Four Generations Book Club - LoB Weighs In

I just finished the last of the four wonderful books the four generations of women recommended for the month of October. Never being a part of a book club before I don't really know what is expected of me here so I walked down to the L.A. Central Library to see if any book clubs were meeting so I could eavesdrop and write a semi-intelligent post. Unfortunately, I have not come across any book clubs to eavesdrop on (though I have inadvertently woken up a few homeless people while wandering through this massive cathedral of knowledge). So I guess I will just have to wing it. The first book I read was Lisa's pick, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret." As almost everyone has already said, this was an absolutely amazing and visually stunning choice. The drawings were amazing, I kept bothering Kalin, (busy reading her highly interesting books like, "Bureaucracy" and "Accounting for Extremely Intelligent and Very Boring People") with my comments on how life-like the pictures were and how the eyes seemed to follow you from page to page. (Kalin was quickly bored with my comments and forced me to read the rest of the book downstairs on the couch.) This was a wonderful start to my first book club adventure. Upon finishing Hugo I embarked on Grandma's choice, "Charlie Wilson's War." I thought this was an amazing book as well. I think what is most amazing is the amount of power and influence one congressman, elected by Texans, can have over the nation's foreign policy. That was a little disturbing but I have to say that I thought what Mr. Wilson and Gust did was highly commendable. It is unfortunate that after the Cold War we did not take advantage of our investment in Afghanistan and lay the groundwork for a more American-friendly Middle East. You knew Grandma's pick was going to make you think and challenge some of your preconceptions and this book did not disappoint. A great read, almost like a spy novel only, you know, factual. The third book I read was "The Book Thief." I was really excited to read this novel after Anne's and Mom's glowing recommendations and I was not disappointed. The writing and language of the novel was beautiful. This was one of those novels where you find yourself re-reading lines and paragraphs because you are so in awe of their construction. Great pick Mom. (Or should I say Anne.) The final book I read I was totally judging by its cover (I thought it was going to be chick lit) and kept putting off. Of course it ended up being my favorite book of the quartet. This is a book that even gives cynical Gen. Xers like me hope. Just knowing that their are people like Greg Mortenson in this world building schools and promoting peace through education can make you believe in humanity again. All of the books were amazing and I don't know if this was planned but it seemed the underlying theme for the generational book club this month was the power of art and education in bringing light into what can at times be a very dark, and scary world. Great picks ladies. I can't wait for November.