We had seven people at September’s Book Club Meeting. We discussed A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny. I think we all agreed that this was a good read. Maybe there were some holes in the plot, but it was still a satisfying whodunit. If you like mysteries set in exotic places like French Canada and an interesting cast of characters, then I recommend this book. Be warned that thisRead More →
Five of us met to discuss Traveling With Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor. It was a great discussion of a mediocre book. And I think that, after our discussion, mediocre is being generous. This mother and daughter traveled to Greece and France and detailed the minutea of their relationship with each other and the crossroads they happen to be at in their lives. Well, let’s justRead More →
Six people met to discuss We Need to Talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver. One of our book club attendees also has a book club in Mississippi she attends! Here is a list of titles they are reading this year: Selected Stories by William Trevor The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin by Calvin Trillin Great House byRead More →
Five of us met to discuss Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robison. This is a very interesting book about Robison’s experience as an Aspergian (as he puts it.) Asperger’s is becoming more of a common diagnosis in our society and almost everyone in the group knows someone on the autism spectrum, so it helped inform the discussion. Robison is Augusten Burroughs’ brother and we talked about hisRead More →
Seven people were at the Book Club meeting to discuss Beautiful Boy by David Sheff. This turned out to be one of the best book conversations that we have had. It is the memoir of Sheff’s family as they deal with their son, Nic, a methamphetamine addict. While everyone agreed that it was a hard read, they also agreed that it was worthwhile to read. One member stated that itRead More →
Six of us had a nice discussion of The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. This book is about David who loses his mother and then his father remarries and the boy feels displaced. They move to an estate outside of London to avoid the air raids of WWII and David falls into a magical alternative world where fairy tales are real. Some of the stories and scenes areRead More →
In September, six of us met to discuss Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon. This was a novel about changing/shifting/appropriating identities and whether or not identity is truly fluid or if it is a mistake to think that you can alter yours. Other books that people remarked on: She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb Susan McBride’s new book, Little Black Dress. As Husbands Go by Susan Isaacs Tea Time forRead More →
August was a good month to read about volcanoes. Five people met to discuss Krakatoa: the Day the World Exploded by Simon Winchester. And though this might not be the heartiest of recommendations, folks said that they would never have picked up the book if it hadn’t been on our rotation. Pick it up and decide for yourself. Winchester has a reputation of making history read like a novel. ButRead More →
Six of us met to discuss A Country Year by Sue Hubbell. It was a great conversation about being self-reliant and about what kind of person could live that kind of life. Sue Hubbell raises bees in the Ozarks in Missouri. (At least she did in the 1980s.) She lives by herself on a farm and manages over 300 hives. She fixes her own pick-up when she can and alsoRead More →
Five of us met to discuss The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa. A housekeeper is hired to work for a former professor of mathematics. She is the 10th housekeeper to work for the professor. He suffers from short term memory loss, to be specific, his brain forgets everything after 80 minutes. Despite this hurdle, the housekeeper and her young son befriend the professor and create a bond withRead More →
