Newmarket Public Library

It has been a while since I’ve written an entry. In March we read two totally different books at each of the book clubs. Book club number one read Philippa Gregory’s “The Other Queen” while the second group read “Sweetness in the Belly” by Camilla Gibb. “The Other Queen” refers to Mary Queen of Scots, the tale taking place in the 16th century. “Sweetness in the Belly” takes place in 1970′s and 1980′s London, England and Ethiopia.

“The Other Queen” was a decent read but not necessarily a great one. The surrounding discussion was more about the historical figures than the quality of the book. The story is actually quite historically accurate and it did inspire me to learn more about the life of Mary Queen of Scots. The style of writing was quite repetitious and the book was perhaps around 50 pages too long.

“Sweetness in the Belly” was well received by the group and stimulated a very interesting conversation about what it means to be an outsider. The main character was a white British girl orphaned at a young age but raised Muslim in Ethiopia. Later, she moves to London, England and struggles to find a sense of belonging. This well-written book by Canadian author Camilla Gibb is highly recommended for book clubs.

Next month we will be reading “In the Skin of a Lion” by Michael Ondaatje and “The Namesake” by Jhumpa Lahiri.

It is the end of the year and we are finishing up our list of titles to read in 2012. Each year both groups mull over suggestions from both members and myself to create a list for the next six months to a year.  We will be reading a few titles by such Canadian authors as Michael Ondaatje, Margaret Atwood and Margaret Laurence in our second book club. As someone who never read Margaret Laurence in high school I look forward to finding out whether or not the rumours are true! Are her books as dry and difficult to read as many have told me over the years? Other choices include some book club standards like “The Book Thief” but also choices by authors such as Barbara Kingsolver and Anne Tyler. “People of the Book” and “Mr. Pip” come well recommended by a staff member affectionately referred to as “Super Tech”.  There are also books like “White Teeth” by Zadie Smith that I have recommended numerous times over the years. I am excited to finally get a chance to read it with the group.

Group number one read “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khalid Hosseini.  Group number two read “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” by Muriel Barbery. As these meetings were a few weeks ago I won’t get  into details of each book as my memory would not do each story justice. Both books were well-received by each group. “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” in particular was a book that has really stuck with me. It was one of those titles that inspires and makes you want to learn its lessons and reform yourself. Unfortunately habit, or human nature, has not allowed this to happen for me yet! This is the story of a concierge in an upscale French apartment building and her two unlikely friendships. The discussion was lead by a member who initially recommended the title and was inspired to join the group so she could have the opportunity to discuss the book!

In January we will be reading  “The Robber Bride” by Margaret Atwood and “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen. The latter book was recently read by the other book club just a few months ago. I am curious to see the perspective of this different compliment of people.

If you’d care to read along with us you can find our reading lists at www.newmarketpl.ca/whats-hot/book-clubs.

I have not written a blog post in a while. I was unable to attend one of our October meetings as I was on vacation. The book we read for Book Club Number One is now, unfortunately, a complete blur!

Last night a small group was in attendance to discuss “Cranford”. While the group may have been small, the laughter was large. I even heard from staff members outside of the room that we seemed like a lively bunch! This is not to say that “Cranford” is a comedy but it certainly does have its lighthearted moments.

Many know of “Cranford” through the BBC television production staring Judi Dench.  Gaskell’s work was originally published in Charles Dicken’s magazine “Household Words”.  The book takes place in the mid-nineteenth century in a small English village mainly populated by single women. The central characters are two middle-aged sisters, Miss Matty and Miss Deborah. The book is comprised of a series of semi-independent chapters surrounding the lives of the sisters and day-to-day life in the town of Cranford.

All the members who were in attendance really enjoyed the book. We did hear from a few members that could not make it that they did not enjoy the book. This was a bit of a departure for our group so I am not surprised that the response was mixed.   I have just started reading “North and South” by Gaskell and can say that I for one have become a fan of this author’s work.

Next week Book Club Number Two will discuss “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen.

The August book club choice for our newest group was Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. Just as with The Book of Negroes for our first club, I took this month off from book club picks to focus on my own reading.

Years ago Franzen generated some buzz for his book The Corrections. At that time Oprah tried to make it one of her Oprah Picks but was turned downed by the author, something that NEVER happens. Fast forward to Freedom, we find Oprah once again circling around Franzen but this time he bites. Freedom gets the Oprah seal of approval! (Insert potential dollars here.) This seal means more to some readers than it does to others.

I won’t get into the plot here having not read the book. The discussion was a lively one but even those who enjoyed the  book were not really sure they could recommend the book to others. Was it a satire? Were any of the characters remotely likeable or believable? Could this possibly be the great American novel? Well, one certainly hopes not but I will be a closed minded reader in this case and hope I never find out!

September 2011: Hominids by Robert Sawyer

Book Club number one continues to go strong after a number of years together.  It is always great to see a good turnout, especially in the summer. This month the group discussed “The Book of Negroes” by Lawrence Hill. This was uniformly enjoyed by all members of the group. One of our newer members even suggested that it may have been her favourite book we’ve read so far.

I must confess that I took a break from both August book club books to concentrate on my own reading. After hearing such positive feedback I must add it to the top of my reading list. Because I did not read it I will not try to go into the plot. Many found the book heart-wrenching and had to set it aside during a few rough passages.  It was hard for members to believe what people have had to endure throughout history at the hands of other humans. All agreed that the message of “The Book of Negroes” was a powerful one.

Next Tuesday Book Club number two tackles (and I do mean tackles!) “Freedom” by Jonathan Franzen.

April and May brought a bit of change to  the NPL book club world. Due to  a commitment to attend one of our adult programs, I was not able to go to the April book club meeting. This almost happened again for the May meeting but that evening’s program was cancelled a few days before it was to take place. While I was pleased to be able to attend, I must confess that I did not read our book for that month, “The Mermaid Chair” by Sue Monk Kidd.

“The Mermaid Chair” was well liked by most of the members. Most of the group liked the author’s style of writing  more than the plot. A few years ago we read another book by Sue Monk Kidd, “The Secret Life of Bees”,  and it was also well received by the group. As I was unable to read the book I won’t go into the plot line here.  Sometimes when I have not finished a book but learn more about it at the meeting, I am tempted to read it.   I must admit that this was not the case with “The Mermaid Chair”!  I was not drawn to the book by the description and conversation that surrounded it. I think this has more to do with the plot line and struggles of the main character than anything else. A main character married over twenty years, feeling stuck in her life…this type of story line does not necessarily hit me where I live.

On another note, I have recently started a 2^nd book club here at the NPL. This club meets on the second Tuesday of each month and our book choices will usually differ from the original group.  Our first title is “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens and our first formal meeting took place last night.  We are currently looking for a few new members for this group.

Next book club picks for June:

Club #1: “Saturday” by Ian McEwan

Club #2: “Loving Frank” by Nancy Horan

Our March book club pick was Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. This book was recommended to me last year by someone who raved about it as a potential book club choice. I can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed this book!

We were lucky to have the person who recommended the book attend our meeting.  She enjoyed the book so much she was curious to hear a new group discuss it once again.  The Frank mentioned in the title is Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous American architect.  While fiction, the book is based loosely on his real life and romance with a woman outside of his marriage, Mamah Borthwick. Together they travelled to Germany and Japan and carried on an intense love affair. Their actions were deemed so scandalous at the time that they became the stuff of sensational newspaper fodder.

Borthwick left her husband and two children to run off to Europe with Frank. The discussion in our group was rather heated about the role of women (mothers in particular) in society.  Some members could not fathom leaving one’s children for a man. Others could sympathize with how an educated, enlightened woman at the turn of the 20^th century might find the conditions in her life rather stifling.  Mamah was definitely not a typical woman of the time.  She believed that she could be of more value to her children by not adhering to the strict confines for a mother that were laid out by society.  Mamah later became an advocate and translator for a famous Swedish feminist author.

This book so intrigued me that I have recently started reading a true life account of the romance of Frank and Mamah and the construction of Taliesin, the house he built for her. There is no way to even touch on the big event of the book without giving away the plot. Rest assured that it  will take you by surprise. Some members found it a little  too much of a surprise, but it is a moment from the actual history books.   Take the advice given to me: read the book and do not read any reviews before you get started.

April Book Club Pick: The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd