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Book: Dilly of a Death by Susan Wittig Albert
Discussion:
The reaction to this month’s book, Dilly of a Death by Susan Wittig Albert, was rather varied. Three group members voted thumbs up, two gave it a thumbs down, five voted thumbs sideways, and one abstained from voting.
One of the main objections to the book was that it was the twelfth book in a series of eighteen. Many readers dislike starting in the middle of a series because they do not feel acquainted with the characters or their histories. One Page Turner, who happens to be an Albert fan, gave the first book in the series, Thyme of Death, a ringing endorsement.
The characters presented a problem for some readers, too. While several group members commented that they found China and McQuaid to be interesting characters and Ruby an original sidekick, others thought they felt a bit stereotypical. Our Albert fan reminded the group that since this was the first China Bayles book for many of us we did not have the opportunity to get to know them over time. Readers of the entire series would probably feel comfortable enough by the twelfth book to be able to focus more on plot than characterization.
We also learned about the character of Brian from this group member. Brian was McQuaid’s son from an earlier marriage. One Page Turner commented that he was mentioned several times in the book, but seemed to have no one to look after him with China and McQuaid involved in investigative pursuits. Apparently, in the first few books of the series Brian lived with his mother, a woman typified as a flake. However, by the time Dilly of a Death takes place he has more or less moved in with China and McQuaid.
Another sticking point was the relationship between Amy and Kate. Some group members felt like the relationship between the two women did not jive, particularly with Amy’s list of former boyfriends. At one point in the book, China did wonder if Amy had embarked upon the relationship for reasons of a non-romantic nature, such as security, convenience and companionship, which could be correct. We would have to read the later books in the series to find out.
As in the novel, we engaged in quite a bit of discussion before talking about the mystery aspect of the story. One Page Turner remarked that it was not until page one hundred and thirty-six that we had a body. It seemed as if this installment in the series focused more on the domestic portions of the characters’ lives than on a crime, which again would not be such a drawback were we reading the entire series.
Many of the elements of a good mystery were present in Dilly of a Death; the celebrity of the victim, an original, yet characterized manner of death, several suspects, some with dubious connections, and romantic affiliations. However, it seemed to me, as if there were not many clues as to the killer’s identity. Once I finished the book, I could not look back and identify any thing I might have picked up on earlier to help me figure out who killed Phoebe Morgan.
There were several things we did enjoy about the book, the foremost being the Texas setting. Many Page Turners have travelled to the Texas Hill Country and enjoyed reading about a recognizable place. We all identified with the rainstorm that pre-empted the Pickle Fest. Quite a few of our group members came to Texas from other states, several from Michigan, but in their time here have come to appreciate the weather, making the deluge in the book no unfamiliar event.
One Page Turner really enjoyed the metaphysical elements of the book and identified with the character of Ruby. As a result, we spent a bit of time discussing various herbs that are known to have medicinal properties and others that are just unique. We all wished we could have sampled some of the tea shop’s lavender scones!
The discussion of herbs led into a talk of health and healthcare which took us to the end of the meeting. We also took suggestions for next year’s reading list. At the August meeting we will distribute an annotated list of selections and a voting ballot. Group members will select the twelve books they are most interested in reading and bring that list with them to the September meeting, after which the votes will be tallied.
We also passed out flyers for upcoming programming and copies of next month’s selection, The Given Day by Dennis Lehane, as the meeting concluded.
Monday, July 26, 2010
June 24, 2010: Page Turners 7 p.m.
Book: Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
Discussion:
We had a record vote this month at Page Turners. Of the twelve group members attending, ten readers gave this month’s selection, Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, a thumbs up vote. The two remaining members abstained from voting pending completion of the book.
We began the discussion by talking about the author. As her biography from Barnes and Noble stated, Lisa See does not immediately come to mind when readers think of Chinese-American authors. With her bright red hair and freckles it is easy to understand why that is. However, See is one-eighth Chinese. She grew up in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles and has even written a non-fiction book about her Chinese ancestors. One Page Turner heard See speak at the Dallas Museum of Art’s Arts and Letters Live program, and another provided us with an article on the event.
When asked what they liked best about the novel the group members responded that they enjoyed the historical fiction genre. They felt like they really learned something about China, and more specifically Shanghai, just before the Second World War. Several group members also thought the novel was easy to read. One read it in only three days, and another finished it in five days.
One thing the group members did not like about the book was the ending. The novel concluded with Joy running away to China and Pearl deciding to follow her, even though she would risk not being able to return to the United States. This seemed like a cliffhanger to some of the group members, who felt a sequel was in order. The article one member brought suggested that See’s next project is such a sequel.
We also discussed a few major events in the book and some of the characters. First, we talked about May and Pearl’s time on Angel Island, the concealing of May’s pregnancy, and the fabrication of Pearl’s pregnancy. We were a little surprised that the women managed it so well. I, personally, thought manufacturing a pregnancy for Pearl would be more difficult than hiding May’s. After Joy’s birth, and as she grew up, we wondered about May’s connection to her biological daughter. When she was little May would take her to the movie sets to make money, but otherwise seemed to have little to do with the girl and few maternal inclinations. Pearl, on the other hand, fully embraced her role as "Joy’s mother" and proved herself to be a much better parent than May probably would have been. When May revealed who really fathered Joy, we did question why Pearl had never previously considered the possibility of her being Z. G.’s child.
As the meeting concluded, we discussed a few more topics, such as many societies’ preoccupation with having sons, the death of May and Pearl’s mother, which revealed her to be more maternal than we had imagined, and Joy’s politics and Communist leanings.
A few group members also brought their suggestions for next year’s reading list. Suggestions will be collected next month as well, with ballot distribution at the August meeting. Flyers for upcoming programming and copies of next month’s selection, A Dilly of a Death by Susan Wittig Albert, were also provided.
Discussion:
We had a record vote this month at Page Turners. Of the twelve group members attending, ten readers gave this month’s selection, Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, a thumbs up vote. The two remaining members abstained from voting pending completion of the book.
We began the discussion by talking about the author. As her biography from Barnes and Noble stated, Lisa See does not immediately come to mind when readers think of Chinese-American authors. With her bright red hair and freckles it is easy to understand why that is. However, See is one-eighth Chinese. She grew up in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles and has even written a non-fiction book about her Chinese ancestors. One Page Turner heard See speak at the Dallas Museum of Art’s Arts and Letters Live program, and another provided us with an article on the event.
When asked what they liked best about the novel the group members responded that they enjoyed the historical fiction genre. They felt like they really learned something about China, and more specifically Shanghai, just before the Second World War. Several group members also thought the novel was easy to read. One read it in only three days, and another finished it in five days.
One thing the group members did not like about the book was the ending. The novel concluded with Joy running away to China and Pearl deciding to follow her, even though she would risk not being able to return to the United States. This seemed like a cliffhanger to some of the group members, who felt a sequel was in order. The article one member brought suggested that See’s next project is such a sequel.
We also discussed a few major events in the book and some of the characters. First, we talked about May and Pearl’s time on Angel Island, the concealing of May’s pregnancy, and the fabrication of Pearl’s pregnancy. We were a little surprised that the women managed it so well. I, personally, thought manufacturing a pregnancy for Pearl would be more difficult than hiding May’s. After Joy’s birth, and as she grew up, we wondered about May’s connection to her biological daughter. When she was little May would take her to the movie sets to make money, but otherwise seemed to have little to do with the girl and few maternal inclinations. Pearl, on the other hand, fully embraced her role as "Joy’s mother" and proved herself to be a much better parent than May probably would have been. When May revealed who really fathered Joy, we did question why Pearl had never previously considered the possibility of her being Z. G.’s child.
As the meeting concluded, we discussed a few more topics, such as many societies’ preoccupation with having sons, the death of May and Pearl’s mother, which revealed her to be more maternal than we had imagined, and Joy’s politics and Communist leanings.
A few group members also brought their suggestions for next year’s reading list. Suggestions will be collected next month as well, with ballot distribution at the August meeting. Flyers for upcoming programming and copies of next month’s selection, A Dilly of a Death by Susan Wittig Albert, were also provided.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
May 27, 2010: Page Turners 7 p.m.
Book: The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry
Discussion:
This month’s Page Turners’ selection, The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry, received a pretty positive reception. Eight group members gave it a thumbs up vote, two voted thumbs sideways, and one voted thumbs down.
The main detractor from the book was its hokiness. There were a few incidents in the book that seemed very unlikely. One of these was the idea that Alexi Romanov was the antecedent of the new heir instead of Alexi’s sister Anastasia. With Alexi’s hemophilia, Anastasia seemed like the more realistic choice to produce an heir, yet Berry killed her off as a young woman. Another example of hokiness in the book concerns the two would-be assassins Droopy and Cro-Magnon. It does not make a great deal of sense for the people who wanted Lord dead to use the same gangsters every time, especially after he learned to indentify them. Nor would it be realistic to continue employing them after they failed to dispatch their target so often.
One Page Turner found this hokiness and some of the invented fictional details a little too much, and even discussed some of the authentic historical facts in a blog post which she read to us. She commented that reading history as opposed to historical fiction is often more interesting.
Several of us really enjoyed the historical bits in the novel. Many of the group members confessed to having long-held interests in the Romanov family, as well as Fabergé Eggs which played a small part in the book. We thought the description of the Romanovs concealing their jewels on their bodies was particularly realistic, and enjoyed the parts concerning Rasputin too. At the meeting we learned about the legend of his death. Apparently there were many attempts on his life such as a poisoning and a stabbing, before he was finally shot and drowned.
A few readers brought related clippings with them. One was an article that described some DNA testing done in 2008 which confirmed that all the Romanovs had been killed in 1917. The other clipping was a review of the book George, Nicholas, and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I. Interestingly all three of these royal men were related through England’s Queen Victoria. George V was her son Edward VII’s son, Nicholas II married Alexandra, daughter of Alice, Victoria’s second daughter, and Wilhelm was the son of Princess Victoria, the eldest daughter of the English Queen.
We also discussed the bad guys’ practice of taking on the names of previous politicians such as Lenin and Khrushchev. We liked this because we did not have to figure out too many difficult Russian names, having already been familiar with these men.
We wrapped up the evening by talking about a few of Berry’s other books. One Page Turner had read The Charlemagne Pursuit and recommended it to the rest of us, and another mentioned The Third Secret. We also touched on a few other enjoyable historical fiction series, Gabaldon’s Outlander and Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear.
Flyers for upcoming programming and copies of next month’s selection, Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, were distributed as usual, and group members were encouraged to bring suggestions for next year’s reading list to the June and July meetings.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
April 22, 2010: Page Turners 7 p.m.
Book: In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
Discussion:
We had quite a varied reaction to this month’s book, In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson. Since we read his A Walk in the Woods last year I expected more thumbs up votes, but we only had three. Aside from those three, three other Page Turners voted sideways, and the final third abstained from voting.
We began the discussion by talking about Bryson in general. We wanted to know what exactly his occupation was before he began writing full-time. Some thought he had been a teacher. I read the biographical information I had brought with me but it did not properly address the question. After the meeting I looked up Bryson’s official site through Random House, which suggested that he had previously been a journalist in England. He wrote for both The Times and The Independent while supplementing his income with travel articles. In this respect Bryson seems similar to Dave Barry, a humor columnist and author we had already been comparing with Bryson.
Once we had dispensed with Bryson’s biography we moved on to his Australian trip. Throughout the book he takes different mini-trips, some by train, some by car, and he also references previous trips to the island continent. A few readers found it difficult to keep all these trips straight. It also reminded us of his piecemeal expedition on the Appalachian Trail. In that book, Bryson would hike a large portion of the Trail for many days at a time, then he would leave to fulfill other obligations and return when he could, sometimes only for a day.
We also discussed the numerous museums Bryson visited while in Australia. Some of them were quite surprising, like the Lambing Flat Museum, while others were just plain odd. In the latter type Bryson would often be the only visitor in them!
From here we digressed into recounting some of the funny anecdotes in the book. One we particularly enjoyed was the tale of a married couple out in a rented boat on a popular waterway. They were hoping to find some good fishing and noticed a small inlet where no one else was. They rowed down a bit and got their gear together only to realize they had steered right into alligator central. After about ten very disconcerting minutes they managed to return to safe waters, in tact and with an amusing story.
This story brought us to the topic of how many unique creatures there are in Australia, many of which could kill you quite easily. Some of these creatures include spiders, snakes, sharks, caterpillars, and jellyfish. With such a large amount of killer species several Page Turners questioned why anyone would choose to live in Australia. Thanks to some history provided by Bryson we know that Australia was originally established as a penal colony. Thus, those poor souls had no choice but to live among these animals. As to the current population, we can only assume that, having been born or raised among these creatures, the Australian people have grown used to them and as a result do not live in daily fear of them. Now Bryson presents a totally different question. I have always considered Bryson to be a fairly fearful individual. Yet, despite more than one encounter with a few of these creatures, our author continued to walk around quite a bit of Australia. Perhaps we misjudged him.
In regard to Bryson’s personality we did decide that we enjoy his adventures more when he shares them with other people. Part of the fun of reading A Walk in the Woods was discovering what kind of person his next hiking buddy would be. Reading about the different sites he visited in Australia was interesting but many of the more comical parts came when he was interacting with another person.
At this point we were nearing the end of the meeting and diverged into the topics of the World War II bombings in Darwin, immigration during that war, internment camps, and the 2008 film Australia. We also agreed that we learned many facts by reading this month’s book and are glad we did so, though we may think twice before making a trip to the land down under.
Flyers for upcoming programming and copies of next month’s selection, The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry, were also distributed as usual.
Discussion:
We had quite a varied reaction to this month’s book, In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson. Since we read his A Walk in the Woods last year I expected more thumbs up votes, but we only had three. Aside from those three, three other Page Turners voted sideways, and the final third abstained from voting.
We began the discussion by talking about Bryson in general. We wanted to know what exactly his occupation was before he began writing full-time. Some thought he had been a teacher. I read the biographical information I had brought with me but it did not properly address the question. After the meeting I looked up Bryson’s official site through Random House, which suggested that he had previously been a journalist in England. He wrote for both The Times and The Independent while supplementing his income with travel articles. In this respect Bryson seems similar to Dave Barry, a humor columnist and author we had already been comparing with Bryson.
Once we had dispensed with Bryson’s biography we moved on to his Australian trip. Throughout the book he takes different mini-trips, some by train, some by car, and he also references previous trips to the island continent. A few readers found it difficult to keep all these trips straight. It also reminded us of his piecemeal expedition on the Appalachian Trail. In that book, Bryson would hike a large portion of the Trail for many days at a time, then he would leave to fulfill other obligations and return when he could, sometimes only for a day.
We also discussed the numerous museums Bryson visited while in Australia. Some of them were quite surprising, like the Lambing Flat Museum, while others were just plain odd. In the latter type Bryson would often be the only visitor in them!
From here we digressed into recounting some of the funny anecdotes in the book. One we particularly enjoyed was the tale of a married couple out in a rented boat on a popular waterway. They were hoping to find some good fishing and noticed a small inlet where no one else was. They rowed down a bit and got their gear together only to realize they had steered right into alligator central. After about ten very disconcerting minutes they managed to return to safe waters, in tact and with an amusing story.
This story brought us to the topic of how many unique creatures there are in Australia, many of which could kill you quite easily. Some of these creatures include spiders, snakes, sharks, caterpillars, and jellyfish. With such a large amount of killer species several Page Turners questioned why anyone would choose to live in Australia. Thanks to some history provided by Bryson we know that Australia was originally established as a penal colony. Thus, those poor souls had no choice but to live among these animals. As to the current population, we can only assume that, having been born or raised among these creatures, the Australian people have grown used to them and as a result do not live in daily fear of them. Now Bryson presents a totally different question. I have always considered Bryson to be a fairly fearful individual. Yet, despite more than one encounter with a few of these creatures, our author continued to walk around quite a bit of Australia. Perhaps we misjudged him.
In regard to Bryson’s personality we did decide that we enjoy his adventures more when he shares them with other people. Part of the fun of reading A Walk in the Woods was discovering what kind of person his next hiking buddy would be. Reading about the different sites he visited in Australia was interesting but many of the more comical parts came when he was interacting with another person.
At this point we were nearing the end of the meeting and diverged into the topics of the World War II bombings in Darwin, immigration during that war, internment camps, and the 2008 film Australia. We also agreed that we learned many facts by reading this month’s book and are glad we did so, though we may think twice before making a trip to the land down under.
Flyers for upcoming programming and copies of next month’s selection, The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry, were also distributed as usual.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
March 25, 2010: Page Turners 7 p.m.
Book: The Known World by Edward P. Jones
Discussion:
The meeting of the Page Turners book discussion group was a little different this month. Due to a professional conference I was unable to moderate the meeting. Luckily, another librarian, John Reid, was willing to fill in. The overall opinion of this month’s selection was rather divided, as shown by the group members’ votes. Two readers voted thumbs up, two voted thumbs down, three voted thumbs sideways, one abstained from voting and another had not yet finished the book. For a complete description of the discussion please see John’s summary below:
The group opened with a discussion of the fact that the book won a Pulitzer Prize and whether it had been worthy of the honor. More people disliked the book than liked it. The most unpleasant aspect of the book for the group was the nature of "time-jumping" in the book, where the author would refer to the future lives of characters in sometimes the same paragraph where they were introduced. The technique gives the reader a sense of being all-seeing and all-knowing. It is also perhaps designed to show off the impressive amount of research the author had undertaken. The huge amounts of (often tangential) detail, related to both the characters and the setting, detracted from a smooth reading. Consensus was strong that the book was a tough read and at many points easy to put down.
There was also a discussion of tone. The book was written in a very dry, historical fashion, almost as though it was a legitimate history itself and not a work of fiction. It was suggested that perhaps the book was trying to serve as such a history, though the details of the book are not historical.
The meaning of the title drew some debate. "The Known World" was taken to mean the small world which the characters in the book knew and understood. Because slavery was so pervasive and normal in that world, the slaves in the book have little context for the extent of the evils perpetrated against them. In that vein, one patron commented how some slaves were actually well-fed and well-treated by some masters, further muddying the moral picture. On the other hand, claimed another patron, such good treatment came at the expense of their liberty. The brutality of the period was well-reflected in the book.
We touched on the character of Alice briefly. Was she truly insane or deranged, or merely faking it to make her way out of slavery? The consensus was that it was all a put-on, as demonstrated by the intelligence displayed in her creation of the Townsend Plantation mural discovered at the close of the book. We also discussed a possible plot hole regarding Caledonia: why did she turn to Moses for comfort? It was perhaps unease with the plantation she had inherited from her dead husband Henry, and an unwillingness to draw the hard line between master and property.
FINAL VERDICT: The book covers an important and novel subject, but it is a shame it was not more readable. Many people who would find the story enlightening and engaging would probably be turned off by the author’s incredibly dry writing style and unwillingness to focus on the immediacy of the characters’ actions.
Discussion:
The meeting of the Page Turners book discussion group was a little different this month. Due to a professional conference I was unable to moderate the meeting. Luckily, another librarian, John Reid, was willing to fill in. The overall opinion of this month’s selection was rather divided, as shown by the group members’ votes. Two readers voted thumbs up, two voted thumbs down, three voted thumbs sideways, one abstained from voting and another had not yet finished the book. For a complete description of the discussion please see John’s summary below:
The group opened with a discussion of the fact that the book won a Pulitzer Prize and whether it had been worthy of the honor. More people disliked the book than liked it. The most unpleasant aspect of the book for the group was the nature of "time-jumping" in the book, where the author would refer to the future lives of characters in sometimes the same paragraph where they were introduced. The technique gives the reader a sense of being all-seeing and all-knowing. It is also perhaps designed to show off the impressive amount of research the author had undertaken. The huge amounts of (often tangential) detail, related to both the characters and the setting, detracted from a smooth reading. Consensus was strong that the book was a tough read and at many points easy to put down.
There was also a discussion of tone. The book was written in a very dry, historical fashion, almost as though it was a legitimate history itself and not a work of fiction. It was suggested that perhaps the book was trying to serve as such a history, though the details of the book are not historical.
The meaning of the title drew some debate. "The Known World" was taken to mean the small world which the characters in the book knew and understood. Because slavery was so pervasive and normal in that world, the slaves in the book have little context for the extent of the evils perpetrated against them. In that vein, one patron commented how some slaves were actually well-fed and well-treated by some masters, further muddying the moral picture. On the other hand, claimed another patron, such good treatment came at the expense of their liberty. The brutality of the period was well-reflected in the book.
We touched on the character of Alice briefly. Was she truly insane or deranged, or merely faking it to make her way out of slavery? The consensus was that it was all a put-on, as demonstrated by the intelligence displayed in her creation of the Townsend Plantation mural discovered at the close of the book. We also discussed a possible plot hole regarding Caledonia: why did she turn to Moses for comfort? It was perhaps unease with the plantation she had inherited from her dead husband Henry, and an unwillingness to draw the hard line between master and property.
FINAL VERDICT: The book covers an important and novel subject, but it is a shame it was not more readable. Many people who would find the story enlightening and engaging would probably be turned off by the author’s incredibly dry writing style and unwillingness to focus on the immediacy of the characters’ actions.
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