Tuesday, December 31, 2013

2nd Annual Holiday Party Round-Up!

(Scroll down to activate slideshow and view our Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down Round-Up of our 2013 selections).


(In order of the months we read them):
The Immortal Life of Henrietta lacks by Rebecca Skloot (Winner of our favorite book of the year)
Thumbs Up - 9 votes
Meh - 1 vote
Thumbs Down - 0 votes

A Year By the Sea by Joan Anderson (Winner of the book we could take or leave)
Thumbs Up - 1 vote
Meh - 7 votes
Thumbs Down - 1 vote

Samaritan by Richard Price
Thumbs Up - 3 votes
Meh - 5 votes
Thumbs Down - 0 votes

March by Geraldine Brooks
Thumbs Up - 5 votes
Meh - 3 votes
Thumbs Down - 2 votes

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Thumbs Up - 4 votes
Meh - 5 votes
Thumbs Down - 2 votes

Out of Mao's Shadow by Philip Pan
Thumbs Up - 7 votes
Meh - 1 vote
Thumbs Down - 0 votes

The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud
Thumbs Up - 0 votes
Meh - 4 votes
Thumbs Down - 5 votes

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Thumbs Up - 8 votes
Meh - 4 votes
Thumbs Down - 0

Outliers, the Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
Thumbs Up - 2
Meh- 7
Thumbs Down - 0

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
Thumbs Up - 8
Meh - 2
Thumbs Down - 0

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (Winner, or loser, of our least favorite book)
Thumbs Up - 3
Meh - 2
Thumbs Down - 8

Thanks to everyone who came out for our 2nd Holiday Party this year and we missed everyone who couldn't make it!

Best wishes to everyone for a healthy and Happy New Year! See you on January 30th.

Friday, November 8, 2013

Nov/Dec 2013: The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

From the Penguin Book paperback edition:

"Welcome to a surreal version of Great Britain, circa 1985, where time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously. England is a virtual police state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in a Wordsworth poem, militants Baconians heckle performances of Hamlet, and forging Byronic verse is a punishable offense. All this is business as usual for Thursday Next, renowned Special Operative in literary detection, until someone begins kidnapping characters from works of literature. When Jane Eyre is plucked from the pages of Bronte's novel, Thursday must track down the villain and enter the novel herself to avert a heinous act of literary homicide."

Visit the author's website by clicking here.  (Spoilers may be possible).

We will meet to discuss The Eyre Affair on Thursday, December 5th (because the last Thursday of November is Thanksgiving) at 7pm at the Atlantic Highlands branch of the Monmouth County Library located at 100 First Avenue (inside Borough Hall). 

We will also have our second annual holiday party on Thursday, December 5th! We will vote on our favorite and least favorite books from this year, and we will have a book exchange. Bring as many books as you like. If you don't have any to give away, that's okay too. You can tell us a little bit about the book or just put it/them on the table for whoever would like to take it home. If a book is unclaimed, you can take it back or it will be put on the free cart in the library.

Lori and Elita will bring some sort of beverage and snack (probably sweet). If you'd like to bring something to share, that would be fantastic! Ann donated several strings of Christmas lights to the library and we  hope to put them up again for our party. If you have anything suggestions for our celebration, please e-mail Lori at ahlebc@gmail.com.

Friday, October 4, 2013

October 2013: State Of Wonder by Ann Patchett

From goodreads:

"In a narrative replete with poison arrows, devouring snakes, scientific miracles, and spiritual transformations, "State of Wonder" presents a world of stunning surprise and danger, rich in emotional resonance and moral complexity.

As Dr. Marina Singh embarks upon an uncertain odyssey into the insect-infested Amazon, she will be forced to surrender herself to the lush but forbidding world that awaits within the jungle. Charged with finding her former mentor Dr. Annick Swenson, a researcher who has disappeared while working on a valuable new drug, she will have to confront her own memories of tragedy and sacrifice as she journeys into the unforgiving heart of darkness. Stirring and luminous, "State of Wonder" is a world unto itself, where unlikely beauty stands beside unimaginable loss beneath the rain forest's jeweled canopy."

Visit Ann's site by clicking here. (Spoilers may be possible).

We will meet to discuss State Of Wonder on Halloween, Thursday, October 31, at 7pm at the Atlantic Highlands Branch of the Monmouth County Library, located inside Borough Hall at 100 First Avenue.  Costumes are optional!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

September 2013: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

From the 2011 Hachette Group, Inc. paperback edition:

"In understanding successful people, we have come to focus far too much on their intelligence and ambition and personality traits. Instead, Malcolm Gladwell argues in Outliers, we should look at the world that surrounds the successful - their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing.  Along the way, Gladwell reveals what the Beatles and Bill Gates have in common, the reason you've never heard of the smartest man in the world, why almost no hockey players are born in the fall, and why, when it comes to plane crashes, where the pilots are born matters as much as how well they are trained.

The lives of outliers - people whose achievements fall outside normal experience - follow a peculiar and unexpected logic, and in uncovering that logic, Gladwell presents a fascinating and provocative blueprint for making the most of human potential."

Visit the author's website by clicking here. (Spoilers possible).

We will meet to discuss Outliers on Thursday, September 26, 2013, at 7pm at the Atlantic Highlands Branch of the Monmouth County Library, located at 100 First Avenue, inside Borough Hall, in Atlantic Highlands.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

August 2013: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

From the Del Ray/Ballentine Publishing Group paperback:

"The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning, along with the houses in which they were hidden.

Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires. And he enjoyed his job. he had been a fireman for ten years, and he never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs not the joy of watching pages consumed by flames... never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid. Then Guy met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think. And Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do."

For information on Ray Bradbury and his novels, click here.

We will meet to discuss Fahrenheit 451 on Thursday, August 29, 2013, at 7pm at the Atlantic Highlands branch of the Monmouth County Library located at 100 First Avenue in Atlantic Highlands.  (Inside Borough Hall).

Monday, July 8, 2013

July 2013: The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud

From the 2006 hardback edition from Knopf: "From a writer 'of near miraculous perfection" (The New York Times Book Review) and a "literary intelligence far surpassing most other writers of her generation" (San Francisco Chronicle), The Emperor's Children is a dazzling, masterful novel about the intersections in the lives of three friends, now on the cusp of their thirties, making their way - and not - in New York City.

There is beautiful, sophisticated Marina Thwaite - and "It" girl finishing her first book; the daughter of Murray Thwaite, celebrated intellectual and journalist - and her two closest friends from Brown, Danielle, a quietly appealing television producer, and Julius, a cash-strapped freelance critic. The delicious complications that arise among them become dangerous when Murray's nephew, Frederick "Bootie" Tubb, an idealistic college dropout determined to make his mark, comes to town. As the skies darken, it is Bootie's unexpected decisions - and their stunning, heartbreaking outcome - that will change each of their lives.

A richly drawn, brilliantly observed novel of fate and fortune - of innocence and experience, seduction and self-invention; of ambition, including literary ambition; of glamor, disaster, and promise - The Emperor's Children is a tour de force that brings to life a city, a generation, and the way we live in this moment."

For information on author Clarie Messud:
Click here for The New York Times "Claire Messud News" page.
Click here for her author facebook page.
Click here for the Wikipedia biography.

*Please note: Copies of The Emperor's Children are limited, please return your copy to the Library ASAP once you've finished reading.  If you've been unable to get a copy, please let the Library know so you can be placed on a waiting list for the book.  Drop by the Atlantic Highlands branch or call 732-291-1956.

We will meet to discuss The Emperor's Children on Thursday, July 25, 2013, at 7pm, at the Atlantic Highlands branch of the Monmouth County Library, located at 100 First Avenue in Atlantic Highlands (inside Borough Hall).

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

June 2013: Out of Mao's Shadow by Philip P. Pan

From goodreads:
"From an award-winning journalist for "The Washington Post" and one of the leading China correspondents of his generation comes an eloquent and vivid chronicle of the world's most successful authoritarian state -- a nation undergoing a remarkable transformation.Philip P. Pan's groundbreaking book takes us inside the dramatic battle for China's soul and into the lives of individuals struggling to come to terms with their nation's past -- the turmoil and trauma of Mao's rule -- and to take control of its future. Capitalism has brought prosperity and global respect to China, but the Communist government continues to resist the demands of its people for political freedom.

Pan, who reported in China for the "Post" for seven years and speaks fluent Chinese, eluded the police and succeeded in going where few Western journalists have dared.

From the rusting factories in the industrial northeast to a tabloid newsroom in the booming south, from a small-town courtroom to the plush offices of the nation's wealthiest tycoons, he tells the gripping stories of ordinary men and women fighting for political change. An elderly surgeon exposes the government's cover-up of the SARS epidemic. A filmmaker investigates the execution of a young woman during the Cultural Revolution. A blind man is jailed for leading a crusade against forced abortions carried out under the one-child policy.

The young people who filled Tiananmen Square in the spring of 1989 saw their hopes for a democratic China crushed in a massacre, but Pan reveals that as older, more pragmatic adults, many continue to push for justice in different ways. They are survivors whose families endured one of the world's deadliest famines during the Great Leap Forward, whose idealism was exploited during the madness of the Cultural Revolution, and whose values have been tested by the booming economy and the rush to get rich."


**Please note:  As of 5/25, all copies of Out Of Mao's Shadow had been checked out of the Atlantic Highlands branch of the Monnouth County Library.  Please contact them at 732-291-1956 or stop by to let them know you would like to be put on the waiting list.  If you already have a copy, please return it to the Library asap so those on the waiting list have a chance to get a copy and read the novel before we meet this month.**

Click here to be brought to the official website for Out Of Mao's Shadow.  (Spoilers may be possible).  You can also find an author bio via this site.

We'll meet to discuss Out of Mao's Shadow on Thursday, June 27, 2013, at 7pm, at the Atlantic Highlands branch of the Monmouth County Library, located at 100 First Avenue, inside Borough Hall.

Monday, April 29, 2013

May 2013: A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

From the 2003 Penguin Classics paperback edition:

"'Liberty, equality, fraternity, or death; - the last, much the easiest to bestow, O Guillotine!' 

After eighteen years as a political prisoner in the Bastille, the ageing Doctor Manette is finally released and reunited with his daughter in England. There the lives of two very different men, Charles Darnay, an exiled French aristocrat, and Sydney Carton, a disreputable but brilliant English lawyer, become enmeshed through their love for Lucie Manette. From the tranquil roads of London, they are drawn against their will to the vengeful, bloodstained streets of Paris at the height of the Reign of Terror, and they soon fall under the lethal shadow of La Guillotine."

For brief biographies of Charles Dickens, click here or here. To visit the Charles Dickens Museum, click here

We will meet to discuss A Tale Of Two Cities on Thursday, May 30, 2013, at 7pm at the Atlantic Highlands Branch of the Monmouth County Library, located at 100 First Avenue in Atlantic Highlands (inside Borough Hall).

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

April 2013: March by Geraldine Brooks

From the Penguin Books 2005 paperback edition:

"As the North reels under a series of unexpected defeats during the dark first year of the Civil War, one man leaves behind his family to aid the Union cause. His experiences will utterly change his marriage and challenge his most ardently held beliefs. From Louisa May Alcott's beloved classic Little Women, Geraldine Brooks has taken the character of the absent father, Mr. March, who has gone off to war, leaving his wife and daughters to make do in mean times. From vibrant new England to the sensuous antebellum South, March adds adult resonance to Alcott's optimistic children's novel. A lushly written, wholly original tale steeped in the details of another time, March secures Geraldine Brooks's place as a renowned author of historical fiction."

You can visit Geraldine Brooks's site by clicking here. (Warning: Spoilers are possible if you read the March page).

To view the author's profile of Bronson Alcott, Louisa May Alcott's father and the basis for Mr. March (in both Little Women and March) entitled "Orpheus at the Plow," which appeared in the New Yorker a month before March was released in 2005, please click here or here.

We will meet to discuss March on Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 7pm at the Atlantic Highlands Branch of the Monmouth County Library, located at 100 First Avenue in the Atlantic Highlands Borough Hall Building, Atlantic Highlands.

**To view "The Atlantic Highlands Evening Bookclub Turns 3!" scroll down or click here.**

Thursday, March 28, 2013

March 2013: The AHEBC Turns 3!

Taken Thursday, March 28, 2013, JW.
Three years ago this month, the Atlantic Highlands Evening Bookclub met for the very first time!  We have come a long way these last three years, been on an incredible reading journey together and had even more incredible discussions along the way.  Some have been here from the start, others have popped in and out while others are missed & thought of often.  New faces make our day!

Here's to many more years together while we follow the ever fascinating journeys the world of reading takes us on!

Before discussing our March book (Richard Price's Samaritan), we talked about our first impressions of the bookclub (What was the first book you read with the bookclub? What was your first impression after the first discussion you attended?) as well as our first reading experiences from childhood. (Updated 3/28/13)

A look back at our last three years of reading:
Selections 2010:
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Woa by Junot Doaz
The Sea by John Banville
Arsonist's Guide to Writer's Homes in New England by Brock Clarke
The Quarry by Damon Galgut
The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean 
Love in the time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez
Bee Season by Myla Goldberg
Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen

Selections 2011:
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Night by Elie Wiesel
The Shack by William Young
The Help (464pages) by Kathryn Stockett
Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts - Jul 
The Echo Maker by Richard Powers - Aug 
Saturday by Ian McEwan - Oct 
Room by Emma Donoghue - Nov/Dec

Selections 2012:
The Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani - Jan 
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare - Feb 
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors by Roddy Doyle - Mar
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom - Apr
My Antonia by Willia Cather - May
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith - June
Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigani - July
The Particular Sadness of the Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender - Aug
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett - Sept
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson - Oct
Brazzaville by William Boyd - Nov
SantaLand Diaries by David Sedaris - Dec (short story)

Saturday, March 2, 2013

March 2013: Samaritan by Richard Price


Our book of the month for this March is Samaritan by Richard Price.

From the first Vintage Books edition, 2004:

"Ray Mitchell, a former TV writer who has left Hollywood under a cloud, returns to urban Dempsy, New Jersey, hoping to make a difference in the lives of his struggling neighbors. Instead, his very public and emotionally suspect generosity gets him beaten nearly to death. Ray refuses to name his assailant, which makes him intensely interesting to Detective Nerese Ammons, a friend from childhood, who now sets out to unlock the secret of his reticence. Set against the intensely realized backdrop of urban America, the cat and mouse game that unfolds is both morally complex and utterly gripping."

The author does not have a site, but there is a short bio at the beginning of the novel Samaritan, as well as bio information on Google which you can view by clicking here or on Goodreads which you can view by clicking here. (You may (or may not) need a Goodreads account to view this information).

We will meet on Thursday, March 28, 2013, at 7pm at the Atlantic Highlands Branch of the Monmouth County Library located at 100 First Avenue inside the Atlantic Highlands Borough Hall building to discuss Samaritan. 

Monday, February 4, 2013

A Year by the Sea by Joan Anderson, February 2013

From Broadway Books paperback edition dated 2000:

"Life is a work in progress, as ever-changing as a sandy shoreline along the beach. During the years Joan Anderson was a loving wife and supportive mother, she had slowly and unconsciously replaced her own dreams with the needs of her family. With her sons grown, however, she realized that the family no longer centered on the home she provided, and her relationship with her husband had become stagnant. Like many women in her situation, Joan realized that she had neglected to nurture herself and, worse, to envision fulfilling goals for her future. As her husband received a wonderful job opportunity out-of-state, it seemed that the best part of her own life was finished. Shocking both of them, she refused to follow him to his new job and decided to retreat to a family cottage on Cape Cod.

At first casting about for direction, Joan soon began to take plea-sure in her surroundings and call on resources she didn't realize she had. Over the course of a year, she gradually discovered that her life as an "unfinished woman" was full of possibilities. Out of that magical, difficult, transformative year came A Year by the Sea, a record of her experiences and a treasury of wisdom for readers.

This year of self-discovery brought about extraordinary changes in the author's life. The steps that Joan took to revitalize herself and rediscover her potential have helped thousands of woman reveal and release untapped resources within themselves."

For more on the author, visit her site by clicking here.

We will meet to discuss our second non-fiction book of 2013 on Thursday, February 28, at 7pm at the Atlantic Highlands Branch of the Monmouth County Library located at 100 First Avenue inside Atlantic Highlands Borough Hall.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lack, January 2013 + Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down: A Year Of Reading In Review (*Updated 3/28/13)

Our first selection of 2013 is the nonfiction book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. 

From the BroadwayPaperbacks/Publisher: "Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells - taken without her knowledge in 1951 - became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and more. Henrietta's cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can't afford health insurance. This phenomenal New York Times bestseller tells a riveting story of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine; of scientific discovery and faith healing; and of a daughter consumed with questions about the mother she never knew."

For information on author Rebecca Skloot, visit her website by clicking here.

You can also visit the Henrietta Lacks Foundation website by clicking here.

We'll meet to discuss The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks on Thursday, January 31, 2013, at 7pm at the Atlantic Highlands Branch of the Monmouth County Library located inside Borough Hall on 100 First Avenue, Atlantic Highlands. 

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down: 2012, A Year Of Reading In Review
On Thursday, December 27, 2012, the Atlantic Highlands Evening Bookclub held our first annual Holiday party during which we voted on our favorite and least favorite reads of 2012! 

Here is Lori's great wrap of the party:
"We had a great time at the party and we missed everybody who couldn't make it! In fact we had so much fun, we're thinking of turning it into an annual event. Thank you to everyone who brought food and drink. We were there so long, we closed the place! I have to apologize to Faye and Val for making them stay late the next time I see them. I've attached a picture from the meeting. Unfortunately, Jo left before it was taken. All the books found new homes except for one and I'll bring it to the next meeting to see if anyone wants it.

We voted on our favorite and least favorite books and here are the results:

Favorite was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. (Everyone give it a thumbs up. Not one person gave it a "meh" or a thumbs down).
Least favorite was Brazzaville Beach by William Boyd. (No one gave it a thumbs up).

Now the break-down of all the other books we read in 2012 (members who didn't read that particular book didn't vote):
The Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigani: 4 yes, 1 meh, 1 no
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare: 2 yes, 1 no
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors by Roddy Doyle: 3 yes, 1 no
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom: 2 yes, 3 no
My Antonia by Willa Cather: 3 yes, 2 no
Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigani: 1 yes, 2 meh, 2 no
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson 5 yes, 1 no (Guess who voted no?)
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett: 3 yes, 2 no
The Particular Sadness of the Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender: 5 yes, 2 meh
SantaLand Diaries by David Sedaris: 2 yes, 1 meh, 4 no

Jo is going to post this on the blog. Please feel free to vote and or leave comments.

During the evening, we discussed the difference between young adult fiction and adult fiction. I said the big difference is that there aren't any subplots (for the most part, I'm sure some do). After the meeting, I remembered a few other differences. One is obvious I can't believe I didn't remember it! The protagonist is usually a teenager or young adult. Another difference is when it comes to describing characters and things, adult fiction can go on for a page sometimes more. Not so with YA literature. No self respecting teenager is going to put up with two pages describing wallpaper. So the reader gets the basic idea, but not every detail. Hey, all you YA readers out there; let me know if I've forgotten anything else."


For those who read with us in 2012, but weren't at the party, please feel free to cast your vote in the comments below for the books you liked (yes/thumbs up), didn't like (no/thumbs down) or were in the middle about (meh). 

We've also had some great discussion going on via email about the differences between Young Adult (YA) fiction and adult fiction, please feel free to continue the discussion here in the comments below or add your thoughts if you haven't done so!

Best wishes for 2013 and here's to another fascinating year of reading together!

*Update 3/28/13: To view the NYT's article "The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks, The Sequel" by Rebecca Skloot, please click here.