Post by leannec on Oct 20, 2014 16:16:21 GMT
Hey Bookies!
I know that everyone likes to have lot's of time to read our Book Club picks so now is a good time to choose our December and January titles
Have a look at the descriptions and then give me your top two choices by responding on the thread ...
"I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You" by Courtney Maum
In this reverse love story set in Paris and London, which Glamour hailed as one of the "10 Best Books to Add to Your Summer Reading List Right This Second," a failed monogamist attempts to woo his wife back and to answer the question: Is it really possible to fall back in love with your spouse?
Despite the success of his first solo show in Paris and the support of his brilliant French wife and young daughter, thirty-four-year-old British artist Richard Haddon is too busy mourning the loss of his American mistress to a famous cutlery designer to appreciate his fortune.
But after Richard discovers that a painting he originally made for his wife, Anne-when they were first married and deeply in love-has sold, it shocks him back to reality and he resolves to reinvest wholeheartedly in his family life…just in time for his wife to learn the extent of his affair. Rudderless and remorseful, Richard embarks on a series of misguided attempts to win Anne back while focusing his creative energy on a provocative art piece to prove that he's still the man she once loved.
Skillfully balancing biting wit with a deep emotional undercurrent, this "charming and engrossing portrait of one man's midlife mess" (Elle) creates the perfect portrait of an imperfect family-and a heartfelt exploration of marriage, love, and fidelity.
"Not My Father's Son: A Memoir" by Alan Cumming
Dark, painful memories can be like a cage. Or, in the case of Alan Cumming, they can be packed away in a box, stuck in the attic to be forgotten. Until one day the box explodes and all the memories flood back in horrible detail. Alan Cumming grew up in the grip of a man who held his family hostage, someone who meted out violence with a frightening ease, who waged a silent war with himself that sometimes spilled over onto everyone around him. That man was Alex Cumming, Alan''s father.
When television producers approached Alan to appear on a popular celebrity genealogy show in 2010, he enthusiastically agreed. He hoped to solve a mystery that had long cast a shadow over his family. His maternal grandfather, Tommy Darling, had disappeared into the Far East after WWII. Alan''s mother knew very little about him-he had been a courier, carrying information between battalions on his motorbike. The last time she saw her father, Alan''s mother was eight years old. When she was thirteen, the family was informed that he had died by his own hand, an accidental shooting.
But this was not the only mystery laid before Alan''s feet. His father, whom Alan had not seen or spoken to for more than a decade, reconnected just before filming forWho Do You Think You Are?began. He had a secret he had to share, one that would shock his son to his very core and set into motion a journey that would change Alan''s life forever.
With ribald humor, wit, and incredible insight, Alan seamlessly moves back and forth in time, integrating stories from his childhood in Scotland and his experiences today as the celebrated actor of film, television, and stage. At times suspenseful, at times deeply moving, but always incredibly brave and honest,Not My Father''s Sonis a powerful story of embracing the best aspects of the past and triumphantly pushing the darkness aside.
"Juliet's Nurse" by Lois Leveen
A revelatory take on the world''s best-known love story: Juliet''s Nurse combines a prequel to Romeo and Juliet with a fresh vision of the events in the play, all through the eyes of Juliet''s ever-present wet nurse, Angelica, who tells a passionate tale of the deepest love in Verona--the love between a grieving woman and her precious milk-daughter.
In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo has by far the greatest number of lines, followed by Juliet. And who has the third most? Juliet''s wet nurse. What did Shakespeare see in her? Lois Leveen''s new novel is the vividly imagined, utterly intriguing answer to this question.
Angelica is still grieving the loss of her own day-old infant when she must leave her loving husband to enter the household of the wealthy Cappelletti family to care for their newborn baby. Mourning her own daughter, Angelica takes immense comfort in nurturing Juliet, but soon finds herself embedded in the rivalries and jealousies of the Capellettis, where sweet, 10-year-old Tybalt, cousin to Juliet, serves as her one ally. Fourteen years later, as the family''s secrets--and the nurse''s own deep losses--at last bubble to the surface, five momentous days of love and tragedy destroy a girl, and a family.
Juliet''s Nurse takes us beyond the tragic ending of Romeo and Juliet into a very different story, revealing the love, loss and resilience that is the heart of human experience.
"Rooms" by Lauren Oliver
After a number of highly acclaimedNew York Timesbestsellers, including the Delirium trilogy and the standalone novelsBefore I FallandPanic, Lauren Oliver returns with a spellbinding tale that confirms her place as one of our finest storytellers. Fueled by the same inspired feel for plot and character that drew readers to Oliver''s earlier works,Roomsis a mesmerizing and suspenseful story of guilt, love, and family secrets.
Estranged patriarch Richard Walker has died, leaving behind a country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His alienated family-bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter Minna-have arrived for their inheritance.
But the Walkers are not alone. Alice and Sandra, two long-dead and restless ghosts, linger within the house''s claustrophobic walls, bound eternally to its physical structure. Jostling for space and memory, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself-in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a lightbulb.
The living and dead are haunted by painful truths that surface with explosive force. When a new ghost appears, and Trenton begins to communicate with her, the spirit and human worlds collide-with cataclysmic results.
Elegantly constructed and brilliantly paced,Roomsis an enticing and imaginative ghost story and a searing family drama that is as haunting as it is resonant.
"The Fever Tree" by Jennifer McVeigh
There is nothing more exciting than a new writer with a genuine voice. I loved it." Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey
Frances Irvine, left destitute in the wake of her father's sudden death, has been forced to abandon her life of wealth and privilege in London and emigrate to the Southern Cape of Africa. 1880 South Africa is a country torn apart by greed. In this remote and inhospitable land she becomes entangled with two very different menone driven by ambition, the other by his ideals. Only when the rumor of an epidemic takes her into the dark heart of the diamond mines does Frances see her road to happiness.
But before she can follow that path, Frances must choose between passion and integrity, between her desire for the man who captured her heart and her duty to the man who saved her from near ruin, a decision that will have devastating consequences.
"Summer House With Swimming Pool" by Herman Koch
The blistering, compulsively readable new novel from Herman Koch, author of the instant New York Times bestseller The Dinner.
When a medical procedure goes horribly wrong and famous actor Ralph Meier winds up dead, Dr. Marc Schlosser needs to come up with some answers. After all, reputation is everything in this business. Personally, he's not exactly upset that Ralph is gone, but as a high profile doctor to the stars, Marc can''t hide from the truth forever.
It all started the previous summer. Marc, his wife, and their two beautiful teenage daughters agreed to spend a week at the Meier's extravagant summer home on the Mediterranean. Joined by Ralph and his striking wife Judith, her mother, and film director Stanley Forbes and his much younger girlfriend, the large group settles in for days of sunshine, wine tasting, and trips to the beach. But when a violent incident disrupts the idyll, darker motivations are revealed, and suddenly no one can be trusted. As the ultimate holiday soon turns into a nightmare, the circumstances surrounding Ralph's later death begin to reveal the disturbing reality behind that summer's tragedy.
Featuring the razor-sharp humor and acute psychological insight that made The Dinner an international phenomenon, Summer House with Swimming Pool is a controversial, thought-provoking novel that showcases Herman Koch at his finest.
I know that everyone likes to have lot's of time to read our Book Club picks so now is a good time to choose our December and January titles
Have a look at the descriptions and then give me your top two choices by responding on the thread ...
"I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You" by Courtney Maum
In this reverse love story set in Paris and London, which Glamour hailed as one of the "10 Best Books to Add to Your Summer Reading List Right This Second," a failed monogamist attempts to woo his wife back and to answer the question: Is it really possible to fall back in love with your spouse?
Despite the success of his first solo show in Paris and the support of his brilliant French wife and young daughter, thirty-four-year-old British artist Richard Haddon is too busy mourning the loss of his American mistress to a famous cutlery designer to appreciate his fortune.
But after Richard discovers that a painting he originally made for his wife, Anne-when they were first married and deeply in love-has sold, it shocks him back to reality and he resolves to reinvest wholeheartedly in his family life…just in time for his wife to learn the extent of his affair. Rudderless and remorseful, Richard embarks on a series of misguided attempts to win Anne back while focusing his creative energy on a provocative art piece to prove that he's still the man she once loved.
Skillfully balancing biting wit with a deep emotional undercurrent, this "charming and engrossing portrait of one man's midlife mess" (Elle) creates the perfect portrait of an imperfect family-and a heartfelt exploration of marriage, love, and fidelity.
"Not My Father's Son: A Memoir" by Alan Cumming
Dark, painful memories can be like a cage. Or, in the case of Alan Cumming, they can be packed away in a box, stuck in the attic to be forgotten. Until one day the box explodes and all the memories flood back in horrible detail. Alan Cumming grew up in the grip of a man who held his family hostage, someone who meted out violence with a frightening ease, who waged a silent war with himself that sometimes spilled over onto everyone around him. That man was Alex Cumming, Alan''s father.
When television producers approached Alan to appear on a popular celebrity genealogy show in 2010, he enthusiastically agreed. He hoped to solve a mystery that had long cast a shadow over his family. His maternal grandfather, Tommy Darling, had disappeared into the Far East after WWII. Alan''s mother knew very little about him-he had been a courier, carrying information between battalions on his motorbike. The last time she saw her father, Alan''s mother was eight years old. When she was thirteen, the family was informed that he had died by his own hand, an accidental shooting.
But this was not the only mystery laid before Alan''s feet. His father, whom Alan had not seen or spoken to for more than a decade, reconnected just before filming forWho Do You Think You Are?began. He had a secret he had to share, one that would shock his son to his very core and set into motion a journey that would change Alan''s life forever.
With ribald humor, wit, and incredible insight, Alan seamlessly moves back and forth in time, integrating stories from his childhood in Scotland and his experiences today as the celebrated actor of film, television, and stage. At times suspenseful, at times deeply moving, but always incredibly brave and honest,Not My Father''s Sonis a powerful story of embracing the best aspects of the past and triumphantly pushing the darkness aside.
"Juliet's Nurse" by Lois Leveen
A revelatory take on the world''s best-known love story: Juliet''s Nurse combines a prequel to Romeo and Juliet with a fresh vision of the events in the play, all through the eyes of Juliet''s ever-present wet nurse, Angelica, who tells a passionate tale of the deepest love in Verona--the love between a grieving woman and her precious milk-daughter.
In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo has by far the greatest number of lines, followed by Juliet. And who has the third most? Juliet''s wet nurse. What did Shakespeare see in her? Lois Leveen''s new novel is the vividly imagined, utterly intriguing answer to this question.
Angelica is still grieving the loss of her own day-old infant when she must leave her loving husband to enter the household of the wealthy Cappelletti family to care for their newborn baby. Mourning her own daughter, Angelica takes immense comfort in nurturing Juliet, but soon finds herself embedded in the rivalries and jealousies of the Capellettis, where sweet, 10-year-old Tybalt, cousin to Juliet, serves as her one ally. Fourteen years later, as the family''s secrets--and the nurse''s own deep losses--at last bubble to the surface, five momentous days of love and tragedy destroy a girl, and a family.
Juliet''s Nurse takes us beyond the tragic ending of Romeo and Juliet into a very different story, revealing the love, loss and resilience that is the heart of human experience.
"Rooms" by Lauren Oliver
After a number of highly acclaimedNew York Timesbestsellers, including the Delirium trilogy and the standalone novelsBefore I FallandPanic, Lauren Oliver returns with a spellbinding tale that confirms her place as one of our finest storytellers. Fueled by the same inspired feel for plot and character that drew readers to Oliver''s earlier works,Roomsis a mesmerizing and suspenseful story of guilt, love, and family secrets.
Estranged patriarch Richard Walker has died, leaving behind a country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His alienated family-bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter Minna-have arrived for their inheritance.
But the Walkers are not alone. Alice and Sandra, two long-dead and restless ghosts, linger within the house''s claustrophobic walls, bound eternally to its physical structure. Jostling for space and memory, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself-in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a lightbulb.
The living and dead are haunted by painful truths that surface with explosive force. When a new ghost appears, and Trenton begins to communicate with her, the spirit and human worlds collide-with cataclysmic results.
Elegantly constructed and brilliantly paced,Roomsis an enticing and imaginative ghost story and a searing family drama that is as haunting as it is resonant.
"The Fever Tree" by Jennifer McVeigh
There is nothing more exciting than a new writer with a genuine voice. I loved it." Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey
Frances Irvine, left destitute in the wake of her father's sudden death, has been forced to abandon her life of wealth and privilege in London and emigrate to the Southern Cape of Africa. 1880 South Africa is a country torn apart by greed. In this remote and inhospitable land she becomes entangled with two very different menone driven by ambition, the other by his ideals. Only when the rumor of an epidemic takes her into the dark heart of the diamond mines does Frances see her road to happiness.
But before she can follow that path, Frances must choose between passion and integrity, between her desire for the man who captured her heart and her duty to the man who saved her from near ruin, a decision that will have devastating consequences.
"Summer House With Swimming Pool" by Herman Koch
The blistering, compulsively readable new novel from Herman Koch, author of the instant New York Times bestseller The Dinner.
When a medical procedure goes horribly wrong and famous actor Ralph Meier winds up dead, Dr. Marc Schlosser needs to come up with some answers. After all, reputation is everything in this business. Personally, he's not exactly upset that Ralph is gone, but as a high profile doctor to the stars, Marc can''t hide from the truth forever.
It all started the previous summer. Marc, his wife, and their two beautiful teenage daughters agreed to spend a week at the Meier's extravagant summer home on the Mediterranean. Joined by Ralph and his striking wife Judith, her mother, and film director Stanley Forbes and his much younger girlfriend, the large group settles in for days of sunshine, wine tasting, and trips to the beach. But when a violent incident disrupts the idyll, darker motivations are revealed, and suddenly no one can be trusted. As the ultimate holiday soon turns into a nightmare, the circumstances surrounding Ralph's later death begin to reveal the disturbing reality behind that summer's tragedy.
Featuring the razor-sharp humor and acute psychological insight that made The Dinner an international phenomenon, Summer House with Swimming Pool is a controversial, thought-provoking novel that showcases Herman Koch at his finest.
