Something in The Water
I found Something In the Water in Reese Witherspoon's Hello Sunshine book club. Even though Saint Paul/Minneapolis has a very vibrant literary scene I have never participated in an in person book club. I have yet to find a book club that fits my schedule, is easy to get to with public transportation and is discussing a book that I am legitimately interested in. I am the type of person that if I joined a book club I would actually want to discuss the book. And when I have a long list of books that I own and want to read (see My Own Reading Challenge) so I want to make sure that I am reading a book that I would be inclined to read.
So I've started to look at online book clubs that feature books that I would enjoy. When I discovered Hello Sunshine I saw that the selections were right up my alley. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Little Fires Everywhere have been on my list of favorite Book of the Month selections so the list of books that this group read really excited me.
Seeing the video of Reese Witherspoon standing by the water made Something In the Water look very appealing. Reading it was a pleasure too. The concept of beach reading does not really mesh with me, likely because I make a regular habit of reading for fun. However I would agree that this would be a "beach read."
There is something about the component of mystery in the luxurious setting of Bora Bora that makes the story feel glamorous. Then adding the component of newly weds introducing conflict in their marriage on their honeymoon adds intrigue to the story in a way that is easy to relate to. Since the story is a mystery/suspense story I will not give away any spoilers because half the fun of books like this is trying to figure out what is going to happen.
I will say that I often do not really like the way contemporary mysteries end. The Couple Next Door , Woman In the Window and Still Lives are all books that I hated the endings for. Sometimes I wonder if I just prefer Raymond Chandler's style. I haven't studied mysteries the same way I've studied romance and literary fiction. However I have to say that this ending WAS satisfying for me. It had the element of surprise but I felt like there truly were hints the lead up to the surprise to make the story feel properly contained within the parameters of the plot points that were given. I thought that this book was definitely worth my time.
I was also thinking about the nature of the way stories can connect us. While I do have people whose work I deeply admire I have never been the type of person to go gaga over celebrities. It is likely because I have preferential treatment for relationships where there is the space for more in depth conversations. With that said reading a book that Reese Witherspoon chose somehow makes me feel a little closer to her and that I understand her a little more. For me there is something deeply intimate about reading the same book that someone else is reading. While people do perceive and imagine stories differently I am not sure if there is anything closer to having the sensation of getting inside of another person's head than knowing that we are reading and enjoying the same book. This made me understand why people really get into book clubs (if it is the type of club that actually reads the book). I am definitely looking forward to reading more Hello Sunshine selections for that very reason.
So I've started to look at online book clubs that feature books that I would enjoy. When I discovered Hello Sunshine I saw that the selections were right up my alley. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Little Fires Everywhere have been on my list of favorite Book of the Month selections so the list of books that this group read really excited me.
Seeing the video of Reese Witherspoon standing by the water made Something In the Water look very appealing. Reading it was a pleasure too. The concept of beach reading does not really mesh with me, likely because I make a regular habit of reading for fun. However I would agree that this would be a "beach read."
There is something about the component of mystery in the luxurious setting of Bora Bora that makes the story feel glamorous. Then adding the component of newly weds introducing conflict in their marriage on their honeymoon adds intrigue to the story in a way that is easy to relate to. Since the story is a mystery/suspense story I will not give away any spoilers because half the fun of books like this is trying to figure out what is going to happen.
I will say that I often do not really like the way contemporary mysteries end. The Couple Next Door , Woman In the Window and Still Lives are all books that I hated the endings for. Sometimes I wonder if I just prefer Raymond Chandler's style. I haven't studied mysteries the same way I've studied romance and literary fiction. However I have to say that this ending WAS satisfying for me. It had the element of surprise but I felt like there truly were hints the lead up to the surprise to make the story feel properly contained within the parameters of the plot points that were given. I thought that this book was definitely worth my time.
I was also thinking about the nature of the way stories can connect us. While I do have people whose work I deeply admire I have never been the type of person to go gaga over celebrities. It is likely because I have preferential treatment for relationships where there is the space for more in depth conversations. With that said reading a book that Reese Witherspoon chose somehow makes me feel a little closer to her and that I understand her a little more. For me there is something deeply intimate about reading the same book that someone else is reading. While people do perceive and imagine stories differently I am not sure if there is anything closer to having the sensation of getting inside of another person's head than knowing that we are reading and enjoying the same book. This made me understand why people really get into book clubs (if it is the type of club that actually reads the book). I am definitely looking forward to reading more Hello Sunshine selections for that very reason.
Comments
Post a Comment