Shelf Indulgence Book Club

In ‘The Book of Two Ways,’ Jodi Picoult delivers another powerful story about heart-wrenching moral choices. In the mood to contemplate your own mortality? Then Jodi Picoult has the book for you. This is an homage to an ancient Egyptian coffin text also called “The Book of Two Ways,” which contains one of the first known maps of the underworld. While the ancient Egyptians believed that one could get to the afterlife either by land or water, Picoult’s book is not “choose your own adventure.” Instead, timelines occur simultaneously.  When we’re introduced to Dawn, she boards a plane that soon begins to “fall out of the sky.” As it goes vertical, she contemplates that “Ancient Egyptians believed that to get to the afterlife, they had to be deemed innocent in the Judgement Hall. Their hearts were weighed against the feather of Ma’at, of truth.” She’s not sure her heart will pass the test. Her guilt stems from her thinking not of her steady quantum mechanics professor husband, Brian...

The Silent Wife   is book number ten of The Will Trent series—a series that follows special agent Will Trent and others from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, GBI.  It's important to note, that it’s not necessary to read through The Will Trent series beforehand. Most of our book club had not, to my knowledge. In fact, Slaughter’s storytelling lays out the details you need to know throughout every book. The Silent Wife  is a disturbing story that will satisfy crime, police procedural, and thriller lovers everywhere. Told in both the past through Jeffrey Tolliver’s (one of the main characters in the Grant County series) point of view (POV), and in the present through the characters of Will Trent, Sara Linton, Faith Mitchell, and Amanda Wagner, Slaughter blends this story together seamlessly.  It’s evident that Slaughter takes her time to research everything she writes about, down to the last detail. I’m amazed at how thorough she is in her storytelling of violence a...

"I realized that I had the opportunity to combine the two things I loved most. Heart and horror. Grounded emotion mixed with supernatural suspense."  - Stephen Chbosky    About the book:   Imagine... Leaving your house in the middle of the night. Knowing your mother is doing her best, but she's just as scared as you. Imagine... Starting a new school, making friends. Seeing how happy it makes your mother. Hearing a voice, calling out to you. Imagine... Following the signs, into the woods. Going missing for six days. Remembering nothing about what happened. Imagine... Something that will change everything... And having to save everyone you love. Today’s book though we all had varied levels of enjoyment, was  in my opinion, one of the best discussions the group has had. We discussed that this ending was not the original ending, Emma Watson wasn’t impressed during the filming of Perks of Being a Wildflower as they discussed the book and he changed the ending because...

It is easy for readers to dismiss this novel for its unlikable maybe even unredeemable characters and the author’s propensity to spoon feed the reader.   These faults are true enough, the characters can come off as flat and the reader doesn’t have to put in any effort to figure out what is going on, however, none of this diminished my enjoyment of the book and the story it told.   Perhaps that is because, as an avid reader, I sometimes need a break from the dark, or deep, or thought provoking novel.   This novel provided that break while still being enjoyable.   Reviewed by book lover: Gretchen G.  

The last author on my literary bucket list items was crossed off. For YEARS I have wanted to meet Nicholas Sparks. And of all the places in Georgia, he actually came to WOODSTOCK (where I have lived for four years).  FoxTale Book Shoppe, located in Downtown Woodstock, hosted #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks IN-PERSON on Saturday, October 3 and I got a front row ticket to meet him and get a signed copy of his latest book, The Return.  As a commercial fiction author Sparks said his purpose is to move his readers through the whole range of emotions to make them feel as if they lived with the characters through the book. And of course every great love story has to end in tragedy… He explained happy and sad endings are the easiest to write, where as bittersweet endings are the toughest to pull off when remaining authentic and honest. I'm excited to dive into this book; and I am so grateful I got to meet this kind man in person. For now I will leave you...