Lulu: My reading

Looks like we're all of the same mind here; I read The Help several months ago and loved it. The movie was really well-done, too. Recently I've read:

The Thirteenth Tale (Diane Setterfield) - I adored this book and didn't want to read anything else afterwards, because it was just too good. I recommended The Help to Liz and she recommended The Thirteenth Tale to me; we enjoyed several occasions of quiet, intent, tandem reading while I was at her house through the month of August.

Peace Like A River (Leif Enger) - Recommended to me by Abby and Aunt Beccy a couple of years ago, this was the book I read after The Thirteenth Tale. It was so beautiful! So I passed it on to Liz.

These Is My Words (Nancy E. Turner) - Recommended by Abby and Aunt Beccy, also a couple of years ago, I finally got around to reading it and I'm sad I'm done.

The Book Thief (Marcus Zusak) - I got 48 pages into this addictive book before it was lost in my floating-around-space suitcase that Delta still can't find. Very annoyed about that. I've requested it from our teeny-tiny branch library, so I'm just waiting. But I might end up buying it.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis) - I can't believe it took me so long to read this! I was really missing out. I read it to the kids out loud, after we had finished The Mysterious Benedict Society and were taking a break before diving into the second one. They loved it, Reed especially. I was so happy to read him something that is so richly symbolic of Christ, and written by someone who was a follower of Christ. Aslan makes me cry happy tears. Lucy and Susan make me think of my sisters. I'm really excited to read the first one (I hadn't realized that LWW was the second in the series) and the third! At the moment, we're finishing the Overlander series (Suzanne Collins); we're in the last book. And eventually we'll do the second Benedict book. It's nice to have a long queue of interesting books for their night-time reading. Makes me look forward to bedtime.

Reed is reading the first Harry Potter book! I am so pleased I could cry. While his vocal reading fluency isn't a strength YET, his comprehension is wonderful, and he gets zeroed in on Harry with intense interest when he's reading it to himself.

I'm also perusing several books on the art of writing, both the technical elements and the creative side of it.

In the process of moving and putting all my books on the shelves, I am re-realizing how many books I own that I haven't yet read. Furthermore, a lot of classics and "necessary" reads that I haven't touched....like....(oh, it shames me to admit this!)....To Kill A Mockingbird. Never read it. And too many others that I know I ought to read. I'm happy to have finally read These Is My Words and Peace Like A River, as those were on my shelves for a couple of years before I opened them. But I know, too, that it would be great if I'd read more of my own books!

Lulu: My addition to what Annie's read--

Though I'm not sure I'll be going "by the book" and reading a biography this month, I figured I'd follow in Annie's footsteps and list some of what I've read/am reading--it's a lot, or at least more than usual, which I'm happy about.

HAVE READ: The Mysterious Benedict Society (oh man, I LOVED this, and the kids are loving it--I finished it ahead of them because I couldn't stop myself from reading onward each night after reading to them...)
Gregor the Overlander, books 1 & 2. I love Suzanne Collins. Simple and straightforward writing style but always a good story to back it up!
The Giraffe, the Pelly and Me. I realized just how many Roald Dahl books have slipped under our radar. We're (me and the kids are) happy to find there are several we haven't read yet! This one was short and sweet.

READING:
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey
The Lacuna (the latest Barbara Kingsolver book; much about this book is new for me; I feel like it's one of those books that I read where I finish and feel like I was MEANT to read it and NEEDED to read it)

GOING TO READ:
Confronting the Myth of Self-Esteem - a recommendation from my therapist (no joke). The author uses gospel truths to take on the whole idea of self-esteem, etc.
Gregory the Overlander, book 3
Peace Like a River
These Is My Words
Mockingjay (again, love that Suzanne Collins...)

Is it a good group read or not?

You are quite correct, Abby, in stating that not every book is a good one for a book group to read. I love westerns and mysteries and, with a few exceptions, they just don't lend themselves to discussion. They are what they are. The good guy shoots the bad guy and gets the rancher's daughter. The butler did it. I think a group book should have a strong theme (not necessarily controversial), some interesting characters, and a great setting. The author should be trying to make a point about something! Non-fiction books, unless they somehow fit those criteria (or the subject matter is something the group is interested in), often don't work.

There are a multitude of books out there that fit the bill, and more and more have book group discussion guides in the back of them...which makes me laugh! (Now that you've read my book, here's how my publisher thinks you should discuss it...) That's one reason that Oprah's picks are often chosen...they almost always deal with an emotional or icky/bizarre/unpleasant situation, or memorable characters that everyone can identify with...by the way, I've gotten so I can hardly stand most of the contemporary fiction being written for that reason. I don't want all the pathos and drama anymore!

I also think some of the burden falls on the members of the group. I think that was the main problem with my last group. A couple members just didn't really want to read...they came because of the social connections. Which was ok most of the time because we all need that at some point. I think a member should be reading the book knowing that discussion is going to take place. Take notes (either on paper or in the book itself). Write down questions. Share favorite passages. If you disliked the book, make it known. My group always loved to hear why a person disliked the book and that almost always made for more good discussion (like the time I went off on Mr. Rochester and Jane's most dysfunctional relationship...). Too often the members don't really discuss the book. They dance around it and say that they liked it or disliked it but don't analyze or explain why. And, like any relationship, a good group takes time to develop. And when the group reaches that point, they must be careful who they allow to join (or how many people they have).

Even with Twilight (which I have yet to read) the discussion could be about why a BYU student, presumably a Mormon, would choose to write about vampires. I think that's an intriguing question in itself...one which could take off on many tangents. When we read The Da Vinci Code we talked very little about the plot, because that's all it is...plot. We talked about all the historical religious stuff that may or may not have been true. Because we had a couple of non-LDS people in the group, that was an intense discussion. I wouldn't (and didn't) have chosen that book for a group read. I have been surprised at what has worked and what has not. And each group is different because of the the members' personalities.

The Good Earth (Buck) and Follow the River (Thom) elicited the most interesting discussions in my CA group. Two other good ones were Peace Like a River and The Life of Pi. Most classics work too, because they almost always have strong themes and characters.

I like our blog approach a lot because it frees us from the discussion element in many ways. By reading our own choices, we also eliminate the feelings of resentment that can sometimes build up in a book group...i.e. feeling like "this book is a waste of my time, but I have to read it anyway." Which then can create nonproductive guilt in some people...like me.

I'm having a great time coming up with the parameters of our monthly read. Using said parameters, you ladies can then stretch yourselves according to the seasons/desires/busyness in your life. I think it's working well. The main point is to read and learn and broaden our horizons and show those we interact with on a daily basis that there is merit to the act of reading.

On a side note...I couldn't sleep last night and so I listend to a podcast (I love my birthday Ipod) of NPR's Fresh Air broadcast. Being interviewed was none other than Oliver Sacks, who is the author of Musicophilia (my selection for October). It was fun to hear an interview before I started the book. Sacks has a slight speech impediment...he says his r's like Elmer Fudd...Music and the Bwain. Somewhat amusing at 2 in the morning...

Happy reading!