (16)
3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (13)
4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (11)
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (11)
4. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (11)
7. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (10)
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (10)
7. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (10) Discussion begins 8-13.
7. The Wedding Dress by Rachel Hauck (10) Discussion begin 9-2.
11. The Fault in our Stars by John Green (9) Time to discuss 9-26
11. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (9) Now discussing below.
11. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (9)
11. What Happened by Hilary Clinton (9) Now discussing below.
11. Fall of Giants by Ken Follett (9) Start reading now.
11. The Woman on the Orient Express by Lindsay Ashford (9)
11. milk and honey by Rupi Kaur (9)
18. A Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (8)
18. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty (8)
18. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (8)
18. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (8)
18. Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence (8)
18. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (8)
18. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (8)
18. The Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg (8)
18. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (8)
18. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (8)
18. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman (8)
18. The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory (8)

Participants in spoiler

Spoiler

Participants:

PrettyinPA

AlexaSteph

Beadshopgirl

LCResz

Kim888

SoBeautiful

Fatimamummy

ZombieMetroAnt

PalomaFoster

k617

bakeamuffin
Susubee
Skcfan
Lazybeautybeast
SpaceLlama
greeneyedgirl107

Mermadelove
Mcakes
Aaliaa
Serenely
Myinsidevoice
MissPuff
juliehnguyen
lmi82
Knowledgebeauty
Titian06
quspork
darlyndar
KellW
misscg
EuniceO
Elles117
ClassicallyFab
ShiraBT
melanito
Heylady14
ChicagoEngineer
Imightneedthis
PrettyPaint
rachface2921

[fatimamummy]

I haven't watched the movie but my daughter did. Her friend's had read the book and wanted to go for the movie together. I did tell her general story so she knows what it is about and yet when she came back, she told me it was very hard to watch movie.

[itsfi]

@fatimamummy, I haven't read it but I've seen the book on displays in Target and bookstores. I'm also recently hearing about the movie but since @Cissy63 shared that it's being released on the 9th (tomorrow), that makes sense that I'm hearing more about the movie. I have to say that my curiosity about this book (and the movie) is more heightened because of yours and cissy63's comments here. I haven't read this book (yet); wondering if it's one you would recommend. Did you find it worth reading?

[fatimamummy]

@itsfi  I read it with open mind I think most people who are strongly labelling it as "glorifying domestic abuse" might be the ones who didn't read the full book. In that case I can see why they get this opinion after reading only first few chapters. I think the actual message about the cycle of abuse is great and clear however the attitude of male lead in the beginning which writer probably intended to present as an alpha male. comes off as controlling, obsessive and chauvinist to me and can lead to the belief that the book may have glorified the abuse as well which is not correct. However I do think she could have been a little more careful with the presentation of certain events. I think it is worth a read and I would love to know your take on it.

[itsfi]

I'm adding it to my list @fatimamummy. It may take a little longer for me to read through it; sounds like there will be parts of the book where I may have to be in the right space to read it. I'll tag you when I post about it here.

[Cissy63]

@fatimamummy  It’s interesting that you bring up this book and author . A feature film has been made and due to be released on 8/9/24.  Blake Lively plays the lead role.  I read some of the book, but I had to put it down.  This is a touchy subject.  I haven’t seen the trailer for the movie.  I wonder what reception the film will get?

[fatimamummy]

@Cissy63  The start of book is written carelessly but I think when the actual story starts after their marriage the message is quite clear about what happens if you do or do not break out of an abusive relationship and also why it is hard for many women to get out. 

As for Blake Lively, she would have been the last person I could imagine playing  Lily, A big factor in the power dynamic was their age difference. Lily on the younger side of 20s compared to Ryder's 30 something if I remember correctly. I don't think I am going to watch the movie unless it eventually comes to Netflix or any other of my subscription services.

[Cissy63]

Oh I don’t think she is who should have been cast in that role.  I don’t see her projecting this multi dimensional character.  But we shall see how it plays out 😉

[itsfi]

While on vacation, I would get up early every morning and make my way over to the main building to sit for a leisurely breakfast and a few chapters of the book I was reading, which, for the first couple mornings was:

 

The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris by Daisy Wood. 

Categorized as a WWII historical fiction, there are two storylines taking place in this book, with chapters alternating between modern-day (2022) Paris, and 1940's Paris, with Hitler's forces advancing on the city. Of the two storylines, the one that takes place in the 1940s is the main one, but the bookshop finds a central place in both stories, as does the secret it keeps. Characters in both are well developed and draw you in. 

While there is always room for improvement, this one was pretty near perfect, if you ask me. Its biggest flaw was that it had to end. I didn't want it to. I wanted to know more about the specifics of what happened to the main characters and some of the supporting and ancillary characters as well, in both the modern-day story and the 1940's storyline. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Yes, 5 of them. 

Just remember to have a box of tissue within easy reach. 

Notable Quotes:

Spoiler

"It's important to remember the past, no matter how painful the process."

"The aim is to gather everything that defines a human being...to celebrate our differences as well as the common threads that unite us."

"Death is coming for all of us; it's how we live that matters."

"What havoc could be inflicted on the world by one man with a lust for power."

"Sometimes you have to take a leap in the dark and hope for the best."

@blackkitty2014, this could be one for your reading list.

[fatimamummy]

@itsfi I finished reading "The Forgotten Book Shop in Paris"  yesterday. Based on your review I had high expectations from it and let me tell you it did not disappoint.

A very well written story. It was particularly hard for me to read because I couldn't help keep thinking we humans are the same still in 2024, same cruelty and indifference from majority and yet so many good people who are willing to stand up for the oppressed and try to do what they can for them.  Just the roles are changed. 

Anyways back to the book, I love how smoothly both story lines developed. My first guess about who the grandmother was , was correct but then it kept changing throughout the story until it was revealed 😁

It was a wonderful recommendation and I am glad I read it. 

[itsfi]

Ohhh, I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the book @fatimamummy. 😍 I wanted to keep hearing more of their stories, even as I knew the book was nearing an end. 

Oh my goodness, same with the identity of the gma. It is a lovely book and very well written. So far, only 2 books have received 5 stars from me this year and I've been intentionally holding (or trying to hold) an exacting standard in my review of books. Not that the stories I've read are not good, or some, really, really good, but to preserve and highlight the quality of the ones that are a step above the rest.  

I understand what you mean about it being hard to read. It's sobering how the themes in the book can be seen just in the world around us. 

[Sunnysmom]

This looks very good @itsfi . I need to put it on my list of never ending books to read! Thank you for your thoughts! I also bought It Ends with Us earlier and another in her series and now debated whether to watch the movie first but I always love the books more it seems. Are you going to see it? 

[itsfi]

@Sunnysmom, good luck working through your reading list.

I’ll pass on the movie about the other book, but if someone here who has read the book goes to see it, it’d be interesting to get their feedback on how the differences work out. 

[Sunnysmom]

Same with me @itsfi . Is very helpful to hear @fatimamummy ‘s thoughts. It’s so rare I even get to a movie anymore it seems! Yes my book list has grown a lot, so many good suggestions from you all. 😭😊

[fatimamummy]

Now I am intrigued @itsfi  There aren't many books that I can give 5 stars to so if you think it is worthy of 5 stars, it must be a very well written story. I am going to check and put a hold on it in my library. I didn't read the notes in spoiler because if I am reading it I better not get spoilers 😁

[itsfi]

Same @fatimamummy; most of my ratings would be on the 3-4 star range. I kept wanting to find time to read the book. The spoilers are quotes. I tried not to pick ones that would give things away but I 💯 get not wanting to get spoilers! 

[blackkitty2014]

5 ⭐️ stars @itsfi . Definitely bookmark this. You read on your vacation. You’re my hero. I always love to do that but never finish reading anything because I’m too distracted with the new sceneries 🌹

[itsfi]

I was surprised how well I liked this one @blackkitty2014; so far, I've read 3 historical fiction novels this year and 2 of the 3 have been ones I've really enjoyed. Who would have thought?!

Most of my reading was done on the plane or while sitting at the airport gate or lounge waiting to board - most of my flights were delayed so there was a lot of "free time" and there was only so many times I could check out the gift shops and duty free shops at the airport. Hahaha! Reading on the plane really helped to make the time go by quickly! If I didn't get car sick, I would have read while on the bus from/to airport and resort. 😂 

[blackkitty2014]

One of my library has the audiobook at the moment and looks liked the kindle version is coming soon. Book mark this @itsfi 😘

[itsfi]

My goal this year is to read one book per month, with the addition of listening to one audiobook per month this summer. The audiobook goal has not been going well. I was on target with my book-a-month plan and being on vacation last week helped to push me ahead of schedule. 🙌  Here's the first of the books I read (on my Kindle) while on vacation - plane rides and waiting through flight delays sure did give me plenty of reading time. @jaaayp @blackkitty2014, last month's no-buy helped with getting in more time to read, but nothing beats vacation - and flying, for extra reading time. 😉 

In terms of genre, I'd say this is general fiction. It's a quick & easy read; each book in this 3-book trilogy tells the story of 3 women who have known each other since their college days, as they navigate the twists and turns of turning 50. Each book in the trilogy includes details of what each of the three women are going through at that time, but each book focuses primarily on one of the three friends and the life issues she is managing.

A Midlife Holiday is the first book in the series, and it was okay. I'd give it 3 stars ⭐⭐⭐. While I am interested in learning more about the other 2 characters (they intrigued / resonated with me a bit more than the character on which this book is primarily focused), it likely wont be for a while, if at all - I have a handful of books to get through, as well as a list of ones I want to read. 

Notable Quotes:

Spoiler

"Maybe that was what fifty meant? Maybe, when you turned the corner, you found that part of yourself you'd lost."

"Never bothering with the paraphernalia of appearances herself, Kay easily saw through everyone else's disguises."

"Answering honestly felt raw, like losing a skin, the layer of herself that always put everyone else first. But it was funny, the change she felt inside."

P.S. Very convenient to have The Kindle on hand while I was on vacation - super portable, takes up very little space and I have several books available for reading. The battery life was excellent too. So right now, I'm moving back and forth between The Kindle, good old fashioned physical books, and I'll swing by my local library when I'm off the waitlist for a couple of titles. 

[jaaayp]

Ah! Hope you had a wonderful travel @itsfi 🥰 I loooove reading during vacation, I know some people are like 🙄 but I say, hey, vacation should be downtime! I carry my kindle with me everywhere! Im glad youre getting your book a month! I ended up starting a second job and its pretty tight in terms of time but im also planning on reading a book a month (or attempt to...) 🥲

[itsfi]

100% with you @jaaayp. Non-work-related and non-technical reading is a downtime activity for me as well, and one I enjoy so it's on the "things to do" when on vacation because that's when I have more time for it. I'm not reading while I'm engaged in activities with other people - when I was a meal with one or more of the people in my group, no reading. But, if I was waiting for them to show up, yes, I'll read. 📚 

The Kindle has come in handy - finish one book, on to the next, without having to skip a beat if I didn't want to. For the most part though, I put a break ranging from half day to a full day between books - they ranged from 3 stars to 5 stars. This particular book wasn't my favorite of the ones I read while on vacation but it was entertaining and a fast read. 

Oh, your free time is definitely more limited than before. Would audiobooks be something that would work for you?