tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48429725965424407472024-03-05T09:00:09.898-07:00Happy Hour Book ClubAn Arizona woman's book club that meets once a month for Happy Hour in the East Valley at various locales to discuss fiction books.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-24438340604733828662017-01-13T09:20:00.001-07:002017-01-13T09:20:44.655-07:00Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><i>Club Rating: 4.8</i></b><br />
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<b><i><br /></i></b>This had a LOT of great discussion - about the 3 characters, Herta, Kasia and Caroline, their perspectives, moving on afterwards The author did a beautiful job of capturing so much with this historical fiction book. The hierarchy and nuances of the camp were very interesting. Some didn't care for Caroline while others felt that it showed how different all the perspectives were depending on where they lived. Some felt that the ending was very rushed to tie up all the ends. Some questioned what the author chose to focus on in the 3 stories.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-66090664963004419022016-11-04T11:25:00.002-07:002017-01-13T08:48:43.123-07:00My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrick Backman<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Everyone loved Grandma. Some people cried throughout the book. The translation from Swedish makes it richer. Some skimmed the secret language and the fantasy world and others loved it. There was small incredible moments - the dad and the word jar, George, Alf.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-56697753107554687432016-09-16T08:19:00.003-07:002016-09-16T08:19:31.491-07:00Once Upon A Secret by Mimi Alford<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Some felt that it wasn't a "tell all" book and others did. Women had very few rights until 1970's. Her first husband demanding that this was 'off limits' meant that her silence was locking off her emotions and dealing with her affair. This may not have been our highest rated book but I think it was our best discussion ever!
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-71470575839381729292016-06-18T09:28:00.001-07:002016-06-18T09:28:04.820-07:00The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><i>Club rating: 4.6</i></b><br />
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This is a beautiful novel that, through weaving of the past and present, tells the story of a girl in the juvenile system and what happens to her after she turns 18. She has a passion for flowers and uses each flower for their meaning. Elegantly told with lots of heart. Excellent character development, plot and pacing.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-80795746309829282162016-05-05T23:05:00.003-07:002016-05-05T23:05:38.697-07:00Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Merra<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Club Rating: 4.8</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Some loved it because it showed survival and the story of fighting for each other even in a hopeless situation and loved all the characters - flawed in pain, lovely resilient. Others found it bleak and demoralizing, and felt that they had to trudge through it.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-23297121943624128142016-04-05T22:30:00.000-07:002016-04-06T10:56:16.312-07:00The Life We Bury by Allen Eskins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Club Rating: 3.6</span></i></b></div>
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Some wished there was a relationship with the college student and the man. Some felt that the story lines were too many and didn't focus on where they were hoping it would. It was reminiscent of Tuesdays with Morrie. Some had the twist figured out. It was a great escape.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-56181063629596460982016-03-02T13:21:00.003-07:002016-03-02T13:21:17.883-07:00Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Club Rating: 4.3</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">A fun beach read. Several people could relate to the characters from their days in the PTA.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-26341431666391880752015-11-03T21:45:00.000-07:002015-11-03T21:45:03.025-07:00The Marriage of Opposites by Anne Hoffman<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Club Rating: 4.2</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Rachel's was fascinating with her being married to an older man and then remarriage and fighting society. The imagery of the island life was very strong - the donkeys, the humidity, island life. The part with the son didn’t grab us as much. The characters were well defined. It was about women and their relationships but it didn't capture Rachel's relationships with her daughters/children. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Some people didn't have compassion for Rachel after the first marriage. Others felt a compassion for her as she wanted love so much.</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-23975569426579185092015-10-07T09:36:00.003-07:002015-10-07T09:36:55.551-07:00Wallace Stegner<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Club Rating: 4.2</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">We read either Crossing to Safety or Angle of<br />Repose and discussed Stegner's style of writing as well as our favorite all-time books/authors and why. Very interesting discussion.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-39350772822934176402015-09-02T09:41:00.000-07:002015-09-02T09:41:02.821-07:00New York by Edward Rutherford<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Club Rating: 4.1</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Everyone suffered under the weight of New York, so reads for the month were sparse</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-65430006619921984992015-08-26T11:18:00.004-07:002015-08-26T11:18:49.256-07:00The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Club Rating: 4.5</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">This was a fabulous discussion Women's roles in the war, how your children see you, who was the protagonist and was it clear (not always!), attitudes of risk vs. stable and the aftermath of the effect of the holocaust, favorite characters, etc.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-12464253213386199122015-06-02T13:13:00.000-07:002015-06-03T13:13:55.677-07:00Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">Club Rating: 4.5</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">At first glance, this seemed like it was going to be predictable but, it wasn't. Everyone loved this book. It made us wonder what we would do if we were given a second chance.</span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-33033909655163029962015-04-07T13:08:00.000-07:002015-06-03T13:14:38.641-07:00The Perfume Collector by Cathlene Detoere<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">The club enjoyed the book and the flashing back/forwards in time and the fact that it wasn't predictable. They thought the character development was good and loved that it was set in France.
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-39343153133821134122015-03-04T10:18:00.001-07:002015-03-04T10:18:52.640-07:00What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;">She
embraces and sees who she is going to be.
The story was cheezy but the premise was so good. The relationships and
the people were very good. For some the book didn't sit well and it was a great
idea but not plausible.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-31392162050650136072015-01-15T21:45:00.002-07:002015-01-15T21:45:23.983-07:00The Good Girl by Mary Kubica<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16pt;"><b><i>Club Rating: 4.1</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16pt;">Outstanding for a debut novel. Most didn't like the wife and found
her weak. They felt that he knew that the mother was going to be taken care of
by the neighbor. The police officer wasn't believable. An interesting point was
raised that Mia could have told him that she was behind it at any point to
change the outcome. Everyone liked that each chapter designated if it was
BEFORE or AFTER and who was writing.
Some found the plausibility questionable and the character and story
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-71977699235373678432014-12-11T13:53:00.004-07:002014-12-11T13:53:55.287-07:00Born To Run<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.5pt;"><b><i>Club Rating 3.8</i></b></span><br />
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Most thought there
were parts that were very long and dragging and dealt too much with running
but, you had to read that to understand the race. People related to the running
who were not runners by thinking about dancing or some activity that they felt free
and released through.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-69362341587482963212014-11-04T21:41:00.002-07:002014-11-04T21:41:29.360-07:00 The Boys In The Boat by Daniel James Brown<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.5pt;"><b><i>Club Rating 4.1</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.5pt;">We were struck with how beautiful rowing/crew is and how horrific Joe's stepmother was. These boys were missing a sense of belong and unity that they gained from rowing. It was a story of perseverance, understanding you have one shot at something and how all these boys were family to each other and readily bonded. Some felt tht there were some gaps in the story but there was power to the story. Some felt that the story lagged.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-42474193267880276062014-10-08T10:23:00.000-07:002014-11-04T21:43:12.278-07:00 All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doer<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.5pt;"><b><i>Club Rating 4.5</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.5pt;">About a blind French girl and a German boy
whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation
of World War II. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.5pt;">Everyone felt that this was a fabulous book that was very well written and historically accurate. Not everyone finished the book but several of us considered calling in sick to work to finish it. Most felt that the ending was different than if it had been a female author.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-36102643296522363682014-09-24T12:13:00.002-07:002014-09-24T12:13:12.158-07:00The Painter by Peter Heller<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><b><i>Club Rating: 3.9</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">None
of us liked the character but we found him a case study in selfishness and,
perhaps, an immoral soul, but that was questionable. The ending was unsettling for us as was the
implication that "he got away with it"! We talked about the
purpose his painting served in his life and we felt his painting reflected, or
was a mirror, into his soul, so to speak as he painted what he felt and not
what he saw. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">He talked about the role of the model and that painting and the
bird's nests on top of the girl's heads, for example. We also looked at
metaphors and symbolism: the fishing rod, and fishing was he guide
through white water, his savior, the roan was his daughter and he saved the
roan when he couldn't save his daughter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-83847733782377688172014-08-07T12:17:00.002-07:002014-08-07T12:17:28.790-07:00The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton<b><i>Club Rating: 2.3</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>Most thought that the
book was that it lacked plot and character appeal. The book was completed by another author
because Edith Wharton died while writing it, which may be why it was lacking.<o:p></o:p>
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</iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-54274564160761777042014-06-04T23:46:00.000-07:002014-06-04T23:46:15.650-07:00The Happiness Project by Gretchin Rubin<b><i>Club Rating: 3.4</i></b><br />
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This was a good premise that made us all aware of being happy. Some felt the author was very controlling. She also didn't address a lot of the underlying causes of being unhappy. All in all, it was a good read.<br />
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</iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-18202039990238661802014-05-07T17:49:00.001-07:002014-05-07T17:49:07.066-07:00The Spy Mistress by Jennifer Chiaverini<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 14.0pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline;">The Spy Mistress by Jennifer
Chiaverini </span></div>
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<b><i>Club Rating: 4.0</i></b><br />
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A worthwhile,
enjoyable, read. The main character was a real person who had been
acknowledged for her actions during the conflict. Some felt there was too
much war information and not enough character development. Overall the
comments were positive and the group seemed satisfied with the author's
rendition of the time period and of the general content.<br />
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</iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-84755025860306390682014-04-02T09:38:00.001-07:002014-04-02T09:38:25.693-07:00The Diplomat's Wife by Pam Jenoff<b><i>Club Rating: 3.3</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
Some
felt that this book was too cliché -Paul has so many lives etc. It was an ok book but more of a light beach
read.<br />
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</iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-66443009990427899662014-03-09T00:36:00.002-07:002014-03-09T00:36:21.269-07:00The Songs of Willow Frost by Jaime Frost<b><i>Club Rating: 3.0</i></b><br />
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General feeling that the book did not measure up to the author's prior book. Implausible coincidences and disjointed format moving between William and Willow as narrators; however a couple liked format and thought it added to interest. Willow did not seem very enthusiastic regarding getting her son back which seemed strange since it was one of the main points of the story. Several people did not finish the book because it didn't hold their interest. Discussion of racial and sexual politics of the era and reasons why those, coupled with time period (Great Depression), might result in children being given to orphanage that would be inexplicable today. The book was too depressing for some.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4842972596542440747.post-65549696387044866862014-02-05T11:08:00.002-07:002014-02-05T11:09:30.998-07:00When God Was A Rabbit<b><i>Club Rating: 2.9 </i></b><br />
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This was a coming of age book but wasn't a plot driven book. Some felt that for a first time author she tried to do too much…it felt like the author was an excellent writer but was drunk. There was a dark under theme but it had a lot of humor. Most preferred the first part of the book.
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com