Fiction Between Friends

Aileen had always wanted an excuse to read Nora Ephron, so she read Heartburn by Nora Ephron. Lauren got her sweet tooth fix with an old copy of Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel.  Alisa read A River Runs Through It by Norman McClain, and Josie dug up her copy of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

Happy (early) Valentine’s Day! 

Lauren read The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon. Fun, vivacious dialogue and tons of red hot lovin’.

Aileen had a much more PG rated read with The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, about a quirky, schedule-obsessed hero, and the innocent, light-hearted love that he develops for the girl who breaks all the rules.

Alisa had the heaviest read this week with Normal People by Sally Rooney, about two people learning to love both themselves and each other in spite of the many obstacles that keep them apart.

Josie found her inner wild with Maria Vale’s The Last Wolf, the first book in the Legend of All Wolves series. Josie went hog-wild for this series with its phenomenal characters, enchanting world-building, and compelling story line. 

Aileen is a huge Stephen King fan and has been for as long as we can remember. This week she picked a book of his for each of us to read. 

Aileen read one of King’s more recent books, Billie Summers. A crime thriller that’s something of a departure from what we all think of as a typical Stephen King novel. 

Alisa should have read 11.22.63 like Aileen asked her to, but instead she read The Institute. 

Lauren also deviated from Aileen’s assignment and read Elevation instead, an engaging thought-experiment that stayed with Lauren long after she put it down. 

Aileen suggested Josie read On Writing, King’s book about the craft of writing. (Was that a hint?) Not a how-to book, On Writing is more like an autobiographical account of King’s personal writing journey. Full of inspiration and honesty, On Writing is a generous gift to newbies from a master storyteller.

Right now in our country there are towns, cities, and states making lists of books that certain people want banned from schools and libraries, and we are absolutely horrified by this.

So, each one of us pick an AMAZING book that is on one of these nefarious lists and read the heck out of ‘em. Aileen read The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, and had her mind blown. 

Alisa found Black Girl Unlimited: The Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard by Echo Brown on a challenged list in Kansas and gets as riled up as anyone of us has ever heard her.

Lauren read Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George.

And Josie read the Pulitzer Prize winning Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides and had a hard time figuring out why this touching story about an intersexed individual was being challenged. 

Our final episode of the season!  We'll be off for three weeks and then be back January 10 for Season 2.

Things get quite steamy in this episode, as Aileen warms us up with Jennifer Weiner’s, Big Summer. Then Lauren goes full romance with Robyn Carr’s, Virgin River, and Alisa  gives a  saucy reading of one of the love scenes.  Alisa then brings back a group favorite with Helen Fielding’s, Bridget Jones’s Diary.  And Josie empties a box of tissues reading Jojo Moyes’s, Me Before You.

We tried something a little different for this episode and chose to partner up and cover two books instead of four.
 
Aileen and Lauren read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, the smart, warm, and uplifting story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes that the only way to survive is to open your heart. The book is soon to be a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon.

And Josie and Alisa read Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles, a tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart. A dazzling literary feat that brilliantly reimagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad. 

We read books recommended by Lauren, our in-house librarian, who is still out of commission, and it’s unanimous. She’s a book whisperer.

Aileen read and thoroughly enjoyed Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal a lively, sexy, and thought-provoking East-meets-West story about community, friendship, and women's lives at all ages.

Alisa read Deborah Harkness’s A Discovery of Witches and her lifelong mission now is go out to dinner with Deborah.

And Josie became a Naomi Novik fangirl for life after reading A Deadly Education.

Unfortunately, Lauren couldn’t make it, but the remaining gang soldiers on without her and discusses captivity and survival stories.

Aileen re-read Flowers in the Attic by V. C. Andrews and found that her opinion of this once beloved book had changed drastically since her teen years. Many of the things she adored about this “forbidden read” shocked her now, and the gang discussed how the Me Too movement has changed the way many books are viewed.

Alisa went full boy vs. nature with Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. This beautifully written book was a much-needed reminder of hope and self-reliance for Alisa after her encounter with Lord of the Flies last week, and she would highly recommend this book to parents to read with their middle-grade children.

Josie has her own story of survival to gush about with Dragonsinger by one of her greatest writing heroes, Anne McCaffrey. Part of the first fantasy series that Josie ever read—The Dragonriders of Pern—this feminist portrayal of a young girl who survives in a dangerous world on her own is still a cherished source of inspiration to Josie. Oh, and there are dragons in it. ‘Nuff said.

We chose to go dark on this one, all except for Lauren who went with some lighter fare because sometimes you read what the book gods send your way and you don't ask any questions.

Aileen tips off the book talk with her pick, The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. Alisa cuts the line with Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Lauren brightens the mood with A Season for Second Chances by Jenni Bayliss, and Josie wraps things up with the dark and heavy, Dune, by Frank Herbert.

Lauren also gives some insight into the way libraries acquire books and muses about who decides what books are worthy for awards, and exactly how does one become invited to a dinner with the original influencers, the ALA. 

What is it about certain books that brings us back, again and again? Why re-read at all, considering there are so many great books waiting on our TBR lists?  Well, this week we break down our favorite re-reads.

Aileen dusts off her old copy of Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret by Judy Blume.

Lauren shares A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.

Alisa comes prepared with her stack of Twilight novels by Stephanie Meyer.

And Josie lets her freak flag fly with A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.