Book Club Reads
Do you belong to a book club? I’ve found that a book club expands my reading a lot simply because I’m not always reading my own choice. I’m not always reaching for my favorite genres or authors.
Years ago (circa 2007-2008) I participated in a book club. I don’t remember for how long the club lasted or how many books we read. But I do remember two of the selections: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and Good Grief by Lolly Winston. I gave both of those books 5
.
In November 2022, I was invited by another writer to participate in a book club made up entirely of novelists. Those of us participating live all over the country, so we meet by Zoom. While I haven’t liked all the books we’ve read (intensely disliked a couple of them), this experience of reading along with other authors has been so enjoyable. It fascinates me to learn why someone likes or dislikes something when I felt the opposite. Or for that matter when someone agrees with me, that fascinates too, because sometimes it is for a different reason. Not to mention, novelists often see things in a different way from those who don’t write fiction.
Since the book club began, here are the books we’ve read and the ratings I gave each one:
A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman (5)Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett (4)The Breaking of Ezra Riley by John L. Moore [book not in audio; didn’t read]The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (4)The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick (4)West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge (4)Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister (2)The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks (3)The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck (4)Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (1)The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi (4)The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard [DNF]The Exchange by John Grisham (2.5)The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz (4.25)The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (1.5)People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (3)If this helps, here is my personal rating system:
Robin’s Ratings:
5 = Out of this world. Amazing. Unforgettable. A personal favorite.
4 = Loved/really enjoyed it. Will recommend to others.
3 = Liked it. Glad I read it. Engaging/entertaining/interesting.
2 = The book was okay, but I’ve enjoyed other books so much more.
1 = For whatever reason, I didn’t like it and can’t recommend it.
Have you read any of the books my book club has read? If so, do you disagree with my rating? And if you have a great suggestions for my book club (fiction only), please share!
PS If you would like to read my reviews, you can find them on Goodreads. Feel free to send me a friend request or follow my reviews there if you would like.
~robin
