Well over a year ago, my dear book-loving friend Stef and I had a conversation about starting a book club. She came up with the name for our little band of readers, Bad Diner Book Club- where bad diners meet good books. Since that fateful conversation, the club has met over a dozen times and has read a wide variety of genres. I've loved some, drudged through others, but have always enjoyed our meetings. Each one holds truly interesting conversation.
Tonight's discussion of Shauna Niequest's Bittersweet did not disappoint. We had a smaller group tonight- just Kristin, Rachel, Melissa, Jo, and myself. We all had differing opinions, mixed reactions, favorite chapters. For a few hours, I not only had a night out with delightful friends but also talked about a topic I love- literature. It's the little things, really.
Showing posts with label Bad Diner Book Club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bad Diner Book Club. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Book Review- Bittersweet
Bad Diner Book Club's read for the month of July, chosen by the lovely Kristen Meredith, is Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist which I read mainly outside on our deck, over several cups of Intelligentsia's Breakfast Blend. Bittersweet is a collection of essays that chronicle Shauna's thoughts on marriage, her miscarriage, her husband's rough dealings with the church and her love of food. Each chapter was a small vignette with little to connect her essays together. While I loved the chapters on food and friendship, I struggled to get through this book, often finding the stories a bit slow.
I appreciated the honesty that was represented in the writing. I think her voice is likable. I want to be Shauna's friend and eat risotto at one of her many dinner parties. I enjoyed her musings on motherhood. As a young mama, I can relate to that desire for other mothers to marvel at your multi-tasking skills and the polite nature of your child. There was a wonderful chapter on a trip she took to visit a few of her girlfriends in California. They drank lattes, talked about books and babies, took walks and sat outside by the beach with each of their respective newborns...sounds like a dream to me.
Other memories though left me feeling confused and detached. A large portion of the book was devoted to her family's relocation to Chicago after being badly burned by a church in Grand Rapids. My husband works at a very large church in the Chicago suburbs, and I could relate to her many statements about always running into people from the congregation and feeling as if your reactions to situations are on display. But, I felt like the chapters dedicated to this time in her life were a bit thin- perhaps because she spent no time on the events leading up to the run-in with the church or the event itself, but rather focused solely on her grieving. I had a hard time joining her in her grief.
I'm anxious to hear what the other bookies think about this read when we meet for book club later this month. For me, I give Bittersweet a solid B.
I appreciated the honesty that was represented in the writing. I think her voice is likable. I want to be Shauna's friend and eat risotto at one of her many dinner parties. I enjoyed her musings on motherhood. As a young mama, I can relate to that desire for other mothers to marvel at your multi-tasking skills and the polite nature of your child. There was a wonderful chapter on a trip she took to visit a few of her girlfriends in California. They drank lattes, talked about books and babies, took walks and sat outside by the beach with each of their respective newborns...sounds like a dream to me.
Other memories though left me feeling confused and detached. A large portion of the book was devoted to her family's relocation to Chicago after being badly burned by a church in Grand Rapids. My husband works at a very large church in the Chicago suburbs, and I could relate to her many statements about always running into people from the congregation and feeling as if your reactions to situations are on display. But, I felt like the chapters dedicated to this time in her life were a bit thin- perhaps because she spent no time on the events leading up to the run-in with the church or the event itself, but rather focused solely on her grieving. I had a hard time joining her in her grief.
I'm anxious to hear what the other bookies think about this read when we meet for book club later this month. For me, I give Bittersweet a solid B.
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