The Fault in Our Stars - Reviewed by Jessica

This was my second reading of The Fault In Our Stars. Let me tell you that knowing how the book ends, does not lessen the number of tears that fall on the pages. This is a sad book. If you have a soul, you will cry at least a little. Being a YA novel does not mean the subject matter is "dumbed down" at all. John Green writes for teenagers, and he believes teenagers are just as intelligent as adults. I was lucky enough to have this novel assigned as required reading for my college English class this semester, so I was able to read it without feeling guilty for ignoring my schoolwork for personal reading time. I was also "lucky" enough to have been assigned an eight page paper on the book. I will not bore you with any of my insight into the relationship between John Green, his character Peter Van Houten, and the philosophical works of Soren Kierkegaard. I will say that I highly recommend this book to everyone. It is smart, funny, and truthful. It will make you want to read more from John Green. (I suggest starting with Looking for Alaska) The characters are brilliantly written and authentic. Green does an amazing job writing from a young girls perspective. Hazel feels amazingly real, and Augustus has this romantic, insightful, yet performed personality. The teenaged girl inside you will fall for him instantly. For those of you less inclined to reading, you are in luck because the movie comes out June 2014. If you do read the book and you need answers about something I suggest visiting John Green's website here. (unless you want to know what happens to any of the characters after the book ends - in this case the website is useless)

So So Lazy!

Here we go again showing off our laziness. As the moderator, I feel responsible for the lack of posts here. I have been LAZY lately. (By lazy I mean I have been working 30 hours a week taking 9 units of college classes, participating in a medical study at Stanford University, volunteering at my daughter's school and still finding time for showers occasionally) So I have randomly selected the next THREE book club books from the suggestion (Comment) box. Here is the list if you are following along at home:

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green:

 

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning-author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

Winner of the 2013 Children's Choice Teen Book of the Year Award

Under The Dome by Stephen King

 

On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener's hand is severed as "the dome" comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when — or if — it will go away.

 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

 

 

 

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? 

 

Of course, as always, all of the books are optional and you can feel free to pick and choose which ones you want to read and when. If you choose to join us please take a little bit of time and write up a review after you have read the book. I will try to put up some writing prompts or book club questions in the next week or so to help you along if you need it.

 

 

**All book photos and overviews have been copied from www.bn.com all of the books that have been selected are available for purchase on their website.

 

 

 

The Giver review by Emily

My review is not as well worded as Jessica's, I found her review very well written!!!!!!!!! So my review is simply a few thoughts on the book The Giver. First off I'd like to say that I am shocked that this is a children's book. I would love to someday hear a child's thoughts on this book!!! I personally think that "sameness" wouldn't be such a bad idea!!!!! If we didn't know any better than I'd say it would save a lot of the negative effects in life. Although it made me sad that the giver had been holding all the feelings and emotions. And that it had to be passed on to a child who never again would be a child. What a lonely life Jonas would have had had he stayed with the community. And how sad that the adults moved out to a specific area for childless adults. And how nobody had their own flesh and blood children. And how awful it was for Jonas to find out all these memories that he had never had experienced such as love and loss. No wonder Jonas and the receiver before him couldn't handle it. And I wish we did find out what had happened back in the community after Jonas left. I hope that the ending was real, that Jonas ended up at a house that was probably celebrating Christmas and that everything ended well for him and Gabriel. I'd like to not think that they didn't make it, that Jonas kinda went into some kind of frozen coma. I enjoyed this book very much. *Emily

In True Lazy Mom Style

In true Lazy Mom style, we have not chosen another book since June. Mostly because we are still reading the June book. Also only 2 of us elected to read the book and I will most likely be the only one who writes up anything about it. As was explained before this really isn't because we are "Lazy." It is really because we are crazy busy. One of us moved to another state, one of us decided to start school full time as well as change jobs and go from part time to full time, another one has undisclosed super awesome things going on and one of us runs races every chance she gets and has been training all summer. So we are unapologetic about our lack of activity in this book club....ok that's not true, we are very sorry to anyone out there who reads these blog posts. We will get a new book selection and a review of the last book a as soon as we can. Thank you so much for stopping by! Please come back soon.
-Jessica

June 2013 Book Selection

The June selection (which was selected quite scientifically I might add.....I wrote then all down and had my had my husband pick one M. A. S. H. style) is The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick. Since this book was made into a movie, some of you may have an idea of what it is about already. I myself have seen the movie, and still can't wait to read this book. Below is the blurb taken from the Barnes and Noble website (www.bn.com)

"Meet Pat Peoples. Pat has a theory: his life is a movie produced by God. And his God-given mission is to become physically fit and emotionally literate, whereupon God will ensure him a happy ending—the return of his estranged wife, Nikki. (It might not come as a surprise to learn that Pat has spent several years in a mental health facility.)

The problem is, Pat’s now home, and everything feels off. No one will talk to him about Nikki; his beloved Philadelphia Eagles keep losing; he’s being pursued by the deeply odd Tiffany; his new therapist seems to recommend adultery as a form of therapy. Plus, he’s being haunted by Kenny G!"

I generally hate reading the book AFTER watching the movie, mostly because I want to see the characters my own way, but I really don't mind picturing Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper throughout the novel. Enjoy the book and we will see you back here later for reviews and thoughts.

The Giver - Jessica's thoughts (and spoilers)

    The Giver by Lois Lowry is the first part of a Quartet of novels. To be honest I'm not sure whether I enjoyed the book or not. Although it isn't a very long novel (about 132 pages) it took me forever to finish it. I was expecting a bigger reveal at the end, but I'm guessing I would have to finish the series to find out what it's really all about. As a stand alone novel The giver raises some good questions about what we might think of as ideal. There have been times when I have thought that a society where everyone just worked in a field they excelled in, and some central power handed out everything that was needed for a comfortable life, would be ideal. If there were no rich citizens and no poor citizens and no one even knew that was an option, wouldn't people be happier? I think this is pretty much communism, or maybe socialism......to be honest I hated government in school so I still confuse them. The only way this would have any chance of working is if NO ONE KNEW BETTER, which is kind of the point of this novel. No one knows about the world before this idealistic society came about except for one person, The Receiver of Memories. One man knows everything about the past. One man has experienced hunger, weather, loneliness, sunshine, and love. Only one man has seen color. The citizens live in a society of sameness. Families are placed together after the council carefully studies the citizens to find them a good match. Birthmother is a job title and the children are place with families each year. Parents raise their children and then they go to live in the home for childless adults to make room in the family homes for new families who are ready for children. Then they are moved to a home for the old until they are ready for "release"
    Now, as I was reading, the first time I read "release" I immediately knew what was going on. With the house of old, I didn't think anything of it. Kind of sad, but if they were ready......kind of an angel of mercy thing in my opinion. But then we hear about people who break the rules 3 times being released, and babies who don't cut the mustard as far as temperament and weight are released. At first I thought that only the council knew what was going on, but that wasn't the case.
    I got side tracked a little here. Jonas is a boy who is about to turn 12 and he will be assigned to his career at a ceremony along with all of the other children in their 12th year of life. Everyone gets their jobs and no one is particularly surprised at their assignments. they have all been volunteering in different fields and their aptitudes are quite obvious, but Jonas has no idea what his assignment will be. He is chosen as the new Receiver of memories. This job consists of holding on to every memory of life before the sameness. This happens by some kind of magic - placing of hands - transference from the old "Receiver" now known as "The Giver." The Receiver keeps the memories so the citizens don't have to. Most importantly it keeps order in the society. The Receiver is also used to council the council. he uses the memories to steer them in the right direction by using the past as a guide.
    The old Receiver did his job without much question. He bore the pain of holding memories of war and famine, and the joy of memories of sunshine and holidays and love, without thinking that it might be better if the citizens experienced these things themselves. Jonas, however, questions these things and wishes he could pass the memories on to his family and friends.
    Jonas is pushed too far when he finds out what it actually means to be released. His father is a nurturer at the newborn facility. When a set of identical twins are born, the rules state that one of them needs to be released. Jonas wants to see the ceremony that is performed at each release and as the new receiver he can ask to review video of the ceremony. Jonas sees his father weigh each of the twins and then send away the heavier one to the nursery. The other is given an injection in it's soft spot and killed, then placed in a box and thrown out the garbage chute. It was kind of like reading a horror novel at this point. I was completely disturbed. Jonas can't handle this new knowledge and he takes off in the night along with a baby he stole that was set to be released in the morning. I don't blame him. This is not the only reason he leaves. He and the Giver have decided that Jonas will leave and (because of the magic memory thing) once he leaves the community all of the memories he holds will be released into the minds of the community and they will all see what he has seen, the pain and the joy. It could lead to a greater understanding, but it could also lead to epic chaos.
     As far as the reader knows, they never get caught. but the journey is full of peril and more weird memory magic. Apparently recalling memories of snow can make him cold enough to remain undetected by heat seeking radar, and recalling memories of sunshine can keep him warm enough in the snow so he won't freeze. Then the book kind of just ends.
    The kind of magic/ kind of supposed to be a real futuristic society threw me off. I'm not opposed to either type of story, but explain how this person got power. Saying they have the ability to "see beyond" doesn't do it for me. I love a story that keeps me guessing, but when I guess too soon, it's ruined. I just want to rush through and see if I'm right. This book kind of reminds me of Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro. I read it a few years ago and It raises some very interesting questions, but I think it is meant for an older audience and is written a little more maturely. It kept me guessing for a good portion of the book, and I was left with the same kind of "WTF" feeling. I recommend The Giver for high school age kids. I think it might help understand why some types of government can look ideal on the surface, but in reality they are far from it. Maybe if I read this book in high school I would have been curious enough to find out the difference between communist and socialist societies.
    I might eventually read the other 3 books to see if they explain anything more. I still have questions.

May 2013 book selection

All of the book suggestions were placed in a hat and the chosen book for May is...........

 

The Barnes and Noble website describes the book as:

 "December is the time of the annual Ceremony at which each twelve-year-old receives a life assignment determined by the Elders. Jonas watches his friend Fiona named Caretaker of the Old and his cheerful pal Asher labeled the Assistant Director of Recreation. But Jonas has been chosen for something special. When his selection leads him to an unnamed man-the man called only the Giver-he begins to sense the dark secrets that underlie the fragile perfection of his world.

Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives."

The author also wrote Number the Stars. A novel about a young girl during the Holocaust, that I remember reading around age 11. This selection was from our newest part time member (my sister) Sarah. Her member profile will be up soon (as soon as I send her the interview questions and post her answers) Thank you for following along. Please pick up the book and read along with us so you can participate in the comments.

The book is 190 pages, and under $7 everywhere that I have looked so far.

The Bell Jar - Jessica's Thoughts

So, I had no idea what this book was about at all when I started it. I hadn't even read a back cover blurb about it. For some reason I had a vague idea that it had something to do with witchcraft. Don't ask because I have no idea why. I did however know a little about Sylvia Plath, but I wasn't aware that the book was somewhat autobiographical. I figured it out as I went along though.

In the beginning I was annoyed with Esther. She had this huge opportunity and she was so ungrateful and, well pretty much just emo about the whole thing.There was a turning point for me right before she left to go back home from New York. On the day of the last photos she says:

"I didn't want my picture taken because I was going to cry. I didn't know why I was going to cry, but I knew that if anybody spoke to me or looked at me too closely the tears would fly out of my eyes and the sobs would fly out of my throat and I'd cry for a week. I could feel the tears brimming and sloshing in me like water in a glass that is unsteady and too full."

I've felt that before. Exactly that! She made me feel that feeling and then I felt for her. Empathy kicked in and I went from hating her to knowing her. Sylvia Plath knows how to explain depression like no one else. She lived it and died from it, and her poetic talent can pull you into the darkness without you realizing it. The story bounces around a lot with flashbacks and at least one glimpse into the future beyond the end of the novel.
 I caught the comment in the very beginning about her letting her baby chew on a piece of the sun glass case, and I reminded myself about that one comment every time I thought it was the end.

The time between New York and the Asylum was hard to read. Plath was so effective at writing from Esther's point of view. Esther's mother was just clueless, but I felt sorry for her. She didn't understand what was going on with Ester, and she was trying to help her, but she just never got it right. This is hard to explain, but I felt so bad for Esther each time something went wrong in her plans to end her life. It's not that I wanted her to kill herself, but I just felt like the fact that she kept failing was going to destroy her even more. She wanted it to be perfect, but something always went wrong.

Once she got to the asylum I had high hopes. Armed with the foreshadowing that she would eventually have a child, I tried to convince myself that she would get better. Doctor Nolan seemed to understand her better than anyone had yet. But the fact that they were doing insulin shock therapy plus electroshock therapy kind of dampened my high hopes for her recovery.

I love where Plath ended the story. It was a hopeful ending, which was just what the reader, and I think what the Author, needed.

The version I read had a mini bio of Plath and a comparison of the lives of Ester and Plath. I did not know that Plath committed suicide while her children were sleeping. She blocked off the kitchen with wet towels to keep the carbon monoxide from leaking out to where the children were, and it was approximately 4 hours between her death and when her day nurse showed up and found her body. It's hard to imagine the desperation that lead to such an act, but Plath gives you the seeds of her story in the novel. I would be very interested in reading a biography on Sylvia Plath, and I plan on reading more of her poetry.

Sorry this took so long, but I have been thinking about this book daily, and I'm not sure if it was because of her writing, or because of the time of month I read this novel, but I have been blue beyond my normal range since I finished this book.  All in all, I'm glad I read this book. It's one that will stick with me.

Let's get started.

Our first book selection is The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. The Bell Jar was Sylvia Plath's only novel. It was originally published in the UK in 1963 under the name Victoria Lucas. The novel is semi-autobiographical, and reflects the authors decent into depression. Plath famously committed suicide via Carbon Monoxide poisoning, by sticking her head in her oven a month after the novel was published. It took 4 years before the book was published under her real name, and it wasn't released in the US until 1971.

The best "spoiler free" summary I could find was from Cliffs Notes:
"The Bell Jar is the story of 19-year-old Esther Greenwood, the breakdown she experiences, and the beginnings of her recovery."

Keep your eyes out for upcoming posts about this classic novel from our Lazy Moms.

Meet The Lazy Moms

Welcome to The Lazy Mom Book Club. It's time to meet the Moms themselves. I interviewed each one to give you a little insight into their book personality... yes, I even interviewed myself.



 This is Jenn. Mother to an adorable little boy, and ultimate FANGIRL. If you need proof, just check out her multiple book inspired tattoos. She is rad with a capital "R"... RAD! plus we are related. I interviewed Jenn to find out a little more about her book personality.

 

Jessica: What are the last three books you've read?

Jenn:The last three books I have read are, On Writing. By Stephen King. The complete works of John Keats. The Mortal instruments.

Jessica: Are you reading on an ereader or the real McCoy?

Jenn: They were all read on my kindle. I do however prefer the real thing. I love the smell of books haha am I weird for that?

Jessica: When you are shopping for a new book to read, which genre do you look to first?

Jenn: When looking for a new book I generally go for YA Fiction not sure why I gravitate towards that and Sci Fy generally. Keats and Emerson have a soft spot in my heart as well. I'm constantly looking for first editions of their work.

Jessica: What are some of your favorite books? Keep it under five, but a series can count as one.

Jenn: Favorite books top five would be ahhh this is hard I will go with.... The secret circle by L.J Smith. simple but good storyline if you can get past some way obvious Juvenal word choices. Twilight sorry I know I'm going to get shit for this but this book got me into reading again so I'm choosing it solely on that. Plus Edwards hot! The Outsiders that's a fave from my youth. The Lake of dead languages,By Carol Goodman this was her first Novel she really hit it out of the park. The perks of being a wallflower. I love how this was formatted what a different read and I ended up liking it more than expected.

 

Jessica: Name one book you have read more than once.
Jenn: I think I have read all the twilight books more than is acceptably embarrassing to share.

 

Jessica: If you start a book and it's horrible, do you finish it anyway, or do you put it aside and move on?

Jenn: When I start a book I will finish it no matter what, even if it takes a bit I will always come back to it.

 

Jessica: Do you read more than one book at a time, or do you focus on just one?

Jenn: I tend to read one book at a time. I just get so involved with the story I hate to break away from that. I do however read shorts in between usually Emerson or HP Lovecraft.

Jessica: What else would you like the readers and other Lazy Moms to know about you?

Jenn: I'm currently working on my first Novel it's been a two year process. I'm always writing and looking for the next great book to read. I'm really excited you're starting this. What a great idea. On the plus side I will get the whole bottle of wine to my self though it would have been nice to share in person. I look forward to the reading selections and my cats who inevitably will deter my reading by lying on my book mid sentence.
I look forward to sharing with fellow book nerds!

This is Denise. She is a working mom of 2 little ones. To be honest I'm just starting to get to know her, after knowing her for....probably like 4 years. Here's her interview. Let's get to know her together.

 

Jessica: Tell me the last 3 books that you read

Denise: I just finished The Help. I read the Twilight Saga after finally giving in. Before that I read My Sister's Keeper. I don't read the fad books when they are in fashion...lol

Jessica: Are you reading paper books or using an eReader. (if it's both which do you use more often, and if it's an eReader what kind do you have)

Denise: I have a Kindle Fire, but I prefer real books.

Jessica: When you are shopping for a new book to what genre do you look to first?

Denise: I look to drama usually.

 

What are some of your favorite books? keep it under 5 (series can count as one)

 Denise: My Sister's Keeper, The Help (pretty much whichever book I just finished)

Jessica: Do you read multiple books or just one at a time?

Denise: I like to give one book my full attention.

 

Jessica: Name one book you have read more than once

Denise: I read and retread Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret? many times when I was a preteen. Since then I haven't reread a book.

 

Jessica: If you start a book and it is pretty bad, do you finish it, or move on to something else?

Denise: I try really hard to finish it, but sometimes I can't motivate myself to finish. I did this with Killing Lincoln recently.

Jessica: Is there anything else you feel like sharing with the book club?

Denise: I love to read, but sometimes I am just too tired to and I fall asleep. It's nothing against the book.

This is Jessica. She is me...I am she..her...uhhhhh ya, you get the point. Here is my interview with myself.

 

Jessica:Tell me the last 3 books that you read

Me: Dare Me - Megan Abbott, Mansfield Park - Jane Austen, Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

Jessica: Are you reading paper books or using an eReader. (if it's both which do you use more often, and if it's an eReader what kind do you have)

Me: I switch back and forth. I read on my Nook, I use the nook app on my little mini Samsung tablet, and I read paper books. There is nothing more satisfying than walking out of any store with a heavy bag of new books. I also hoard my books. 

Jessica: When you are shopping for a new book to what genre do you look to first?

Me: I usually go to YA first. I love me some YA fiction. I also look for books that belong to a series. I'm a lazy mom after all. I hate trying to figure out what to read next, and a series takes care of that problem.

 

Jessica: Favorite books? keep it under 5 (series can count as one)

Me: Ummmmm. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen, The Fault in Our Stars - John Green, Twilight series- Stephanie Meyer (ya, I know, and I don't care), Looking for Alaska - John Green, The Southern Vampire Series - Charlaine Harris (aka the Sookie Stackhouse series, or the True Blood books

Jessica: Do you read multiple books or just one at a time?

Me: I usually read one at a time, but sometimes when I get a new book I can't help but crack it open, even if I'm in the middle of a book already. 

 

Jessica: Name one book you have read more than once

Me: Pride and Prejudice. I've read it so many times, and I've seen every version of movie and TV show/mini series/web series (the Lizzie Bennet diaries) out there. I'm a big fan. 

 

Jessica:If you start a book and it is pretty bad, do you finish it, or move on to something else?

Me: If I paid for the book I am going to finish it no matter how bad. I once read a whole series and hated it the whole time, but everyone was so in love with it, that I had to finish it to see if it would redeem itself.....it didn't. Sorry Christian Grey fangirls. 

 

Jessica:Is there anything else you feel like sharing with the book club?

Me: I'm a working mom of 5 kids. Ranging in age from 20-5. Two of them are my step-kids, and only 3 of them live with us right now. So I am pretty busy. I try to make time for myself and to be honest, time for myself mostly consists of watching my favorite TV shows. I'm a huge movie fan, but the book is always better. I am a huge fangirl and I will dream about great movie/book characters. I mourn after finishing a great book. Out of all of the Lazy moms, I'm probably the only one who  is truly lazy. 

 Meet Emily, she is a stay at home mother of 3 which keeps her very busy. She is also an avid runner. She participates in 5k's, half-marathons and other runs throughout California. Here is here interview:

Jessica: What are the last three books that you have read?
Emily: Almost French by Sarah Turnbull, The Fifty Shades Trilogy, and The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern.
Jessica: Do you read on an eReader or paper books?
Emily: All of the books I read are paper books.
Jessica: When you are looking for a new book to read, what genre do you look to first?
Emily: I'd say I usually go for love stories!!!! lol or biographies.
Jessica: Name your favorite books (keep it under 5)
Emily: My favorite book so far are those from Wicked!!!! Although I still need to read the last book in that trilogy. The Night Circus was very good. And The Lakeshore Chronicles by Susan Wiggs. I also enjoyed The Paris Wife by Paula McLain.
Jessica: Name a book you have read more than once.
Emily: I have never read a book more than once.
Jessica: If you start a book and you aren't into it, do you put it aside and move on, or do you finish it anyway?
Emily: I always finish a book I start, but if I'm not into it ....It may take me a while to finish.