The Red Shoes
Book Club

Laguna Niguel, California
Established 1993
Celebrating 31 Years in 2024!


Our Favorites

Andrea Dawn Jo Judy Karen Kathy
Mary Michele Nancy_K Nancy_L Pam Susie

Tuesdays With Morrie
By Mitch Albom

An unforgettable book. A columnist, author Mitch Albom, looks up his favorite college professor who has been diagnosed with ALS and travels between Detroit and Boston each Tuesday to discuss the big issues of life. Instead of withdrawing, Morrie Schwartz reached out to others, emphasizing the importance of relationships, "A Teacher to the Last."- Andrea


The Life of Pi
By Yann Martel

Life of Pi is my all time favorite book-ever. This booked called me to read it long before it was published in the U.S., long before it won the Man Booker Prize. Pi's believable story of Richard Parker, the blind French chef, meerkats and the man-eating tree is the one I choose to believe is 'true'...as Pi says, "and so it goes with God.".- Dawn


The Poisonwood Bible
By Barbara Kingsolver

I picked this book as it is a very well told story and it helped me understand why it was so difficult for Africans to succeed (despite the help of world organizations and missionary groups) to create a reasonable living standard for its people. The books shows that their geography and culture is very different from ours and "good intentions" of those who have not studied these differences may bring more harm than good.- Jo



The Other Boleyn Girl
By Philippa Gregory

Although I am not a history person, I enjoyed reading and learning about the period in history of King Henry VIII. It was a book I couldn't put down, a real page-turner that kept my interest. Having daughters, it hit home how these young girls were treated by their families, men and society.- Judy


Waiting for Snow in Havana
By Carlos Eire

I thought that the descriptions of 1950's Cuba and how it changed with Castro, as well as the descriptions of Carlos as a young boy and how he changed as a result were vivid and entertaining, with a wonderful mixture of humor and heartbreak. Not only was this an entertaining read, it was a good discussion book as we talked about families, politics and growing up.- Karen


Suite Francaise
By Irene Nemirovsky

This was an amazing book-not only because the story brings us into what it was like in France when the Germans arrived in 1940 but because it was written 60 years ago and published years after the authors 1942 death in Auschwitz. The first story describes the exodus from Paris as the Nazi's approached and how people tried to maintain their lives. The second story gives us a glimpse of a German occupied French village with very real human characters in a very difficult situation.- Kathy


My Sister's Keeper
By Jodi Picoult

I liked the way this author tackles difficult and controversial topics. This book is about how a family makes the choices they do in order to try to save the life of their daughter who has a serious disease. Picoult explores a complex subject that is sure to get a good debate going in any book club.- Mary


Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
By Dai Sijie

Book comments and review are "under construction". Please check back in a week or so. Michele is hard at work putting the comments together!- Michele




A Prayer for Owen Meany
By John Irving

Book comments and review are "under construction". Please check back in a week or so. Nancy is hard at work putting the comments together!- Nancy K




The Samurai's Garden
By Gail Tsukiyama

This book has lovely imagery as well as quiet, reflective scenes that are beautifully written. I especially enjoyed the weave of the book that included many touching letters that served to create this wonderful book. The characters are well-developed and you could feel that you were there in the Samurai's Garden.- Nancy L


The Secret Life of Bees
By Sue Monk Kidd

I loved this book and its theme about mothering. I am fortunate to have had a loving mother but others are not so lucky. This book is about a young girl who lost her mother when she was four. She is raised by an African American nanny. They leave for South Carolina in search of information about the girl's mother and in the end the girl finds peace and forgiveness as she becomes aware of her own needs and goals.- Pam


Needful Things
By Stephen King

I particularly like this take because it addresses the human condition. As with most Stephen King novels, this book is disturbing, but not with gore and torture, instead he looks at the 'dark side' that lurks within us. Leland Gaunt, in his store of Needful Things, encourages townfolk to pay 'the price' for things they are convinced they really need or desire in acts, not money. The entire town ends up in the fray and most participate willingly. How can one person influence so many to do such harm? It begs the question, who is the culprit among us,and could it be ourselves? - Susie

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