NEXT: John Hart: 2 Books

We have won TWO books by John Hart from readinggroupguides.com!
The Iron House & the Last Child.

We'll be discussing them in early June.
Can't wait!!

BossyPants by Tina Fey

I think I can safely say that, as a group, we not only loved the book, but we love (or at least strongly like and admire) the author.  This was not, however, universally true prior to our reading the book.  Some in the group were prior fans, some were prior non-fans, and some were neutral.

Tina Fey has written a very accessible book with a feminist-but-intelligent-and-thoughtful perspective.  She's funny, there's no question.  But she's not just funny.  There were points when we laughed at out loud, and there were points where we disagreed with her political statements, but overall, reading her book was like talking with a good friend.

The members of the group who had not watched or did not watch 30 Rock did not read (or closely read) the portion of the book that dealt with the show - but the book was complete without it and, those members included, fully enjoyable on its own.

As a group, we highly recommend the book.

And personally, I probably recommend it even higher than that.  It was truly an enjoyable experience.  I was one of those people who "couldn't stand" Ms. Fey ... and then I saw her in Baby Mama with Amy Poehler (who I have always loved) and begrudgingly admitted that she was funny and a decent actress... and then my husband's slight obsession w/ 30-Rock allowed me to watch the first 1/2 of the first season in succession... and I was completely won over.  She's self-deprecating in a completely endearing way.  And she's smart.  And funny.  I read the book in the couple hours it took to fly from Milwaukee to Phoenix and enjoyed all of it.  I hope there's a second!

Announcement: April 2012 Book

Bossypants by Tina Fey...

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Sigh.  A few wonderful things about the book.
It is a wonderfully told tale in the magical realism genre.
A lot of people don't know the difference between fantasy and magical realism... one enters a different world, and the other brings the impossible into our world.  The Night Circus is the latter.
It is also historical fiction (broadly).  It is also a love story.

Those who know me (including the book group :)) know that I love fantasy and magical realism.  I am more hesitant with historical fiction and love stories because they are often written without complexity or grace.

It is not the type of historical fiction that draws on real life historical events (which is why it's "broadly" in the genre), but it occurs in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  Morgenstern interweaves the characters, the story, the planning of the circus, the drama, the anger, the love, etc., effortlessly to a final conclusion.

Compliments made at group:
It is fun!
It is interesting.
It was impressive that someone so young writing a debut novel wrote with such maturity.
She did, with the weaving, what many attempt and fail at.

Criticisms & Comments made at group:
The ending seemed a little bit of a leg down after the effort that went into the rest of the book -- almost as if she became tired and just finished it a bit in a rush.
And of course, it's not everyone's top genre -- but even those people thought it was fun.
It is a little dark in the beginning, but works itself out in a satisfying way.

Please add your thoughts!

Next: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I'm so excited...

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

As stated before, we received this book as part of a promotional giveaway on Reading Group Guides.  Personally, I was a little hesitant to read another Kristin Hannah, because I had not been in love with Firefly Lane.  However, not only was I very pleasantly surprised, many of the Desert Girls were similarly so.


The night before book group, I received a couple emails:
"I was reading it last night I realized it was 3 am and I should try to stop reading it and get some sleep!"


"It wasn't great literature, but it made me very nostalgic!"


And during our meeting, there was more of the same.  One read it in one day, another over the course of a weekend, and I read it on the plane on my way to Wisconsin.  One thing is certain:  It's a quick read!


It also made many of us feel nostalgic.  Not because any or all of us could *relate,* but because, as most of us are in our early 30s, it made us remember high school, first loves, first best friends, parties, and the sheer amount of unsafe behavior we all engaged in!


Many of us also happen to be lawyers, and while we understand Ms. Hannah used the assistance of a lawyer in writing that portion of the book, many of us were skeptical... "lawyers aren't really like that!"  ;)  Some are.


Overall, we thought the book was a great quick read, a beach read, an airplane read, a vacation read.  We *thoroughly* enjoyed it, as a whole, and felt really happy about having won it for our group.


Let's see, a short synopsis of the book:  Lexi has a difficult past, but she's a good girl.  When she is taken in by an aunt previously unknown at 14, she is grateful but still guarded.  She is brought back to an island on the western coast and surrounded by the affluent.  She is a hard worker, a good girl, and honest.  Her best friend is Mia, a shy, very wealthy, very unique and spirited girl whose twin brother, Zach, is Mr. Popular, but also a wonderful high school kid.  Zach and Lexi have an immediate attraction to one another, but because Zach cares deeply about his twin Mia, because Lexi is Mia's best friend, and because the last time Zach dated Mia's best friend, Mia lost her only friend, Zach and Lexi stay far away from one another, until their senior year.  One night, Lexi nearly kisses Zach in a haze, and from that point forward, the two of them are inseparable.  While Mia is upset and hesitant at first, and while Mia and Zach's helicopter mom Jude is very wary of the development, it goes well for the year.  Final week of high school, tragedy strikes.  I am not into spoilers, so I won't say what, but I was pleased because it was predictable with a twist.  I like twists.  The remainder of the book deals with the repercussions of the failings of each of the characters.


My thoughts:  Hannah has delivered an emotional, insightful page-turner.  She has a gift of portraying the personalities, characters, and emotions of teenagers, mothers, and others.  She presented a relatively plausible scenario addressing pain, heartache, love, and forgiveness.  I was most impressed by Hannah's willingness to portray such an unpleasant and continuing depression, anger, and sadness.  It was down, dark, blue, and yet there was always that light -- you could see it just in the distance.  I don't tend to like tear-jerkers, I don't like being emotionally manipulated, and I tend not to love what I dub "dramas" because I find that they are generally either poorly written or poorly told and, instead, merely indulgent of the author.  I really enjoyed Hannah's Night Road because it was well told, well written, and did not feel like the author merely indulging in herself.  It was a story, from beginning to end.  I recommend, definitely to people who like "Fiction and Literature" (drama ;)).

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

Our next book, for our January meeting, will be Night Road by Kristin Hannah.  Special Thanks to Reading Group Guides for the contest!  We are looking forward to discussing the book.

As a side note, I have read a Kristin Hannah previously -- Firefly Lane.  Although I thought that book was a decent page-turner and had some interesting story lines, so far I am much preferring Night Road.