book club book #2 -Crow Lake by Mary Lawson

Crow Lake is that rare find, a first novel so quietly assured, so emotionally pitch perfect, you know from the opening page that this is the real thing–a literary experience in which to lose yourself, by an author of immense talent.

Here is a gorgeous, slow-burning story set in the rural “badlands” of northern Ontario, where heartbreak and hardship are mirrored in the landscape. For the farming Pye family, life is a Greek tragedy where the sins of the fathers are visited on the sons, and terrible events occur–offstage.

Centerstage are the Morrisons, whose tragedy looks more immediate if less brutal, but is, in reality, insidious and divisive. Orphaned young, Kate Morrison was her older brother Matt’s protegee, her fascination for pond life fed by his passionate interest in the natural world. Now a zoologist, she can identify organisms under a microscope but seems blind to the state of her own emotional life. And she thinks she’s outgrown her siblings–Luke, Matt, and Bo–who were once her entire world.

In this universal drama of family love and misunderstandings, of resentments harbored and driven underground, Lawson ratchets up the tension with heartbreaking humor and consummate control, continually overturning one’s expectations right to the very end. Tragic, funny, unforgettable, Crow Lake is a quiet tour de force that will catapult Mary Lawson to the forefront of fiction writers today.
- Goodreads

I personally found this book to be very depressing. there wasn't anything happy about the book.
I give it 3 out 5 Stars

Handle with Care - Jodie Picoult

"Every expectant parent will tell you that they don't want a perfect baby, just a healthy one. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe would have asked for a healthy baby, too, if they'd been given the choice. Instead, their lives are made up of sleepless nights, mounting bills, the pitying stares of "luckier" parents, and maybe worst of all, the what-ifs. What if their child had been born healthy? But it's all worth it because Willow is, well, funny as it seems, perfect. She's smart as a whip, on her way to being as pretty as her mother, kind, brave, and for a five-year-old an unexpectedly deep source of wisdom. Willow is Willow, in sickness and in health." Everything changes, though, after a series of events forces Charlotte and her husband to confront the most serious what-ifs of all. What if Charlotte should have known earlier of Willow's illness? What if things could have been different? What if their beloved Willow had never been born? To do Willow justice, Charlotte must ask herself these questions and one more. What constitutes a valuable life - Goodreads

This was and unbelievable book. It had me wrapped up in it from the very beginning. very sad and emotional journey. The ending made me really mad. Still a really great book.

4 out of 5 stars

Once Bitten . . .

One minute Leigh is walking home in the early hours of the morning, and the next a vampire is sinking his teeth into her neck. Turns out it was a rogue vampire marked for termination, but it does Leigh little good because the damage's already been done. She's become one of them.

Lucian Argeneau, hunter of rogue vampires, has been alive for over two thousand years, and there's very little to excite him anymore. Food has become tasteless, sex is ordinary. Then Leigh drops into his life. Suddenly he finds himself craving coffee . . . and imagining the sassy brunette atop the black satin sheets on his nice big bed. It's Lucian's job now to enlighten Leigh on the inner workings of being immortal . . . and tutoring her is igniting a fire in him that hasn't burned in centuries.

But until they stop a renegade bloodsucker from destroying the human race, passion will have to wait!
-Goodreads

This book had a slow start for me but ended really good. Each new book in the Argeneau series I read seems to get just a little bit better!

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Book club meeting #1

Our very first book club meeting was this afternoon. Judy, Kris, Sarah and I got together at my house so we could discuss the book How High The Moon. lots and lots of fun was had. For a parting gift I gave them a can of Orange Crush, a honey teaspoon (that I bought while we were at Disney) and a container of Pez. I think they were all pleasantly surprised by the gifts.
I would certainly say our first meeting was a success. For a full review scroll down and you will find it in March.

Our next book club book is Crow Lake by Mary Lawson.

"Aarons Pick" - A Dog Called Kitty

The puppy was small and fuzzy, with a friendly, wagging tail — and Ricky was afraid of him!
No wonder, since he was attacked by a dog when he was just a baby. So when a stray puppy comes sniffling around the farm, Ricky tells it to get lost.
But the puppy keeps trying to play with Ricky. And every time Ricky's Mom feeds the cats, the little dog comes running. The cats aren't sharing their food, however, and the poor pup is slowly starving.
If Ricky doesn't overcome his fear, the little puppy may die — but if he lets himself get close enough to feed it, he may find the best friend he's ever had!
Winner of the Texas Bluebonnet, the Oklahoma Sequoyah and the Nebraska Golden Sower Awards.
- Goodreads

Aaron and I read this book together. It actually made both of us cry. poor Ricky has been through so much with dogs, it doesn't seem fair.

Aaron gives this 5 out of 5 stars

Oceans of Fire - Christine Feehan

The third daughter of seven in a magical bloodline, Abigail Drake was born with an affinity for water and a strong bond with dolphins. After she witnesses a murder, she flees right into the arms of Alexsandr Volstov. On the trail of stolen Russian antiquities, he's a relentless Interpol agent--and the man who once broke Abby's heart. But he isn't going to let the only woman he's ever loved slip away again.
- Goodreads

let me tell you that I love, love, loved this book! I fell in love with the charactors and the story. So far my favorite of the Drake sisters.

5 out of 5 stars

Unplanned by Abby Johnson and Cindy Lambert

Abby Johnson quit her job in October 2009. That simple act became a national news story because Abby was the director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas who, after participating in her first actual abortion procedure, walked across the road to join the Coalition for Life.
Unplanned is a heartstopping personal drama of life-and-death encounters, a courtroom battle, and spiritual transformation that speaks hope and compassion into the political controversy that surrounds this issue. Telling Abby’s story from both sides of the abortion clinic property line, this book is a must-read for anyone who cares about the life versus rights debate and helping women who face crisis pregnancies.
- goodreads

Really good book. You can actually see where Abby decides that abortion is not the way to go. You can see how God sends her signs. really good book.

3 out of 5 stars