April 2021 - Origin by Dan Brown

 Dan Brown's books contain a nice mix of history, geography, science, and religion. He states in the beginning of his books -- or at least his books with Robert Langdon as protagonist -- that "all art, architecture, locations, science and religious organizations in the book are real." As a result, the reader learns some pretty cool stuff while engrossed in Brown's fast-moving book.

"L" and I both give thumbs up for this book. We like how Brown spoke about actual scientists who looked into the origin of life on Earth, and how Brown leaves room for interpretation. We like that Brown isn't out to destroy anyone's belief system (religion), rather, he gives food for thought. If we were atheists, we might have a different takeaway on Brown's writings. But we're not atheists. 

Dan Brown writes in a riveting manner, without cliches, and with readable passages that keep you turning the pages. Robert Langdon, the Harvard professor whose specialty is ancient symbols, is a likeable character, who has flaws as well as strengths. 

The 2 questions asked in this book -- Where did we come from? Where are we going? -- are questions that all of us ponder. We think you'll enjoy this book if you like these kinds of mysteries that challenge the intellect while it satisfies the need to connect with characters.

Mar. 2021: Educated, by Tara Westover

 This is another book I'd read before but was happy to review again in order to discuss with L.

This is a memoir with startling and often painful passages to read about. Tara's parents are survivalists. They don't send their kids to school for fear of "brainwashing." They fear "the government." They also don't believe in doctors, even in face of life threatening accidents.

The title, Educated, speaks to two themes. One is for Tara to learn about world history, something she surely did not learn at home. Second is for Tara to learn that her parents are incredibly uninformed and actually invent reasons to instill fear in their kids (of doctors, schools, the government). 

We give this book a thumbs up. We also send good thoughts out to the author in hopes that she will continue to move forward with her life -- I believe she lives in UK now -- we hope she'll surround herself with people who care about her and will be good to her. Every kid/person surely deserves to be educated about their self-worth.

Feb 2021: A False Start - The Road, by Cormac McCarthy

 I read McCarthy's All The Pretty Horses on my own, and suggested his book, The Road, for our Book Club For Two. But the beginning just didn't pull me in. And since L hadn't started it yet, we sought out another book. Moral of this story? Don't waste your precious time on books that don't pull you in! 

Jan 2021: Little Fires Everywhere, by Celeste Ng

This one was okay, however, it could have been about half the length and still it needed better editing. WHY do big authors get away with publishing "filler"? It's boring. I skimmed a fair amount of this book in the last half. 

There were things that were completely unbelievable, which irritates the reader. Even in fiction, you must at least be able to "get into" the character or the situation. 

There's a lot of hype about this book. But from these 2 readers, the books gets thumbs-down.

9: (Dec 2020) Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand

This is a classic and it's quite long. Some might hate it. I personally loved it. "L" liked it too.

Themes include: self-esteem and independence based on one's own values, disregarding what others inflict upon you, ignoring their judgement of you. The main character, Howard Roarck, adheres to his own views of how to design architecture rather than compromise to please the crowd. Even when "the crowd" holds the promise of fame and fortune. 

There's a lot more to say about this book. Perhaps L will add a comment or two?  :-)

8: (Dec 2020) Emma, by Jane Austen

Emma is a spoiled, overly confident woman who fancies herself a matchmaker. Instead, she misjudges people and situations based on hoity-toity concerns for "society." Austen's other books are better than this one. Perhaps read Pride & Prejudice, and maybe leave this one for later, that is, if you truly want to read all of Austen's works. 

The two of us thought we'd read Emma so that we could watch the movie, The Jane Austen Book Club, with greater knowledge of what the movie's characters say about Austen. Highly recommend the movie!

7: (Nov 2020) Ask Again, Yes - by Mary Beth Keane

The title of a book is supposed to hint at what's inside. This doesn't. Or rather, it takes til the end of the book to figure it out. Which we didn't like. 

There are way too many topics in this book, and the author barely explores them. Alcoholism. Sexual abuse. Bipolar disorder. 

We do not recommend this book. It's 388 pages and we skimmed portions of the last third of the book. 

What the book publishing world does is -- they ask an author to write a book 300+ pages so that the book can be priced at a certain price-point. This book needed to take on fewer topics and do them well.

The author does a good job with imagery. I think that's what kept me from wanting to just stop reading this book. I read it to the end...well, I skim/read til the end. 

This book is not for the discerning reader.

6: (Oct 2020) Writers & Lovers, A Novel, by Lily King

 The author writes in a way that makes you care. We cared about her different love interests. I found myself rooting for one or the other - and sometimes for them at the same time!

It was a really refreshing read. However, as a writer myself, I found it just a tad bit sad. Realizing how very hard it is for writers to "make it." She was waitressing and writing, and writing and waitressing. And getting stiffed on tips. 

Overall, very engaging. Highly recommend. All thumbs-up! 

5: Women Rowing North, by Mary Pipher

 Since both of us are "rowing north," we thought this would be interesting. However, it feels more of a memoir of a privileged life than a sort of guidebook for the average woman rowing northward.

Pipher got to "hold each grandchild" on the day they were born. Yippee. What about women without kids? Do you understand that that very sentence could make a woman slam the book shut and cry? Or how about women whose daughter-in-laws might not allow them access to the children - either on the day of birth or very often afterward? 

There were cliches, which is a sign of bad writing in my opinion, and I get to have an opinion because I'm the READER and I'm devoting my valuable time. Please, no cliches! 

Also, there are quite a few long-winded stories that just didn't pull me in. More than one story about her hands....what's up with the hands? 

Anyway, this gets 2 stars out of 5. Sorry. Just didn't deliver.

4: (Sept 2020) Home for Erring and Outcast Girls, by Julie Kibler

 Julie Kibler's writing is exquisite. She builds believable characters that make you care (or make you hate). She builds scenes that you can enter into.

This book delves into issues that impact the female experience. What does it mean to be "an outcast"? Men and women commit the same act - one is fine for men, but women get labeled. 

Overall, it's just a really great read. I also loved Julie Kibler's first book, Calling Me Home. I'll be keeping my eyes on this author. Hope she keeps it up!

3: (Aug 2020) The Testaments, by Margaret Atwood

 We liked this book also, although at times it was hard to keep all the characters and places straight. The aunts were someone else before they became aunts. If someone becomes a "supplicant" they get a new name. You get the picture. 

The aunts. Oh, the aunts! 

No spoilers here, but we liked it. 

I personally was ready for something other than dystopian worlds. The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments are both LONG books. So it'll be quite a while before I delve into another dystopian world. But glad it was these 2 books that we chose! 

2: (July 2020) Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood

 We loved this one. The narrator is Offred (as in, "of Fred," the Commander in whose home she lives). The U.S. is no more, now it's the kingdom of Gilead.  In Gilead, women are classified as wives, handmaids, Marthas, or Aunts.

The book was written in 1985 and enjoyed a resurgence with a Hulu series. In 2019, Atwood brought out  a sequel -- The Testaments. 

On Amazon, there are something like 44,000 reviews of this book. We're not reviewing all of it here, only to say -- we really liked it and we enjoyed discussing. 

Book 1: (June 2020) Inge's War, A German Woman's Story of Family, Secrets, and Survival Under Hitler, by Svenja O'Donnell

 I suggested this book to "L" because her mom grew up in Nazi Germany; she was a teen/young adult, thus she lived through much. Understandably, L's mom was closed-mouth about her experiences, which left L wondering. So we thought this might be a book to shed some light on the topic. 

The book begins slow, which meant pushing through the early chapters. Later in the book, we hear a lot of history. There are already tons of history books. What we were hoping for was what the subtitle of the book promised -- A German Woman's Story of Family Secrets. That is not what this book delivered. 

There were definitely heartbreaking history that I hadn't heard before. But there was none of the true sharing of what it felt like to be German, living through Nazi Germany under Hitler. We wanted the feelings, the visceral emotions. Instead, what is written is history. 

Oh, and because I'm a writer myself, I need to point out that typos are never okay in books. Especially when there's more than one, which in this one, I counted at least four (eg, "rather that" vs "rather than") and "prize apart" vs "prise apart." 

This book might be perfect for someone out there, but it didn't deliver on what L and myself were looking for.  

 

Testing 1, 2, 3

 Hello and welcome to Our Book Club for Two. 

When the Covid-19 pandemic began, businesses shuttered and lots of people began working from home. A month or two into the shutdown, my aunt and I began choosing a book to read together, then discussed via Zoom - in book club style. We've lived in different states for 30+ years and this has been a wonderful experience. Almost the same age, we grew up more like cousins/friends, and so this has become very special to us. We've been reading for a whole year now and so we've got some catching up to do. More posts are coming...with recommendations as well as UNrecommendations for books. :-)