The first ever IBC (Irreverant Book Club) book discussion club met this morning at Starbucks in Fairfax. Colleen, Dave, Bev, Lee and Tammy got together to discuss books they liked, share stories of reading, and be charmed by Allie, Tammy’s four (four?) year old daughter who meticulously licks the icing off of her cupcakes. Before going into the books, here are some things we learned:
1) Don’t talk about scary books around Colleen (I’d already learned that, but it was reinforced at the group)
2) Bev is the kind of 6th grade teacher I wish I had when I was in 6th grade (to catch up and
generate interest on History and Social Studies, she has them reading cool historical fiction like ‘Mr. Revere and I’)
3) Tammy’s activity schedule between her and her kids is so complex she turned Saturday into Sunday and vice versa
4) Lee will not read a book in a series until all of them are out (funny, she doesn’t seem like the
impatient type)
5) Dave has a love affair with little yellow post-it notes (can you say ‘anal-retentive’?)
But enough frivolity, we met to discuss books, and that we did.
This being Colleen’s inspiration, it was only fitting that she kick off the discussion. Colleen actually brought two books.
To Have and To Hold, by Jane Green
Colleen described this as ‘chick-lit’, which immediately made me think of those little yellow boxes of square, candy-coated gum that lost it’s flavor by the time you crunched away the candied exterior, but I don’t think that’s what she meant. Colleen didn’t review this book very favorably, although quickly pointed out that she enjoyed other books by the same author – especially Jemima J… I personally think she was hoping to loan the book out never to see it again, but after such a glowing review, there were no takers. Audiolist has the following description of the book:
Alice Chambers is trapped in a life she doesn't know she hates, with a wealthy
but wandering husband, a slightly crazy best friend, and no real self to
speak of. When husband Joe is transferred to New York because of an
infidelity with a co-worker, Alice is less than thrilled about making the
move. The change ultimately transforms her life and those in her circle
On Celtic Tides: One Man’s Journey Around Ireland by Sea Kayak, by Chris Duff
Colleen had a much more favorable review of this book, a travel journal of sorts. For those who don’t know Colleen well yet, she is a self-described, flat-water kayaker, and her description of the peace she finds on a lake or sound in her kayak will make you want to try it. The journey undertaken in this book is difficult, due to the nature of the seas around Ireland, but Colleen points out that in addition to the travel journal aspect of the book, the author also delves into Irish lore. Amazon.com has this to say:
"Every time I thought I had reached the peak, that the passion for the journey
must certainly begin to wane, I would stumble on another experience that
pulled me onward," writes Chris Duff, recounting his solo circumnavigation
of Ireland by sea kayak in the summer of 1996. "Stroke by stroke, four miles
an hour, Ireland was filling me with its life blood." Beginning and ending
in Dublin, Duff paddled 1,200 miles over the course of three months.
Sometimes he piloted his frail craft through waters too tumultuous even for
hardy local fisherman; other times he sought refuge in sixth-century
monastic ruins on coastal islands or waited out storms for days on end in
his tent.
Next, Bev discussed the book she is currently reading and then brought up another book that she didn’t bring along, but that a couple of us had read and also recommend:
Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog, by John Grogan
Bev, a dog owner, was attracted to the book initially by the cute picture of a dog, presumably Marley on the cover. Little did she know she would be starting a trend. While stranded on the tarmac in a plane in Chicago, Bev discovered two more people also reading the book. According to Bev, this book will make you laugh out loud and will make you cry. She read a hilarious excerpt regarding the devastation that Marley’s ‘wildly wagging weapon’ wreaked throughout the house. Naturally, as a dog owner, Bev can relate (as could Tammy – but for Marley being a Labrador, the book probably could have been written about Tammy’s Dalmatian, Tuesday), but one of those that she encountered on the plane was not a dog owner, and was enjoying the book immensely. The following description is from Booklist:
“Oh my. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so cute in my life.” Thus author
Grogan’s wife sealed their fate when they “just went to look” at a litter of
Labrador retriever puppies and ended up picking out Marley. Maybe their
first clue should have been that the breeder had discounted the price on
their puppy, or when they saw his father charging out of the woods covered
in mud with a crazed but joyous look in his eye. Despite these portents,
Marley entered their lives, and nothing was ever the same again.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
Bev’s work as a teacher has led her to have some experience with autistic children, and believes that experience enriched her enjoyment of this book told in the first person by an autistic teenager who witnesses an event out of the ordinary, and sets about investigating the event. Dave and Colleen had also read the book, and it’s very enjoyable without having experience with autism as well – as the protagonist’s perspective is very strictly defined in literal terms and unassailable logic. Amazon.com says this about Mark Haddon’s novel:
Mark Haddon’s bitterly funny debut novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the
Night-Time, is a murder mystery of sorts—one told by an autistic version of
Adrian Mole. Fifteen-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone is mathematically
gifted and socially hopeless, raised in a working-class home by parents who can
barely cope with their child’s quirks. He takes everything that he sees (or is
told) at face value, and is unable to sort out the strange behavior of his
elders and peers.
Lee then told us about the book she had brought to share:
The Mermaid Chair, by Sue Monk Kidd
Lee loved Sue Monk Kidd’s first novel, The Secret Life of Bees, describing it as ´delicious’. After further discussion, all agreed but Colleen – and that’s only because she hasn’t yet read it (it’s next on her list!). Lee described The Mermaid Chair as the ‘book you want to have in your hands when you are lying on the beach’. And having just returned not too long ago from two weeks in Argentina, she should be an expert. According to Lee the book is full of strong women characters, much like Bees was, and she highly recommended it. Amazon.com’s review of the book starts this way:
Sue Monk Kidd's The Mermaid Chair is the soulful tale of Jessie Sullivan, a
middle-aged woman whose stifled dreams and desires take shape during an extended
stay on Egret Island, where she is caring for her troubled mother, Nelle. Like
Kidd's stunning debut novel, The Secret Life of Bees,
her highly anticipated follow up evokes the same magical sense of whimsy and
poignancy.
Dave recommended anything by Christopher Moore, but then discussed the book he had brought:
Seven Types of Ambiguity, by Elliot Perlman
Dave read this book about two months ago, and went back to review it, thus attempting to poorly justify the reason it was flagged with more post-it notes than a 3M convention. While not his favorite book of the last six months (that has to be reserved for Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, by the aforementioned Christopher Moore), it may have been the most interesting. The story is told from the perspective of seven different characters in the book, each divided in it’s own section. Each character’s narrative moves the story forward, giving a different view of the preceding events. Overall, the book has a slightly sinister undertone to it, but Dave found himself devouring it to a) find out what happens next, and b) find out who the next narrator will be. The New Yorker had this to say about it:
Cheekily swiping the title of William Empson's seminal work of literary
criticism, this second novel by Perlman, an Australian writer, presents
seven first-person narrators—whose lives are all nudged off course by a
man's abduction of his ex-girlfriend's young son—in a compulsively readable
tangle. At the center is a psychiatrist who treats several of the
characters, and whose narrative provides some basis for assessing the
partial perspectives of the six others. The abductor's self-justifying rants
about truth, literature, and poststructuralist theory win over his shrink
and, it seems, everyone else.
Tammy’s book was an activity book that she diligently utilized to help keep Allie entertained, as her life is full with her six year old son and four year old daughter. However, she vowed to read not just one, but possibly two books before our next meeting… which will be (drum roll, please)…
Next Meeting: Friday, June 9 at 7:30pm, location to be determined later… we’re hoping that those of you who couldn’t make it today can make it then – the more the merrier. Bring a book that you enjoyed (or one you hated), and tell us why you did… our meeting was very casual (save for Dave’s post-it notes), and a good time was had by all! Thanks to everyone for showing up today!
1 comment:
Great idea Dave. And it's so pretty!
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