The Alienist (by Caleb Carr)

We had our meeting on this book on January 19th at Gina's home in Central Phoenix. It was an interesting discussion about a book that we initially didn't love to pieces. It was one of those situations that as you delved deeper into why the author did things a certain way, you grew to love it. We all had a greater appreciation for the book after it was all said and done.

There was a great deal of 'comparison' in the story. The crazy cat lady vs. the insanity of the children and animals in the Roosevelt household (why is one thought of as crazy and the other one as eccentric?). Does our station in life and place in society dictate whether we take a person as insane or otherwise? We were able to draw so many paralells in the story that helped us to appreciate the author and his message.

It was fun to read a mystery for sure......

Kate Jacobs Call In Book Meeting

Don't miss this week's extra Saturday meeting when we will be discussing the newly released "Knit Two" by Kate Jacobs. She is calling in to our meeting, and this will be her second call in to our group. Thanks to Abbie for arranging the call and hosting the meeting!! Don't miss out!!

Happy New Year!!!

I wanted to jump in here and wish you all a very Happy New Year!!! I received this link on my facebook page and it's a resolution list from the Book Girl's Book Club.....something we should all adopt....
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=45487176407&h=8VPe0&u=LeFE6

Here's hoping 2009 brings us all satisfying literary experiences, health, and happiness!!!

I hope you have a very safe and happy holiday!!!!

Holidays

I just wanted to take a minute to wish our club members and fellow bloggers a wonderful holiday season. I am grateful to have this time to gather with family and friends, and to slow down for a day or two.

I wish you all health, safety and joy this season!!

What Jennifer is Reading....

Just wanted to send you some titles that I've been reading aside from our book club books.

I just finished the Inkheart Trilogy (Inkheart, Inkspell, and Inkdeath) by Cornelia Funke and also am working my way through "The Idiot Girl's Action-Adventure Club" by Laurie Notaro (who is from Phoenix, by the way), which is absolutely hilarious in a LOL kind of way. I think my husband dislikes when I read it because I literally cannot stop laughing (think tears rolling down my face).

Book Swap

Gather up the books you have read and enjoyed. Starting in January, bring one for a club member to read, and borrow one from another. We have decided this would be a wonderful way to share our favorites.

Here are the rules....you must only BORROW the books, and mark your own books with identification (name, and either address or phone number or both), and you may only keep the "borrowed" book for a one month period. Then you must return it to its rightful owner, so it can be shared again the following month. Also - you may not "borrow" unless you bring a book to share.

This will begin at our Monday evening meeting, on January 19th at Gina's home.

The Alienist (by Caleb Carr)

January's selection....at Gina's on January 19th. See you all there!!!!


The year is 1896, the place, New York City. On a cold March night New York Times reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned to the East River by his friend and former Harvard classmate Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a psychologist, or "alienist." On the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge, they view the horribly mutilated body of an adolescent boy, a prostitute from one of Manhattan's infamous brothels.

The newly appointed police commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt, in a highly unorthodox move, enlists the two men in the murder investigation, counting on the reserved Kreizler's intellect and Moore's knowledge of New York's vast criminal underworld. They are joined by Sara Howard, a brave and determined woman who works as a secretary in the police department. Laboring in secret (for alienists, and the emerging discipline of psychology, are viewed by the public with skepticism at best), the unlikely team embarks on what is a revolutionary effort in criminology-- amassing a psychological profile of the man they're looking for based on the details of his crimes. Their dangerous quest takes them into the tortured past and twisted mind of a murderer who has killed before. and will kill again before the hunt is over.

Fast-paced and gripping, infused with a historian's exactitude, The Alienist conjures up the Gilded Age and its untarnished underside: verminous tenements and opulent mansions, corrupt cops and flamboyant gangsters, shining opera houses and seamy gin mills. Here is a New York during an age when questioning society's belief that all killers are born, not made, could have unexpected and mortal consequences.

"An original that fits no established mystery niche, Carr's fictional debut could be the start of something big." Gilbert Taylor, Booklist

"A knockout period mystery, infused with intelligence, vitality, and humor. This novel is a highly unorthodox variant of the Holmes-Watson theme and the best since Julian Symons's delightful A Three-Pipe Solution. It should entice new fans to the genre." Library Journal

"A first-rate tale of crime and punishment that will keep readers guessing until the final pages." Entertainment Weekly