January 2015 Book Group Meeting

First of all, what happened to the December meeting? Well, the November meeting was held in early December and so the December meeting will be in early January.  Very early January. January 2nd, to be exact. Don't forget.  I will remind you at the end of this blog entry. 

We will be reading Digital Fortress, by Dan Brown. This is the same Dan Brown who brought us Angels and Demons, and The DaVinci Code.  Here's a brief plot run-down:  

When the NSA's invincible code-breaking machine encounters a mysterious code it cannot break, the agency calls its head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, a brilliant, beautiful mathematician. What she uncovers sends shock waves through the corridors of power. The NSA is being held hostage--not by guns or bombs -- but by a code so complex that if released would cripple U.S. intelligence. Caught in an accelerating tempest of secrecy and lies, Fletcher battles to save the agency she believes in...

Yadda Yadda.  You get the idea. 
 

Fran will bring the books, Denise will lead the discussion.

Mae will provide snacks.

And here's the date again -- mark your calendars! -- January 2nd.

November Book Group Meeting

Our November meeting will take place on December 5th, 2014. We decided to do this because Thanksgiving got in the way, somehow.  We will be reading In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote. Note that the full title of the book is:

In Cold Blood : a True Account of a Multiple Murder and its Consequences

 Some title, eh? This book was originally published in forty-nine years ago, in 1965, and told the story of a murder that took place on a farm in Kansas in 1959. The library website says that it has been hailed as a masterpiece. 

 The description from Amazon.com: 

On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.

As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.

 And about the meeting -- we have had changes in our dates and responsibilities, so please go check the Book Group schedule.  December 5th, Denise will bring the books and Rachel will lead the discussion. Lisa will bring food (which we commonly refer to as 'snacks'). 

See you there!!

 

August 2014 meeting

This month, we are reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt. This book was published in 1994 by an Esquire writer who discovered it was cheaper to take the train from New York to Savannah for the weekend than to eat dinner in a Manhattan restaurant. And there the story begins.  The Contra Costa Library summary says this:

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story is a sublime and seductive reading experience.  Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, this enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling Southern city is certain to become a modern classic.

To help with the geography of the historic district of Savannah, try this map:
http://www.savannahchamber.com/images/userfiles/sav_hd.pdf

Sheila will be leading the discussion about this book.
Fran will bring book selections.
Kim will bring snacks.

And one more thing.  The meeting will be Friday, August 22. 7:00PM. Same place.
See you there!!

July 2014 Meeting

This month we have a flashback to the past with The Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare. There are many printed versions out there, but the final plan is to watch a movie adaptation of the play at the July meeting.

Lisa recommends the Moonlighting version, although it seemed that the group would probably watch the Richard Burton  / Elizabeth Taylor version - directed by Franco Zeffirelli.

Next meeting is Friday,July 25th, 2014 


Hostess will be Fran
Book selections will be provided by Sheila (and by the way, she will be in Russia, so Lisa has the books and their descriptions)
Facilitator will be Mae, <slight pause> well, maybe Mae gets to hold the remote control.

June 2014 meeting

This month, we are reading A River Runs Through It, by Norman Maclean. This is a novella, therefore shorter than the books we are accustomed to reading. The Contra Costa County Library catalog summary tells us this:

Just as Norman Maclean writes at the end of "A River Runs through It" that he is "haunted by waters," so have readers been haunted by his novella. A retired English professor who began writing fiction at the age of 70, Maclean produced what is now recognized as one of the classic American stories of the twentieth century.

 It was originally published in 1976. The book title is A River Runs Through It and other stories. 

I notice that it is cataloged under "Montana -- Social Life and Customs -- Fiction" as well as "Bildungsroman". Perhaps we can be prepared to discuss the Bildungsroman as literature...  or maybe not. The entire book is about 210 pages long, so the over-achievers may feel free to read all of the stories and compare and contrast. Or not.

Sheila will be the hostess
Mae will bring the books
Lisa will lead our discussion.

The meeting is Friday, June 27th.

May 2014 - we enter our 15th year...

This month we will be reading State of Wonder, by Ann Patchett.  Here's a quick summary from the Contra Costa Library website;

Marina Singh, who's given up her medical practice for the relative quiet of pharmaceutical research, finds her world upturned when she's suddenly sent to the Amazon. A field team there, working on a new drug, has been unresponsive for two years, and Marina's colleague Anders, who has gone to investigate, is reported dead. An adventurous story of science and responsibility from the ever-popular Patchett...

The good news is that there are 30 copies available from Contra Costa, as well as four CD sets.

This will be our fourth book by Ann Patchett. We have read so much Ann Patchett and Ann Tyler, we talked about just reading books by people named Ann.

Our next meeting is Friday, May 30th. Rachel will lead the discussion, Lisa will bring books, and Mae will be our hostess.  

March 28th Meeting

The Story of My Life

For our March 28th meeting, we will be reading The Story of My Life, by Helen Keller. There are literally dozens of copies available in the Contra Costa library system, as well as CD's, for those of us who will want to listen to the book this month.

Rachel will bring food
Denise will bring the April books
Donna will Facilitate

We are coming up on our 14th anniversary in April -- every year we add, the phenomenon of our book group becomes more amazing. Hopefully, a new schedule will be ready for you next month. 

January 24th meeting

FIRST MEETING OF 2014

This month, we are reading The Arrivals, by Meg Mitchell Moore.

Here's a compelling review:

What an intoxicating read! In The Arrivals, Meg Mitchell Moore takes on the age-old topic of parents and children and their children with a fresh perspective, a canny understanding of human emotion, and the absolute best dialogue I have ever read. Both charming and deeply meaningful, this is one book you must not miss. -- Elin Hilderbrand

We will meet on Friday, January 24th. Fran will lead the discussion. Kim will bring February book selections and Donna will bring something to eat.