Thursday, July 19, 2012

A Favorite Book and Book Group



I haven't reviewed this book on Goodreads yet, and I actually want to post that one when I do it.  So this isn't the actual review I will write on this book.

I recently read the book "These Is My Words" by Nancy Turner.  It one an Arizona Book Award and was nominated for a Willa Cather award.  A friend of mine told me about the book several years ago when I still lived in Arizona.  She had read it for her book club.  I put it on my list of to-reads, and it kept getting pushed to the bottom.  A few times, I tried finding it for fun at the library while I was there, but it was never there.  Finally, I moved it to the top of the list because I felt like reading something from that period of time, late 1800's.  I reserved a copy at the public library and within days I had it in my hand.


This has got to be one of the best books I have read.  I loved it.  I couldn't put it down.  It wasn't exactly a page-turner, but I fell in love with the story and the simplicity with the way it's told.  I have always loved that time period and I think that was one of the factors that drew me to the book.

I was so excited about it that I decided to finally try and organize a book group, something I've been wanting to do for a while now.  So I sent out messages and suggested the book and got quite the response.  Tonight is our first meeting where we will discuss this book and I am quite excited.  In fact, I ordered a copy of the book for myself in the mail and got it on Saturday and have been re-reading it ever since.  It is just as good the second time around, even after only a month of having read it the first time.

I am excited about a book group.  One thing I have really missed about being in school the last 12 years is the discussions about learning.  Admittedly, a book group won't be like learning new things, but I'm looking forward to discussing what I'm reading with other people who've actually read it, not just my husband after I tell him the story of what I've read and then proceed to tell him what I think about it.  This will be much more enlightening and much more rewarding.  I have always wished I could put together a group of ladies who love learning as much as I do and would be willing to research out topics to learn about and then get together periodically to discuss them and share what we've learned.  I'm not sure anyone would want to form such a group, so I figure a book group is second best.  We won't always be learning new things, but we'll be discussing what we've read, and that is something I really look forward to doing.

7 comments:

Emily said...

That was a good series. I had a hard time getting into it at first, just because of the way it's written as an unlearned diary. But once I got over that I loved it and the whole story. Have you read the other two yet?

Tiffany Wacaser said...

Fun! I love book groups.

I have to ask you about the book. One of my very close friends (whose taste I trust with books) was pretty critical about the book and thought it was too sexually explicit. So to hear you say you loved it kind of surprised me. Perhaps my friend was too sensitive?

I am really curious because if you think it is fine in that area, then I'll go ahead and read it.

JennaK said...

Sexually explicit? Hardly. Of course there is some romantic tension, but it's not explicit. Sex is alluded to, but I like the way it's alluded to without being explicit, it actually fits with the time period, not like so many books now that contain modern morals in stories that take place centuries ago in a time where morals were different.

JennaK said...

And I even recommended the book to my mother, who read it and loved it too, and she would not have liked anything that was sexually explicit.

Tiffany Wacaser said...

Good. I wasn't sure because my friend brought it up in her review and thought it was a little too much. But then I've had so many other friends who have liked it, so I wasn't sure to what to make of her comment. . .

BYU Hottie said...

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book! One of my all time favs, and everyone I know who has read it loves it too. I agree that it was not sexually explicit--my sis-in-law described it as ... "passionate"? I think?
I just thought it was romantic, clever, entertaining, and a great read. I thought the character development was great.

Have you read the Zion Chronicles Series by Brock & Bodie Theone (pronounced tay-nee)? I don't know if you like historical fiction, but I really enjoyed this series. Takes place in Jerusalem post WWII, when Israel is trying to become a state. I admit it didn't seem very interesting to me at first, but then I really got into them and read them as fast as I could. I learned a lot about that part of the world that I didn't know before. Just a suggestion.

JennaK said...

I love historical fiction and WWII is one of my favorite time periods, which is why I have already read those books! I forgot about them and will have to add them to my Goodreads list. Thanks for the reminder.

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