What's your club's May book?

We're doing Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. I haven't even started it yet, but if anyone has and has any thoughts, I'd love to hear them!

Oh, I enjoyed that book! :o) It's not exactly light, though.

We're discussing I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron for my women's only book club tonight, and later in the month my library club will be discussing Case Histories* by Kate Atkinson.

*The touchstone is wrong for that, and there's no 'others' link.

My group is reading How to be Lost by Amanda Eyre Ward.

Which is an ok book but I felt that it ended before it ever really began and just stopped when there was more story to tell. I don't know...perhaps the author has a sequel planned? All I know is that I'm glad that I found a used copy for 75 cents on half.com

I read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan in February. I liked it. It was a quick read for me...but then again I was on a plane at the time. Lots of enforced reading. Lisa See has a beautiful way of writing and bringing to life China in the 1800's. There were times that I laughed and times in which I almost cried - especially when she talked about foot binding! Eek!

I read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan when it first came out and loved it. If you haven't already read Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden, then do so! It's a great book also. My book club is currently reading The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier

Yes, Memoirs of a Geisha is definitely on my "books to read" list. I can already sense a big foot binding discussion coming out of all this!

We are reading Memory Keeper's Daughter, which is our most "book cluby" sort of book, if that makes sense to you. I actually tried to read it last year and couldn't finish it! I couldn't stand that book! Too Lifetime movie for my taste. I am anxious to see what our group thinks of it.

miss read,

how do i add the "green 43%" to my member id so that it shows up on posts?

David Perrings

I see that the % box shows up for other people but not for me. that part i get. I have noticed though that it does not show up for every other user listed.

why is that?

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was our April read and I was very pleasantly surprised. There is a good balance between the protagonists: one very traditional and one very rebellious. It helps the reader understand all the incredibly rich traditions, ceremonies and subtleties of Chinese culture and this author does this in a very human and emotional way. I learnt so much and discovered NuShu which I had no idea existed - as a linguist I found this fascinating! I would compare Lisa See to Amy Tan in her approach: an American author with a deep understanding of her heritage.

#8 - Dperrings, I'm not sure why the percentage box only shows up for some users. Perhaps it doesn't appear for users with private accounts? Or those who only have a small number of books catalogued?

I'm so glad you said that! I had Memory Keeper's Daughter recommended to me by all kinds of people and I couldn't stand it either. Couldn't stand the doctor, and thought his motivation for abandoning his daughter was unbelievable, and completely impossible to agree or even empathize with. Gave up, and went on the Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls: a much better use of my time. ;)

I have read in past months for book clubs both Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Memory Keeper's Daughter. I enjoyed both very much. I am looking forward to Lisa See's new one Peony In Love.

Current book club read is A Tree Grows In Brooklyn--a classic this time that I can't believe none of us ever had to read in high school.

Aww, momom, let us know if you like it. I really enjoyed A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but I read it a looooong time ago. :o) The sequel Joy in the Morning was pretty good, too.

Nice club choice, Sabarade!

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is one of my all time favorite books! I reread it typically every year. I don't believe Joy in the Morning is a sequel to Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but it is still a great read as well!

Hmmm, maybe I should have called it an additional memoir, then.
It's supposed to be semi-autobiographical, just like Tree. Isn't it?

Okay, I did some googling. There were two other autobiographical novels between the two,

"Smith's two subsequent books, Tomorrow Will Be Better (1948) and Maggie Now (1958), also dealt with her life growing up in Brooklyn, while Joy in the Morning (1963) was inspired by Smith's early married life and her struggle to support her family..."
I found that on answers.com.

Has anyone read these other two? I never heard of either of them before, I'm ashamed to admit.

i'm in two book clubs - the first chose vonnegut's breakfast of champions in honor of his recent death, and the second chose infidel by ayaan hirsi ali.

i'm looking forward to the vonnegut and found it at a recent library sale for $1, but am not really interested in the second book and cannot find it at a local used book store or on the shelf in any of my nearby county library systems (all copies are checked out with many holds on returned books).

has anyone here read infidel? i'm debating skipping reading it this time, mostly because i hate paying having to buy and pay full price for a book that i'm not going to end up liking.

I have not read the other two, but would really like to. I believe they are out of print currently, but still available pretty widely through sellers (found Maggie Now on Amazon starting at one cent plus shipping).

I've finished reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and, while it was a quick and pretty good book, I wouldn't say I loved it.

Our group met at the end of April, and couldn't find a date in May that worked for all, so technically we're reading our June book, but it's Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. We read Behind the Scenes at the Museum in this group many years ago and really enjoyed it. (I've also read other Atkinson books on my own.)

Hey cabegley, I just started Case Histories this morning, and I'm enjoying it. I need to finish it by Thursday evening for my book club meeting. I thought it would be a chore, but it surely is not.

That's good to know, clamairy--I'm early on in a fairly thick nonfiction book (The Bounty by Caroline Alexander), and I'd rather not stop it to start my book-club read if I can help it.

We are reading 1776 by David McCullough for this month. I am continually impressed by how LITTLE I know about American History (or any history, for that matter). The nuns did not do well by me in that subject area!!!

The book is interesting (since I know so little) and very well written. It is not difficult to read , but it is taking some time. I find myself forgetting if a character is a colonist or a Brit and having to keep looking them up. I also felt the need to do some pre-1776 research to give myself some perspective (did I mention how little I know).

Once again, the great thing about the book club, is that I would have otherwise NEVER picked up this book on my own and would have continued through life with my lack of knowledge.

JM1982,
Do NOT skip Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I just finished it, and it is one of the best books I ever read. The story goes from Ali's childhood in Somalia/Saudi Arabia/Ethiopia/Kenya to her escape to the Netherlands and then to the U.S. She underwent genital mutilation, beatings, and an arranged marriage as a "good, submissive" Muslim. When she finally rebelled and escaped, she became a spokesperson for Muslim women's rights and a target of hatred and death threats by European Muslims. Her discussion of the rights of groups/cultures versus the rights of the individual is profound. I found the book deeply moving. It raised a lot of questions I will be thinking about for a long time.