The Recipe Box by Viola Shipman

Please join us in reading The Recipe Box by Viola Shipman for our monthly read!

We will be reviewing the book along with our book club discussion questions for September 30, 2018.
Summary

Growing up in northern Michigan, Samantha “Sam” Mullins felt trapped on her family’s orchard and pie shop, so she left with dreams of making her own mark in the world. But life as an overworked, undervalued sous chef at a reality star’s New York bakery is not what Sam dreamed. Continue reading “The Recipe Box by Viola Shipman” →

Little Fires Everywhere Book Review

Little Fires Everywhere: Book Review by Dinh.
5 out of 5 stars

Synopsis:

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community. Continue reading “Little Fires Everywhere Book Review” →

Little Fires Everywhere Book Club Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions:

1.”The firemen said there were little fires everywhere.” What does the title of the book mean in relation to the story?

2. The novel is set about two decades ago in the late 1990s. Some of the characters are supposedly blind to the colour of people. Do you feel that the attitudes toward race and class has changed since that time period? What differences or similarities are there today?

3. Shaker Heights a suburb of Cleveland, is written like a character in the novel. The community is planned from the layout to the colour of the houses. What do you think about planned communities? Would you benefit from living in a planned community? What are the pros and cons of living in a community like that? Continue reading “Little Fires Everywhere Book Club Discussion Questions” →

My Top 5 Young Adult Book Series Must Read!

I love to read Young Adult (YA) books and it’s great to find a good series to fall in love with. Every few years I discover a new series that I absolutely love.

I do find that I tend to read YA that is in the science fiction or fantasy genre, not the contemporary or romance genre. I find that it can be a hit or miss with YA so I prefer to read books that have been recommended by people I know or highly rated on Goodreads. Continue reading “My Top 5 Young Adult Book Series Must Read!” →

Little Fires Everywhere By Celeste Ng

Please join us in reading Little Fires Everywhere By Celeste Ng for our monthly read!

We will be reviewing the book along with our book club questions for August 31, 2018.
Summary

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules. Continue reading “Little Fires Everywhere By Celeste Ng” →

The Great Alone Book Review

The Great Alone: Book Review by Dinh.
5 out of 5 stars

Read Synopsis here.

Find Kristin Hannah: Website| Facebook|

Review:

I was so excited to read Kristin Hannah’s latest book The Great Alone for our book club. Hannah is the author of the best selling novel The Nightingale, now a major motion picture.

Hannah is a prolific writer and her other works include Firefly Lane, Fly Away,True Colors Home Front, Night Road, Winter Garden, Magic Hour, Comfort and Joy, The Things We Do For Love, Between Sisters, Summer Island, Distance Shores, Angel Falls, and On Mystic Lake.

I went into the book with high expectations knowing full well the best selling author’s reputation and I was not disappointed with it. Continue reading “The Great Alone Book Review” →

The Great Alone Book Club Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions:

1. Leni and her family had a fresh start in Alaska. Given the challenging landscape, do you think that they were going to survive in that harsh climate? Who do you think would be able to handle it, and what survival skills or kind of person do you think would be most adaptable to survive? Is Leni or Cora a survivor?

2. The novel is set in the 1970s America. Why do you think author Hannah chose that period? How do the political and social factors mould the story line?

3. Alaska is written like a character in the novel. How does the landscape help with the story? Do you think if it was set somewhere else that the story would be just as effective? Continue reading “The Great Alone Book Club Discussion Questions” →

Midyear Book Update

Well, in all this time we have not had any monthly wrap ups or updates on what we have been reading, so I thought it would be interesting to list all the books I have personally read since January, 2018 and give a quick line about how I felt about the books.

I am actually surprised by what books I have read, and how many I have read. Making this list is a good way to look back and reflect and see how much I’ve read. I think I may do this again!

I have been much better at logging my reading books with Goodreads. It’s a great way to track what I’ve read because I do literally forget books that I’ve read, especially ones that are not memorable. Continue reading “Midyear Book Update” →

Summer Reads 2018: 10 Books On My Summer Reading List That I Can’t Wait To Start!

Summer is here and I’ve put together my summer reads for 2018. Anyone who knows me well knows that I love to read thrillers in the summer. This summer, my reading list is mixed with only a few thrillers in sight! Reason being is that I have read so many thrillers lately and I am looking for a change. Since last summer, I have read too many thrillers/mystery to count and now I am ready to read more of other genres.

In the mix bag of books, I am looking forward to getting stuck into some romance, mystery, humor and satire and just plain old page turning books! Continue reading “Summer Reads 2018: 10 Books On My Summer Reading List That I Can’t Wait To Start!” →

The Great Alone By Kristin Hannah

Please join us in reading The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah for our monthly read!

We will be reviewing the book along with our book club discussion questions for July 31, 2018.

Summary

Alaska, 1974.
Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed.
For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.

Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.

Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if means following him into the unknown. Continue reading “The Great Alone By Kristin Hannah” →