Brentwood Book Club - Notes from the April Meeting (Page 9)

9 people met to discuss Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver this month. Besides discussing the current book, we always like to mention what we have been reading lately. So here it is, Books that Book Clubbers are enjoying: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman The Ungarnished Truth by Ellie Matthews The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom StillRead More →

Eight of us had the great pleasure of sitting down with the author of The Facades, Eric Lundgren. The novel takes place in a fictional midwestern city, Trude, that has pieces of St. Louis woven throughout the buildings and landscape. Sven Norberg is looking for his lost wife, Molly. This is the pull throughout the novel, but the real mystery is how we build these facades around our selves andRead More →

Eight people met in February to discuss Gulp by Mary Roach. We tackled the very interesting (and sometimes icky) activities of the human alimentary canal, which was presented with the author’s customary regard for careful research, humorous footnotes, factoids and weird events and persons. She did not disappoint; there were descriptions of digestive mishaps, clinical procedures gone awry, cows (not human, but they have multiple stomachs, with more possible mayhem!)Read More →

From mysteries to graphic novels, children’s books to adult titles, we’ve read a lot of great books this year that we would like to share with you! Hilary: -Hero by Alethea Kontis -Of Poseidon by Anna Banks -The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde -The Boy on the Porch by Sharon Creech -Poison by Bridget Zinn -The Selection by Kiera Cass -Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole -Etiquette andRead More →

Seven of us braved the freezing cold to discuss The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, et al. It is the account of three women of three faiths who came together to write a children’s book about their religions. They had heated discussions about their religions and ultimately, came away with a greater understanding of their faith and the faith of others. This was about their journey as a group ofRead More →

8 of us met to discuss Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. Bee Branch’s mother, Bernadette is a MacArthur Genius award winning architect who hasn’t had a project in years. When her behavior becomes a little over the top, her husband decides it is time to take action and have her committed. Most of the action takes place leading up to this deciding moment. What I haven’t described isRead More →

Eight of us met to discuss The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. It was a lively discussion, though mostly it was about the Paris husband, Ernest Hemingway. Is it a chick novel? We decided that it was not. Is it safe to say that their marriage, while not long lasting, made a lasting impression on both Hadley and Ernest? Yes. Maybe we will read a classic Hemingway book to roundRead More →

Ten of us met to discuss Fifth Ave, 5 a.m. by Sam Wasson in August. Ellen graciously filled in to lead the group this month. The book is subtitled, “Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and the Dawn of the Modern Woman.” Some of the discussion was about whether or not modern women were sufficiently represented by Hepburn’s character. Ellen mentioned that “some of the biographical material on Capote was also interestingRead More →

Seven of us met in July for an excellent discussion of The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. When the earth slows its rotation, the days getting slowly longer and the nights following suit, Julia is grappling with the usual problems of a thoughtful middle school age child. It is a lovely book, at times bleak, at times hopeful. Other books that folks are reading and recommending are: TheRead More →