Our club had definite and differing opinions on this depending on whether or not we'd read the original. One member gave up after 50 pages because she hated the way Elizabeth was portrayed. Another member, who has never read the original and is a great fan of zombies, enjoyed it. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book, and I have to admit that this one just didn't live up to its hype. The zombies grew old fast and except for a few scenes (notably Lady Catherine's interrogation of Elizabeth at dinner) Jane Austen wrote it much better. There were definitely times that dialogue was changed to dumb down the text or for no apparent or zombie related reason.

This engrossing novel is told from three different women's perspectives in 1960s Mississippi. Each has their own distinct and well-developed voice, and reader's will find themselves identifying with all three. It's funny, sad, poignant, and ultimately optimistic. I feel that Stockett is taking a portion of the civil rights era that is not as well known, outside of the south, and giving all those women a voice. She shows all sides of the relationship between women and their maids, along with the impact on the children being raised by them.
An author's note at the end explains her motivation for writing the story, which one member of my book club thought would have been more effective at the beginning. The only other complaint was the somewhat open-ended ending.

My book club generally enjoyed this one, although some found Hadley a little too passive. She allows Hemingway to get away with a little too much as she attempts to save her marriage. It was interesting to see how Hemingway climbed to fame, and how easily he both drew people to him and pushed them away. I wished there was just a little more information about her life after Ernest, but other than that an enjoyable and informative read.

Mary Mallon was an Irish immigrant living in New York City in the beginning of the 1900s. As a talented cook she was constantly in demand and had cooked for some of the richest families in the city. She was also extremely healthy, and was known to nurse several of her clients back to health from various illnesses. Then in 1907 her world came crashing down. A doctor determined that she was an asymptomatic carrier of typhoid fever. She was immediately quarantined on North Brother Island, and kept there for several years as they performed a battery of tests on her. When her lawyer finally secures her release it is with the stipulation that she stop cooking. Faced with disagreeing information and difficult choices Mary makes a series of decisions that have far reaching ramifications.

This is a fascinating fictional account of the real "Typhoid Mary." Mary is portrayed as a sympathetic character, especially in the beginning when she was stripped of her basic rights and had to fight to have her case heard in court. Yet as the story goes on, and Mary becomes aware of the illnesses she may inadvertently have caused it becomes harder to view her in a favorable light. This point generated an interesting discussion in my bookclub. Like Rebecca Skloot did in the nonfiction title The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Keane has brought to life a forgotten piece of history, and raised questions about medical ethics.

Colquitt and Walter Kennedy have an idyllic life in their beloved house in the suburbs of Atlanta. Then a house is built next door on a previously vacant lot. Initially they are annoyed, but they become friends with the architect and find the house to perfectly fit into the neighborhood. Then mysterious and horrible things begin happening to anyone who moves into the house, and the Kennedy's begin to believe that the house is the root of the evil . . .

The horror of this story creeps up on the reader as the mundane details of rich suburban life give way to unspeakable horrors. Each set of new neighbors comes with new issues that are only compounded by the evil of the house. Throughout Walter and Colquitt seem almost above it as Colquitt states time and time again that she and Walter are an extremely strong unit who need only each other; which only serves to annoy the reader. Almost shocking is how Walter and Colquitt ultimately play right into the house's hand and on flimsy evidence too! The epilogue does almost nothing to bring closure to this at times disturbing, but ultimately dull tale.

The premise of this book sounded great, but my interest was almost immediately lost by all the boring, gritty, and frankly depressing details of Sarah's life. I gave up reading it after about the first chapter, and I only came back to it and finished it because it was selected for my book club. I adore Pride and Prejudice so I was disappointed that so many of my favorite moments were skipped over, barely mentioned, or worse we were left shivering in the cold with the servants while the family went in to a party! [author:Jo Baker|965819] seems determined to include everything that could have possibly happened in that time, especially things that Austen chose not to write about, and it's all too much. Plus the back story towards the end was much too long. I felt her depiction of Elizabeth at the end of the novel was not in keeping with the spirit of Austen at all, but otherwise what events from Pride and Prejudice that are touched on appear correct and her other characterizations are fine(though I'm still on the fence about how I feel about Mr. Bennet's storyline). The servants reaction to Mr. Collins was among the more enjoyable aspects, and Sarah's story, in a way, was an alternate ending for Jane's story. Readers looking for more insight into P&P are better off skipping this, but readers looking for details about what life was like during that time period won't be disappointed. It sparked an interesting discussion at my book club though, so I would recommend it if only for that reason.

This is a fresh take on the zombie genre that inspired good discussion.

The writing style kills this story along with the almost cometic way everything that could go wrong does go wrong for the main character, making it an almost unbelievable story. It\'s really too bad as the history here is interesting and the story is based on the diary of a real woman. I am interested to know how much of this tale was fact vs. fiction though. It\'s the first in a trilogy as well.

Mark Watney has found himself trapped on Mars with no way of communicating with earth, and no hope of rescue. He perceivers and begins to plan what he can do to survive until the next group of astronauts lands on Mars.

Obviously this book has been all over the place recently, and I've heard it recommended as a good pick for most readers. I was a little apprehensive at the start as I felt the initial math and science were a bit hard to decipher, but once the book got going it was really enjoyable. In between Watney's diary of his days are sections from various NASA employees perspectives as they work to bring Watney home. It was a fun read for my bookclub.

Addie Baum's life is chronicled from her birth in 1900 in the tenements of Boston through her journey to her 85th birthday. She's influenced early on by the Saturday Club she joins, and those friendships last a lifetime.

This is a quick read that seems only to superficially touch on the issues of the day. The author has said in interviews that she uncovered a lot of information while researching and it shows here. Most interesting to me was how much was it was based on real information. Rockport Lodge was a real place for girls to vacation, the Saturday Club and its activities were real, and even two of the characters were based on real people. I would love to read a nonfiction book on many of the subjects in this book.

Lucy has finally come home years after the drowning death of her father. She's at a crossroads in her own life, when she discovers that the family story she has always known holds secrets. She begins to investigate her history discovering ties to stained glass windows, woman's suffragette movement, and just maybe the key to her future.

This was a quick read, and you could tell that Edwards put a lot of thought into the unfolding of the plot. Parts of the end are a bit rushed, there are a couple of 2 dimensional characters, and Lucy's ultimate journey doesn't actually show a lot of growth in the end. Still this highlights some interesting history, and I raced to the ultimately satisfying ending.

Christopher can keep a large number of facts and math problems straight in his head, but he struggles to read people's faces. When his neighbor's dog is killed he decides to investigate, like his favorite detective Sherlock Holmes, even though his father wants him to stop. What follows is less a mystery and more about Christopher discovering new things about himself and his family.

This was an extremely quick read. I got a little bogged down with all the math, though there's an appendix at the end with the explanation of all the problems. The path of the story is a bit unexpected yet still satisfying, but those hoping for more of a mystery will be disappointed.

This book sparked a really great discussion for our club.