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

[Titian06]

@Samtian - A great way to remember your vacation and to learn something new. 📚

[Samtian]

@Titian06 Thank you!

[itsfi]

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

This book asks the question "Can love make a broken person whole?" Literally, this is the first thing written on the inside jacket sleeve. It's actually what drew me to purchase the book. 

Love in "Hello Beautiful" covers many facets of love - familial love, love between friends, and romantic love. The book deals with mental health, the function of family (as well as its disfunctions), and how these elements can affect how we see the world and our relationships. 

Each of the main characters is broken in some way, with that brokenness being more recognizable in some than others. The book, in that regard, provokes thought and offers insights that transcend more than just a character's storyline. To some extent, the reader might find a little of themselves in a few of the characters and that, in my mind, is what makes this book a worthwhile read. The storylines themselves, though, may lose some people's attention, or cause it to wane. There were a couple of instances that made me pause and wonder if or how I might continue to try to relate or empathize with one or more of the protagonists in the novel, or to even continue that particular story arc. That said, overall, i give this book 3-1/2 stars. 

NOTE: The book makes several, and I mean, several, references to basketball and Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. If neither is your thing, this book may not be either. I'm good with both, though, to be fair, I could have done with less of the characters saying how much they or other characters were like the sisters in Little Women. Tell me once or twice, and then just go on with the story and let me draw that conclusion (or not) myself. 

Notable Quotes:

"We look out the window, or into ourselves, for something more."

"Sometimes words were like pebbles thrown against a window, and what she was reaching for was the window itself."

"Adults are idiots. My goal is to grow up and not be an idiot"

"Excellent goal,"

"For a time, ... knew me better than I know myself. I think sometimes...we need another pair of eyes. We need the people around us."

[KrissySM]

@itsfi I absolutely loved Hello Beautiful. 

[itsfi]

@KrissySM, did you have a favorite character(s)?

[Samtian]

@itsfi I think Chatgp could learn from you. You write everything so well. I love how you include the quotes. 

[itsfi]

Awwwwhhhh ... I'm feeling flattered and very shy about that compliment; blushing. 😊 Thank you @Samtian for your kind words and praise. I don't think I'm deserving of them, but it's very good of you to say. I love words (word choice, their meaning, how they're strung together, the thoughts or feelings they may evoke, etc.) so it's fun for me to include quotes in my review - it can be challenging to pick ones that don't give away too many things about the story or narrowing down the amount to include. 

[KrissySM]

It’s been a while since I’ve posted and I just wanted to share some of my recent reads. 

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihar⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I feel the need to start by saying this book isn’t for everyone, and you should be aware of the dark themes before picking it up, and it IS heavy. However, while being one of the most depressing books I’ve ever read, it is equally one of the most beautifully written books. This book truly took me on an emotional ride that I likely will never recover from. 5 stars. 

Girls Of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea ⭐️⭐️⭐️

an incredible lot eye opening book about life I. Saudi Arabia written in a Gossip Girl/Bridgerton-esq manner. The writing was translated from Arabic, so I imagine a lot of the original context was lost, however it was fascinating to yet again learn that we’re all more similar than not, despite our cultural disparities. 

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez ⭐️⭐️⭐️

cute, light read without being too cheesy. I mean, it is cheesy, but not as much as most books tend to be in the romance genre. o liked that the author made the characters flawed and relatable. Good, light, easy read. 

Currently reading: Liars by Sarah Manguso

I’ll update once I’m finished, but so far this book is enjoyable in an infuriating kind of way. From the first page, you’re enraged for the protagonist. All, I’ll say is, I’m sure this book is relatable to women everywhere. 

 

 

 

 

[itsfi]

@KrissySM, you've been busy with lots of good reads. 📚 I'm drawn to A Little Life and have added it to my list, but am going to hold off on picking it up and reading it until I'm ready for the emotional ride you mention. I have a couple of books in my queue with heavy arches, including one that was recommended to me with a "brace your heart" message, so I'm going to pace myself when it comes to these types of novels.

[KrissySM]

Do let me know what you thought of it when you do read it and I’d also love to know the name of the other book with the heavy arch is. 

[EdenMartin]

 brand new Dior liquid blush in shade pinky promise 

[ChickenGurlie]

This seems really cool! Surprisingly haven’t heard of many of those books, and now I’m intrigued! My favorite types of books are probably war, like WW2, or even wars made up in books. From that list, do you guys recommend one? 

[JustVRose]

Try reading Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi

[itsfi]

@ChickenGurlie, I’m currently working my way through Code Name: Helene.

It’s based on the true story of Nancy Wake, a WWII heroine. 

[fatimamummy]

@ChickenGurlie Off the top of my head I can recall "Paper Girl in Paris" about WW2 and "The girl you left behind" about WW1. Stories may have some similarities but they are also different from each other in many aspects if that makes sense?

Also @itsfi  recommended "The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris" I am expecting to get it next week but based on Fi's review, I already know it is going to be wonderful.

[itsfi]

@fatimamummy, I’m interested in hearing your take on the book. 📖 

[ChickenGurlie]

 

@fatimamummy  I will definitely look into those, thanks!

Currently I’m reading a few war books, and this is one of them. Sounds similar to “The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris”!

 

[itsfi]

@ChickenGurlie, that book came up on my “books recommended for you” based on The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris” - will keep my eye out for your feedback on it. 

[fatimamummy]

Few weeks ago I coincidently saw many different people at different coffee shops reading "IRON FLAME" so I thought it is a sign and I should check it. Turned out it is second book of an ongoing series. Naturally I had to read the first book " Fourth Wing" first. It is a historic dystopian fantasy series. General story tone is YA but the there is graphic content that puts it into rated R category. Anyways story was interesting and when I finished the first book, I saw an offer on my library account to loan second book for 7 days. I did that and though I usually finish books in 4-5 days, it was a busy week . I was 3/4 done when hold expired and now my hold position says I'll get it in 10 weeks. I'll share details once I finish second book. Third and probably last book is set to come out next year.

 I just started reading another book from the GoodReads Best books of 2024 list. It is a very interesting story and I have a feeling I'll finish it fast. Leaving it here so once I am done, I feel obliged to come back and share my thoughts.

[makeitup305]

@fatimamummy I've read both Fourth Wing and Iron Flame. Idk if they deserve the hype but I enjoyed them for what they were. What did you think? I'm still going to read the next one but I thought Iron Flame was a little all over the place.

[fatimamummy]

@makeitup305 I have to agree with you. I loved it until maybe the mid of first book before it started to loose it's grip on me. Still first book was easy to finish. Second book however is all over the places. I only read it to the part where the two groups started training together, when my hold expire. I'll finish it when I get it again and may read the third book as well ( I can't not finish when I start something 😅) but it pretty much lost the thrill for me already.