December 2008

In December we decided to take a month off from reading as a group. We met for dinner at Luciano's Restaurant. We enjoyed wine and delicious Italian food along with excellent company and conversation. In lieu of a gift exchange, each of us contributed to a gift for the Corpus Christi Literacy Council. Our donation will sponsor beginning reading workbooks for four adults who are learning to read.

November 2008 Selection

The November 2008 selection is The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian.

When college sophomore Laurel Estabrook is attacked while riding her bicycle through Vermont’s back roads, her life is forever changed. Formerly outgoing, Laurel withdraws into her photography and begins to work at a homeless shelter. There she meets Bobbie Crocker, a man with a history of mental illness and a box of photographs that he won’t let anyone see. When Bobbie dies suddenly, Laurel discovers that he was telling the truth: before he was homeless, Bobbie Crocker was a successful photographer who had indeed worked with such legends as Chuck Berry, Robert Frost, and Eartha Kitt.

As Laurel’s fascination with Bobbie’s former life begins to merge into obsession, she becomes convinced that some of his photographs reveal a deeply hidden, dark family secret. Her search for the truth will lead her further from her old life—and into a cat-and-mouse game with pursuers who claim they want to save her.

In this spellbinding literary thriller, rich with complex and compelling characters—including Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan—Chris Bohjalian takes readers on his most intriguing, most haunting, and most unforgettable journey yet.

The Book Snobs Gathering
The Book Snobs gathered for dinner and discussion at Claudia's home. This book an excellent choice for discussion. There was a lively discussion about which characters were real and which were fictional. We found the author's web site very helpful in answering our questions and guiding our discussion.

October 2008 Selection

In October 2008 we read The Woman in Black by Susan Hill.woman in black

Eel Marsh house stands alone, surveying the windswept salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway. Once, Mrs Alice Drablow lived here as a recluse. Now, Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor with a London firm, is summoned to attend her funeral, unaware of the tragic and terrible secrets which lie behind the house's shuttered windows.

It is not until he glimpses a young woman with a wasted face, dressed all in black, at the funeral, that a sense of profound unease begins to creep over him and take hold, a feeling deepened by the reluctance of the locals to talk about the woman in black or what happens whenever she is seen.

And Kipps has to stay on in the lonely house, sorting out Mrs. Drablow's papers, when the mist begins to enshroud both it and its surrounding graveyard and the high tide cuts it off from the world beyond.

The Book Snobs Gathering

This month's book was selected by Theresa. We gathered at Teresa's home on October 27 for a memorial service for Mrs. Drablow and to discuss The Woman in Black. She served delicious home-made soup and a selection of sandwich fixings with a decidely British twist.

September 2008 Selection

In September 2008 we read The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.


Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.

Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.

What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.

For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story.

The Book Snobs Gathering

The Glass Castle was selected by Della. The Book Snobs met at her home on Monday, September 29. Della served a buffet of slider-size sandwiches and sides accompanied by wine and margaritas. This book was great for discussion. We could hardl "save our comments" the group session. Discussion was lively and often included personal experiences that were similar to those experienced by the characters in the book.

August 2008 Selection

The August 2008 selection for Book Snobs is Veil of Roses by Laura Fitzgerald.

This compelling debut follows one spirited young woman from the confines of Iran to the intoxicating freedom of America—where she discovers not only an enticing new country but the roots of her own independence. . . .

Tamila Soroush wanted it all. But in the Islamic Republic of Iran, dreams are a dangerous thing for a girl. Knowing they can never come true, Tami abandons them. . . . Until her twenty-fifth birthday, when her parents give her a one-way ticket to America, hoping she will “go and wake up her luck.” If they have their way, Tami will never return to Iran . . . which means she has three months to find a husband in America. Three months before she’s sent back for good.

From her first Victoria’s Secret bra to her first ride on a motor scooter to her first country line-dance, Tami drinks in the freedom of an American girl. Inspired to pursue her passion for photography, she even captures her adventures on film. But looming over her is the fact that she must find an Iranian-born husband before her visa expires. To complicate matters, her friendship with Ike, a young American man, has grown stronger. And it is becoming harder for Tami to ignore the forbidden feelings she has for him.

It’s in her English as a second language classes that Tami finds a support system. With the encouragement of headstrong Eva, loyal Nadia, and Agata and Josef, who are carving out a love story of their own, perhaps Tami can keep dreaming—and find a way to stay in America.

The Book Snobs Gathering
The Books Snobs met at Sandra's on Wednesday, August 20th. She served delicious chicken flautas with all the trimmings along with margaritas. (It was close to chicken burritos.) We enjoyed a lively discussion about Veil of Roses and the freedoms American women often take for granted.

July 2008 Selection

The July 2008 selection for Book Snobs is Something Blue by Emily Giffin, the sequel to Something Borrowed.

This is a novel that shows how someone with a ‘perfect life' can lose it all—and then find everything. Darcy Rhone thought she had it all figured out: the more beautiful the girl, the more charmed her life. Never mind substance. Never mind playing by the rules. Never mind karma. But Darcy's neat, perfect world turns upside down when her best friend, Rachel, the plain-Jane “good girl,” steals her fiancé, while Darcy finds herself completely alone for the first time in her life…with a baby on the way.

Darcy tries to recover, fleeing to her childhood friend living in London and resorting to her tried-and-true methods for getting what she wants. But as she attempts to recreate her glamorous life on a new continent, Darcy finds that her rules no longer apply. It is only then that Darcy can begin her journey toward self-awareness, forgiveness, and motherhood.

Something Blue is a novel about one woman's surprising discoveries about the true meaning of friendship, love, and happily-ever-after. It's a novel for anyone who has ever, even secretly, wondered if the last thing you want is really the one thing you need.

The Book Snobs Gathering
Marta hosted the group on July 29th. The group enjoyed a baby shower complete with two cakes. After all we were expecting twin boys! The discussion included a comparison between the two books in the series and focused on whether motherhood could actually cause a woman to change her personality. The evening ended with party favors for all - Baby Blue Hershey's Kisses, of course.

June 2008 Selection

The June 2008 selection for our club was Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin.

Something Borrowed tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl---until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy's fiancé.

Although she wakes up determined to put the one-night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. As the September wedding date nears, Rachel knows she has to make a choice. In doing so, she discovers that the lines between right and wrong can be blurry, endings aren't always neat, and sometimes you have to risk all to win true happiness.

The Book Snobs Gathering

Something Borrowed made for a great discussion. We met on June 30th at Lisa's house for a "wedding reception" complete with wedding cake and a champagne toast.

May 2008 Selection

Our May 2008 selection was My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Piccoult.
Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate - a life and a role that she has never questioned… until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister - and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable… a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves. My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life… even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less?

The Book Snobs Gathering
Book Snobs met at Vicki's house for Sangria and Tapas. Discussion centered around medical ethics and how parent's differentiate among their children. Discussion was lively, but many of us felt that while this was an excellent read, the subject matter was kind of a downer.

April 2008 Selection

In April 2008 we read The Summer I Dared by Barbara Delinsky.

What comes after the moment that changes your life forever? This is the question that haunts Julia Bechtel, Noah Prine, and Kim Colella, the only survivors of a horrific boating accident off the coast of Maine.

Julia, a 40-year-old wife and mother, has always done exactly what others expect of her. In the aftermath of her brush with death, though, she realizes that there has to be more to life than obedience.

Feeling strangely connected to Noah, the divorced, taciturn lobsterman who helped save her life, and to Kim, a 21-year-old, whose role in the accident -- and subsequent muteness -- are a mystery, Julia begins to explore her feelings in ways she has never done. With each new discovery, she grows ever more sure that after coming face to face with death, she must have more from life.

Set on the picturesque Maine coast, where lobstermen leave with the tides each morning to haul and set traps, and neighbors gather each night to feast on the catch of the day, The Summer I Dared is a story of the risky but rewarding search for self. Ultimately, it is a story of survival, of the irrepressible ability of the human spirit to rebound from disaster and make life anew.

The Book Snobs Gathering
Kathy hosted the Book Snobs for wine and lobster rolls. We had a great discussion about how a traumatic event can change your life and how many of us often just settle for where we are in life instead of going for what we want.

March 2008 Selection

In March 2008, we read Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen.

As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie.

It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

The Book Snobs Gathering
We met at Janna's home for all the traditional circus foods like corn dogs, popcorn, cotton candy, cracker jacks, etc. During the discussion, most of us admitted that this was a book we would not have normally chosen to read. But everyone agreed that it was excellent reading. This book has well-developed characters including Rosie, the elephant. We all enjoyed learning about circus life and the great depression.

February 2008 Selection

Our first selection in February 2008 was Cecilia Ahern's P.S. I Love You.
Holly is a young Irish woman who has just lost her husband. She struggles with what to do with her life now that the love of her life is gone. She struggles to get up each morning. She doesn't leave the house anymore or talk to her family and friends. Her mother calls one day to tell her that she has a package and needs to pick up. Holly gets it and realizes that it contains letters from her husband that he wrote before he died.

There are 10 letters each containing some instruction on what to do now that he is gone. She is only allowed to read one letter a month and each one comes with instructions about what to do now that he is gone. These are things she wouldn't have done if he were still alive, but because they are from him she abides by his wishes. All the while she realizes that even though he is gone he is still with her in spirit and she must go on with her life.

Holly finds a job, meets new people and trys to keep life normal. She goes out partying with friends and goes on vacation. She wrestles with the possiblity of starting a new romance. All the while trying to stay true to her husband. In the end she realizes life does go on. Her husband wants her to be an independent lover of life. He wouldn't be disappointed if she went on to be happy without him.

The Book Snobs Gathering
We kicked off the book club at Claudia's house. She served yummy drinks along with some really great desserts. It gave all of us a chance to meet and greet each other. Claudia gave us some background information about the author and led the discussion.