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

November 2018 Host:  Jennie

Dark Matter:  A Novel by Blake Crouch

Summary

This is the story of Jason Dessen who is living a satisfying life with a loving wife and son, until he is kidnapped and taken to a research lab where people he has never met claim to know him.  Dessen discovers the way of travel through parallel worlds and fights to get back to his wife and son.  He discovers alternate worlds created from decisions that he made in the past and discovers hundreds of other Jasons in these worlds who chose the paths that the original Jason did not take.  This was an incredibly satisfying/mind blowing sci-fi/thriller and we highly recommend this book.

Menu

Spaghetti with meat sauce

Green beans with goat cheese and almonds

Carmel Apple Cheesecake

October 2018 Host:  Stephanie

The Mist by Stephen King

Summary

A small Maine town becomes enshrouded in a mist after terrifying thunder storms.  Within the mist are creatures who are bloodthirsty and try to get at humans who have locked themselves in buildings in order to avoid the creatures.  Stephen King brings to life the characters who are reacting to the situation as it happens.  This is a great short story and will keep you scared until the very end although some will not like the non-concrete ending. I totally forgot to take pics.

September 2018 Host:  Sara

Artemis by Andy Weir

Menu:  Lunch at The White Chocolate Grill

Summary

Author of ‘The Martian’ Andy Weir writes a second novel ‘Artemis’ which is based on the moon, but very different from his first book.  This is the story of Jazz, who lives on the moon which is populated by the very rich who can afford to live there, and the very poor who work on the moon.  She is a porter who makes very little and smuggles for extra income.  Eventually she is offered a very dangerous and illegal job with a huge payoff which leads her to discover who really is in power and who controls economic policy on Artemis.  This story is light, at times humorous, fast moving, and a gripping tale.

August 2018 Host:  Stephanie

Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford

Summary

In this story, a young Chinese-American boy is sold by his mother in order to give him a better life during a time of famine in China.  He boards a freighter bound for the United States and ends up at a boy’s school.  When he becomes rebellious, he ends up being raffled off at the 1910 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle. He is purchased by the madame of a house in the red-light district and befriends two girls, one of which will play a big part in his future.  The author then weaves the main character’s later years into the story with the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair as the backdrop.  This is a beautiful story with very well developed characters.  

Menu

Lunch at Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant