Posts Tagged With: book club

As a general rule I don’t read “best sellers.” They annoy me…I don’t want someone telling me what I should or shouldn’t like…okay that’s a lie…I really don’t know why I steer clear of them…maybe it’s just my way of telling the world I’m a unique individual that I have more exciting books to read than what the New York Times deems is read-worthy…all I’m really succeeding at though is portraying to the world how out of touch I am with pop culture (which is just made even worse when people start discussing movies around me). So, normally the only way I read best sellers is when one of my book clubs has chosen one…which is how it came to be that I read The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.

As much as I wasn’t looking forward to this book, I was very pleasantly surprised. The main character, Margaret, is a reader. So this book is “written” by a reader…which let me tell you, has some great benefits! She drew me in when she starts describing herself reading “I never read without making sure I am in a secure position. I have been like this ever since the age of seven when, sitting on a high wall and reading The Water Babies, I was so seduced by the descriptions of underwater life that I unconsciously relaxed my muscles. Instead of being held buoyant by the water that so vividly surrounded me in my mind, I plummeted to the ground and knocked myself out. I can still feel the scar under my fringe now. Reading can be dangerous.” I admit…that’s what drew me in…not the mysterious letter or the crazy author that is so “mysterious” and the whole world wanting to know about this missing thirteenth tale. It was her writing about her love of books and reading. She drew me in and connected with me…and she continues to do it till the very end when she “feel(s) a responsibility toward them [her readers].” To explain what happens to all the characters in the book.

Good books don't always make good book club books.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend you all give it a go ahead. The only part I didn’t like was the very last chapter (spoiler alert) when Margaret’s twin comes back to give her a hug and say good bye. The whole rest of the book was mysterious but very realistic. Everything she describes until this point could very much be happening today, in this world…until the weird dead chick shows up. Ms. Setterfield should have just cut this book a chapter short.

Now, my absolute FAVORITE part…I hate chick lit…they are mindless and boring, so when the doctor actually takes a jab at her reading chick lit classics (like Jane Eyre) and “prescribes” she read Sherlock Holmes, I was cracking up laughing. Truly was a great moment for those of us females who never bought into those tiresome lackluster “girl” books (and yes, I include Little Women and anything by Jane Austen in that category).

I figure I should mention which books I read for book club and figure I’ll add a note as to whether or not it was a good book club book. Just because a book is good doesn’t make it a good book club book. Some of the worst book club discussions I’ve had have been about good books…likewise, some of the best discussions were about bad books. Sadly…this one falls in the “not recommended for BCs” list. There’s really nothing to disucss. There was a little discussion as to which twin actually died in the fire…but other than that…nada.