GroupReaders

“Once upon a time they was two girls," I say. "one girl had black skin, one girl had white." Mae Mobley look up at me. She listening.

"Little colored girl say to little white girl, 'How come your skin be so pale?' White girl say, 'I don't know. How come your skin be so black? What you think that mean?'

"But neither one a them little girls knew. So little white girl say, 'Well, let's see. You got hair, I got hair.'" I gives Mae Mobley a little tousle on her head.

"Little colored girl say 'I got a nose, you got a nose.'"I gives her little snout a tweak. She got to reach up and do the same to me.

"Little white girl say, 'I got toes, you got toes.' And I do the little thing with her toes, but she can't get to mine cause I got my white work shoes on.

"'So we's the same. Just a different color', say that little colored girl. The little white girl she agreed and they was friends. The End."

Baby Girl just look at me. Law, that was a sorry story if I ever heard one. Wasn't even no plot to it. But Mae Mobley, she smile and say, "Tell it again.” 

The Help is a story about Aibileen, a black maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi, who's always taken orders quietly, but lately she's unable to hold her bitterness back. Her friend Minny has never held her tongue but now must somehow keep secrets about her employer that leave her speechless. White socialite Skeeter just graduated college. She's full of ambition, but without a husband, she's considered a failure. Together, these seemingly different women join together to write a tell-all book about work as a black maid in the South, that could forever alter their destinies and the life of a small town...  Source: Amazon

This book was considered by many to be Dickens's greatest work; this is a timeless story where vindictiveness and guilt clash with love and gratitude.  Enriched by a cast of unforgettable characters.

Do you remember reading this book?

Wipe off the dust and get out your classic copy of Great Expectations and tell us what you thought.  We'd love to hear from you!

Book Recap:

While visiting the graves of his parents, Pip, a young orphan living with his sister and her husband encounters an escaped convict.  The convict scares Pip into stealing food and a file to grind away his shackles.  Pip obeys, but the fearsome convict is soon captured.

Miss Havisham, a wealthy spinster, asks Pip's uncle ("Uncle Pumblechook") to find a boy to play with her adopted daughter Estella.  Pip begins to visit Miss Havisham and Estella, with whom he falls in love with.  

There are two endings to this book.  Which one did you read?  Comment below and let us know.  

If you haven't read Great Expectations you are missing out.  This book should be on your list of "must read" as soon as possible.

Grab a copy then come back to GroupReaders.tumblr.com and tell us what you thought!

Twilight, the first of four books in a saga that has sold more than 100 million copies, been translated into 37 languages, spawned an amazingly successful film franchise, a much-discussed relationship between the film's young stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, and a flood of visitors to the small town of Forks, Washington, where the series is set.

Water for Elephants is a must read! If you’ve read it, did you love it or was it overrated - tell us below! If you haven’t, come back and tell us your opinion when you’re finished!

Overview:

The Hunger Games took the word by storm surpassing Harry Potter books to become the best-selling series on Amazon.com. Since its release, The Hunger Games has been translated into 26 languages, and publishing rights have been sold in 38 territories. What did you think?? Did you love it? Or was it overrated? Tell us here!

Overview:

Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.

Best way to describe the book....Anna Karenina By:  Leo Tolstoy

IT isn’t easy to be faithful.  Anna Karenina struggles between passion and independence as well as martial duty, social convention and maternal love.  This novel tells the story of one of the most enthralling love affairs in the history of literature. 

  In my opinion, Tolstoy was such a masterful writer who understood human behavior and experience.  To this day people are quoting his famous line “If you look for perfection, you will never be satisfied.”  Tolstoy wrote that in the 1800’s and it still holds true today.  Tolstoy is able to transport you into a complex world of emotions, thoughts, motives, conflicting actions, mistakes, happiness and sadness.  Anna Karenina is on lists of the top ten novels of all time.

  So…what did you think of this book?  Critics are divided in their assessments of the novel’s overall views of women.  Tolstoy shows sympathy for women who suffer in arranged, passionless marriages and who are shunned by society for the same crimes that men commit with impunity.  However, many readers have felt that Tolstoy bears a grudge against women and that Anna’s suicide is an expression of misogyny.  On the whole, do you consider the novel feminist, misogynist, or neutral in its stance?

Thirty years after women became 50 percent of the college graduates in the United States, men still hold the vast majority of leadership positions in government and industry. This means that women’s voices are still not heard equally in the decisions that most affect our lives.

In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, examines women’s progress in achieving leadership roles and offers compelling, rational solutions that can empower women to achieve their full potential.

Of course we had to include Harry Potter on our list! Our generation grew up reading this series so if you haven’t read it, jump on board and come back to discuss!

Who loved it? Who thought it was overrated?

Overview:

It’s been more than 50 weeks since the release of the first book in this series and the Fifty Shades of Grey conversation continues. When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires.

  Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close has been known as a high-concept visual kicker and a sensational book-club conversation starter.  Besides containing a wealth of photos and drawings, the author is able to capture the attention of readers through his words.  

The hero and narrator is a nine-year-old boy named Oskar Schell.  Oskar discovers a key in a vase that belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11th.  Grief-stricken and seemingly unattended by his working mom, Oskar sets out to solve the mystery of the key.  The intelligence, curiosity, fears and insights that Oskar gains on his quest throughout the five boroughs of New York are both heartwarming and heartbreaking. 

Gone Girl is a true page turner. Just when you think you've figured it out author Gillian Flynn hits you with another revelation that changes everything. We couldn't put this one down and want to hear your thoughts on Nick and Amy’s truly disturbing relationship.

For those of you who haven’t read Gone Girl (don’t worry, we won’t spoil the ending!) the book takes common marital concerns about money, in-laws, and parenthood, and explores just how dysfunctional and dark a relationship can become. The path is twisted, disturbing, and sometimes horrifying…but also a must read!

The first book we’re recommending is a classic tale that many are required to read for school. How much do you remember? Take our poll to let others know if you loved it or thought it was overrated!

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. This exemplary novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, of lavish parties on Long Island at a time when The New York Times noted “gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession,” it is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.

April's Book:  The Thirteenth Tale

Author: Diane Setterfield

Pages:  416

Angelfield House stands abandoned and forgotten.  It was once home to the March family - fascinating, manipulative Isabelle, brutal, dangerous Charlie, and the wild untamed twins, Emmeline and Adeline.  But Angelfield House hides a chilling secret which strikes at the very heart of each of them, tearing their lives apart...  Now Margaret Lea is investigating Angelfield's past - and the mystery of the March family starts to unravel.  What are they hiding?

Reviews:

“#1 New York Times Bestseller"

“A book that you wake in the middle of the night craving to get back to…Timeless, charming, a pure pleasure to read… The Thirteenth Tale is a book to savor a dozen times.”   -  The San Diego Union-Tribune 

“Readers will feel the magnetic pull of this paean to words, books and the magical power of story.” -  People

“This will without a doubt be one of the best books published this year.” -       Daily American

“Enchanting” -       Kirkus Reviews

“Setterfield is remarkably gifted, and the book is a page-turner.  Readers should heed one warning:  Prepare to be so captivated by the story that you cannot put it down.  Not even for a cuppa tea.” -  The Roanoke Times

    JOIN GroupReaders in reading The Thirteenth Tale for the next few weeks.  We will be holding a public Google+ Group chat on April 27, 2013 at 11:00am EDT.  More information will be provided.  Keep checking back for updates or email [email protected] for more information.