Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Sadly, I will not have as much to say about this book as I would like (but check out my personal blog here!!)  That is not because the Girls of the Desert did not collectively enjoy the book -- it's more because the Girls of the Desert collectively were too busy to give it its due!

Those who had finished the book and were able to make book group (four of the girls were stuck at work!) expressed sentiments of great appreciation for the book.  Those who were not quite complete with the book and were able to make our meeting also seemed to fully enjoy what they had read!

The most repeated comments were that we all became reminiscent and nostalgic for a time and place we had never been--New York in the late 1930s.  We loved the main character and her spirit, and we all felt as if while reading, we were transported to New York, almost wishful that we could experience the story first-hand.

Those who had finished are look forward to Mr. Towles' next book and those who had not are just as eager to finish Rules!
Definitely recommend.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

The Group, as a whole, loved this book.
It was entertaining, light, and fast.  The perfect book for mid-winter.

Bernadette is a "wonderfully told story about a rather dysfunctional family (aren't they all), with a mother (Bernadette) who is a genius hermit former architect, the daughter (Bee) who is a brilliant young girl with a medical history and a love of life, and the father (Elgie) who is a workaholic genius microsoft project head who loves his family, if from a distance.  Blech, sounds boring the way I just did that.  Trust me, it's not." (that is from my personal blog: see the full review here!)

Maria Semple, like many authors these days, took on the challenge of a mixed-media (ish) book.  The story is told through e-mails, letters, instant messages, and other written forms (a report from a doctor, for example).  Semple, however, succeeded where many others failed.  The story is successfully told through the mixed media.  Unlike with other books where it is frustrating receiving partial information and/or awkward presentation in unnatural formats, Semple has a gift of somehow presenting a complete story in such a fashion.  The various tones were expertly maneuvered -- ranging from the innocent pre-teen to the evangelical Christian to the professional tone of a doctor.  All are convincing, and all are endearing.

In reading the book, there is laughter, surprise, sympathy, and empathy.  Most of the characters are not only relatable, but salvageable.  They are impressive and crazy, rising just enough above the "normal" to make them interesting.

The group appears to highly recommend this book -- so much so, in fact, that we are yearning for another similarly satisfactory read.  Comments welcome!

**MY personal thoughts:
of course a lof of the thoughts above are conveyed through my lens, but, yes, I loved the book.  I give it FIVE of 5 stars and highly recommend.  It was fun and intriguing.  It really did make me laugh and I'm sure there was a tear shed around there somewhere.  I loved all of the characters, and I am very MUCH looking forward to reading another Semple!