Before I Go to Sleep, S. J. Watson

Average Rating:8
Menu: Shish-ka-bobs, chocolate-covered strawberries
Rebecca (9): Intense and fun to read, skimmed the ending 2x. Some minor details didn't make sense.
Jennifer (9.5): Fairly scared at the end. Felt sorry for "husband"--and frustrated by him.
Angie (8.5): Beginning felt slow, she figured out the story's ending pretty early.
Tina (7): Wanted to know what was going to happen--interested and hooked but didn't particularily enjoy the book.
Anne (9.5): Noticed similarities to "Still Alice" novel. Wondered where her family was, hotel scene at the end was scary.
Dana (9): Intriqued by the memory loss aspect and the journal progression of the story. The real fear exists in waking up every morning not knowing who she was.

The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follet

Average Rating: 7.1
Menu: Pesto Chicken Lasagna, Salad, Bread, Cobbler

Becky: 8.0 Finished! - Loved how much womens' roles were underplayed, but were so important and crucial to the story. You have to give this book a chance to develop the characters in order to appreciate the full length. You are on an epic journey with the builder, monk, and knight. Liked it and couldn't put it down (after the first 50 pages), want to read the next book.

Tina: 7.5 Finished! - Thought it was slow and took a while to get into it. There was no point to the book, and once she realized that, she liked the book more. It gets better as you go, as relationships are built. Too much hype leading up to it.

Rebecca: 7.0 (pg 440) - Slow read and repetitive. Too much architecture when talking about Tom. Could be 1/3 in length. Liked the Tom/Phillip parts and Allina was her favorite. William was disturbing, and she did not appreciate the detail in some of the parts with him in it.

Angie: 7.0 (pg 541) - Reading this book felt like running a marathon that would never end. Wasn't until pg 200-300 before she got into it. Parts about the architecture bothered her a lot. Very disgusted by William; however, she liked Jack's character.

Anne: 6.5 (pg 385) - Took a long time to get into, but now looking forward to seeing what happens to the characters. Liked the good vs. evil between Phillip and William. The parts regarding the architecture dragged the took down. Interested in Ellen's character and liked Allina's character too. She liked how the women took on tougher roles (including killing scenes).

Rachel: 6.5 (pg 156) - Super long chapters. Was hard to read and very slow.....but pleasant thus far. Too long describing things and very drawn out.

Jen: ?? (pg 115) - Bored, then started making Rebe's baby blanket. Liked it, but slow moving with way too high of expectations.

Dana: ?? (beginning - monk found baby part) - Started if before it was chosen and didn't pick it up again. Life in the book seems more simple, and women play a very different role than today. We live such complex lives today and don't have to work so hard to survive.