Babes with Brains Book Club

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

Comments:
• I enjoyed reading about the history of LA and the library and the mystery element of who/how the fire happened. Very excited to visit the Central Library. – Kerry
• I learned a lot fro this book and appreciated the narration style. I think I have arrived at and acceptance of ambiguity regarding arson. My favorite parts of the book were about Harry Peake and the mystery around his involvement with the library. -Hillary
• I enjoyed reading about the fire and the background of Harry Peak. I learned a lot about libraries and Los Angeles history, and appreciated how the author bounced around all these topics throughout the book. -Nicole
• I vaguely remembered the fire and aftermath from my childhood but didn’t remember much else. Orlean expertly weaves the history of the Los Angeles, the library, the fire, the investigation, the recovery, and the evolution of library services in such a way that even with unanswered questions about the arson abound, the reader feels satisfied. – Danica
• The book was so informative. I really liked that the story jumped around because if it was in chronological order, I would have gotten bored. I found the whole book fascinating. – Sarah
• I fell in love with this book. As a bibliophile I have always adored libraries and the history and the stories of what libraries can be. -Chelsea
• The Library Book was fascinating, interesting, and a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed learning so much about Central Library and beyond. -Steph

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

Comments:
• I thought it was a well put together story, especially for a first time novelist. I wish some of the characters were more developed. – Kerry
• I thought the way the story was told makes it a very unique psychological thriller. I was very readable. – Nicole
• I was entertained for sure. I appreciated the various twists and turns. I also liked the way in which the author played with time. I would be curious to read something else by him. – Hillary
• I enjoyed it; especially the plot twist. It went fast for me. – Chelsea
• I was a good quick read. I didn’t see the twist coming. – Sarah
• I really enjoyed this book. I was very surprised at the end! A fun and engaging read. – Steph
• I was a little dismayed by the male perspective swooping in to fix the female patient but as the story unfolded I understood the need for that paradigm. In the end, I enjoyed the book and read it super fast. – Danica

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

Comments:
• I am enjoying it; I haven’t finished it yet. He has a very specific and evident voice and opinion. – Chelsea
• Interesting narrative of the history of sapiens. A lot of information to take in. – Kerry
• I thought the book was interesting and I felt like I learned a lot. It’s important to read with a critical eye. – Stephanie
• The beginning captivated me; I lost interest toward the middle and that left me feeling less motivated to persevere in reading. Still, I appreciated the depth of knowledge and a new take on topics learned about in prior schooling experiences. – Hillary
• I was fascinated by the ideas in this book and find that it often comes up in conversation. However, there were aspects that felt slightly biased especially towards the middle and end. – Danica

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

Comments:
• I appreciated the setting and historical context. At times, I felt the book’s pace was slow, and in these moments, I didn’t feel fully engaged. – Hillary
• I didn’t really care or like the story. It really did not show that people have any sort of control of self. – Sarah
• I was hoping to connect more with the book than when I was in high school I found it to be more slow, but I do respect the historical significance. – Chelsea
• I did not enjoy the writing style. It was engaging in the first half of the book, but I didn’t connect with the progression of the story. – Carrie
• I listened to the book. My experience seemed to be a little different than everyone else’s because the reader changed his voice/accent for the different characters and read the more lyrical parts with an almost musical cadence. I did however, agree that the second half was less interesting. – Danica
• I thought the book was an interesting and important book of the history and culture of South Africa. I’m glad I read it. – Steph
•I liked the way the book was written, the poetry of the descriptions of South Africa, and the different points of view. – Kerry

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

Comments:
• I haven’t finished it yet (so close!) but do far, I love it! The Amy Semple McPherson parts were the most interesting to me. – Chelsea
• I really enjoyed this book. I wouldn’t have read it on my own, but the commitment through book club inspired me and I was pleasantly surprised by how compelling the history was. Loved the choice to profile McPherson, Griffith, and Mulholland. – Hillary
• It was pretty interesting but at times I got really stuck in the history of the movie industry. – Sarah
• I really enjoyed learning about the history of LA through 3 people in this book. It was so interesting, but the writing style was not great. – Steph
• I understood the choice of profiling Mulholland and McPherson (who I never heard about previously) but I thought DeMille would have been a more Los Angeles story than Griffith because of Griffith’s deep roots and story telling about the South. I feel the only reason Griffith was chosen over DeMille was because of Griffiith’s downward spiral after talkies became popular. All 3 people profiled had a major downfall after riding high, DeMille worked vigorously until his death. – Danica

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

Comments:
• The book was slow at times but had some amazing imagery. – Sarah
• I tried so hard to finish this… and I did, albeit by watching a 10 hour Russian mini-series based on this in the middle and then finishing the rest. I had a really hard time keeping everyone straight which is normal for me, especially with Russian literature. – Danica
• I tried to get into this book but it didn’t hold my attention. I found there were many moving parts and I got a little bit lost. – Hillary
• I didn’t read it. Crazy month. – Steph