TomeStones

GREAT ALTERNATIVE TO SUPERBOWL SUNDAY: READ A BOOK

I'm pleased to report that Spending provoked an active and interesting discussion among the Fiber Arts book club members. Sarah's thoughtful discussion topics kept us on task, and we were well-behaved throughout. (Sarah usually leads book groups of 3rd graders. She says we are easier to manage. I'm not so sure.) Most of us enjoyed the story, although we seemed to be in consensus that while sexuality plays an important role in the development of the plot, the amount and detail of the descriptions were gratuitous. Pretty bad when you go ho-hum during the sex scenes.

But sex aside, the book is really about other things. It's about the ability to pursue one's artistic gift. It's about relationships and how one lives their life. It's a love story. It's about money and power and sex and how those three biggies get all twined together. And I do think each of those storylines worked. Therefore I make a guarded recommendation for this book. If gratuitous sex is disturbing to you, don't read it. If you can filter it out, there is a worthwhile story to read, and interesting characters to interact with.

UPDATE ON THE MIDWIFE'S TALE
Very enjoyable book to read. It's a story about loving the wrong person, and rejecting one's heritage, and finding fulfillment in unexpected ways. I recommend this one without reservation.

BOOK CLUB BOOK
We are reading The Effect of Living Backward, by Heidi Julavits, for my other book club. Ugh. I'm not loving this book at all. I don't like the plot. I don't like the characters. I don't like the philosophical glibness the author is throwing around. That said, I'm halfway though and not hating it either. I'm hoping that a) when I get to the end it will have something redeeming about it or b) the discussion will open my mind to something redeeming about it. If anyone has read this and can set my mind at rest, I'd sure like to know.

FIBER ARTS BOOK CLUB MEETING

I recently joined a second book club, sponsored by one of our local yarn shops (Woven Arts). The idea was to read fiber-related fiction. We started with Women of the Silk, by Gail Tsukiyama, and then did The Lady and the Unicorn, by Tracy Chevalier. Both were excellent choices. But then we decided to expand our theme to include fiction that dealt with the artistic and/or creative process in general. This gives us a lot more choices. Today, we discussed The Passion of Artemesia, by Susan Vreeland (also the author of The Girl in Hyacinth Blue.)

What an interesting discussion this book provoked. We were fortunate to have a woman present who is an art historian, and she provided a lot of technical details for us. I had read this book previously, and enjoyed it at the time, but my appreciation was enhanced greatly by the wide-ranging discussion. It's always a special treat to enjoy a book twice...once when I read it, and again when I get to share it with others. I definitely recommend this particular book to any book clubs looking for good titles. Our book for next month is Spending, by Mary Gordon, another one that I've read previously and very much enjoyed. I look forward to re-reading it.

In the comments of the last entry, Jenika asks about the depression factor of reading My Sister's Keeper. I'm almost done with the book, and I do have to admit that it touches a lot of the "parenthood" buttons. From the moment I first knew I was pregnant the first time, there is a low level of anxiety that never leaves me. The list of worries for our children grows longer daily. And it doesn't change when they grow up and leave home. A whole new set of worries start occurring to me. Fortunately, it stays low-level, and coming from a long line of Jewish mothers, I firmly believe that if I take the time to worry about it, I am protecting my children. It's the things I never think to worry about that I worry about. (Convoluted thinking, I am well aware.)

Anyway, the point is that yes, the story has moments where it hits too close to home, and I have to take a breather. But Picoult's writing is compelling. Her books usually end on a forward-looking note, so I am counting on this one to do the same. I'll let you know.