2012 End of Year Wrap-up

Never you mind the date of this post, gentle reader!  My New Year's resolution will be to update the blog more consistently with our meetings.  It's only April, so, may as well get started...

NVLC ended 2012 with a bang!  What a great year.  With new members and new democratic book choice process, we love Book Club!

1.  A Crime in the Neighborhood by Suzanne Berne (October 2012)

Rina's pick was an quick mystery, possibly more interesting for our group since it was set in the DC suburbs in the 1970s.  Overall, the group gave the book an "average" rating but it did have a solid story line and kept everyone's attention.

I found this to be a very quick read. Maybe part of the fascination was that the story takes place in the DC area. The story was a bit drawn out, and I was disappointed that the boy's killer wasn't caught in the end. This was an innocence lost type of story in a simpler time. Quick read, but not a terrific amount of substance.  -Dustina

2.  A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (November 2012)

This is an older story (1986), chosen by Lorene, about an alternate U.S.A of the future (now Gilead), with classes of citizens and a raging war going on.  Fertility is an issue due to toxins released during the war, and therefore women who are still fertile are called "Handmaids" and used strictly for procreation.  Women are controlled by their Commandants and are forbidden to read, keep their old names, or generally have any freedoms.

I hadn't read this book before (though some women had in high school or college).  I thought it was certainly an enlightening, thought-provoking read.  Though the timing was unplanned, since this book was discussed right after Election Day our discussion took an usually (though friendly!) political turn.  If nothing else, it was interesting to discuss the possible parallels between this alternate universe and today.

I always find these bleak future novels to be quite insightful, yet depressing. Are they warnings of what could be if we travel down certain paths, or are they totally off-base? Something I always find myself pondering with these reads.

Margaret Atwood creates a frightening/sad future for women in our country. A reminder to me of the importance of women's issues and protecting them for the future of our daughters.

This was a better than average read--but I didn't love it. Partially because of the bleak subject matter and story.  -Dustina

Sara hosted the meeting at her home and Lorene did an excellent job leading her first discussion!

3.  The Peachkeeper by Sarah Addison Allen (December 2012)

NVLC ended the year with our December tradition of hosting book club in a local restaurant.  This year, Emily picked Kawata Japanese Restaurant in Fairfax.

This book was not the biggest hit with the group, most seemed to find it a bit "hokey."  Generally, a quick southern-lit read.

This was an enjoyable read, but nothing more. It has such potential but is just very superficial. I wish there had been more to it - more character development, more about the town, more mystery that did not cross into the semi-sci-fi. It was fine and I enjoy Sarah Addison Allen's style, but I was left wanting more with this one.  -Stephanie

What a great 2012!  Looking forward to 2013!!!

NVLC Fall Catch-Up Blog

Wow!  Hard to believe the last time I updated our blog was in July.  Here's a quick catch-up blog in advance of the NoVA Lit Chicks October meeting tomorrow night. 

1.  The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka (July 2012)

Of course this was my pick....and I failed to keep up with the blog to go with it.  Overall, I think the group enjoyed the book.  This was a quick read that I enjoyed, and I think Oprah summed it up best:

“Spare and stunning. . . . By using the collective ‘we’ to convey a constantly shifting, strongly held group identity within which distinct individuals occasionally emerge and recede, Otsuka has created a tableau as intricate as the pen strokes her humble immigrant girls learned to use in letters to loved ones they’d never see again.” —O, The Oprah Magazine

2.  The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt (August 2012)

Lauren chose this book, and it's odd that we would have two westerns in one year (see: True Grit in March 2012), but the general consensus on this book was positive.  Rina (possibly Lorene?) made the interesting point in asking if our opinion of the characters would change if we considered them as older men (instead of younger men). 

3.  Also at the August meeting we welcomed two new members, Lorene and Kim!  Looking forward to Lorene's first book pick in this upcoming quarter. 

4.  Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay (September 2012)

Dustina's book choice was revised at the August meeting since her original pick wasn't available at the library.  Russian Winter won the re-vote.  We seemed to struggle with getting through this long novel and the back and forth between reality, Russia, and memories.  Most members did finish the book and enjoyed the plot twists at the end.  

5.  More new members!  We welcomed Rina's friend Jen to the NVLC at the September meeting!

Tomorrow night we'll hold our October meeting where we'll discuss this month's book, A Crime in the Neighborhood, and choose our picks for November, December, and January. 

My NVLC new-quarter-resolution is to update the blog more :)