Little Bee - June Book Club Book

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

read June 2010

Little Bee was our June pick. I picked it because I had seen and read a lot about it and, when it came out in paperback, decided it was time to invest. (Side Note: I have to really love a book to buy it in hardback. I will not think twice about plunking down a few bones for a paperback, but you know I am in love when I buy the hard copy. It's a true sign of commitment....) I had to cram to read it, because I kept picking up magazines to read during my trip to NC the weekend before, but I did it. Read all 266 pages before our June 18th meeting.

Wow. This book was deep. It's the story of two women: Little Bee, a Nigerian refugee, and Sarah, a suburban housewife. Their lives connect years before when Sarah and her husband, Andrew, were on holiday in Africa. (Don't you love how the British say "holiday" instead of vacation? I do.) It's disturbing and sad. But also funny at times. Like how Sarah's son refuses to dress in anything but his Batman costume. (Spoiler Alert!) When Sarah's husband dies, it's Little Bee that really is there for her, saving her life in a way. There's this one particular scene at the funeral where Sarah's son jumps into the open grave and Little Bee gets him out. When Sarah thanks her, Little Bee shrugs it off by saying, "I just did what anyone would do". Sarah replies, "But nobody else did". Very poignant. The chapters switch back and forth between Little Bee and Sarah's voices (a la Jodi Picoult). I fancy that style of writing...keeps things fresh. I was impressed by the author's ability to successfully write from a woman's perspective. I did think that Sarah seemed a little detached. However, that probably had less to do with the fact that the author's a male and more to do with the fact that that's just how the character was. Maybe? Maybe not.

All in all, a good read. It's probably not the type of book I'd normally pick, but I'm glad I read it all the same. I wouldn't buy it it hard cover, though.

The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British

The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British by Sarah Lyall

read May 2010

I had been waiting for months to read this book. I mean, just look at the cover! How great - the Queen as a tea bag? I love all things British and it looked great. I was so disappointed. Don't get me wrong, some parts of the book were awesome. However, overall I just found it....well....a little choppy for lack of a better word. Maybe I just had it built up in my head too much. Disappointing.

Eclipse - Again!

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyers

read May 2010

I read Eclipse again (probably the 4th time) in honor of the upcoming release of the movie. June 30th. Can't. Freakin. Wait. I was thinking that this was my favorite Twilight book, but now I just really don't think so. And I liked Bella a lot more before the movies. Now she's just so whiny and annoying. One of the readers on goodreads.com had this to say:

First of all, I have lost most of the respect I had for Bella as a character. Her obsession for Edward has really gone overboard, to the point of becoming downright annoying, even unhealthy. She worships the ground he walks on, and is all too ready to dump her parents and friends just so she can spend more time with him without growing old. She doesn't seem to have any serious problem with the idea of making her parents worry, or the thought of never see them again... she's willing to stomp over anything that isn't Edward, even things that can enrich her life. She's like a satellite, her boring life revolving solely around him. She has no self-worth, and spends a good deal of the book whining, complaining and sighing, I really wanted to shake her hard at times and tell her to GET A LIFE.

Honestly, I kind of agree with that!

The Gargoyle

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

read May 2010

Where do I begin? I didn't like this book AT ALL when I first started reading. It is sooo disturbing. The main character in the story gets burned nearly to death in a horrific car crash. He's a porn star who is raised by his meth-head aunt and uncle. He's driving drunk. It's such a downer! And the details of the car crash are just....absolutely....horrible.

But I kept reading. And OMG I'm so glad I did! I couldn't put this book down. I even took it to work with me and read it while at stoplights on my way to work. While this guy is recovering in a hospital, he meets this mentally ill woman (Marianne, a gargoyle sculptor) who claims that they were lovers in a past life....700 years ago. All the while he's recovering, Marianne tells him stories of their love. She tells stories about the plague, Vikings, Italian mercenaries, 13th century convents, etc.... It's just an amazing book, with all kinds of imagery and themes that I'm just not smart enough to explain intelligently.

I read that the author was given a $2 million advance for this book, which is his first novel. Well, it was worth it. Hands down the best book I've read in 2010.

Dead in the Family

Dead In The Family by Charlane Harris

read May 2010

Dead in the Family picks up where book #9 left off. Sookie is healing and trying to deal with the emotional aftermath of the torture she faced during the Fae war. She and Eric are dating, and they are still married in the vampire way. Bill is having problems healing from the silver poisoning he got during the Fae war. Sookie and Eric were like a "normal" couple in this book. I think I prefer them better when they're fighting. Much more sexual tension that way. There was a lot of political stuff in this book that I didn't really love either (kind of got boring...) The government is considering adding shapeshifters/weres to the national registration bill, which would limit their rights as US citizens. There is a lot of turmoil with some supporting the bill, and some against.

Like the other Sookie books, this book was an entertaining read. Harris continues to do a great job with character development, and I enjoyed seeing many of my favorite characters again. The tone of the book was more of a downer than previous books, which I guess makes sense given what Sookie went through with the Fae war.

As a fan of the Sookie series, overall I enjoyed this book however it was not one of the better ones in the series.