Chapter 30 - Bookends

So how cool is that, a book with a title the same as the store name? July has flown by for me, vacation, an author meet and greet at the store, a Christmas in July book exchange at our book club. Whew, before we know it September will be here!

We've had a lot of good books we've read in book club. Most of them 300 pages or so. Periodically we have a few longer ones. Alexis, our facilitator and host, usually picks very interesting books or other club members recommend the books. If you recommend a book, you act as the facilitator. We've had some great discussions and some very agreeable disagreements over whether we were fans of the book. It is a great group. We are all very respectful of each other's opinions and sometimes the discussion can actually help you like the book better.

Here are some of the books we've read and enjoyed.

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink - The book starts out with a teenage boy reading books to a young female streetcar conductor he is having a romantic relationship with in 1930's Germany. Fast-forward to the late 40's and he is a lawyer watching her on trial for war crimes.

Lying on the Couch by Irvin Yalom - This novel portrays psychoanalysis and the men behind it with their own neuroses and issues. As you read through the book many things are put into question including how can people so flawed help others?

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - At first this just seems like a story about a group of young people in school together and their first out of school experiences. But then you realize something is very wrong with that picture.

The Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar - The story is a tale of two girls - one a Syrian refuge and the other, a 12th century girl who disguises herself as a boy so she can be a mapmaker's apprentice. While the stories have similar themes, they each have a completeness all their own.

Yellow Crocus by Leila Ibrahim - At almost the moment she is born Lisbeth is taken from her mother and handed over to wet nurse and slave, Mattie. As they bond through the years Mattie becomes more Lisbeth's family than her own does. This bond leads Lisbeth and Mattie in directions which perhaps will break this enormous friendship.

Do you belong to a book club? Do you have any books to recommend? Let me know.