Fifty Shades of Grey-Review by Lindsay

We had to change our meeting location to Panera due to the weather.   This probably subdued our discussion as the guy with the laptop behind us was cemented to his chair after we started the conversation.  I think he was texting friends to drop by and join his eavesdropping.  

I have to admit that I hated this book so much that it is going to be very difficult to write an objective review.  Most of us didn't hate the book.   Ratings ranged from ZERO (guess who) to 3.0, with an average of 1.8.  A few of us read all three books in the trilogy, mostly because we kept hoping for something more substantial to emerge.  Some of us felt the story was engaging while the majority thought it was a bunch of crap.  There were some entertaining emails between the two main characters, Ana and Christian, and some of the fringe characters were okay, I guess. 

Mostly we thought it was soft porn, overly graphic, disturbing and placed women in a degrading light.  It should be a study for all young women in what NOT to look for in a partner.  That is, an insecure control freak who likes to slap women around who look like his dead mother and claim it is a mutually fulfilling sex act.  REALLY?!!  And as if that isn't bad enough, the quality of the writing was so bad we felt our intelligence had been insulted.  We also felt saddened that our society has been reduced to accepting this kind of book as main stream.

One interesting comment was that perhaps we, as a group, are more critical because we have read some really good literature and our standard of excellence is much higher.  Something to ponder, I know I feel MUCH better now!

And no book is completely bad that gets us all together on Friday morning for some spirited conversation and friendship.  Our next meeting is on Friday, October 12 at 9:30 am at the Pinery CC.  We will be discussing A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.  I don't know who, if anyone, is leading the discussion on this.  Any volunteers?

We only have one book left on our list after October.  Is it time to select some more books?  Should we do at at the October meeting?

Killing Lincoln-Review by Lisa

Hi Ladies--I thought I would write the review for this month's book, Killing Lincoln, before I got caught up in the weekend "before school starts!" scramble!.We had a lively meeting and missed those that weren't able to join us.The book was written by Bill O'Reilly during a time when he felt that America needed a boost in patriotism. "For those of us who want to improve the United States and keep it the greatest nation in the world, we must be aware of the true heroes who have made the country great as well as the villains who have besmirched it...this book is written as a thriller...What you are about to read is unsanitized and uncompromising." He portrayed Lincoln in a way many of us haven't considered, as an American hero who didn't just free the slaves(actually he wasn't as passionate about slavery as most think),but as a hero who wanted to keep the country together.  Lincoln actually wore his belief and passion embroidered in his coat ..."one country, one destiny"..

     We rated the book overall with a score of 3.5.  Most of us "loved it, enjoyed the details, learned a lot, were intrigued ,compelled, entertained and engaged" by the the story. We were fascinated with the medical details from the doctor's journals and notes. Many of us were not aware of the other assassination attempts planned simultaneously with Lincoln's murder. We also didn't realize he was killed so soon after the Civil War. The details and information used from the many primary sources..diaries, journals, pictures, maps... kept the book engaging and brought the history lesson to life. BUT..  a few of us also felt it was somewhat choppy and confusing in the writing. That even with the many primary sources  used in the writing, the book was wasn't as scholarly and objective as most historical factual books. 

      We also were made aware of the controversy surrounding Booth's death.  There are conflicting stories about his death and potential escape to the south.  So much so, that Booth's descendants have agreed to have his body exhumed, and DNA compared with that from the three vertebrae that were taken from "the man" the soldiers shot at the farm. The Smithsonian has taken the DNA and results were to be announced this past Spring, but haven't yet been released.  I, Lisa, will keep everyone posted for I find this research amazing. It could make or break the history books! 

The anchor of The O'Reilly Factor recounts one of the most dramatic stories in American history—how one gunshot changed the country forever. In the spring of 1865, the bloody saga of America's Civil War finally comes to an end after a series of increasingly harrowing battles. President Abraham Lincoln's generous terms for Robert E. Lee's surrender are devised to fulfill Lincoln's dream of healing a divided nation, with the former Confederates allowed to reintegrate into American society. But one man and his band of murderous accomplices, perhaps reaching into the highest ranks of the U.S. government, are not appeased.
In the midst of the patriotic celebrations in Washington D.C., John Wilkes Booth—charismatic ladies' man and impenitent racist—murders Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre. A furious manhunt ensues and Booth immediately becomes the country's most wanted fugitive. Lafayette C. Baker, a smart but shifty New York detective and former Union spy, unravels the string of clues leading to Booth, while federal forces track his accomplices. The thrilling chase ends in a fiery shootout and a series of court-ordered executions—including that of the first woman ever executed by the U.S. government, Mary Surratt. Featuring some of history's most remarkable figures, vivid detail, and page-turning action, Killing Lincoln is history that reads like a thriller.

The Great Gatsy-Review by Valerie

Hi ladies,

I hope you all are having a good weekend.  I'm sure many of us are regrouping after the hail storm.  I thought I would take some time out from yard work to send out the recap of our meeting yesterday.

We had a great meeting and sat outside on the patio at the Pinery. It was great except for the baby robin that flew into my hair right at the moment I was telling a story about trying to save a mother robin and her eggs during the hail

storm.  Now that's not something that happens every day.  It  did make us laugh, and me scream! We missed those of you who couldn't make it.

We gave The Great Gatsby an average rating of 3.75.  The consensus was that the book was very well written and once again we discussed how it seems many authors todaydo not have the way with words that authors such as Fitzgerald had back in the day. Many of us had read the book in high school and agreed that it was better read as an adult.  There were various subtle themes throughout the book that were easy to miss, such as the color yellow and the importance of the weather and it's connection to events in the book.

Most of the characters, except for Nick, were not seen as very likable and it was hard to connect emotionally with them. We were intrigued by the time-frame of the 1920's and the depiction of "new money" vs. "old money." We discussed how society really hasn't changed much since that time: greed and self indulgence are still pervasive as is chasing the mighty dollar. The book shined a light into the rich and their society in the 1920's although we agreed that even back then, money could not

buy class. The book was relatively short but packed a lot of things for us to think about.  

Reading about F. Scott Fitzgerald helped add to our perspective of the book.  He and his wife Zelda lived an extravagant lifestyle and moved to France, then Rome to better continue that kind of life.  Fitzgerald had been an alcoholic since his college days and Zelda was a schizophrenic.  She was hospitalized in 1930 for the first of many breakdowns and Fitzgerald moved to Hollywood where he died of a heart attack at the age of 44. He had wanted to name his book "Trimalchio" or "The Gold-Hatted Gatsby" but his publisher insisted on The Great Gatsby.  He never did like the title.  Also, we discussed the cover art and weren't sure what it really depicted. I did some research and found some interesting information. I had no idea the the jacket art is considered to be among the most famous in American literature.  Fitzgerald had it commissioned while he was still writing the book and loved it so much that he told his publisher that he was going to write it into his novel. He talked about the blue and gigantic eyes, which are probably supposed to be those of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg from the billboard at the Ash Heaps. Some also say that the eyes could be those of Daisy, the "girl whose disembodied face floated along the dark cornices and blinding signs." Interesting to ponder!

We will be meeting next month to discuss our next book "A Billionaire's Vinegar." We will have our annual happy hour on Friday, July 13th, at my house at 5:00.  Please bring something to share, appetizer, salad, dessert, etc. and let everyone what you plan to bring so we won't have duplicates. My address is 8397 Windhaven Dr.

Looking forward to seeing you all then! Jonnie, we will miss you!

Valerie 

Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock-Review by Pat

Hello Everyone,

It was a lively and entertaining discussion today with a smaller turnout of only 5 attending the meeting.  The ratings ranged from 2.5 to 3.5 with the average at 3.10. 

We all enjoyed reading about Sammy Hagar’s personal struggle from rags to riches and how he overcame a disadvantaged childhood through hard work and his passion for music.  Sammy displayed a lot of qualities we felt were admirable such as his devotion to the people he loved and his dedication to his first wife, which although he cheated on her, he stuck by her for a long time period.  He had an interesting relationship with the Van Halen brothers and he knew not to get dragged down into their world of addiction.  Ultimately, Sammy’s business sense and success fueled fire to the disintegrating relationship with the Van Halen brothers and led to band’s demise.

There was agreement that the writing style of the book dragged down the rating as it was choppy, not fluent and his recital of events could have been condensed into a shorter, better written book.  We would have liked to have had more closure and an update at the end of the book as to what Sammy, his family members and friends were currently doing.  In general, it was interesting to have some insight into the life of a rock star and how truly different his lifestyle became as his fame increased – especially compared to our normal day lives.  Our feeling was that current day rock stars can’t get away with a lot of the experiences (i.e. group sex tents under the stage band) that happened in Sammy’s era due to cell phone cameras and the Internet.  

The next book on the list for next month is “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  We will at the Pinery on June 8^th at 9:30 am. See you all then and have a great weekend!

Pat 

The Imperfectionists-Review by Valerie

The average rating was a 1.8, brought down by zeros from Lindsay and Cindy (a first!).  Kellie gave it the highest rating of 3.5.  Kellie, from about chapter 3, was able to grasp that each chapter was in itself a short story, with unique characters and

life stories that were not going to be tied into the remainder of the book. Because of that, she appreciated each individual character, the author's depiction of them and their "imperfections." The majority of us kept looking for a tie-in and of course never got it and felt let down at the end. The general consensus was that there was no flow with the characters, we were not able to relate to the short stories (chapters) or the characters, the writing style was choppy and could have used more fluency,  and the chapters could have benefited from additional detail and excitement. The ending was disappointing and did not tie anything together except for the final demise of the newspaper and ultimate disfunction of everyone in the book.

As always, it was a good discussion which is what our book club is all about. That being said, we collectively decided to read  "Red, My Uncensored Life in Rock", by Sammy Hagar for our May book selection. We will again be meeting at the Pinery on

May 11th at 9:30.  Kellie will be sending out an e-mail with our book selections through November.  It looks like a great list!

Have a great weekend!

Valerie

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet-Review by Lindsay

Hi All,
It was a great meeting (as always) with a good turnout. We all enjoyed this book, with ratings ranging from 3.5 to 4.25.  It was a well written, poignant story about an enduring love between two star crossed kids.  It was an easy read, although it bordered on being too simple.  At times the story seemed implausible and too convenient.  It reminded some of us of this shameful episode in American history, while a few of us were not aware of the details of the Japanese interment during WWII.  We saw parallels in present day "profiling" and it cautions us to examine the present that these injustices are not repeated.
Some of us struggled with the age of Henry, as he seemed to be much too young to be so in love and so mature in his actions.  While we understood that it was a Chinese cultural tradition, of a boy being considered a man at 13 years old, he seemed too old for his age.  Hands down favorite characters were Sheldon and Mrs. Beatty.  For relatively minor characters in the book they were very well developed and we fell in love with them.  However, we did feel that the characters were all too nice and perfect, and everything seemed to wrap up nicely for the good guys.  There are also some historical inaccuracies which didn't detract from our enjoyment of the book, but should have been tightened up by a good editor.
The relationship between Henry and his father, and then in turn, Henry and his own son Marty, was interesting. Reading how Henry handles his father and his prejudices, and how he struggles to not act the same way with his son, reminds us that the goal of each generation is to grow and be a better parent than the last.
Until next month.....Lindsay