Next meeting - December 11
We finished our reading year out with the Nightingale by Kristin Hannah on November 27th. We liked the book almost (but not quite!) as much as we liked Lilac Girls which we read in January. We had cookies and fruit for dessert.
Our next meeting will be Monday, December 11th at 3pm at LME Library. There is no book to read but we will be sharing our favorites from 2017 and looking over the titles we picked for 2018. Members will be bringing their favorite appetizers or desserts.
Next meeting November 27-Nightingale
At our October 30th program, we discussed The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan. All felt this was a book that covered a topic little of us knew about and serves as an important work on women's history. Personally, I didn't like how it jumped around the timeline and the author's technique of compartmentalizing the information to demonstrate the methods employed at the site made it difficult to engage in the book. Overall though, the group liked it and appreciated learning about tubealloy and the Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Goodreads Choice Awards 2017
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Like to vote on the best books of the year? Goodreads is having its annual Choice Awards from 2017 and the opening round polls are now open!
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Voting Schedule
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Top books for 2017
We're already seeing some of the top books for 2017 lists coming out! Here's what I have so far (10/27/17):
Publisher's Week Best Books of 2017
2017 Teen's Top Ten (American Library Association's YALSA)
I'll add more as they appear...
Update 11/20/17--Library Journal's Top 10
Update 11/29/17--Amazon's Best Books of 2017
Updated 12/29/17--Off the Shelf's Top 25 Shelved Books of 2017
Girls of Atomic City - October 30
At our September 25th meeting, we discussed The Book that Matters Most by Ann Hood. Everyone enjoyed the book and we had a great discussion on the books that matter most to us. Overall, we liked the story progression and didn't focus much on the book titles featured. We had Pepperidge Farm Lemon Cake and watermelon. The hot weather was also perfect for having lemonade.
Summary of Girls of Atomic City:
"This is the story of the young women of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, who unwittingly played a crucial role in one of the most significant moments in U.S. history. The Tennessee town of Oak Ridge was created from scratch in 1942. One of the Manhattan Project's secret cities. All knew something big was happening at Oak Ridge, but few could piece together the true nature of their work until the bomb "Little Boy" was dropped over Hiroshima, Japan, and the secret was out. The reverberations from their work there, work they did not fully understand at the time, are still being felt today."
Book that Matters Most - September 25
At our August 28th meeting, we discussed Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin. Most members really liked the book even though the lifestyle of the very rich was completely foreign to us. We've read several of Melanie Benjamin's books and we love how she incorporates historical facts with fiction. We tried out the new chairs in the Turner Room extension but we'll be moving our next discussion to the new meeting room. For refreshments, we had fresh fruit and healthy flourless fudge brownies.
Summary: "An enthralling novel about love, loss, secrets, friendship, and the healing power of literature, by the bestselling author of The Knitting Circle. Ava's twenty-five-year marriage has fallen apart, and her two grown children are pursuing their own lives outside of the country. Ava joins a book group, not only for her love of reading but also out of sheer desperation for companionship. The group's goal throughout the year is for each member to present the book that matters most to them. Ava rediscovers a mysterious book from her childhood--one that helped her through the traumas of the untimely deaths of her sister and mother. Alternating with Ava's story is that of her troubled daughter Maggie, who, living in Paris, descends into a destructive relationship with an older man. Ava's mission to find that book and its enigmatic author takes her on a quest that unravels the secrets of her past and offers her and Maggie the chance to remake their lives."
Stephanie Powell Watts on Facebook Live
On August 16th at 2 p.m. we're talking
about Sarah Jessica Parker's first pick for Book Club Central
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Book Club Central
July 31 - Grunt by Mary Roach
At our June 26th meeting, we had a great discussion regarding John Scalzi's book, Lock In. Some readers felt overwhelmed by the technology but others felt the book addressed all kinds of issues pertinent to today's society (people with disabilities, gender identity, treatment of the Navajo, government subsides in medical research, accommodation issues, discrimination, and community culture to name a few). It also had great character development and an interesting mystery too! For our refreshments, we had coconut oil chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookie bars with buttercream frosting and our famous cheese ball dip.
Summary: 'Grunt' tackles the science behind some of a soldier's most challenging adversaries-- panic, exhaustion, heat, noise-- and introduces us to the scientists who seek to conquer them.
June 26 - Lock In
At our May 22 meeting, we had 9 members in attendance. The book we discussed was House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz. Most members liked it and appreciated the continuity of style between Arthur Conan Doyle and Horowitz. We had donuts from Village Foods, Salted Caramel Gooey Bars from Colts (Nashville, TN), and jello with fruit.
Summary: "Fifteen years from now, a new virus sweeps the globe. 95% of those afflicted experience nothing worse than fever and headaches. Four percent suffer acute meningitis, creating the largest medical crisis in history. And one percent find themselves "locked in"--fully awake and aware, but unable to move or respond to stimulus. One per cent doesn't seem like a lot. But in the United States, that's 1.7 million people "locked in"...including the President's wife and daughter. Spurred by grief and the sheer magnitude of the suffering, America undertakes a massive scientific initiative. Nothing can restore the ability to control their own bodies to the locked in. But then two new technologies emerge. One is a virtual-reality environment, "The Agora," in which the locked-in can interact with other humans, both locked-in and not. The other is the discovery that a few rare individuals have brains that are receptive to being controlled by others, meaning that from time to time, those who are locked in can "ride" these people and use their bodies as if they were their own. This skill is quickly regulated, licensed, bonded, and controlled. Nothing can go wrong. Certainly nobody would be tempted to misuse it, for murder, for political power, or worse....John Scalzi's Lock In is a novel of our near future, from one of the most popular authors in modern science fiction"
May 22 - House of Silk
At our April 24th meeting, we discussed Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. Some of our group members liked the book and others did not. Those that did liked the ideas of ways to incorporate creativity and beauty into our everyday lives. Those that did not felt that the book was "for younger people." Personally, I think that people can experience "big magic" at any age. For refreshments, we had fruit and Raspberry-Rhurbarb Slab Pie.
Summary: For the first time in its one-hundred-and-twenty-five-year history, the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate has authorized a new Sherlock Holmes novel.
Once again, THE GAME'S AFOOT...
London, 1890. 221B Baker St. A fine art dealer named Edmund Carstairs visits Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson to beg for their help. He is being menaced by a strange man in a flat cap - a wanted criminal who seems to have followed him all the way from America. In the days that follow, his home is robbed, his family is threatened. And then the first murder takes place.
Almost unwillingly, Holmes and Watson find themselves being drawn ever deeper into an international conspiracy connected to the teeming criminal underworld of Boston, the gaslit streets of London, opium dens and much, much more. And as they dig, they begin to hear the whispered phrase-the House of Silk-a mysterious entity that connects the highest levels of government to the deepest depths of criminality. Holmes begins to fear that he has uncovered a conspiracy that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of society.
April 24-Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
At our March 27th meeting we discussed the book, Suspect by Robert Crais. Many members like the mystery genre and felt this was a good selection for the group. Refreshments included: Sticky garlic noodles in wonton cups (wonton wrappers baked in muffin cups for 10 mins at 375) and Churro creme brulee bars. Several in the group were interested in reading the second Scott & Maggie mystery, Promise.
Summary: "Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert's books for years. Now this beloved author digs deep into her own generative process to share her wisdom and unique perspective about creativity. With profound empathy and radiant generosity, she offers potent insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the "strange jewels" that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work, embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy."
March 27 - Suspect
At our February 27th meeting, we discussed Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts. Most of the readers liked the subject but felt the chronological arrangement of the book made it difficult and confusing. We had Martha Washington's candies and Abigail Adam's Indian Pudding for refreshments.
Summary: Struggling to reclaim his career after the devastating murder of his partner eight months earlier, LAPD cop Max Kent is teamed with a traumatized military canine named Maggie who assists Max in an effort to track down his late partner's killer.
February 2017 - Founding Mothers
At our January 30th meeting, we discussed Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. Almost all our readers absolutely loved the book. The fact that it was based on real people and instances only heightened the interest of most of the readers. Discussion centered on surviving World War II and whether this could happen again. Refreshments included coconut washboard cookies and Sernik Babci (Polish cheesecake).
Summary: Founding Mothers is an intimate and illuminating look at the fervently patriotic and passionate women whose tireless pursuits on behalf of their families -- and their country -- proved just as crucial to the forging of a new nation as the rebellion that established it. While much has been written about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, battled the British, and framed the Constitution, the wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters they left behind have been little noticed by history. Roberts brings us the women who fought the Revolution as valiantly as the men, often defending their very doorsteps. While the men went off to war or to Congress, the women managed their businesses, raised their children, provided them with political advice, and made it possible for the men to do what they did. The behind-the-scenes influence of these women -- and their sometimes very public activities -- was intelligent and pervasive. Drawing upon personal correspondence, private journals, and even favored recipes, Roberts reveals the often surprising stories of these fascinating women, bringing to life the everyday trials and extraordinary triumphs of individuals like Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, Deborah Read Franklin, Eliza Pinckney, Catherine Littlefield Green, Esther DeBerdt Reed, and Martha Washington -- proving that without our exemplary women, the new country might never have survived. Social history at its best, Founding Mothers unveils the drive, determination, creative insight, and passion of the other patriots, the women who raised our nation. Roberts proves beyond a doubt that like every generation of American women that has followed, the founding mothers used the unique gifts of their gender -- courage, pluck, sadness, joy, energy, grace, sensitivity, and humor -- to do what women do best, put one foot in front of the other in remarkable circumstances and carry on.
Lilac Girls - January 2017
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.
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.
December 12th Coffee Chat
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:
January 30
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Kelly, Martha Hall
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February 27
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Roberts, Cokie
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March 27
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Crais, Robert
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April 24
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Gilbert, Elizabeth
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May 22
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Horowitz, Anthony
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June 26
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Scalzi, John
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July 31
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Roach, Mary
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August 28
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Benjamin, Melanie
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September 25
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Hood,
Ann
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October 30
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Kiernan, Denise
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November 27
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Hannah, Kristin
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December 11th @ 3pm —Coffee Chat about your
favorite books of 2017
& get our new list for 2018
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