First Tuesday Book Club

The Book Thief - Markus Zusack

Fourth Tuesday Book Club

Agatha Christie Month -

Read any Agatha Christie book you like to share with the book club.

Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier

Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay

The Fourth Tuesday Book Club Recently Read...

Twilight - by Stephanie Meyer 

            Imagine being a new girl in a school thousands of miles from the home where you were used to living.  You’ve traveled away from your mother and the warm, sunny, clear skies of Phoenix, Arizona, to take up a new life in northwest Washington State with dark skies, dampness, rain and more rain.  Life might seem pretty dreary and dull.  That is until the dreamboat of the school begins to cast his eye on you.  Love at first sight?  How is this different from any other teenage love story?  The boy who seems fascinated with Bella, the new girl at school, is a vampire. 

            This story was written for young adults who can identify with the characters in the book.  They are teenagers worrying about the dress they are going to buy, who will go with them to the prom, the paper due in English class, and will Edward Cullen ever notice me.  Much of the vampire rules, learned by most of us through books and movies largely about Dracula, are turned inside out to present a vampire quite different from what we expect.  The confrontation of good and evil takes place late in the novel, with Bella facing the bad vampire and possible death.  Will Edward’s love for this frail human succeed against the animal impulses that drive the vampires on the hunt? 

            The views of our club members varied greatly.  If you are into romantic novels and vampires, this is a book for you.  The series by Stephanie Meyer has been hugely successful and has spawned a series of movies.  Its author writes in a style that is not offensive, in terms of the language, the teen romance, and what could be violent confrontations between the vampires.  The book’s 500 pages are filled with teenage issues and concerns, which is why it was so well liked by young adults.  That is also why older readers might find it harder to really enjoy. 

Key Ideas from different club members: 

An easy read but too long; Good reading for teens but definitely not good literature; Too much fluff- hard to keep reading it; Written for teenage girls- I really didn’t like it; Enjoyable reading; I loved it… a romance with vampires- I want to read the rest of the series; Fine fiction for young adults. 

The Club Members rating this book:

Linda Bowman, Pat Gombita, Pat Kuna, Juanita Sanner, Lee Ann Schrock, Sharon Shaffer, Bill Simmons, Helen Skalski, and Linda Troll

Club’s Average Rating:  3.4 of 5       Rating Range: 2 to 5

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