Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand – February CC Book Club Selection

Parent Cafe
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<p>I have also had someone suggest Water for Elephants to me…some girlfriends want to start a book club IRL, and this is on their list (might kill two birds with one stone.)</p>

<p>One book I really enjoyed recently was “A Thousand Splendid Suns”. It’s by the same author as “The Kite Runner” (Khalead Housseini) and is about two woman in Afghanistan at the beginning of the current war. Eye-opening and moving.</p>

<p>I also read “The Art of Racing in the Rain” (Garth Stein). A wonderful easy read…touchingly told from a dog’s perspective. Maybe a good beach read for this summer.</p>

<p>p.s. Thanks for posting the list…I’ve only read a couple of them, so it gives me a great “to do” list! :)</p>

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<p>newccuser, once you get to Cutting for Stone, do look at our discussion thread from October. That book gave us plenty to talk about!</p>

<p>nicksmtmom, I gave my daughter’s dog-loving BF The Art of Racing in the Rain for Christmas. I hope to borrow it back from him after he reads it. (It’s very clever of me to give friends and family books that I want to read myself. :))</p>

<p>I’m glad to hear that so far no one has read Water for Elephants, as I’m leaning strongly in that direction. (What about you, CBBBlinker, are you out there somewhere?)</p>

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<p>Hi all – sorry, I was away from my computer yesterday. (Shocking, I know!) </p>

<p>Here’s my 2 cents: I have read “Water for Elephants,” and it’s excellent. So, if I’m the only one who has already read it, I’ll just skim it again before discussion time! :)</p>

<p>Re the following:
“The Art of Racing in the Rain” - fun, easy read; liked it a lot; read it for my Books on the Beach summer book club
“The Forgotten Garden” – just finished this for my winter book club; great story with several twists; enjoyed it
“People of the Book” – read this last spring for my winter book club; excellent
“Three Cups of Tea” – again, read this for my winter book club, though I had actually read it on my own before that. It’s a great story and very interesting. To some extent it’s not all that conducive to a discussion – after everyone agrees that what Greg Mortenson is doing by building schools, what else is there to say?</p>

<p>Haven’t read the other books mentioned.</p>

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<p>Well then, with a grateful nod to CBBBlinker for being willing to re-read, let’s go with Water for Elephants.</p>

<p>Note to SouthJerseyChessMom: Read slowly. April 1st is a long way away. E-book forgetfulness will not be tolerated. :)</p>

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<p>Mary: I also want to say thank you. This is my first book club. I am glad that the previous books were posted. Now I have a whole list of books that I normally wouldn’t have picked!:slight_smile: When I get home I will add Water for Elephants to my Nook, I think it’s only $5.00 for the Nook also!</p>

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<p>Forgetfulness will not be tolerated. :frowning:
I’m in trouble …</p>

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<p>ProudNJMom, you’re welcome! I’m so glad you are joining us. I just downloaded Water for Elephants to my Kindle, and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, too, 'cause hey, it’s only money!</p>

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<p>We did Water 4 Elephants several monhs ago in my book club. quite enjoyable.</p>

<p>Ignatius, thanks for the suggestions. </p>

<p>I am so enjoying new Kindle (thanks, DS). Now, I can test-run books before helping to make choice for my bookclub. If the choice isn’t good, we have small turn-out. A good pick, then can have 30 people show up.</p>

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<p>^^Bookworm-do share some of your more popular book club selections-we’re all ears, or eyes :)</p>

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<p>SCM:</p>

<p>Will do! I just realized that I’ve leading my city’s group for 3 years, which is 36 books. I’ll take some time and go over list. I like books that are well-written and teach me something, e.g. Hedgehog, Guernsey, Hotel…Bitter, Kite Runner, Sarah’s Key, 19 minutes (Jodi P), 19th Wife, Outliers. We did Henrietta Lacks last month, and had an MD there who worked with one of the researchers. She explained the importance of the cell & CA in a way I/we could never had understood on our own, plus revealing the personalities of the original MDs. When we read Last Chinese Chef, we spoke directly with the author. Our club suggested an alternate ending, and the author said that was exactly what Hollywood writers said (& will be in movie). We had 3 Mormon wives join us for 19th Wife, and representative from local Autism group come for House Rules. When we discussed 3 cups of Tea, the wife of Afghanistan ambassador shared her memories. She was a regular member, so it was a beautiful surprise to listen to her. Someone who lived through the bus strike came for The Help, and spoke of how she drove several women home from work. The Tale of Edgar Sawtelle was a favorite. We timed The Other Boleyn sister with the movie. I wanted to do Girl…Tatoo, but someone objected to the sexual violence. </p>

<p>There is a lot of overlap with Mary’s CC group, but I’ll go back over our list and share other favorites.</p>

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<p>^Bookworm, well you certainly win the award for most appropriate screen name.
That is the most amazing RL book club ! </p>

<p>Re Girl with Dragon Tattoo-----
“I wanted to do Girl…Tatoo, but someone objected to the sexual violence”</p>

<p>It was a page turner, but I am in the “overly violent” camp, and have heard that the rape scenes are horrific to watch in the Swedish movie version.</p>

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<p>SJCM,</p>

<p>Thanks so much for compliment; I used “bookworm” on a site years ago, and it just popped into my head. I never find time to read, which is why I wanted a bookclub. I didn’t expect to become the organizer.</p>

<p>I have made poor choices, like Twilight. I read the series to understand why so many teen girls were devouring these books. I linked the themes of book to the core of successful fairy tales, and how the sexual delayed gratification reflected author’s religious views, and feelings of being a nerd, outsider, parental figure, and so on. Still, some members couldn’t get beyond vampires/werewolves ( couldn’t see how we could substiture different ethnic/racial cultures). anyway, some younger people did come. One grandmoher says that it opened a dialogue with her granddtr, and they went on for months discussing the books. At least someone gained something.</p>

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<p>I love reading about all of the books you guys have read and enjoyed. I can keep myself busy for quite a while.</p>

<p>I’m on board for Water for Elephants. This will be my first purchase for my Christmas Kindle. I had so many already bought books in my pile, I was waiting to get one I didn’t have yet for my first go at it. </p>

<p>Thanks Mary for keeping us going!</p>

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<p>bookworm, what do you think of the above comments–not in terms of Three Cups of Tea specifically, but regarding non-fiction choices in general? Has it been harder to sustain a discussion in your club when the book is non-fiction? We don’t have the set-up here to have guests (the wife of the Afghanistan ambassador—awesome!), so I’m wondering whether an online non-fiction discussion would have any momentum.</p>

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<p>Occasionally we enjoy good nonfiction. We’ve tried to limit to a few a year.</p>

<p>The ambassador’s wife was a regular member for a year. She was always witty and insightful. I had no idea of her history until the night we discussed 3 cups of tea. When she passed away, her family let me know.</p>

<p>I am an amateur about book suggestions. I have little time to read, but listen to suggestions from others, like Mary’s CC book club. Our groups has many teachers (tho no English teachers, more is the pity), several retired physicians, artistic people, a young lawyer, and others who read so much and come together to share.</p>

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<p>Mary13- Perhaps you, and others , might want to download the sample chapters for “Polio-An American Story”. </p>

<p>It’s non-fiction, and I believe there are many issues which would stimulate conversation, unlike “Three Cups of Tea”, which I haven’t read, but assume there might not be enough controversy for discussion.</p>

<p>Now that several readers have Kindle/ Nook, (e-readers) they can view the sample chapters, without any cost, and decide if the topic is interesting.</p>

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<p>OK, after re-reading what I originally wrote, I finally realized I missed a few words when typing. I can’t type as fast as I my brain works! I hope everyone filled in the missing words in their minds? What I meant to type was:</p>

<p>“To some extent it’s not all that conducive to a discussion – after everyone agrees that what Greg Mortenson is doing by building schools is a great and wonderful thing, what else is there to say?”</p>

<p>Having said that, I will add that it’s not like we didn’t have any discussion at that book club gathering – I just don’t remember it being quite as lively as for other books. We take turns as discussion facilitators, and the woman who led that one presented additional info/background on Pakistan and Afghanistan.</p>

<p>In the few years I’ve been a member of this book club, we’ve read 1 other non-fiction book --“Mayflower” by Nathaniel Philbrick. It covers the history of the Pilgrims and the story of Plymouth Colony. The book also covers King Philip’s War, which ranged over several New England states, including in our area near Hartford, CT. So, it was a “close to home” story. The book was well written and not at all boring. I recall a lot of “I never knew that” comments from people. Also, it was fascinating to see the differences in the American history curriculum between those of us who grew up in New England and those from other parts of the country. Many had never heard of King Philip’s War. SO, we had a discussion about the book, but there wasn’t much in the way of differing opinions. Does all this make sense?</p>

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<p>^^ yes, it makes sense CBB. I have been part of RL book discussions, and some books, while enriching, educational don’t stimulate discussion.</p>

<p>I will always remember the RL discussions about " Divine Secrets of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood"- and “A Thousand Splendid Suns”…they tapped into something deeper, not unlike “The Help” which probably created the largest number of posts and opinions.</p>

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<p>Good idea. I am also going to recommend it to my daughter, a History major. Maybe we can re-visit the idea of discussing *Polio<a href=“or%20another%20non-fiction%20title”>/i</a> some time in April after Water for Elephants.</p>

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<p>Okay - I am surprised! I truly thought that everyone had already read Water for Elephants. I hesitated to even bother suggesting the title. I’m glad that I’m not alone and look forward to both the book and discussion. :)</p>

<p>Welcome to all the newcomers - it made the discussion fun!
I joined in the reading with The Thirteenth Tale and consider it great fun. I did go back and read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and American Wife. I eventually intend to read Dreamers of the Day, but time and other books keep interfering. (The subject matter in Sarah’s Key concerns me, so it’s just an iffy maybe.) I think maybe SouthJerseyChessMom has participated since the first book - impressive! </p>

<p>CBBBlinker, Glad you’re up for a reread of Water for Elephants. I needed to reread Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand to participate in this last discussion. I read it when it first came out and didn’t trust my memory.</p>

<p>bookworm, I didn’t fully appreciate The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo until I finished the whole trilogy. Larsson circled back to the first book in a totally unexpected way. I almost think that a book club would need to read all three books to get the full effect - and that’s a lot of time spent with one author. By the way, isn’t your bookclub reading The Moonstone for February? </p>

<p>SouthJerseyChessMom, People of the Book has now been added to my “Recommended by SJCM” list. So far it includes Breakfast with Buddha and The Shanghai Girls. Re the Swedish movie Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I watched it after reading the book. I found the acting and atmosphere excellent; Daniel Craig, et al, have their work cut out for them. If you’ve read the book, then the brutal rape scenes don’t come as a surprise; I can’t imagine my reaction had I gone in unaware. Instead, I just closed eyes and ears for the couple of minutes it took. I had no need to have images seared in my brain - and it didn’t ruin the movie for me. If that’s the only thing holding you back, you might try my head in the sand method.</p>

<p>Re sharing books: I’m reading A Lesson Before Dying - Ernest J. Gaines and The Sherlockian. I fully expect to be happy with The Sherlockian. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>[Book</a> Reviews - The Sherlockian by Graham Moore](<a href=“http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/sherlockian/]Book”>http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/sherlockian/)</p>

<p>Totally aside from whether or not I enjoy the book, I noticed that The Sherlockian’s publisher Twelve is interesting in and of itself. They only publish 12 books a year - well, read for yourself:</p>

<p>[Twelve</a> Publishers - About Us - Mission Statement](<a href=“http://www.twelvebooks.com/about/about.asp]Twelve”>http://www.twelvebooks.com/about/about.asp)</p>

<p>Anyway, until April 1 …</p>