ANA Book Club?

[Jan D]

Today, after church, I decided to start reading.  I couldn't put it down - but, that's all I got done today.

Great read - can't wait to get his other books!

Jan D

[Kate B]

I decided to start reading.  I couldn't put it down - but, that's all I got done today.

Great read - can't wait to get his other books!
Jan D

 I am glad you are joining our group.  You're right, it is a real mystery thriller and once you start, it is impossible to stop. Quite a twist to the plot though!

Kate

[Kaybo]

Just started another...

I doubt my question will be profound, but it will get the ball rolling...
K

[Kate B]

K,
Your question doesn't have to be deep.  It will just need to get things in motion:-)  It's one of Newton's Laws: action---reaction.

Kate

[Kaybo]

SO......today is the 5th - good thing I looked at my calendar and saw that I was going to start this today!!  LOL!!

OK - this is not the best question nor does it cover the feeling of the whole book, but I was really struck when I first read about Eric Wu & the things that he did to human beings to "incapacitate" them...do you think that when things are described in books, it gives people ideas?  I know that I NEVER knew about anything like that...not that I am going to study up on it and put it into practice!  But I guess the reason I really thought about this was because I read one of his other books and it had a "disclaimer" at the beginning that everything talked about in the book was available to anyone...just to get us rolling...what do you think??

K

[Jan D]

The graphic descriptions of what Eric Wu did to his victims bothered me a lot.  My mother started reading the book and said that she was worried that it would give her nightmares.  I told her to keep reading and that the book didn't dwell on that throughout. 

We both were glad we stuck with it, but I thought the graphic details could have been minimized a bit.  I've read one of his other books and he stuck some very violent stuff in that too.

A good writer, but I think he could tone it down a bit and still have a great, suspenseful story.

Jan D

[MaryBKAriz]

Hi,

Good question! I did not like the descriptions of Wu's tortuous ways. However, if they weren't there, would would the book have such suspense? I don't know. I am bothered by violence in all our entertainment and art forms, yet I know this is the reality of our world. I sure wouldn't want children reading this. I have to say, too,  I could hardly put the book down - so there you go. Like I said, "Good question!"

Mary

[Kaybo]

Mary~
I think that if it weren't there, it might not have so much of the "grab you in appeal" - it is things like that that really go thru people's minds that do those kinds of things.  HOPEFULLY, that is what separates us from them!!   

K

[leapyrtwins]

Actually K, this is a great question, and something I never considered when I was reading the book.

I remember the descriptions being quite graphic, but I didn't really view them as violent for some reason.  Maybe because I knew what "type" of book this was and I felt it was appropriate and in context.   Plus I'm a "consenting adult" - in other words, it wasn't a book I'd recommend to my kids or a young audience.

As for others getting ideas, I guess it's possible and a good point.  But if someone really wanted violent ideas, all they'd have to do is access the internet or their local library.  From what I understand - I've never looked myself - it's possible to find all kinds of information on the web or in printed material.  For example, how to commit suicide, how to poison someone, how to make a homemade bomb, etc.  I'm not saying people should be searching for this kind of information, but I'm certain it's quite prevalent in today's society.

BTW, a little off topic here, for those of you who read Anita Shreve, I just finished her book "Testimony".  It was a little shocking in the first couple of chapters, but I really enjoyed it.

Jan

[Kaybo]

jan~
I haven't heard of Anita Shreve, but you didn't steer me wrong with Harlan so i should check her out - what kind of story is it?

K

[leapyrtwins]

K -

I've read a few books by Anita Shreve.  The most famous one that comes to mind (it was on Oprah's book list) is The Pilot's Wife, which I found to be very good.

She also wrote a few others I've read - Body Surfing, Fortune's Rocks, The Weight of Water, Sea Glass, A Wedding in December, Light on Snow. I especially liked Sea Glass and Light on Snow.  I wasn't too thrilled with Fortune's Rocks because it's somewhat historical and not my style - my mom loved it though.   I don't know how I'd describe her writing - it's not romance, not chick lit, etc.   Your library should have some of these books; you should check her out (no pun intended) 

IMO another really good writer is Wally Lamb (She's Come Undone, I Know This Much is True).  He's got a new book coming out next week that I've already pre-ordered from Amazon.com called The Hour I First Believed.  You can read an excerpt from the book on Amazon's website.

Jan

[Kaybo]

Cheri~
I had not responded to this earlier because I thought that someone else would - I don't remember if we have decided on the next book.   
We just all read it and have a date to start discussing it...
What book do we want next?  I know that Cheri, along with some of the rest of us, want to go ahead & work on getting it either from a bookseller or the library.

K

[Kaybo]

Jan~
I did read the Pilot's Wife - a LONG time ago!

K

[Soundy]

1. Black Wave, John and Jean Silverwood (Dana).
2. Just One Look, Harlan Coben (Jan).
3. Tailspin, Catherine Coulter (Kaybo).
4. The Shack, William P.Young (Kaybo/Soundy)
5. First Person Plural, Dr. Cameron West (Debbi)
6. Playing for Pizza, John Grisham (Debbi/Yardtick)
7. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Hadden (MaryBKAriz)
8. The Bookseller of Kabul, Asne Seierstad (Debbi)
9. Molto Italiano, Mario Batali (JulieE)
10.The Woods by Harlan Coben

This is the list I have that I copied and saved to a file from a post somewhere in this thread... by this
Tailspin would be next


As to the question on the violence... first description turned my stomach but then later the incidents
didn't bother me as much ... I knew they were coming and just accepted them ... but as  Jan said we
are consenting adults ... not a thing that I want my kids reading yet

I believe to some extent media both in news form or entertainment form may give some ideas to someone
already leaning toward a tendency to be violent , but doesn't necessarily cause the violence in that person


How would you react to learning that someone you have known for years , loved and trusted was not really who they
were suppose to be ?
 
It was a big secret to keep but do you feel that the family was hurt by Jack keeping this from them?

I guess I would feel some betrayal... but would it change who I was or who may children were if I discovered my husband
was really his best friend who was killed when they were jumping off the bridge at the river and the other drowned and
for what ever reason there was a cover up and Bo had assumed Joe's identity? ... it would just mean that technically I
was married to Joe and his family was my children's family ...( and my crazy mother in law wasn't related to my kids  )

I think other than them not knowing there relatives for the first part of their lives the kids were not really hurt... I think
the grandmother was more hurt than the kids because she knew but could do nothing about the situation without
betraying her son ... the hurt to the kids and Grace came on his death and learning the trurth

[MaryBKAriz]

Very interesting question. I really didn't expect Jack to be anyone other than the description at the beginning. I would think it would be surreal to find someone you love, and had children with, had not confided the past. The story really was a page turner.

I think you also described well the violence and the part it played in the plot.

Mary