Babes with Brains Book Club

1 Loved It
1 Liked It
2 Neutral
1 Disliked It
1 Hated It

Comments:
• I have no words to convey how much I hated this book. I just don’t care. – Sarah
• Didn’t really like the book (not as strong of a reaction as Sarah). Didn’t enjoy “Ruby’s”writing style. – Stacey
• An easy read. Not very interesting. – Melissa
• It was OK. Nothing spectacular, but I read it. Parts were interesting. – Brandi
• I loved this book! Both characters were interesting albeit due to the “freak” factor. This was a quick read for me since I didn’t want to put it down. – Marlo
• I read it and didn’t hate it but I also didn’t like it either. I did like the way the two personalities were portrayed through the writing but not enough to actually like the book. – Danica

Conclusion: This definitely didn’t go over well although it wasn’t a slam dunk stinker. We didn’t really have a great conversation about it either.

Reading Group Guide

3 Loved It
5 Liked It
Neutral
Disliked It
Hated It

Comments:
• I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I really loved hearing the women’s perspective and watching her exploration through the religion. I have already recommended this to many people. – Carrie
• I was initially concerned that it would be SO anti-Muslim, but she presented herself so well. I enjoyed reading about the emotional dilemma between her religious beliefs and her morality regarding the treatment of women. – Brandi
• I was fascinated by Hirsi Ali’s story. Even though I’m not sure I agree with everything she says, she definitely brings up a lot to think about – and discuss. – Kerry
• The first half of this book made me feel very overwhelmed by the realities of the world and religion. The second half made me feel like she had a very specific agenda and included only that which supports it. Past that, on a whole I liked it and have thought a lot about my own cultural experience since finishing it. – danica
• Though I did not finish it, I have enjoyed her story so far. I plan on finishing it this week. – Tami
• Ali’s plight was fascinating. Her journey from being a Muslim girl to an independent, free-thinking woman was inspiring. – Rachelle
• This was an eye-opening experience. Very graphic at times. – Melissa
• It was OK. Some parts were sad. – Sarah

Conclusion: Most really liked the book and we had a very good conversation once everyone settled down. We definitely recommended it to other book clubs.

4 of our members are pregnant, with 2 due in the next month, so we decided to take this picture before the new little members arrive!

3 Loved It
3 Liked It
1 Neutral
Disliked It
Hated It

Comments:
• Touching story at the end, but the first zoo pages made me want to barf. – Sarah
• I really enjoyed this book. It was at times sad, but I enjoyed the love story. It was the first book I finished in awhile, I am glad this is the one I finished. – Tami
• I loved reading this story! The characters were unique and striking. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the young man just starting his adult life and the old man, with his wry sense of humor, trying to hold on to himself in the face of an impeding death. – Melissa
• I really enjoyed this book. Such a unique story, looking at circus trains during the depression era. I also loved the first person of the old man, hearing his perspective on late life. – Carrie
• I really enjoyed the book. Nice transitions between the time periods. I thought it was a little rushed at the end. Very good. – Brandi
• It has been awhile since I have really liked a book. This renewed my enthusiasm in reading, I thought I was getting bored with everything. This kept me going. – danica

Conclusion: Everyone attending had finished the book. That says a lot these days! We all seemed to like it.

Reading Group Guide

 Loved It
1 Liked It
3 Neutral
Disliked It
Hated It

Comments:
• Was not as good as Wicked. – Sarah
• I felt that too many loose ends were left flapping in the wind. – Melissa
• I tried, that is about all I can say for myself. I didn’t like Wicked and if this was not a book club book, I would have never even started this it. I made it 140 pages in and was just not motivated to pick it up. -danica
• I liked it better than Wicked, but was not happy with the ending. Too many questions left unanswered. – Carrie
• Didn’t get to read it… – Steph
• Rather blah – Hard not to compare to Wicked and find this one lacking. Much of the storyline remained unfinished without enough substance for another in a series. – Marlo

Conclusion: This was by no means a success. We barely even spoke about it. Most didn’t finish it. We did have a good time though at California Pizza Kitchen and Borders, buying books to donate to The Wonder of Reading.

 Loved It
1 Liked It
2 Neutral
2 Disliked It
Hated It

Comments:
• The book was too long. The main story was good but all the extra stuff sucked. – Sarah
• I enjoyed it. I could do without the “Blind Assassin” (aliens or whatever), but really liked the main story. – Carrie
• Couldn’t get through it. Tried to muscle through, but just couldn’t bear it. – Brandi
• Yawn. Like it OK, but prefer the “present day” story over the novel within the novel. – Marlo
• I tried and made it to page 300 but I just couldn’t get into it. – danica

Conclusion: Most didn’t read this one and those of us that did, most didn’t like it and didn’t even finish it.

Reading Group Guide

 Loved It
3 Liked It
2 Neutral
Disliked It
Hated It

Comments:
• Good book but the first part about the fair was slow – but after that, it was good – loved the contrast between the two plots. – Stacey
• I liked the tidbits about things from the fair. My favorite parts were about the “devil.” – Kerry
• It was OK. The stuff about the fair was way boring. They could have made it a really short book about a murderer. – Sarah
• I definitely got bored in many places. What kept me going was the serial killer parts of the story. I didn’t care as much about the trials and tribulations that went into the architecture of the fair. There were some interesting facts about what debuted and who worked on it though… Overall it was just OK. I made it through so there is that… – danica
• Got a bit long-winded about the fair, but found the part about Holmes interesting… I kept reading it although a few parts dragged. Decent read. – Brandi

Conclusion: Only about half of us actually read this one and it was received as just OK. Our conversation was pretty good and it interested even those that didn’t read the book. It was a jam packed meeting with a lot of personal announcements – almost half of our members are pregnant, throw in an engagement and some charitable giving and that pretty much sums up our March book club.

Reading Group Guide

 Loved It
6 Liked It
1 Neutral
3 Disliked It
Hated It

Comments:
• The author thought much more of this book than I did. – Kerry
• I only got through a few chapters. Too close to the movie (almost verbatim). I probably would have liked it if I hadn’t seen the movie first. – Carrie
• I really loved this movie, but I have not seen it in years however, I remembered more that I thought. I liked the book although I could not help but see how Palahniuk weaved the eventual plot twist throughout. I could not tell whether it was just more explicit in the book or if my knowledge clouded the story. When I saw the movie, I was totally surprised by it – if I read the book first, I don’t know if I would have been as surprised. – danica
• Liked it better than the first time through, but the second time I could see signals earlier in the book. – Stacey
• I thought the book was more predictable than the movie. – Sarah
• It was an easy read. Since I saw the movie, it was hard to read because I knew the ending. It was word for word to the movie. – Tami
• I liked the book because it was different than other books we’ve read. Short chapters, easy read. Also, I liked how it was written from a mentally disturbed person’s point of view. – Rachelle
• I enjoyed it. Saw the movie only days before reading the book, so I head Edward Norton;s voice reading all the lines. “I am Joe’s broken spleen.” – Brandi
• I enjoyed the book. It had been years since I had seen the movie. Such a dark story. Easy read. – Melissa

Conclusion: One thing is for sure, if your copy has a forward, afterword or acknowledgments, do not read them – he comes off as way too much of an egotist and it taints the book.

 Loved It
3 Liked It
3 Neutral
2 Disliked It
Hated It

Comments:
• This was super cute although at times, I was a little bored. However, at the end, I must admit, I did cry. He has a very conversational style which worked well to tell a series of Marley mishap stories but it just did not read like a novel or a good memoir hence the boredom at times. – danica
• The book did not have so many funny dog stories. The book should have been called “Me, My Wife, Some Kids and Oh, Yeah, We Have a Dog”. – Sarah
• When I remembered that the author is a columnist, it explained why the chapters were so short and choppy. It seemed like he included things about his life because he was writing a book. Sometimes the dog-in-my-life theme was too loosely tied in. I appreciate that he and his family liked their dog, but at the end of the day I didn’t really care. – Kerry
• I could have done without the long descriptions of the breed’s qualities and it dragged out a bit at the end, but as a dog lover and owner of a “bad dog”, I empathized and cried at the end. – Brandi
• I couldn’t get through it. It was just not my thing. – Melissa
• Quick and easy read. Some cute stories. Reminded me of my old dog at times. I would only recommend this to a dog lover, specifically a Labrador lover. – Carrie
• Easy book to get through. Enjoyed most of it, but wanted to read more about the dog. Cried at the end! It’s a good read for animal lovers. – Rachelle
• Really enjoyed the stories about Marley and how he and his wife brought up their family with their dog. Very sad but expected ending. Very easy reading. – Tami

Conclusion: While a fun book for those who have and love dogs, it is definitely not the perfect book club book.

Reading Group Guide

Loved It
Liked It
1 Neutral
5 Disliked It
3 Hated It

Comments:
• I was kind of confused about what was going on most of the time. Not enough back story. – Sarah
• Wasn’t interested enough to finish it. – Brandi
• I read both (as promised) but didn’t care for it. – Kerry
• I really much prefer fiction to reading plays. I would rather see a play staged than read one. These two plays did not engage me or draw me in. I read them and don’t remember much about them two days later. – danica
• I barely got through the plays… Just read quickly and prayed for an interesting ending. Sadly, I was disappointed. – Rachelle
• It was not my favorite. I read them in two days but was not pleased. – Tami
• If it had taken more than 2 days, I wouldn’t have finished it. I fell asleep reading multiple times and didn’t even bother re-reading. – Carrie
• Although I finished both plays, I couldn’t wait to be done. Had they been any longer, I would have just given up. I didn’t wonder what the heck was going on and never really found out. – Marlo
• I just didn’t get it. – Steph

Conclusion: It is pretty obvious that we didn’t like this one! These plays won awards etc and maybe we just missed some nuances but still that makes them very non-accessible.

 Loved It
5 Liked It
4 Neutral
Disliked It
Hated It

Comments:
• It was OK. Not a very memorable book. Three weeks after I read it, I couldn’t recall the story. – Sarah
• What I read, I liked, but it made me cry and I couldn’t finish it. – Stacey
• I enjoyed it. It wasn’t my favorite book, but I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed the way she wrote the characters. – Tami
• I liked it – I just got a little confused. – Steph
• I loved the first chapter. I really enjoyed being inside his head. The rest was okay. Nothing special. – Carrie
• I cried through most of it. I enjoyed the way that the different lives and generations intertwined. – Melissa
• The character of the old man was definitely my favorite. I thought his descriptions of his aging body were beautiful and showed such realism. The story itself didn’t engage me too much as I thought several of the loose ends were conveniently tied up. – Marlo
• I enjoyed it, but I hated the ending, I liked all the writing styles for all the characters. – Brandi

Conclusion: Although not an overwhelmingly success, most made it through the book and that is a triumph these days. There were good elements but they did not add up to a good story.

Reading Group Guide

4 Loved It
4 Liked It
Neutral
Disliked It
Hated It

Comments:
• I really liked this book. I genuinely cared about the main character. – Steph
• This book had so much drama. I loved it. – Sarah
• Liked the book, but it was hard to get into it. – Stacy
• This was a great read. The premise took me absolutely by surprise, but I liked the conflict. I would have liked more development of the romantic relationship. The tattoo was very intriguing and I love anything set in the Renaissance Period. – Marlo
• The historical aspect that was woven through the story – or, rather, the story was woven through the history – was refreshing. The growth of the main character was a driving force. – Mellissa
• I really liked the book. There were times when it slowed down, but once I got into it, I never put it down. – Tami
• I enjoyed the book and especially the development of the main character. It was interesting to watch her growth and understanding through the years. – Carrie
• The prologue hooked me right away and I wanted to see where it was going and how it was going to end up encompassing what was revealed. – danica

Conclusion: I think this was a hit! Everyone read it and most really really liked it.

Reading Group Guide

7 Loved It
3 Liked It
Neutral
Disliked It
Hated It

Comments:
• A fast read – completely engaging with a great story and characters. I’ve recommended it to lots of friends. – Steph
• I enjoyed reading this book. I’ve read so many in this time/place, but learn something every time! – Kerry
• Well written and I loved the way the author painted a picture of the event/story. – Stacy
• Beautiful and touching story. Although on the surface a story of friendship, I really felt it was a love story. – Marlo
• I really enjoyed this book. I loved seeing this culture from the women’s perspective. – Carrie
• Very good read. Loved how it told the history though the characters. -Brandi
• Excellent book… Foot binding fascinated me. Also, the development of characters was thoroughly interestingly. – Rachelle
• This book was so good and interesting! I loved it. Such an easy read. – Tami
• Fun read. This story is more unique than other stories of this genre. – Sarah

Conclusion: Everyone read it, most finished it, everyone really liked it. This is a definite recommendation to other book clubs!

Reading Group Guide

3 Loved It
2 Liked It
1 Neutral
Disliked It
Hated It

Comments:
• It was a really good book, but I would not recommend the extended version. It got a little too political with a rant about Socialism. – Sarah
• I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Except for the end, too political. I couldn’t put it down. – Carrie
• This wasn’t quite the non-stop meat packing horror I expected. It seemed more focused on the plight of the immagrant families and the lack of support in society. Although I liked the storyline of the main character involved in politics, the Socialist commentary at the end was too contrived. – Marlo
• I thought this book was increadibly insightful and still relevant. – Steph
• I thought this book was a really important read – a real look into the life back then. Makes me glad to be a vegetarian – Brandi

Conclusion: We sure had a chatty book club and didn’t even get down to business until 9PM. I think we all miss each other and the time was well spent even though we weren’t discussing the book as much. We did get down to it at the end and we all had similar feelings as demonstrated in the comments.

Reading Group Guide