January 2011 Selection

Becky has selected Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay as the January selection for the Book Snobs. The genre this month is "hostess choice."

Book Browse says this:

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.

Paris, May 2002: On Vel’ d’Hiv’s 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.

Tatiana de Rosnay offers us a brilliantly subtle, compelling portrait of France under occupation and reveals the taboos and silence that surround this painful episode.

 The Book Snobs Gathering

The Book Snobs gathered at Becky's house for drinks, dinner, and discussion on January 31. The hostess served fried chicken with salad and french fries.

Sarah's Key was an excellent book for discussion. All the members reported that they finished it quickly because they couldn't put it down. Discussion centered around the fact that none of us was aware that the ethnic cleansing of the Jews extended to France and was carried out by French citizens under the direction of Nazis. We were touched by the lasting impact on the characters in this book and how the stories from both time periods were woven together.

Sarah's Key is highly recommended reading for anyone, especially for other book clubs.

November 2010 Selection

Sandra has selected Kindred by Octavia Butler as the November selection from the Fantasy genre.

The Best Notes says this about Kindred.

Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is abruptly snatched from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, has summoned her across time to save him from drowning. After this first summons, she is drawn back, again and again, to protect Rufus and ensure he will grow to manhood and father the daughter who will become Dana’s ancestor.

Each time she arrives in the past, Dana’s sojourns will become more and more dangerous because of Rufus’ obsessive need for her. The reader never knows whether she will survive one journey or the next. It’s only when she finally must save herself from rape ... that she is finally freed from the pull of the past.

The Book Snobs Gathering

The Book Snobs gathered at Sandra's home on Monday, November 29 for dinner, drinks and discussion. Sandra served a great salad and delicious homemade lasagna and, of course, a variety of wines.

Kindred was a great book for discussion. The story is of a modern-day black woman, married to a white man, who time travels back to the antebellum south. She is faced with many moral dilemmas as she meets her ancestors both slave and free and must learn to live among them yet still remain a modern American woman. She faces the possibility of changing history which will inevitably change her own future.

October 2010 Selection

Lisa has selected Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez as the October selection from the world literature genre.

Shelfari says "In their youth, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fall passionately in love. When Fermina eventually chooses to marry a wealthy, well-born doctor, Florentino is devastated, but he is a romantic. As he rises in his business career he whiles away the years in 622 affairs--yet he reserves his heart for Fermina. Her husband dies at last, and Florentino purposefully attends the funeral. Fifty years, nine months, and four days after he first declared his love for Fermina, he will do so again. With humorous sagacity and consummate craft, García Márquez traces an exceptional half-century story of unrequited love. Though it seems never to be conveniently contained, love flows through the novel in many wonderful guises--joyful, melancholy, enriching, ever surprising."

The Book Snobs Gathering

The Snobs gathered at Lisa's home on Tuesday, October 26. The Snobs enjoyed dinner of salad and King Ranch Casserole accompanied by a variety of wines. Dessert was delicious banana cream pie.

Most of the Snobs did not actually finish reading Love in the Time of Cholera. Discussion centered around the obsessive love of Florentino Ariza for Fermina Daza and his long series of affairs. We also discussed how he described himself as faithful to her in spite of those affairs. We all wondered what Oprah was thinking when she selected this as one of her favorite books. Most, if not all of the Snobs, strongly disagreed.

September 2010 Selection

Marta has selected the Education of Harriet Hatfield from the Banned Books genre.

Wild Rumpus Books summarizes, "Harriet Hatfield begins a new life at the age of 60 after her lover of 30 years has died and left her comfortably well off. But when Harriet opens a bookstore for women in a blue-collar neighborhood of Boston, she is viciously attacked for her lesbianism. Ms. Sarton's powerful portrayal of the shy, reserved woman's battle becomes a moving statement about the place of the outsider in our world-and the necessity of following the human heart."

The Book Snobs Gathering

Marta hosted the Snobs gathering on Monday, September 27. She served sandwich wraps, pasta salad and a variety of cheeses followed by yummy peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream.

The Education of Harriet Hatfield was an excellent book for discussion. The book was banned from high schools because of it's frank portrayal of homosexuality and the widespread AIDS paranoia of the 1980's. We discussed the changes in societal perceptions of homosexuality. We also talked about the characters in this book and the role that each of them played in developing Harriet's character. One of the final questions of the evening was whether we would allow or teenagers to read this book and whether we would also want it banned. The consensus was that we would definitely allow our own teens to read it, but would need to be ready to answer questions and guide discussions with them.

August 2010 Selection

Vicki has selected The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx. The genre is National Book Award Winners-Fiction.

Shelfari says -- "When Quoyle's two-timing wife meets her just desserts, he retreats with his two daughters to his ancestral home on the starkly beautiful Newfoundland coast, where a rich cast of local characters and family members all play a part in Quoyle's struggle to reclaim his life. As Quoyle confronts his private demons -- and the unpredictable forces of nature and society -- he begins to see the possibility of love without pain or misery. A vigorous, darkly comic, and at times magical portrait of the contemporary North American family, The Shipping News shows why Annie Proulx is recognized as one of the most gifted and original writers in America today."

The Book Snobs Gathering

The Snobs gathered at Vicki's house for dinner and discussion on Tuesday, August 31. A dinner of Salmon and Zucchini baked in parchment was served.

The Snobs discussed the transformation of Quoyle from a weak-willed man with low self-esteem into a sensitive father, a caring relative, and a resourceful member of a small community. We discussed the wounds that both Quoyle and Wavey carried within themselves and the role that our ancestry plays in our character. We also discussed how love helped Quoyle bloom as a person.

Salmon and Zucchini Baked in Parchment Recipe

(For each serving)
1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 slice of red onion
1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces
1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 lemon slice, halved, plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 skinless salmon fillet (6 to 8 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350. Fold a large piece of parchment paper (about 15 by 16 inches) in half to crease it; open, and lay it flat.

On one side of crease, mound zucchini; top with shallot, butter, dill, and lemon slices. Season with salt and pepper. Place salmon on top; drizzle with lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.

To close, fold parchment over salmon; make small overlapping pleats to seal the open sides and create a half-moon-shaped packet. Place on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until salmon is opaque throughout, 15 to 17 minutes.

To serve you can either place the packet on a plate and cut it open, or make a slit in the paper and use a large metal spatula to transfer the contents to a serving plate.

(Note - I added about a quarter cup of pre-cooked rice to each packet.)

July 2010 Selection

Janna has selected The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson. Her genre is New York Times Bestselling Paperbacks.

Publishers Weekly says -- Cases rarely come much colder than the decades-old disappearance of teen heiress Harriet Vanger from her family's remote island retreat north of Stockholm, nor do fiction debuts hotter than this European bestseller by muckraking Swedish journalist Larsson. At once a strikingly original thriller and a vivisection of Sweden's dirty not-so-little secrets (as suggested by its original title, Men Who Hate Women), this first of a trilogy introduces a provocatively odd couple: disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist, freshly sentenced to jail for libeling a shady businessman, and the multipierced and tattooed Lisbeth Salander, a feral but vulnerable superhacker. Hired by octogenarian industrialist Henrik Vanger, who wants to find out what happened to his beloved great-niece before he dies, the duo gradually uncover a festering morass of familial corruption—at the same time, Larsson skillfully bares some of the similar horrors that have left Salander such a marked woman. Larsson died in 2004, shortly after handing in the manuscripts for what will be his legacy.

The Book Snobs Gathering

The Snobs gathered at Janna's house on August 2 for dinner and discussion.  Okay, there was also some wine.  Janna served a delicious "southern smorgasbord" that included ham, biscuits, cucumber salad, 7-layer salad, assorted relishes, corn, and green beans.  We also enjoyed a yummy, but lite, orange cake.

The Snobs were unanimous in liking this book, although some found the subject matter disturbing. We agreed that it got off to a slow start, but once you made it past the first 100 pages, the pace definitely picked up. Everyone's favorite character from the book was Lisbeth Salandar.

Some of the Snobs have already started reading the second book in the series.

June 2010 Selection

The Book Snobs chose to discuss The Other Boleyn Girl in June.  This was not a book that we read as a group, but we chose to discuss it because we realized that all of us had read it over the past couple of years.

“Two sisters competing for the greatest prize: the love of a king."

When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of Henry VIII. However, she soon realizes that she is a pawn in her family's ambitious plots. Eventually the king's interest wanes and Mary is forced to step aside for her sister, Anne. This is the story of love, sex, ambition, and intrigue, Mary Boleyn survived by following her own heart.

The Book Snobs Gathering
The Book Snobs met for margaritas, dinner and discussion at Tequila on Monday, June 28.

Discussion was somewhat limited by the fact that the book was not fresh in our minds.  But we talked about the rivalry between the two sisters, the incest between Anne and George, the role of the Boleyn family in shaping the destiny of both girls, and Queen Catherine of Aragon.

May 2010 Selection

Claudia selected The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas as the May selection for Book Snobs in the classic literature genre.

A classic adventure novel, often considered Dumas' best work, and frequently included on lists of the best novels of all time. Completed in 1844, and released as an 18-part series over the next two years, Dumas collaborated with other authors throughout.  The story takes place in France, Italy, and the Mediterranean from the end of the rule of Napoleon I through the reign of Louis-Philippe.

For Edmond Dantes, life couldn't be better.   At 19, he is soon to be captain of his own ship and about to be married to his true love, Mercedes.  But his life is suddenly turned upside down when on his wedding day he is arrested.  Without a fair trial, he is condemned to solitary confinement in the miserable Chateau d'If.  Soon, it is clear that Edmond has been framed by a handful of powerful enemies, jealous of his success.

The Book Snobs Gathering

The Snobs gathered at Claudia's house on Monday, May 24 at 6:30.  Claudia served a delicious meal of Chicken Spaghetti.

The discussion of The Count of Monte Cristo was challenging.  It became obvious during our discussion that we had not all read the same version of this book.  Some of us read the complete and unabridged version and some read an abridgment.  The story lines of these two books varied widely.

April 2010 Selection

Theresa has selected Dating Dead Men as the April selection in the mystery genre. Here's what Publisher's Weekly says about Dating Dead Men.

The critically acclaimed and multiple award winning debut novel from Harley Jane Kozak, is a fast-paced, flawless blend of romance, comedy, and suspense. Dating Dead Men introduces a writer who is bound to take her place alongside Janet Evanovich and Gillian Roberts—and a heroine as feisty, funny, and unforgettable as Bridget Jones.

Wollie is dating 40 men in 60 days as part of a research project for a bestselling radio personality; the $5,000 fee could help her struggling store, "Wollie's Welcome! Greetings." In particular, Wollie's worried about inspections from national headquarters, who want to ensure that her franchise is up to standard. Her already full plate gets loaded up further when her paranoid schizophrenic brother, P.B., who resides at a mental hospital called Rio Pescado, phones to tell her he's witnessed a murder. The last thing Wollie wants is to call the police, so she dashes off to Rio Pescado. On the way she finds a dead body. At the hospital she picks up a charismatic stranger, "Doc," who's on the run, and Wollie can't help getting herself mixed up in his troubles as well...

The Book Snobs Gathering
The Snobs gathered at Theresa's home on Monday, April 26.  Theresa served delicious homemade Strawberry Daquiris made with fresh strawberries.  For dinner the Snobs were treated to a make-your-own Quesadilla bar and salad.

Dating Dead Men was a fun read and the discussion was entertaining.  This was the first mystery we've read as a group.  We discussed the author's use of red herrings and the interesting characters.  The settings used in this novel were vivid and were an integral part of the story.  Generally, all the Snobs enjoyed this lighthearted mystery.

March 2010 Selection

Around the time Elizabeth Gilbert turned thirty, she went through an early-onslaught midlife crisis. She had everything an educated, ambitious American woman was supposed to want—a husband, a house, a successful career. But instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed with panic, grief, and confusion. She went through a divorce, a crushing depression, another failed love, and the eradication of everything she ever thought she was supposed to be.

To recover from all this, Gilbert took a radical step. In order to give herself the time and space to find out who she really was and what she really wanted, she got rid of her belongings, quit her job, and undertook a yearlong journey around the world—all alone. Eat, Pray, Love is the absorbing chronicle of that year. Her aim was to visit three places where she could examine one aspect of her own nature set against the backdrop of a culture that has traditionally done that one thing very well. In Rome, she studied the art of pleasure, learning to speak Italian and gaining the twenty-three happiest pounds of her life. India was for the art of devotion, and with the help of a native guru and a surprisingly wise cowboy from Texas, she embarked on four uninterrupted months of spiritual exploration. In Bali, she studied the art of balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence. She became the pupil of an elderly medicine man and also fell in love the best way—unexpectedly.

An intensely articulate and moving memoir of self-discovery, Eat, Pray, Love is about what can happen when you claim responsibility for your own contentment and stop trying to live in imitation of society’s ideals. It is certain to touch anyone who has ever woken up to the unrelenting need for change.

The Snobs Gathering
The Snobs gathered at Della's home on Monday, March 29.   As usual, the evening started with a cocktail hour followed by a delicious meal.  Della served Pasta Milano with salad and bread.  The Snobs enthusiastically discussed Eat, Pray, Love.  Opinions on this book were widely varied.  Some of the Snobs thoroughly enjoyed it and others disliked it so much they didn't finish it.  The evening was topped off with brownies and ice cream.

February 2010 Selection

A dangerous homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual slavery.  An upscale art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel.  A gutsy woman with a stubborn dream.  A story so incredible, no novelist would dare dream it.

It begins outside a burning plantation hut in Louisiana... and an East Texas honky-tonk... and, without a doubt, in the heart of God. It unfolds in a Hollywood hacienda... an upscale New York Gallery... a downtown dumpster... a Texas ranch.  Gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality, it also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love.

Same Kind of Different as Me was chosen by Sandra for the "Biography/ Autobiography" genre.

The Snobs Gathering
The Snobs met at Sandra's house on February 22.  As usual, we started with wine and chit-chat.  Our hostess served a delicious dinner of pulled pork sandwiches on onion rolls with homemade Cole slaw.  This book made for excellent discussion  of topics like discrimination and homelessness.  We also discussed prayer and how prayers may be answered.

January 2010 Selection

The Wednesday Letters is the story of Jack and Laurel.  Married 39 years, the Coopers lived a good life and appear to have had a near-perfect relationship.  Then one night, with his wife cradled in his arms, and before Jack takes his last breath, he scribbles his final "Wednesday Letter."   When their three adult children arrive to arrange the funeral, they discover boxes and boxes full of love letters that their father wrote to their mother on every single Wednesday.  As they begin to open and read the letters, the children uncover unimaginable adventures and the shocking truth about their past.   The Wednesday Letters has a powerful message about redemption and forgiveness.  And it just might inspire you to begin writing your own Wednesday Letters.

This book was chosen by Lisa for the "Realistic Fiction" genre.

The Snobs Gathering
The Snobs gathered at Lisa's home for a "wake" in memory of Jack and Laurel Cooper on Monday, January 25.  The Snobs enjoyed a dinner reminiscent of a typical family funeral meal.  Mourners dined on fried chicken, chicken pot pie, twice baked potatoes and chocolate cake.

The Snobs enjoyed their usual enthusiastic discussion.  We talked about each of the main characters and discussed the effect that secrets, often revealed after a loved one's death, can have on those who survive.

It was a lively and enjoyable evening of food, wine and discussion.