Begin Again.

Hello Book Clubbers,

As I am fond of quoting, it is never too late to have a happy childhood (attributed to a number of writers and speakers, and thus in the public domain in my mind). I'm going to adapt it now to "it is never too late to start a successful online book club...again."

I don't do personal deadlines very well; I just watch them pass and wave at them from the couch while watching Bones/the Olympics/my roommate doing homework. That being said, I have actually read the books I suggested. And I have read several other books as well. Here's some of what I've been up to in the last month, bookshelf-wise:

1. People of the Book. I read this at the end of last year, but really liked it. I liked that as it regressed, the people seemed more and more rebellious. I always think independent men and women are a modern phenomenon, but they aren't. I'm also fascinated by religious culture, so the book was a win-win for me.

2. Cleopatra's Daughter. I loved this book way more than I anticipated. When I got it out of the library I let it sit on my coffee table for at least ten days before I even picked it up. Then I couldn't put it down. I think I read it all in about 36 hours. It has such a strong combination of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian culture; and I liked that it had famous historical characters mixed in with the less famous. I didn't see all the plot elements coming, which was a nice surprise. I also liked that Selene (Cleopatra's daughter, thus the titular character) was an architect/designer. For a twelve year old Egyptian princess in Roman "captivity" to design buildings and have such passionate interest in the protection of slaves really made me like her. She was fiercely loyal to her home and family, but found ways to adjust to her new life. I was really impressed both with the character and with the story itself.

3. Roses. Sweeping and epic story of three families in Texas and their jobs and loves. I can't tell you how much I loved this book. I found it by accident, as I have with many of my favorites- I wandered into Borders after school to have a cup of tea, and they had a huge display of this book near the cafe. The cover is gorgeous, so I picked it up to read the summary. Then the first couple of pages. I couldn't leave it in the store after reading the prologue. I expected a romance novel, which it is. But I didn't expect the depth of the main female character, Mary, or the way her life parallels the struggle that almost every woman I know has- how to balance and value her personal relationships with her family responsibilities and her livelihood. Mary is a Scarlett, in that she's tied to her land with every fiber of her being, but she also has beautiful, if difficult, relationships with the men in her life- her brother and his two best friends. There are a few rough patches, and pieces of it are haunting and truly truly sad, but when I turned the last page I was mostly devastated that there wasn't more to read.

4. The White Queen. Okay, okay, I admit it, I read Philippa Gregory novels. I enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl and The Queen's Fool a lot. I liked The Virgin's Lover. I finished The Boleyn Inheritance. I couldn't even get to the halfway mark on The Constant Princess or The Other Queen. But I feel like The White Queen is back to Philippa Gregory's strength: a bright woman who uses her strengths to move up the social ladder and then struggles to maintain her place at the pinnacle. It's based on the life of Elizabeth Woodville, who was the wife of Edward IV and the mother of the infamous Princes in the Tower. This is the first of her new "War of the Roses" line (as opposed to the Tudor stories she's done in the past), and I'm looking forward to the next one. Be warned, though, that it has a streak of mysticism that her other books lacked- Elizabeth and her mother both believe themselves to be descended from a sea goddess, Melusina, and their "powers" factor in to several plot lines.

5. I'm now working on the new Don Miller book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. I love his Blue Like Jazz, so I have high hopes this will go well.

The next book I'm planning to read is The Monsters of Templeton. If y'all are still into the book club concept, then feel free to read any of the book numbered above, or jump in with me on Monsters. Any comments, criticisms, book suggestions, recipes, or gifts are welcome. Chime in with a comment if you've read anything good lately. I think maybe the organization structure for the PPBC was too much, but if we just do it as gently controlled chaos then maybe things will work out anyway.