WWRW: My Book Club Pick

Well it's my turn to pick for book club. I have until tomorrow.

My book club generally picks happy, uplifting or YA novels. There is one person in general who just won't read the book if it even goes past mentioning... ahem, intimate relations and has very little tolerance for curse words. Of course she is also the person who stuck us with Legend this month so... I don't know how much I care to cater to her. But overall they like good clean books.

Or at least we haven't in my 2 years come up with many that do not fit that description. Off the top of my head we have read: Ella Minnow Pea, Legend, The Matched Series, Fablehaven, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, Man's Search for Meaning, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Wednesday Letters, Princess Academy, The Walk, Time is a River, Dewy the Library Cat, The Power of Un, Mrs. Mike, A Long Way from Chicago, The Red Tent, and Bel Canto (This one was a huge controversy and the woman who chose it hasn't been back since. Too racy.)

My past two picks have been memoirs: Mennonite in a Little Black Dress and Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. My goal was to stay away from memoirs this time around. Which is actually too bad because I found a few that look good and I am excited about reading them by myself. (So stay tuned for those.)

I had no idea so I set out to find a book pick. First I scoured online lists and recommendations and then looked at Jessica's books. I tried for Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet--it's even a book club kit but I'm still on wait list for the book and I don't feel comfortable picking a book I've never read. I just got off the wait list and I'm knee deep in it. Since I don't have to choose until tomorrow it is still possibly a contender if I finish in time and find it captivating.

So in the past 24 hours I devoured Every Last One and Persian Pickle Club.

Every Last One by Anna Quindlen

Well. It would make for a good discussion I think. It follows a typical family having life. And then there is a major tragedy. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone but it is just an unspeakable tragedy, that while not completely shocking because you do see the lead up, it's still somehow completely shocking because of what it is. The second half of the book is coping with the aftermath.

It was well written. I think as a mother, even as one of a toddler, it was deeply touching and thought provoking--which leads to good questions to be answered. It's mostly clean--a few references to encounters but nothing even remotely vulgar. And what little language there is is said by teenagers and promptly shot down by a parent.

This book is not a warm and fuzzy book, in fact it made me cry, but then it redeems itself with hope. And sometimes hope is even more real and good than a happy ending. I am very glad I read it and would recommend it. This book is not fast paced. It really describes a typical parenting life which both makes it real and relatable but not exactly a page turner. But underneath all the normalcy is the beauty in every day and it really is something to remember and cherish in our own lives. The way I see it, any book that makes me cherish my own life is the greatest takeaway from something I've read. I love books that become a positive reflection for yourself.

Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas

Well. I started this book based off of recommendations online and put it down after about four chapters. But picked it up again after I finished Every Last One. The story follows a quilting club in this small Kansas town during the depression.

A new girl, Rita has moved to town freshly married and she wants to be a news reporter so she digs around for scoop and tries to solve a murder. At the same time this whole thing is going on the Persian Pickle Club is helping each other and quilting and living their lives.

Here's what you should know: Persian Pickle = paisley fabric. I am not spoiling a darn thing by telling you this but I wish I didn't have to wait so long to find that out. (Probably could have just Googled it too but I was reading late at night and I wasn't that on top of it.) Dallas wrote quite a lot of characters, it follows the whole club plus a few extras which may get confusing. The language and behaviors of these women is a hoot. If it's not true to life of small town Depression era ladies... I can't imagine what is more accurate. Just the rhythms, style and slang are engrossing. The characters are small town gossipy without ever being vicious or hurtful but as the reader you sure get all the scoop about everyone.

Overall the message of friendship and loyalty is stressed which isn't at all a bad thing but this book was a little bit harder for me to get into. I can't put my finger on it. It is reminiscent of Ya Ya Sisterhood and Fried Green Tomatoes but different enough to not completely lump it in with those two. It's supposedly going to be a movie soon... I don't know. It was a good light, sort of mystery, fast read. Oh. Persian Pickle is fairly clean. There is some alcohol use and talk of indiscretions but overall this is not a racy book.

I didn't dislike either book. Based on my particular group of ladies in book club they would certainly like The Persian Pickle Club better but most of the people who come to book club say "I really liked this book," then read a sentence that struck them and chat the rest of the time so that's not really a selling point for you. Both books are books I feel safe recommending here.

Basically my pick boils down to picking a book they may actually read all the way through or a book they'd put down. On that alone I should go with Persian Pickle because lame discussion is better than no discussion right?

I am linking up with Jessica  this week again. Thanks for stopping by. Please feel free to leave me a comment with suggestions you think my finicky book club will enjoy. Recap: clean, happy, not too long.