The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

The Locale:  Yeline's Book hosted at Carmen's House

The Secret Keeper

Kate Morton

The Book: 

1961: On a sweltering summer's day, while her family picnics by the stream on their Suffolk farm, sixteen-year-old Laurel hides out in her childhood tree house dreaming of a boy called Billy, a move to London, and the bright
future she can't wait to seize. But before the idyllic afternoon is over, Laurel will have witnessed a shocking crime that changes everything.

2011: Now a much-loved actress, Laurel finds herself overwhelmed by shades of the past. Haunted by memories, and the mystery of what she saw that day, she returns to her family home and begins to piece together a secret history. A tale of three strangers from vastly different worlds--Dorothy, Vivien and Jimmy--who are brought together by chance in wartime London and whose lives become fiercely and fatally entwined...

The Vote: Carmen presented... 

• What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
• Fingersmith by Sarah Waters 
• The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa   WINS!! 

Up Next: We are scheduled to meet on 1/11 at Brandy's house to discuss The Children Act by Ian McKwan.

Next to Present: Susan S.

Then: 

• Susan S. 
• Brenda 
• Sarah 
• Gina
• Susan H.
• Tassy 
• Yeline
• Brandy 
• Carmen

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

The Locale: Tassy's - a yummy Sunday brunch at Food Glorious Food

All the Light We Cannot See

Anthony Doerr
The Book: Marie Laure lives with her father in Paris within walking distance of the Museum of Natural History where he works as the master of the locks (there are thousands of locks in the museum). When she is six, she goes blind, and her father builds her a model of their neighborhood, every house, every manhole, so she can memorize it with her fingers and navigate the real streets with her feet and cane. When the Germans occupy Paris, father and daughter flee to Saint-Malo on the Brittany coast, where Marie-Laure’s agoraphobic great uncle lives in a tall, narrow house by the sea wall.

In another world in Germany, an orphan boy, Werner, grows up with his younger sister, Jutta, both enchanted by a crude radio Werner finds. He becomes a master at building and fixing radios, a talent that wins him a place at an elite and brutal military academy and, ultimately, makes him a highly specialized tracker of the Resistance. Werner travels through the heart of Hitler Youth to the far-flung outskirts of Russia, and finally into Saint-Malo, where his path converges with Marie-Laure.

Doerr’s gorgeous combination of soaring imagination with observation is electric. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. A finalist for the 2104 National Book Award; a #1 New York Times bestseller; the 2014 Book of the Year at Hudson Booksellers; the #2 book of 2014 at Amazon.com; a LibraryReads Favorite of Favorites; named one of the ten best books of the year by the New York Times Book Review; a best book of 2014 at Powell’s Books, Barnes & Noble, NPR’s Fresh Air, San Francisco Chronicle, The Week, Entertainment Weekly, the Daily Beast, Slate.com, Christian Science Monitor, the Washington Post, the Seattle Times, the Oregonian, theGuardian, and Kirkus; and a #1 Indie Next pick, All the Light We Cannot See is his most ambitious and dazzling work.

Sarah's Summary: We had a wonderful brunch yesterday at FGF- thanks for the yummy raspberry mimosa's, Tassy! Highly recommended. We certainly missed the ladies who couldn't come. It was a great meeting.

Those of us who were able to attend all really enjoyed All the Light We Cannot See. Though Brenda and I didn't finish it we both plan to. I really enjoyed the writing and all of the stories and how they were connected. It is a book I will recommend to many. We all agreed that even though it was a "Holocaust book" it didn't necessarily read as one. Tassy was thoughtful enough to bring us each a party favor- a label-less can of… beans or peaches?! I haven't opened mine but plan on doing so tonight for dinner. We'll eat whatever is in there! Very clever, Tassy.
The Vote: Brandy presented...

• The Children Act by Ian McEwan   WINS!!
• NOS4A2 by Joe Hill 
• The Pecan Man by Cassie Dandridge Selleck

Up Next: We will be meeting on November 2nd at Carmen's house to discuss Yeline's book, The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton. 

Next to Present: Carmen

Then:

• Carmen
• Susan S.
• Brenda
• Sarah
• Gina?
• Tassy
• Yeline
• Brandy

Bossy Pants by Tina Fey

The Locale: Susan's

Bossypants

Tina Fey

The Book: Before Liz Lemon, before "Weekend Update," before "Sarah Palin," Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: a recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV.
She has seen both these dreams come true.

At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon—from the beginning of this paragraph to this final sentence.

Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've all suspected: you're no one until someone calls you bossy.https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9418327-bossypants 

Sarah's Summary:   Fun meeting, Susan! A few of us found Tina Fey unbearable, but I think the rest of us were entertained by Bossypants. Susan, I know I speak for all of us when I say that moussaka was AMAZING. Don't forget to send around the recipe!!


Tassy brought a new member, Gina Kittel, to the meeting. Assuming she successfully passes rush, we are excited to welcome her to the club. Of course she has to like us, too- I hope we didn't scare her off!! Tassy, please send around Gina's contact information. Gina will bring our group up to a healthy 10 members:)


We voted on Yeline's choices (below) and The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton won a tight race over The Invention of Wings. Kate Morton was an author we liked a few years back, she wrote House at Riverton. We will be meeting, I believe, at Yeline's on November 1- please confirm that :) Yeline may or may not be available to host at her house, depending upon Terry's tolerance and timing of his treatment plan. Yeline, we are keeping you, Terry and your family in our prayers for a speeding recovery and look forward to hearing good news from his second opinion. Please keep us posted and let us know if you need anything. Carmen has offered to host at her house if Yeline is unable.


I actually have Brandy next to present/host if she's ready. Carmen generally starts us off on another round. Brandy- do you think you're ready or do you and Gina want to wait a year, following Yeline next year? My best guess is we'll meet in early December for our annual dinner and then in early January for our next meeting. Jeez, that seems like a long way off!


See ya'll September 28th at 1pm at Tassy's to discuss All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

The Vote:  Yeline presented...

• The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
• The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton WINS!!
• The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

Up Next:  All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr at Tassy's on September 28th at 1pm.  

Next to Present:  Yeline

Then:

• Brandy--our new member if she's ready.
• Carmen
• Susan S.
• Brenda
• Sarah
• Gina?
• Tassy
• Yeline

The Strangers in the House by Georges Simenon.

The Locale: Sarah's

The Strangers in the House

Georges Simenon

The Book: Dirty, drunk, unloved, and unloving, Hector Loursat has been a bitter recluse for eighteen long years--ever since his wife abandoned him and their newborn child to run off with another man. Once a successful lawyer, Loursat now guzzles burgundy and buries himself in books, taking little notice of his teenage daughter or the odd things going on in his vast and ever-more-dilapidated mansion. But one night the sound of a gunshot penetrates the padded walls of Loursat's study, and he is forced to investigate. What he stumbles on is a murder. 
Soon Loursat discovers that his daughter and her friends have been leading a dangerous secret life. He finds himself strangely drawn to this group of young people, and when one of them is accused of the murder, he astonishes the world by taking up the young man's defense. In "The Strangers in the House," Georges Simenon, master chronicler of the dark side of the human heart, gives us a detective story that is also a tale of an improbable redemption.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15672.The_Strangers_in_the_House

Susan's Summary: We had a nice, intimate chat at Sarah's house.  Thank you, Sarah!  LOVED the yummy cream puffs your friend made.  

It seemed that many members were missing, but that really wasn't the case. We're just such a small group now.  I got to meet our new member, Brandy, and confirm what a small town is Tallahassee. I met Brandy before, at a work function.  So--I already feel like I know her.

If memory serves, most of us liked the book, Strangers in the House, and the writing of the author, Georges Simenon, but felt the ending was a kind of a cop out--too quickly and neatly tied together.  Did I, lover of nice tidy endings, just write that?  I did!  

The Vote: Tassy presented...

• The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr  WINS!!
• The Hundred Year House by Rebecca Makkai

Yep!  Another WWII Nazi Novel is coming our way.  Seems like we just can't get enough.

Up Next:  BossyPants by Tina Fey @ Susan H's on August 24th.

Next to Present:  Yeline

Then:

• Brandy--our new member if she's ready.
• Carmen
• Susan S.
• Brenda
• Sarah
• Tassy

The Whip by Karen Kondazian

The Locale: Lori's

The Whip

Karen Kondazian

The Book: The Whip is inspired by the true story of a woman, Charlotte “Charley” Parkhurst (1812-1879) who lived most of her extraordinary life as a man in the old west. As a young woman in Rhode Island, she fell in love with a runaway slave and had his child. The destruction of her family drove her west to California, dressed as a man, to track the killer.

Charley became a renowned stagecoach driver for Wells Fargo. She killed a famous outlaw, had a secret love affair, and lived with a housekeeper who, unaware of her true sex, fell in love with her. Charley was the first known woman to vote in America in 1868 (as a man). Her grave lies in Watsonville, California.  (http://kondazian.com/books/the-whip/synopsis/)

Sarah's Summary: 
Thank you, Lori, for breaking out the wagon wheel plates with a Fritos and Tortilla chip taco bar. And the ice cream cake with chocolate syrup for dessert. Delicious! I hear the beer margaritas were good, too! We were sorry to miss Susan, Yeline and Brandy. Sadly, this was Diana's last meeting :( I know I speak for all of us when I tell you, Diana, that I will miss you and the intelligent discussions you bring to the table. And the food. Especially that pistachio Bundt cake. Yum. We wish you lots of luck and years of happiness in Winston-Salem. And if you score that big house, you may have some visitors from Tally ;)

We had a good discussion, I thought, on The Whip. We all liked it and found the main character very interesting, to say the least. There weren't a lot of  options for women in the 1800s- she certainly had a fascinating life. I've heard rumor that The Whip may become a movie so we'll have to keep our eyes open for it! The theme of orphans has permeated our discussions/books lately. Hmmm. Better than Nazi's! Below is a compilation of obituaries from when Charlie Parkurst died. Hilarious.

Some editors seem to take personally Charley Parkhurst's life of disguise.
One editor in Rhode Island wrote rather acidly:

"Charley Parkhurst died of a malignant disease. She could act and talk like a man, but when it came to imitating a man's reticence, nature herself revolted, and the lifelong effort to keep from speaking, except when she had something to say, resulted at last in death from cancer of the tongue".

The Yreka Union wrote less dramatically, but perhaps more reasonably, "She may have been disgusted with the trammels surrounding her sex, and concluded to work out her fortune her own way." Furthermore, in the town where Charley first found fame, the Providence Journal wrote: "Charley Parkhurst was one of this city's finest stage drivers. The only people who have any occasion to be disturbed by the career of Charley are the gentlemen who have so much to say about 'women's sphere' and the 'weaker vessel'."

The San Francisco Chronicle threw up its hands at conjecture and offered this comment as a fitting epitaph: "It is useless to waste time in conjectures as to what led the dead to take up the cross of a man's laboring life."

We also talked about purchasing a character in the next Game of Thrones installment for $20k. Here's a link to that article: http://mashable.com/2014/06/05/george-r-r-martin-crowd-funding/

We voted on the next book and picked Bossy Pants by Tina Fey. Although I think many of us would have liked to read the book about Typhoid Mary, Bossy Pants may be more fun for a summer read. I know I wouldn't mind seeing Fever on a future list.

We will meet at my house on July 20th to discuss The Strangers in the House by Georges Simenon. Which, I am sorry to report, is apparently not available on Kindle or at the library. My apologies. ; )

The Vote: Susan H. presented...

• Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carla Rifka
• BossyPants by Tina Fey  WINS!!
• Fever by Mary Beth Keane

Up Next:  The Strangers in the House by Georges Simenon on July 20th @ Sarah's.  

Next to Present:  Tassy

Then:

• Yeline
• Carmen
• Susan S.
• Brenda
• Sarah

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

The Locale: Brenda's

Orphan Train

Christina Baker Kline

The Children's Home Society - The Orphan Trains

PBS American Experience - The Orphan Trains

The Book: Between 1854 and 1929, so-called orphan trains ran regularly from the cities of the East Coast to the farmlands of the Midwest, carrying thousands of abandoned children whose fates would be determined by luck or chance. Would they be adopted by a kind and loving family, or would they face a childhood and adolescence of hard labor and servitude?

As a young Irish immigrant, Vivian Daly was one such child, sent by rail from New York City to an uncertain future a world away. Returning east later in life, Vivian leads a quiet, peaceful existence on the coast of Maine, the memories of her upbringing rendered a hazy blur. But in her attic, hidden in trunks, are vestiges of a turbulent past.  (http://christinabakerkline.com/novels/orphan-train/)

Sarah's Summary: 
Sorry it has taken me so long to send this out. By now, we all know that we will be losing a member :( Diana, I'm so sad you are moving. We all wish you, Adam, Emma and Noah the best as you make a new home in North Carolina. I hope you find a book club 'almost' as amazing as ours!

As usual, we had a fun meeting at Brenda's house with mouthwatering pulled pork sandwiches, slaw, fruit and blueberry pound cake. Susan, you missed a good one:) I think we all enjoyed The Orphan Train as it was a relatively light read and an interesting topic. A few of us were able to stay after the meeting to see a documentary on real life Orphan Train kids (and a few people who welcomed an orphan into their folds)- fascinating stuff. As a side note, I read The Chaperone (one of Lori's suggestions that we didn't vote for) and the main character was put on an orphan train to Kansas as a child. She travels to NYC to try to locate her birth mother. Considering I had never heard of orphan trains before Brenda's book suggestion, I think it's interesting that I have now read two books where the orphan trains figure prominently.

We welcomed a new member into our family (Lori- I still need her contact information) and will hopefully meet another (Brenda's friend) in June.

We are meeting at Lori's to discuss "The Whip" on June 8th. We voted on "Strangers in the House" by Georges Simenon for our next book. We'll plan on meeting at my house sometime in July as it's a short book (though the print in my copy is tiny. Or it's my aging eyes).

Sarah

The Vote: Sarah presented...

• The Meaning of Night (The Meaning of Night #1) by Michael Cox
• Burial Rites by Hannah Kent 
• The Strangers in the House by Georges Simenon  WINS!!

Up Next:  The Whip by Karen Kondazian on June 8th @ Lori's.  

Next to Present: Susan H.

Then:

• Susan H.
• Diana
• Tassy
• Yeline
• Carmen
• Susan
• Brenda
• Sarah

The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

The Locale: Susan S's

The Orphan Master's Son 

Adam Johnson 

The Book: An epic novel and a thrilling literary discovery, The Orphan Master’s Son follows a young man’s journey through the icy waters, dark tunnels, and eerie spy chambers of the world’s most mysterious dictatorship, North Korea.

Pak Jun Do is the haunted son of a lost mother—a singer “stolen” to Pyongyang—and an influential father who runs Long Tomorrows, a work camp for orphans. There the boy is given his first taste of power, picking which orphans eat first and which will be lent out for manual labor. Recognized for his loyalty and keen instincts, Jun Do comes to the attention of superiors in the state, rises in the ranks, and starts on a road from which there will be no return.

(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11529868-the-orphan-master-s-son)


Sarah's Summary: We missed you, Yeline and Lori! Susan served up a delicious buffet of Asian fare. With salted caramel cupcakes for dessert. Thank you!

I think for the most part we, as a group, liked that we read The Orphan Master's Son but I don't think we all "loved" it. It is mind boggling that this stuff happens. In real life. It the 21st century. Truly amazing and frightening. Susan found "Inside North Korea" on Netflix,  a National Geographic documentary hosted by Lisa Ling about going into North Korea in 2006. It is startling how truthful the book is. I couldn't stay for the whole program but plan on finishing it tonight.

Two things as follow-up: the author of the book received his PhD (English) from FSU in 2000- so that probably explains why he spoke at FSU's 7 Days of Opening Nights last year.

There was a piece on NPR I heard while driving home- they've been in the news lately regarding their nuclear tests. They talked briefly of their tension with Japan and how several years ago they acknowledged kidnapping Japanese citizens and they actually returned 8 of them to N. Korea. They claim others died and Japan feels they still have scores of Japanese citizens there. ( I tried to find the piece but couldn't locate it on their website) Scary stuff.

We will be meeting on Sunday, May 4th at Brenda's house to discuss "Orphan Train" and we  voted on "The Whip" from Lori's list of strong women protagonists.

I look forward to seeing you all in May!

The Vote: Lori presented...

• The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty  
• The Whip by Karen Kondazian  WINS!!!
• The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin

The Whip by Karen Kondazian is the winner.  Lori will need to pick a date for that meeting.  

Up Next:  Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline on May 4th.  

Next to Present: Lori

Then:

• Sarah
• Susan H.
• Diana
• Tassy
• Yeline
• Carmen
• Susan
• Brenda

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

The Locale: Carmen'sThe Luminaries 

Eleanor Catton 

The Book: Winner of the 2013 Man Booker Prize and Canada's Governor General's Literary Award, a breathtaking feat of storytelling where everything is connected, but nothing is as it seems...

It is 1866, and Walter Moody has come to stake his claim in New Zealand's booming gold rush. On the stormy night of his arrival, he stumbles across a tense gathering of twelve local men who have met in secret to discuss a series of unexplained events: a wealthy man has vanished, a prostitute has tried to end her life, and an enormous cache of gold has been discovered in the home of a luckless drunk. Moody is soon drawn into a network of fates and fortunes that is as complex and exquisitely ornate as the night sky. Richly evoking a mid-nineteenth-century world of shipping, banking, and gold rush boom and bust, The Luminaries is at once a fiendishly clever ghost story, a gripping page-turner, and a thrilling novelistic achievement. It richly confirms that Eleanor Catton is one of the brightest stars in the international literary firmament.
(http://www.bookish.com/books/the-luminaries-eleanor-catton-9780316074315)

Summary: Missing a couple of members at the meeting.  : (  But, we had a great book discussion.  This book was very thick and convoluted, so it lent itself well to conversation.  Most folks in attendance had made it through the tome.  Thick plot, lots of characters.  Easy to get it all confused.  But, together, we seemed to figure out in the end.  And there, of course, was yummy eats--including a pear gorgonzola salad and dump cake with ice cream.  Thanks, Carmen! 

The Vote: Brenda presented...

• Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline  WINS!!!
• War Brides by Helen Bryan
• The Bloodletter’s Daughter (A novel of old Bohemia) by Linda Lafferty  

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is the winner.  Brenda will need to pick a date for that meeting.  

Up Next:  The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson will be discussed on March 30th at Susan S’s house.

Next to Present: Lori

Then:

• Sarah
• Susan H.
• Diana
• Tassy
• Yeline
• Carmen
• Brenda
• Lori

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

The Locale: Yeline's

The Art of Fielding

Chad Harbach

The Book: At Westish College, a small school on the shore of Lake Michigan, baseball star Henry Skrimshander seems destined for big league stardom. But when a routine throw goes disastrously off course, the fates of five people are upended.

Henry’s fight against self-doubt threatens to ruin his future. College president Guert Affenlight, a longtime bachelor, has fallen unexpectedly and helplessly in love. Owen Dunne, Henry’s gay roommate and teammate, becomes caught up in a dangerous affair. Mike Schwartz, the Harpooners’ team captain and Henry’ best friend, realizes he has guided Henry’s career at the expense of his own. And Pella Affenlight, Guert’s daughter, returns to Westish after escaping an ill-fated marriage, determined to start a new life.

As the season counts down to its climactic final game, these five are forced to confront their deepest hopes, anxieties, and secrets. In the process they forge new bonds, and help one another find their true paths. Written with boundless intelligence and filled with the tenderness of youth, The Art of Fielding is an expansive, warmhearted novel about ambition and its limits, about family and friendship and love, and about commitment—to oneself and to others. (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10996342-the-art-of-fielding)

Summary: In general, the group didn't like the book, and we were surprised that it got so much hype...and that the other reportedly got a great big advance to write it when he had never published a novel before.  BUT--despite the disappointment with the book, we always have fun, interesting conversation, and an enjoyable time.  And of course, good eats!  Yeline made a yummy flan.

The Vote: Susan presented...

• The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson WINS!!!
• The Lowland by Jhumpi Lahiri
• The Good Lord Bird by James McBride  

The Orphan Master's Son is the winner.  We will meet on Sunday, March 30th, for discussion at Susan S's. 

Up Next:  The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton will be discussed on February 23rd at Carmen’s house.

Next to Present: Brenda

Then:

• Lori
• Sarah
• Susan H.
• Diana
• Tassy
• Yeline
• Carmen
• Brenda