Book Club Reads

Do you belong to a book club? I’ve found that a book club expands my reading a lot simply because I’m not always reading my own choice. I’m not always reaching for my favorite genres or authors.

Years ago (circa 2007-2008) I participated in a book club. I don’t remember for how long the club lasted or how many books we read. But I do remember two of the selections: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and Good Grief by Lolly Winston. I gave both of those books 5🌟.

In November 2022, I was invited by another writer to participate in a book club made up entirely of novelists. Those of us participating live all over the country, so we meet by Zoom. While I haven’t liked all the books we’ve read (intensely disliked a couple of them), this experience of reading along with other authors has been so enjoyable. It fascinates me to learn why someone likes or dislikes something when I felt the opposite. Or for that matter when someone agrees with me, that fascinates too, because sometimes it is for a different reason. Not to mention, novelists often see things in a different way from those who don’t write fiction.

Since the book club began, here are the books we’ve read and the ratings I gave each one:

• A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman (5🌟)
• Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett (4🌟)
• The Breaking of Ezra Riley by John L. Moore [book not in audio; didn’t read]
• The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman  (4🌟)
• The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick (4🌟)
• West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge (4🌟)
• Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister  (2🌟)
• The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks (3🌟)
• The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck  (4🌟)
• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (1🌟)
• The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi  (4🌟)
• The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard [DNF]
• The Exchange by John Grisham (2.5🌟)
• The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz (4.25🌟)
• The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (1.5🌟)
• People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (3🌟)

If this helps, here is my personal rating system:

Robin’s Ratings:
5🌟 = Out of this world. Amazing. Unforgettable. A personal favorite.
4🌟 = Loved/really enjoyed it. Will recommend to others.
3🌟 = Liked it. Glad I read it. Engaging/entertaining/interesting.
2🌟 = The book was okay, but I’ve enjoyed other books so much more.
1🌟 = For whatever reason, I didn’t like it and can’t recommend it.

Have you read any of the books my book club has read? If so, do you disagree with my rating? And if you have a great suggestions for my book club (fiction only), please share!

PS  If you would like to read my reviews, you can find them on Goodreads. Feel free to send me a friend request or follow my reviews there if you would like.

~robin