Dec 2018: The Orphan Keeper

The Orphan Keeper, A Novel by Camron Wright via Goodreads:

"Based on a true story. Seven-year-old Chellamuthu’s life is forever changed when he is kidnapped from his village in India, sold to a Christian orphanage, and then adopted by an unsuspecting couple in the United States. It takes months before the boy can speak enough English to tell his parents that he already has a family back in India. Horrified, they try their best to track down his Indian family, but all avenues lead to dead ends.

Meanwhile, they simply love him, change his name to Taj, enroll him in school, make him part of their family—and his story might have ended there had it not been for the pestering questions in his head: Who am I? Why was I taken? How do I get home?

More than a decade later, Taj meets Priya, a girl from southern India with surprising ties to his past. Is she the key to unveil the secrets of his childhood or is it too late? And if he does make it back to India, how will he find his family with so few clues?"

Author website: Click here. (Spoilers possible)
Book's Website: Click here. (Spoilers Likely!)

We'll meet to discuss The Orphan Keeper on Thursday, December 6, at 7pm. Location: Community Room of the Atlantic Highlands branch of the Monmouth County Library, 100 First Avenue, inside Borough Hall in downtown Atlantic Highlands. Books are available at the Library Desk.

Oct 2018: Born A Crime

Born A Crime by Trevor Noah via Penguin Random House:

"Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.

Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.

The stories collected here are by turns hilarious, dramatic, and deeply affecting. Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Trevor illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a moving and searingly funny portrait of a boy making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time, armed only with a keen sense of humor and a mother’s unconventional, unconditional love."

Author facebook: Click here.

We'll meet to discuss Born A Crime on Thursday, October 25, at 7pm. Location: Community Room of the Atlantic Highlands branch of the Monmouth County Library, 100 First Avenue, inside Borough Hall in downtown Atlantic Highlands. Books are available at the Library Desk.

Please note: This title wasn't available via the Monmouth County Library Bookclub List and quantity is limited!

Reminder: There is no Evening Bookclub in November!

Sep 2018: My Beloved World

My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor via Penguin Random House:

"Here is the story of a precarious childhood, with an alcoholic father (who would die when she was nine) and a devoted but overburdened mother, and of the refuge a little girl took from the turmoil at home with her passionately spirited paternal grandmother. But it was when she was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes that the precocious Sonia recognized she must ultimately depend on herself. She would learn to give herself the insulin shots she needed to survive and soon imagined a path to a different life. With only television characters for her professional role models, and little understanding of what was involved, she determined to become a lawyer, a dream that would sustain her on an unlikely course, from valedictorian of her high school class to the highest honors at Princeton, Yale Law School, the New York County District Attorney’s office, private practice, and appointment to the Federal District Court before the age of forty. Along the way we see how she was shaped by her invaluable mentors, a failed marriage, and the modern version of extended family she has created from cherished friends and their children. Through her still-astonished eyes, America’s infinite possibilities are envisioned anew in this warm and honest book, destined to become a classic of self-invention and self-discovery."

(No author site links)

We'll meet to discuss My Beloved World on Thursday, September 27, at 7pm. Location: Community Room of the Atlantic Highlands branch of the Monmouth County Library, 100 First Avenue, inside Borough Hall in downtown Atlantic Highlands. Books are available at the Library Desk.

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, Discoveries From a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben, Jane Billinghurst Translator via Goodreads:

"Peter Wohlleben shares his deep love of woods and forests and explains the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in the woodland and the amazing scientific processes behind the wonders of which we are blissfully unaware. Much like human families, tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, and support them as they grow, sharing nutrients with those who are sick or struggling and creating an ecosystem that mitigates the impact of extremes of heat and cold for the whole group. As a result of such interactions, trees in a family or community are protected and can live to be very old. In contrast, solitary trees, like street kids, have a tough time of it and in most cases die much earlier than those in a group.

Drawing on groundbreaking new discoveries, Wohlleben presents the science behind the secret and previously unknown life of trees and their communication abilities; he describes how these discoveries have informed his own practices in the forest around him."

Author Website: Click here. (Spoilers possible)
The Man Who Thinks Trees Talk To Each Other (article): Click here. (Spoilers possible)
Author on Scandinavian TV (interview): Click here. (Spoilers possible)

We'll meet to discuss The Hidden Life of Trees on Thursday, Aug 30, at 7pm. Location: Community Room of the Atlantic Highlands branch of the Monmouth County Library, 100 First Avenue, inside Borough Hall in downtown Atlantic Highlands. Books are available at the Library Desk.

Please note: This title wasn't available via the Monmouth County Library Bookclub List and quantity is limited!

July 2018: The House On Mango Street

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros via LitCharts:

"The House on Mango Street is a bildungsroman (coming-of-age story) of a young Chicana (Mexican-American) girl named Esperanza Cordero. The book is told in small vignettes which act as both chapters of a novel and independent short stories or prose poems. The story encompasses a year in Esperanza’s life, as she moves to a house on Mango Street in a barrio (Latino neighborhood) of Chicago, Illinois. The house on Mango Street is an improvement over Esperanza’s previous residences, but it is still not the house she or her family dreams of, and throughout the book Esperanza feels that she doesn’t belong there.

Over the course of the year Esperanza grows emotionally, artistically, and sexually, and the novel meanders through her experiences with her neighbors and classmates. Esperanza makes friends with two other Chicana girls of Mango Street, Rachel and Lucy. These three, along with Esperanza’s little sister Nenny, have many small adventures in the first part of the book, including searching through a labyrinthine junk store and learning from an older girl named Marin. While exploring her world, Esperanza experiences the shame of poverty, the unfairness of racism, and the beauty of poetry and music."

Author Website: Click here. (Spoilers possible)
Books As Medicine - A Conversation With Sandra Cisneros (article): Click here. (Spoilers possible)

We'll meet to discuss The House on Mango Street On Thursday, July 26, at 7pm. Location: Community Room of the Atlantic Highlands branch of the Monmouth County Library, 100 First Avenue, inside Borough Hall in downtown Atlantic Highlands. Books are available at the Library Desk.

June 2018: Claire Of The Sea Light

Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat via Goodreads:

"Claire Limyè Lanmè - Claire of the Sea Light - is an enchanting child born into love and tragedy in Ville Rose, Haiti. Claire's mother died in childbirth, and on each of her birthdays Claire is taken by her father, Nozias, to visit her mother's grave. Nozias wonders if he should give away his young daughter to a local shopkeeper, who lost a child of her own, so that Claire can have a better life.

But on the night of Claire's seventh birthday, when at last he makes the wrenching decision to do so, she disappears. As Nozias and others look for her, painful secrets, haunting memories, and startling truths are unearthed among the community of men and women whose individual stories connect to Claire, to her parents, and to the town itself."

Author Website: Click here. (Spoilers possible)
Author facebook: Click here. (Spoilers possible)
Author TED Talk: Click here. (Spoilers possible)

We'll meet to discuss Claire of the Sea Light On Thursday, June 28, at 7pm. Location: Community Room of the Atlantic Highlands branch of the Monmouth County Library, 100 First Avenue, inside Borough Hall in downtown Atlantic Highlands. Books are available at the Library Desk.

May 2018: The Story Of A New Name

The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante (Anna Goldstein translator) via Goodreads:

"In 2012, Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend introduced readers to the unforgettable Elena and Lila, whose lifelong friendship provides the backbone for the Neapolitan Novels. The Story of a New Name is the second book in this series. With these books, which the New Yorker's James Wood described as "large, captivating, amiably peopled ... a beautiful and delicate tale of confluence and reversal," Ferrante proves herself to be one of Italy's most accomplished storytellers. She writes vividly about a specific neighborhood of Naples from the late-1950s through to the current day and about two remarkable young women who are very much the products of that place and time. Yet in doing so she has created a world in which readers will recognize themselves and has drawn a marvelously nuanced portrait of friendship.

In The Story of a New Name, Lila has recently married and made her entrée into the family business; Elena, meanwhile, continues her studies and her exploration of the world beyond the neighborhood that she so often finds stifling. Love, jealousy, family, freedom, commitment, and above all friendship: these are signs under which both women live out this phase in their stories. Marriage appears to have imprisoned Lila, and the pressure to excel is at times too much for Elena. Yet the two young women share a complex and evolving bond that is central to their emotional lives and is a source of strength in the face of life's challenges. In these Neapolitan Novels, Elena Ferrante, the acclaimed author of The Days of Abandonment, gives readers a poignant and universal story about friendship and belonging."

Author Website: Click here. (Spoilers possible)

We'll meet to discuss The Story of a New Name On Thursday, May 31, at 7pm. Location: Community Room of the Atlantic Highlands branch of the Monmouth County Library, 100 First Avenue, inside Borough Hall in downtown Atlantic Highlands. Books are available at the Library Desk.

Please note: This title wasn't available via the Monmouth County Library Bookclub List and quantity is limited!

April 2018: The Mayor Of Casterbridge

The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy via Goodreads:

"In a fit of drunken anger, Michael Henchard sells his wife and baby daughter for five guineas at a country fair. Over the course of the following years, he manages to establish himself as a respected and prosperous pillar of the community of Casterbridge, but behind his success there always lurk the shameful secret of his past and a personality prone to self-destructive pride and temper."

Thomas Hardy biography via Encyclopedia Britannica: Click here.

We'll meet to discuss The Mayor of Casterbridge On Thursday, April 26, at 7pm. Location: Community Room of the Atlantic Highlands branch of the Monmouth County Library, 100 First Avenue, inside Borough Hall in downtown Atlantic Highlands. Books are available at the Library Desk.

Please note: This title wasn't available via the Monmouth County Library Bookclub List and quantity is limited!

Mar 2018: The Signature Of All Things

The Signature Of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert via Goodreads:

"Spanning much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the novel follows the fortunes of the extraordinary Whittaker family as led by the enterprising Henry Whittaker—a poor-born Englishman who makes a great fortune in the South American quinine trade, eventually becoming the richest man in Philadelphia. Born in 1800, Henry’s brilliant daughter, Alma (who inherits both her father’s money and his mind), ultimately becomes a botanist of considerable gifts herself. 

As Alma’s research takes her deeper into the mysteries of evolution, she falls in love with a man named Ambrose Pike who makes incomparable paintings of orchids and who draws her in the exact opposite direction—into the realm of the spiritual, the divine, and the magical. Alma is a clear-minded scientist; Ambrose a Utopian artist—but what unites this unlikely couple is a desperate need to understand the workings of this world and the mechanisms behind all life.

It is the story of Alma Whittaker, who—born in the Age of Enlightenment, but living well into the Industrial Revolution—bears witness to that extraordinary moment in human history when all the old assumptions about science, religion, commerce, and class were exploding into dangerous new ideas."

Author Website: Click here. (spoilers possible)
Book Trailer: Click here. (spoilers possible) video
Elizabeth Gilbert on The Signature Of All Things: Click here. (spoilers possible) video

We'll meet to discuss The Signature Of All Things on Thursday, March 29, at 7pm. Location: Community Room of the Atlantic Highlands branch of the Monmouth County Library, 100 First Avenue, inside Borough Hall in downtown Atlantic Highlands. Books are available at the Library Desk.

Please note: This title wasn't available via the Monmouth County Library Bookclub List and quantity is limited!

Feb 2018: The Rosie Project

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion via Goodreads:

"Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper."

Author Website: Click here. (spoilers may be possible)

We'll meet to discuss The Rosie Project on Thursday, February 22, at 7pm. Location: Community Room of the Atlantic Highlands branch of the Monmouth County Library, 100 First Avenue, inside Borough Hall in downtown Atlantic Highlands. Books are available at the Library Desk.

Jan 2018: All The Light We Cannot See

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr via Goodreads:

"Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another."

Author Website: Click here. (spoilers possible)
Anthony Doerr on his novel: Click here. (spoilers possible) video

We'll meet to discuss All The Light We Cannot See on Thursday, January 25, at 7pm. Location: Community Room of the Atlantic Highlands branch of the Monmouth County Library, 100 First Avenue, inside Borough Hall in downtown Atlantic Highlands. Books are available at the Library Desk.

Please note: This title wasn't available via the Monmouth County Library Bookclub List and quantity is limited!

AHLEBC 2017 Round Up

Happy New Year fellow readers!

Before we get started with 2018, I wanted us to take a look back at our year of reading in 2017 via our voting in December (which was done via email and during our annual holiday / December meet up).

Here are the results from Lori's email:

Remember, our voting systems was a little unorthodox, for example, you could have more than one favorite, but we are not a rule following book club. We do things our way, baby! :-)

My Brilliant Friend Fav: 7 Liked: 4 No one thought this book was meh or hated it.

Thank Who Mistook his Wife... Liked: 5 Meh: 3 No one's favorite and no one hated it.

One Thousand White Women Liked: 6 Meh: 1 Hated: 1 No one's favorite.

When the Emperor was Divine Fav: 1 Liked: 6 Meh: 4 No one hated it.

The Bridge of San Luis Rey Fav: 1 Liked: 3 Meh: 5 No one hated this book.

Olive Kitteridge Fav: 4 Liked: 6 No one thought this book was meh or hated it.

Being Mortal Fav: 2 Liked: 8 Meh: 11 No one hated it.

Frankenstein Liked: 4 Meh: 3 Hated: 3 No one's favorite.

Euphoria Liked: 5 Meh: 4 Hated: 1 No one's favorite.

Orphan train Liked: 10 Meh: 2 No one's favorite and no one hated it.

A Man Called Ove Fav: 2 Liked: 7 Meh: 2 Hated: 2

So...

Favorite book: My Brilliant Friend Least Favorite: Frankenstein Most Liked: Orphan Train Most Meh: Being Mortal

Thanks for voting!

Speaking of "rules" - along with input from those who attended the annual holiday / December meet up, Lori and I have come to the decision (for lack of a better word) that we're bringing the bookclub back to its' roots in some ways to make it more inclusive for all who attend, and less "to-do" pressure for Lori, who has been our fearless and faithful leader though thick & thin, but as can happen with us all, needs to have less on-hands time with the bookclub now, as I have needed these last couple of years.

So in that spirit, here are the new old "rules" for 2018 and beyond:

-If you pick a book that gets chosen as a monthly selection, You are responsible for facilitating the month your book is assigned to.
-If you are unable to do so, please let Lori and myself know ASAP (or hit "reply all" to the latest email from us) so that we can go from there and someone can volunteer to facilitate in their place.
-(Emergencies are the obvious exception here, so in this case those who attend that month will carry on and discuss the book sans facilitator).

-If you are facilitating, that month you bring the snacks.
-If you're unable to do so, or would like everyone to try and bring something as well, please let the group know by hitting "reply all" to the latest email from us. This way those who are able to bring something can do so.
-(There are paper goods at the library already - if Lori or I aren't there, just ask the librarians).
-Lori will continue to bring the electric kettle and tea.

As a reminder: If you pick a book that is not on the Monmouth County Bookclub Library List, all will be done to try and locate enough copies of that book throughout the system, however, we cannot guarantee that there will be enough system wide and therefore we may ask you to pick a back-up title in case.

In closing, here is our 2017 annual Holiday / December meet up group photo!

Here's to another great year of reading together!
-Jo