Checking In

It's been awfully quiet around here this month so I thought I'd just check in and see how everyone is doing?  Was this a tough month for reading?  Who got to our April selection?  If there is something about the blog or the group that isn't working for you please feel free to leave suggestions.

Also, just  a reminder that there are only 2 days left to vote for June's book selection.  Be sure to cast your vote.

Happy Reading!

Voting For June

Here are the two book choices for June.  Voting will go until April 30.

After You
by Julie Buxbaum

When tragedy strikes across the ocean, Ellie Lerner drops everything—her marriage, her job, her life in the Boston suburbs—to travel to London and pick up the pieces of her best friend Lucy’s life. While Lucy’s husband, Greg, retreats into himself, his and Lucy’s eight-year-old daughter, Sophie, has simply stopped speaking. Desperate to help Sophie, Ellie turns to a book that gave her comfort as a child, The Secret Garden. As its story of hurt, magic, and healing blooms around them, so, too, do Lucy’s secrets—some big, some small. Peeling back the layers of her friend’s life, Ellie is forced to confront her own as well: the marriage she left behind, the loss she’d hoped to escape. And suddenly Ellie’s carefully constructed existence is spinning out of control in a chain of events that will transform her life—and the lives of those around her—forever.

Bloom

by Kelle Hampton

Love me. Love me. I'm not what you expected, but oh, please love me.

That was the most defining moment of my life. That was the beginning of my story.

From the outside looking in, Kelle Hampton had the perfect life: a beautiful two-year-old daughter, a loving husband, a thriving photography career, and great friends. When she learned she was pregnant with her second child, she and her husband, Brett, were ecstatic. Her pregnancy went smoothly and the ultrasounds showed a beautiful, healthy, high-kicking baby girl.

But when her new daughter was placed in her arms in the delivery room, Kelle knew instantly that something was wrong. Nella looked different than her two-year-old sister, Lainey, had at birth. As she watched friends and family celebrate with champagne toasts and endless photographs, a terrified Kelle was certain that Nella had Down syndrome—a fear her pediatrician soon confirmed. Yet gradually Kelle's fear and pain were vanquished by joy, as she embraced the realization that she had been chosen to experience an extraordinary and special gift.



Reader's Guide Questions

At the end of my copy of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet I found a readers guide.  Since I like things all wrapped up with a nice little bow at the end these questions particularly struck me and are the ones I have been thinking about.  (I know they are a little shallow compared to the more political aspects of this book and subsequent questions but these are the ones that stuck with me for now.)  I thought I'd post them and see what your reactions were. 

1. Does Henry give up on Keiko too easily?  What else could he have done to find her?
2.What about Keiko?  Why didn't she make more of an effort to see Henry once she was released from the camp?
3. The novel ends with Henry and Keiko meeting again after more than forty years.  Jump ahead a year and imagine what has happened to them in the that time.  Is there any evidence in the novel for this outcome?

Favorite Quotes

I really enjoyed everyone's favorite quotes from last month.  I find it interesting to see what stands out to others while they are reading.  So what were your favorite quotes from Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet?

Thoughts On Finishing

I think how we posted on last month's book, in the comments section of a post so as not to give anything away to anyone that hadn't finished, worked well.  If you don't agree please let me know.  I figure we are getting towards the end of the month so it's time to make a place for thoughts and comments on April's book, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.  I can't wait to hear what everyone has to say.

Book Suggestions

I will be putting up our 2 June choices for voting around the end of next week.  I still have all the previous mentioned suggestions on our list.  If there are any new ones you would like added please leave a comment and I'll add them.

Book Marks

I hope everyone's reading is going well! I'm doubled up on classes and studying for a licensure exam right now so I've only been able to read when I'm ready to feel guilty about it. :o)

I found these wonderful bookmark ideas. I don't have a spare second to make anything right now but I thought you all might enjoy the book related eye candy. 

The Vote for May

Voting has ended and our book for the month of May is What Alice Forgot. 

Hopefully this gives everyone more time to find a copy. 

I would also like to know when you would like to start voting for June.  Is the end of April/beginning of May soon enough or would you like more time?