June 2008 Book Club Meeting and July Selection

Summary: THE REINCARNATIONIST is equal parts modern-day thriller, historical fiction and love story. With one foot in present-day Rome and New York and another in Rome some 1,600 years ago, my story is about two worlds consumed by the fires of intrigue and passion. -- M.J. Rose website

Last night, the Preschool Moms Book Club met to discuss THE REINCARNATIONIST by M.J. Rose. For the first hour and a half of the meeting, we caught up and discussed the book with a little help from the discussion guide. Most of us agreed that it was an enjoyable, suspense-filled book -- you can read my review here. We haven't read many books from the suspense genre for our book club; but since the focus in this book is on reincarnation, there was lots to talk about.

After we discussed the book (and drank some yummy berry cosmos), we were lucky enough to have Ms. Rose call us for an author chat. We got a little worried when she didn't call at 8:00, but she had a legitimate excuse -- her power was out. We all thoroughly enjoyed talking with her. She spent quite a bit of time talking about THE REINCARNATIONIST as well as the next two books in the series. The second book, THE MEMORIST, sounds intriguing, and we are all anxious to read it when it's released in November.

We all found that Ms. Rose is a very interesting and impressive woman. Not only is she a writer, but she is also heavily involved in the marketing of books. She runs Author Buzz, a marketing service that puts authors directly in touch with their readers in addition to other marketing ventures. I was totally amazed with everything she is able to accomplish -- she must not need any sleep. (If you would like to learn more about Ms. Rose, you can read me interview with her here.)

Our July selection is WITHOUT A BACKWARD GLANCE by Kate Veitch. A big thanks goes out to Falise at 24/8 Book Club for coordinating this book with Plume. Plume graciously provided my entire book club with copies of WITHOUT A BACKWARD GLANCE in exchange for a review on 24/8 Book Club -- we thought that sounded like a pretty good deal.

Summary: On Christmas Eve 1967, Rosemarie McDonald walks out the door of her suburban Melbourne home, leaving her husband behind to raise their four children: Deborah, the eldest at almost 13 and default mother; Robert, the compulsive worrier; James the peacemaker even at eight; and Meredith, the perpetual baby. Decades later, the children have forged their own families, but remain trapped in their original roles and are still somehow waiting for word from Rosemarie. When James rediscovers her on a trip to London, they are all faced with confronting their betrayer, and themselves, and possible forgiveness. Published under the title Listen in Veitch's native Australia, the novel's omniscient narration eavesdrops on the inner lives of each family member and their different ways of coping with abandonment—not all of them healthy. What emerges is a heartfelt yet unsentimental portrait of a family undone by a mother's desire, and its struggle to find ways to keep going and keep together. -- Publishers Weekly