Babes with Brains Book Club

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

Comments:
• Hated the first half and the end. The second half was not bad but the characters never grew or changed. – Sarah
• I hated the characters, I felt they were vapid and toxic, no redeeming qualities. Because of that, I hated every word, action and story development. – Danica
• I liked the first part, but strongly disliked the second part. I felt the story lacked. – Steph
• Very warped story but a quick read. I enjoyed it. – Vicki
• Have not finished it, but am liking it a lot. I do plan on finishing it! – Tami
• What a fun book! For all those who have witnessed/been a part of adultery and desired revenge, this book was a treat! Loved the characters… enjoyed it all! – Rachelle
• I’m not done yet, but I’m really liking it. – Melissa

Conclusion: We we very divided on this one but it did lead to a fruitful discussion. There was a lot to talk about.

Reading Group Guide

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

Comments:
• I loved the setting but really disliked the story line. It definitely gave me some things to think about. – Danica
• Glad to have finally read this book! I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would… but interesting. – Steph
• Some parts were interesting but the story didn’t come together as much as I hoped it would and I didn’t love the ending. – Shannon
• It was better than 1984. I thought it closer to what the future may be. – Sarah

Conclusion: We had a very lively discussion that connected current trends and event to the setting of the book. Even those who didn’t end up reading it were able to participate. I call it a success!

Reading Group Guide

0 Loved It
5 Liked It
2 Neutral
0 Disliked It
0 Hated It

Comments:
• At first, I really like the book but then it became obvious and repetitive in the emotional responses. – Sarah
• I really enjoyed it. It was a fast, easy read. I didn’t love all the characters, but did like the relationship between them and the development through the past to present. – Carrie
• I enjoyed the book. I thought the relationships between all the characters were interesting. – Kerry
• I didn’t love the story but I did like how some of the small everyday expressions were not translated so you really got a feel for the setting outside of the physicality of it. – Danica
• It took a while to decipher the characters. But I enjoyed the strengths that the female characters were able to portray.
• The characters in this book were intriguing and they made me ask questions about Indian culture. I’m still shocked at the brutality at the hand of men in the book! However, the women were resilient and vibrant. Good read. – Rachelle
• I enjoyed the book. Got into it quickly. Did not enjoy the end but I finished it! – Tami
• I liked the writing style, but found the story very/too depressing. – Steph

Conclusion: I think we all read and finished it, that says a lot. We also had a very lively discussion about caste systems and women’s roles in society.

Reading Group Guide

0 Loved It
0 Liked It
1 Neutral
1 Disliked It
0 Hated It

Comments:
• Was not a fan of the songs, prose or story at all. I also did not like how all the characters were driven by greed. – Sarah
• I am ultimately glad I read this as I felt it was a missed opportunity from childhood. There were parts that I really enjoyed and other parts that I could have done without. Having said all that, I am still really excited to see the upcoming movies. – Danica

Conclusion: Most of us didn’t want to read it and most didn’t.

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

Comments:
• I totally enjoyed this book. I learned so much and was happy to find out it was non-fiction. It has made me really want to go to Rome. – Sarah
• I learned a little more about the Sistine Chapel Ceiling masterwork, but what really intrigued me was the political and interpersonal history that played into how it got made. – Danica
• I haven’t gotten very far.

Conclusion: Those of us who read it, loved it, but few actually cracked the cover.

0 Loved It
2 Liked It
0 Neutral
2 Disliked It
0 Hated It

Comments:
• It is a great story and a classic for obvious reasons. However, I did not like it as much as the first time I had read it. – Sarah
• I didn’t ever feel any enjoyment in reading this. It droned on and on and the dialogue was repetitive and boring. The concept is interesting, but I didn’t enjoy it. – Melissa
• I didn’t understand why this has become such a classic. I finished it hoping it would get better, it did not. I found no climax and little plot. – Carrie
• I expected more of the creating of the monster and less of the chasing of it. I also didn’t feel the need for a story within a story as the most interesting part was when the monster was learning, not when he was scheming and rampaging. – Danica

Conclusion: We were a bit disappointed at how much the modern day version of Frankenstein is much more interesting than its source material.

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

Comments:
• This was a really interesting book. However, I thought the book would focus on looking at people in business (CEOs etc) rather than the history of psychopathy. – Sarah
• I enjoyed his writing style. I also found the topic to be interesting. – Melissa
• While I did enjoy the book, I didn’t love it. However, I did keep thinking about it long after finishing it, so something did connect on an intellectual level. – Danica
• Not the book for me. Interesting concept but many the actual psychopath anecdotes were just too disturbing. – Marlo
• Very easy read, but did not enjoy. Hard to put into words why. Probably because of my profession. – Carrie

Conclusion: While we had mixed reviews, we had a lively conversation about it.

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

Comments:
• I really enjoyed this book. I was expecting not to like it, but was pleasantly surprised. – Sarah
• I love this book! One of my favorites of the books I’ve read recently. Such a unique story. – Kerry
• I couldn’t get into it… – Steph
• I have begun and am enjoying it. I will finish it one day. – Tami
• I really enjoyed this book. Very intriguing and a fast read. – Carrie
• This book took me awhile to get into. Once I did, though, I really enjoyed it. The medical knowledge was very interesting. -Melissa
• I love this one. The character development was really interesting and the cultural setting, was even more fascinating. Even though it was long, I read it super fast. – Danica

Conclusion: We mostly really liked it. We spoke about it a little but the group was really quiet and mellow. I think on a different night, it could have been really lively.

Reading Group Guide

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

Comments:
• A good story about empathy and friendship. – Kerry
• A classic for good reason. I really enjoyed re-reading it. – Melissa
• I am loving reading this with my kids. It’s so fun watching them get excited about such a classic story. – Carrie
• Love this story. Always have, always will. – Tami
• I remember loving this story as a child, but it really did not last the test of time. – Sarah
• I must have read it as a child, my sister did, so I must have too but I did not remember it. I enjoyed it and can see how it is a classic children’s book. – Danica

0 Loved It
0 Liked It
0 Neutral
2 Disliked It
0 Hated It

Comments:
• It was way too long. I now understand the reason for abridged versions of books. – Sarah
• You could really tell that Hugo was paid by the word. The books meanders way too much, sometimes for a hundred of dense pages at a time. In the end, I did not finish it because I got sick of skimming. – Danica

Conclusion: Lofty goals, we tried to slog through this but in the end, few actually got past 100 pages.

0 Loved It
2 Liked It
2 Neutral
0 Disliked It
0 Hated It

Comments:
• Some parts were food. A lot of needless violence that was not part of the vampire thing. It was a quick read. – Sarah
• I enjoyed some parts, others I found boring. I was happy that I read it although it left no lasting impression. – Danica
• I like it but didn’t get very far. – Steph
• I like the half that I read. – Melissa

Conclusion: Few read it, but those who did were not angry about it. We had a short discussion but it didn’t go very far.

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

Comments:
• Really good book. Great story and great character development. – Sarah
• I wouldn’t say I “disliked” it. I didn’t like it, though. I felt it rambled. – Melissa
• I thought it was interesting – It was a bit all over the place with the characters. I would like to see the musical. – Kerry
• I liked it. Thought the story was interesting and I liked the writing style. – Steph
• I liked the structure of the story in that it breezed from one character to another. Until the end, you couldn’t tell how all their stories were going to come together. Some of the character’s stories I really enjoyed, others I didn’t care for. – Danica

Conclusion: Not many read it, but those who did, enjoyed it.

0 Loved It
0 Liked It
1 Neutral
4 Disliked It
0 Hated It

Comments:
• It just was not a good book. – Sarah
• Interesting idea but I had some difficulty with the characters. – Shannon
• I didn’t like the writing style and wasn’t crazy about the story. – Steph
• I enjoyed the first half. Then it became too political and too boring. I would not recommend it. – Carrie
• I made it half way through. I liked certain interweaved stories but not enough to continue on with it. I also really disliked the main character. – Danica

Conclusion: Generally not received well.

Reading Group Guide

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

Comments:
• I really enjoyed this book. I thought the writing was beautiful! – Steph
• This was a great story! I really loved the twists. – Melissa
• It took a little bit to get into, but once I did, I loved it! The writing was beautiful, the story and twists were unpredictable. – Carrie
• I loved this one. The characters both present and in recollection were so well written. Once it gets going, it is certainly a ride. – Danica

Conclusion: Those of us who read it had a great discussion, unfortunately, most of the club didn’t end up reading this one.

Reading Group Guide

0 Loved It
1 Liked It
4 Neutral
0 Disliked It
0 Hated It

Comments:
• Not as good reading it the second time around. Definitely appeals to teenagers bu doesn’t age well. – Sarah
• I didn’t finish it. :-( – Melissa
• Interesting to read the source of so many cultural references. – Shannon
• Interesting concepts but didn’t love the story. – Carrie
• I remember this one quite fondly, but after re-reading it, I must be melding a bunch of other books into it because I didn’t enjoy it as much this time around. – Danica

Conclusion: Everyone was pretty luke warm about this one. We spoke about it a bit and its cultural permeation, but the overwhelming feeling was disappointment, the second time around.

Reading Group Guide

9 Loved It
0 Liked It
1 Neutral
0 Disliked It
0 Hated It

Comments:
• An icreadible series! – Melissa
• Amazing! Wasn’t excited about it at all. But once I started I couldn’t stop. Read all three in a week. – Carrie
• Can’t wait to read the next 2! I was completely pulled in. The post-apocalyptic theme was compelling and I couldn’t put it down. – Brandi
• At least it was short. I hated the writing style at the beginning of the book. It got better when the games started. I didn’t like the premise at all but I don’t like fantasy. – Sarah
• Awesome book! An east to read thriller… couldn’t put it down! – Rachelle
• Great series! I really enjoyed the books, east and fun to read. – Vicki
• I loved this book. I will be finishing the series. Already reading book 2. – Tami
• I was hooked immediately, loved the first book but also loved the whole story arc that play out over the course of the three. – Danica

Conclusion: For the most part this was a book that given the genre, most were apprehensive. However the story won almost everyone over fairly quickly.

Reading Group Guide