The Secret Life of Bees is a lovely and endearing story.
Set in 1964 South Carolina during the Civil Rights Act, we follow Lily Owens through her journey to find a mother figure, years after her own mother was killed. Lily runs away from home and her unloving father with her nanny Rosaleen whom she broke out of prison. Lily feels she must find out about her own mother, but instead finds the maternal love she craves from an unlikely source; three black beekeeping sisters.
Lily learns about love, spirituality and what a family really is. This novel is enhanced by its attention to the divine female power found within ourselves.
Did you read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd? Let us know your views on it or your opinion of my views on it by adding a comment below and being a part of the Online Book Club. Check out my other blogs at http://moviediscussiongroupandguide.blogspot.com/ and http://writinganovelproject.blogspot.com/
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer
In case you've been living in a bubble and have not heard of the Twilight series, it is the newest cult epic in vampirism. The series consists of 4 novels so far which include: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. There is apparently a 5th book to be released by author Stephenie Meyer from Edward's point of view as oppose to the previous 4 novels which were all basically covered by Bella's point of view. In the Breaking Dawn book we do get a glimpse of Jacob's point of view for awhile as well.
Though the demographic for the series tends towards teenagers, I as an adult thoroughly enjoyed it. The story is told as a first person account of a teenage girl who moves across the country to live with her father in a small town. There she meets and falls in love with Edward, a vampire. Edward is not your typical vampire. Instead of feeding of humans, himself and his vampire family feed only off of animals such as deer and bears. That's not to say the blood lust for humans isn't there, its just repressed. Most stereotypes about vampires get thrown out the window in these books. Sunlight, garlic, crosses and stakes are much less of a concern for these vampires.
The diverse cast of vampires, werewolves and humans alike intertwine in a fascinating world that is very much a part of our own. Almost everyone is a sympathetic character and they grow on you in a family-styled way. Though the movie was wonderful, the series is worth reading to truly appreciate the full story.
My favorite part of the series: How Stephenie Meyer doesn't follow the typical vampire rules and the first-person narrative makes it very personal.
My least favorite part of the series: The beginning of the last novel was a little over the top, I won't spoil it for you but I will say the end of the last novel was fantastic.
On a scale of 1-10
Writing style: 9
Character Development: 9
Content: 8
Did you read the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer? Let us know your views on it or your opinion of my views on it by adding a comment below and being a part of the Online Book Club.
Though the demographic for the series tends towards teenagers, I as an adult thoroughly enjoyed it. The story is told as a first person account of a teenage girl who moves across the country to live with her father in a small town. There she meets and falls in love with Edward, a vampire. Edward is not your typical vampire. Instead of feeding of humans, himself and his vampire family feed only off of animals such as deer and bears. That's not to say the blood lust for humans isn't there, its just repressed. Most stereotypes about vampires get thrown out the window in these books. Sunlight, garlic, crosses and stakes are much less of a concern for these vampires.
The diverse cast of vampires, werewolves and humans alike intertwine in a fascinating world that is very much a part of our own. Almost everyone is a sympathetic character and they grow on you in a family-styled way. Though the movie was wonderful, the series is worth reading to truly appreciate the full story.
My favorite part of the series: How Stephenie Meyer doesn't follow the typical vampire rules and the first-person narrative makes it very personal.
My least favorite part of the series: The beginning of the last novel was a little over the top, I won't spoil it for you but I will say the end of the last novel was fantastic.
On a scale of 1-10
Writing style: 9
Character Development: 9
Content: 8
Did you read the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer? Let us know your views on it or your opinion of my views on it by adding a comment below and being a part of the Online Book Club.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
I figured since my first post on the Online Book Club was about my favorite book, my second book would be about one of my least favorite books: The Catcher in the Rye.
I purchased the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger because of hype and hype alone. The movies "Conspiracy Theory" and "Six Degrees of Separation" as well as many others make reference to this book and I wanted to know what it was all about. I did not read it in high school as it was not part of our curriculum.
I found Catcher in the Rye to be an extremely dull book that was hard to get through. The novel definitely was easy to put down, the hard part was picking it back up again. I found Holden to be a self-absorbed, self-righteous, ego maniacal, narcissistic whiner. Am I being a little harsh? Perhaps, simply because this describes a large portion on teenage males. J.D Salinger may have really nailed the psychological tendencies of a teenage boy going through an identity crises at the point of his life where things are really changing, but do I want to know about it and join him on his adventure and discovery? Definitely not.
For those of you who have not read the book The Catcher in the Rye, it is through the eyes (first-person narrative) of a young man named Holden who gets kicked out of school and spends a couple of days in New York "finding himself". Basically he gets drunk, gets in fights, parties it up a little and thinks everyone is a "phony". When really, he is the phony.
He hates how everyone acts differently when they are around different people. How one person can be rude and inconsiderate to their friends but polite and respectful to a teacher for example. Lets be realistic, we all have different mannerisms and behaviors when we are around different people, and Holden is no different. Sadly for Holden, on top of being a hypocrite, he is also a bore.
The only people I have spoken to who have enjoyed the novel The Catcher in the Rye are men. Maybe there is something about J.D. Salinger's book that I just don't get because I am missing that ever-important Y chromosome.
Did you read The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger? Let us know your views on it or your opinion of my views on it by adding a comment below and being a part of the Online Book Club.
I purchased the novel The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger because of hype and hype alone. The movies "Conspiracy Theory" and "Six Degrees of Separation" as well as many others make reference to this book and I wanted to know what it was all about. I did not read it in high school as it was not part of our curriculum.
I found Catcher in the Rye to be an extremely dull book that was hard to get through. The novel definitely was easy to put down, the hard part was picking it back up again. I found Holden to be a self-absorbed, self-righteous, ego maniacal, narcissistic whiner. Am I being a little harsh? Perhaps, simply because this describes a large portion on teenage males. J.D Salinger may have really nailed the psychological tendencies of a teenage boy going through an identity crises at the point of his life where things are really changing, but do I want to know about it and join him on his adventure and discovery? Definitely not.
For those of you who have not read the book The Catcher in the Rye, it is through the eyes (first-person narrative) of a young man named Holden who gets kicked out of school and spends a couple of days in New York "finding himself". Basically he gets drunk, gets in fights, parties it up a little and thinks everyone is a "phony". When really, he is the phony.
He hates how everyone acts differently when they are around different people. How one person can be rude and inconsiderate to their friends but polite and respectful to a teacher for example. Lets be realistic, we all have different mannerisms and behaviors when we are around different people, and Holden is no different. Sadly for Holden, on top of being a hypocrite, he is also a bore.
The only people I have spoken to who have enjoyed the novel The Catcher in the Rye are men. Maybe there is something about J.D. Salinger's book that I just don't get because I am missing that ever-important Y chromosome.
Did you read The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger? Let us know your views on it or your opinion of my views on it by adding a comment below and being a part of the Online Book Club.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Bless the Child by Cathy Cash Spellman - Online Book Club Review
It only makes sense that my first Online Book Club review be of my very favorite novel of all time: Bless the Child by Cathy Cash Spellman.
I read this book every few years, because as I grow and learn, the book takes on new meaning and gives me all sorts of new insights. Plus it's extremely entertaining, and it is fast-paced and so full of different thoughts, ideas and settings that I always seem to catch a new element every time I read it.
Bless the Child has it all, action, suspense, good vs. evil, love, the power within AND it manages to incorporate all sorts of different religions with a strong emphasis on spirituality that i find addicting. (You'll come to know me as absolutely loving spiritual topics)
In Bless the Child we follow our heroine Maggie, a young and active grandmother who acts as caregiver to her very special granddaughter, Cody. When Cody's estranged mother, Jenna, comes back into the picture to take Cody and raise her, Maggie's world falls apart. From there a whole new world of angels and demons becomes a reality for Maggie and she must take on the battle of good vs evil starting all the way back in ancient Egypt.
Each character is so wonderfully developed. Cathy Cash Spellman really has a way with making the characters three dimensional.
Ok so now on to my big old pet peeve about this wonderful book. The movie. The very bad movie. If you've seen the movie Bless the Child starring Kim Basinger, do NOT judge the book on it. It doesn't even come close.
My favorite part of the book: The past life regression aiding her in her quest
My least favorite part of the book: I wish it wouldn't have ended!
On a scale of 1-10
Writing style: 8
Character Development: 10
Content: 10
Impact on me personally (negative or positive) : 10
Have you read this book? If so, leave a comment on what you thought of it! Know of another book like it? Leave a comment about it!
What book has influenced you or made a major impact on your life? Do you have a book like this that you read every few years? Let us know what it is!
I read this book every few years, because as I grow and learn, the book takes on new meaning and gives me all sorts of new insights. Plus it's extremely entertaining, and it is fast-paced and so full of different thoughts, ideas and settings that I always seem to catch a new element every time I read it.
Bless the Child has it all, action, suspense, good vs. evil, love, the power within AND it manages to incorporate all sorts of different religions with a strong emphasis on spirituality that i find addicting. (You'll come to know me as absolutely loving spiritual topics)
In Bless the Child we follow our heroine Maggie, a young and active grandmother who acts as caregiver to her very special granddaughter, Cody. When Cody's estranged mother, Jenna, comes back into the picture to take Cody and raise her, Maggie's world falls apart. From there a whole new world of angels and demons becomes a reality for Maggie and she must take on the battle of good vs evil starting all the way back in ancient Egypt.
Each character is so wonderfully developed. Cathy Cash Spellman really has a way with making the characters three dimensional.
Ok so now on to my big old pet peeve about this wonderful book. The movie. The very bad movie. If you've seen the movie Bless the Child starring Kim Basinger, do NOT judge the book on it. It doesn't even come close.
My favorite part of the book: The past life regression aiding her in her quest
My least favorite part of the book: I wish it wouldn't have ended!
On a scale of 1-10
Writing style: 8
Character Development: 10
Content: 10
Impact on me personally (negative or positive) : 10
Have you read this book? If so, leave a comment on what you thought of it! Know of another book like it? Leave a comment about it!
What book has influenced you or made a major impact on your life? Do you have a book like this that you read every few years? Let us know what it is!
Welcome to the Online Book Club!
Welcome to the online Book Club! I can assume if you are here, you love to read about as much as I do. Let's face it, one thing that is almost as fun as reading, is discussing the amazing book you just read with others who have read it. That is what this site is all about. (Plus it's fun to start a conversation with "my book club just read...") Our lifestyles often don't allow us to make it out to book stores or actual meetings to discuss our most recent novel adventure, so we are going to take the "new age" approach and do it cyber-style.
So here is how this site is going to work. I'm going to post my ideas on a book I've read, please add your comments as well! This is how it goes from me just simply ranting to an actual discussion. What I also ask of you, is to recommend books you'd like to see reviewed on this site, this makes the experience far more interactive. Also, please suggest books you'd like us all to read so we can have a grand discussion about it. I'd prefer to stick to novels, but if a really great non-fiction comes along and you feel we would all benefit greatly from the reading experience, then by all means suggest it. This site will only be what YOU make it. So let's get started:)
As the site grows, a poll will be set to determine a book for a group readathon. I'll take your suggestions of books to read, post a poll on the site and the winning novel will be our goal for all of us to read and comment on, just like a real live book club! I will also start a book swapping post. Done with your book and want to trade it? Let's set that up! Instead of paying for a new book, all that would be required is the cost of you shipping your book. Reduce, Re-use, Recycle and lets not forget the most important "R" - READ!
So here is how this site is going to work. I'm going to post my ideas on a book I've read, please add your comments as well! This is how it goes from me just simply ranting to an actual discussion. What I also ask of you, is to recommend books you'd like to see reviewed on this site, this makes the experience far more interactive. Also, please suggest books you'd like us all to read so we can have a grand discussion about it. I'd prefer to stick to novels, but if a really great non-fiction comes along and you feel we would all benefit greatly from the reading experience, then by all means suggest it. This site will only be what YOU make it. So let's get started:)
As the site grows, a poll will be set to determine a book for a group readathon. I'll take your suggestions of books to read, post a poll on the site and the winning novel will be our goal for all of us to read and comment on, just like a real live book club! I will also start a book swapping post. Done with your book and want to trade it? Let's set that up! Instead of paying for a new book, all that would be required is the cost of you shipping your book. Reduce, Re-use, Recycle and lets not forget the most important "R" - READ!
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