The Ursulina by Brian Freeman

 

The Ursulina, by Brian Freeman, was our January selection, with The Nature of Fragile Things, by Susan Meissner coming up next for February's read. As a special treat, Mr. Freeman graciously agreed to join us via Zoom for our discussion~ we found him to be a tremendous speaker and a fantastic addition to our chat. Read down below to hear how it all shook out!

 

 Introducing... The Ursulina! (**Spoiler Alert** the following summary contains some information pertinent to the ending of the book)

 

The mythical beast goes by many names. Bigfoot. Sasquatch. Yeti. In Black Wolf County, he's called ... the Ursulina.

But to Deputy Rebecca Colder, the beast is no myth. A serial killer has taken on the identity of the monster--and with each body left behind, there's a chilling message written in blood. I am the Ursulina. In this follow-up novel to The Deep, Deep Snow, Brian Freeman takes us on Rebecca's dark journey to reveal the truth about the Ursulina ... a journey that ultimately leads to an excruciating choice that will change her life forever.

The meeting opened with a warm welcome to Mr. Freeman and a good question right out of the gate, "Where did you come up with the idea for this book?" Mr. Freeman explained he had been toying with the idea after receiving such good feedback after the release of his previous, and first novel in this now series, The Deep, Deep Snow. He said the protagonist, Rebecca Colder, came to him and leaped onto the page, unlike the protagonist of the book previous, and he felt he had to get her story down. He very much liked the idea of going back to explore and illustrate Shelby Lake's mysterious origins, however, when specifically asked, he wouldn't necessarily say The Ursulina was just a prequel, or a sequel, or a stand alone, rather a bit of a mixture of all three. He can't be sure if he's done writing books in this series or not, but it isn't clear where he would take the story from here, so it's a maybe for now.

I'd say we all liked the book, in varying degrees. We all agreed we didn't see the ending coming, and gave the book extra points for the great twist! Those more in favor of it than others thought the book had great flow with well curated characters. One patron mentioned it was a quick, easy read that she believes she enjoyed more so because she had to read it quickly (to finish in time for the meeting), but would probably not have been as pleased with it if she had taken her time making her way through it.

Those who liked it less said the characters felt stereotypical and the crime scenes were a bit too graphic. Also, it was said the book had unbelievable parts dotted throughout. One patron didn't believe the school system wouldn't have done more to reprimand those responsible for the brutal attack on Will, and also found it hard to believe the parents of both Will and Jay wouldn't have noticed after all those years that their sons were homosexual. Mr. Freeman understood her point, but completely disagreed. 

It was also asked why Ricky's death couldn't have been presented as self-defense, considering the way Rebecca and Ricky left the bar that night, his criminal history, that he was strangling her just before Rebecca shot him, and a wide-spread bad reputation in town for being abusive... it would have been a stretch to find someone to call it anything but. Mr. Freeman thought that observation was valid, but then replied with,  "How could Rebecca have explained where Shelby was at the time of Ricky's death? How would that have looked?"

With the exception of one, our members didn't care for the ending. It seemed a little too fairy tale and implausible. In fact, it was said the book all fell apart at Jay's suicide. Rebecca walks away from the crime scene (leaving the reporter in her wake with the body), drives away to find Tom Ginn stranded on the side of the road, takes him back to her house, falls in love, and makes a baby.... all in the span of a handful of hours. She somehow still has a job afterwards, though she is demoted to secretary, and the romance between Rebecca and Tom ends abruptly there. For now. It seems a little farfetched, especially considering Rebecca's awful traumatic history with men.

In closing, one member mentioned she had started the Jonathan Stride series, also penned by Mr. Brian Freeman, and she recommends it! You'll find it in the Viking System if you're interested in reading more from him!

 

Thoughts? Let us know below in the comments!

 

Did you enjoy The Ursulina? Fans of the book also enjoyed: Fox Creek, by William Kent Krueger, Forsaken Country, by Allen Eskens, and The Investigator, by John Sandford. All of these titles are available within the Viking system~ reserve your copy today!   

 

At the conclusion of every book club discussion we ask three questions and track the average answers:
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"YES"
Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"YES"
Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating: 
 3 stars

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

 

Welcome winter! Thank goodness for Zoom and the ability to join a book club meeting from home when the weather outside is frightful! Thank you to everyone who attended Tuesday's meeting, regardless of where and how, to discuss The Book of Lost Names, by Kristin Harmel. We are so thankful for our members! 

Our January 10th selection is The Ursulina, by Brian Freeman, and as a special treat, we have arranged for Mr. Freeman to join our discussion via Zoom. If at all possible, we'd like to ask our members to hang back a few minutes after Mr. Freeman signs off to cast our votes. Please bring your questions and comments along to the meeting~ it should be a great time!

Without further ado!

Eva Traube Abrams, a semi-retired librarian in Florida, is shelving books one morning when her eyes lock on a photograph in a magazine lying open nearby. She freezes; it’s an image of a book she hasn’t seen in sixty-five years—a book she recognizes as The Book of Lost Names.

The accompanying article discusses the looting of libraries by the Nazis across Europe during World War II—an experience Eva remembers well—and the search to reunite people with the texts taken from them so long ago. The book in the photograph, an eighteenth-century religious text thought to have been taken from France in the waning days of the war, is one of the most fascinating cases. Now housed in Berlin’s Zentral- und Landesbibliothek library, it appears to contain some sort of code, but researchers don’t know where it came from—or what the code means. Only Eva holds the answer—but will she have the strength to revisit old memories and help reunite those lost during the war?

 

I think it's fair to say that the vast majority of attending members really liked the book, with a small sprinkling added in who didn't care for it, on a variety of levels. Fans of the book said they really enjoyed Harmel's writing, noting that they appreciated the supplemental fictional parts about romance and family drama, as a means to take away from the awful reality that was the Holocaust. They felt like they learned a little something more about the different roles and skill sets of the network of activists during World War II.

Those who didn't care for the book felt like the read was predictable in some places and entirely unbelievable in others~ along with holes in the plot here and there along the way. Everyone agreed Eva's mother's angst was over the top and she was a poorly written/conceived character. No one liked or believed the ending~ it was a little too neatly tied up with a pretty bow for us. Eva heinously leaving the four children put in her (and Remy's) personal charge at the last minute at the crossing, to instead indulge in an intimate, overnight stay with Remy was also mentioned as a largely distasteful, if not unbelievable segment as well.

There was an interesting concept illustrated during the meeting regarding historical fiction that bears sharing. Within the really liked and really didn't like book camps, there was another set of opinions that broke down and illustrated how the two sides come at the genre in the first place. One side likes the added in bits that take away from the grit and sting of the painful situation(s), they like that it's a kind of distraction from the heavy content. The other side prefers the real in all it's forms. They like fictional places and/or characters that they can relate to and empathize with, but they must stay relevant, and therefore, believable... maybe sourced from past journals or letters or newspaper articles. Without all the legitimate pieces, they don't feel like we can truly experience, appreciate, and/or grasp circumstances/points of view/conditions. 

As a further example, group one obviously prefers books like The Book of Lost Names. Group two, however, would rather read something like The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah, or Dead Wake, by Erik Larson. (All previous, and current, book club books!) Make sense?

Which do you prefer? Let us know in the comments below! 👇

 

Did you enjoy The Book of Lost Names? Fans of the book also enjoyed: The Rose Code, by Kate Quinn, The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah (a previous book club read!) and The Paris Library, by Janet Skeslien Charles. All of these titles are available in Viking~ reserve your copy today!   

 

At the conclusion of every book club discussion we ask three questions and track the average answers:
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"YES"
Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"YES"
Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating: 
 3.5 stars

The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson

 

Welcome fall! What gorgeous colors our part of the world is turning~ perfect weather to cozy up with a good book in a warm, quiet space. For those of you who haven't yet had a chance to read October's selection, The Seed Keeper, by Diane Wilson, I encourage you to do so at your earliest convenience in that cozy spot I mentioned... otherwise, The Worst Hard Time, by Timothy Egan, is coming up next for November's pick. Either way~ enjoy the beautiful views!

Without further ado! 

Rosalie Iron Wing has grown up in the woods with her father, Ray, a former science teacher who tells her stories of plants, of the stars, of the origins of the Dakota people. Until, one morning, Ray doesn't return from checking his traps. Told she has no family, Rosalie is sent to live with a foster family in nearby Mankato--where the reserved, bookish teenager meets rebellious Gaby Makespeace, in a friendship that transcends the damaged legacies they've inherited.

On a winter's day many years later, Rosalie returns to her childhood home. A widow and mother, she has spent the previous two decades on her white husband's farm, finding solace in her garden even as the farm is threatened first by drought and then by a predatory chemical company. Now, grieving, Rosalie begins to confront the past, on a search for family, identity, and a community where she can finally belong. In the process, she learns what it means to be descended from women with souls of iron--women who have protected their families, their traditions, and a precious cache of seeds through generations of hardship and loss, through war and the insidious trauma of boarding schools.

This book, and our esteemed guest speaker, Diane Wilson, the author of The Seed Keeper, were received in very warm regards. What a treat to have her with us via Zoom to share her processes and answer all of our questions. We found her to be very well spoken, composed and prepared. We like and admire her persistent work at advocating for clean, sustainable farming~ for the overall prosperity of the Earth and all it's people.

Members said they really liked the book and Mrs. Wilson's writing. They thought she did a tremendous job illustrating and navigating "prickly topics", that could easily have caused tension and strife both within the book, and among it's readers. We liked the characters and found them relatable and believable~ with special mention of Rosalie's calm disposition and ability to roll with life's ups and downs. Several members mentioned they loved the book, and had already recommended it to their friends and family. Others still have bought themselves a copy~ making important bookmark notations of their favorite passages. 

If there was any criticism offered, even after I specifically asked for some, I missed it. The only thing a couple of members could come up with for a negative mention would be that while we understood it in the context of the book, we didn't like that Rosalie ran to save the seeds in the fire, and not her son Thomas. Along those same lines, we didn't like that she seemed to take a very passive, almost removed, stance in her relationship with her son as he aged. She didn't appear to make an effort to connect and rebuild any bonds with him once he became entrenched in his relationship with his father, and his responsibilities on the farm. Ultimately leaving the farm in the end, without explanation or at least a note to Thomas, was difficult for some of us to grasp.

FUN FACT: This book got 4.75 stars in the end~ a first, all-time high score for our book club for as long as anyone present could remember! Wowza!

 

We're sorry anyone missed the meeting and the opportunity to hear Mrs. Wilson speak~ do you have anything to add to our discussion? Please do so down below!

Did you love The Seed Keeper too? Fans of the book also enjoyed: Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman, Leave the World Behind, by Rumaan Alam, and Invisible Girl, by Lisa Jewel. All of these titles are available in Viking~ reserve your copy today!   

 

At the conclusion of every book club discussion we ask three questions and track the average answers:
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"YES"
Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"YES"
Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating: 
 4.75 stars

 

Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

 

 

September salutations to you and yours! We met at Paul Miller Park to discuss Yolk, which may be our last opportunity to meet outdoors for this year, as the author of our October read, Diane Wilson, has graciously agreed to join our October 11th meeting via Zoom! Mark your calendars~ hope to see you all there! 

Speaking of October's book, The Seed Keeper, as a friendly reminder, we have limited copies available within Viking. However, there is an audiobook in Viking, and an e-book available on Hoopla, for those who don't mind those versions. We'd like to encourage anyone who may already have a copy, or has an alternative means to obtain a copy, to do so if at all possible. In addition, in an effort to keep the limited quantity of copies we do have available circulating, we politely ask that you read through your issue quickly and return it as soon as possible so that we can pass it along to the next member. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

To the book!

 

Jayne Baek is barely getting by. She shuffles through fashion school, saddled with a deadbeat boyfriend, clout-chasing friends, and a wretched eating disorder that she’s not fully ready to confront. But that’s New York City, right? At least she isn’t in Texas anymore, and is finally living in a city that feels right for her.

On the other hand, her sister June is dazzlingly rich with a high-flying finance job and a massive apartment. Unlike Jayne, June has never struggled a day in her life. Until she’s diagnosed with uterine cancer. Suddenly, these estranged sisters who have nothing in common are living together. Because sisterly obligations are kind of important when one of you is dying.

 

Unlike most all other book discussions, there really weren't two camps of opinions regarding Yolk. The closest present company could come to saying they liked the book was, "Well, I kind of liked it..." while their mind wandered, trying to put their finger on just what it was that they kind of liked. Another member added, "It doesn't make any sense, but I liked Choi's writing itself. I liked the proposed plot of the book, and I even gave it 3 stars and would consider reading something else of hers... but I also hated it at the same time." I'm afraid that's as good as it got for Yolk.

Largely, we found it polluted. Several members put it down within the first few chapters, completely uninterested in finishing. The ending was ambiguous and open-ended, something several members found disappointing. With Patrick being the only possible exception, we didn't care for, or relate to, any of the characters. Also, it was obvious Jayne and June were estranged, but it wasn't clear why that was. 

All of that aside, outside of a 23-year-old being successful enough so early on in life in New York City to have seemingly unlimited funds and a luxurious apartment complete with a doorman, we found the depiction of life in the Big Apple, with it's illustrated "haves and have nots", realistic and believable... as bleak as that is. Overall, clearly, this book wasn't a crowd favorite. 

Disagree? Please, fill us in below!

P.S. We wondered about where the title for the book came from~ any ideas?

 

Are you a Yolk fan? Admirers of the book also enjoyed: Chosen Ones, by Veronica Roth, The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon, and The Heir Affair, by Heather Cocks. All of these titles are available in Viking~ reserve your copy today!   

 

At the conclusion of every book club discussion we ask three questions and track the average answers:
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"NO"
Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"NO"
Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating: 
 3 stars

 

Movie vs. Book: Where the Crawdads Sing

Hello the group! We thought it would be fun to get the discussion/comparison going regarding Where the Crawdads Sing for those who have had the chance to both read the book, and also catch the movie while things are still fresh in our minds. We are also planning to set aside the first few minutes of our September 13th, meeting to either expand and/or add to this exchange~ so if you haven't had a chance to both read and/or taken in the movie yet, and you'd like to, you've got time! 

Does the timeless precept of "the movie is never as good as the book" apply here? Which did you prefer?

 

Give us all the details below!!! 👇

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

 

 

August's book club selection was East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, with Yolk, by Mary H.K. Choi coming up next for September's pick. Once again, we held our meeting in a sheltered area at Paul Miller Park, we will plan to do the same for our September 13th meeting~ conclusive details to follow the closer the date becomes! 

Just a friendly reminder, book club members are encouraged to join us this next Tuesday, August 16th, at The Comet movie theater, for the 7:00pm showing of Where the Crawdads Sing. Tuesday night is bargain night at The Comet, with tickets being $5.00 each~ you are welcome to bring guests if you'd like (all attendees will be responsible for their own ticket and treat purchases). We are not planning to try to sit together, but if it shakes out that way, great!

Since the viewing of this movie comes a week after our August book club meeting, we thought we'd take the first few minutes of our September 13th meeting to discuss our Crawdad opinions and comparisons, and I'll also start a separate post on the library's blog directly following the movie, for anyone who would like an earlier discussion. We invite you to share your thoughts, on either avenue, afterwards!

To the goods!

 

Adam Trask came to California from the East to farm and raise his family on the new rich land. But the birth of his twins, Cal and Aron, brings his wife to the brink of madness, and Adam is left alone to raise his boys to manhood. One boy thrives nurtured by the love of all those around him; the other grows up in loneliness enveloped by a mysterious darkness.

In his journal, Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck called East of Eden “the first book,” and indeed it has the primordial power and simplicity of myth. First published in 1952, East of Eden is the work in which Steinbeck created his most mesmerizing characters and explored his most enduring themes: the mystery of identity, the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love's absence.

 

The opening comment of our discussion was, "Does anyone else have the sense that people either loved this book, or hated it?" While I can't report that anyone actually said the word "hate" regarding their summations, there were definitely two separate camps of opinion. Those fond of the book said they liked long, generational sagas. They could appreciate the characters for what they were~ tortured, mentally ill (and certainly undiagnosed and untreated) and conflicted. They felt empathy for their plights and rooted for better things to come for them. Several mentioned they had read Steinbeck before and enjoyed revisiting his work.

Those in the opposing camp said they just liked it. They didn't love it, and they didn't hate it, but they liked it. A few members mentioned it was far too long, felt like the story was told twice, and could have been condensed down by at least 200 pages. Members of this camp weren't fans of Steinbeck's writing in general, they thought it too wordy and tedious. It was also pointed out that there were some loose ends left undone, for example, did Tom Hamilton actually kill himself after his accidental medical misstep concerning his sister? They couldn't be sure, and they didn't like that there was no more mention of him after the ominous bit of a reference of a gun directly followed by him writing to his brother, "Tell Mom I got kicked in the head by a horse"... no closure, no funeral in tribute to this good man's life. Lastly, it was thought that Adams seemingly blind, perpetual devotion and longing for Cathy was not believable... especially considering their parting just after the twins were born.

Maybe Steinbeck's The Winter of Our Discontent will favor differently? We'll surely see come March 2023!

Speaking of loose ends, did Cathy actually sleep with Charles early on, and therefor Caleb and Aron are his biological children and not Adam's? Did Cathy ever actually receive the inheritance from Charles's estate? Why did she leave everything to Aron in the end?

Let us know below!
 

P.S. Just a head's up, East of Eden has been made into both a movie and a mini series in the past~ however it appears Netflix has recently won the rights to begin work on a new East of Eden series after what was apparently a very intense bidding war. The woman writing and producing the series is the granddaughter of the director of the movie from 1955 with James Dean! Here's a link to the details: https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/florence-pugh-netflix-series-east-of-eden-what-we-know-so-far/

 

(Thanks for sharing Tracy!)

Did you enjoy East of Eden? Fans of the book also enjoyed: A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, Slaughterhouse-five by Kurt Vonnegut, and The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. All of these titles are available in Viking~ reserve your copy today!   

 

At the conclusion of every book club discussion we ask three questions and track the average answers:
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"YES"
Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"NO"
Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating: 
 3 stars

Where the Crawdads Sing movie night!

 Hello to you!

It looks like Where the Crawdads Sing is in fact coming to the Perham Comet Theater this month! Yeah! Tuesday night is bargain night at The Comet, with tickets being $5.00 per person~ so with that in mind, we'd like to plan to attend the 7:00pm show on Tuesday, August 16th. (Everyone will of course be responsible for their own ticket and snack purchases). Since the viewing of this movie comes a week after our August book club meeting, we thought we'd take the first few minutes of our September 13th meeting to discuss our Crawdad opinions, and I'll also start a separate post on the library's blog directly following the movie, for anyone who would like an earlier discussion. We encourage all of you to come to the show and share your thoughts, on either avenue, afterwards!

 

Comment below with any questions~ looking forward to seeing you soon!