June 2011 Selection

Claudia has selected Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier as our June reading selection.

From Strand Magazine:

"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." The opening line to Daphne du Maurier’s most famous novel, Rebecca is one of the great opening lines in English fiction. In one stroke, du Maurier establishes the voice, the locale, and the dream-like atmosphere of the story. It’s not surprising that Alfred Hitchcock used the same opening line for his celebrated cinematic adaptation of the novel—one which many critics feel is among his most accomplished. Although Daphne du Maurier was one of the most popular authors of her day and wrote or edited dozens of books—biographies, plays, and collections of letters as well as works of fiction— she is best remembered today for only a handful of novels including, of course, Rebecca.

The novel Rebecca is a curious hybrid—a mixture of romance, murder mystery, and the Gothic. The romance ... is at the core of the novel. A naive young woman—interestingly never named in the novel—is alone in the world (a paid companion to an older, coarser, social-climbing woman) until she meets the handsome, wealthy, and recently widowed Maxim de Winter. He had been married, we are told early on, to the accomplished, beautiful Rebecca who tragically died in a boating accident off the south coast of Cornwall near the de Winter family estate of Manderley. An older, distraught wealthy man meets a younger, callow impoverished woman whom he decides to marry in order to restore his mental health—the plot is common to any number of traditional English romantic novels, most obviously Jane Eyre.

The Book Snobs Gathering

Monday, June 27
Claudia's home
Details will be emailed

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.

August 2009 Selection

Sometimes dying with the truth is better than living with a lie.

After a car accident puts Shauna McAllister in a coma and wipes out six months of her memory, she returns to her childhood home to recover, but her arrival is fraught with confusion.

Her estranged father, a senator bidding on the White House, and her abusive stepmother blame Shauna for the tragedy, which has left her beloved brother severely brain damaged. Leaning on Wayne Spade, a forgotten but hopeful lover who stays by her side, Shauna tries to sort out what happened that night by jarring her memory to life. Instead, she acquires a mysterious mental ability that will either lead her to truth or get her killed by the people trying to hide it.

In this blind game of cat and mouse that stares even the darkest memories in the face, Shauna is sure of only one thing: if she remembers, she dies.

Kiss was selected by Claudia for the Suspense/Thriller genre.  

The Book Snobs Gathering

The Snobs gathered at Claudia's home on August 31.  Claudia served a delicious Green Bean and Chicken Casserole.  Instead of our traditional discussion, each Snob drew a question from a bowl, read the question, gave her own answer, then led the discussion of that topic.  As usual, discussion was lively and opinions varied.