2021.09.27 Meeting Notes

Just a few announcements for those who weren’t at the club meeting this month:
At the October 25 Meeting we will be discussing The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. We will have a costume contest, so dress up, there will be prizes. We will also have a Halloween party of sorts. I will be bringing some snacks, but I encourage you to also bring a dish to pass. The more the merrier, it’s a party!
Book choices will be arriving in your inbox on or around 10/15. Choices will be due via email on 10/22. 
November’s meeting will be virtual for ALL on November 22. Since it's so close to Thanksgiving, we thought it would be a good time to do a virtual meeting. Nicole will be leading the discussion and I will resend the Zoom info prior to the meeting. If you’re signed up and receiving notices from Book Movement, you will get the Zoom info from them too. We will discuss Harlan Coben’s Win.
The Christmas party will be at my house on December 17. Vaccinations required, formal invite to follow. We will be eating, drinking, opening gifts, taking a quiz, and repeating last year’s Secret Santa gift exchange. It’s...going...to...be...awesome!
So this month we met and discussed The Survivors by Jane Harper. Since we loved The Dry, enjoyed The Lost Man, and liked Force of Nature, I thought this one was a slam dunk. Most of us enjoyed it, but there were a few who weren’t that impressed.
The book scored three 9s, nine 8s, three 7s, four 6s, and one 5. It was the 6s and 5 that surprised me. Although I’m not sure why, I personally started the book and thought it moved a bit slow in the beginning as we were getting to know the characters.
Anyhoo, some of the things we liked about the book: the surprise ending, interesting characters, the tension that seemed to run throughout the story, the plotting and premise, and the red herrings (the backpack led Paige down a rabbit hole).
Those who gave the book a low score thought that it was: inferior to the author’s other books (especially The Dry), not a great writing style, draggy and repetitive, and rushed. Cindy and Kelly thought the motive was weak for the original cave death and Jeff never connected with Kieran as a main character. I don't think it helped that it was similar to Megan Goldin's The Night Swim. We kind of felt like - been there, read that.
Although Jay gave the book a 9, he firmly believed that there weren’t enough clues to solve the mystery. (You knew I was going to mention that Jay. Let’s face it, I think I would have disappointed you if I’d left it out.)
We will be scheduling a viewing party to see The Dry if you are interested. Stay tuned on that one. For those who haven’t read it, get on that, it was the best book of Jane’s!
The kiddie room didn’t like our AV setup, so we weren’t able to Zoom Sharon in for long. Hopefully next month when we’re back in the big room, it’ll be better. Tammy and Connie, you need to join us!!!
Until next month,
Kerry