- #2 - "41: A Portrait of My Father" by George W. Bush
- #3 - "Revival: A Novel" by Stephen King
- #5 - "The Andy Cohen Diaries: A Deep Look at a Shallow Year" by Andy Cohen
- #17 - "The Walking Dead, Vol. 22: A New Beginning" by Robert Kirkman (writer) and illustrators Stefan Gaudiano, Cliff Rathburn, and Dave Stewart
- #21 - "Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace" by Anne Lamott
- #29 - "Flesh and Blood" (a Kate Scarpetta novel) by Patricia Cornwell
- #33 - "The Wild Truth: The Untold Truth of Sibling Survival" by Carine McCandless
- #38 - "Unbroken: (The Young Adult Adaptation): An Olympian's Journey From Airman to Castaway to Captive" by Laura Hillenbrand (this is a special version of her bestseller book that has been edited and simplified for younger readers: age 12 and up)
This week there are quite a few books by popular authors on Amazon's Hot New Releases list, including a former President, the king of horror, and the queen of crime.
2 Comments
For December, we will be reading "The Light Between Oceans" by M.L. Stedman. According to Bookmovement.com (a popular website for book clubs), this book is among the top 5 popular books for book clubs at the moment. Amazon.com Description The years-long New York Times bestseller soon to be a major motion picture from Spielberg’s Dreamworks that is “irresistible…seductive…with a high concept plot that keeps you riveted from the first page” (O, The Oprah Magazine). After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby. Tom, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel insists the baby is a “gift from God,” and against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them. The second Lit Chick member we are highlighting is Lorene. Lorene has been with the club for a little bit over 2 years and is known for being a connoisseur of audiobooks, as well as being an excellent pet sitter. We asked our members 10 book related questions, here are the responses from Lorene:
This weekend there does not appear to be any new releases based on books; however, you may still be able to check out these previously-released movies based on literary material:
Despite the lack of new books on screen, there is some screen news this week that you may be interested in:
Today's Throwback Thursday takes us to the very recent past: yesterday. Yesterday was the first Wednesday of the month which meant that it was book club night. Our November book "Glitter and Glue" by Kelly Corrigan, nominated by our member Alison. In the middle of "Glitter and Glue" Corrigan recalls a lecture in college where her professor explained a theory: "More often than not, it's the readers - not the writers - who determine what a book means. The idea is that readers don't come blank to books. Consciously and not, we bring all the biases that come with our nationality, gender, race, class, age. Then you layer onto that the status of our health, employment, relationships, not to mention our particular relationship to each book - who gave it to us, where we read it, what books we've already read." (page 145 of Kindle version) This theory was very evident in our discussion last night, as we all reacted to the book by looking at our relationships with our own parents, as well as our status as parents, parents-to-be, or non-parents. One of the most discussed questions was did parents have to choose between being the glitter or the glue; could parents be both or neither. It seemed like we all had our own different opinions that we based on our own experiences. It was truly an interesting discussion, and by the end of the meeting member Julia summed it up perfectly by saying, "Now I really wish I could meet everyone's parents." Overall the club liked the book. On the goodreads 5 star scale, the book got mostly 4's and 5's. Emily described it as "both a love letter to your mother and your children". The one thing we all did agree on is that it will get you thinking about your mother. Club News: November marked the 2 year anniversary for members Alison and Jeanette. On a sad note, this was the last meeting for members Stephanie and Debra. We wish them nothing but the best in their future endeavors. The big news was that November marks the 10th Anniversary of the NoVA Lit Chicks. While none of our members today were at that first meeting, we continue to carry on the tradition of sharing literature and friendship. To all Lit Chicks past and present, thank you for helping to make the club what it is today, and here's to another 10 years of reading together. A lot of the books on Amazon's Hot New Releases list came out in October, but here are some of the today's new releases that made the list:
A book club is not just about books, it's also about its members. Over our 10 year history, the Lit Chicks have been fortunate to count many awesome NoVA women on its roster. We're starting a feature here on the Lit Chicks Blog called, "Get to Know Us" where you can get to know the current members of the NoVA Lit Chicks.
The first member we are highlighting is Sara. Sara has been with the club for 7 years and has a rep of being one of our toughest book critics. We asked our members 10 book related questions, here are the responses from Sara:
Many members of our book club enjoy movies in addition to books. We thought the best way to merge the two was to create a new blog feature called "Books on Film". This Friday (October 31st) three new book related films will opening in theaters.
Opening Friday (10/31) on the Big Screen
On the Small Screen
If you are a fan of "The Hunger Games" series by Suzanne Collins, tickets for "Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1" went on sale on Wednesday, October 29th.
A Brief Summary - Connie's life is coming apart. Her thesis advisor at Harvard tells her that her thesis won't stand without the discovery of new first person source while her mom is insisting she move out to Salem, MA for the summer and clean up her grandmother's deserted house which is facing foreclosure. Reluctantly she packs things out and moves out to the little house, determined to sort things out. While cleaning, she finds a small key with an even smaller piece of paper inside of it which reads "Deliverance Dane". Suddenly finding the identity of Deliverance Dane and figuring out why she left the key is all that matters to Connie. Most members liked the book, the couple of us who enjoy fantasy books enjoyed it a lot. We read this after reading a series of heavy books and I think it was just what we needed to lighten things up without being too fluffy (this is about as chick lit as we get as a group). This wasn't a scary/spooky book, but it was filled with moments of suspense. One of the things that the club liked most were the flashback scenes to the past, in fact many members would have liked more of those. Howe really created an interesting history of magic that felt very real and natural. I think one of her best choices was setting the book to take place during the summer, when ghosts and monsters are one of the last things on your mind. It would have been really easy to set it during the fall, when the weather in Massachusetts brings an other-worldliness to everything, especially in a town like Salem, but I think it would have made the story feel a bit cliched. The success of this book depends on the reader feeling like there is a balance between Connie's real-life problems and the mystery of Deliverance Dane's journal so when they do all merge it makes sense. If you are a person who enjoys tv shows/movies/books that mash realism with the supernatural and you like female heroes (like in Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the movie Practical Magic), you will probably enjoy this book a lot. You can check out Howe's following books "The House of Velvet and Glass" and "Conversion" at Goodreads. You can also find her on twitter (@katherinebhowe). According to Amazon.com, these are some of the most popular books being released today.
|
A monthly Northern Virginia book club for women who live, work, and/or play in NoVA!
Our Next BooksOriginal LitChicks
New LitChicks
Archives
September 2015
Categories
All
Web AdminEmily - Lit Chick for 5 years |