As a child, I would often rent as many books as I could carry from the library. As soon as I’d get home, I’d run up to my room, jump up on my bed, and surround myself with them. I’ve always read anything I can get my hands on, be it a book, magazine, or a newspaper article. Heck, I was also obsessed with reading those silly tourist brochures while on vacation!
While in college, I didn’t have much time for leisure reading, and then after I graduated I never got back into it. Then came blogs. I read (and still read) a ton. I read food bogs, fitness blogs, and tech blogs (nerd!). I don’t often get into fashion, wedding, or home decorating blogs, but I can appreciate when lifestyle bloggers mention the aforementioned topics.
When my friend Kira proposed the idea of having a book club, I was ecstatic! I knew this would be a great way for us girls to be introduced to books that we may not typically choose. Plus it’s always fun to have girly dates with food & wine! For our first book, Kira chose House Rules by Jodi Picoult.
The synopsis, taken directly from the author’s site:
HOUSE RULES is about Jacob Hunt, a teenage boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. He’s hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject – in his case, forensic analysis.
He’s always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do…and he’s usually right. But then one day his tutor is found dead, and the police come to question him. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger’s – not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, inappropriate affect – can look a heck of a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel -- and suddenly, Jacob finds himself accused of murder. HOUSE RULES looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way – but lousy for those who don’t.
Here’s how our book club works: Whoever chooses the book hosts the event at their house and provides wine and discussion questions. The rest of us bring a dish and our brains!
Jess brought a pesto pasta dish with silvered almonds and cherry tomatoes.
Price brought a spinach bowl and crackers.
Mary brought cheese biscuit cookies.
Amanda brought a cheese plate.
Can you tell we like cheese? It goes well with wine. I also made brownies but forgot to take a picture. :(
Using the questions Kira provided, we discussed the book for almost two hours. It was really interesting to hear everyone’s opinions and which parts they liked/disliked. As a group, we gave this book 3.5/5 stars and would all recommend it. I really liked that Amanda, Kira, and Jess had already associated the characters with actors who would play them in a movie. I’ve never done that, but always have an idea of what they might look like.
The next book we will read is Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay. The book, set in modern-day Paris, is about a journalist investigating ten-year-old Sarah’s capture by the French police in. The journalist further investigates Sarah’s experience from the time of her arrest in 1942 to her time spent in concentration camps and beyond. This will be another intense book!
Have you read House Rules?
Have you read Sarah’s Key?
Are you in a book club, or would you consider joining one?
Another book I read in bed last night was Betty White’s third book, If You Ask Me. Golden Girls was on in the background. Double Betty!
I have one chapter left. Yes, I read (almost) the entire book last night. Ha.
Night!! I’m off to continue Twilight, hahahah.
