February 2008
Donna's house
MIDDLESEX - Jeffrey Eugenides
An intricately written book which required skimming at times for some of us while others enjoyed Eugenides gift for details. Overall the story was enjoyed by everyone and brought about an interesting discussion. We appreciated the author's gift of going back in time to 1920's Greece to begin the story and also his ability to weave in historical facts throughout the book. The story did jump around in time a lot which was confusing at times.

We questioned some of the choices Eugenides made for Cal's character, i.e. running away from the hotel to live his life as a male when the character previous to this never seemed to display a gender identity crisis even though Cal was attracted to females. Also Father's Mike's decision to extort money from his brother-in-law was hard to see coming.

 We wondered what the requirements are for winning a Pulitzer Prize.

January 2008
Jen's house
FOREVER - by Pete Hamill
November 2007
Cristin's house
PRETTY LITTLE MISTAKES - by Heather McElhatton
October 2007
Lori's house
THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING - by Joan Didion
Most of us completed the book.  We all sympathized greatly with the author, having lost her husband while her only child (grown) was in the hospital fighting for her life.  We weren’t really sure what the magical thinking was, other than her inability to think of her husband as gone, which is typical of a shocking loss.  We felt that her writing was overly complicated, concurring that at times we had to re-read a sentence to know what she was talking about.  In addition she was a bit of a name dropper.   We also thought it was poor judgment on her part to suggest that her daughter fly, knowing she had an unclear neurological condition.  All said, we didn’t overly enjoy the book.
September 2007
Lisa's house
ABUNDANCE a Novel of Marie Antoinette - by Sena Jeter Naslund
While we all thought that the book was a bit tedious at times we all agreed that it was beautifully written. Much attention was paid to detail, like descriptions of the dresses, hairstyles & castle rooms. It was interesting to learn about Marie Antoinette and her life as well as the time period. Such elegance & decadence while most of the country lived in poverty.
August 2007
Emily's house
THE GIRLS by Lori Lansens
July 2007
Donna's house
SNOW FLOWER and the SECRET FAN by Lisa See
We all enjoyed the book. We discussed the one thousand year old tradition of foot binding and the stoical ways that women faced their fate and then continued to pass this tradition onto their daughters up until the mid-1900's when it was finally outlawed.
 
It was difficult for us to relate to the lives these women faced during such a repressive time. It seems unfathomable that the tradition of foot binding actually gave women a heightened status in their villages that would allow not only them but their families to gain economic advantages if they achieved perfectly bound feet. Lily's perfect bound golden lilies, her laotong relationship, her fluency in nu shu, and her compliance for following tradition earned her these advantages.
 
We all felt that Lily was too stoic in her retribution to her laotong, Snow Flower, and even to the deaths of her sister and her mother. It also seemed hypocritical to us that the Chinese people would eat the meat from the pig but look down upon the butcher who provided them with this food. We questioned the intimacies that Lily and Snow Flower had, some of us felt the author implied they also shared a physical relationship.
June 2007
Jen's house
AMONG THE ISLES OF SHOALS by Celia Thaxter

Among The Isles of Shoals was beautifully written. With vividly descriptive language it enables the reader to visualize the Isles even if you have never visited there. The book offers a broad knowledge of the botany and geography of the area and clearly depicts the landscape. The stories of the natives and shipwrecks are fascinating, haunting and humorous.

Celia Thaxter's essays that make up the book were written in an objective style and left us with many questions about her childhood growing up on the Isles and her personal life as an adult living there:

Where did she obtain her broad knowledge of the natural history of the Isles?

Was she schooled as an artist?

What was day-to-day life like on the Isles?

What was the largest census for the Isles?

Why did people choose to live in such an inhospitable place when the mainland was so close by?

This book, although difficult to commit oneself to read at times, is a precious gem. Some pages demand to be read aloud to hear the lyric of her words. Celia's prose enchanted our spirits with a desire to visit the Isles of Shoals.

 

NHPR Granite State Stories Study Questions Discussion:

Some of us had visited the Isles before but had not found them as delightful as Celia. After readings Celia's portrayal of the landscape we all felt it would be a nice trip to take and perhaps we would see things in a new light.

 

Celia wrote with deep respect for the Isles themselves and she wrote intimately about the stories of the islanders but her style portrayed herself as an outsider. She seemed to find the good in things and did not go into great detail about the misfortunes or conduct of the islanders.

 

Celia's illustrations were beautifully done and left us with questions about her artistic talents and whether she was self taught or had instruction.

 

Her descriptions of the accents and language of the Shoalers was humorous and amusing. Some members felt that accents are important for defining where we come from.

 

Other:

A wealth of information on the Isles of Shoals can be found on Seacoast NH's web site. 

For specific information on Celia visit this page and click "See All Articles".

May 2007
Cristin's house
THE YACOUBIAN BUILDING by Alaa Al Aswany
All were present at Cristin's house for our discussion. None of us were thrilled or riveted by this book,  some even found it hard to get through, and some found themselves unable to finish it.  We all agreed that it jumped around too much, especially from character to character, leaving us to have to review the character reference pages too often.  We also felt that it sort of went nowhere in terms of plot.  We all had a sense that modern life in Egypt is not a life we would ever wish to lead, as it was portrayed as extremely corrupt and driven by the sometimes insatiable, perverse sexual needs of its male population
April 2007
Jen's house
NIGHTFALL by Nelson DeMille
We loved this book, especially the main character, John Corey. His sarcastic tone really made the book. Even though the subject matter was terrorism, Corey had us laughing out loud in parts. Some of us caught on to how it might end early on, but the rest of us were surprised. We all plan on reading other John Corey books, as there are a few older ones, and a more recent one out in hardcover.
March 2007
Lori's house
NIGHT by Elie Wiesel
We all liked it very much and agreed that in addition to being succinctly written, it was also an important book.  It was difficult to read at times, but we at least knew Elie survived.  We pondered life after liberation for him, and his struggle for belief in God.  Having Emilie at the discussion was very helpful.  As a well traveled woman, and of the Jewish faith, she was able to explain several things to us.  We contemplated how the Holocaust could have happened - why were the Jews so seemingly passive?  Emilie pointed out the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, but agreed that they were a peaceable people. She went on to explain the recent history of Israel, and that military service is mandatory for all men and women.  Could something like the Holocaust happen again?  To what extent is it currently happening in Africa?
February 2007
Lisa's house
SHE'S NOT THERE by Jennifer Boylan
We found it very fascinating. We all agreed that none of us could come close to relating to what it must be like to feel like you were some sex other than what you were born as. I think we all felt that he was selfish to have had the sex change when he had a family involved.
January 2007
Donna's house
THE HISTORIAN by Elizabeth Kostova
Overall we enjoyed the story but general consensus was that it was very wordy and we felt like we were studying for a degree in vampirism, we all agreed that it could have been cut shorter and still told a good story without sacrifice. Members described being scared by the story and felt like they were becoming immersed in the reality of it to a degree that was frightening to read after dark. There were many coincidences which happened in the story which we thought seemed highly improbable even for a work of fiction. 
November 2006
Cristin's house
THE CHOSEN by Chaim Potok
We were in agreement that it was an important book to have read, and were impressed with its simplicity on one level and complexity on many others.  We learned a bit about Judaism, and Marlin was a good sport and tried to answer some questions we had.
October 2006
Jen's house
BENEATH A MARBLE SKY by John Shors
Most of us liked it, although some thought the author stretched the limits of credibility on some points, and he himself admits that he struggled with writing from the lead character’s point of view. We then were treated to a half hour phone call from John Shors. He answered all of our questions and more, and was charming and genuine. Aside from a few speakerphone difficulties, it was great!
September 2006
Lori's house
A PIECE OF MY HEART by Peter Robinson
August 2006
Lisa's house
THE KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hosseini
July 2006
Emily's house
BAKER TOWERS by Jennifer Haigh
Most of us really liked the book.  A few LOVED it.  It was an easy read and the authors style of writing made it all the more enjoyable.  Her characters were well defined and diverse.  The story was believable but we noticed that we kept waiting for something to HAPPEN!  Not until the cave-in in the mines were we rewarded with a change of pace.  Not that we complained, but we did feel that this was another "saga" and even though a good one, perhaps we should be careful for the next few picks to stay away from that sort of book.   
June 2006
Donna's house
THE ICE QUEEN by Alice Hoffman
It was not as satisfying for us as we thought it would be.  We love Alice Hoffman so expected more.  Even though there were interesting aspects of the book, it left us cold (no pun intended!)  Interesting that the main character has no name!  But, the whole business about Lazarus and the "burning" sex was just a little bizarre.  And who would ever let their dying husband leave to see butterflies when she's nine months pregnant?  We thought is was a little bit contrived.  Like maybe Ms. Hoffman was being pressured to write another novel by her "people".  Too bad.
May 2006
Sue's house
CROSSING CALIFORNIA by Adam Langer
Mostly everyone had a hard time getting through it. Unfortunately, only a few of us even finished it.  There were some redeeming qualities to the book, however.  The characters were diverse, funny, heart-breaking, cruel, selfish, strange, and dead-on realistic.  But the writers "style" kept us from truly enjoying these characters as we should have.  I personally
thought that this would make a better movie than it did a novel.  One thing we did all agree that we liked was the way all the characters sort of came together at the end and crossed over each others' lives.  It helped to glue the different stories together.
April 2006
Teeny's house
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED by Tim O'Brien
Our discussion went in many directions.  Of course, there were the stories..... war stories and fantasy stories.  We talked about the differences between the two and how to interpret them.  Even though the book was classified as fiction, the author was actually in the Vietnam war and had some sort of experiences.  We tried to decide if these were actual events or just in his imagination.  It was unclear.  We also compared the events and circumstances of the Vietnam war to the current war in the middle east.  How the press coverage is different and the lack of protests against this war as opposed to the many protests against the Vietnam war.  Interesting opinions were expressed. 
March 2006
Sue's house
THE SHIPPING NEWS by Annie Proulx
And this time our Pulitzer Prize winning novel was truly a prize winner!  This story was unusual, funny and character driven.  No wonder a movie was made from this book.  We agreed that Annie Proulx's writing was unusual for us at first, but as you went along, a pattern developed and you could go right along with it.  It was almost like conversation
or someone just relaying a story to you.  We had a great discussion touching on all the characters and their trials and tribulations.
February 2006
Joanne's house
A GOOD HOUSE by Bonnie Burnard
We had a very interesting discussion. Contrary to popular belief, I did not hate it!  I just thought it was slow and mundane.  Joanne thought so too, but we all agreed that the characters were very real and that Margaret was one hell of a woman.  She was the glue that kept the family together when it could have very easily broken apart.  Especially after the death of Sylvia, who was another strong woman.  A few of us actually thought early on that Daphne might be gay.  And why didn't' t the author ever reveal the true cause of Meg's illness?  Why wouldn't Daphne ever admit that Murray was the father of her children?  We also discussed why Margaret found it necessary to tell that story about being on the team with Sylvia when it never happened.  We decided that it was just to bring her closer to the boys at the time.  This book brought good conversation to our group and isn't that what it's all about?
January 2006
Susan's house
The OTHER BOLEYN GIRL by Philippa Gregory
We all loved this book and had lots to talk about.  I believe all of us finished reading this one so our discussion moved along quickly.  We touched on just about every aspect of the story and the life "in court" at that time.  Joanne thought there was too much explicit sex in the first half of the book.  True, there was lots of sex, but in those days what else was there to do, really?! The life at court seemed pretty boring and indulgent to us.  The masques when everyone had to pretend not to know the king while everyone knew exactly who he was the outward flirting by Henry towards the ladies in waiting the traveling to various castles by the whole court just to have a change of scenery and the "games" played by all involved just to please the king.  We all thought Anne was a bitch and spoiled rotten.  She didn't deserve to be beheaded, however.  Henry was totally mad with power near the end.  We thought Mary was very lucky to have just slipped out of sight of him, marry William, and leave court.  It probably saved her life!  This book was great therefore allowing us to have one of the best discussions to date!
2005

DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY by Erik Larson
STOLEN LIVES by Malika Oufkir
THE MEMORY OF RUNNING by Ron McLarty
SIXTY SIX by Barry Levinson
A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN by Betty Smith
WICKED by Gregory Maguire
ENEMY WOMEN by Paulette Jiles
VANISHING ACTS by Jodi Picoult
FALL ON YOUR KNEES by Ann Marie McDonald
HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG by Andre Dubus
THE KNOWN WORLD by Edward P. Jones
2004

THE EMPEROR OF OCEAN PARK by Stephen L. Carter
YEAR OF WONDERS by Geraldine Brooks
THE ELEGANT GATHERING OF WHITE SNOWS by Kris Radish
ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
THE DAVINCI CODE by Dan Brown
THE LAST JUROR by John Grisham
POMPEII by Robert Harris
MY LOSING SEASON by Pat Conroy
DANCING ARABS by Sayed Qashu
THE ALCHEMIST by Paulo Coelho
SHOOT THE MOON by Billie Letts
2003

THE BOX CHILDREN by Sharon Wyse
EMPIRE FALLS by Richard Russon
FALLING ANGELS by Tracy Chevalier
THE RAPTURE OF CANAAN by Sheri Reynolds
THE CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE by Michael Faber
THE KITCHEN GOD'S WIFE by Amy Tan
LADY CHATTERLY'S LOVER by D.H. Lawrence
THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES by Sue Monk Kidd
SEABISQUIT by Laura Hillenbrand
THE LAKE HOUSE by James Patterson
THE LIFE BEFORE HER EYES by Laura Kasische
2002

THE CORRECTIONS by Jonathan Franzen
THE SUBURBS OF HEAVEN by Merle Drown
THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY by Thornton WIlder
THE DROWNING PEOPLE by Richard Mason
GOOD HARBOR by Anita Diamant
HUNGRY GHOSTS by Susan Johnson
THE SWIM ACROSS THE WORLD bu Francis & Ginger Park
THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck
DAUGHTER OF FORTUNE by Isabel Allende
BEL CANTO by Ann Patchett
THE LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold
2001

THE MINERAL PALACE by Heidi Julavits
FIONA RANGE by Mary McGarry Morris
THE RED TENT by Anita Diamant
THE RIVER KING by Alice Hoffman
THE DISTINGUISHED GUEST by Sue Miller
SAINT MAYBE by Anne Tyler
DISGRACE by J.M. Coetzee
GIVE ME MY FATHER'S BODY by Kenn Harper
THE CELESTINE PROPHECY by James Redfield
CHOCOLAT by Joanne Harris
2000

THE RECIPE FOR BEES by Gail Anderson-Dargatz
THE CIDER HOUSE RULES by John Irving
QUITE A YEAR FOR PLUM by Bailey White
THE SAVING GRACES by  Patricia Gafney
TRANS-SISTER RADIO by Chris Bohjalian
WINTER SOLSTICE by Rosamund Pilcher
MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN by Jonathan Lethern
BACK ROADS by Tawni O'Deli