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.

Books selected by vote for 2019

The following 20 books received votes to be included in our future reading list.
I will schedule for the next year with the admonishment that the month's selection may be sidelined for an author's presence. I have highlighted in bold the first group.

The Immoralist - Gide   July
The President is Missing - Patterson and Clinton
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine - Honeyman  - February
Somembody's Daughter - Bell  August
An American Marriage - Jones
A House for Mr. Biswas - Naipul
Factfulness - Rosling   September
Still Life - Penny
The Master and Margarita - Bulgakov  - March
What she left behind - Wiseman
Things Fall apart - Achebe  April
Born a Crime - Noah
When no one is watching - Hayes
Beneath a Scarlet Sky - Sullivan 
Less - Greer   May
Indianapolis - Vlasic & Vincent
The woman on the Stairs - Schlink  June
The Feast of the Goat - Llosa
Bitna - Le Clezio
The Land of Green Plums - Müller


January Book will be with the author, Donna Masotto speaking about her book, Consigliere. This will be a open to all reception with appetizers and wine.

We will be included in the book tour of authors Vlasic and Vincent when Indianapolis is published in paperback in the Spring of 2019. It was voted one of the best history books of 2018.

Each time a selected/scheduled book is replaced with an author that book will go to the end of the list. For example it is not known which month the authors of Indianoplis will be scheduled so whichever book is replaced will then appear in October.

In Summary the next few months will tentatively be:

January     Consigliere by Donna Masotto
February   Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Honeyman
March       The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov
April         Things Fall Apart by Achebe
May           Less by Greer
June           The Woman on the Stairs by Schlink
July            The Immoralist by Gide
August        Somebody's Daughter by Bell
September   Factfullness by Rosling
October    
Nobember    

Ballot for 2019

2019 book club suggestions

Place a checkmark in the box preceding the book.

Feel free to add your recommendations/favorites

Choose 5 by placing a check in the first column

          Author                           Title                                                                                         Pages

	Gide	The Immoralist	MS	C	193
	Patterson & Clinton	The President is Missing	GH		513
	Honeyman, G	Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine	GH		332
	Bell, David	Somebody’s daughter.	GH		432
	Naipul, V.S.	A House for Mr Biswas	B		578
	Naipul, V.S.	Miguel Street			224
	Jones	An Amercan Marriage	B		306
	Rosling	Factfulness	B	NF	341
	Westover, Tara	Educated	B	NF	336
	Penny	Still Life	JLG		321
	Bulgakov	The Master and Margarita	MS	C	292
	Faulks	Birdsong			498
	Ibrahim	Yellow Crocus			253
	Wiseman	What she left behind			337
	Izzard	Believe me		BIO	368
	Achebe	Things Fall apart			215
	McCain	The Restless Wave		BIO	416
	Goff	Fates and Furies	B		391
	Eggars	The Circle			524
	Noah	Born a Crime		BIO	264
	Miller	Circe			400
	Hayes	When No One is Watching	MS		332
	Sullivan	Beneath a Scarlet Sky			526
	Bird	The Good Spy			466
	Adiche	Americanah			610
	Ashford	The Color of Secrets			413
	Greer	Less			273 Pulitzer
	Ondaatje	Warlight	B		305
	Vlasic & Vincent	Indianapolis		NF	593
	Schlink	The Woman on the Stairs			225
	Gilbert	Stumbling Upon Happiness		NF	336
	Asante	Buck	JA	NF/BIO	274
	Gladstone	The Influencing Machines	JA		191
	Kingsolver	Poisonwood Bible	JA		570
	Llosa	The Feast of the Goat		N	420
	Grass	Peeling the Onion		N/Bio	448
	Modiano	Such Fine Boys		N	204
	Mahfouz	Love in the Rain      Palace Walk		N	140   514
	Xingijian	One Man’s Bible		N	464
	Le Clezio	The Giants   The Round   Bitna		N	320; 214; 216
	Kertesz	Fatelessness		N	272
	Müller	The Land of Green Plums		N	272
	Dario Fo	Holy Jester		N	160

C – Classic

NF – nonfiction

BIO – biography

N – Author Nobel prize in literature

B – Barack Obama’s list

The following authors are local and are open to visiting us at the Club

Ted Nulty – The Locker

Donna Masotto – Consigliere

Marivi Soliven – The Mango Bride

Lynn Vincent & Sara Vladic – Indianapolis