This month's meeting was hosted by Christy. She had candles lit, tea and cookies, and a crackling fire to sit around; the perfect atmosphere, considering this month's theme - Christmas!
Some opinions shared:
Next Year It Will Be Different: A Christmas Treasury by Maeve Binchy
*According to Jessica, this book (a selection of short stories) was a bit of a downer. Most of the stories dealt with unhappy people trying to get through the holiday the best they could. Of the 15 stories, she only liked 3 - but Maeve Binchy is a great author!! This just wasn't her best showing.
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens
*Christy informed us that Charles Dickens wrote this story to highlight the problems faced by the very poor, and that this story was pivotal in reforming the workhouse policies of 1800's England. She read some excerpts from the familiar story that reminded us why some stories become classics...not everyday, lighthearted reading, but enjoyable all the same.
Skipping Christmas, by John Grisham
*Joy shared that she felt thankful for the truth many times as she read this book. The story deals with the commercialism and material side of Christmas, and how one family's attempt to boycott Christmas really backfires. The plot was interesting, but Joy had a hard time liking some of the characters in the story.
The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans
*Donna enlightened us on the history of the Nobel Peace Prize, and how Mr. Nobel (who previously had been known as the creator of dynamite) went about changing his legacy by creating the Nobel Prize for Peace. This story is basically about second chances, or how a person would like to be remembered. Donna thought the story was syrupy and predictable, a "feel good" book that tries a little too hard.
The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman
*Erin told us about this book, which is about a group of friends who meet once a year to share Christmas Cookies, and how their relationships intermingle. The interesting thing about the layout of this story is that each chapter is headed by an ingredient, like butter, and includes a history of the ingredient. The ingredient foreshadows the plot of the chapter. Sounds interesting!
Knit the Season: A Friday Night Knitting Club Novel by Kate Jacobs
*Dorena was expecting a book that would work as a stand-alone novel, but apparently this is one of a series, and so it was difficult to make out how characters were related to each other with little history given. However, it does become a "feel good" book as the main character travels to Scotland and learns more about her family history.
Erica read a two-book set of Debbie Macomber's (can't remember the title), but she said that it was disappointing. Erica has read many of Macomber's books and usually enjoys them more than she did this one. Perhaps it was because both books were shorter, so there wasn't time to develop the characters, but she felt this wasn't a book she would recommend to others. The author, however, is a favorite of several book club members!
It was very interesting hearing about a different book from everyone! I hope I managed to do justice to everyone's book...not verbatim by any means...everyone had so much to bring out, I just wanted to get a snippet for those who couldn't be there.
How about those of you who didn't get a chance to come to the meeting? What books have you been reading? Please leave a comment, or send Jessica an email at jrwaldo6@yahoo.com to share your thoughts with us - we look forward to hearing from you!
