2017 January

"Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years' experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she's been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child."

Lisa's selection for January 15th. 

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • With richly layered characters and a gripping moral dilemma that will lead readers to question everything they know about privilege, power, and race, Small Great Things is the stunning new page-turner from Jodi Picoult.

Lisa also suggested we might like to read Me Before You, if you haven't already.

November in Minnesota

The setting for Iron Lake was a big change for our 80-90 degree weather.  And the type of Native Americans were unfamiliar tribes  for the most part; Ojibwa, Anishinaabe and Shinnob.

“You don’t know about the Windigo? You’ve lived in this country all your life and you don’t know about the Windigo? He shook his head as if that were a dreadful thing."

One reviewer liked these quotes which represent the cross-cultural view point:

Traditionally the Anishinaabe were a quiet people. Before the whites came, they lived in the silence of great woods and more often than not, the voices they heard were not human. The wind spoke. The water sang. All sounds had purpose. When an Anishinaabe approached the wigwam of another, he respectfully made noise to announce his coming. Thunder, therefore, was the respectful way of the storm in announcing its approach. Spirit and purpose in all things. For all creation, respect. 

I read the book because the author's beautiful coming of age novel, Ordinary Grace.  Considering this was the first of 16 novels with the character and setting, I assume Mr Kreuger is pretty successful.  Many reviews tend to uphold that idea, most praise his plot development and complex characters.

 In 2005 and 2006, Krueger won back to back Anthony Awards for best novel - a feat only matched by one other writer since the award's inception.

Books, Books, Books

40 Classic Books & Why You Should Read Them

By Richard Davies

Well, what makes a classic book? My eight-year-old asked this very question after spending several days with her nose buried in Charlotte’s Web. “Errr… I think it’s a very good book liked by lots people that stands the test of time,” I replied. “If people are still reading the book 50 years after it was published then it’s probably on its way to being a classic.”

Here’s the catch. For me, a classic also needs to be readable because I’m not studying literature at university these days. There are many important books published decades or even centuries ago that have great significance but I’m not going to recommend them for your reading enjoyment. The prime example is Moby Dick, which I have read and I will never recommend. Life’s too short and that novel is too hard to read. The most challenging book on this list is The Seven Pillars of Wisdom because it’s epic in length and contains great detail about the Arab rebellion against the Turks.

...............an interesting article   go take a look, quick looks at the book covers is fun.

It makes me think I should explore more....but I LOVE me a thriller! 

37 Books With a Plot Twist

First see how many you've read and then......

                                 make plans to read the others!! 

Click here

 

October Selection

New York Times bestselling author William Kent Krueger joined the ranks of today's best suspense novelists with this thrilling, universally acclaimed debut. Conjuring "a sense of place he's plainly honed firsthand in below-zero prairie" (Kirkus Reviews), Krueger brilliantly evokes northern Minnesota's lake country—and reveals the dark side of its snow-covered landscape.

 We've read his novel,  Ordinary Grace.

"Ordinary Grace," his stand-alone novel published in 2013, received the Edgar Award, given by the Mystery Writers of America in recognition for the best novel published in that year.

"Iron Lake" is the first in his mystery series staring a sheriff. The series gets high acclaim.

 ("Manitou Canyon," number fifteen in his Cork O’Connor series, was released in September 2016. 

http://www.williamkentkrueger.com/

 

September But Not Autumn

Lovely table setting, great food as always!

Happy Birthday Roz

Zoe loves company but too many ladies for her!

The book, the book.......we all loved The Secret Life of Violet Grant. Great characters, interesting setting, fantastic descriptions, loved the jump back in time and on and on. And an O'Henry ending. Lovely!

Another Great Read

July was hosted by Roz. Everyone loved the selected book, The Nightingale.  I have no pictures because I was absent. My loss I really hated to miss out.

The next book selection is The Secret Life of Violet Grant


This is  New York Times best seller described as having passion, redemption and a battered suitcase full of secrets! Can't wait.

June Meeting

Meeting at Kathy's for scrumptious French Dip sandwiches. Yummy!

We were so busy eating and discussing, I actually have no pictures.

 Luckily Lisa posted hers on Facebook.  

All things center around Buster!

 He is the official mascot for book club.

He loves table discussions while he naps.

2015 picture of Buster

We agree, we love Harlan Coben and the book certain was full of surprises!

New selection by Roz:

21 Brilliant Books

Click for more of an  amazing article:
(from MSN Lifestyle)

 

HIDDEN TREASURES

Ever come across a book—on a nightstand in an Airbnb, in a box of your mom’s college junk, on a shelf at a friend’s Bachelor viewing party—that’s so energizingly rip-roaring, so envelopingly world-building, that you can’t really believe you’ve never heard of it before? A book that you find was admired in its time but is now sorta shoved to the side and forgotten, except by the most trusted reader-friends in your life? Well, these are those books. And your reader-friends, in this case? They’re 21 of our favorite writers from the past several years. Kick back and listen to them stump for the most criminally underappreciated books on their shelves.

Afternoon With Harrold Fry

An Unlikely Pilgrimage  

Always fun and awesome food of course!

 Unusual story --- we all read and enjoyed. 

(sorry Lisa could not make it)

Next book selection by Kathy: (3 guesses who the author is......)

our buddy Harlan Coben with the newest 

                                                   Fool Me Once

Yeah! 

February with Lisa

Lovely food and ladies and lots of discussion. We were missing Roz and admittedly I didn't finish the book still we had good insight to  Inside the O'Briens.  In particular Lisa shared her own family experience with Huntington's, certainly a heart breaking disease.

The book was compelling and difficult, yet the characters were so interesting and full of resilience. 

Next up from Kelly for April 24

2016 January

Lively, lengthy and lovely discussion on our selection - Ordinary Grace. Each of us liked the book -- possibly for different reasons. Still it stirred a chord in our hearts.

Personally, I plan to read one of the author's other novels, he is truly a talented writer. It was noted in a biography that his favorite book was To Kill a Mockingbird, a coming of age theme as well.

Sorry I have no pictures, if you do please send to me and I will be happy to post. What a lovely group of book club ladies. We  learn so much from one another! Thank you, you thank you for fun, food and festivity.

Next up Lisa has selected a book by the author of Still Alice: