Lord of the Flies by William Golding

We read this for book club - decided to read a "classic" and this was chosen.  Since the group I am in consists of educators, it was an interesting conversation. We all really enjoyed reading this again and discussing severeal issues that are pertinent today.  "Why were there no females in this book?" If there had been, how would the story be different.

We talked about peer pressure, violence, prejudice and more. It was a lively discussion and I'm glad we revisited this classic book, read by many middle schoolers.  Is it still used today? That I need to find out!

Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo

 

I enjoyed this book a lot.  It's a family story - which I love - and focuses on a woman grappling with her past and present.  She's got a really toxic relationship with her mother .... for good reason, and she punishes her mom in various ways. And none of those ways are good or productive.

I like the writing style and the way the author brought out the details of the story over the span of the rather long novel. Sometimes I had to go back a little bit to see what the author was referring to when she revealed plot twists. She adores her two children and spoke of them in ways that a mother can understand! It's over the top but I get it!

Overall, a very enjoyable book. It does have a lot of sadness and regret described, but that's life!