April & May 2013 Selection

Lisa has chosen Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell as our classic selection for April and May.

From the Margaret Mitchell House web site:

Atlanta native Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel, Gone With the Wind, occupies an important place in American literature. After breaking publishing records with one million copies sold within six months, the novel was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, has been translated into over forty languages, and remains one of the best-selling novels of all time.

Even before the book’s publication, producer David O. Selznick had secured the film rights at Mitchell's asking price of $50,000, which was more than any studio had paid for the rights to an author’s first novel.

With its detailed atmosphere of a vanished age, its compelling characters, its forceful narrative, its description of human survival, and its portrayal of the persistence of romantic dreams, Gone With the Wind continues to entertain and sometimes exasperate readers. As well as being a novel of epic proportions, it is valuable as an historical document, though one that should be carefully read. A depiction of life and conflict in the nineteenth-century South, the novel also documents twentieth-century emotions about the region’s past and memories of a way of life that many considered gone with the wind.

March 2013 Selection

Charlene has selected The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman as our March book from the category of general/popular/mainstream fiction.

From Simon & Schuster:

The debut of a stunning new voice in fiction— a novel both heartbreaking and transcendent.

After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.

 Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.

M. L. Stedman’s mesmerizing, beautifully written novel seduces us into accommodating Isabel’s decision to keep this “gift from God.” And we are swept into a story about extraordinarily compelling characters seeking to find their North Star in a world where there is no right answer, where justice for one person is another’s tragic loss.

The Light Between Oceans is exquisite and unforgettable, a deeply moving novel.

The Book Snobs Gathering

We met at Charlene's home on Monday, March 25, for dinner and discussion. Charlene served Australian Meat Pie with salad and, of course, wine.

This novel led to a great discussion which included mental health and post-partum depression. We talked about how isolation could lead to a warped sense of right and wrong and how a decision like the one in this book could have far-reaching impact on other people.

We concluded the evening with a delicious dessert which I believe was called Better-Than-Sex.

February 2013 Selection

Theresa has selected Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn as her selection from the mystery/detective/suspense genre.

From the author's web site:

Marriage can be a real killer. One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn, takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. As The Washington Post proclaimed, her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit with deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn.

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick Dunne’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick Dunne isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but hearing from Amy through flashbacks in her diary reveal the perky perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister Margo at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was left in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

Employing her trademark razor-sharp writing and assured psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.

The Book Snobs Gathering:

The Snobs gathered at Theresa's home on Monday, February 25, for dinner, drinks, and discussion. The evening started with wine and a delicious warm artichoke dip. Our hostess served an excellent dinner that included pasta salad and tomato soup along with hot bread sticks.

After dinner, the discussion began. Generally, everyone enjoyed Gone Girl. There were mixed reviews about the writer's style using alternating chapters from each of the two main characters to tell her story. We were also somewhat divided on the book's ending. This was an excellent book for discussion. The topics we covered included a wide variety included spoiled children, mental illness, marital infidelity, and compulsive liars to mention only a few.

January 2013 Selection

Vicki has chosen Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury for The Book Snobs January reading and discussion.

From the author's web site:

Internationally acclaimed with more than 5 million copies in print, FAHRENHEIT 451 is Ray Bradbury's classic novel of censorship and defiance, as resonant today as it was when it was first published nearly 50 years ago. 

Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires...The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning ... along with the houses in which they were hidden. 

Guy Montag enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames... never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid. 

Then he met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think... and Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do!

The Book Snobs Gathering:

The Snobs will gather at Vicki's house on Monday, January 28. Details will be emailed to The Snobs.

November 2012 Selection

Sandra selected The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan for our November reading.

From the author's web site:

It is the summer of 1914 and Europe is on the brink of war, but Grace Winter’s future finally seems secure as she and her new husband set sail for New York, where she hopes to win over a disapproving and status-conscious mother-in-law. When a mysterious explosion sinks their ship, Grace is thrust into a lifeboat by a quick-witted crew member, who climbs in after her even though the boat is already filled beyond capacity.

As the weather deteriorates and the passengers are forced to choose sides in a brewing power struggle, Grace realizes that her survival could depend on whether she backs the ruthless but experienced John Hardie or the enigmatic but increasingly forceful Ursula Grant. Over the course of three perilous weeks, the lifeboat passengers plot, scheme, gossip and console one another while questioning their deepest assumptions about goodness, humanity and God.

Grace is finally rescued, only to be put on trial for her life. Unsure what to make of their client, Grace’s attorneys suggest she write her story down. The result is a page-turning tale of moral dilemmas, and also a haunting portrait of a woman as unforgettable and complicated as the events she describes.

The Book Snobs Gathering:

The Snobs gathered at Sandra's home on Monday, December 3rd for wine, dinner, and discussion. Sandra served a wonderful pasta primavera with grilled chicken breasts, Caesar salad, and garlic bread.

The Snobs discussed The Lifeboat. We talked about each of the main characters and what their motivation for their actions might have been. We also talked about whether we could survive being stranded at sea. We also discussed why some of the characters might have been moved to sacrifice themselves to save others. It was a good book for discussion.

October 2012 Selection

Shannan has chosen Our Husband by Stephanie Bond as the October selection for The Book Snobs.

From the writer's web site:

Hell hath no fury like three women scorned…

Thirty-something Dr. Natalie Carmichael has it all—a busy family practice in a small town, a great old Victorian house she inherited from a beloved aunt, and a handsome husband of six years with a thriving sales career in prosthetic limbs. But her perfect world begins to unravel when a man shows up demanding the jewelry she’s wearing in return for a debt her husband Raymond owes. Natalie is still reeling when she receives a phone call that Raymond has been in a minor car accident. She rushes to the hospital with thoughts of strangling the truth out of him, only to discover that two other women have beaten her there, both claiming to be married to Raymond!

Fifty-something socialite Beatrix Carmichael knows Raymond married her for her money, but she loves the cad anyway. Over the years, though, their childless marriage and his constant traveling have driven her to drink, pop pills, and keep the home shopping channels in business. When she gets a call that Raymond’s been in an accident, she actually relishes the thought of him lying captive in bed, forced to spend time with her. But when Beatrix arrives to find two other women vying for a place by his bedside, she’s looking for a plug to pull.

Twenty-one-year-old Ruby Lynn Carmichael thought she’d hit the jackpot when she met Raymond at the strip club where she works. He swept her off her feet, gave her a big fat ring, and bought her a double-wide trailer as a wedding gift. Ruby thought her life was set…until she learns that Raymond has two other wives in the wings, and the women aren’t exhibiting a very sharing spirit. Still, Ruby Lynn has a secret growing inside her that will ensure she gets what’s coming to her.

When over-committed Raymond Carmichael dies suddenly, his wives are grief-stricken and furious not to have the chance to confront him about his triple betrayal. But their heartache turns to suspicion when it’s revealed that Raymond was murdered. They all have means and motive, yet they each profess their innocence. To save themselves, this unlikely trio band together to track down a killer, and along the way, find a lot more than they bargained for.

The Book Snobs Gathering:

The Snobs gathered at Shannan's home on Monday, October 29. The Snobs enjoyed homemade tortilla soup and wine.

The Snobs discussed several aspects of Our Husband. We talked about how it would be possible for a woman not to know that her husband was also married to other women. Several members felt that perhaps he got something different from each relationship.

September 2012 Selection

The Snobs have selected Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See as our September selection. Charlene has graciously agreed to host.

From the author's website:

A language kept a secret for a thousand years forms the backdrop for an unforgettable novel of two Chinese women whose friendship and love sustains them through their lives.

This absorbing novel – with a storyline unlike anything Lisa See has written before – takes place in 19th century China when girls had their feet bound, then spent the rest of their lives in seclusion with only a single window from which to see.  Illiterate and isolated, they were not expected to think, be creative, or have emotions. But in one remote county, women developed their own secret code, nu shu – "women's writing" – the only gender-based written language to have been found in the world.  Some girls were paired as "old-sames" in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives.  They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their windows to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

An old woman tells of her relationship with her "old-same," their arranged marriages, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood—until a terrible misunderstanding written on their secret fan threatens to tear them apart. With the detail and emotional resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan delves into one of the most mysterious and treasured relationships of all time—female friendship.

The Book Snobs Gathering

The Snobs at Charlene's home on Monday, September 24, at 6:30 p.m. We shared wine and a delicious Asian food feast.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was an excellent book for discussion. The relationship between the two main characters was a source of differences of opinions. The practice of foot binding was discussed and we looked a photos of bound feet. We also discussed the importance of honesty on the relationship and the role of women within the family and the community.