Book Club Favorites

My Book Club met this morning, but the format was a little different from usual. Normally, we seven women read the same book and then spend an hour and a half discussing it. We're longtime friends but seven very distinct personalities. That was shown in today's meeting.

Last month we met a week later than usual which gave us only 3 weeks to read the next book. The suggestion was made that instead of trying to read a full book, each of us would give a 10 minute presentation on one of their all-time favorite books. I wondered as I drove to Ginger's this morning if there would be any duplicates. Would they all be novels? Would any of the titles be new to us?

We ended up with seven books that were completely different. Three of them were completely new titles to me and to several others. Only three were novels. The list is below. You may want to look up some that are new to you.

1.  The Great Wing by Louis Tarataglia--a nonfiction book about geese who fly in formation, fly to the same places each year, how they care for one another. The person who chose it said it is easily translated to the interpersonal relationships among humans. A small book but worth reading, she told us.

2.  The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher--Probably Ms Pilcher's most popular novel. The setting is Cornwall, England and the story is a family saga told in flashbacks, beautifully written

3.  Nothing Like it In The World by Stephen Ambrose--this nonfiction book relates the story of building the intercontinental railroad during the mid-1800's. A sort of competition was held with Chinese immigrant laborers starting on the west coast and Irish immigrant laborers beginning in the eastern part of our nation. The idea was to see who could get farthest, to be determined where they met, somewhere in the middle of the country. Mr. Ambrose is a noted historian who writes nonfiction that reads like a novel.

4.  The Dog Who Wouldn't Be by Farley Mowatt--a humorous tale by a Canadian author

5.  Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher--one of the last books Ms Pilcher wrote--again about England and using very real people with very realistic problems.

6.  The Elegance of the Hedghog by Muriel Barbery--one of the newer books on the list. A review of the book said it does not really begin until page 119, but then it blooms. Filled with wicked humor.

7.  The Log of Christopher Columbus translated by Robert Fuson--an account of the first of four voyages taken by Christopher Columbus which took him to the West Indies. Sounded like an interesting read.