Karla Erdman, writer
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Thursday Night Book Club

This blog contains short synopses, information, and personal opinions about books that are read through the Thursday Nigh Book Club. I hope you find something you like.

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A Readable Feast, Bethlehem Writers Group, LLC

4/13/2017

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A Readable Feast
This locally written and published book is a compilation of 27 themed short stories by local authors.
The stories vary in point of view and distance, as well as length.
Some of the stories ("Sweet Tooth", "Broken Heart Cakes", "Nature of Origin", How Sweet It Is", and "Nectar of the Gods") involve the occult, specifically vampires and witches.
​
The following stories were favorites:
"Rightful Prey" which was a cute story about a dragon, but it was predictable.
"Nana's Vegetable Soup" written in first person about organ lessons at Nana's house on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
"The Widow Next Door" told in a third person omniscient and provides characters thoughts through the use of italics. It shows the misunderstandings that occur with new neighbors.

The following were the least favorite of the collection:
"How Sweet It Is" had a lot of French vocabulary, which bogged down some readers.
"Pickle Promenade" seemed unfinished. It was missing the "meat" of the story. The puns/names were cute, but it was overdone.
​"Marmalade" is a strange story that deviates in the middle.

Meeting Attendance
Karla
Katie
Kathy
​Joe
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Sting, Sandra Brown

3/9/2017

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Sting
After last year's Mean Streak, readers were excited to read Brown's newest novel. However, the discussion revolved around Brown's predictability and stock characters.
The beginning of the novel was dramatic; Jordie--a wealthy socialite turned Extravaganza event planner--is held hostage for ransom. Shaw is also held with her. Jordie thinks he is also bad; however, he is Brown's stock police character--the handsome, FBI bad boy.
The story starts to fall apart when Jordie stabs Shaw with an old propeller that she just happens to find in the old barn where they are begin held captive.
Readers predicted early that Jordie's brother was not the kind and benevolent person he was written to be. In fact, he is the one who kills a mobster and then goes after his own sister. 
Brown is usually good at weaving romance into her novels; however, this one lacked the romantic quality of some of her other tales.

Meeting Attendance
Karla
Katie
Kathy
Kevin
Lori
Lisa
Eric
​Sheryl
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The Things We Keep, Sally Hepworth

2/9/2017

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The Things We Keep
The main character, Eve, has a hard time finding a job after her husband commits suicide. He had been running a Ponzi scheme; thus, Eve is ostracized by friends and acquaintances.
Eve obtains a job as a cook at a nursing home in Short Hills, NJ. The home is the residence of twelve people, two of which are young. Luke has early onset dementia, and Anna--an EMT--has early onset Alzheimer's disease.
This heartwarming tale shows a different take on Alzheimer's disease and dementia, how it affects the patients as well as the families, and how the kindness of strangers can ultimately form friendships and heal wounds.

Meeting Attendance
Karla
Kathy
Lori
Sheryl
​Mary
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Before the Fall, Noah Hawley

12/8/2016

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Before the Fall Noah Hawley
Readers connected to this story a lot because of JFK Jr.'s deadly flight. Readers enjoyed the novel, even though the "survival" portion was a bit far fetched. It was still a good story.
The novel surrounds a plane crash that has two wealthy families aboard along with a painter. The only survivors are a young boy J.J. and the painter, Scott. Through real time and flashbacks, readers are taken through the connection between all of the characters, as well as how the plane crashed. Was it sabotage? Was it pilot error?
The end of the story is left open for Scott and Eleanor (J.J.'s aunt) to be together, maybe a sequel?
Meeting Attendance
Karla
Kathy
Lisa
Eric
Kathy
Katie
Ivy
Mary
​Sheryl
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The Queen of the Night, Alexander Chee

11/10/2016

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Well, this novel might be a "national bestseller," but the Thursday Night Book Club members were not impressed. Only two out of the seven who attended the November meeting even finished the novel.
First, there are too many French terms. There have been other novels that utilize different languages mixed with English, such as Night by Elie Wiesel. However, the difference is that Wisel's novel has English context clues to lead the reader, so s/he does not have to have a working German vocabulary. The Queen of the Night does not have such clues.
Additionally, there are too many characters to follow and there is just way to much going on in one story. The main character is a prostitute, opera singer, circus performer, equestrian, sharp shooter, pyromaniac. She is a poor girl whose family died from yellow fever. The book is supposed to take the reader on her journey following her family's demise, but readers were very confused because of the lack of chronology, the innumerable cast of characters, and the mixture of languages.
Readers do not recommend. 
Meeting Attendance
Karla
Kathy
Sheryl
Lisa
Katie
Anne
Rosanne
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The Nest, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

10/13/2016

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The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
This book is about a dysfunctional family of children who grow up in a life of privilege but have no idea about the true concept of money. The Nest refers to a sum of money that is sitting in an account waiting for disbursement to the children of a deceased father.
Ultimately, the children find their way to love and happiness, although some not in the traditional way.
Readers response: some readers thought the character Leo would come around in the end and were disappointed that he did not. There were mixed responses regarding the "likability" of the novel. No one had any favorite characters.
Meeting Attendance
Lisa
Anne
Katie
Kathy
Rosanne
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The Forgetting Time, Sharon Gaskin

9/8/2016

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The Forgetting Time by Sharon Gaskin
This novel has some connection to true events that are woven loosely throughout the novel. The premise of the book is that small children are the link to reincarnation.
Jamie, a single mother of a young boy Noah, is caught in a situation where her son has terrible nightmares and acts out in ways that are unbelievable. After taking him to a myriad of doctors, she finally hears about children who relate stories about other lives. In her search for answers, Jamie encounters Jerome Anderson, a research doctor diagnosed with early onset aphasia, and Denise, the broken mother mourning the murder of her son.
The novel weaves three stories where all of the major characters are connected. 
For an author's first novel, readers thought the book was amazing. The grief of the mother was palpable at times. The description was vivid and brought the reader into the scene.
Meeting Attendance
Karla
Katie
Lisa
Sheryl
Ali
Anne
Linda
​Roseanne
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The Life We Bury, Allen Eskens

6/9/2016

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The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
​Great novel about the way people stuff down the things that happen in life.
As an English student, the main character, Joe, interviews a dying convicted murder, Carl Iverson, for his English assignment. Their time together progresses past the first meeting. Needless to say, it brings to light a lot about Carl, as well as some long buried issues for Joe.
​Book club readers enjoyed the novel. 
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The Gates of Evangeline, Hester Young

5/12/2016

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The Gates of Evangeline
 by Hester Young
**Spoiler Alert**
A young mother--Charlotte goes by Charlie--loses her son to a sudden illness. During her time of mourning and being couped up in her home, she begins to have visions. Unbeknownst to Charlie, her grandmother also has the "gift."
She sees a young boy, which she identifies as Gabriel--a missing boy from 30 years ago. Actually, it is labeled a murder, and she feels like she can solve his murder through her visions. Thus, she goes to Louisiana in search of answers.
Her premonitions lead her to a old homestead with a variety of characters. In the end, she finds the "real" Gabriel and solves the crime.
The novel has a lot of action and it keeps moving. It is not overly descriptive, so it's not bogged down with too much detail. Just enough to move the story along and keep readers hooked.
Everyone who read it for the Thursday Night Book Club loved it!
Meeting Attendance
Karla
Lisa
Lori
​Cathy
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The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah

4/14/2016

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The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
This best-selling novel by Kristin Hannah is set in France during the Holocaust. This different setting gave readers a different point of view of the war, as opposed to Elie Wiesel's memoir Night. While Wiesel's point of view is from a survivor of the Holocaust in Auschwitz, Hannah's novel demonstrates the perspective of the French people, who incurred a lot of violence, discrimination, and persecution during the war.
This novel also gives a glimpse of the German soldiers' uncertainty about some of the orders given to them. The one soldier was shown as a human being who missed his wife and children.
Additionally, the female heroine of the novel Isabelle has readers disliking her at first, as she comes across as just a spoiled teenager. However, her rebellious nature pushes her to lead a revolution. Her amazing feat of climbing mountains over and over again in order to save strangers had readers weeping for her in the end.
It is unfortunate that this novel sparked the idea that "we don't learn from history" for the readers. Society as a whole continues to bread prejudice, racism, persecution, and hatred. Something as horrific and heinous as the Holocaust should serve as a reminder to all of the atrocities that man creates against man.
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    Author

    Karla Erdman, book club founder and organizer

    Each month the club meets to discuss a chosen book. The blogs are notes from each meeting and club members' comments.
    ​
    SPOILER ALERT: If you are going to read any of the discussions below, you may learn more about a novel than you wanted. Some endings have been revealed.

    Books, Books, and More Books

    A great place for discounted books is BookBub. Register with an email address and you'll receive emails about discounted books in the genre of novels in which you are interested in reading. 
    Other places to obtain discounted books:
    • Swap Books Online
    • Free Kindle Books

    Member Recommendations

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    A Dog's Purpose, W. Bruce Cameron
    The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
    The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls
    Night Road, Kristin Hannah
    The Lost Years, Mary Higgins Clark
    Copper Sun, Sharon Draper
    The Total Money Make Over, Dave Ramsey
    Little Bee, Chris Cleave
    The Mill on the Floss, George Eliot
    The Between, Tananarive Due
    Scaramouche, Raphael Sabatini

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