Agawam Pageturners' Book Discussion of The Red Thread by Ann Hood

The group had a good discussion about The Red Thread. Most liked the book. The book tells the story of six couples who for various reasons want to adopt baby girls from China. Maya, who has founded The Red Thread Adoption Agency, is their guide to getting these babies. She has had her own tragedy; her baby girl died when she dropped her getting her out of the bathtub. She leaves her husband Adam in Hawaii, and forms a new life in Rhode Island by starting the agency, connecting hundreds of couples with children. Besides hearing the stories of the American families looking to adopt, the book also told the stories of the Chinese families putting the girl up for adoption. People thought the book did a good job of showing real characters with diverse stories. Some thought some of the plot lines were contrived, but others thought these devices were the author's prerogative. Others thought there was too much sex in the book. Other than those comments people enjoyed the book.

Night Bookers' Book Club's Discussion of Revere Beach Boulevard by Roland Merullo

The group had a great discussion about this book. Most people liked the book. They were drawn into the characters. They thought the plot was great; they were always waiting for the shoe to drop. Some thought the plot was dark. Others disagreed because of the bonds between the family members were so strong. The story is about an Italian family in Revere. The son Peter has a gambling addiction, and he is in trouble with his debt to the mob. He has a sister Joanie, who is a news anchor in Boston investigating the mob. Their mother Lucy is terminally ill. The father, Vito, tries to talk to the head of the mob, Eddie, to offer to payoff his son's debt. Everybody has secrets from one another. Alfonse is a cop who is a family friend who tries to help the family. Elsie loves Peter despite his addiction and problems. One person commented that the book really nailed down the picture of addiction for the addicted and the family and friends of the addicted. People enjoyed discussing and found a lot to talk about in this book.

Agawam Pageturners' Book Discussion of Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay

The group had a lively discussion about Russian Winter. People felt the book was well written. Some said they could feel what the main character, Nina, was thinking. People also felt the vocabulary was descriptive. Some, though, thought the plot was too much for one book and would have like to seen it broken up into two books. Nina was a star ballerina in Stalin's Russia after World War II. Ballet was the most important thing in her life. She defects to the West, leaving her husband after she thinks he has betrayed her for another woman. In her later years, in Boston, she decides to sell her jewels, which surprisingly links her past up with Russian literature professor Grigori Solodin in an interesting twist. One person thought the book was one of the best the group has ever discussed. The group enjoyed discussing the book, and some have recommended it to friends.

Night Bookers' Book Club's Discussion of All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

The group had a difficult time reading All the Pretty Horses. There was not puncuation to distinguish who was speaking. Spanish phrases were included with no translation or footnotes. One person said the book seemed to have been written as a stream of consciousness. The story is of sixteen year old John Grady Cole and Lacey Rawlins who ride into Mexico in meet up with Jimmy Blevins, and find themselves in a lot of trouble. John falls for the granddaughter of the owner of the hacienda John is working for. Even though it won the National Book Award of 1992, the group overall did not enjoy the book. The group did find John Grady Cole an interesting character and we had a good discussion of the book.

Agawam Pageturners' Book Discussion of The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

The group had an enjoyable discussion of The Art of Racing in the Rain. Most liked the book. The book is told through the viewpoint of a golden retriever, Enzo, who is dying. People were fascinated that Enzo sensed Eve was seriously ill, until others pointed out that science has proven that animals have this sense to be alert to cancer, drops in blood sugar, seizure, and more. Enzo is a faithful companion to his owner Denny Swift, a race car driver. There was much talk about race car driving, that many disliked and skipped over. Someone else pointed out that there were zen moments in race car driving that the author was trying to point out. Those that who have or have had animals loved this book. Those who never had animals, while liking the book, were surprised how much the group spent talking about animals including personal experiences. Another point brought up was the Mongol belief that dogs become reincarnated as men. Some believed it, and some did not. The book definite viewpoint on this subject, seen especially at the very end. This book was great for discussion.

Night Bookers' Book Club's Discussion of Range of Motion by Elizabeth Berg

The group had a lively discussion about Elizabeth Berg's book Range of Motion. It is a fictional account of a woman dealing with her husband being in a coma for three months, and not knowing if he would wake up. Some found the story and the main character, Lainey, uplifting. Some were surprised to find the story not morbid. Others found the story too unrealistic, and too unbelievable. Some found Lainey too strong and the ending too neat. Others argued Lainey was in turmoil because she kept seeing a "ghost," who kept giving her advice. They said this indicated inner conflict. Others pointed out that Lainey's friend Alice saw the "ghost" too, but another person pointed out that she was going through her own turmoil. Alice thought her husband was cheating on her with another woman. Well, he was cheating on her but not with a woman but with a man. A good discussion was enjoyed by all.

Agawam Pagetruners' Book Club's Discussion of When I Am an Old Worman I Shall Wear Purple Edited by Sandra Martz

The group had very strong feelings about this book. With the exception of a few stories, everyone hated this book. The book is a collection of images, essays, short stories, and poems on women in aging. Everyone felt the collection was too negative and maudlin. The book made everybody depressed. Some did not finish the book. Everyone said they did not want to think that they were old. One women said that we are evolving as human beings. There were a couple of stories that people liked: the lion story where the main character immerses herself in another culture and is totally changed the rest of her life. Another like the story about a wealthy man trying to buy up all the antique quilts of an older woman. Her daughter keeps trying to get her to sell all of them, even the one her mother wants to hold on to. When the mother agrees to sell, the daughter steps in and prevents the sale. Other than these, the book was too sad. The group does not recommend it.

Night Bookers' Book Club's Discussion of Uphill Wallkers: Portrait of a Family by Madeleine Blais

The group had interesting discussion of Uphill Walkers. The book is the memoir of Madeleine Blais, who lost her father at age 5, and her mother had to raise her and her five siblings on her own. Those who grew up in or lived in Western Massachusetts during the fifties and sixties appreciated the references to places of this era. Madeleine placed a lot of emphasis on her brother Ray, who spent some time at Northampton State Mental Hospital. People in the group sadly remembered the Northampton State Hospital. Many people there were not mentally ill. Ray did suffer from mental illness, but his family rallied behind him, and his mother always believed him. The group thought there were happy and funny moments in the book, like the Catholic references (Madeleine was an Irish Catholic), and the times the sisters got together to talk about old times. Someone questioned why this book was a Massachusetts Honor Book. Someone else voiced the opinion that it was written well, and the setting was local. An interesting discussion about a local book.

Agawam Pageturner's Book Club's Discussion of Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

The group had a lively discussion of Loving Frank. Some liked the book and its characters, while others liked the writing in the book but did not like the characters. The main characters were Frank Lloyd Wright and his mistress Mamah. Mamah left her husband and children to follow Frank Lloyd Wright. Some thought Mamah was a pioneer in leaving her husband, while he loved her, did not treat her as an equal. Mamah was treated as an equal by Frank Lloyd Wright. Others thought she was selfish to abandon her children, and that all Frank cared about was himself and his ideas. All agreed the author let the readers decide for themselves. This book prompted a lot of thought provoking discussion.

Night Booker's Book Club Discussion of Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

The group had a heartfelt discussion about Cold Mountain. Everyone agreed the book was difficult to read because of the graphic depiction of the Civil War. Inman, the confederate soldier who deserted the war and headed home to his sweetheart Aida at Cold Mountain, had a more difficult time than his sweetheart Aida. Each chapter alternated between Inman's story and Aida's story. It was always a relief to come to Aida's story, because Inman's was so intense. Aida was an orphan who had to learn how to run a farm with the aid of a girl named Ruby. Everyone sympathized with him for deserting because the war was so terrible. Even though his journey was arduous, there was hope and a focus. Cold Mountain has been compared to Odysseus. The read was challenging but worthwhile.

Agawam Pageturner's Book Club's Discussion of Songs without Words by Ann Packer

The group had a lively discussion about this book. Some loved it saying the felt present with the drama of the family when one member, the teenage daughter Lauren, tries to commit suicide. Others felt there was too much detail, and that it went on, and on. Others argued that life is about minutiae. The book also discussed the effect the attempted suicide has on the mother Liz and her friend Sarabeth. Sarabeth cannot deal with it, partly because her mother committed suicide when she was a teenager. Liz has to come to terms that she has always been the giving one in the relationship, and she has to decide if she still wants to remain friends with Sarabeth when Sarabeth does not come to her aid. In terms of the coverage of a person with depression, people thought it was well done, as well as the effect on the family. Liz wants to blame herself, because it is easier than believing bad things can happen at random. The turning point for Lauren's healing is when she shows a caring attitude for Lucas, someone else in the mental ward of the hospital. She thinks of something outside herself. This book prompted discussion of deep topics.

Night Bookers' Book Club's Discussion of The Road from Coorain by Jill Ker Conway

The group had an interesting discussion about this book. Some liked the descriptions of the Australian outback. Others hated that part of the book, and preferred the parts that described Jill's interaction with her family. This book is a memoir of Jill Ker Conway's childhood to adulthood in the outback, to her decision to leave the outback for America. Everyone felt she was burdened when she so young. She lost her father in a suicide when she was a little girl, during the great drought when all the sheep on their farm died. Then, when she was a teenager, she lost her brother in a car accident. These incidents were never discussed in the family. Her mother was able to cope with the father's death, but fell apart more with her son's death. Jill had a hard time being so smart in the 1950's. She was unable to find a job when she graduated college because she was a woman, even though she was one of the top of her class. People felt she was like her mother, and that she was wrote coldly, stoically, and intellectually. They group agreed she had to leave her mother and Australia to save herself. Eventually, Jill became the first woman president of Smith College. The group had a thought-provoking discussion about this strong woman.

Night Booker's Book Club Discussion of The Language of Threads by Gail Tsukiyama

This book is the sequel to Women of the Silk. Some people in the group liked this book better than the first book. One woman said she liked that there was not a painful separation of family, and that there was not a focus on factory work, although people found the death of Ji Shen and Mrs. Finch heartbreaking. The story follows two young women Pei and Ji Shen in Hong Kong during World War II and beyond. Pei and Ji Shen work for Mrs. Finch, until she is taken by the Japanese. Ji Shen who had a great bond with Mrs. Finch, then becomes lost in the black market. She ends up dying in childbirth. Pei raises her son. People admired the strong women characters in the book. One women said how much she would enjoy sitting down and talking with them. People also liked the colorful way Ms. Tsukiyama writes. Overall it was a great book for discussion.

Agawam Pageturners' Book Discussion of Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

People enjoyed the short stories in this book, all connected by the character Olive Kitteridge, retired schoolteacher in a small town in Maine. People said Olive was multi levelled and multifaceted. The book discussed serious topics, but used humor at the right points to break the tension. All the characters in the books struggled. One person liked Olive until she found at the end of the book that she hit (not spanked) her son when he was a child. It also was suggested that her son Christopher was bipolar, and Olive herself was probably bipolar. Olive Kitteridge offers profound insights into the human condition–its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires. This was an excellent book to discuss and worthy of the Pulitzer Prize the group thought.

Agawam Pageturner's Book Club's Discussion of The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Everyone enjoyed this gothic novel. People compared it to Jane Eyre. The book is about an old woman and famous author, Miss Vida Winter, giving a true account of her life to Margaret, a woman who lost her twin sister at birth. It is a very tragic tale, with an element of mystery of who Miss Winter really is. It features the Angelfield family, including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Margaret succumbs to the power of Vida's storytelling but remains suspicious of the author's sincerity. She demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves. People could not put it down, and could not wait to read the next chapter. Everyone agreed this was a great book to read and discuss.

Night Bookers Discuss Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland

Some people enjoyed and some did not enjoy the eight separate stories that traced the history of a fictious Vermeer painting. People who liked it found it compelling the incredible hold art has on its viewers. Some liked that it started with its most recent owner and worked backward. Others had a hard time connecting and keeping track where the painting was physically. In each story, there was one person who had an eye for art. Some thought the painting was cursed. In one story, the wife who loves the painting, refuses to sell it, even in a time of flood, and uses the seed potatoes her husband had set aside. One person's favorite story was the man who bought the painting for his wife because it reminded him of his first love (not his wife). He then realizes what he had with his wife is real love. Someone observed that those who were obsessed with the painting were selfish. Everyone was amazed that the painting survived, even through war and floods. Avery lively discussion.

New Books added in December.

Here is a list of books added in December: Adult, Children's, Teens.