July - Gide and Camus; book recommendations

Great turnout and enjoyed the discussion about The Stranger and Tjhe Immoralist. Both short books addressing deep issues via existentialsim and absurbist.

Time for input for recommended books.
So far the following have been recommended:

It Can't Happen Here - Sinclair Lewis
The Book of Forgiving - Desmend Tutu
Where the Crawdads Sing -
Hidden Life of Trees
Daughter of Molokai - Brennert
Asymmetry - Halliday
A Little Paris Bookshop - Nina George
Mango Bride - Marivi Soliven (possible live auther series)
The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides
Becoming - Michelle Obama
Ficciones or The Aleph and other stories - Borges
Animal Farm - Orwell
Slaughterhouse Five or Catch 22 - Vonnegut
Midnight's Children - Rushdie
Hemingway
Fulkner
Fitzgerald
Quiet - Cain
Siddharta - Hesse
The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World - Dali Lama
The Dali Lama's Cat and the art of Meow - Michie
Stumbling on Happiness - Gilbert
The Prince - Machiavelli
The Canturbury Tales
Robinson Crusoe - Defoe
Candide - Voltaire
The Castle - Kafka
Notes of a Native Son - Baldwin
Lie Down in Darkness - Styron
Black Boy - Richard Wright

Less by Greer

Less was a Pultizer Price award for Greer. It orignally was scheduled for May but was preempted by Indianpolis authors. I had placed it for October. Since I started reading it, I have removed it as I doubt very much if most would read it. If anyone has a favorite suggestion for October-November, let me know.

Woman on the Stairs

While it was a short discussion about this book, I have been thinking more about it. Such as, why was it an Oprah book? Who really is the protagonist?

Three stereotypical men were portrayed, one being the narrator: lawyer, successful and wealthy businessman, and an artist. Each is obsessed with the woman.She is their muse and their trophy. But she is not. She manipulates them and perhaps Irene is really the primary character and thus the name, The Woman on the Stairs.

It really is a feminist story thus the rationale for it being an Oprah book club selection. I also change my mind about recommending it. Perhaps because it was a second read, I came to this conclusion.

June Update

On the 28th of May we were honored by the presence of the authors of Indianapolis, Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic. I interviewed them about process and then it was open for questions. They give us a lively and fascinating account of behind the scenes. The newly minted paperback was available along with hardcovers and dvds for purchase and signatures.


Chef Lance prepared a  delicious array of appetizers.

L. to R. Lynn Vincent, Mary Strobbe, Sara Vladic.
Lynn and Sara are in. the midst of a whirlwind book tour promoting the newly released paperback version of this #1 best seller. Their resumes are impressive.





Next month June our book will be The Woman on the Stairs by Bernard "Schlink. He also wrote The Reader.

For July we are scheduled to read, The Immoralist by Andrew Gide. I suggest we also read The Stranger by Albert Camus. Both are very short books and I think it would be interesting to discuss the two of them together.