A little more about Anthony Doerr's "All the Light We Cannot See"

I've had a look for some reviews of All the Light We Cannot See and found Light found in Darkness in Wartime from The New York Times which should whet your appetite. At 530 pages it is anything but light but certainly looks to be an intriguing read.

I thought it might be interesting to find out a bit more about Anthony Doerr and came across this somewhat unusual website.

Anthony Doerr's novel certainly promises to be an interesting read so I hope it lives up to the hype, especially as the last couple of reads have been somewhat disappointing.

Don't forget our MRCL Book Club Christmas Muster at Gordon White Library on Thursday 18 December from 6.00pm till 8.00 pm. Bring along some finger food and a beverage to satisfy your taste. If you have finished All the Light We Cannot See bring that along so that you can pass it on to someone else.

Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday 18 December!

Happy reading!

"The Rules of Inheritance" does not inspire

Claire Bidwell Smith's memoir which traces her self-destructive lifestyle following the loss of both of her parents at a relatively early age failed to inspire most of our readers. One of our readers tuned into her compassion and was able to empathise with Claire as she wisely concluded that never having been in Claire's shoes she could not predict what her grieving process would have been in a similar situation. Most of our readers found the length, self-destructive and repetitive nature of Claire's grieving quite frustrating and irritating.

Some found the non-linear structure confusing while others kindly pointed out that the book was structured according to Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's five stages of grief: denial, anger,bargaining, depression and acceptance. Some found it difficult to differentiate between the supposedly different stages as it seemed to be just more and more of the same. Kubler-Ross herself is keen to point out that there are no rules for grief and that the five stages are just a cognitive skeletal framework which is prescriptive for neither time endured nor sequence.

Overall, it seemed that the most positive thing most could say was that it was printed in a manner that encouraged efficient reading. It was not the most pleasurable foray into non-fiction.

Despite a mostly negative reaction to this book, our members are still pleased to be reading outside of their comfort zone and experimenting with different authors and genres.

We return to fiction with our next novel "All the Light We Cannot See"" by Anthony Doerr.

 



We'll meet to discuss this title on Thursday 29 January, 2015 at Gordon White Library.

Don't forget our MRCL Book Club Christmas get together at Gordon White Library Community Meeting Room from 6.00 pm to 8.00 pm on Thursday 18 December. Don't forget to bring along some finger food to share and some beverages to suit your personal taste!

Looking forward to seeing you there and have the chance to talk more about books!

How are you coping with 'The Rules of Inheritance'?

Hello there,

Well it's nearly the last Thursday of the month already! I am still struggling with this book! I hope to get it finished by Thursday but am finding it quite a chore!

Have just realised I don't think I have a book selected for the Christmas break! Yikes! Something else to go onto my 'Got to be done by yesterday!' list!

Looking forward to hearing your views on this month's book.

See you at 6.00 pm on Thursday 27 November, at Gordon White Library!

Reading, reading, reading........

The Time we Have Taken apparently was time wasted?

Well Steven Carroll's Miles Franklin Award winning The Time we have taken did not seem to impress our members. Descriptors like 'slow', 'boring', 'dull' seemed to be in the majority. Many folks were quite dismayed when they realised that it was the third book in a trilogy and were quite relieved that at least they had only had to read one and not three books in a similar vein.

Folks agreed that the author had certainly captured the monotony of life in the suburbs well but they had difficulty finding any sympathy or empathy for the characters and therefore found it difficult to connect with the book.  Discussion on the novel was a bit restricted in that everyone seemed to be on the same page and in agreement which doesn't lead to that impassioned debate stimulated by one's desire for one's opinions to be seriously considered by the rest of the group.

I often find that if I have not enjoyed a book, listening to those who have gives me another perspective which encourages me to re-read it with a more positive attitude. As we did not have this variance of opinion in our group, I have included a copy of what the Miles Franklin judging panel had to say about the novel, as they were certainly impressed by it!



READ MORE

2008 Winner - The Time We Have Taken by Steven Carroll

Commenting on the winner’s novel, the Judging Panel wrote:
“In the spare, episodic style of the two earlier novels (The Art of the Engine Driver and The Gift of Speed) in this trilogy, Steven Carroll undertakes a parallel task of representation as his cast of characters reconsider their lives in and beyond the suburb that has been their crucible. Michael, son of the engine driver, moves to the city and falls in love with a girl beyond his reach – or so, poignantly, he believes. Vic, the father, has long since travelled north to a life of abstracted retirement. The mother, Rita, too well turned out to quite fit into the street, sells the house which has been her refuge, and makes an unlikely alliance with the widow of the industrial entrepreneur they called ‘Webster the Factory’. At night they drive together across the thistle-landscape in a sleek black car that is both comet and hearse.
What do they all make of their lives? Do they hear ‘the music of the years’? Or are they deaf, missing the wonder of it? Carroll’s novel is a poised, philosophically profound exploration of the question, a stand-alone work that is moving and indelible in its evocation of the extraordinary in ordinary lives.”


We are delving into the world of non-fiction with the memoir The Rules of Inheritance: a Memoir by Claire Bidwell Smith.

 

 



I'll include more information about this book in a later blog but I'll let you get started on your own views before I give you more to ruminate on.

Keep those pages turning and the grey cells firing!





 

Ready for "The Time we have taken"?

Hello everyone!

Well I'm physically back but the mental return seems to be taking a bit longer! I'm sure I read Steven Carroll's book before I left but am scratching to remember what it was about! Hopefully some of you will be able to assist in this. I know one of our regulars has been unimpressed so will be interesting to hear what the rest of you come up with.

I was quite excited to see Gone Girl being advertised in Swedish the other day and found Burial Rites in Icelandic. Certainly made me feel that our book clubs are connected to the rest of the world through what we read!

Looking forward to catching up with you all on Thursday 30 October at Gordon White Library at 6.00 pm!

Happy reading!

Linda Grant's "The Clothes on Their Backs" up for discussion tonight!

It's the last Thursday in August already! We'll be meeting at 6.00pm at Gordon White Library!

Looking forward to hearing your views!

A little more about Linda Grant's 'The Clothes on their Backs'

I promised I would provide more information on this month's book club selection, so I'll see what I can find for you.

Kamila Shamsie wrote this review for The Guardian.

The following are reviews and comments found on Linda Grant's website.

 

 

 

It certainly has a eyecatching cover which I guess reflects the colourful characters contained within.

 

 

I hope you're enjoying the read!



Discussion of many things Transatlantic!

After the psychological trauma of  Gone Girl, this month's foray into Colum McCann's Transatlantic felt much gentler. One could almost feel the waft of Irish mist.

Most of our readers enjoyed McCann's style and some were seeking other books written by him as a result. One of our readers spoke of her blissful enjoyment of some of his expression when the words just jumped off the page - not an overabundance of  words but just the unexpected right word in the right place which painted a clear picture.

Some of our readers had trouble keeping track of who was who as the story unfolded over several generations as well as being trans-Atlantic. One reader solved this issue by creating a family tree cum graphic organiser which clearly showed the links and relationships across the period of the novel. It was certainly a succinct visual way of clarifying the various links and relationships.

One of our readers told of her confusion when the book opened with a manly adventure but then largely told a story peopled by women. She found this incongruence a bit frustrating.

People talked of how their views of various characters changed as they progressed through the book. Some characters became less likeable and others increasingly demanded our respect as they coped with the various curve-balls thrown their way.

One of our readers considered it was a novel about second chances while another reader felt it addressed the concept of freedom for various downtrodden members of society such as slaves and women.

The insight into the Northern Ireland peace process added another historical dimension while the descriptions of ice-farming in North America were a revelation.

Overall the group had a positve reaction to this novel and it certainly generated a range of discussion. 

Next month we will be discussing Linda Grant's The Clothes on Their Backs.  As we have only six copies of  this novel, if you were lucky enough to get a copy at our meeting please do your best to read it as quickly as possible and then return your copy to Gordon White Library so that another book clubber can pick it up to read. I know one has already been returned so if you did not get a copy last Thursday,  pop in to  GWL to see if it is still available.

I'll unearth more information on this read and include it in another blog.

Happy reading!

As Rod Stewart croons - 'Tonight's the night!'

We meet tonight at Gordon White Library at 6.00pm to discuss all things 'Transatlantic'!

Quite a different experience from 'Gone Girl' which should be screening in Mackay, early October!

Mirani book club would like to have a MRCL Book Club en masse social get together at the end of the year. What do you think?

I'm thinking the first week in December and a dining out experience???  Would be great to socialise with other book clubbers!

See you this evening!

It's nearly Transatlantic time already!

Well it certainly has been great weather for curling up with a book even though the cold of some of the Atlantic connections often intensified the chilly feeling. Time to warm up with another 'Cosy' I think!

I hope you are all doing better at keeping track of the many characters in this novel than I did. I'd come across a name and then have to scurry back through the pages to try to find it so I could make the correct connections. I felt like I should have set out a family tree alongside me when I read the book so that I could keep better track of who was who and who was connected to who!

Looking forward to catching up next Thursday 31 July at 6 pm at Gordon White Library!

Enjoy the rare pleasure of reading wrapped in blankets while one can!

For July, we go Transatlantic

This month we'll be reading Transatlantic by Colum McCann an Irish writer who has certainly lived the Transatlantic experience as he was born in Dublin and now lives in New York. It should certainly be a change of genre from last month's Gone Girl.



Michiko Kakutani had this to say about Colum McCann's Transatlantic.

I thought it might be rather democratic for the author to have his say about what he has written as well. I would have preferred if he sounded more Irish but there's still a touch of lilt there which to my mind makes the story sound more interesting.

Hope you are enjoying the slower pace of this novel as well as the changing scenery as we go Transatlantic.

Happy reading!

Gone Girl gets us going!

Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl really provoked a reaction! Our readers were so amazed that they could read a book, enjoy it (enjoy is not really the right word) maybe be enthralled by it (?) and yet not like one single character in the book! The tight structure really was a major source of admiration for the book! The way the author manipulates the reader's emotions and pulls one first one way then the other is almost disturbing in itself.

Our 'moral reader' surprised us all by admitting to appreciating the novel even though she was quite upset that there was no retribution for the one of the main characters. In hindsight, come to think of it, there was no glimmer of justice mentioned anywhere. Some found the ending a bit weak while others, despite their misgivings could not really imagine an alternative.

Our lover of all things pyschologically thrilling enjoyed it immensely and immediately found another novel by Gillian Flynn to read! Our reader extraordinaire had read the novel twice and was able to detect some well-hidden clues early in the novel that had eluded the rest of the first-time readers.

Time flew as Gone Girl was ruminated over. A late-comer declared passionately that she 'hated' it! As discussion continued, it was revealed that she really preferred linear fast-paced novels so this one was certainly outside of her comfort zone! While a couple of our other readers who had been busy dealing with life's curve balls decided they might be able to give Gone Girl another go even though they had felt it had been slow to rivet the reader previously, our late-comer couldn't wait rid herself of its poisonous presence!

A novel like Gone Girl does make one wonder how much of an author's experience goes into their creation. One hopes in this case that it is 100% imagination!

A couple of our readers had been able to catch up Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being and were eager to revive discussion on this novel which had been enjoyed by most.

Often after animated discussion at book club one wants to read the book again as this time you can read it with more than one set of eyes and mindset!

For July, we will be reading Colum McCann's Transatlantic which spans stories, times and lives from both sides of this turbulent ocean. Compared to Gone Girl so far it seems a much gentler read but still requires a great deal of one's attention as it moves back and forth in time and place.

I'll investigate what some reviews have to say and will include them in a future post.

Hope you continue to enjoy reading between the lines!

It's Between the Lines Book Club Week!!!!

Just a reminder that Between the Lines Book Club will be meeting this Thursday at Gordon White Library at 6 pm. We'll be discussing Gillian Flynn's rather dark Gone Girl.

This novel certainly makes me appreciate how wonderful the people I associate with are!

Looking forward to hearing what you thought of Gone Girl!

Happy reading!

"A bit sick, but chick lit and melodrama' for June

Our book for June is Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl. I know a couple of you have read it but some folk so enjoyed it, I thought it would be a worthwhile read for the whole group.

Peter Craven from 'The Sydney Morning Herald' titled his review 'A bit sick, but chick lit and melodrama make it a winner'. It certainly sounds like a different read from last month. Many folks join book clubs to read outside of their usual genre and this one certainly sounds outside of my comfort zone.

Here is a YouTube clip featuring the official trailer from the soon to be released movie based on the book. The film stars Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike and Neil Patrick and is directed by David Fincher. (Please excuse the before and after advertising on the clip, I was not sure how to get rid of this so thought it safer to leave it in.)

Here is what Gillian (pronounced with a hard 'G') Flynn had to say about Gone Girl.

I can't say I'm looking forward to this read and have already found a number of 'must-read-right-nows' to ensure the delay of starting it. Certainly sounds like a novel which must be read between the lines and with the lights on......

Our next book club will be at Gordon White Library at 6.00pm on Thursday 26 June.

After all of that, all I can say is keep those pages turning......

Discussion brought us closer to the heart for the time being

Everyone was keen to share their experience of the last two months' books.

We decided to first discuss each book separately and then discuss their differences and similarities.

We began with Simon Cleary's Closer to Stone. Many readers questioned the motives of the father with some finding it impossible to understand his actions. Some thought the father was intending to try to 'man up' his softer second son. Some enjoyed the mostly linear structure of the story. One reader was very upset with the desert terms being used incorrectly. Most found several scenes upsetting and quite shocking. Very clever structure lulled the reader into a false sense of security which was very abruptly shattered.

Most readers were glad they had read the book. One reader found her second reading of this book far more satisfying than her first. It seemed it was a book of two brothers' spiritual journeys both as a response to a traumatic event in their lives.

Leaving the desert inspired spiritual passage, we moved to Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being which was set in a much damper Tokyo and on an even wetter island off the coast off British Columbia. Our readers thought that Ruth Ozeki captured both the adolescent voice of Nao and the more mature voice of Ruth very well. Some readers found jumping between the two stories confusing while others really enjoyed it. When one of our readers used the quantum physics aspect to tie the two tales together, it revealed the true beauty of this novel's structure. The notion of parallel universes clarified the ending wonderfully for one reader who had been struggling with the ending. One avid reader declared that this particular novel would rate as the best of the book club selections she had read as it was cleverly constructed, beautifully written and told a captivating tale.

At first glance these two novels seemed quite different: one a desert setting with the main characters being male while the other was set both in metropolitan Tokyo and the desolate British Columbian island and the two main characters are female. However the settings for various reasons develop a feeling of isolation for our main characters. Various events are catalysts for our main characters to embark on seeking answers as to their own existence. Thus both of these novels are really spiritual journeys.

Opinions were divided as to which was the preferred book. Overall it seemed to be a successful couple of months of reading. Sharing one's experience of a book really enhances the whole reading experience and adds another dimension of enjoyment.

Thank you to everyone for your enthusiastic input and sharing!

I'll talk about our June book club selection in another post!

Hope you enjoy getting between the lines of our next read!

AT looooong last! IT'S this Thursday!!

Hello everyone,

Time flies but at the same time, it seems a long time since we last met to chat about books. Looking forward to catching up and hearing your views on Ruth Ozeki's  A Tale for the Time Being and Simon Cleary's Closer to Stone.

Apparently there was a bit of a mix-up as to the availability of books as we were spreading them over the two months. Humble apologies for this. Come along with whatever you have read and I'm sure that animated discussion will ensue.

We'll meet at Gordon White Library at 6 pm on Thursday 29 May.

I thought Book Clubbers might enjoy the following quote.

“We read to know we're not alone.”
― William Nicholson, Shadowlands

Keep those pages turning...............

'Still Alice' stimulates much discussion

Lisa Genova's Still Alice certainly provoked much discussion. This novel struck a chord as so many of our readers had personal stories of friends and family members who had or have Alzheimer's disease.

Everyone appeared to have enjoyed the book but opinions were certainly divided as to the morality of the actions of some of the main characters. There was much questioning as to why particular characters had acted in the manner they did. Readers talked about various lines from the book that resonated strongly with them while others found quotes that jolted them into reviewing their own views and opinions.

Overall our meeting was very lively with much animated discussion.

As several of our members are going to be away for our next meeting which was to be on Thursday 24 April, a group decision was made to cancel that meeting and read two books for the following meeting on Thursday 29 May.

So our next Between the Lines Book Club is on Thursday 29 May at 6 pm at Gordon White Library.

Our book for April is Closer to Stone by Australian author Simon Cleary.

 





 

Jay Daniel Thompson from The Australian wrote this review in May 2012. It appears to be a book slightly different to our normal book club fare, so it will be interesting to hear what our readers think.

 

 

Our book for May is Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being which certainly generated much discussion  in Cityside Book Club. It will be interesting to hear what Between the Lines readers think about it.

 

 

 



 

 

Ruth Ozeki has this to say about her book.

 

 

Hopefully I'll get this book set over to Gordon White Library shortly for folks to borrow of if you are near Mackay City Library I'll keep two copies here as well.

 

 

Well these certainly are contrasting books: one book set in a desert, another set on an island on the edge of the Pacific Ocean.

 

 

Keep those pages turning and enjoy the experience!

 





 



We're still meeting this Thursday at 6 at Gordon White LIbrary

Hopefully this rain lets up and we'll be able to meet this Thursday to discuss Still Alice.

Looking forward to hearing  your views on this novel by debut novelist Lisa Genova.

Seeing you at 6pm at Gordon White Library this Thursday 27 March 2014.

Our book for March is 'Still Alice'

We will be reading Lisa Genova's small but poignant Still Alice.

 

 

 

 

 

The following is a summary from Good Reading.

 

Still Alice

byLisa Genova (Goodreads Author)

Still Alice4.25 of 5 stars4.25 · rating details · 97,092 ratings · 11,502 reviews

Alice Howland—Harvard professor, gifted researcher, and lecturer, wife, and mother of three grown children—sets out for a run and soon realizes she has no idea how to find her way home. She has taken the route for years, but nothing looks familiar. She is utterly lost. Medical consults reveal early-onset Alzheimer's.

Alice slowly but inevitably loses memory and connection w...moreAlice Howland—Harvard professor, gifted researcher, and lecturer, wife, and mother of three grown children—sets out for a run and soon realizes she has no idea how to find her way home. She has taken the route for years, but nothing looks familiar. She is utterly lost. Medical consults reveal early-onset Alzheimer's.

Alice slowly but inevitably loses memory and connection with reality, as told from her perspective. She gradually loses the ability to follow a conversational thread, the story line of a book, or to recall information she heard just moments before. Genova's debut shows the disease progression through the reactions of others, as Alice does, so readers feel what she feels: a slowly building terror.

 

The Alzheimer's Society had this to say about Still Alice.

Here are some quotes to pique your interest.

 

Looking forward to the discussion about this book at Gordon White Library on Thursday 27 March at 6pm!

 

 

 

 

 



Three books thrashed in a thrice!

Seven enthusiastic readers turned up ready for rip-roaring discussion. Missing our January dose of book club meant our February meeting could not come fast enough!

First up was Eleanor Catton's The Luminaries which had won the 2013 Man Booker Prize and our title for December/January. Most agreed that it was unnecessarily long and found the tapering ending unsatisfactory. Some enjoyed the structure but others found it over-structured. The astrological references and the work that had gone in to their accuracy seemed to be lost on and therefore superfluous for most of our readers. Everyone had finished the book, which considering its size is an achievement in itself. As it was some time since most of us had read the book it was difficult to remember the detail and though everyone agreed it contained a lot of detail, most of us were stretched to remember its intricacies.

Next on the menu was The Lemon Table, a collection of short stories about ageing, by Julian Barnes. Everyone seemed to have their favourite which resonated with them for one reason or another. Some found the coarse language in some of the stories off-putting to the extent they could not continue reading the book. Overall folks were not fans of the short story and found this collection not particularly riveting.

The last book discussed was March by Geraldine Brooks. Some really liked the idea of modern authors writing novels attached to older classics while others found it was a genre often ill-handled. Our readers found March filled a gap in their knowledge of American history and from this perpective was an interesting novel. Many found the character March lacking in appeal.

Discussion then went on to other books that our members had read and there was a flurry of notetaking as folk listed some of the titles that our members had enjoyed.

Overall we had a lovely lively discussion and all seemed to leave a little happier that they had had their monthly 'book fix'.

Keep those pages turning!

Between the Lines Book Club ready to meet this Thursday at Gordon White Library!

Just a reminder that this week is Between the Lines Book Club week! We meet at 6 pm on Thursday 27 February at Gordon White Library, Mt Pleasant.

How is everyone going with March and The Lemon Table? At least both of these novels are far lighter than The Luminaries. Hopefully we will be cyclone-free this Thursday and be able to get our monthly book club fix.

As our last book club meeting was rained out by Cyclone Dylan's proximity, we'll spend some time this meeting discussing our impressions of The Luminaries as well our two February titles. We should have a lot to discuss!

If you have not got around to reading any of these titles and you are keen to join our group of avid readers, please come along and join in. We are a friendly group eager to chat with and listen to others with a reading passion.

Keep those pages turning! It's exercise for mind, body and soul!

February book choices information

Hello folks,

It was very disappointing to miss on our first book club discussion for the year, especially after persisting through such a thick volume! Falling branches and palm fronds,  a gusty wind and heavy rain with an unpredictable Cyclone Dylan thrown into the mix seemed to be sufficient reason to cancel book club so people could stay off the roads and be home where they could ensure adequate preparation.

At our last meeting we decided to read the last two books borrowed from Townsville Libraries; March by Geraldine Brooks and The Lemon Table by Julian Barnes.

 



March purports to tell the story of the father who was an absent character in Louisa May Alcott's classic Little Women. This is what one reviewer had to say about the book. Other reviewers had these comments.

 

The Lemon Table is a collection of short stories about aging by Julian Barnes. They certainly blow any aged stereotypes out of the water. I am interested in why Julian Barnes gave this particular collection of stories this title. Hopefully by the time I've finished it, I'll have a better idea.

 

This is what Frank Kermode (interesting reviewer's name especially for this topic??) had to say.

Just drop in to Gordon White Library to collect your copies for our next discussion which all being well, will be at 6 pm, Thursday 27 February at Gordon White Library. You'll find these novels a little easier on the biceps!

Happy reading!

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 



Between the Lines Book Club cancelled for this evening

Hello everyone,

I've decided to cancel tonight's book club as it is just too dangerous to be out. We will meet again on 27 February and try to fit in discussion on three books!

The books for February are March by Geraldine Brooks and The Lemon Table by Julian Barnes and these can be collected from Gordon White Library. Please give your name to the friendly staff so that I have an idea of who has their books.

If you're tired of carrying the hefty The Luminaries around please feel free to drop it off when the weather improves.

At least it's great reading weather! Enjoy!

I'll put more information up about our February books soon!

Stay dry!

Welcome to 2014!

Well how are we going with The Luminaries?  How are the biceps from all the weight lifting? I'm almost there but it has been a long haul!

Looking forward to our discussion at Gordon White Library on Thursday 30 January at 6 pm!