September book: The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein

chosen by Rachael

Book Description:

Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals.

On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through.

From the author's website.

What we discussed about the book:

We all loved the book! 

Sorry everyone - have misplaced the notes from this wonderful book but I know they're here somewhere!  As soon as I get my mitts on them I'll finish this blog.  Apologies again to Rachael especially.

Movie characters:

• 
  

And then we were sidetracked into:

And in other news:

Ratings

Ratings average: 

Ratings range: 

August book: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

chosen by Pip

Book Description:

Water for Elephants is "told in flashback by nonagenarian Jacob Jankowski.  Jacob recounts the time he spent with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, a traveling circus he joins during the Great Depression. When the 23-year-old Jankowski learns his parents have been killed in a car crash, leaving him penniless, he drops out of veterinary school and turns his expertise with animals into a job with the circus, where he cares for a menagerie of exotic creatures. He also falls in love with Marlena, one of the show's star performers—a romance complicated by Marlena's husband, the unbalanced, sadistic circus boss who beats both his wife and the animals Jankowski cares for."

From Publishers Weekly

What we discussed about the book:

We all loved the book with its quirkiness and unpredictability.  Some felt there were a few strange parts such as the train jumping and Jacob going to kill Walter.

Robert Pattinson/period drama is Rachael's dream, Alana's nightmare.

Most of us liked both parts of the story ie Jacob's life now plus the flashbacks to the circus days.  That took us to the topic of aging and appreciating our elders and their life stories. A lot of us have elderly relatives that we try to visit often, and admittedly, while you appreciate them, the stories do become repetitive and it can be hard to stay interested.  We loved Rosemary for the dignity with which she treated Jacob - unlike the nurse that just pulled the blind down without asking him.

We also talked about whether, like Jacob, it was better to lose your spouse first or for you to die first. Jacob, even though there were times he 'would give anything to have her back', was glad she went first to spare her the pain of losing your loved one.

We discussed how circuses are all about illusion.  Why do we crave the illusion circuses represent?  How do we cater to people's desire for illusion?  We likened this to the PR industry that most of us are involved in, and how 'events' and other PR are all part of an 'illusion'.  Reality doesn't come into it.  We felt that there can be a lot of b#$%@*t and pretension.

We missed a few of the references in the story.  Nobody got the biblical reference to Jacob, and we didn't predict who killed Augustus!  We also missed why Jacob was shitty with McGuinty, the man who boasted about carrying water for elephants.  We guess it was because Jacob knew it to be untrue and that McGuinty was making up stories so the 'girls would fawn over him'.

Movie characters:

It was hard to go past the actors who are playing the characters in the movie:

• Marlena - Reese Witherspoon
  
• Jacob - Ryan Gosling
  
• August - Billy Zane
  
• Big Al - ?
  
• Camel - ?
  
• Walter - Peter Dinklage
  
• Earl - guy from Pulp Fiction
  

And then we were sidetracked into:

Rob Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.  What is with Kristen - whiny, surly, doesn't seem very happy - don't like her attitude to fame.  Rach loves Rob, and some think he is attractive - bit weedy though and looks like he'd blow over in the wind.  We don't get all the interest in the Twilight series and a lot of us don't think Stephanie Meyer is a particularly good writer.

Which moved us onto Mormons.  Alana had to pitch for work for them for the opening of a temple in Perth, which is only open to the public every 77 years.  Alana and Marie offered the prospective clients tea/coffee three times, and made themselves a coffee, only to be told 'we don't drink tea or coffee'.  Needless to say, they didn't get the job!  PS The temple was incredible.

....Which then moved us onto wedding ceremonies - and some funny stories of 'dry' ones.  Pip ended up drinking in the bushes.  Rachael is just going to end up in the bushes at Pip's wedding!  How do you manage the drinks at weddings?  Bridesmaid etiquette was also a topic of conversation and how to tell friends they aren't in the bridal party!  A tough one!

And in other news:

We got to meet the newest bookclub baby, Finn - thank you for bringing him Bree.  He's beautiful and you look SO well.

Pip prepared a circus feast with mini hotdogs, popcorn, pink and yellow cupcakes and lollies — very cute and beautifully themed!

Pip's wedding preparations are going well.  Jack and Sharon are going to help with 'styling'.  Pip and Wade are probably going to have heavy canapes, then a sit-down main.

Does our blog have any followers? Lets do a few more things with it!

Ratings

Ratings average: 7.9

Ratings range: 6.5 — 9.5 (Rachael gave it 9.5, the last 0.5 being because Rob Pattinson is playing Jacob in the movie.)

May book: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

chosen by Bree

Book Description:

"It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

By her brother's graveside, Liesel's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Gravedigger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery."

What we discussed about the book:

Everyone who finished the book really loved it.

We talked about the unique narrative style, but that it just seemed to work really well. Most of us enjoyed the way 'death' narrated the novel, with Sharon particularly enjoying it and finding him/it (!!) funny at times. We agreed the unique style made a horrifying topic much easier to read, and it ended up being an absolutely beautiful story.

We pretty much all agreed that we cried at the end, and most found it an easy read, although a few of us found it took a little while to get into.

A few other points we enjoyed included:

• We were all interested in the characters, and wanted to know what was going to happen to them.
  
• The language was really well used, beautiful at times, and conveyed the story and feeling of the time so well.
  
• It had a satisfying ending - sufficiently 'wrapped up', but not with a sickly sweet ending!
  
• The little 'pull out' explanations: like '3 small but important facts...' were excellent.
  

One of the questions asked was 'why did the novel foreshadow a number of the deaths?' The general consensus was that it helped reduce the shock and horror of the deaths themselves, as by being aware of it you could enjoy the last moments of the characters.

To sum up, the book made a lot of us think about the theme of words, and language, and how enriching books and words can be.

The final line was perfect..."I'm haunted by humans"'

Who we would cast in the movie version of the book:

• Death- Nicolas Cage
  
• Papa- an older Sam Neill. We thought he had to have kind eyes
  
• Mama- Kathy Bates
  
• Rudy- Sean Astin (from the 80s, and the Lord of the Rings)
  
• None of us had any suggestions for Liesel or Max.
  

And then we were sidetracked into:

• That Sharon kissed the little boy from Kramer vs Kramer (when she was in Europe in her 20s). We looked him up and remembered how cute he was!
  
• Apparently Alana has a thing for Cuba Gooding Jnr!
  
• Quiz nights - how much we love them and that we should go to one together soon!
  
• Pen was nervous about what to say when she spoke to Sophie's class about her job!
  
• Moral vs illegal actions - what is a problem for role models, and are there different expectations for politicians vs sportspeople. What is a 'sackable' offence, and what should we expect from people in the public eye.
  

And in other news:

• Bree ordered pizza which was VERY popular, and Shaz made a lovely chocolate cake.
  

Ratings

Ratings average: 8

Ratings range: 6-9. 1DNR

February book: The Other Hand, by Chris Cleave

chosen by Kim

Book Description:

The Other Hand is narrated alternately between Sarah, suburban mother and magazine editor, and 'Little Bee', a Nigerian girl seeking asylum, who speaks Queen's English learnt from broadsheet opinion columns and a Collins Gem, with snatches of her native language.

The novel is built around a sickening scene on the Nigerian beach where Sarah and her husband, Andrew, briefly met Little Bee. These three characters cannot 'move on', physically or emotionally, after their experience there.

Despite the beach scene and the depiction of the plight of refugees, hope for new beginnings is at the story's heart - as Little Bee remarks, 'a sad story means, this storyteller is alive'.

What we discussed about the book:

We used a lot of Oprah's reading questions for The Other Hand, which made us talk about ourselves more than actually talking about the book!

For example, Little Bee tells the reader "We must see all scars as beauty...because a scar means, I survived" (p9).  We discussed what emotional or physical scars we have and whether we've come to embrace any of them.

We talked about whether we trusted one woman's voice over the other and decided Little Bee was a more likeable character.  We couldn't understand Sarah liking Lawrence, with whom she had an affair.

We briefly discussed when do you decide to put yourself first and when to offer charity.  Is one human life ever more valuable than another?  And then, like Little Bee and her sister Kindness, we chose new names for our group members, based on their characteristics.

Jack - Generous Jack, Rachael - Giving go-getter, Sharon - Loyal tiger, Pip - Calm strength, Pen - Resilient lady, Alana - Loyal rock, Bree - Generous thinker, Kim - Gracefully capable.

Who we would cast in the movie version of the book:

• Sarah - Kate Winslet
  
• Little Bee - a young Thandie Newton
  
• Andrew - Coling Firth
  
• Lawrence - Ralph Fiennes
  
• Batman - ??
  

And then we were sidetracked into:

• What a great movie Avatar is.
  
• Bullying - who of us was bullied and how we coped with it.
  
• The escalation of random violence we are reading about in the news

And in other news:

We got an update on how Alana, Caryn and Zachary are going.

Ratings 

Ratings average: 7.9

Ratings range: 7 to 8.5

January book: Good to a Fault, by Marina Endicott

chosen by Pen

Book Description

Clara Purdy is at a crossroads. At forty-three, she is divorced, living in her late parents' house, and near-ing her twentieth year as a claims adjuster at a local insurance firm. Driving to the bank during her lunch hour, she crashes into a sharp left turn, taking the Gage family in the other car with her. When bruises on the mother, Lorraine, prove to be late-stage cancer, Clara decides to do the right thing. She moves Lorraine's three children and their terrible grandmother into her own house—and then has to cope with the consequences of practical goodness: exhaustion, fury, hilarity, and unexpected love.

What, exactly, does it mean to be good? What do we owe each other in this life, and what do we deserve? Good to a Fault is an ultimately joyful book that digs deep, with leavening humor, into questions of morality, class, and social responsibility. Marina Endicott looks at life and death through the compassionate, humane lens of a born novelist: being good, being at fault, and finding some balance in between.

What we discussed about the book:

Overall, those who read the book liked the fact that the character development and ending were thorough. A lot of the books we have read tend to rush the ending and/or we don’t get to know the characters very well. The book handled both those things really well.

We then discussed:

• Whether we would take on a family like Clary did.
• How Clary's personality changed from quite dull to being full of life with the children around.
• The difficulty of being in Lorraine's position, but also the way she treated Clary when she got better and took the kids back.
• How much we hated Clayton!
• Clary's relationship with Paul though no one had really strong feelings about Paul as a character

And then we were sidetracked into:

• Children starting school and how they coped. Were they looking forward to it, did they enjoy it etc.
  
• Anxiety, how it can affect us and how you manage it.
  
• Did any of us develop anxiety after having children, or did having children exacerbate an existing condition?
  
• The surprising number of people that have anxiety, depression.
  

And in other news:

• We discussed Pip’s forthcoming snowboarding trip to Japan.
  
• We discussed what Sharon is going to do for her 40^th birthday – that is after she organizes Shaun’s 40^th which is in 3 weeks time!
  

Ratings

Ratings average: 8.00

Ratings range: 7.5 to 8.5