Agawam Pageturner's Book Club's Discussion of People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

The group had a lively discussion about People of the Book. Some liked and some did not like the book. Some people liked the aspect of all these different people preserving a Jewish illustrated Haggadah from 1480 to the present day. Others enjoyed the characters and learning something they didn't know much about. Some did not like going back and forth from the present to the past, and some did not like the present conservator's life, with exceptional parents and her complicated life style. Some thought it was cliched. Others enjoyed going back and forth and learning how the conservator pieced together the history of the book. One person said once you found out, you didn't care. Others found the book disappointing. They didn't finish it and found it too difficult to understand. Others liked learning about the Spanish Inquisition, and pointed out how applicable that still is today. It was a very lively discussion with varying opinions.

Night Bookers' Book Club's Discussion of Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross

The group had a fun discussion about Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind. Most people found it comical, a farce. Some people though she used hyperbole in exaggerating the preacher who was trying to have Miss Julia declared incompetent so he could get at her money. One person didn't like the way the church was portrayed. Another funny scene for the group was when Miss Julia, Lillian and Hazel drove out of the television station parking lot, taking back little Lloyd, the end result of affair Hazel Marie had Miss Julia's husband. Another funny episode was when Miss Julia thought she was a nymphomaniac. People laughed a lot when reading the book. Even though the book was light, it presented some serious topics. Miss Julia had no idea her husband was having affair until after her husband died. Her husband controlled all her affairs and metaphorically kept her in a box. He told her she was incapable of doing most things. People enjoyed the development of Miss Julia as her own person throughout the book. At first she hated the boy and what he stood for. She worried about what the neighbors would think. So, at first she took the boy into town to publicly humiliate her husband. One of the few connections Julia had before her husband died was with her friend and maid Lillian. At the end of the book, she ended up becoming friends with her husband's mistress, Hazel Marie. Hazel Marie was needy and Julia needed somebody to take care of. Her husband never took care of her. Hazel Marie was portrayed as a victim, not an evil mistress. When a new will leaves everything to little Lloyd, Hazel offers to take in Julia. It was very touching. People in the club despised her husband, calling him a hypocrite, although one person wondered what was Lloyd (senior) lacking? Another said that he did love his son and have a relationship with him, and that probably Hazel Marie loved Lloyd Senior, too. At the end of the book, Miss Julia has everything she ever wanted, a home (in North Carolina no matter what the will says the spouse always gets half), a new man who really loved her (Sam), a family, and a new self. Everybody enjoyed the book.

New Books Added in November

Here are the book's added in November: Adult, Children's, Teens.