The Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright

I consider myself to be a fast reader - that is, I can speed through most books at a decent pace while still comprehending what it is that I am reading. Rarely, if ever, have I made it through a book as quickly as I did The Wednesday Letters, which, at the very least, was a mercifully quick read. The speed at which I was able to read, however is indicative of the overall depth of both the story and characters.

The premise of this book is sweet and promising - a husband and wife pass away together, drawing their three grown children back home. As the children deal with the loss of their parents, they discover boxes and boxes of letters that their father wrote to their mother every - wait for it - Wednesday - during their life together. Together, the kids discover a family secret that none of them could have guessed. Amazingly, the plot surrounding the devastating revelations and sub-plots are all neatly wrapped up on one whirlwind weekend of mourning.

I do not want to include any spoilers in case anyone would like to give this book a try - to be fair, it did receive a positive review from Publishers Weekly, and lots of people on Amazon reviewed it glowingly as well. From my perspective, this book was offensive to women, overly didactic, and completely lacking in any sort of character development or logical plot evolution. I would be interested in hearing other reader's takes on this particular title, however, and am REALLY looking forward to our book club discussion on it!

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

Like so many women of a certain age, one of my favorite books growing up was Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Jo March was and always will be a heroine of mine, and Louisa and Jo, in my mind, were one and the same.

Author Kelly O'Connor McNees, also a fan of Little Women and Louisa May Alcott, took the opportunity to do some research and create a fictionalized account of one of Louisa's summers of which little to no documentation survives. We were fortunate enough to have Ms. McNees join us at the Minooka Branch, where she provided a reading from the book, answered questions from the audience and signed copies of her book.

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott takes place during the summer that Alcott's family spent in Walpole, New Hampshire, when Louisa was 22 years old. During the course of the summer, in this fictionalized account of her life, Louisa falls in love. McNees deftly weaves her story in with fact, producing a hopeful yet very human heroine. This is a bittersweet and nostalgic book that I would highly recommend to any fans of Alcott, historical fiction or romance.

Check out the very wonderful and lovely Kelly O'Connor McNees at her website as well:

http://kellyoconnormcnees.com/

The Immmortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Recently recognized as one of the best books of the year by Amazon.com, Oprah, NPR, and the New York Times, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, will take you on a journey that fascinate, infuriate and educate.

Henrietta Lacks tragically lost her life at the hands of an aggressive cervical cancer back in 1951, made even more tragic by the fact that she was the mother to five young children at the time. What no one in her family knew then, or for the next 20 years, is that doctors harvested some of her cancer cells while she was still alive (without her knowledge or consent,) and these cells have been crucial to breakthroughs in medical science ever since - in curing polio, studying how cancer grows, learning how viruses spread, just to name a few applications - Henrietta's cells even went into space.

While Henrietta's cells continued to multiply, her family floundered. Struggling to get by, often ironically lacking basic medical coverage, her family continues to have trust issues with medical facilities and personnel. While Henrietta's cells have generated billions of dollars for some, none of this has gone to her family. Not only is this book an amazing story of human life and incredible science, it also addresses the ethical and moral issues surrounding our bodies and ownership of such.

Author Rebecca Skloot, who spent ten years writing this book and gaining the Lacks' family's trust, does an amazing job of combining the scientific with the personal. This is narrative non-fiction at its best.

Book Clubs!

Looking for a book discussion group?

We currently have 2 at the Three Rivers Library! The Read a Movie Book Club meets the last Wednesday of the month at the Minooka Branch building, and Bookies Book Club, held in conjunction with the Village of Minooka, meets the second Saturday of the month at Minooka Village Hall.

We'd love to see you at our next meeting!

*Please note the next Read a Movie Book Club will meet January 26, 2011

My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares

Ann Brashares continues to jump successfully from teen to adult fiction in her second adult book, “My Name is Memory.” A mix of romance and fantasy takes readers on a journey across centuries and past lives. Daniel is one of a few people in the world who remembers his past lives, no matter the body he is born into. We hear a firsthand account of Daniel’s journey from sixth-century Africa through eighth-century Turkey to WWI, in almost a detached way, except when it comes to Lucy.

Readers meet Lucy as Daniel pursues her in present day, trying to get her to remember who he is and their lives together. Readers are able to see Daniel’s view of their star-crossed love story as it has developed over time, but Lucy (also known as Sophia in the past) never remembers. Though scared by Daniel’s seemingly insane claims about their lives, prompting Daniel to leave her alone, Lucy slowly and eventually discovers the truth. As the mysteries are unraveled, going back and forth between their two viewpoints, another element of danger in the form of a murderous soul threatens to ruin their current reunion.

I most enjoyed the element of fantasy of this book, which has never been explored thoroughly in the past, shedding a different light on the idea of reincarnation. Brashares does changing viewpoints and romance well, developing characters to care about and a romance to root for. While the book becomes sluggish at some points, the adventure and suspense Brasheres leads up to is worth the wait. “My Name is Memory” is an intriguing start to Brashares' planned trilogy.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Every year during Banned Books Week, I make sure and read at least one book that has been challenged or banned...BECAUSE I CAN! This year one of the books I chose was Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Although the book has been around for quite a while (it was first published in 1999,) it made the news this year after a gentleman in Missouri referred to it in an editorial as "soft pornography," and Ms. Anderson's publishing company took out a full page ad in the New York Times to defend their author and the book.

We meet Melinda, a high school freshman, at the beginning of the school year. She is clearly depressed, refuses to talk to anyone (including her parents) unless absolutely necessary, and not only does she NOT have any friends, she has people who hate her so much they torment her. We see the world through Melinda's eyes and it is not a pretty - or safe - place to be.

As the school year continues, we see some small signs of life in Melinda - although she is barely coping, she finds an outlet in her art class. She continues to exist on the fringe of school society as additional clues are presented as to what prompted Melinda to go from a popular and bright student to one who tries to disappear into herself.

Without providing any spoilers, this book is a sensitive and realistic journey into the mind of someone who has been deeply injured. Yet, in spite of the damage, she perseveres. This book deals with heavy subject matter, but one that BOTH teenage boys and girls, sadly, need to be aware. This was Anderson's first novel and it was nominated for a National Book Award. I look forward to reading more of this author.

Bookies Book Club!

What: Bookies Book Club

When: Saturday, October 9th

10:00 a.m.

Where: Minooka Village Hall Community Room

What We're Discussing: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult

Hope to see you there!