Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz was our January book club read.
It is a coming of age and sexuality discussion of two young men. It is a Young Adult book, and as such was maybe not as sophisticated or plot driven as an adult book. It was a good book and an easy read, but lacked a few things for me. Of our 6 members, 2 really liked it, 1 liked it a lot and 3 liked it ok--I was in the ok group.
No one disliked it. It was lacking a bit in plot, and many of us thought it wrapped things up a bit too neatly and too quickly in the end. We also felt like the information surrounding the incarcerated brother needed a bit more depth. If you read the book, the prisoner brother is the elephant in the room, but never gets fully exposed.
What we loved were the interactions and relationships of the parents (particularly the mothers) with their sons, and the development of close friendships. The introspection of the young men is also nice to read. I think several of us would have written a different ending, but I won't say what that is in case you want to read this yourself.
Great discussion today. Lynne also asked us all to bring a poem to read. Poetry is not my favorite thing, but I did take two and enjoyed the discussion. I would not be in a book club if I only wanted to read what I love.
Speaking of books I love, I tend to get invested in specific authors and read them ad nauseum. My current favorite is the Walt Longmire series by Craig Johnson. I tend to pick up a book that is in keeping with an area I am visiting. When I went to Venice, I read the Donna Leone books (which I loved) and last year when I was in South Dakota, I found a Walt Longmire book at Wall Drug on sale. Although I thought it was a Dakota book, it is more a Wyoming book, but does visit South Dakota. I bought it and have been hooked, not only by the writing style, but the humor, the characters and the story line. I have since found out that there is a series on TV, but I haven't watched them yet. I am now on book 13 with 6 more to go, with I believe more being written.
Several people have told me they are reading the books we are, either as I post or in advance. If you read in advance of our sessions, please share your insights. We are a small group, and want to keep it that way for now, but we love input from others. Our next book is WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTE. This one is my pick, so I hope it is good.