At our last book club gathering, we discussed Allison's pick, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I use the term "discussed" loosely because among those of us who made it to breakfast, I was the only one who read the book. Still, I put in my two cents there and I'll do it again here: I dearly loved this book. When I posted about it originally, I had just started reading it, and already acknowledged my shock at the fact that it hadn't landed in my hands at some point during my reading career. To me, ATGIB ranks up there with To Kill A Mockingbird on my best-of list. It's a heartfelt and raw coming-of-age story told through the eyes of a young girl who desparately tries to make a better life for herself while growing up in the Brooklyn slums pre-WWI. This is a book I'll share with Sara during her teenage years; I hope she'll pick it up and adore it, too.
There were a few weeks on the calendar between finishing ATGIB and the next book club meeting, and I knew I'd need some reading material to get me through. Furthermore, I'd be flying to Chicago without anyone but myself to entertain, so I had the perfect opportunity to turn a few pages. I picked up Something Borrowed on a trip to Half-Price Books in early January. I know everyone else read this book when it came out years ago, and I finally picked it up because I was intrigued by the combination of the fun, easy read and the $1 pricetag ($1!). SB turned out to be an enjoyable, completely non-challenging, perfect-for-my-flight-to-girls-weekend read. I don't feel a need to continue with the series, but SB served its purpose.
I also finally bought The Girls from Ames (not even on Amazon.com or at Half-Price, which should indicate to you how badly I wanted to read it). Leigh and I wandered into a mom-and-pop type bookshop in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago (you know, the mom-and-pop type shop that features lots of gay porn, but that's beside the point), and I picked up the book my friends had been raving about. I began reading at the airport the next day, and finished the book no more than four days later (and it only took that long because I chose to also do things like hang out with my family and go to work). TGFA was especially touching because I had just spent the weekend with my girls from Ames, but is also certainly a story that will be cherished by any woman who has ever had - or been or even wanted - a true and life-long friend.
Now I've started the newest book club read - picked by yours truly, recommended by my friend, Christine - The Thirteenth Tale. I have only read through chapter two, and although I thought chapter one was a little on the slow side, some interesting revelations in chapter two have sparked my interest. I can only hope that someone else reads the book so we can discuss it at least breifly between bites of breakfast and gossip when we meet in February. Ahem.
"A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy."
Edward P. Morgan
