What We're Reading

For August we read Elizabeth Strout's latest book Things We Never Say. 

The story follows Artie Dam, a high school history teacher whose life begins to unravel and the story  is about what happens when something you’ve kept to yourself can no longer remain hidden and deals with marriage, loneliness and things left unsaid. 

Half our group loved it. Some said favorite book of the year. It's made it to the booker short list, but this person thought it was mediocre at best. Truly I disliked the book. Most negative reviews are from people bothered by the politics, but that wasn't my case. I found the charcters thin. Seriously makes me think the booker is not a list I need to follow if this was short listed.

Buy from Bookshop  Audiobook  Buy from Amazon

We read Tiger's Wife by Tea OBreht in July which was the winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2011, making OBrecht  the youngest recipient of the award at that time. While we normally read current fiction and lean toward new releases, Tea is part of our community and we were so excited for Sunrise we wanted to read her earlier work. Tea got up in the middle of the night to zoom with us - and Molly messed up and didn't log in. Sorry Tea and JH bookclub. What a miss. 

We really enjoyed The Tiger's Wife, a story of a young Balkans doctor who explores her grandfather's life leading to magical tales. It took a bit for some of us to get into it but once we did it was universally appreciated.

Buy from Bookshop  Audiobook  Buy from Amazon

In June we read Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser. 

We found it to be a great summer read. A familiar story with a spin -- Cinderella told from the Stepmom's point of view. 

Twice-widowed, Lady Ethel Tremaine is raising her three daughters (two hers one a stepdaughter) in a crumbling estate. She hopes her dead husband’s title will secure her daughters’ future through marriage and risks it all for invites for her girls to a royal ball. Only to see her hopes fulfilled by the wrong daughter. As an engagement to the future king unfolds, she discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she craves and the wellbeing of the ungrateful stepdaughter.

Buy from Bookshop    Buy from Amazon  Audiobook

For May, we read Yesteryear, the debut novel from Caro Claire Burke. It's Natalie's story, a modern-day trad-wife influencer who shares her idyllic lifestyle of raw milk, farm-fresh eggs, faith, and family with millions of followers. When she one day wakes up in 1855—she has to figure out if she's in a reality show gone wrong or being pranked. 

Yesteryear was fab for a discussion because the book explores influencer culture, religion, the manosphere, and the popularity of traditional living online and the gap between that and reality. But for a read, it was rough as you never saw into the characters points of view. Natalie didn't love anything or anyone and it's  told  from her perspective, so none of  the other characters ever came to life either. No character development. 

A great book club pick for conversation but not a great novel. As more time has gone on the editor of this page is so pleased we read this as a group and so early in coverage of the book. Great to be involved in topical conversations. 

Get it from Bookshop  Get it from Amazon Audiobook

Sybil said, or rather wrote, so many things well including, “Are you a reader? I can’t trust someone who is not a reader.”  The JH Book Club readers that made this month's meeting unanimously loved The Correspondent. We marveled at Evan's plotting skill. 

Sybil’s letter to Larry McMurtry struck everyone when she wrote “How absolutely astounding all the trouble living has turned out to be. I wish someone would tell me over and over again serpents will emerge from the bottom of the sea and grab you by the feet.... Everyone around me was rising up to the fullness of themselves while I was withering—the text was a painful truth.”

The story does show disappointment, delves into the greatest heartaches, what Sybil calls “the wretched and dreaded, where blow after blow lands with no relief.” Yet, its not a sad story, at seventy-three, Sybil makes a number of changes even as life hands her more loss, but also more love, more chances and she seizes them. And while she suffered tragedies her life was not tragic, she had a rich career she enjoyed, and the letters she wrote and received throughout her life were not just special but connections and relationships.  The Correspondent shows its never too late to live fully, love deeply, or seek forgiveness—whether from yourself or others, it's always worth it.
Buy from Bookshop. AudioBook Buy From Amazon

This book led to a discussion that reminds us why book club is valuable to us. Some members loved it, while others found it difficult to engage with, even bleak at times. Still, everyone agreed the writing is beautiful, and we were glad to have read it together.

We discussed how culture and upbringing shape what we find comforting, what  we enjoy. 

A big topic was happiness and whether it shifts across cultures. While we all recognize that individuals experience happiness differently, the book pushed us to consider whether different cultures might have different baselines. Some readers saw the characters as deeply unhappy and struggled to understand why they didn’t change their circumstances, while others pointed out that what feels bleak from one perspective may feel stable or even comforting from another.

We also explored feeling other how identity and perception shifts depending on context. This extended to a broader conversation about how our tastes are influenced by community. 

It’s a strong choice for book clubs, even if not everyone enjoys the read the same. Beautiful writing and insights were appreciated by all. 

Buy from Bookshop Audiobook Buy from Amazon

Charlotte Runcie's book, set at Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival, brings you into the world of artists and critics. The story hinges on a one-star review given by a theatre critic who sleeps with the actress after he pans the show but before it's published. She reads the review the morning after, still in the flat with the critic. She leaves humiliated. She rewrites her show, furiously telling the story of him picking her up after her show. Her new audience interactive show goes viral and results in the loss of his job.  

We discussed the value and uniqueness of live theater, what art is, and how anonymous reviews affect our actions compared to the opinions of critics we regularly follow or those of people we know.  We talked about enjoying art in person, and discussed what’s entertainment vs someone’s public rant. 

It’s a great book for sparking discussion for thinking about art, artists and criticism, and we felt the author wrote well in both the female and male voice.  

Buy it from Bookshop  Buy from Amazon