May 2009 Selection

In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the "coolest girl in the world" moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all---beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamor and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable.

So begins Kristin Hannah’s magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives.

Firefly Lane is for anyone who ever drank Boone’s Farm apple wine while listening to Abba or Fleetwood Mac. More than a coming-of-age novel, it’s the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It’s about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you---and knows what has the power to hurt you…and heal you. Firefly Lane is a story you’ll never forget…one you’ll want to pass on to your best friend.

Sandra chose this book from the General Fiction Genre.  

The Book Snobs Gathering
The Snobs gathered at Sandra's house on Tuesday,May 26.  The Snobs brought photos showing how we looked in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.  We shared the photos over yummy Mango Margaritas and delicious appetizers.  Dinner was classic comfort food in the form of Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni and Tuna Casserole.  Just like Kate's mom made when Tully and Cloud moved into the neighborhood.  This book made for excellent discussion of the relationships between best friend and family members.  We were happy to welcome Amy, Janna's sister-in-law, to our gathering.

April 2009 Selection

Some women are addicted to shopping, others can't get enough of champagne. Some like to curl up with a good book and others want a night out on the town. But there's just one thing Lucy Lombard can't live without and that's chocolate - rich, creamy, sweet, delicious chocolate.

For her there's no substitute. There's nothing it won't cure, from heartache to a headache, and she's not alone. Sharing her passion are three other addicts: Autumn, Nadia and Chantal. Together they form a select group known as The Chocolate Lovers' Club. Whenever there's a crisis, they meet in their sanctuary, a café called Chocolate Heaven, and with a cheating boyfriend, who promises he'll change; a flirtatious boss; a gambling husband and a loveless marriage, there's always plenty to discuss...

By turns hilarious and heart-rending, The Chocolate Lovers' Club brings together four unforgettable women from totally different worlds united in their passion for chocolate.

The Chocolate Lovers' Club was selected by Lisa for the Food genre. 

The Book Snobs Gathering

The Snobs gathered at Lisa's house on Monday, April 27 for chocolate and discussion.  Saying we had chocolate is more than an understatement. Lisa put together a chocolate buffet, nay a chocolate feast!  There was chocolate pudding, chocolate cookies, many varieties of chocolate candies and a chocolate fountain with fruit, pretzels and marshmallows for dipping.  There were also chocolate biscuits and fruit, yogurt and granola.  The centerpiece of the buffet was a delicious chocolate fudge praline cake.  And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the chocolate martinis.  Oh, yeah, we had a chicken salad too.  Discussion was lively and a lot of fun.  We laughed a lot as we discussed such topics as what kind of chocolate we would be and how the characters in the book didn't seem to gain weight even though they ate chocolate almost constantly. It's about 24 hours later, and I'm just now regaining consciousness from my chocolate coma.  We all agreed that we should open our own "Chocolate Heaven" in our town.

March 2009 Selection

The March 2009 selection is Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. 

Never before in the history of publishing has a fiction or non-fiction book spent as much time on The New York Times Bestseller List as Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.   This book reads like a thoroughly engrossing novel, it is actually a magical non-fiction rendering of a secluded and hauntingly beautiful city in which an infamous murder took place.  The book contains one beguiling and outrageous story after another--all true--in which Berendt offers up a rogue's gallery of true-life rascals, eccentrics and proper society folk who live behind the stately facades of Savannah's grandest houses.

This book was selected by Marta for the "Crime" genre.

The Book Snobs Gathering
The Snobs gathered at Marta's home on Monday, April 6th for dinner and discussion.  Marta served a delicious classically southern dinner of home fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn on the cob and hot rolls.For dessert we enjoyed peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream.  We were greeted with "graveside" martinis and piano music to set the mood.  The group was small, but, as always, the discussion was interesting.  Discussion centered around whether Jim was guilty of murder or not.  We also focused on the characters in this non-fiction book and how their lives were and were not linked.  Everyone present agreed that the Lady Chablis was the favorite character in this story.

February 2009 Selection

The February 2009 selection is Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence.   

Perhaps the most famous of Lawrence's novels, the 1928 Lady Chatterley's Lover is no longer distinguished for the once-shockingly explicit treatment of its subject matter--the adulterous affair between a sexually unfulfilled upper-class married woman and the game keeper who works for the estate owned by her wheelchaired husband. Now that we're used to reading about sex, and seeing it in the movies, it's apparent that the novel is memorable for better reasons: namely, that Lawrence was a masterful and lyrical writer, whose story takes us bodily into the world of its characters.

This book was selected by Vicki for the "Classics" genre.

The Book Snobs Gathering
The Book Snobs gathering was held on Monday, February 23.  We enjoyed a dinner of Baked Ziti and Greek Salad with ice cream and sugar cookies for dessert.  We agreed that this was not one of our favorite selections, but the discussion was interesting.  Most of us struggled with the dialect.

Janna shared excerpts from "Apropos of Lady Chatterley's Lover."  This essay, written by D. H. Lawrence provides insights into the characters that clarify some of the book's story line.  Anyone who reads LCL should include this essay.

January 2009 Selection

The January 2009 selection is Left to Tell - Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.

Immaculée Ilibagiza was born in Rwanda and studied Electronic and Mechanical Engineering at the National University of Rwanda. Her life transformed dramatically in 1994 during the Rwanda genocide when she and seven other women huddled silently together in a cramped bathroom of a local pastor’s house for 91 days! During this horrific ordeal, Immaculée lost most of her family, but she survived to share the story and her miraculous transition into forgiveness and a profound relationship with God.

This book was selected by Janna for the "Current Events" genre.

The Book Snobs Gathering
The Book Snobs gathering was held at Janna's home on January 26.  She served yummy chicken enchiladas, broccoli and raisin salad, and a selection of wine.  Discussion covered a wide range of topics including the U.S. governments lack of intervention in Rwanda and how we each might react if our own faith was so tested.

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.