Next Choices

Cutting for Stone

Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon at a mission hospital in Addis Ababa. Orphaned by their mother’s death in childbirth and their father’s disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution. Yet it will be love, not politics—their passion for the same woman—that will tear them apart and force Marion, fresh out of medical school, to flee his homeland. He makes his way to America, finding refuge in his work as an intern at an underfunded, overcrowded New York City hospital. When the past catches up to him—nearly destroying him—Marion must entrust his life to the two men he thought he trusted least in the world: the surgeon father who abandoned him and the brother who betrayed him.

The Tortilla Curtain

The lives of two different couples--wealthy Los Angeles liberals Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher, and Candido and America Rincon, a pair of Mexican illegals--suddenly collide, in a story that unfolds from the shifting viewpoints of the various characters

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

Major Ernest Pettigrew, retired, of Edgecombe St. Mary, England, is more than a little dismayed by the sloppy manners, narcissism, and materialism of modern society. The decline of gentility is evident everywhere, from tea bags, to designer sweaters, to racism masquerading as tolerance.

Mutual grief allies him with Mrs. Ali, a widowed local shopkeeper of Pakistani descent who has also resigned herself to dignified, if solitary, last years. The carefully suppressed passion between these two spawns twitters of disapproval in their provincial village, but Pettigrew hasn't time for such silliness: real estate developers are plotting to carpet the fields outside his back door with mansionettes and his sister-in-law plans to auction off a prized family firearm. Meanwhile, Mrs. Ali's late husband's Muslim family expects her to hand over her hard-won business to her sullen, fundamentalist nephew, a notion she finds repellant and chauvinistic.

It's a testament to Simonson that in this delightful novel, Pettigrew
must navigate the tragic, the absurd, and the transcendentally joyful aspects of a familiar life turned upside down by an unfamiliar and unexpected late-life love affair. That two people from opposing and mutually distrusting worlds are able to bridge every gap with unerring respect and decorum serves as a quiet suggestion that larger conflicts might be avoided or resolved in much the same way. Finally, a way forward that Major Pettigrew would approve.

Ireland

r Delaney's fictionalized history of his native country, an Irish bestseller, is a sprawling, riveting read, a book of stories melding into a novel wrapped up in an Irish history text. In 1951, when Ronan O'Mara is nine, he meets the aging itinerant Storyteller, who emerges out a "silver veil" of Irish mist, hoping to trade a yarn for a hot meal. Welcomed inside, the Storyteller lights his pipe and begins, telling of the architect of Newgrange, who built "a marvelous, immortal structure... before Stonehenge in England, before the pyramids of Egypt," and the dentally challenged King Conor of Ulster, who tried, and failed, to outsmart his wife. The stories utterly captivate the young Ronan ("This is the best thing that ever, ever happened"), and they'll draw readers in, too, with their warriors and kings, drinkers and devils, all rendered cleanly and without undue sentimentality. When Ronan's mother banishes the Storyteller for telling a blasphemous tale, Ronan vows to find him. He also becomes fascinated by Irish myth and legend, and, as the years pass, he discovers his own gift for storytelling. Eventually, he sets off, traversing Ireland on foot to find his mentor. Past and present weave together as Delaney entwines the lives of the Storyteller and Ronan in this rich and satisfying book. Agent, Ed Victor. (Feb.)

These is My Words by Nancy Turner - Review Questions

1) Sarah is relentless in her quest to educate herself. Why do you think this is so? How does it change her relationships with her family and friends?

2) What is the significance of Sarah’s interest in “The Duchess of Warwick and Her Sorrow by the Sea”?

3) Sarah and her sister-in-law, Savannah are very close and yet their views on religion are very different. How is each woman sustained by their respective views on theology?

4) How did you feel when Sarah marries Jimmy? Why does she marry him? Do you think their marriage ever had a chance to succeed?

5) What makes Jack and Sarah such a perfect match? Why is their wedding gift of time pieces significant?

6) Does Sarah fit your traditional definition of a “heroine”? What characteristics about her do you like or dislike?

May's Choices

These is My Words by Nancy Turner. Based on the diary of Sarah Agnes Prine. Old west setting The fictionalized diary vividly details one woman's struggles with life and love in frontier Arizona at the end of the last century. When she begins recording her life, Sarah Prine is an intelligent, headstrong 18-year-old capable of holding her own on her family's settlement near Tucson. Her skill with a rifle fends off a constant barrage of Indian attacks and outlaw assaults. It also attracts a handsome Army captain named Jack Elliot. By the time she's 21, Sarah has recorded her loveless marriage to a family friend, the establishment of a profitable ranch, the birth of her first child?and the death of her husband. The love between Jack and Sarah, which dominates the rest of the tale, has begun to blossom.










And the second romantical choice is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.n this splendid retelling of the biblical story of Hosea, bestselling author Francine Rivers pens a heartbreaking romance between a prostitute and the upright and kind farmer who marries her; the story also functions as a reminder of God's unconditional love for his people. Redeeming Love opens with the Gold Rush of 1850 and its rough-and-tumble atmosphere of greed and desire. Angel, who was sold into prostitution as a child, has learned to distrust all men, who see her only as a way to satisfy their lust. When the virtuous and spiritual-minded Michael Hosea is told by God to marry this "soiled dove," he obeys, despite his misgivings. As Angel learns to love him, she begins to hope again but is soon overwhelmed by fear and returns to her old life. Rivers shines in her ability to weave together spiritual themes and sexual tension in a well-told story, a talent that has propelled her into the spotlight as one of the most popular novelists in the genre of Christian fiction. This is one of her best.















Both stories are definitely in my top books of all time!

April's choice

Okay, let's read The Lincoln Lawyer!

April's book

Sorry this has taken me so long! I blame Rani for making me read the Outlander series :) Please post your choice in the comments.

http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Lawyer-Michael-Connelly/dp/1455500232/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301928856&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Paris-Wife-Novel-Paula-McLain/dp/0345521307/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301928881&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Woman-Black-Tractor-Wheels/dp/0061997161/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301928900&sr=1-1

February's Book - The Rembrandt Affair

Gabriel Allon returns in the spellbinding new novel from the #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author Daniel Silva.
"Two families, one terrible secret, and a painting to die for..."
It has been six months since Gabriel's showdown with Ivan Kharkov. Now, having severed his ties with the Office, Gabriel has retreated to the Cornish coast with only one thing in mind: healing his wife, Chiara, after her encounter with evil. But an unspeakable act of violence once again draws Gabriel into a world of danger when an art restorer is brutally murdered and the newly discovered Rembrandt on which he is working taken. Gabriel is persuaded to use his unique skills to trace the painting and those responsible for the crimes; but, as he investigates, he discovers there are terrible secrets connected to the painting, and terrible men behind them. Before he is done, he will have undertaken a journey through some of the twentieth century's darkest history-and come face-to-face with some of the same darkness within himself.

Review Questions for the Room by Emma Donoghue

Why do you think the author chose to tell the story of Room through Jack and not through an omniscient, third-person narrator?

Why does Jack call their captor "Old Nick?"

Which elements of Jack's developmental delays and/or his integration issues surprised you most?

When Ma is interviewed, the interviewer implies that perhaps not everyone would agree with Ma's decisions regarding Jack - first, her decision to keep him in Room when she could have tried to have Old Nick abandon him at a hospital, and second, to teach him that Room was all there is, that things in TV aren't real, etc. What are your thoughts regarding these decisions?

Have you ever gotten into a car with someone you don't know, as Ma did? Did you find this to be a believable way for a 19-year-old to be kidnapped?

Did you find yourself wanting to know more about Old Nick? If so, why do you think this is?

Jack often wishes he were back in Room. Is there any way in which he would be better off back in isolation with only his mother? Why or why not?

What sort of problems do you think Ma will face now that she and Jack are out on their own?

New additions

Rain,

Did you add Angie and Whitney?

Unbroken

It looks like our March choice will be Unbroken. Happy Reading everyone.

p.s. I finished Room this weekend and am eager to discuss.

March Choices

Okay ladies I have two books for us to choose from. Both are based on true stories. Let me know what you think, and yes Nat they are both available on Kindle :)

UnBroken
by Laura Hillenbrand

Growing up in California in the 1920s, Louie was a hellraiser, stealing everything edible that he could carry, staging elaborate pranks, getting in fistfights, and bedeviling the local police. But as a teenager, he emerged as one of the greatest runners America had ever seen, competing at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he put on a sensational performance, crossed paths with Hitler, and stole a German flag right off the Reich Chancellery. He was preparing for the 1940 Olympics, and closing in on the fabled four-minute mile, when World War II began. Louie joined the Army Air Corps, becoming a bombardier. Stationed on Oahu, he survived harrowing combat, including an epic air battle that ended when his plane crash-landed, some six hundred holes in its fuselage and half the crew seriously wounded.
On a May afternoon in 1943, Louie took off on a search mission for a lost plane. Somewhere over the Pacific, the engines on his bomber failed. The plane plummeted into the sea, leaving Louie and two other men stranded on a tiny raft. Drifting for weeks and thousands of miles, they endured starvation and desperate thirst, sharks that leapt aboard the raft, trying to drag them off, a machine-gun attack from a Japanese bomber, and a typhoon with waves some forty feet high. At last, they spotted an island. As they rowed toward it, unbeknownst to them, a Japanese military boat was lurking nearby. Louie’s journey had only just begun.
It is a tale of daring, defiance, persistence, ingenuity, and the ferocious will of a man who refused to be broken.

Left To Tell

Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust Immaculée Ilibagiza (Author), Steve Erwin (Contributor)

In 1994, Rwandan native Ilibagiza was 22 years old and home from college to spend Easter with her devout Catholic family, when the death of Rwanda's Hutu president sparked a three-month slaughter of nearly one million ethnic Tutsis in the country. She survived by hiding in a Hutu pastor's tiny bathroom with seven other starving women for 91 cramped, terrifying days. This searing firsthand account of Ilibagiza's experience cuts two ways: her description of the evil that was perpetrated, including the brutal murders of her family members, is soul-numbingly devastating, yet the story of her unquenchable faith and connection to God throughout the ordeal uplifts and inspires. Her account of the miracles that protected her is simple and vivid. Her Catholic faith shines through, but the book will speak on a deep level to any person of faith. Ilibagiza's remarkable path to forgiving the perpetrators and releasing her anger is a beacon to others who have suffered injustice. She brings the battlefield between good and evil out of the genocide around her and into her own heart, mind and soul. This book is a precious addition to the literature that tries to make sense of humankind's seemingly bottomless depravity and counterbalancing hope in an all-powerful, loving God.

THORN BIRDS REVIEW

For the few of us remaining die hard book-club-ers...we will be holding our review of The Thorn Birds tomorrow night at 9 pm. Hopefully you can join! There will be no formal questions (I couldn't find any), but I am sure we can come up with lots to discuss...

Next Month's Pick and Review Time for January

Ok so next month's pick will be Room by Emma Donoghue. Also when would be a good time for review for everyone? I know we discussed it, but did we finalize? I know I mentioned that Tuesday's would be better for me then monday, I also wonder if that would be better since Monday's often fall on long weekends and holidays. Does Tuesday work for everyone? and do we want to do 2nd, 3rd or last tuesday of the month? (I can't do first). Ok let me know your thoughts! Thank you!

February Pick

Hi everyone...I was thinking it was time to choose our next selection since our review of  Thorn Birds is coming up in January. I was also worried some of you may  need a new book to read ;) I have recently read 2 amazing reads, seriously both 5 stars. So here's your pick:

In many ways, Jack is a typical 5-year-old. He likes to read books, watch TV, and play games with his Ma. But Jack is different in a big way--he has lived his entire life in a single room, sharing the tiny space with only his mother and an unnerving nighttime visitor known as Old Nick. For Jack, Room is the only world he knows, but for Ma, it is a prison in which she has tried to craft a normal life for her son. When their insular world suddenly expands beyond the confines of their four walls, the consequences are piercing and extraordinary. Despite its profoundly disturbing premise, Emma Donoghue's Room is rife with moments of hope and beauty, and the dogged determination to live, even in the most desolate circumstances. A stunning and original novel of survival in captivity, readers who enter Room will leave staggered, as though, like Jack, they are seeing the world for the very first time.


I read Room in 3 days...it's a very compelling and easy read, and although you may think it is too sad to read, its not. Jack is happy and knows no different life, he isn't abused in any way. He's smart, funny and one of the best things about this book is its told from Jack's 5 year old's voice. I absolutely loved this book!


The second choice is Same Kind of Different As Me. Switching back and forth in short segments, two narrators portray authors Hall and Moore in memoirs that begin in distant walks of life and intersect in a homeless shelter. In the charming accent of an unschooled black man with a deep, scratchy voice, narrator Barry Scott recounts Denver Moore's life of hardship and misfortune, starting on a Louisiana plantation. In contrast, the subtle Southern accent of Dan Butler speaks for co-author Ron Hall, an educated white gentleman of comfortable means. The narrators play their parts of the drama so well that listeners will believe they are hearing the men who lived the story. In the end, the two individuals form an unlikely friendship resulting from charity and challenged by tragedy.


This is the type of book that stays with you. It's an amazing story and definitely challenges you to want to be a better person. These are amazing people who really made a difference in many people's lives. I think its one of those books everyone should read at some point. 


Vote is at the side..... and ends next Friday :)

MY PICK

Ok all...I have decided to go with one of my top 3 favorite books of all time...THE THORN BIRDS!! Hope you all love it as much as I do. Maybe when everyone is done we can all watch the mini series and discuss that too, I have 2 copies if anyone wants one! :) Rani and I talked, and we decided that we will read Thorn Birds until January. It's a long book, and things start getting crazy over the Holidays. Our book review will be the first or second week of January. Once we start again in January, there will be some new rules and changes to the book club. So far we noticed our members dwindling away, and people not showing up for their reviews! From here on out Rani and I may have to be the book nazis...so I apologize in advance. We are serious about our club, and only want people that are totally committed and will participate each month.

Enjoy The Thorn Birds and see you all again in January!!

BTW, if you read any good books between now and then, please share! Les, I have one for you...The Rembrandt Affair. I read it on the flight home from Paris and it was set mostly in Paris and Amsterdam!! I loved it, soooo good! Made me wish we would have gone through The Rembrandt Museum in Amsterdam though. :(

And one last item on the agenda...Congrats to Andrea on the new baby!!! Can't wait to see pics, you should post some!

XOXO!

Nat

NAT'S PICKS

Ok, my pics are below. Sorry, I am going for LONG novels..maybe we should give ourselves 3 months to read??? I also have to add in my two cents: I have read novels by each of the authors, and actually read The Thorn Birds twice. All are epic sagas, all are long, and all are AMAZING authors and some of my favorite books. Has anyone read Pillars of the Earth or The Poisonwood Bible? Amazing!! And you have all heard my raving about The Thorn Birds (one of my favorite books on earth!) I am so excited about these selections! Please vote on the right!

1) KEN FOLLET: FALL OF GIANTS

Amazon Best of the Month, September 2010: Welcome to the 20th century as you've never seen it. At over 1,000 pages, Fall of Giants delivers all the elements that fans of Ken Folletthave come to treasure: historical accuracy, richly developed characters, and a sweeping yet intimate portrait of a past world that you'll fully inhabit before the first chapter is through. The story follows five families across the globe as their fates intertwine with the extraordinary events of World War I, the political struggles within their own countries, and the rise of the feminist movement. Intriguing stories of love and loyalty abound, from a forbidden romance between a German spy and a British aristocrat to a Russian soldier and his scandal-ridden brother in love with the same woman. Action-packed with blood on the battlefield and conspiracies behind closed doors, Fall of Giants brings the nuances of each character to life and shifts easily from dirty coal mines to sparkling palaces. There is so much to love here, and the good news is the end is just the beginning: Fall of Giants is the first in a planned trilogy. --Miriam Landis

Product Description

Ken Follett's World Without End was a global phenomenon, a work of grand historical sweep, beloved by millions of readers and acclaimed by critics. At a towering 1,000 pages,Fall of Giants is his magnificent new historical epic and the first novel in The Century Trilogy.

It follows the fates of five interrelated families-American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh-as they move through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for women's suffrage.

Thirteen-year-old Billy Williams enters a man's world in the Welsh mining pits...Gus Dewar, an American law student rejected in love, finds a surprising new career in Woodrow Wilson's White House...two orphaned Russian brothers, Grigori and Lev Peshkov, embark on radically different paths half a world apart when their plan to emigrate to America falls afoul of war, conscription, and revolution...Billy's sister, Ethel, a housekeeper for the aristocratic Fitzherberts, takes a fateful step above her station, while Lady Maud Fitzherbert herself crosses deep into forbidden territory when she falls in love with Walter von Ulrich, a spy at the German embassy in London...

These characters and many others find their lives inextricably entangled as, in a saga of unfolding drama and intriguing complexity, Fall of Giants moves seamlessly from Washington to St. Petersburg, from the dirt and danger of a coal mine to the glittering chandeliers of a palace, from the corridors of power to the bedrooms of the mighty. As always with Ken Follett, the historical background is brilliantly researched and rendered, the action fast-moving, the characters rich in nuance and emotion. It is destined to be a new classic.

In future volumes of The Century Trilogy, subsequent generations of the same families will travel through the great events of the rest of the twentieth century, changing themselves-and the century itself. With passion and the hand of a master, Follett brings us into a world we thought we knew, but now will never seem the same again.

2) COLLEEN MCCULLOUGH: THE THORN BIRDS

Review

"A heart-rending epic...truly marvelous" -- --Chicago Tribune

"A perfect Read...The kind of book the world blockbuster was made" -- --Boston Globe

"Beautiful...compelling entertaiment" -- unknown

Product Description

Now, 25 years after it first took the world by storm, Colleen McCullough's sweeping family saga of dreams, titanic struggles, dark passions, and forbidden love in the Australian Outback returns to enthrall a new generation. As powerful, moving, and unforgettable as when it originally appeared, it remains a monumental literary achievement—a landmark novel to be read . . . and read again!

3) BARBARA KINGSOLVER: PRODIGAL SUMMER

There is no one in contemporary literature quite like Barbara Kingsolver. Her dialogue sparkles with sassy wit and earthy poetry; her descriptions are rooted in daily life but are also on familiar terms with the eternal. With Prodigal Summer, she returns from the Congo to a "wrinkle on the map that lies between farms and wildness." And there, in an isolated pocket of southern Appalachia, she recounts not one but three intricate stories.

Exuberant, lush, riotous--the summer of the novel is "the season of extravagant procreation" in which bullfrogs carelessly lay their jellied masses of eggs in the grass, "apparently confident that their tadpoles would be able to swim through the lawn like little sperms," and in which a woman may learn to "tell time with her skin." It is also the summer in which a family of coyotes moves into the mountains above Zebulon Valley:

The ghost of a creature long extinct was coming in on silent footprints, returning to the place it had once held in the complex anatomy of this forest like a beating heart returned to its body. This is what she believed she would see, if she watched, at this magical juncture: a restoration.

The "she" is Deanna Wolfe, a wildlife biologist observing the coyotes from her isolated aerie--isolated, that is, until the arrival of a young hunter who makes her even more aware of the truth that humans are only an infinitesimal portion in the ecological balance. This truth forms the axis around which the other two narratives revolve: the story of a city girl, entomologist, and new widow and her efforts to find a place for herself; and the story of Garnett Walker and Nannie Rawley, who seem bent on thrashing out the countless intimate lessons of biology as only an irascible traditional farmer and a devotee of organic agriculture can. As Nannie lectures Garnett, "Everything alive is connected to every other by fine, invisible threads. Things you don't see can help you plenty, and things you try to control will often rear back and bite you, and that's the moral of the story."

Structurally, that gossamer web is the story: images, phrases, and events link the narratives, and these echoes are rarely obvious, always serendipitous. Kingsolver is one of those authors for whom the terrifying elegance of nature is both aesthetic wonder and source of a fierce and abiding moral vision. She may have inherited Thoreau's mantle, but she piles up riches of her own making, blending her extravagant narrative gift with benevolent concise humor. She treads the line between the sentimental and the glorious like nobody else in American literature. --Kelly Flynn

Review for House Rules

 Did you guess what happened at Jess' house before the end of the book?
Rani says:
 but i don't even know if nat's cousin is doing it anymore
 yes i figured it out
Leslie says:
 I thought they gave it away early on
Rani says:
 yup totally
 it drove me crazy he wouldn't tell!
Andrea says:
 I had a pretty good idea, I knew he didn't hurt her
Leslie says:
 I was sort of mad when they let on that the brother was in the house
Andrea says:
 Me too
Rani says:
 right
Leslie says:
 I thought that they should have saved that twist till the end
Andrea says:
 Brother should have totally stepped up sooner
Leslie says:
 YUP
 Was it believable that Jacob would try to cover for Theo without understanding that he was implicating himself in the murder?
Rani says:
 yup agreed on both parts...he seriuosly was ready to let his bro go to jail
Leslie says:
 I think it is so hard to understand the actions of someone with aspergers
Rani says:
 Ok for the most part and for a typical asperger kid i would think so, but i have to say with as much as he knew about solving crimes i had a hard time buying that he would not have
Andrea says:
 I think he would, it was part of the House Rules and he was very much into following them
Rani says:
 he was totally a savant in that area
Leslie says:
 Right, he seemed especially smart
Rani says:
   right about the house rules
 i forgot about that
 it overuled i guess
Leslie says:
 What do you think happened to the characters after they went to tell the judge about Theo being at the house? Were you upset that there was not more of a conclusion to the story?
 I would like to believe that it was ruled as a mistrial and everyone was set free. But is it really that easy?
Rani says:
 I got the feeling everything ended neatly and happy...whether or not it would have realistically I'm not sure.
Andrea says:
 Very much so!!! I was sortof ticked I read 500+ pages and got totally ripped off in the end
 I wanted more!
 I like happy endings though, and while I think this had one, I wish it would have give me a little more
Leslie says:
 Me too. In some sense I thought she really hit you over the head with Asperger's and could have cut down on some areas and added 20 more pages at the end
Andrea says:
 I agree, I felt like she was repetitive sometimes
Rani says:
 right, i have to agree there...in other aspects realistically a kid with asperger's that has been in therapy that long, i think he wouldn't have been that abnormal in other areas too
Leslie says:
 Do you think an insanity defense if appropriate for someone with Asperger's? Why or why not?
 I would say yes, but it made you feel like he was competent. If I was the mother of the victim I would have a harder time
Andrea says:
 I am not sure on this one, I felt like he totally knew and understood what he was doing, so in this instance I don't think he needed an insanity plea I think he just needed to tell the truth
Rani says:
 I think it depends on the person just like any murder case... in his case and the way the story was going i definitely think it was appropriate
Leslie says:
 right.
Rani says:
 i say appropriate obviously because he seemed incapable of telling what happened
Leslie says:
 I blame the brother for coming forward.
Rani says:
 i totally do
 he knew better
Andrea says:
 True, but I think if they would have put him on the stand and asked him to tell the truth he would have
 Agree it was all the brothers fault
Leslie says:
 It was frustrating that he could not see how simple the solution was. I could not image how it would be to deal with that on a daily basis.
 It's amazing how many different challenges people have to go through in life
Rani says:
 I know it seriously would be utterly difficult
Andrea says:
 I couldn't either, the poor mother
Leslie says:
 Do you know anyone with Asperger's syndrome? Did the descriptions of Jacob fit what you know of that person?
Rani says:
 and i think the 3 year old currently sitting on my back begging to stay up is difficult
Leslie says:
 I really don't know anyone with Asperger's
 Is he really still up?!
Rani says:
 Ok this is the only part of the book that frustrated me
 i've done a lot of research on it
Leslie says:
 And?
Rani says:
 and from what i understand...and we know she got the kid in therapy from the getgo
Andrea says:
 We have a kid in our primary, and he is really smart and super instense about certain things, but I probably don't know him well enough to say
Rani says:
 a kid with asperger's can end up being pretty dang normal with therapy
Leslie says:
 umm
Rani says:
 and often get their diagnosis reversed
Leslie says:
 really?
 I really didn't know much about it before the book.
Rani says:
 i think the story would have been more realistic if he had just plain autism
 cause aspergers is suppose to be the highest functioning form of autism
Andrea says:
 possibly, the spectrum for that is so huge
Leslie says:
 I was curious to see what Nat has to say since she has worked a lot with autistic kids.
Rani says:
 my friend annie's kid has asbergers, and was in therapy since he was 2, and now he is 7 and had his diagnosis reversed just last year
Andrea says:
 That is great you can reverse it, I know I would be doing anything I could
 i can't imagine not wanting to help my kid
Leslie says:
 Did you learn anything new about Asperger's syndrome?
Rani says:
 Well I think it's always interesting, and every case is different for sure...
Leslie says:
 What did you think of Oliver's romance with Jacob's mother?
Rani says:
  i loved the romance actually
 i'm just a romantic, but he seemed nice and adorable
 i loved that he got the food days too
Leslie says:
 I thought it was sort of strange but I also thought they were trying to show that after years of putting her son first she was finally considering herself
Rani says:
 good point
Andrea says:
 At first I thought it was going to be the cop that she hooked up with, but I thought he was cute
 I also liked the food thing
Rani says:
 i thought the cop too at first
Leslie says:
 Was the cop married/
Rani says:
 divorced
Andrea says:
 divorced
Leslie says:
 oh, right
 Overall did you like the book?
Rani says:
 i really did, i thought it was very entertaining
 i also liked that she wrote in her typical style
 i feel it helps you get to know the characters better
Andrea says:
 I did like it, I enjoy her style when she does the chapters for the different characters
 I did wish there was a little more at the end though
Leslie says:
 I thought it was interesting. I really didn't know much about Asperger's. I also liked her style
 I like how she wrote it from the different character's point of view
Rani says:
 did you guys read my sister's keeper too?
Leslie says:
 She spent so much time developing the story and the characters that I thought she could have ended it a bit better.
 yea. It was so hard to read. So sad.
 Have you read any of her other books?
Rani says:
 agreed, the ending left much to be desired
Andrea says:
 That was the first one of hers that I had read, totally hated the end
Rani says:
 i've read the two, and then saw the movie about the amish girl
Leslie says:
 I hated the end but then I watched the move and hated that even more
 What is the one about the amish girl.
Andrea says:
 yeah I heard the movie ends different, I haven't seen it yet
Rani says:
 ya i felt the same... i'm trying to remember the name
 but she gets pregnant
 and aborts her baby
 i can't remember if she aborts it on purpose or not
Leslie says:
 I should read a few more of hers when I have time
 There are so many books I am waiting to read right now.
Rani says:
 i know it gets hard!

House Rules Book Review Questions

Book Review Monday, September 13th at 9:30 EST

If you have not finished the book, hurry up! If you have not started it, go buy it today. It is an easy read.

1. Did you guess what happened at Jess' house before the end of the book?

2. Was it believable that Jacob would try to cover for Theo without understanding that he was implicating himself in the murder?

3. What do you think happened to the characters after they went to tell the judge about Theo being at the house? Were you upset that there was not more of a conclusion to the story?

4. Do you think an insanity defense if appropriate for someone with Asperger's? Why or why not?

5. Do you know anyone with Asperger's syndrome? Did the descriptions of Jacob fit what you know of that person?

6. Did you learn anything new about Asperger's syndrome?

7. What did you think of Oliver's romance with Jacob's mother?

Choices...

Ok, since our vote of choices 3 months out won...how about we continue with the order we have but, Nat, myself and Becky will bring our first 3 choices to the table at the September review??? And then following that, the person assigned for the 4 month out will bring their choice to the consecutive review and so forth.  Does that make sense?  So September's review will be House Rules (which is super great!!!, if you haven't read it yet, get on it!), October review will be Innocent Traitor, November review will be whatever Nat picks, December, is my pick and Jan is Becky's pick... Then in October, Andrea will bring her pick for February's review.  I also had one other thought which everyone can say yeah or nay too...We could make December a free read month, since its a hectic time of year, and basically our review for that month we could each  tell each other about the book we chose to read. Anyhow, just an option as we are still sorting this bookclub out. Let me know your thoughts! Thank you!

Poll Again...

Ok I went ahead and did one more poll since the 6 months in advance choice won, but it was also suggested to do just 3 months out, but since I was unable to change the poll midway, I just decided to post the second. It's a 2 day quickie poll then we'll figure this all out :)

August Book of the Month...

My pick for August is "Innocent Traitor" by Alison Weir.
This book is a fictional portrait of Lady Jane Grey, the great neice of Henry the Eighth. It follows her turbulent life against the backdrop of Tudor power politics and religious upheaval , from her youth, to her nine day reign as Queen of England , to its tragic aftermath.