Wow--time is sure flying by this year!  We just finished discussing Grunt by Mary Roach last week and we had a great time.  Some readers had a hard time getting through the book and felt the first part dragged a bit.  However, it picked up after the first few chapters and made a very entertaining read. the author did a great job balancing some of the dry research with humorous comments and we all learned a lot.  Who knew that the military had to redesign the crash test dummies they use because their vehicles usually sustain damage from below rather than from the front or side? That maggots can be used in wound debriding but even the medical community can't get past the ick factor? That the military has designed a "chicken gun" to test bird impacts on planes?  These topics and more make for interesting reading!  Our refreshments for the group included Low Fat Zucchini Lemon Bread and Chocolate Zucchini Bread.

Our next meeting is Monday, August 28th at 3pm. We'll probably meet in the Turner Room but ask at the desk--the new meeting room might be available for use and we can check it out!  We are reading Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin.  Melanie is an Illinois author and we have read several of her books.  Copies of the book are available at the front desk. Discussion sheets are available for pick up or can be found online. A summary of our August book is below.

Summary: Of all the glamorous stars of New York high society, none blazes brighter than Babe Paley and her friends, the alluring socialite Swans. But beneath this elegantly composed exterior dwells a passionate woman, desperately longing for true love and connection. Enter Truman Capote. Through Babe, Truman gains unparalleled access to the scandal and gossip of Babe's powerful circle. Babe never imagines the destruction Truman will leave in his wake-- even when the stories aren't his to tell.

At our December 12th meeting, we had a variety of treats brought by members, and we chatted about our favorites from 2016. Most member really enjoyed the books chosen to read this past year especially: The Martian by Andy Weir, Dead Wake by Erik Larson, and the Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani.  Several other books were read by members outside the group and enjoyed including Rosemary: the Hidden Kennedy daughter by Kate Larson,  The Wonder by Emma Donaghue, and Just One Damned Thing After Another (Chronicles of St. Mary's) by Jodi Taylor.

Our next meeting will be in the new year!  We'll meeting on January 30th at 3pm in the Turner Room to discuss Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly.  Copies of the book in print, large print, and audio are available at the LME Library desk.  The discussion sheet is available for pickup in the library or can be viewed online.  The group is open to all adults.  

Summary of Lilac Girls: An arresting, powerful debut novel inspired by the life of debutante turned unlikely WWII hero Caroline Ferriday. Kasia Kuzmerick, a Polish Catholic teenager, is nervously anticipating the changes that are sure to come since Germany has declared war on Poland. As tensions rise abroad - and in her personal life - Caroline's interest in aiding the war effort grows and she eventually comes to hear about the dire situation at the Ravensbruck all-female concentration camp. Through Ravensbruck the two women's lives will converge in unprecedented ways and a novel of redemption and hope emerges that is breathtaking in scope and depth. From New York to Paris, and Furstenberg to Lublin, Martha Hall Kelly captures the powerful pull of human compassion, strong enough to stretch across continents and capable of triumphing over the grim evils of war.

      

At our November 28 bookgroup, we discussed All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.  Several members of our group loved the book, but others thought that moving back and forth in the timeline was distracting.  Overall, we felt it was a good pick but a bit too literary for our tastes.  We had Peach Dump Cake with ice cream.

The group also finished picking our titles for next year:

At our September 26th meeting, we discussed The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani.  We all really liked the characters in the novel and the hardwork ethic they displayed.  We also liked getting a glimpse of this prominent immigration era in U.S. history. Even though the author has a cookbook, Cooking with My Sisters, we didn't use any of her family recipes.  We had instead potica (Ciro's favorite and mentioned multiple times in the book) and borlenghi for refreshments. 

For the next book group, we will be reading is the Wright Brothers by David McCullough.  We will meet on October 31st at 3pm in the Turner Room.  Books are available for pickup at the LME Library desk.  Discussion sheets are also available in the library and online.  We will also start selecting titles for 2017.  If you have any suggestions, please get them to me before our November meeting. 
Summary: On December 17, 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Wilbur and Orville Wright's Wright Flyer became the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, sustained flight with a pilot aboard. The Age of Flight had begun. How did they do it? And why? David McCullough tells the extraordinary and truly American story of the two brothers who changed the world.

Oprah's newest pick for 2016 is Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton.  For many years, Oprah's book club picks were big news, but since rebooting as Oprah's Book Club 2.0, her picks have been few and far between.  Since 2012, she has only recommended 5 other books; however, this is the second book in 2016.  Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead was recommended in August 2016 so perhaps this is a new tread?  We'll have to wait and see!

If you're interested in reading Love Warrior, it only came out today but is on order at the LME Library.  Our copy of Underground Railroad is currently checked out, but holds can be placed online or by calling the LME Library at 385-4540.  Happy reading! 

We enjoyed treats from One Eleven Coffee (Wyoming, IL) at our book group meeting on August 29th.  The book discussed was the Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs. The group enjoyed the research and writing style of the author but were disappointed (and angry) about how Rob was never able to realize his potential. Discussion focused a lot on "what ifs"--what if Rob's father had never been involved in his life, what if Rob had opted for a job outside of Newark, what if Rob had found a mentor who helped him set big goals--it goes on and on.

Our next book is the Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani.  We will meet at 3pm on September 26th in the Turner Room. This novel is loosely based on the author's own family history.  Books are available for pickup at the library desk and discussion sheets are available in the library or online.  

Summary:
Two star-crossed lovers--Enzo and Ciro--meet and separate, until, finally, the power of their love changes both of their lives forever. Set during the years preceding and during World War I.

At our July 25th book group, we discussed What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty.  The group really liked the book and felt it was a great summer read.  Our refreshments included Lemon Meringue Pie, zucchini breads, and fresh fruit.

Our next book group will be Monday, August 29th at 3pm in the Turner Room. We will be reading the Short & Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs.  Copies of the book are available at the LME Library desk.  Discussion sheets can be picked up with the book or are available online.  Summary: 

On arriving at Yale, Jeff Hobbs became fast friends with the man who would be his roommate for four years. Robert Peace's life had been rough, living in poverty with his mother in 1980s Newark, his father in jail. But he was a brilliant student, and it was supposed to get easier. It didn't. In an honest rendering of Robert's relationships in two fiercely insular worlds, Hobbs encompasses the most enduring conflicts in America.

At our book group on Monday, June 27th, we discussed Some Luck by Jane Smiley.  There's a lot of narrative in the book, and many of our members didn't care for it.  However, others liked the character and family details that spanned a generation.  We enjoyed One-Step Pound Cake and grapes during the discussion.

Our next book is What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty,  We will meet on Monday, July 25th at 3pm in the Turner Room.  Copies can be picked up at the circulation desk and discussion sheets are available at the library or online.  
Summary: Alice Love is twenty-nine, crazy about her husband, and pregnant with her first child. So imagine her surprise when she comes to on the floor of a gym and is whisked off to the hospital to find out that she's getting divorced, has three kids, and is actually thirty-nine. Now Alice must reconstruct a lost decade -- and try to reconstruct her life. Ultimately, she must discover if forgetting is a blessing or a curse, and if it's possible to start over.

At our meeting on April 25th, we discussed the book Dead Wake by Erik Larson.  The group really liked the way the author presented the story with details about the history surrounding the sinking of the Lusitania. Overall, the group rated it very highly and would recommend it to others.  Our refreshments included Triple Chocolate Cheesecake and fresh fruit.

Our next book group will be on Monday, May 23rd at 3pm in the Turner Room.  PLEASE NOTE: this is a week earlier than usual due to the Memorial Day holiday.  We will be discussing The Martian by Any Weir.  Copies of the book are available at the circulation desk and the discussion guide is available for pickup or can be obtained online. Regular print, large print, ebook, eaudio, and audio book formats are available.

Summary: Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive -- and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old 'human error' are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills -- and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit -- he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

At our March 28th book group, we discussed Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng.  This was a great discussion because some members loved the book and others did not.  It also was helpful to look at the author's book club kit.  We had cream puff dessert.

Our next bookgroup meeting with be Monday, April 25th at 3:30pm in the Turner Room. We will be reading Dead Wake: the Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson. Copies of the book are available at the LME Library desk. Regular print, large print, ebook, eaudio, and audio book formats are available.  The discussion sheets can be picked up or are available online.
Summary:
The #1 New York Times best-selling author of In the Garden of Beasts presents a 100th-anniversary chronicle of the sinking of the Lusitania that discusses the factors that led to the tragedy and the contributions of such figures as President Wilson, bookseller Charles Lauriat and architect Theodate Pope Riddle.

We just wrapped up Fredrik Backman's My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry for our February pick.  We had chocolates and Auntie Carlene's cinnamon coffee loaf since I cannot make a decent cinnamon roll.  For most members, the book started off slowly, but once you got past the learning curve about the Land-of-Almost-Awake, the author really drew you into the story.  Overall, it was very favorably reviewed by the group, and we'd love to continue to read more by this author. (We read A Man Called Ove in 2015.)  Backman's particular sense of humor and pathos is endearing but still touches on things that really matter.  Here's a quote I feel conveys this well:

"It's difficult ending a fairy tale.  All tales have to end sometime, of course.  Some can't finish soon enough.  This one, for example, could feasibly have been rounded off and packed away long ago.  The problem is this whole issue of heroes at the ends of fairy tales, and how they are supposed to 'live happily to the end of their days.'  This gets tricky, from a narrative perspective, because the people who reach the end of their days must leave others who have to live out their days without them."

Our next book group will meet on March 28th at 3pm in the Turner Room. This is the Monday after Easter.  We will be discussing the novel, Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng.  Copies of the book are available at the library desk and the discussion sheets are available for pickup or online here.

We had a great start to 2016 with our discussion of our January 25th book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. The book group loved this book for several reasons--it was interesting, it had lots of information but well organized and relevant, and the author's dedication was key to the success of relating this complex subject.  Our refreshments included the famous Baltimore Berger cookies and grapes.

Our next book group meeting will be on Monday, February 29th (Leap Day!) at 3pm in the Turner Room.  Our book is My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman.  Copies of the book are available for pickup at the library desk. The discussion sheets are available online or in the library.  Please join us!

Also--please note that the May 2016 meeting date has been corrected.  The LME Library will be closed on Monday, May 30 so we will be meeting a week earlier on Monday, May 23rd.  Sorry for any confusion!

Our Coffee Chat went very well on December 14th, and everyone brought lots of goodies--thanks!

Our next meeting will be on Monday, January 25, 2016 at 3pm in the Turner Room.  The discussion book is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Copies can be picked up at the circulation desk and the discuss guide is available online.

Summary:
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer, yet her cells--taken without her knowledge--became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer and viruses; helped lead to in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions. Yet Henrietta Lacks is buried in an unmarked grave. Her family did not learn of her "immortality" until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. The story of the Lacks family is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of--From publisher description.

At our meeting on October 26th, we had wonderful attendance with thirteen members present.  In addition to discussing I am Having So much Fun Here Without You by Courtney Maum, we also did some lightning talks to help us select titles for 2016.  

Overall, the Maum book was not one of our favorites but we had a good discussion about the characters, marriage and art.  Our refreshments were apple slices with caramel and pimento cheese dip and crackers.

The lightning talks were on half of our list of potential titles for fiction and non-fiction.  So far, we have chosen:
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman (fiction)
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doeer (fiction)
The Martian by Andy Weir (fiction)
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (fiction)
Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (non-fiction)
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson (non-fiction)

Thanks to everyone who helped by voting!  We'll pick the rest of the titles at our November 23rd meeting.