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Name : Jackie S.

My Reviews

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
 
Book Club Recommended
Adventurous, Dramatic, Romantic
Water for Elephants

Just like an elephant...you won't soon forget this excellent story by Sara Gruen.

 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Dramatic, Interesting
mixed opinions

Overall our group decided to give this selection 3 stars. However, this book did evoke lots of mixed emotion, reaction and opinion. As we pointed out in our discussion you may find yourself feeling as boxed in as Pearl, the storyteller. At times Lisa See leaves you felling exhausted, irritated and helpless, much in the same way as her main characters.
Please Note: One of our members was compelled to read the sequel and found it to be equally horrific BUT, she kept on reading and we were all anxious to hear the outcome.

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
 
Book Club Recommended
Beautiful, Informative, Optimistic
Lush and Brilliant

Barbara Kingsolver's writing style and descriptive detail is lush and brilliant.

 
Book Club Recommended
Informative, Interesting, Insightful
Everyone should read this book!!

What a life, what a story!!! Human interest and science all rolled into one amazing story. Thank God for Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot and Deborah Lacks. And now the world should thank them too. You may have already been effected by Henrietta's contribution to research and you don't even know it. Please visit the www.HenriettaLacksFoundation.org and RebeccaSkloot.com
This book will generate lots of discussion for your book club and otherwise.

 
Book Club Recommended
Interesting, Informative, Dramatic
Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult is a master storyteller...the complexities and comparisions of a plain life and modern living, believers vs. non-believers, mother and daughter relationships, love and loss.
This story has it all and more...

Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
 
Fun, Optimistic, Interesting
Enjoyable but not much to discuss

Although I did enjoy this book and other titles by Mary Kay Andrews I don't feel as though it would promote enough discussion for our group. It is a fun, fast and enjoyable read. Cute story.
I also enjoyed "Deep Dish" by Mary Kay Andrews. I think that title may promote a more interesting discussion due to its setting and story.

Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
 
Book Club Recommended
Difficult, Brilliant, Dark
Spanning a decade...

This book is written in 3 parts with the first "book" starting in the middle of the story. It spans a decade and is set in Europe. Good character development, intrigue, murder, questionable moral behavior, alcoholism, mental illness and lots more. Although we found it difficult to get through due to the prose we agreed that the story contains so much, its like a soap opera of the 1940's. It is definitely a read you will remember.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
 
Inspiring, Insightful, Optimistic
You mat think otherwise but,

Many of us enjoyed this book I don't feel it lends itself well to a book club discussion. It is more of a "self-help" book disguised as a fable. It is very enjoyable, insightful and beautiful but I think each person may take away something very different from this selection.

 
Book Club Recommended
Fun
Fun Reading...

Everyone seemed to enjoy this selections. This is what we agreed would be considered a "cozy mystery" and the book is peppered with Delicious Recipes. So we decided to take advantage of that and have a Potluck Christmas Book Meeting.
Our group also allows audio books and those of us who listened to the book enjoyed the narration of this title.
Hannah and her cast of characters are a delight. This is a Fun book and one of many in a series.

 
Book Club Recommended
Insightful, Dramatic, Interesting
Worth the Read

Jodi Picoult is an excellent storyteller.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Insightful, Beautiful
A great story and an instant classic

 
Book Club Recommended
Adventurous, Inspiring, Interesting
Worth Reading

The Kitchen House: A Novel by Kathleen Grissom
 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Interesting, Insightful
The Kitchen House is a hit!

 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Interesting, Beautiful
A Must Read

This book has been in publicartion for over 30yrs...
It is beautifully and brilliantly written and stand the test of time!!

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
 
Book Club Recommended
Insightful, Interesting, Gloomy
There is a little Olive Kitteridge in all of us

Although it may be difficult to admit there is a little of Olive Kitteridge in all of us. She not exactly likable but not easy to hate either. The book is written in a unique style and worth the read. We had mixed reviews on this one but, we had a really great discussion which seems to almost always be the case with mixed reviews.

 
Book Club Recommended
Insightful, Beautiful, Difficult
Philisophical

The scoring for this title from our group landed at 2 1/2 stars.
This is a very unique novel. If you are interested in philosophy this is the book for you. If you love words the vocabulary is expansive. The group did NOT love this book but, sometimes those are the books that generate the most interesting discussions.

 
Book Club Recommended
Dramatic, Addictive, Interesting
Great Discussion

Our group had mixed reviews but, we sure had a lot to discuss. Most gave it a 3.5 stars but from a discussion standpoint we could have gone on for hours. It has been compared to Gone Girl but definitely stand on its on merits.

Do you know a Rachel, or a Megan or an Anna?

Are you married to a Tom?

Our Souls at Night (Vintage Contemporaries) by Kent Haruf, Alan Kent Haruf
 
Book Club Recommended
Beautiful, Insightful, Inspiring
Kent Haruf

Kent Haruf's writing is very unique and captivating. I read Plainsong and The Ties that bind several yrs ago and I still remember so much about those titles.
His books are real and stay with you for a long time after you have finished reading. His characters are flawed and likeable despite their faults. The stories are simple and true.

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