June

Nola has chosen our book for June, The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore

Here's some information about the book: 

The glamorous world of a silent film star’s wife abruptly crumbles when she’s forcibly quarantined at the Carville Lepers Home in this page-turning story of courage, resilience, and reinvention set in 1920s Louisiana and Los Angeles. Based on little-known history, this timely book will strike a chord with readers of Fiona Davis, Tracey Lange, and Marie Benedict.

* A 2023 Silicon Valley Reads Selection *
* Reader's Digest Editor's Choice *

For Mirielle West, a 1920’s socialite married to a silent film star, the isolation and powerlessness of the Louisiana Leper Home is an unimaginable fall from her intoxicatingly chic life of bootlegged champagne and the star-studded parties of Hollywood’s Golden Age. When a doctor notices a pale patch of skin on her hand, she’s immediately branded a leper and carted hundreds of miles from home to Carville, taking a new name to spare her family and famous husband the shame that accompanies the disease.

At first she hopes her exile will be brief, but those sent to Carville are more prisoners than patients and their disease has no cure. Instead she must find community and purpose within its walls, struggling to redefine her self-worth while fighting an unchosen fate.

As a registered nurse, Amanda Skenandore’s medical background adds layers of detail and authenticity to the experiences of patients and medical professionals at Carville – the isolation, stigma, experimental treatments, and disparate community. A tale of repulsion, resilience, and the Roaring ‘20s, The Second Life of Mirielle West is also the story of a health crisis in America’s past, made all the more poignant by the author’s experiences during another, all-too-recent crisis. 

We will meet on Tuesday June 20 at 7:30 to discuss the book. Hope to see you there. 

May

Amy chose our book for May. We will be reading My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. 

Here's some information about the book:

The first book Gerald Durrell's Corfu Trilogy: a bewitching account of a rare and magical childhood on the island of Corfu, now the inspiration for The Durrells in Corfu on Masterpiece PBS

When the unconventional Durrell family can no longer endure the damp, gray English climate, they do what any sensible family would do: sell their house and relocate to the sunny Greek isle of Corfu. My Family and Other Animals was intended to embrace the natural history of the island but ended up as a delightful account of Durrell’s family’s experiences, from the many eccentric hangers-on to the ceaseless procession of puppies, toads, scorpions, geckoes, ladybugs, glowworms, octopuses, bats, and butterflies into their home. 

April - The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

Tracie has picked The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate for our April book discussion.  We will meet Tuesday April 18, at 7:30 at Debby's house to discuss the book. 

Here is a little bit about the book: 

Calpurnia Virginia Tate is eleven years old in 1899 when she wonders why the yellow grasshoppers in her Texas backyard are so much bigger than the green ones. With a little help from her notoriously cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist, she figures out that the green grasshoppers are easier to see against the yellow grass, so they are eaten before they can get any larger. As Callie explores the natural world around her, she develops a close relationship with her grandfather, navigates the dangers of living with six brothers, and comes up against just what it means to be a girl at the turn of the century.

Author Jacqueline Kelly deftly brings Callie and her family to life, capturing a year of growing up with unique sensitivity and a wry wit.

 

March 2023 The Night Circus

Sarah Cox has picked our book, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, for March. We will also be meeting a week early on Tuesday March 14, at 7:30 at Debby's house. Hope to see you there. 

Here is some information about the book.  

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Two starcrossed magicians engage in a deadly game of cunning in the spellbinding novel that captured the world's imagination. • "Part love story, part fable ... defies both genres and expectations." —The Boston Globe

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

 

January/February 2023

 

Olivia has chosen The Invincible Miss Cust for our first book in 2023.  Here's a little bit about the book: 

Must-read historical fiction for fans of Marie Benedict and Tracey Enerson Wood, based on the real life of Britain's first woman veterinary surgeon.

Aleen Cust has big dreams. And no one―not her family, society, or the law―will stop her.

Born in Ireland in 1868 to an aristocratic English family, Aleen knows she is destined to work with animals, even if her family is appalled by the idea of a woman pursuing a veterinary career. Going against their wishes but with the encouragement of the guardian assigned to her upon her father's death, Aleen attends the New Veterinary College in Edinburgh, enrolling as A. I. Custance to spare her family the humiliation they fear. At last, she is on her way to becoming a veterinary surgeon! Little does she know her biggest obstacles lie ahead.

The Invincible Miss Cust is based on the real life of Aleen Isabel Cust, who defied her family and society to become Britain and Ireland's first woman veterinary surgeon. Through Penny Haw's meticulous research, riveting storytelling, and elegant prose, Aleen's story of ambition, determination, family, friendship, and passion comes to life. It is a story that, even today, women will recognize, of battling patriarchy and an unequal society to realize one's dreams and pave the way for other women in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.

Due to illnesses, our book club meeting was postponed from January to February. 

Books We've Read in 2022

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Books We Read In 2021

Books we read and discussed in 2021

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

.

Was originally scheduled but do to so many people being out of town, we discussed it in September

October

November

We decided for our December book club we will do what we did last year and instead of reading a book, we'll each bring a favorite Christmas story to read to everyone, like a grown up Christmas story time. Please bring a favorite (short-ish) Christmas story and a favorite Christmas treat to share.

We will also be doing an optional book exchange. Should you choose to participate, please bring a wrapped book, perhaps your favorite read of the year or a good book you read awhile ago. Then we'll play a fun game to swap them.

Hot Chocolate Bar all set up. Everyone brought treats to share too. 

Katie and Izzy

Sarah, Jess and her sister

Liz, Alecia, Olivia

Nola and Liz

Fun night at book club tonight!

Books swapped at our book exchange:

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

Dance of Thieves by Mary E Pearson

One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus

Christmas Dessert Murder by Joann Fluke

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

Crave by Tracy Wolff

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman