September Book Club Meeting

September Book Club Meeting

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Host: D.J.

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Book: The Last Child, by John Hart

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Response of the Book Club Members: Everyone attending the meeting said that this was the best book read so far this year. The story was intriguing and very unpredictable. The characters were well developed and either likable or very dislikable. Club members spent considerable time trying to determine what year the story took place. Most agreed that it must be sometime in the middle '90s. The main character, 13 year old Johnny, was admired by all the club members for his search for his lost twin sister. And lastly everyone agreed that this was a book that would be worth reading a second time because you could appreciate the setting, the characters and the plot even more the second time around.

August Book Club Meeting

August Book Club Meeting

Host: Carol

Book: The Piano Teacher, by Janice Y. K. Lee

Response of the Book Club Members: Every book club member was unfamiliar with the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong before and during World War II. At the time Hong Kong was a British Crown Colony with the neighboring island of Macau being a Portugeese territory. The book showed how in times of war and deprivation anyone can be reduced to doing immoral things in order to stay alive and to keep other relatives and friends alive.

I personally think that this is a book that you could read a second time to glean more wisdom. I also would enjoy reading another book by this author if she writes a second novel.

July Book Club Meeting

July Book Club Meeting



Host: Delaine



Book: Best Friends, by Jennifer Weiner

Response of the Book Club Members: Only five of the twelve members attended the meeting because of commitments that kept them from attending. Delaine led the discussion and members relived their high school days of friendships made and destroyed. Everyone agreed that high school years are difficult and no one wanted to go back and relive those anxious years. Members thought that the author did a good job of capturing growing up angst and that as we age we are still growing up.

June Book Club Meeting

The candles were lit.
The drinks were ready.

The food was on the table in the breakfast room.
So the guests filled their glasses and their plates and proceeded to the brick patio to both socialize and to discuss the book selection.
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June Book Club Meeting

Host: Joann

Book: The Master Butchers Singing Club, by Louise Erdrich

Response of the Book Club Members: The setting for this book is North Dakota where Fidelis Waldvogel, a German immigrant who processed thru Ellis Island begins his hardscrabble American life in 1922. The book references back to Germany in World War I and proceeds slowly and then rather rapidlyly thru World War II where some of Fidelis's sons are fighting on both sides of the conflict in Germany. The book ends with scenes of post World War II in Germany and America.

The book club members were fascinated by some of the amazing characters in this book: Fidelis, Eva, Delphine, Cyprian, Marcus and Step-in-a-Half. Louise Erdrich, the author who is part German, part French and part North American Plains Indian managed to weave lots of history of Jews and Germany into this story.

May Book Club Meeting

May Book Club Meeting

Host: Bev

Book: Ford County, by John Grisham

Response of the Book Club Members: This John Grisham book had seven stories. Here are the titles:

1. Blood Drive
2. Fetching Raymond
3. Fish Files
4. Casino
5. Michael's Room
6. Quiet Haven
7. Funny Boy

Everyone liked all these stories that had the state of Mississippi as the setting. "Blood Drive" was a wild redneck read. "Fish Files" and "Casino" had very clever main characters. "Funny Boy" gave everyone food for thought since it dealt with aids in the south in the '80s.

Everyone enjoyed the southern dishes Bev served us for the meeting. Bev and husband Shorty's version of Paula Dean's recipe for shrimp and scallop lasagna was awesome. I want the recipe!

April Book Club Meeting

April Book Club Meeting



Host: Cindy



Book: The Help, by Kathryne Stockett



Response of the Book Club Members: The book club members dearly loved this novel set in the Mississippi delta in the twentieth century and dealing with the trials, tribulations, joys, and sorrows of being the black "help" serving the white "plantation owners" and raising the children of the "plantation owners". One line that summed up the situation was when one of the maids noted that the babies love us now but they will grow up and treat us just like their parents treat us now.

March Book Club Meeting

March Book Club Meeting


Host: Teresa


Book: All the Presidents' Children, by Doug Wead


Response of the Book Club Members: All the members of the book club enjoyed learning about the lives of the children of the U.S. presidents and discovered many similarities between the children. Everyone agreed that following in the footsteps of a father who was president would be very challenging to say the least. The club spent most of the evening discussing George W. Bush's life and years in the White House since the author of the book, Doug Wead, had previously worked for both Bush presidents and he and his lovely wife joined us later in the evening to discuss the book and his time spent with the various members of the Bush family.