November 2019 Host:  Nancy

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Setepys

Summary

This is a young adult historical fiction book that details the 1941 invasion by the Soviet Union of Lithuania and other Baltic countries.  Hundreds of Lithuanians were rounded up, condemned, and sent to Siberia to work camps.  Thousands died during this ordeal.  This is the story of Lina, a young girl and her family who eventually are sent via cattle car to a work camp in the Arctic Circle.  Lina and her family face starvation, exposure to the extreme cold, disease, and abuse by the Russian soldiers.  Lina uses her artistic talent to try and reach her dad to let him know where they are.  This is an incredibly powerful story gleaned from first-hand accounts of those who endured the Baltic Genocide.  This is a book that stays with you after you read it and is both inspiring and incredibly sad.

Menu

Cocktails

Tandoori Style Chicken

Rice with Lentils

Eggnog Dip with Vanilla Wafers

October 2019 Host:  Colleen

The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Summary

This novel is set in the early 1900's and tells the tale of Anthony and Gloria Patch.  Anthony has no desire to work as he is set to inherit a fortune from his grandfather and Gloria survives partly on her beauty.  Nothing really mattered to these two except drinking, partying, and spending money that they didn’t have.  When their money eventually runs out, they find themselves friendless.  Many have mixed feelings about this book as the characters are at times vacuous and vain and the first part of the book is difficult to get through.  This novel gives us a glimpse into early high society in New York City and the entitlement that goes along with it.  Much of this novel is said to have been drawn from Fitzgerald’s own life and marriage.  

Menu

Veggies and Dip

Potato Casserole

Chicken Pot Pie

Cupcakes

 

September 2019 Host:  Jennie

The Alice Network:  A Novel by Kate Quinn

Summary

This is an outstanding piece of historical fiction that is based on real events that occurred during World War I.  The Alice Network is about a group of female spies operating out of German-occupied France who gather information on German troops, their movements, and battle plans.  These women are incredibly brave and often have to think quickly on their feet to not get caught, or worse.  The story centers on two women, Eve and Charlotte.  Eve was a former spy in the Alice Network and in the present drinks too much whisky in an attempt to escape the demons of her past.  Charlotte is a young woman who has disgraced her family by coming home from college carrying a child and is  being escorted by her mother to Switzerland to take care of the problem; after a brief stay in France.  Finn, who is a Scotsman, World War II vet, and ex-convict, works for Eve as her driver and cook, and removes bullets from her luger nightly to protect her.  All three character’s lives become intertwined as they drive across France hoping to set right wrongs from the past.  This is a real page turner and an excellent introduction to the queen of spies.  Highly recommend this book. 

  

Mushroom Tartlets

Cornbread

Roasted Cauliflower

Pulled Pork

August 2019 Host:  Stephanie

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Summary

This is a fun Agatha Christie like mystery and the main character, Lo Blacklock, is a journalist for a travel magazine and lands an assignment that puts her on a luxury cruise with a handful of other travelers.  Lo has a ton of personal issues such as depression, boyfriend issues, and drinks more than she should.  Her psychological issues are brought to the fore when her apartment is broken into just before she leaves for the cruise.  On her first night on the cruise, she is awoken in the middle of the night and goes out to her balcony and thinks she sees a body in the water.  She lets others know on the ship, but they don’t believe her as there is no one missing from the ship.  This is a very addictive mystery and you won’t know who the real killer is until the very end.  Highly recommend for mystery buffs.

Menu

Grilled Chicken and Cheesy Brats

Squash Casserole

Pasta Salad

Fruit Salad

Carrot Cake

June 2019 Host:  Sarah

Educated by Tara Westover

Summary

This is a true story of a woman growing up off-the-grid with no birth certificate or education in a survivalist family in rural Idaho.  Some members of the family are violent and some mentally unstable.  The father inflicts his madness and violence on the family and a brother inflicts his brutal terrorism on members of the family.  Some of the seven siblings try to flee this madness but often fail.  This novel is at times difficult to read as she recalls terrible accidents at her father’s scrapyard, on the highway, and at construction sites.  Eventually the author goes to college and for the first time learns about the civil rights movement, feminism, and the holocaust.  She struggled to learn the simplest skills of being a college student but eventually goes on to earn her Ph.d.  She continues to love her parents and struggles to understand the huge differences between herself and her deranged and domineering father as well as her brother and mother who played dominant roles in her upbringing.  Although at times disturbing, this book gives you much to think about and will stay with you for a long time.

Menu

Vodka Lemonade

Ham hock and Mashed Potato Pizze

Raspberry Delight

May 2019 Host:  Megan

Ubik by Philip K. Dick

Summary

This is truly a difficult novel to explain. While reading it, one oftentimes must backtrack to grasp what is happening, as there are many bizarre events and futuristic concepts. An example is amphetamine dispensing vending machines.  The year is set in 1992 and the main character is Joe Chip, a technician working for a business that employs psychics to block precog mind infiltration.  One of his newly hired coworkers is a woman named Pat Conley, who has the ability to go back in time and alter events. Characters can communicate with some of the dead who are in a ‘half-life’ state through cryonic suspension.  These characters, along with a group of others, go to the moon to visit associates.  When they return to earth, strange things begin to happen, such as fresh food becoming moldy and technology rapidly moving backward.  This is where Ubik comes in.  This story engages you from the beginning and although at times is difficult to understand, it is highly recommended and one of Time’s best 100 English language novels.

April 2019 Host:  Stephanie

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

Summary

What can we say about this 150-plus year old tale that continues to appeal to both children and adults.  This strange tale of a young girl falling down a rabbit hole and the trials and tribulation she must face is beautifully illustrated and a fun read even as an adult…so if you haven’t read it do so and if you have read it, read it again, you will enjoy it even more as an adult. 

March 2019 Host:  Jaci

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrick Backman

Summary

This story is told from the perspective of a precocious 7-year old girl named Elsa who frequently gets bullied in school and because of this, her best friend is her grandmother who is a retired physician.  Grandma is mischievous and lives life to the fullest.  She introduces Elsa to “the land of the almost awake” where they both escape reality.  When grandma dies of cancer, Elsa must follow her instructions and deliver a number of mysterious letters to different people who live in the same group of flats as her.  Elsa soon finds out more about the people who live around her and how grandma took them in under different circumstances, some from half-way around the world.  The author’s creativity and imagination are captivating and entertaining.  There is also plenty of humor in this story and the ending is very neatly tied up.  Highly recommend it even if you don’t like fairy tales. 

Menu

Barbecue Chicken

Condiments

Mashed Potatoes

February 2019 Host:  Nancy

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

From the 1930's through 1950, Georgia Tann ran the Tennessee Children’s Home Society and shockingly acquired adoptees through kidnapping and subterfuge and sold them to celebrities, politicians, and whoever could afford them.  This is based on a true story and the adoptions were all done under the guise of providing orphaned children good homes.  The children taken from porches, hospitals, and even the side of the road were warehoused and often abused, molested, and barely fed before being brokered to a family.  A large number of children were killed.  This novel tells two stories; one set in the 1930s (following the lives of five siblings who live on a shanty boat) and also present day where the daughter born into a family of famous politicians begins researching a mysterious photograph she finds in her grandmother’s home.  The two stories come together at the end with a surprising twist.  It was interesting learning about a part of history that most of us are unaware of.  This story is compelling, well written, and one of those books that is hard to put down. It will definitely leave an impact on the reader and is a story not to be forgotten.

Menu

Wedding Soup

Italian Subs

Cookies and Cupcakes

January 2019 Host:  Colleen

The Great American Read/PBS

For this book club it was decided that we all pick a book or two or three from the Great American Read top 100 books.  We had an awesome brunch and were having such a good time that I forgot to take pictures.  We even gained a new member this month.  Here is a list of all the books we each chose and read.  (We also discussed doing this again at a future club.)

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Call of the Wild by Jack London

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

1984 by George Orwell

The Coldest Winter Every by Sister Souljah