Happy Valentine's Day! Our February selection was The Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson. Up next for March is Murder on the Red River, by MN author Marcie Rendon. We have several copies on the way, but if you don't need one, would you mind letting us know below? Thanks!
Speaking of March, Marcie Rendon is slated to join our book club discussion via Zoom! If you can plan to
come to the meeting with a few questions and/or comments for Ms. Rendon,
we'd sure appreciate it! At the conclusion of the meeting, after Ms.
Rendon has signed off, we'll then quickly take our regular votes
regarding how many stars we'd give the book, if we'd recommend the book
to a friend, and then if we'd recommend the book to another book club
for discussion. See you then!
While I have you, as a reminder, we'd like to get all the book nominations in for next year's reading list on or before our March 12th book
club meeting. It was decided that we'll keep the same 5 dedicated
categories (MN Author, Mystery, Memoir, Classic, and Young Adult) this
next year as well, while leaving the remaining 7 slots open for the next
seven books that receive the most votes, no matter their genre. You do
not have to nominate books into the 5 dedicated categories, but you will
be required to vote for at least one title from each when the time
comes. Also, due
to the abundance of nominations over the past few years, we'd like to
ask that nominations be limited to 3 titles per book club member, if at
all possible.
Immediately
following our March meeting, we'll be busy bee's getting all the
nominations organized. We'll then e-mail the nomination ballots out to
everyone for your review and consideration (if you'd prefer a printed
copy, please ask for one at the front desk). We are planning to then
vote in the next twelve books at our April 9th meeting.
If you are unable to attend the April meeting, Susan will again include
a link on the Perham Library's website for online voting. You can also
call the library with your selections, or email myself or Susan with
your 12 picks and we'll be sure to get them tallied/included. We'll then
quickly get the nominated books into a reading schedule... and away we
go! *whew*
Here is Susan's email address for any book club nominations and/or questions: susanhl@perhamlibrary.org
Here is my email address for any and all of the same! amandaschaefer@hotmail.com
Perham Library's phone number: 218-346-4892
Please, let us know down below if you have any questions about book club nominations!
Onward!
After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a
nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that
he's still in good health, and in one day, he turns 100. A big
celebration is in the works, but Allan really isn't interested (and he'd
like a bit more control over his vodka consumption). So he decides to
escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a
hilarious and entirely unexpected journey, involving, among other
surprises, a suitcase stuffed with cash, some unpleasant criminals, a
friendly hot-dog stand operator, and an elephant (not to mention a death
by elephant).
It would be the adventure of a
lifetime for anyone else, but Allan has a larger-than-life backstory:
Not only has he witnessed some of the most important events of the
twentieth century, but he has actually played a key role in them.
Starting out in munitions as a boy, he somehow finds himself involved in
many of the key explosions of the twentieth century and travels the
world, sharing meals and more with everyone from Stalin, Churchill, and
Truman to Mao, Franco, and de Gaulle.
With the exception of one, no one really cared for this book. Two members said they had tried to read the book twice, and just couldn't keep with it. Interestingly enough, both of those members then got the audio book version and listened all the way through, finding it more palatable in that format. They also both said it helped them enjoy the book more when they changed their expectation from anything real and/or believable to something intended to be completely nonsensical. The lone member in high favor of the book said she liked the foolishness of it, and that she appreciated that it was a lite, easy read compared to some of our more recent, darker selections.
On the other side of the coin, most members couldn't get past the outrageousness and unbelievability of this read. It was mentioned that this book has a Forrest Gump feel to it (life being one happy accident after another for the protagonist), but we liked Forrest Gump as a character, and didn't care for Allan Karlsson much at all. A few members never finished the book, others struggled to get through it, impatient for the end. No one present had read anything from Jonasson before, and no one was interested in reading anything else from him in the future.
Two very different takes on the same book~ what's yours? Let us know in the comments below! 👇
Did you enjoy The Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared? Fans of the book also enjoyed, The Rosie Project, by Graeme Simsion, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce, and A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman. All of these titles are available within the Viking system~ reserve your copy today!
Would we
recommend this to a friend to read?
"NO"
Would we
recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"NO"
Rate the
book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating:
2.5 stars
