Holiday Night Out 2017 & New Year Updates

Sarah's Summary:  

We had a fabulous dinner at Table 23!  I’m sorry a few of you couldn’t swing it. If you’ve never been, GO. And order the tuna appetizer and the blackberry sangria. Trust me.

Lori discovered she can’t host us on January 7^th so please mark your calendars for January 21 to discuss Lost City of the Monkey Gods. I finished it last night and really enjoyed it.

We voted on Gina’s selections, however, she is not available to host until late March so I am going to leapfrog her. I’ll send out my selections within the next week. I guess we’ll just vote electronically? I’ll try to host late February or early March, before Spring Break. We’ll be reading The Alice Network by Kate Quin for our April/May meeting.

I think that sums it up.

Vote #1: Gina presented... 

• The Alice Network by Kate Quinn  WINS!
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
• Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

Vote #2: Sarah presented... 

• Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America by Gilbert King  WINS!
• The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
• Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

We’ll pick a dates at the next meeting

Up Next: Lost City of the Monkey Gods by Douglas Preston @ Lori's on 1/21

Next to Present: Susan H.

His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet

The Locale: Susan S's

The Book:
In 1869, a brutal triple murder in the remote Wester Ross village of Culduie leads to the arrest of a seventeen-year-old crofter, Roderick Macrae. There is no question of Macrae’s guilt, but it falls to the country’s most eminent legal and psychiatric minds to uncover what drove him to his bloody deeds. Ultimately, the young man’s fate hinges on one key question: is he insane?

The story ingeniously unfolds through a series of found documents, including police statements; the accused’s prison memoir; the account of renowned psychiatrist, J. Bruce Thomson; and a report of the trial, compiled from contemporary newspapers.
https://graememacraeburnet.wordpress.com/his-bloody-project/

Sarah's Summary:
Susan, thanks for a fantastic meeting – the book was perfect for discussion. It was interesting to me how many of us thought it was a non-fiction book. I think it speaks to the author’s ability to really get into the details of the crime and the character’s stories. I thought it was a great selection for in-depth discussion. Please, please, please pass along your bread pudding recipe. It was amazing.

We are meeting at Table 23 for our December Dinner. I made a reservation for 6pm but don’t feel like you have to rush after work. Or go early if you want- they have $3 wines until 7 😉

Our next Book meeting will be at Lori’s house on January 7th to discuss “The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story” by Douglas Preston. I confess, I already started it and although I don’t think I voted for this, it’s pretty fascinating!

Gina is next up with her selections. Please send them out a week before our dinner so we can vote then. I know Laura and Holly can’t make the dinner- anyone else? Y'all just be sure to send your vote to someone ahead of time- always include a 1st and 2nd choice.

Susan H, please send along Holly’s email.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all and safe travels for those doing so.

Up Next: Lost Kingdom of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston @ Lori's on 1/07

Next to Present: Gina

Then:

• Sarah
• Susan H
• Jessica
• Kristine
• Laura
• Holly
• Jolynda
• Brenda 
• Susan S
• Tassy 
• Lori
• Gina

Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill

The Locale: Brenda's

The Book:
Abducted as a child from her village in West Africa and forced to walk for months to the sea, Aminata Diallo is sent to live as a slave in South Carolina. But years later, she forges her way to freedom, serving the British in the Revolutionary War, registering her name in the historic “Book of Negroes” and eventually travelling back to Africa.

A sweeping story that transports the reader from a tribal African village to a plantation in the southern United States, from the teeming Halifax docks to the manor houses of London, The Book of Negroesintroduces one of the strongest female characters in Canadian fiction, one who cuts a swath through a world hostile to her colour and her sex. 

https://www.lawrencehill.com/the-book-of-negroes/


Sarah's Summary:
Thanks, Brenda, for a fantastic meeting yesterday to discuss Someone Knows My Name. I looked for the miniseries on Amazon and Netflix but didn’t find it for free streaming. It was a quick search so maybe someone else will have better luck.

As always, the food was delicious (I need the recipe for the habanero/mango jelly and the olive dip!) and the discussion lively, as Lori said. Almost everyone liked the book; not everyone was not sympathetic to the character and a few felt it was like reading Roots. As I shared, I liked that it told the story of slavery in the U.S. earlier than a most that I’ve seen which tend to focus on the mid-1800s. And I had no idea so many slaves and others were shipped to Nova Scotia. Fascinating. I am glad I read it- thanks, Brenda! Laura, Jolynda and Tassy were missed- I hope y'all can make the November meeting!

Next, we meet November 5th at Susan S’s house to discuss His Bloody Murder by Graeme Macra Burnet. Apparently, this Man Booker shortlisted novel may be adapted to the screen as well. Jessica shared with us that the book is $1.99 for Kindle right now! Happy reading!

At our November meeting, we’ll vote on where we will have our holiday dinner. That date will be December 6th and the choices put forth are Table 23, Kool Beanz, and The Edison. Check out those menus and we’ll vote at Susan’s! As a reminder, we generally don’t meet in December to discuss a book but rather we enjoy a meal together to socialize - and to take our “annual” PHOTO! Gina will not be able to join us for the November meeting so she’ll present her selections at our December dinner. After Gina, I’m up. I’ve rearranged the list again.  Let me know what y'all think.

The Vote: Lori presented...

• Lost Kingdom of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston   WINS!!
• King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild
• The Perfect Horse by Elizabeth Letts 

Up Next: His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet @ Susan S' on 11/05

Then: Lost Kingdom of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston @ Lori's on 1/06

Next to Present: Gina

Then:

• Gina
• Sarah
• Susan H
• Jessica
• Kristine
• Laura
• Holly
• Jolynda
• Brenda 
• Susan S
• Tassy 
• Lori

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

The Locale: Jolynda's

The Book:
Pirriwee Public is a beautiful little beachside primary school where children are taught that ‘sharing is caring.’ So how has the annual School Trivia Night ended in full-blown riot? Sirens are wailing. People are screaming. The principal is mortified.

And one parent is dead.

Was it a murder, a tragic accident or just good parents gone bad? As the parents at Pirriwee Public are about to discover, sometimes it’s the little lies that turn out to be the most lethal…

Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, school-yard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive.
http://lianemoriarty.com.au/Book/big-little-lies-us/


The Vote: Susan S. presented...

• His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet           WINS!!! 
• Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
• The Underground Railroad by Colton Whitehead

Up Next: Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill @ Brenda's on 10/01

Then: His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet @ Susan S' on 11/05

Next to Present: Lori

Then:

• Gina 
• Sarah 
• Susan H 
• Jessica 
• Kristine 
• Laura 
• Tassy 
• Jolynda 
• Brenda
• Susan S

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

The Locale: Tassy's

The Book: A modern masterpiece from one of Italy’s most acclaimed authors, My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense, and generous-hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila. Elena Ferrante’s inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship. The story begins in the 1950s, in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples. Growing up on these tough streets the two girls learn to rely on each other ahead of anyone or anything else. As they grow, as their paths repeatedly diverge and converge, Elena and Lila remain best friends whose respective destinies are reflected and refracted in the other. They are likewise the embodiments of a nation undergoing momentous change. Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighborhood, a city, and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her protagonists, the unforgettable Elena and Lila. Ferrante is the author of three previous works of critically acclaimed fiction: The Days of Abandonment, Troubling Love, and The Lost Daughter. With this novel, the first in a quartet, she proves herself to be one of Italy’s great storytellers. She has given her readers a masterfully plotted page-turner, abundant and generous in its narrative details and characterizations, that is also a stylish work of literary fiction destined to delight her many fans and win new readers to her fiction.
http://elenaferrante.com/works/my-brilliant-friend/

Sarah's Summary: Thank you, Tassy, for a fun book club! I think most of us enjoyed My Brilliant Friend and some of us plan on continuing the series. The discussion drifted from friendships to our kids to our aging parents. As always, the conversation didn't disappoint. I thoroughly enjoy our meetings and look forward to them each time- ya'll are some neat people and I like spending time with you all. Plus, I get fed really good food ;) The pizza was great- I forgot to ask where it was from. Village Pizza? (And your kitchen is GORGEOUS)

Laura, we were sad to see you couldn't make it after all- we had a full house today. Even Lori was able to make it! Welcome back! I thought it would be easier to get to these meetings once our kids got older but that doesn't seem to be the case, they just keep demanding more of our time! But I know we all enjoy it as time is fleeting… My baby was 1 when we started this little club. He's 12. Yikes.

Susan S. is up next to present. We meet at Jolynda's next month on 8/20 to discuss Big Little Lies, and we voted on Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill for Brenda's meeting (date to be determined). After Susan, it's Lori's turn. I changed up the roster ever so slightly.

We are inviting Susan H's friend, Holly, to attend the next meeting to see if she may be a good fit for us since we now have room with Carmen leaving our fold. I trust this is agreeable to all? Unless one of you knows someone who wants to be part of this awesome group?

Enjoy the rest of your summer, safe travels to those taking vacations and good luck with the first week of school. See you all August 20th!


The Vote: Brenda presented...

• Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill      WINS!!! 
• Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys 
• A Long Walk to Water: Based on A True Story by Linda Sue Park

Up Next: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty @ Jolynda's on August 20th

Next to Present: Susan S

Then:

• Lori 
• Gina 
• Sarah 
• Susan H 
• Jessica 
• Kristine 
• Laura 
• Tassy 
• Jolynda 
• Brenda
• Susan S

The Locale: Laura's

The Book: Nine Stories is a collection of short stories by American fiction writer J. D. Salinger published in April 1953. It includes two of his most famous short stories, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" and "For Esmé – with Love and Squalor"

Susan's Summary: 

Hi all!  Since Sarah is off enjoying Paris, thought I'd step in and send out our book club summary this go round, especially since I needed to update the blog.

Laura was our host, and I'm glad I finally had a chance to meet her.  Also attending today were--Gina, Tassy, Jolynda, Jessica, Susan H. and a guest of Susan H's, Holly.  I sat next to Holly, and I enjoyed her clever commentary on the book, which she obviously read and absorbed.  She remembered lots of details, character names, etc. 

Feedback on the book was mixed.  No one loved it.  I think the concensus was the writing was good but the stories just ended too abruptly.  For one who loves her nice tidy endings, all wrapped up in an bow, the vague and sudden endings...or lack thereof...was extremely frustrating.  Endearing characters were lacking, but many found the dialogue between characters engaging.

We ended our meeting with ghost stories, gasps, and giggles, thanks to Jessica.  I'm not sure how we got on the subject, but Jessica kept us on the edge of our seats, sharing the eerie experiences she and her co-worker encounter when staying at the Historic Hotel Bethlehem, in Bethlehem, PA.  Very entertaining.  Keeping my fingers crossed I don't have nightmares.  And I'm also thinking of investing in some rosary beads for my lonely business trips.  Apparently, they provide protection against poltergeist.  😳

The Vote: Jolynda presented...

• Exit West by Mohsin Hamid 
• In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume 
• Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty   WINS!!! 

Up Next: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante @ Tassy's on July 9th

Next to Present: Brenda

Then:

• Susan S 
• Lori 
• Gina 
• Sarah 
• Susan H 
• Jessica 
• Kristine 
• Laura 
• Tassy
• Jolynda
• Brenda

The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama XIV, Desmond Tutu, Douglas Carlton Abrams

The Locale: Kristine's

The Book:  Nobel Peace Prize Laureates His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have survived more than fifty years of exile and the soul-crushing violence of oppression. Despite their hardships - or, as they would say, because of them - they are two of the most joyful people on the planet.

They traded intimate stories, teased each other continually, and shared their spiritual practices. By the end of a week filled with laughter and punctuated with tears, these two global heroes had stared into the abyss and despair of our times, and revealed how to live a life brimming with joy.

The book is a three-layer birthday cake: their own stories and teachings about joy, the most recent findings in the science of deep happiness, and the daily practices that anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives. It offers us a rare opportunity to experience their astonishing and unprecedented week together, from the first embrace to the final goodbye.
http://bookofjoy.org

Sarah's Summary: It was a small, intimate group on Sunday at Kristine's house to discuss The Book of Joy. Although I think most of us enjoyed the idea of the book, hardly anyone finished it :) It would be a nice bedside table book to enjoy in bits and pieces. I did learn more about both the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu- two figures I "know" but don't know- Someday, perhaps, I'll find joy in simple things like the Dalai Lama.

The food was AMAZING, Kristine. Please make sure Lee knows how much we appreciated his effort. We'll expect the same treatment next year;) For those who didn't attend, Kristine and her husband did some research and prepared a feast of kebabs and a rice dish, inspired by Africa, complete with homemade sauces. It was delicious. Dessert included cake and rum raisin ice cream as a nod to the Archbishop. All to die for.

It was a fun vote this time around! I think most of us would have been happy with any of the books Tassy selected. The first vote was 3-4-3 and then we did a revote, and it became 5-2-3. The winner is …. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante.

We meet next at Laura's house on May 21st. I will be out of town so I hope someone takes notes;) Laura, please send your address around to the group that week. Jolynda, we'll look for your book selections the week of May 15th. We will most likely meet at Tassy's in mid-June, but it's summer so we tend to be pretty lazy and flexible, trying to work around vacations.

Happy reading.

The Vote: Tassy presented...

• My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante WINS!!! 
• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 
• When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi 

Up Next: Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger @ Laura's on May 21st.

Next to Present: Jolynda

Then:

• Brenda 
• Susan S 
• Lori 
• Gina 
• Sarah 
• Susan H 
• Jessica 
• Kristine 
• Laura 
• Tassy
• Jolynda

Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance

The Locale: Jessica's

The Book: In this compelling hybrid of memoir and sociological analysis, Vance digs deep into his upbringing in the hills of Jackson, Ky., and the suburban enclave of Middletown, Ohio. He chronicles with affection and raw candor the foibles, shortcomings, and virtues of his family and their own attempts to live their lives as working-class people in a middle-class world. Readers get to know his tough-as-nails grandmother, Mawmaw, who almost killed a man when she was 12 in Jackson, but who has to live among the sewing circles of Middletown. Her love for children, and for her grandson in particular, fuels her dream to become a children's attorney. When Vance finishes high school, he's not ready to head off to Ohio State, so Vance joins the Marines, completes a tour of duty in Iraq, and returns home with a surer sense of what he wants out of life and how to get it. He eventually enrolls in Yale Law School and becomes a successful lawyer, doggedly reflecting on the keys to his own success family and community and the ways they might help him understand the issues at stake in social policies today. Vance observes that hillbillies like himself are helped not by government policy but by community that empowers them and extended family who encourages them to take control of their own destinies. Vance's dynamic memoir takes a serious look at class.
© Publishers Weekly
http://www.jdvance.com/hillbilly-elegy.html


Sarah's Summary: Thank you Jessica for an amazing southern spread of barbeque, green beans and macaroni and cheese. I can't decide of the chicken or beef was tastier. What a feast!! YUM.

Hillbilly Elegy brought some lively discussion, and I think it turned out to be a perfect selection for a book club. I have recommended it to several friends to read, even though I wasn't personally a fan of the author. While no solutions were offered, a different perspective was gained into the white hillbilly of the Rust Belt and Appalachia.

We are next meeting to discuss The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama XIV, Desmond Tutu & Douglas Carlton Abrams. Kristine is our hostess, and we'll be meeting on April 9th.

We voted on Laura's choices, and our next selection will be a collection of short stories, Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger. We'll pick a date when we meet at Kristine's- probably mid-May.

Tassy, you're on deck to present at Kristine's. We'll look for those selections about a week out. If not, you'll be hearing from me or Susan S. ;)

Jolynda is after Tassy. Finally. Sorry, Jolynda for making you wait a year!

Safe travels for all of you taking advantage of Spring Break!

The Vote: Kristine presented...

• Will you be Quiet, Please by Raymond Carver
• The Bus Drive Who Wanted to be God and Other Stories by Etgar Keret
• Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger WINS!!!

Up Next: The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama XIV, Desmond Tutu, Douglas Carlton Abrams @ Kristine's on April 9th.

Next to Present: Tassy

Then:

• Jolynda
• Brenda
• Susan S
• Lori 
• Gina 
• Sarah 
• Susan H
• Jessica 
• Kristine 
• Laura
• Tassy

Here I Am by Jonathan Safran Foer

The Locale:  Gina's


The Book: Unfolding over four tumultuous weeks in present-day Washington D.C., Here I Am is the story of a fracturing family in a moment of crisis. As Jacob and Julia and their three sons are forced to confront the distances between the lives they think they want and the lives they are living, a catastrophic earthquake sets in motion a spiraling conflict in the Middle East. At stake is the very meaning of home–and the fundamental question of how much life one can bear.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31434269-here-i-am


Sarah's Summary:  We had a fun meeting on the 8th to discuss "Here I am" at Gina's house. She put on a lovely spread of baked ziti, salad, challah, and a dessert of truffles and a homemade version of Italian wedding cookies (?). It was all delicious! We missed a few of you and hope we can catch up next month!

I don't think anyone really loved the book but it sure was a good discussion. I know I said this at the meeting, but the whole book made me uncomfortable; I felt I was too intimate a part of marriage and it bothered me. Not many of us were in love with the characters, either. It's one of those books I'm glad I read but I don't necessarily think I'll recommend it to my friends.

We meet next at Jessica's house to discuss "Hillbilly Elegy" by J.D. Vance on February 26th. I hope you can all make it!

Kristine nominated 3 books for her March/April meeting and "The Book of Joy" won. We haven't picked a date yet but I imagine it will be either late March or early April. Laura is up next to present- please send your choices out about a week before we meet at Jessica's. Tassy is on deck and Jolynda after Tassy.

I hope everyone is enjoying this unseasonably warm weather and had a nice long weekend!

The Vote:  Kristine presented...

• Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult 
• What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe 
• The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama XIV, Desmond Tutu, Douglas Carlton Abrams     WINS!!!

Up Next: Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance @ Jessica's on February 26th.

Next to Present: Laura

Then: 

• Tassy
• Jolynda
• Carmen
• Brenda
• Susan S
• Lori 
• Gina 
• Sarah 
• Susan H
• Jessica 
• Kristine 
• Laura