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OCFPL Book Club - February

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  This month we discussed  Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Most of our discussion group enjoyed this book. They loved how the story started with two sisters and how the lineage grew with each of them but at the end, those who were once separated have found their way back to each other. Also, seeing the impact and development of history throughout the generations in this story. While the book only touched the beginnings of the history of Ghana, we discussed how through this book we learned more about slave history that what we knew before. It was eye opening and though provoking. The element of trauma that can cause a generational fear in the family was interesting to see unfold through the story. How the fear of water was caused by a drowning from the past and the fear of fire was caused from a massive fire from another past trauma through in the family. It may seem insignificant but it led to the discussion of how we reflect on our own fears and the fears off our parents or family members
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OCFPL Book Club - January

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 Welcome to the 2023 OCFPL Book Club season. We chose quite the range of books this year. We hope you can join us in our monthly virtual discussions as we set off on this year's reading adventure.  This month we discussed The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan. Overall many members of our book club enjoyed this book. They loved how the stories of the various characters intertwined with each other. Bridging the past to the present. Going back and forth with these stories at first does not make sense until the end, when the final puzzle piece is placed do you see the whole picture and it is quite delightful to see all that unfold.  One of the elements of this book is the story of how random things that are found have stories to them. A lost puzzle piece found on the road or a random hair bobble found on the ground in the park may mean nothing to a simple person who may walk right past it. Yet  for Anthony, our keeper of lost things, revered these items. Carefully recorded where and
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OCFPL Book Club - June

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This month's book was Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward . This month's choice was a little more in the middle when it came to liking it. Some members struggled to finished it but fought through to the end. Sing, Unburied, Sing was about the journey of a young boy named Jojo and his mother Leonie and their journey of finding their way to themselves and "home."  Some of our readers mentioned how the story got too painful sometimes. Jesmyn Ward's writing style really felt realistic, you could feel the pain, anxiety, and heaviness of the story across the pages. Truly a talent to capture and portray such emotions, even if the story is not a happy one. We were amazed by that talent. We did talked quite a bit about the relationship between Jojo and his grandfather Pops. How much he looked up to him and how he was an important person in his life.  We gave this book 3 books out of 5. While it was a difficult book to read story wise, it still was a book that was written w
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OCFPL Book Club - May

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  This month's book was The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo. T he book club enjoyed this book quite a bit. It was a slow start in the beginning but as the story continued, it picked up speed and the story just grabbed you. The wonderful elements of suspense and superstitions kept the book captivating and wonderful. There are two stories in the book, Ji Lin's story and Ren's story. Both crisscross each other but also have the support of their own in the book. We enjoyed the adventurous nature of the characters. The journey of a dancehall girl and a houseboy on a mission from his former employer. With man-eating tiger on the prowl, ghostly spirits, and death, what is there not to enjoy from this book. The supernatural/superstitious elements and the culture of the time in Malaysia, it brought us to a world we never knew and wanted to explore more about. We hope this get's picked up as a mini-series. It would playout wonderfully on screen.  We give this book 4 books out of 5. 
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Book Blurb - You Got to Read This:

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  You Lucky Dog by Julia London   This is a great read. It's so entertaining and lighthearted. The characters definitely draw you in and there are plenty of laugh out loud moments to keep you turning the pages quickly! Super fun, quick and easy book with characters that you will really care about. Discover this book for yourself at: https://oceancity.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1440393153
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OCFPL- Book Club April

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  This month's book was The Library at the Edge of the World by Felicity Hayes - McCoy . The ladies of the book club enjoyed this book. We discussed that the side characters were quite fascinating and more often more interesting. We liked the stories that were being told on the side, it gave the narrative a little bit something extra and a tidbit to look forward to later in the story. As a whole, we all agreed the main character, Hanna, was something we deemed an in-between character. Hanna was someone who was like a floater, not taking full command of her own story. It was fun to see the development of the character and finally seeing how she grew in her story.  We also loved the setting of the story. Who doesn't love a book set in the misty side seashore town by the cliffs in Ireland. Grant it, the town does not exist but we just loved the imagery of the place throughout the story. It did create a sense of wanderlust throughout the group. Overall, we enjoyed the novel and wou
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OCFPL- Book Club March

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  This month's book was Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal. This one was a split book amongst the group. Some members enjoyed it and others did not. We enjoyed the main character, Maggie Hope, after all who doesn't like a strong female character who had gumption. What got us divided about the book was some of the twists and surprises of the story and how they happened. Some of us agreed that they were just too unbelievable and just made no sense. Other enjoyed those twists and turns, and it gave the story the excitement it needed.   Overall, we liked the history and time frame of the story. There is something about London in the 1940's on the brink of war that just makes any book a bit more intriguing. It is just seemed off with some of the side stories and characters in the book about how some felt flat while others were stronger.  Score for this title is 3 books and a short story out of 5 books.  If you would like a copy of the book, follow the link belo
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