Five Presidents by Clint Hill

 

 

For July, we read Five Presidents, by Clint Hill, and held the discussion outdoors at Paul Miller Park in Perham in the main shelter area. We are planning to meet there again for our August meeting, where we discuss East of Eden, by John Steinbeck. Hope to see you there!

 

Onward!

Secret Service agent Clint Hill brings history intimately and vividly to life as he reflects on his seventeen years protecting the most powerful office in the nation. Hill walked alongside Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald R. Ford, seeing them through a long, tumultuous era—the Cold War; the Cuban Missile Crisis; the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy; the Vietnam War; Watergate; and the resignations of Spiro Agnew and Richard M. Nixon. With a unique insider’s perspective, Hill sheds new light on the character and personality of these five presidents, revealing their humanity in the face of grave decisions.  

 

We had a wide spread of reviews for Five Presidents~ it ranged from a small handful who enjoyed the book enthusiastically, to a couple of people who just liked it, could have taken it or left it, to yet a few more who really didn't care for the book at all. Most everyone could agree it was an easy, uncomplicated read that didn't really make you think (like The Silent Patient did us). We liked hearing about the intricacies and quirks of each of the presidents depicted.

It appeared the big draw for those who really liked it was that it was a retelling of history from a time in their personal lives that they could relate to and reminisce about. It was said he was a hero for running towards danger without hesitation when duty called, and they also appreciated his sacrifice, dedication and respect for the office of the presidency, something that seems to be sorely lacking in today's culture.

However, while respectfully acknowledging all those good remarks, a fair amount of members found Hill arrogant (could that be a necessary attribute for a job such as this?), despite his efforts to appear otherwise. He was clearly in love with Jackie Kennedy and seemed largely, although admittedly so, absent and neglectful of his first wife and children. He had no qualms sharing that Johnson had a bad temper (and what he describes as an annoying habit of giving elaborate tours of his beloved Texas ranch and childhood home, complete with attempts to outsmart the secret service about his whereabouts and intentions) or throwing Nixon under the bus regarding Watergate (commenting he knew all along Nixon was a bad egg), but completely overlooked and omitted Kennedy's rampant extramarital affairs.

One member found the book mostly a bore with repetitive, unnecessary details (all the parades and their intricate details, Eisenhower's many golfing excursions) amongst a few interesting bits of information mixed in. It was said the book didn't really disclose anything a high school history book wouldn't have already covered, and was therefore found uninspired. 

Should we know everything a president is up to? It was pointed out that former President Jimmy Carter is widely known as a good, honest man... but is he considered a good president? Did he get the job done and do it well?

 

Did you enjoy Five Presidents? Fans of the book also enjoyed: The Kennedy Detail, by Gerald Blaine, The First Family Detail, by Ronald Kessler, and First Women, by Kate Andersen Brower. 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

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

 

 

 

June's selection was The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides, with Five Presidents, by Clint Hill, up next for July. Just a reminder for those who read ahead, we ended up switching the books for August and October around to be able to facilitate some guest speakers coming up later this fall~ stay tuned! With that in mind, August 2022's read will be East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, and the following October's selection will be The Seed Keeper, by Diane Wilson. Thanks for being flexible!

 

To the book!

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—

 

This was a fun conversation! While not everyone cared for the book, you wouldn't hardly know it from the discussion. It was noted that Michaelide's writing is outstandingly brilliant, with several people marveling at what it must have involved to come up with such a complex, twisty and interwoven story. There were places we couldn't understand Theo's motives, and to a degree found it unbelievable that one would behave in such a way, but in the end, decided on the point of these places in the book (Theo wanting to work with Alicia at all, Theo following his wife and her lover into the woods at the park to stay and listen to her betrayal, the final scene of Theo being caught and confronted in his home and then casually opening a window to reach out and catch a falling snowflake), were meant to vividly illustrate how disturbed Theo, and real people as well, can truly be. With the exception of one, no one saw the ending coming and we were amazed by how it all seemed to add up in the end. It was mentioned that that very thing motivated several members to want to go back and read it again to see what clues they missed along the way.

Our list of criticisms is short, but noteworthy nonetheless. It was said the book felt heavy and dark and had an ominous tone to it... a feeling of, "you just knew this wasn't going to end well." It was also said that the read felt unrealistic, with the ending being predictable by the second half, and there were red herrings aplenty that didn't really serve the story. 

Would you read Michaelide again? Did you see the ending coming? Let us know where the rest of us went wrong down below!

 

Did you enjoy The Silent Patient? Fans of the book also enjoyed: Verity, by Colleen Hoover, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and The Guest List, by Lucy Foley. 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: 
 3.75 stars

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

 

For May, we discussed The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah, with The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides, coming up next for June. Thank you to everyone who attended, and to those who sent in emails ahead of time to share their thoughts despite their absence. We appreciate each of you! Happy Spring!

Let's get to it!

Texas, 1934. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as the crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. One of the darkest periods of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era, has arrived with a vengeance.

In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinelli—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American Dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.

 

I want to generalize and say that we all really and thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I'm not sure that would be quite right. While it's true the vast majority of the group had big praise for this read and found it hard to find anything to fix, there were a few adamant criticisms that seemed to stick. While we all agreed Hannah's writing, character development and plot assembly are all very well done, we were divided on the ending. Some liked the hard to read outcome, they considered it a real, "life isn't always fair" kind of ending that made the book all that more believable and authentic. Others would have preferred a happier, tidier ending.

 

Outside of Welty and those like him, we liked all the characters and found something good, and relatable, in each of them... especially Elsa. We marveled at her strength, courage, and persistence in the face of so much strife. Speaking of characters, there was mention that it was hard to believe that no one in Elsa's family, especially her children who were witnesses to her untimely death, didn't hold Jack at least partially responsible for her passing. Did he pressure and provoke her to a degree to take a big stand at the protest that ultimately, albeit unintentionally, lead to tragedy? "If you love someone, shouldn't you do your best to keep them out of harm's way?" How much of Elsa's actions were authentically her own, and which, if any, were heavily influenced and/or coerced? 

 

On a final note, it was said it would have been a valuable addition to the story if there could have been a sentence or two within the last chapter about how and when the tide turned for the farmers of the Dust Bowl. When and how did conditions improve? What did that look like and mean specifically for Elsa's family? 

 

Are you a Kristin Hannah fan? If so, how does this read compare for you to her other works?

 

 

Did you enjoy The Four Winds? Fans of this book also enjoyed: Lady in Waiting, by Anne Glenconner, Mr. Malcolm's List, by Suzanne Allain, and The Daughters of Erietown, by Connie Schultz. 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: 
4.5 stars

*NEW* 2022-2023 Book Club Reading Schedule

June 14, 2022: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

July 12, 2022: Five Presidents by Clint Hill

August 9, 2022: East of Eden by John Steinbeck

September 13, 2022: Yolk by Mary H.K. Choi

October 11, 2022: The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson

November 8, 2022: The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan

December 13, 2022: The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

January 10, 2023: The Ursulina by Brian Freeman

February 14, 2023: The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

March 14, 2023: The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck

April 11, 2023: French Braid by Anne Tyler

May 9, 2023: The Sentence by Louise Erdrich

The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult

 

For April, we discussed The Book of Two Ways, by Jodi Piccoult, with The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah, on deck for May. As promised, following the discussion, we concluded voting in our picks for next year's reading list~ thank you to everyone who participated! The next twelve books have been decided and are currently being organized into a cohesive reading order that will be announced very soon! Please check back here in a day or two for the finished reading list~ we will also have printed copies available at the desk, if you prefer! 

Last year, our book club read Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens, and as it turns out, it has been made into a movie that is tentatively set to be released sometime in July 2022. At yesterday's meeting we tossed around the idea of having a book club movie night, with the option of either seeing it at the Perham Comet Movie Theater, or waiting for it to be released on DVD and having a private viewing at the library. So far, the general consensus is we'd like to support local business and view it at the movie theater in town~ with each member being responsible for their own ticket and snack purchases. July is a ways off, and things can change, but it's something we'd like to plan for as best we can. 

P.S. It was also suggested that for the 2023-2024 reading list we omit the "Classic" genre and replace it with a "Books Made Into Movies" category, and we make a book club movie night into a regular, yearly thing! All those in favor say, "Yeah!" (down below in the comments, of course!). If that doesn't sound like a good idea, let us know that too!

To the recap!

 

Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She's on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: prepare for a crash landing. She braces herself as thoughts flash through her mind. The shocking thing is, the thoughts are not of her husband, but a man she last saw fifteen years ago: Wyatt Armstrong.

Dawn, miraculously, survives the crash, but so do all the doubts that have suddenly been raised. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, there is her husband, Brian, her beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula, where she helps ease the transition between life and death for patients in hospice.

But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a job she once studied for, but was forced to abandon when life suddenly intervened. And now, when it seems that fate is offering her second chances, she is not as sure of the choice she once made.

The overall, majority feeling at the meeting was that this book is most definitely not one of Picoults best works. We predominately feel disappointed in the read, expecting much more from such a revered, well-established writer. While we can respect and appreciate how much time and research must have gone into writing this book, with the exception of one member, we thought there was far too much Egyptology content, and it left us bored, bogged down, and lost at times. As a whole, we didn't care for Dawn. We found her selfish, spoiled and utterly void of good sense. We were confused about the plane crash... was it just the one at the end with Wyatt in tow? Or was there another closer to the start of the book that lead her back to Egypt and Wyatt in the first place? 

There were also several unbelievable parts throughout the read~ the way Brian handled Dawn's affair, the way Merrett quickly and readily accepted Wyatt into her life, and how Wyatt and Dawn seemed to walk away from surviving a plane crash completely unharmed, with no PTSD, their only concern being Dawn's impossible choice.

On a positive note, we were intrigued with what it is to be a death doula. If the book had largely highlighted this aspect, instead of Egyptology, it would have been a far more enjoyable read. We also like Jodi Picoult's writing very much and are fans of several of her other books (check out Small Great Things and House Rules). Even though the components of what she wrote about in The Book of Two Ways weren't for us, her writing style and usage are well done.

Do you agree with our review, or were we too harsh? Are you up for a book club night at the theater? Let us know in the comments below!

 

Did you enjoy The Book of Two Ways? Fans of this book also enjoyed: The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown, Blood Orange, by Harriet Tyce, and Girl Last Seen, by Nina Laurin. 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: 
2 stars 

The Deep, Deep Snow by Brian Freeman

 

 

 

March's selection was The Deep, Deep Snow, by Brian Freeman, with The Book of Two Ways, by Jodi Picoult, coming up next in April. This month we were fortunate enough to have our featured author, Brian Freeman, join us via Zoom for the meeting~ what a treat that was! Look below for an exciting announcement regarding Mr. Freeman and next year's reading list!

Regarding next year's reading list... we also collected the last of the book nominations and are working to have them organized and out to you for review within a week's time. We will plan to vote in our top 12 picks at our Apil 12th meeting, however, you may also choose to send your favorites to Susan or myself via e-mail, call and/or stop into the library with your selections, or there will also be a link on the library's website for online voting as well (we'll be in touch with when that's available). Keep in mind, there are 5 dedicated categories again this year that will require one of your votes, leaving 7 of your choices free for whatever you'd like. I've already gotten a head's start on getting the nominations organized, and there's a whole lot of good options already on the docket~ good luck, and happy voting!

 

Without further ado!   

 

Deputy Shelby Lake was abandoned as a baby, saved by a stranger who found her in the freezing cold. Now, years later, a young boy is missing - and Shelby is the one who must rescue a child.

The only evidence of what happened to 10-year-old Jeremiah Sloan is a bicycle left behind on a lonely road. After a desperate search fails to locate him, the close bonds of Shelby's hometown begin to fray under the weight of accusations and suspicion. Everyone around her is keeping secrets. Her adoptive father, her best friend, her best friend's young daughter - they all have something to hide. Even Shelby is concealing a mistake that could jeopardize her career and her future.  

Unearthing the lies of the people in Jeremiah's life doesn't get the police and the FBI any closer to finding him. As time passes and the case grows cold, Shelby worries that the mystery will stay buried forever in the deep, deep snow.  

It's a good thing Mr. Freeman did most of the talking during the meeting, as when the time rolled around to discuss it after he had signed off, we found that we all really liked it and had very little to critique. We liked his writing very much, especially his character development, and are interested in reading more of his work. There were several comments about what an excellent speaker Mr. Freeman is, how down-to-earth and approachable he seems, and how thoughtfully he answered our many questions.

The small criticisms we had for the read were there were areas that seemed a little far-fetched (think the entire scene of Jeremiah's accidental death, for example) and it was also said the neat and tidy ending felt a little too Hallmark (for example, in the end, the whole town wanting Shelby to be the next sheriff and Monica conveniently insisting on retiring and taking over Shelby's father's care). 

Mr. Freeman shared that he has been in a pattern of writing three very different books at the same time for a few years now (the Stride and Jason Bourne series, along with The Deep, Deep Snow and it's sequel, The Ursulina~ just released February 1st, 2022) and enjoys the challenge it presents. He said he knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a writer, and noted a particular English teacher that spotted and encouraged his talent in the 8th grade~ to whom he is grateful. 

Mr. Freeman shared that he considers The Deep, Deep Snow and The Ursulina one long book and his favorite project to date. He added that the ending of The Ursulina is his favorite ending that he's ever written, and continues to choke him up whenever he revisits it. 

Speaking of The Ursulina, at the close of the meeting, Mr. Freeman expressed how much he enjoyed the meeting, and said if we were to choose The Ursulina for any future reading lists, he'd be happy to join us again to discuss it! Needless to say, it was unanimously nominated by the group to be added for consideration in this next year's line up! 

Happy voting!

 

Did you love The Deep, Deep Snow? Fans of this book also enjoyed: The Stolen Hours, by Allen Eskens, Lightening Strike by William Kent Krueger, and Unsolved, by James Patterson. 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: 
4 stars (a UNANIMOUS score from our attending members!)

 

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

 

February's book selection was Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte, with The Deep, Deep Snow, by Brian Freeman on deck for March. Thank you to all who attended (and those who let us know they couldn't make in ahead of time and gave us their thoughts!)~ warm conversations sure makes the cold days go by faster!

We offered a reminder at the meeting this afternoon that we'd like the nominations for this next year's reading list to be in on or before the March 8th book club meeting, as we're planning on voting at the April 12th meeting. The new reading list will then be ready and disbursed on or before the May meeting~ and away we go! You can submit those nominations personally by stopping into the library, or via phone or e-mail to either Susan or myself. Happy nominating!

 

To the book!

Set in the west Yorkshire moors, Wuthering Heights is the story of two gentry families -- the Earnshaws and the Lintons -- and their turbulent relationships with Earnshaw's adopted son, Heathcliff. Now considered to be a timeless classic, it was a polarizing and controversial work in its own day, with its frank depictions of mental and physical cruelty and ahead-of-its-time challenges to Victorian conventions and mores.

While some of us disliked this book more than others, I think it's reasonable to say almost the entirety of the attending book club members didn't care for this read. We thought the language was hard to decipher and follow at times, especially where Joseph was concerned. With few exceptions, it was hard to grow fond of any of the overly dramatic characters throughout, and in the end, we were puzzled by how this book has ever been considered a classic, let alone a classical romance novel. 

It was mentioned that Emily Bronte lived a secluded life, and died at only the age of 30. It was proposed that this novel may be the construct of Bonte's possible superficial understanding of love, marriage, and romance. Or, could it be this was somehow the life she had imagined for herself? Was this tale ultimately the retelling of how relationships were carried out in Yorkshire in the early 1800's?

Let us know your thoughts below!

I'll leave you with my personal favorite line from the book, undoubtedly popular yet today: "Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same." -Catherine Linton/Emily Bronte. 

Did you have a favorite line/scene/character? 

 

Did you love Wuthering Heights? Fans of this book also enjoyed: Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. 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: 
 2.5 stars