Room by Emma Donoghue

For my November book club book we read Room by Emma Donoghue.  I unfortunately didn't make it to the meeting to discuss the book.  But I REALLY enjoyed it.  I wasn't sure how I would feel about it because the book tells a fairly dark story.  The way Donoghue tells the story is pretty genius and made the book a very good read.

Room is about a woman who is abducted and held for 7 years.  During the time of her captivity she gives birth to a little boy, Jack.    I don't remember ever learning the actual name of the woman who was abducted, but I could be wrong. Jack simply refers to her as "mom".  Jack and Mom are held in an 11x11 storage shed in the abductor's backyard. The abductor provides basic needs such as food and clothing, and even provides SOME entertainment such as television and books.  The book really reaches a climax when Mom devises a plan of escape which puts the 5 year old Jack in the spotlight.

I don't want to reveal whether or not they escape or not.  Check out the book!

The thing I really loved about this book is that it shows the love a mother has for a child. Jack was conceived out of HORRIBLE circumstances.  But his mom loved him unconditionally.  Mom does the best she can for Jack given her situation.  She has raised Jack to believe that "Room" (the name she and Jack have given their living area) is it's own world. She tells him that what he sees on television isn't real so that Jack doesn't realize the horrible situation he is in.  She does her best to have a school environment for him.  She has "gym" classes to provide Jack the physical development and exercise he needs.  Where many women would have wanted nothing to do with a child conceived out of rape Mom loves her child endlessly.   She counts Jack as a blessing, convinced that if it weren't for Jack she quite possibly would have been killed by her abductor already. Jack helps her from going crazy in this small room and gives her a reason to live and try to find a way to escape.

As you can tell from my short summary this book covers some dark subject matter.  If you are looking for a fun, easy-going read I would shy away from this.  But if you are looking for a great story that reads very quickly and keeps you on the edge of your seat I would DEFINITELY pick this up.   I seriously loved it a lot more than I thought I would.

Up next for my book club is The Martian by Andy Weir.  I am hopefully picking up the book this weekend so I can get started on this read.  I am still plugging along with The Little Women Letters as well.  I keep forgetting to bring the book home from work so that limits when I can read it.  Plus. . . Netflix.  I've been feeling really lazy and have been turning the tv on more than reading the past couple weeks.  Hopefully that changes.  Reading is SO much better for the brain.

Until next time!

~Tara

Now I See You by Nicole Kear

In my last post I told you that I had started reading Now I See You for my book club.  Well I have finished it and even got a chance to discuss it with the club.  Can I just say that I really enjoy my book club?  It's nice reading books that I probably never would have picked up.  Being able to talk about the books really makes me enjoy them more too.  In school I got to discuss books in the many English courses I took.  But discusses books in English class is more like "what symbolism did the author use" and "what is the theme of the book" as opposed to book clubs which is more "what  did you think of this character" and "did that annoy you as much as it annoyed me".  Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed the English courses I took.  But I struggled to find the symbolism in EVERY SINGLE BOOK  I read in school.  Sometimes I just wanted to bash on a character or critique a decision that was made.  And that is why I love book club.

Now back to the book.  Now I See You is a memoir about a young woman who learns that what she thought was a bad case of near-sightedness and clumsiness is actually the beginnings of an eye disease.  She discovers at the ripe old age of 19 that she would probably be blind in the next 10-15 years.  The book tells the story of Nicole coping with that news and trying to get as much done on her bucket list before she loses sight.

 Now I See You is not a "woe is me, everyone feel bad for me, my life sucks" kind of memoir . It is hilarious and shows that even with a grim diagnosis life can be joyful and enjoyable. While her eye disease plays a huge part in this book and her life, Kear does a great job about making the book about the struggles every young adult faces: finding a job, falling in and out of love, getting married, and having children.  Everyone that met to discuss the book at our recent club meeting was able to relate to some story that Kear tells.  

I don't read a ton of memoirs.  I find myself drawn to stories about people I have heard of and know a little bit about, whether that be a historical figure or celebrity. On one of the flights I took this summer I read an article in one of the in flight magazines about Kear.  I thought her story was interesting, but didn't really think anything of it until this book was mentioned as a possibility for the club.  I thought it would be a great opportunity to read a genre that I don't read a lot of and see how I liked it.  I must say I enjoyed it.  Everyone has a story worth telling.  It's all about finding the angle or lens to tell that story through.  Kear did a great job finding a way to tell her story and make it interesting. If you can look past the language (which I think gets a little bit more under control as the story progresses) it is definitely worth the read.

I have started reading a book called The Little Women Letters on my own time.  I found this book on the bargain rack at Barnes and Noble. I'll be sure to keep you posted on how that turns out.

The next book up for the Book Club is Room by Emma Donaghue.  One of the ladies in the club read it before and said it would be a great book for discussion.  I'm definitely intrigued and will start reading it probably later this evening. 

Happy Reading!

~Tara