Book-It! Becomes Book Club!

Do you all remember "Book-It?"  That question clearly dates me!  Yikes!  Pizza + books =  complete happiness for this girl.  Over the Easter holiday, I discussed books A LOT.  Book discussions are a great for conversations with people you don't know well or for people you don't have a lot in common . . . .   It came to my attention during one of these book discussions that there aren't any "happy" programs like "Book-It" any longer.  A reward of a personal pan pizza has been replaced with the punishment of a TEST.  Yes, a TEST.  Accelerated Reader programs (I did have these in middle and high school) require students to take a quiz after reading each book.  So. Not. Fun.  It got me thinking about a "Book-It" program for adults.  Then I realized, that is the role my book club plays in my life.  Good Food + Books = complete happiness for this adult.

My book club consists of a great group of ladies with unique backgrounds and completely different career objectives.  I love that kind of diversity in a book club because I find that everyone brings a completely new perspective to the discussion.  Our book club meets about every 8 weeks.  It is the perfect amount of time - no matter what the schedule is like, you can always get through one book in 8 weeks.

So far in 2012, we have read The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, The Paris Wife by Paula McLain, and Your Voice in My Head by Emma Frost.  I absolutely loved The Night Circus.  For me it was "Harry Potter" meets "Water for Elephants."  Yes, there were some loose ends that should have been taken care of in the editing process, but still definitely worth a read.  The book is being developed into a movie and I am super excited to see the adaptation.  The Paris Wife is based on the life of Ernest Hemingway's first wife.  The book is written almost like a journal and I very much enjoyed the writer's style.  The Paris Wife is also in development!  Your Voice in My Head has been my least favorite book read thus far.  While I appreciate the author sharing her experience with mental illness, I simply did not enjoy reading the book.  It is a very quick read (less than 200 pages).  The reason I would give for reading this book is that the author gives the reader a real look into the author's thought process when struggling with her inner battles.  And, yes, Your Voice in My Head is ALSO being made into a movie.  What can I say?  We know how to pick them!