July 2011 Meeting

This month, we will be reading Stopover in Venice, by Kathryn Walker. Here is a brief review from BOOKLIST:

Walker’s debut novel is an intriguing mix of romance, art history, and mystery. Fans of Tracy Chevalier will be drawn to Walker’s blending of past and present as she tells the story of Nel, a young woman on tour in Europe with her husband, Antony, a famous musician. Frustrated with her marriage and a life that has become drab, Nel gets off the train they’re taking to Verona and returns to Venice. There she rescues a small dog, an act of mercy that leads her to the dog’s owner, a countess, handsome Matteo, and past mysteries. As Matteo painstakingly uncovers a beautiful fresco in the countess’ home, Nel reads the diaries that turn up in a back room and tell the story of the nuns who once ran a hospital there during the time of the plague. Intrigued by her new friends, a discovery that could shock the art world, and a love story that has survived the ages, Nel begins to understand what she actually wants out of life.

So, we are reading a first novel, and mention of Tracy Chevalier tweaks my interest. Remarkable Creatures was one of this year's books, and it seems most of us enjoyed it...

Take note that the schedule has changed. Lisa will be unable to attend in July and August, so Sherrie and Sheila have moved up a month, and Lisa has dropped down two months. If you are not one of these three people, your schedule is not affected.

Our next meeting is Friday, July 22, 2011

Sherrie is hostess
Rachel will bring book selections
Brooke will lead our discussion

June 2011 Meeting

This month, we are reading The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri

"This first novel is an Indian American saga, covering several generations of the Ganguli family across three decades. Newlyweds Ashoke and Ashima leave India for the Boston area shortly after their traditional arranged marriage. The young husband, an engineering graduate student, is ready to be part of U.S. culture, but Ashima, disoriented and homesick, is less taken with late-Sixties America. She develops ties with other Bengali expatriates, forming lifelong friendships that help preserve the old ways in a new country. When the first Ganguli baby arrives, he is named Gogol in commemoration of a strange, life-saving encounter with the Russian writer's oeuvre. As Gogol matures, his unusual name proves to be a burden, though no more than the tensions and confusions of growing up as a first-generation American. This poignant treatment of the immigrant experience is a rich, stimulating fusion of authentic emotion, ironic observation, and revealing details."

Although this is her first novel, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Interpreter of Maladies, a short story collection that we read in 2007.

Our meeting is Friday, June 24th.

Rachel is the hostess
Brooke is bringing book selections
Denise will lead our discussion.

Members wanted to share their book jacket statement about their book club experience. Original suggesion was a 75 word essay. Please bring 1 copy for everyone. If someone would like to assist with putting these into folders for a keepsake that would be great.