Monday night was planning night at the Toronto book club where I’ve been a member for at least fifteen years. We have a tried and true process of nominating books, then gathering with suitable refreshments to discuss, debate and then vote for our preferences. The list included 18 possibilities and with only 9 meetings we had to trim it in half.
After a little more than hour, we came up with the following list and treated ourselves to another glass of wine.
- Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill by Sonia Purnell – a biography of Clementine Churchill
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – a story of love and race centred around a young man and woman from Nigeria
- Submission by Amy Waldman – an anonymous architect creates a winning design for the 9/11 memorial and the discovery that he is Muslim has all sorts of consequences
- In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje – a love story set in 1920s Toronto by the acclaimed author of The English Patient
- The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin – a book store owner finds renewed meaning in his life
- Outline by Rachel Cusk – a woman writer goes to Athens in the height of summer to teach a writing course
- Paris Reborn by Stephane Kirkland – the rebuilding of Paris during the time of Napoleon III and Baron Haussmann (my recommendation :-))
- Stalin’s Daughter by Rosemary Sullivan – a biography of Svetlana Stalin’s tragic life
- Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder and One Man’s Fight for Justice by Bill Browder – a gripping story of life and corruption at the highest levels of Russian government
It promises to be an eclectic and intriguing season of reading with several of historical interest!
What’s your book club reading?
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M.K. Tod writes historical fiction and blogs about all aspects of the genre at A Writer of History. Her latest novel, TIME AND REGRET will be published by Lake Union on August 16, 2016.
Mary’s other novels, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and iTunes. She can be contacted on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads or on her website www.mktod.com.
10 Responses
Our book club is much more ‘last minute’ in selecting. The person who is hosting chooses the book and announces it at the meeting before. We meet at my house on Monday and we’re reading “The Japanese Lover” by Isabel Allende.
The only book on your list that I’ve read is “The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry.” It was a hit with our group and I particularly liked it because there’s a lot to appreciate as both a reader and a writer.
What did your group think of The Japanese Lover? I’ve read one or two by Isabel Allende but none lately. Not sure why!
Interesting mix. I’ve not read any of them. I’m not in a book club anymore but I recently read The Bridge Ladies by Betsy Lerner, which I highly recommend and Today I Learned It Was You by Edward Riche – a Newfoundlander – which was a hoot.
Thanks for those recommendations, Downith. I have a holiday coming up in Newfoundland so perhaps I should take the Edward Riche novel along to add to the experience 🙂
Yes that was my thought.
Hey, I spot a novel set in the 1920s up there. Going to investigate it 🙂
Let me know what you think, jazzfeathers! Better still, write a review and I’ll post it.
With pleasure. But… may I write review for you? I’ve just finished the first of Maisie Dobbs’s novels and I’ve read another novel set in 1920s Ireland. Would you be interested?
I only write very short reviews for my own blog, so the ones for your site would be different.
A great idea … I’ve read a few Jacqueline Winspear although only one Maisie Dobbs. You can reach me mktod [usual symbol] bell [another usual symbol] net
Will do. May take me some time, but I’ll be in touch 🙂