Light Bite Book Group

Two months in one

2010-11-22T10:46:00.000-08:00

The Light Bite group in the last 2 months has read 2 books that were almost universally popular among our members. These were The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Midvives by Chris Bohjalian. The former book we felt was a very heartwarming humorous read despite the serious nature of the subject and we all agreed that we learned a lot about the German occupation of the Channel Islands that we were not aware of before. We can't wait for the movie which we believe is in the works.
Midwives was a much sadder book and several of our members felt it was exceedingly sad. We admired the way the male author projected himself into the mind of a 14 year old narrator who was herself writing as an adult. We were divided as to whether the writer was writing an anti midwifery book or was in favor of midwives. All in all a very thought provoking book.
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Digging to America

2010-10-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

This book had a mixed reaction from our group. Some of our members felt it was not up to the usual Anne Tyler standard and was somewhat boring with the same event repeated over and over. Others of our group thought it was a masterly work which explored the nuances of what it is to be an American and had a lot of humor. Such mixed reaction always generates a good discussion and that was certainly the case with this book.

Big stone gap

2010-09-17T13:10:00.000-07:00

The group very much enjoyed Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani which we read in August. It is a light, fun, heartwarming read. several of our members are already working their way through the other three books in the series. We found it interesting that Big Stone Gap is actually the author's home town in the mountains of Virginia and some of the events in the book did actually happen.

The cradle by Parrick Somerville

2010-07-21T13:21:00.001-07:00

This book recommended by our library director proved to be a very interesting choice and gave us lots to discuss. For such a short book there was a lot of plot and character development. We decided we definitely needed a sequel to answer the questions that were left at the end of the book. We also discussed the meaning of the title which we felt was deeper than first appeared. Although some of our members were lukewarm about the book, we felt as a whole that this writer has a lot of promise and definitely is one to watch.

Julia Child

2010-06-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

For our discussion of Julia Child's biography Appetite for life we took our annual road trip to the CIA in Hyde Park. Seven of our participants had a delicious lunch and a spirited discussion of Julia's life. While we felt that the biography was a little on the long and detailed side, we did get an appreciation of Julia's zest for life and a sense of her outgoing personality. We are looking for ideas for next year's road trip - somewhere local with connections to a book. Boscobel has already been suggested but we welcome more. Rumor has it too that some of Julia's recipes may make an appearance at one of our upcoming meetings.

The lace reader

2010-05-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

The lace reader by Brunonia Barry was a great discussion book. While most of our members would probably not recommend it to friends, it did generate a good discussion. We felt that this is indeed an author of promise. Since some of our members had a different edition from others we were able to see a little into the author's thinking as she had recrafted the opening of the novel in the later edition. It's one of these books where those that have read it cannot divulge too much of the plot to avoid spoiling the book for others. Read it and see!

Plain truth

2010-04-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

We all agreed that Jodi Picoult's books whether you like them or not make wonderful books for discussion. So we had a great discussion today on her book Plain truth. For some of our members it brought back fond memories of visits to Lancaster County Pennsylvania. One of the problems we had with the book was the viability of the plot and in particular the ending. We had a very lively discussion and welcomed several new participants. We enjoyed also some great Amish treats - whoopee pies!
See you all next month or let us know if you read Plain truth and what you thought.

Those who save us

2010-03-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

We had a great discussion on this book. It was really one that lent itself to discussion and the topics ranged from how people dealt with the pain of events and mother daughter relationships. We felt that there was not as much resolution at the end as we would have wished. We can't wait for Jenna Blum's next book due to be published in May. This was also an exciting meeting as we were able to skype in one of our snowbird members from Florida. Next month is our regular yearly visit to the Jodi Picoult archives. see you then.

Burning the candle at both ends

2010-02-18T07:11:00.000-08:00

So what is the meaning of the picture of the candle burning at both ends on the cover of The hour I first believed? We decided it was not that you may have had to stay up all night to finish this 700 page book!That was just one of the many things we had to discuss yesterday. What a great book to discuss. Even those who did not care for the book would admit that it was a great one for discussion. As usual in our group we had varying opinions and the dividing line would seem to have been between those who thought there were too many rambling plot lines and those who enjoyed the richness and unexpected twists of the plots and the development of the characters throughout the book. Join us next month either in person or online for Those who save us by Jenna Blum

2010-01-20T13:57:00.000-08:00

We had a lively discussion today on Rennie Airth's River of Darkness. The general consensus was that it was a very well written, well plotted mystery. Some of our group particularly enjoyed the dramatic possibilities of the post World War 1 period. A few members were turned off by the graphic violence and at least one found it too "British" for her taste. It was an interesting comparison between the very American light mystery of Catering to nobody by Diane Mott Davidson which was last month's choice. We are now clearing our calendars to read the lengthy Wally Lamb book for next month. We are hoping next month to accommodate one of our snowbird members by including her with a Skype connection in the discussion.

Party time

2009-12-16T16:05:00.000-08:00

We chose a good book to discuss for our holiday party. Thank you all for the delicious treats. We even had some dungeon bars which appear in this month's book. Many of our participants had read others in the Diane Mott Davidson culinary mystery series of which this selection Catering to nobody is the first. As a whole our participants enjoyed the light easy to read features of this book. They felt that perhaps the author had not found her voice completely and does develop the characters and plot lines better in some of the later books in the series. Only one of our participants really disliked the book and next month we are discussing one of her favorites Rennie Airth's River of Darkness so it will be interesting to compare the two. They are both classed as mysteries but have a very different feel.
Happy holidays

Holiday party

2009-12-08T07:40:00.000-08:00

Remember to stop by on Wednesday 16th of December at 1pm to celebrate the holidays with our discussion of Diana Mott Davidson's book Catering to nobody. This is the first in her culinary mystery series and by all accounts is a fast fun read. If you want, you can bring a favorite recipe and samples to share but this is not mandatory. Just stop by for some good conversation and to relax in the busy holiday season.
For those of you looking for reading suggestions check out the new feature on the library's catalog called Hudson Valley reads where you can sign up for various email updates on current and forthcoming books and authors.

Remember to call the library if there are any weather issues on the day of the meeting. The Light Bite group will normally meet the following Wednesday at 1pm if the scheduled meeting has to be rescheduled for bad weather

Great discussion

2009-11-19T06:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had a great discussion on Garth Stein's The art of racing in the rain. All participants enjoyed the book but it seemed to resonate most with those of us who have been dog owners. We loved Enzo the dog. Some of us thought it was a little on the light, fluffy side but overall a good read. To see the inspiration for the book, read Billy Collins' poem "The revenant" According to Garth Stein this is where the idea for Enzo came from. Looking forward to next month's read Catering to nobody and to all the recipes that we will share.
Sheelagh Kaplan

Welcome to all

2009-10-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

Welcome to everyone posting on our new Book club blog. I am very excited to read The art of racing in the rain. I have heard it is very good.
Sheelagh Kaplan