Book Club

I really don't have anything going on today but I did think that I would mention my book club. Me and some girlfriends are in a book club. Thought I would share our books that we have read. We have a good mixture of books. They have all been great. So go to the bookstore and get to reading!!

• The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger. It is an unconventional love story that centers on a man with a strange genetic disorder that causes him to unpredictably time travel, and his wife, an artist who has to cope with his frequent absences and dangerous experiences.
• My Sister's Keeper by Judy Picoult. A novel about a young girl who sues her parents for the right to make her own decisions about how her body is used when a kidney transplant is planned in order to potentially save her older sister, who is dying from leukemia.
• Empire Falls by Richard Russo. A small, fictional mill town in Maine called Empire Falls, though once booming in industry, is quickly deteriorating. Owned by the powerful Whiting family, the town can no longer sustain itself. Seen through the eyes of Miles Roby, the manager of the Empire Grill, which is also owned by Mrs. Whiting, his struggles with family, including his divorce and his teenage daughter, greatly mirror the condition of the town. As prospects for the town's future dwindle, the past is visited to explain Miles' history as well as those around him and the town itself.
• Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler. The book follows the lives of three siblings: Cody, Ezra, and Jenny, and explores their experiences and recollections of growing up with their mother, Pearl, after the family is deserted by their father, Beck. The novel ends with Pearl's funeral, and a surprise occurrence. The novel examines how siblings may share the same events yet experience them differently. Eg. Cody remembers his childhood as a harsh time. He blames himself for his father abandoning him and considers himself left to the mercy of an angry mother who favours Ezra. Meanwhile Ezra remembers his childhood fondly and creates a nostalgic family-themed restaurant.
• Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. The novel is set in China in the 1800s. It chronicles a lasting friendship between two women.

We have not discussed the last book, since that is the book that was chosen for this month. So if you find yourself having some free time and need some good summer reads, I would suggest any of these books. Two of these books are in the process of being movies that will come out later this year. My Sister's Keeper stars Cameron Diaz. The Time Traveler's Wife stars Eric Bana (yum! From Troy fame). Oh yeah, Empire Falls was a mini-series on HBO a while back.

Another great book that is being made into a movie presently is Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. If you have not read this book, you need to. Like all of Sparks' books, this will bring you to tears. If you are a fan of Sparks' The Notebook and A Walk to Remember or Nights in Rodanthe, this is for you! Oh yeah, on a side note...the new Harry Potter movie comes out this summer. Yeah! I might compile a list of some more must reads that I have enjoyed over the years. Ta-Ta for now!