A Time to Kill

This month we went with a blast from the past.  Most of us have already read Grisham's "A Time to Kill", however, this throwback proved to be as emotional this time around as it had been all those years ago.

"A Time to Kill",  is a classic Grisham book featuring a racially fuelled injustice, the south and the legal system.  The book starts with a graphic and heinous crime against a young black child and her father's instinctual reaction.  Those of us who are parents know the lengths to which we would go to to avenge any crime against our children, so the question is, how far is too far?

The racial injustice central to the plot of this book, mirrors many events we see today.  The crime and subsequent journey through the judicial system has made a significant impact on us all.

"A Time to Kill", was a good read.  John Grisham's writing style enabled us to easily relate to the characters, the emotion and the story line.  As readers, we were hoping for justice, and were not disappointed.

In 2010, our book club, Women Wine and Word, started out as a brilliant idea from one of our members (we call her the queen). We meet once a month to discuss our books, eat some food, drink a little wine, and have a great time with our friends.

We invite you to check out our monthly blogs, browse through our reading list, or take a peek at our book reviews (FYI- only a few books have received 5/5 wine glasses).

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The Farm

The Farm was a departure from our usual fare.  Set in London, the novel tells the story of Daniel, who's parents, after a lifetime of working in London retied to a remote village in Sweden.  The book beings with a jarring phone call from Daniel's father who begins a unsettling exchange of he said she said.

Daniel, who has admittedly been raised in a peaceful, sheltered, almost too perfect bubble finds himself doubting everything he's believed to be true about his parents, their lifestyle and in the end, his allegiance to both his mother and his father.

In a word, this book is unsettling.  The twists and turns revealed through an unusual stream of consciousness leaves the reader questioning the motives of each character and the community in which they live.

This is one of the weirdest books we've ever read.  Each chapter builds upon the mystery of the last.  In the end, the resolution that typically characterizes suspense narratives remains allusive.

In 2010, our book club, Women Wine and Word, started out as a brilliant idea from one of our members (we call her the queen). We meet once a month to discuss our books, eat some food, drink a little wine, and have  a great time with our friends.

We invite you to check out our monthly blogs, browse through our reading list, or take a peek at our book reviews (FYI- only a few books have received 5/5 wine glasses).

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I am Malala

Malala Yousafzai's book "I Am Malala", traced her experience as a young Muslim girl who grew up in Pakistan. In 2012, she was almost killed by the Taliban because of her strong advocacy of women's rights and education for all.

Overall, we were captivated by her story and the many struggles she endured at such a young age. After reading this book, we couldn't help but think about the things we, here in North America, take for granted—education, religious freedoms, womens' rights, etc.

In a male-dominated society, Malala's father played a significant role in her life by encouraging her to pursue her education and stand up for what she believes in.

Sometimes it can be easier for people to back down from a cause they believe in when faced with threats or acts of violence. Malala showed us what it takes and what it means to stand up for what you truly believe in—even if it costs you your life.

In 2010, our book club, Women Wine and Word, started out as a brilliant idea from one of our members (we call her the queen). We meet once a month to discuss our books, eat some food, drink a little wine, and have a great time with our friends.

We invite you to check out our monthly blogs, browse through our reading list, or take a peek at our book reviews (FYI- only a few books have received 5/5 wine glasses).

Follow us and share your comments below!

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Bared to You

If you enjoyed reading "Fifty Shades of Grey", you will enjoy our latest selection, "Bared to You" as this book follows in the same vein featuring infatuation, lust and lots and lots of sex, sex, sex!

The book's salacious plot follows a typical boy-meets-girl storyline - on VIAGRA as Eva, the naive main character gets caught up in the mysterious world of Gideon Cross, a powerful young New York mogle.  

The bookclub's reactions to this latest narrative is mixed.  Some of us, appreciate the "give a girl a chance", feel of the book while others were unable to contend with the oversexed, weak-plotted narrative.

All said, the book gets a rating of 2 wine glasses. 

In 2010, our book club, Women Wine and Word, started out as a brilliant idea from one of our members (we call her the queen). We meet once a month to discuss our books, eat some food, drink a little wine, and have a great time with our friends.

We invite you to check out our monthly blogs, browse through our reading list, or take a peek at our book reviews (FYI- only a few books have received 5/5 wine glasses).

Follow us and share your comments below!

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Any Known Blood

Any Known Blood, by Lawrence Hill, is a historical fiction about one man's journey to uncover the past of his family. Along the way, Langston Cane V discovers that the roots of his family tree are connected to lies, racism, deceit, and the civil war.

We had mixed reviews for this book. Some members of our book club were moved by the author's ability to connect the Cane family to important events and historical figures, while others thought the storyline fell flat. Collectively, we agreed that the story felt incomplete and left us with many unanswered questions and we felt as if Based on the title we had expectations that the book unfortunately could not fill.

We felt that there was a disconnect between the title and the novel. If we were to rename this book we would call it something that feel related to the book. We came up with " Chasing Canes". After reading Any Known Blood, what title would you give it.

In 2010, our book club, Women Wine and Word, started out as a brilliant idea from one of our members (we call her the queen). We meet once a month to discuss our books, eat some food, drink a little wine, and have a great time with our friends.

We invite you to check out our monthly blogs, browse through our reading list, or take a peek at our book reviews (FYI- only a few books have received 5/5 wine glasses).

Follow us and share your comments below!

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Sold

Sold
"Sold" is the story of, Lakshmi, a rural Nepalese girl whose one desire is to improve her impovrished family's living situation.  Her unselfish desire to provide for both her mother and seemingly uncaring step-father, leads her to dream of employment in the big city.  Dreaming of domestic work and a future with the neighbourhood boy to whom she was promised, Lakshmi willingly leaves the home she knows and loves when her family arranges what seems to be the promise of a better future through a woman respectfully referred to as "Aunty" by Lakshmi.

"Aunty's" promise of employment leads Lakshmi to a world of lost innocence and degradation.  Her experience in the big city, not only robs her family of a daughter, but also robs Lakshmi of her childhood; but not her will to live.

It's been a long time since we have all agreed on a book's rating.  In "Sold", not only do we agree, we all have given this book 5 wine glasses.  This page turning, heart wrenching saga was a gripping, quick read whose heroine demonstrated incredible optimism and inner-strength we all admired.

"Sold" brings into question issues of wealth and poverty, gender equality and morality.  We were all challenged by the complex themes and issues raised throughout this book.  As we all questioned ourselves and each other, we wonder would we do something to stop this terrible injustice?  Would you?

In 2010, our book club, Women Wine and Word, started out as a brilliant idea from one of our members (we call her the queen). We meet once a month to discuss our books, eat some food, drink a little wine, and have a great time with our friends.

We invite you to check out our monthly blogs, browse through our reading list, or take a peek at our book reviews (FYI- only a few books have received 5/5 wine glasses).

Follow us and share your comments below!

WomenWineandWordsBookclub.blogspot.com

Confessions of a Shopaholic

After reading our last book, Twelve Years a Slave, this was a light easy read. Confessions of a Shopaholic is about the addictive lifestyle of financial journalist, Rebecca Bloomwood. Though we thought her priorities were misdirected (i.e. purchasing shoes instead of paying overdue bills), we  could all connect with her at some point in our lives. Rebecca's identity was connected to her possessions and an image that she could not afford. As a journalist, Rebecca had the financial  knowledge to help others, but lacked the ability to help herself. Some of our group members found this hypocrisy annoying. 

The good thing about this book is that it allowed us to reflect on the important things in life. We all have our weakness (shoes, clothes, food etc.), but when is enough, enough?

Feel free to share your thoughts below!

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In 2010, our book club, Women Wine and Word, started out as a brilliant idea from one of our members (we call her the queen). We meet once a month to discuss our books, eat some food, drink a little wine, and have a great time with our friends.

We invite you to check out our monthly blogs, browse through our reading list, or take a peek at our book reviews (FYI- only a few books have received 5/5 wine glasses).

Follow us and share your comments below!

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Twelve Years A Slave

Twelve Years A Slave is an autobiography written by Solomon Northup. This novel recounts his journey through life from freedom to slavery and back to freedom again. We had a difficult time deciding how many wine glasses to give this book, but eventually decided on two. The writing style felt like a clinical account of his life and we had a hard time connecting emotionally to this book. It was as if Solomon Northup's aim was to tell readers what happened rather than trying to get readers to really connect with the story.

This was a tragic, heartbreaking story of courage and survival. We were all amazed at Northup's ability to share the events of his 12 years in captivity with such detail. This book gave us unique insight into the world of slavery and mental fortitude it would take to survive this period in history.

As we reflected on the impact that this book had on our lives, we had to agree that the main message for us is that now that we are free from the physical chains of slavery, our black community needs to be motivated to strive for excellence. Though the mental and psychological chains still exist, we have an obligation to our children and ourselves to use our history to fuel our journey into our destiny and our future. 

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In 2010, our book club, Women Wine and Word, started out as a brilliant idea from one of our members (we call her the queen). We meet once a month to discuss our books, eat some food, drink a little wine, and have a great time with our friends.

We invite you to check out our monthly blogs, browse through our reading list, or take a peek at our book reviews (FYI- only a few books have received 5/5 wine glasses).

Follow us and share your comments below!

WomenWineandWordsBookclub.blogspot.com