November Book

November's book is a New York Times bestseller list. I read Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly last year and found it very moving. I encourage you to read it and attend November 29 at 6 pm. Paperbacks are available and I have seen them at Costco.

“Inspired by actual events and real people, Martha Hall Kelly has woven together the stories of three women during World War II that reveal the bravery, cowardice, and cruelty of those days. This is a part of history—women’s history—that should never be forgotten.”—Lisa See, New York Times bestselling author of China Dolls

October 25 The Whale

From Amazon:

“Unpredictable and amusing and informative and original, cavorting between biology, history, travel writing, and memoir.”

—Mark Kurlansky

The Whale by Philip Hoare is a enthralling and eye-opening literary leviathan swimming in similar bestselling waters as Cod and The Secret Life of Lobsters. Winner of the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction, The Whale is a lively travelogue through the history, literature, and lore of the king of the sea—the remarkable mammals that we human beings have long been fascinated with, from Moby Dick to Free Willy. Bestselling author and naturalist Bernd Heinrich calls it, “a moving and extraordinary book,” and Hoare’s sparkling account of swimming with these incredible behemoths will delight whale and wildlife aficionados, lovers of the sea and sea stories, as well as the socially and environmentally conscious reader.

Michelle Gable & The Paris Apartment for September

BOOK CLUB PRESENTS:

A PARIS APARTMENT

and the author, Michelle Gable

on September 27, 2017

6:30 pm

You are invited to a conversation with the author, Michelle Gable. Ask her about her inspiration for this novel, which is based on a 70 year old time capsule discovered in a Paris flat.

I encourage you to read this novel prior to attending, but if you have not, you are still welcome to join us for a glass of wine and small snacks.

August is Ray and Joan

"Ray & Joan is a quintessentially American tale of corporate intrigue and private passion: a struggling Mad Men–era salesman with a vision for a fast-food franchise that would become one of the world’s most enduring brands, and a beautiful woman willing to risk her marriage and her reputation to promote controversial causes that touched her deeply."  ...Amazon

Red Notice for July

Learn the story behind the Maninsky Act, Putin's skill at disinformation, high finance, and murder. The New York Times review praises the book.

This is a must read book IMHO.

June's book is a Classic

Search your bookshelves, pull Picture of Dorian Gray off the shelf, dust it off, open it and begin reading it again. Then come to book club on June 28 and share how your current interpretation is different from the first time you read it.

List for the next year plus in no special order

A Paris Apartment - Michelle Gable (an author event)
The Whale, in Search of the Giants of the Sea (NF)
The Last Painting of Sara de Vos
Fahrenheit 451 (classic)
The New Confessions of an Economic Hitman (NF)
March III (our graphic novel)
Ray and Joan (a bio about Joan Kroc)
Red Notice (NF)
Unforgettable - (NF)
The Gentleman in Moscow (one of my recent most favorites)
Into the Beautiful North
The Good German
The Death of Ivan Ilyich (classic)
The Memory Book (Young Adult)
Waiting for Snow in Havanna (One Book One San Diego 2016)

Shall we add in the 2017 One Book One San Diego when it is announced.

In November the Executive Women's Council is presenting a book fair of U Club authors which we will support. If you know anyone from the Club who is a member and has published please let me know as I am the one putting together the EWC event.

Other reading suggestions

Recently I was hooked on a series of 10 mystery-thrillers by G.K. Parks whose protagonist is a woman who works for a subgroup of the FBI and attempts to go private. This is the first one in the series:

Yes I have finished all of them and am waiting for #11 to be published this June. They are fast reads; not something for book club discussions, but entertaining. If you have Kindle Unlimited you may access them for free.


A few others I have recently read (meaning this year) are:
Woman with a Gun - Bleeker
Today will be Different - Semple (a disappointment)
From a Paris Balcony - Carey
The Nightbird - Freeman (Scary!!)
In the Dark Dark Wood - Ware
Commonwealth - Patchett (I don't know what all the raves are about)
The Halo Effect - LeClaire
Ray and Joan - Napoli (about Joan Kroc)

March, April and May 2017

March we discussed Light in the Ruins  by Chris Bohjalian and April was Truth and Other Lies by Sascha Arango. Brian DePalma will be directing the movie version of Truth and Other Lies.








May we are tackling a little different genre, Neuromancer by William Gibson. This sci-fi novel also has several covers and is on some lists of books one must read during a lifetime of reading.

February discussion of Under a Wide and Starry Sky

Tonight was a great discussion with several new attendees whose thoughtful contributions added to our enjoyment.

Please send me at least 5 suggestions for future discussion. On Sunday the  26th of February I will be putting together the final ballot.

Next month will be Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian.
"Set against an exquisitely rendered Italian countryside, The Light in the Ruins unveils a breathtaking story of moral paradox, human frailty, and the mysterious ways of the heart."

February: Under the Wide and Starry Sky

Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan is the story of Robert Louis Stevenson's American wife. You might recall that Stevenson wrote Treasure Island, The Strange case of Dr. Jekyl and Hyde,  and Kidnapped. The poem from which the title is taken is below.

 Requiem 

UNDER the wide and starry sky
Dig the grave and let me lie:
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you 'grave for me:	5
Here he lies where he long'd to be;
Home is the sailor, home from the sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.

Some recent readings...

Recently read the following...anyone wish to discuss?

Behind Closed Doors - B.A. Paris
Trail of Broken Wings - Sejai Badani
Before the Fall - Noah Hawley
The Writer - D. Ulsterman
Without a Doubt - Marcia Clark
Red Notice - Bill Browder (nonfiction and scary; relevant to Russia and misinformation)
And then She was Gone - Christopher Greyson
Headhunters - Jo Nesbø
The Woman in Cabin 10 - Ruth Ware (thriller I read while on a cruise!)
Oracle - Paul Auster
Revenge of the Kremlin - Gérard De Villiers
Everything we Keep - Kerry Lonsdale
The Things we Wish were True - Marybeth Whalen
When I'm Gone - Emily Bleeker
Wreckage - Emily Bleeker
Travels with my Aunt - Graham Greene