<p>Our April CC Book Club selection is Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat, the story of a young girl who disappears from a small Haitian village on the night of her 7th birthday.</p>
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<p>Discussion begins April 1st. Please join us!</p>
<p>Count me in. I’m placing the book on hold at the library. There should be no problem in getting it in time to finish by April 1.</p>
<p>I’m in! </p>
<p>^ Yay! Hope you’re feeling better, shellz.</p>
<p>Looking forward to reading this book!</p>
<p>I usually don’t start a discussion book till closer to the date of discussion. I think I’ll pick it up today, though. It looks like rain here and I have a nasty head cold. (I haven’t had a cold in almost four years now and for that I’m grateful. They’re nasty things and require more sympathy than “just a cold” gets.) Anyway, I’m staying in and reading. Seems like a good day to start a good book. “See” y’all on April 1. </p>
<p>I’m about 84 pages in and finding the book enchanting, but sad. Those people have such difficult lives.</p>
<p>It’s a book to read slowly and think about, not charge through. Exquisite writing!</p>
<p>Hope you feel much better soon, ignatius.</p>
<p>I’m finding that the book moves quickly, even though I’m taking my time with it. It can easily be read by April 1st, if anyone is contemplating joining us.</p>
<p>Off-topic (except that it’s reading-related): I’m looking for book ideas for my 91 year old mother. It’s harder than I thought because the books can’t be depressing, or too long, or a difficult read, or violent, or sexy. That rules out about everything from our years of book clubbing (except Guernsey Literary and The Help, both of which she has already read). She gave up pleasure reading for awhile because everything seemed to make her kind of sad, but now she says she’d like to try again. Suggestions appreciated.</p>
<p>Claire of the Sea Light does move quickly. I could have easily read it in my usual five-days-before-discussion time frame.</p>
<p>Let me think … My 91-year-old mother enjoyed author Bill Bryson. She liked Bailey White’s Mama Makes Up Her Mind: and Other Dangers of Southern Living so much that I searched out other Bailey White books. My mother also went back and revisited Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple short stories. She liked Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns. My local library - through the great inter-library-loan program - not only found any book I wanted but worked within my parameters of large print, hardback whenever possible. I’ll try to remember more hits as I supplied books for a while.</p>
<p>You ought to ask your question on the Best Books Thread. Bet you’d get a ton of ideas. </p>
<p>I was going to suggest Cold Sassy Tree myself! Maybe Loving by Henry Green. I haven’t read them myself, but maybe the Lark Rise to Candleford series? Or “Cider with Rosie” by Laurie Lee?</p>
<p>Here’s something I found online, entitled “good old fashioned gentle reads”:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.glyphs.com/forums/load/paradise/msg0520204011833.html?123”>http://www.glyphs.com/forums/load/paradise/msg0520204011833.html?123</a></p>
<p>I don’t know what your mom would think of the idea, Mary, but there are classic children’s novels that I have enjoyed reading (or re-reading) as an adult. Here are some:</p>
<p>Half Magic, Edward Eager
The Diamond in the Window, Jane Langton
Swallows and Amazons, Arthur Ransome
Linnets and Valerians, Elizabeth Goudge</p>
<p>I think some of Penelope Lively’s books might work. I love Jon Hassler’s Staggerford books and especially the ones featuring Irish spinster Agatha McGee - in Dear James and *A Green Journey. * I think almost any Anne Tyler would work though the endings aren’t always 100% happy.</p>
<p>^^^ Love love love Half Magic!</p>
<p>Looking through the link provided by NJTM, I remembered author Rosamund Pilcher was a favorite.</p>
<p>I don’t know about Anne Tyler. I like her, but there’s a weirdness in her stories that makes them a slight bit dark, in my opinion.</p>
<p>Oh if you want some comfort reading from childhood in addition to NJTheatreMom’s excellent choices I’d add:
Daddy Long Legs - Jean Webster
Rose in Bloom - Louisa May Alcott
Ballet Shoes - Noel Streatfeild
Girl of the Limberlost - Gene Stratton-Porter</p>
<p>I agree Anne Tyler can be weird, but except for Celestial Navigation (heartbreaking) generally they make me feel reasonably happy at the end.
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<p>Thank you for the suggestions! Lots of nice ideas on that link, NJTM. I didn’t want to sidetrack the “Best Books” thread, but felt perfectly comfortable bothering my book club pals. Thanks for all the titles. (My mom and I have both read Cold Sassy Tree, which was a fun one to share/discuss. And oh how I loved Daddy Long Legs when I was young. That’s a good idea.)</p>
<p>Thinking of other novels mentioned by CC readers…I’ve never read anything by Sarah Addison Allen, but I know she has many fans. Might her books fall into the “gentle reads” category?</p>
<p>^^^ Take away The Accidental Tourist also. I found the end sad, mainly because I never “bought” the mismatched couple and felt sorry for the (ex)wife … not to mention, the pervasive sadness from the loss of a child.</p>
<p>Love the childhood reading suggestions. I want to grab my Daddy Long Legs now and settle in. I’ll add The Wind in the Willows.</p>
<p>I took the following from a list I found on another website:</p>
<p>The Persian Pickle Club, Sandra Dallas
The Bookshop, Penelope Fitzgerald
Home to Harmony, Phillip Gulley
At Home in Mitford, Jan Karon
Thrush Green Series, Miss Read</p>
<p>Thanks! These are all great. I went to the library tonight and checked out a selection. I’ll let you know which ones pass the test. See you all soon. April 1st will be here before we know it!</p>
<p>I thought this might be of interest to those of you in the general area: </p>
<p><a href=“Chicago Tribune: Chicago news, sports, weather, entertainment - Chicago Tribune”>Chicago News - Chicago Tribune - Chicago Tribune;
<p><a href=“http://www.wilmette.lib.il.us/onebook”>http://www.wilmette.lib.il.us/onebook</a></p>