Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol

The Locale: Perri's & TJ's

The Book: Anya could really use a friend. But her new BFF isn't kidding about the "Forever" part.
Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who’s been dead for a century.
Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya's normal life might actually be worse. She's embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she's pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend—even a ghost—is just what she needs.
Or so she thinks. Spooky, sardonic, and secretly sincere, Anya's Ghost is a wonderfully entertaining debut from author/artist Vera Brosgol. 

(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9615347-anya-s-ghost#)

The Meeting: Just a few girls and moms. All gathered around the kitchen table. Catching up and talking about summer plans. The graphic novel was a quick easy read. Entertaining. Great graphics. Not too deep.

The Vote: Cassie presented...

• The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry By Gabrielle Zevin     WINS!!
• My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry By Fredrik Backman
• I Capture the Castle By Dodie Smith

Meeting date @ Cassie's and Susan's TBD. 

Next to present: Kate

Then:
Emily
Hana
Olivia
Perri

Cassie

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Locale: Olivia's & Susan's

The Book: We can sum this book up for you in three little sentences: Kathy is a carer. Then she becomes a donor. Then she "completes." The end.

Okay, there's a bit more to Kathy's life than that. Well, a lot more. And fair warning: this book jumps back and forth and back again in time, so it can be tough to keep it all straight. Hold on to your hats.

The book starts out in England in the 1990s. Kathy H., our narrator, is a thirty-one year old woman who spends her days as a "carer." Her job involves traveling between recovery centers and helping "donors" to recuperate after giving a "donation." She doesn't tell us what these mysterious donations are, but they don't sound like much fun.

Working as a carer gives Kathy a ton of time to reminisce about Hailsham, the place where she grew up. This job also gives her opportunities to reconnect with Ruth and Tommy, her old pals from Hailsham.

(http://www.shmoop.com/never-let-me-go/summary.html)

Kazuo Ishiguro


The Meeting: A small group. Perri & TJ. Cassie & Susan. Emily & Kristine. And Hannah, Olivia's friend who wants to join club. We served a Taco Ring. Avocado tomato salad. And sopapilla cheesecake. We eschewed the whole British theme and went with Mexican. With all the school work, the girls continue to struggle with fitting in pleasure reads. Moms are stressing and nagging. We discussed and reassured all that there are no pressures. We will continue to vote and try to read books, but all are welcome regardless. It's the connection we want to keep. There will be no judging. This should be an event of pleasure. Not stress. We did agree to stretch meetings to every other month, allowing more time in between and a more relaxed approach. Girls are welcome to invite other friends to join, those that would be a good fit and love reading, with or without mothers. 

The Vote: Perri presented...

• Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor
• The Martian by Andy Weir
• Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol WINS!!

Meeting date @ Perri's and TJ's TBD.

Next to present: Cassie

Then:
Kate
Emily
Hannah
Olivia
Perri

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver

The Locale: Emily's & Kristine's

The Book: Dara and Nick used to be inseparable, but that was before – before Dara kissed Parker, before Nick lost him as her best friend, before the accident that left Dara’s beautiful face scarred.

Now the two sisters, who used to be so close, aren’t speaking. In an instant, Nick lost everything and is determined to use the summer to get it all back.

But Dara has other plans. When she vanishes on her birthday, Nick thinks Dara is just playing around. But another girl has vanished, too—nine-year-old Elizabeth Snow—and as Nick pursues her sister, she becomes increasingly convinced that the two disappearances may be linked.

In this edgy and compelling novel, New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver creates a world of intrigue, loss, and suspicion as two sisters search to find themselves, and each other.
(http://www.laurenoliverbooks.com/vanishing_girls.php)

Lauren Oliver

The Vote: Olivia presented...

• The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
• 1984 by George Orwell
• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro  WINS!!

Meeting date @ Olivia's and Susan's scheduled for March 26th.

Next to present: Perri

Then:

• Cassie
• Kate
• Emily
• Perri 

Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie

The Locale: Kate's & Brenda's

The Book: Ten strangers, apparently with little in common, are lured to an island mansion off the coast of Devon by the mysterious U.N.Owen. Over dinner, a record begins to play, and the voice of an unseen host accuses each person of hiding a guilty secret. That evening, former reckless driver Tony Marston is found murdered by a deadly dose of cyanide.

The tension escalates as the survivors realise the killer is not only among them but is preparing to strike again… and again...

(http://www.agathachristie.com/stories/and-then-there-were-none)

Agatha Christie

Interesting--a BBC has created a new production, which aired in December.

The Vote: Emily presented...

• Mosquito Land by David Arnold
• Carry On by Rainbow Rowl
• Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver      WINS!!

Meeting date @ Emily's & Kristine's scheduled for January 24th.

Next to present: Olivia

Then:

• Perri 
• Cassie
• Kate
• Emily

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews.

The Locale: Odessa's & AiYing's

The Book: Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight. (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12700353-me-and-earl-and-the-dying-girl?from_search=true&search_version=service)


Jesse Andrews

The Meeting: I was unable to attend the meeting, but I understand the girls watched the movie, a Sundance Film Festival winner, which they enjoyed.

The Vote: We are definitely behind here. Ashley was due to present books, but unfortunately, had to leave the club. So that puts Emily next, followed by Rylee.

Up Next: Kate sent out her book choices via email. I did not get a copy of that email, so I do not know the book titles. I have not heard what was chosen or when will be our next meeting date.

Update on Vote:  Kate presented...

• The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley 
• Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie      WINS!!

Meeting date @ Kate's and Brenda's is December 5th. 
Updates: Not only have we lost Ashley and Jian, but we have also lost Odessa and AiYing, which makes me so sad.  : (   I hope that if, at any time, Ashley and Odessa find to time to come back into the club, they would do so. We would welcome them back with open arms.

I think now that the girls are older, in high school classes that demand more time, and involved in so many other academic and sports activities, it is not surprising that little time is left for book club. Yet, whenever I ask, the consensus from the girls is that they want to continue to meet.

I am content to be flexible, meeting when we can with as many as we can. As the girls grow and evolve, so it would seem, does our club.

Daughters should feel free to inviting new friends to fill our void, but we would still want to limit our numbers to 10-12. Moms would also be encouraged to attend, but now that the girls are older, I don't know that it should be a requirement. I'm happy to just focus on spreading and supporting the love of books and reading.

Next to present: Emily & Rylee @ Kate's meeting.

Then:

• Emily 
• Rylee 
• Olivia 
• Perri 
• Cassie