Wednesday, October 1, 2008

It feels like Christmas Eve...

Remember when you were a little kid on Christmas Eve? Remember how excited you were? Remember how hard it was to fall asleep?

That's how I feel the night before Book Club Selection Night. This year's selection night has been twice postponed-- and when Ike came to town last month, I was so excited to meet for Selection Night that Lyn (my new and enthusiastic and fearless co-leader) and I waited until the very last moment to cancel. We like books more than we fear hurricanes, I guess. But when it became apparent that we would probably be the only two willing to meet that night, we caved to the pressure.

Ever since my old friend Kelly showed up at our Minnesota selection night with a bag full of books, I show no shame in bringing a lot of books to Selection Night. I have just a couple of rules for the books I recommend-- it needs to have wide appeal, it needs to be something that provokes conversation, and it needs to be something I haven't read before. So without further ado, here's what will be in my cute Feminist Mormon Housewives tote bag tomorrow night:


My mom and dad listened to this book while on a driving trip this summer, and while I'm used to getting book recommendations from my mom, my dad got on the phone and positively gushed over this one. If you know my dad, it's hard to imagine him gushing, but he did, and over a book about "the social, romantic and sexual tribulations of four young women from the elite classes of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia." If it's chick lit and my dad can get into it, then it must be good.


I've heard tons of buzz about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Unfortunately, it's dumb name. It's such a dumb name that I almost feel dumb recommending this book. And it was written by two people. I'm highly skeptical of books written by two authors (in fact, our most hated book club read of last year was a two-author read). But lots of people I know and respect have praised this book to the heavens. I figure that even if it's not great, there will be plenty to talk about.


If you know anything about me and my reading proclivities, you know I love reading about India. This novel, which won the Booker Prize in 2006, takes place in the mountain ranges of Northern India and New York City. It's apparently a beautifully-written novel, and according to the polarized reviews on Amazon (lots of 5-stars, lots of 1-stars), there will definitely be lots to talk about.


I have a feeling that this might be the Three Cups of Tea for our book club this year. It's the story of Haregewoin Teferra, an Ethiopian woman who began adopting orphans with AIDS and "began in small stages and grew to irrevocably transform her life from that of 'a nice neighborhood lady' to a figure of fame, infamy and ultimate restoration." It looks like not only a good read, but also an important book.


I'm breaking my own rule about not recommending books I've already read (after one painful book club year when I'd already read 75% of the books in our lineup), but this one is too good to pass up, and I think it's a great book for a mainly LDS group to read. It's the story of Kate Braestrup, a mom of four young children, whose life was turned upside down when her husband, a Maine State Trooper, is killed while on-duty. She fulfills his lifelong dream of becoming an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, then takes a job with the Maine Game Wardens, ministering to people whose loved ones have gone missing or been killed. It's a beautiful book about the restorative powers of love. Braestrup gave a fantastic interview about the book with Krista Tippett, and I'd love to incorporate parts of the interview into our discussion.

9 comments:

Sabra at Sew a Straight Line said...

YOU! you are who I need to go to when I'm in a book stump.

Have you read Peace Like a River by Leif....crap! Engler...Engiehr...something.?

It's the first of my family's book club books and I would very much recommend it.

lyn said...

I am so excited!! I keep looking over the selections that absent members have sent me to present.

There are too many good choices! We're going to have a tough time tomorrow night. I'm not canceling again.

Shelah said...

Sabra-- Yeah, I read Peace Like a River a few years ago (in the Minnesota book club) and actually I'm right in the middle of Engler's new book, So Brave, Young and Handsome. I love it so far (I'm about 100 pages into it).

The Monkey Mama said...

Shela- somehow, awhile back, I was directed to your blog for book ideas. I always love reading your insightful reviews.
I so wish that my book club took things seriously like yours seems to.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and your love of reading.
-Cortney

Anonymous said...

Again I ask, and when do you find time to read? I'm gonna have to check some of these out and dust the cobwebs out of my brain.

Gabriela said...

I just finished the Guernsey book and I loved it. cute story and I felt like I learned something.

Please post your list!

bluestocking mama said...

ooo, they all sound good! unfortunately, by the time i get to actually read them, i'll probably have already read your reviews of them.

Blue said...

i can't decipher the title of the book about India...and the link isn't any help either. So what's it called? I love india books too.

Shelah said...

whoops, sorry about that, Blue. It's called The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai.