2013 READING LISTS Treasure Valley Book Clubs
THE CABIN
801 S. Capitol Blvd. Boise, ID 83702 (208) 331-8000 www.thecabinidaho.org
Presented as part of the annual IDES OF MARCH BOOK CLUB CELEBRATION
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CABIN HISTORY, DESCRIPTION AND MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
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TREASURE VALLEY BOOK CLUB READING LISTS (ALPHABETICAL)
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TIPS ON STARTING A BOOK CLUB
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TIPS ON KEEPING A BOOK CLUB GOING
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THOUGHTS ON GENRE
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READING CRITICALLY
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IF YOU ARE LEADING THE DISCUSSION
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THOUGHT PROVOKING QUESTIONS TO LEAD DISCUSSION
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SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR PARTICIPANTS
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The Cabin (Log Cabin Literary Center) incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1996. Our mission is to inspire and celebrate a love of reading, writing and discourse. The Cabin annually serves about 750 members, more than 2,000 children and youth, and more than 20,000 people through educational and cultural programs. Programs for young people are the largest part of The Cabin’s work. The Cabin has transitioned from a young literary organization to a cultural anchor in Idaho. We serve diverse constituencies through: READINGS & CONVERSATIONS, an annual lecture series bringing internationally-acclaimed literary figures to Boise WRITERS IN THE SCHOOLS (WITS), placing professional writers in classrooms IDAHO WRITING CAMPS, writing intensives and adventures for youth and adults, one of ten model arts education programs in the U.S. 2
WRITERS IN THE ATTIC (WITA), an annual publication contest and event for local writers. LITERARY ACTIVITES such as writing workshops, readings by Idaho authors, and other programs for readers and writers of all ages The Cabin’s administrative offices are housed in our restored log cabin, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Two full-time staff and three part-time staff are supported by a strong membership, loyal group of professional teachingwriters, and a growing volunteer base. The Cabin is governed by an 18-member board of directors. Renovations to our building have made The Cabin accessible to all, and additional plans will expand the usable space for meetings, receptions, exhibits, readings, workshops, program offices, library and a publishing room. You are invited to become a member of The Cabin. Help bring renowned writers to Boise, place professional teaching-writers in classrooms, support summer camps and enliven the literary community. Enjoy discounted rates on Cabin programs and events. Join online at thecabinidaho.org, call us at 331-8000 or stop by at 801 S. Capital Blvd. Boise, ID 83702.
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Book Group Name: Contact Name: Phone: Email:
AAUW Book Group Merilee Marsh 208-921-5328 mm@merileemarsh.com
Book Titles for 2013 Volt: Stories The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: One Woman’s Fight to Save the World’s Most Beautiful Bird Stubborn Twig: Three Generations in the Life of a Japanese American Family State of Wonder Never Let Me Go Crusoe's Daughter The Girl Who Fell from the Sky The World from Rough Stones Hungry for the World: A Memoir Broken for You The Hummingbird's Daughter
Author Alan Heathcock Bruce Barcott
Lauren Kessler
Ann Patchett Kazuo Ishiguro Jane Gardam Heidi W. Durrow Malcolm Macdonald Kim Barnes Stephanie Kallos Luis Alberto Urrea
Notes and/or Comments: We meet at 2 p.m. on the third Sunday of each month at The Cabin. Guests are welcome!
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Book Group Name: Contact Name: Phone: Email:
Bad Girls Book Group Peggy McClendon n/a peggy-gary@cableone.net
Book Titles for 2013 The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw: One Woman’s Fight to Save the World’s Most Beautiful Bird Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet Guernica The Language of Flowers Remarkable Creatures The Tiger’s Wife Wingshooters The Woman Who Heard Color The Kingdom of Men Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail The Cutting Season
Author Bruce Barcott
Xinran Xinran Dave Boling Vanessa Diffenbaugh Tracy Chevalier Téa Obreht Nina Revoyr Kelly Jones Kim Barnes Cheryl Strayed Attica Locke
Notes and/or Comments: Not accepting new members at this time.
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Book Group Name: Contact Name: Phone: Email:
Barnes & Noble Literature Book Club Mary Kruzich 343-2766 marykruzich@msn.com
Book Titles for 2013 Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage Doctor Zhivago The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins, Social Security, Unemployment Insurance and the Minimum Wage Caleb’s Crossing The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Author Alfred Lansing Boris Pasternak Kirstin Downey
Geraldine Brooks Rebecca Skloot
Notes and/or Comments: This is an “open” book club; new members are welcome. We meet on the fourth Monday, 7 PM at Barnes & Noble.
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Book Group Name: Boise's Outrageous, Outspoken Book Society Book Club Contact Name: Susan Reeb or Connie Weaver Phone: n/a Email: n/a
Book Titles for 2013 Beneath A Marble Sky: A Novel of the Taj Mahal Giant Moloka’i State of Wonder The End of You Life Book Club The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and The Fire that Saved America The Secret Keeper Ice Princess The Paris Wife The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the African Wild Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever
Author John Shors Edna Ferber Alan Brennert Ann Patchett Will Schwalbe Timothy Egan Kate Morton Camilla Lackberg Paula McLain Lawrence Anthony and Graham Spence Bill O’Reilly
Notes and/or Comments:
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Book Group Name: The Book and Wine Club Contact Name: Paul Basom Phone: Not accepting new members at this time. Email: basom@cableone.net
Book Titles for 2013 The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris War in Val d’Orcia: An Italian War Diary, 1943-1944 The Social Evolution of Earth Secrets Brought Home The Submission
Author David McCullough Iris Origo Edward O. Wilson James Milton Smith Amy Waldman
Notes and/or Comments:
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Book Group Name: Contact Name: Phone: Email:
The Book Club Marilyn Shuler 375-2827 marilyn@marilynshuler.com
Book Titles for 2013 The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration Villette The Garden of Beasts:, Lover, Terror and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin In the Kingdom of Men Scoop The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America Don't Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood Silver Sparrow The Sense of an Ending Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama
Author Isabel Wilkerson Charlotte Bronte Erik Larson
Kim Barnes Evelyn Waugh Russell Shorto
Alexandra Fuller Tayari Jones Julian Barnes Alison Bechdel
Notes and/or Comments:
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Book Group Name: Contact Name: Phone: Email:
Book Club with No Name Susan Stacy 344-7371 n/a
Book Titles for 2013 The Last Flight of the Scarlett Macaw: One Woman’s Fight to Save the World’s Most Beautiful Bird Cutting for Stone The Fault in our Stars The Power of the Dog Moloka’i The Tiger’s Wife The Birth of Venus The Reluctant Fundamentalist Caleb’s Crossing
Author Bruce Barcott
Abraham Verghese John Green Thomas Savage and Annie Proulx Alan Brennert Tea Obreht Sarah Dunant Mohsin Hamid Geraldine Brooks
Notes and/or Comments:
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Book Group Name: Contact Name: Phone: Email:
Book Group Friends Barbara Olic-Hamilton 344-3778 n/a
Book Titles for 2013 The Orphan Master’s Son Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America Interpreter of Maladies Clara & Mr. Tiffany Hot Art: Chasing Thieves and Detectives through the World of Stolen Art North to the Night: A Spiritual Odyssey in the Arctic Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading Mrs. Robinson’s Disgrace: The Private Diary of a Victorian Lady Glaciers Sweet Tooth Wolf Hall
Author Adam Johnson Firoozeh Dumas Jhumpa Lahiri Susan Vreeland Joshua Knelman
Alva Simon Nina Sankovitch Kate Summerscale Alexis M. Smith Ian McEwan Hilary Mantel
Notes and/or Comments:
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Book Group Name: Contact Name: Phone: Email:
The Classicists Lorel Case 376-3188 caselandl@msn.com
Book Titles for 2013 Kim Don Quixote House of the Dead The Sun Also Rises
Author Rudyard Kipling Miguel de Cervantes Fyodor Dostoevsky Ernest Hemingway
Notes and/or Comments:
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Book Group Name: Contact Name: Phone: Email:
Flicks Book Club Joan Wallace n/a n/a
Book Titles for 2013 The Paris Wife A Movable Feast The Elegance of the Hedgehog The Language of Flowers Death Comes to Pemberley Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness Beautiful Ruins The Art of Fielding The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains Mornings on Horseback Gone Girl Behind the Beautiful Forevers
Author Paula McLain Ernest Hemingway Muriel Barberry Vanessa Diffenbaugh P.D. James Alexandra Fuller Jess Walters Chad Harbach Nicholas Carr David McCullough Gillian Flynn Katherine Boo
Notes and/or Comments:
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Book Group Name: Contact Name: Phone: Email:
Flash Friction Greg Likins or Luke Felt Luke: 208-954-2732 Greg: greg.likins@gmail.com
Book Titles for 2013 New Sudden Fiction: Short-short Stories from American and Beyond
Author Robert Shapard and James Thomas
Notes and/or Comments: We meet at the Boise Public Library on the second Wednesday of every month. We discuss stories of less than 1,000 words, including those found in the anthology as well as stories submitted by our group members. Please email Greg for more info.
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Book Group Name: Contact Name: Phone: Email:
Hypatia’s Eclectic Reading Society Beth Bogue 208-412-4006 Bbogue5358@msn.com
Book Titles for 2013 Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake Caleb’s Crossing Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness The Meaning of Wife: A Provocative Look at Women and Marriage in the Twenty-first Century Cutting for Stone Gone Girl Manning Up: How the Rise of Women has Turned Men into Boys A Secret Kept The Language of Flowers Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters The Dovekeepers Great House
Author Anna Quindlen Geraldine Brooks Alexandra Fuller Anne Kingston
Abraham Verghese Gillian Flynn Kay S. Hymowitz Tatiana de Rosnay Vanessa Diffenbaugh Jessica Valenti
Alice Hoffman Nicole Krauss
Notes and/or Comments:
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Book Group Name: Contact Name: Phone: Email:
L4 Erin Logan n/a n/a
Book Titles for 2013 Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman State of Wonder The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character and Achievement The Sense of an Ending The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins, Social Security, Unemployment Insurance and the Minimum Wage The Windup Girl Against Wind and Tide: Letters and Journals 1947-1986 The Beginner’s Goodbye The Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny
Author Robert K. Massie Anne Patchett David Brooks
Julian Barnes Kristin Downey
Paolo Bacigalupi Anne Morrow Lindberg and Reeve Lindbergh Anne Tyler Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski
Notes and/or Comments: We start at 6:30pm. The hostess provides wine only, others bring food. The leader provides background information and leads the discussion. We wrap up around 9:00 or 9:30pm.
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Book Group Name: Contact Name: Phone: Email:
Lit for Lunch Cheryl Hindrichs 345-1510 cherylhindrichs@boisestate.edu
Book Titles for 2013 The Old Man and the Sea North and South Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing The Summer Book
Author Ernest Hemingway Elizabeth Gaskell May Sarton Tove Jansson
Notes and/or Comments:
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Book Group Name: Contact Name: Phone: Email:
Nampa Read & Feed Book Club Angie Wensel or Alita Svaty 467-1324 459-0348 wensel55@msn.com amsvaty@speedyquick.net
Book Titles for 2013 Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World The Secret Book of Frida Kahlo Zeitoun Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression Thunderstruck Animal Farm & 1984 Lost in Shangri-La:A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II The End of Your Life Book Club Stories for Boys To Heaven and Back: A Doctor’s Extraordinary Account of Her Death, Heaven, Angels, and Life Again
Author Conor Grennan
Eric Weiner
F.G. Haghenbeck Dave Eggers Mildred Armstrong Kalish Eric Larson George Orwell Mitchell Zuckoff
Will Schwalbe Gregory Martin Mary C. Neal M.D.
Notes and/or Comments:
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Book Group Name: Novel Women! Contact Name: Stephanie Youngerman
Book Titles for 2013 Cleopatra: A Life The Fault in Our Stars The Art of Fielding: A Novel The Life of Pi The Light Between Oceans: A Novel Rules of Civility: A Novel Reader’s choice Me and You Into the Beautiful North: A Novel The Dog Stars I am the Messenger
Author Stacy Schiff John Green Chad Harbach Yann Martel M.L. Stedman Amor Towles TBD Niccolo Ammaniti and Kylee Doust Luis Alberto Urrea Peter Heller Markus Zusak
Notes and/or Comments:
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Book Group: Contact: Phone: Email:
The Other Book Club Erin Logan 208.336.4960 Erins4960@msn.com
Book Titles for 2012 Five Quarters of the Orange Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin Moon Tiger Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand Cutting for Stone Crossing to Safety Possession Baker Towers The Snow Child Evidence of Things Unseen The Cat’s Table
Author Joanne Harris Mario Vargas Llosa Erik Larson
Penelope Lively Helen Simonson Abraham Verghese Wallace Stegner A.S. Byatt Jennifer Haigh Eowyn Ivey Marianne Wiggins Michael Ondaatje
Notes and/or Comments:
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Book Group Name: Contact Name: Phone: Email:
Pebble Creek Book Club Maxine Freeman 383-0394 Maxinefreeman2@msn.com
Book Titles for 2013
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That Old Cape Magic The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet The Christmas Train Strength in What Remains Coming to my Senses: A Story of Perfume, Pleasure, and an Unlikely Bride The Kissing List Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance Tale of Two Cities A Country Called Home Unbroken: A WWII Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption The 19th Wife In the Kingdom of Men State of Wonder
Richard Russo David Mitchell David Baldacci Tracy Kidder Alyssa Harad
Stephanie Reents Barack Obama Charles Dickens Kim Barnes Laura Hillenbrand David Ebershoff Kim Barnes Ann Patchett
Notes and/or Comments:
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Book Group Name: Contact Name: Phone: Email:
Wine, Women and Words Vicki Flume 208-949-5586 Vicki@meetingsystems.com
Book Titles for 2013 11/22/63 The Lemon Tree: An Arab, A Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East Defending Jacob Deep Creek The Forgotten Garden In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin Into the Beautiful North Olive Kitteridge The Christmas Carol
Author Stephen King Sandy Tolan William Landay Dana Hand Kate Morton Erik Larson
Luis Alberto Urrea Elizabeth Strout Charles Dickens
Notes and/or Comments:
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Book Group Name: Contact Name: Phone: Email:
Women Words & Wit Lauren Friedman 208-484-9765 stpatricksdaygrl@aol.com
Book Titles for 2013 The Alchemist Still Alice Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of the Mona Lisa The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of those Who Survived the Great American Dustbowl Amateur Marriage The Rules of Civility The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness Catherine The Great: Portrait of a Woman Caleb's Crossing Leaving Van Gogh Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake
Author Paulo Coelho Lisa Genova R.A. Scotti Tim Egan
Anne Tyler Amor Towles Elyn Saks Robert K Massie Geraldine Brooks Carol Wallace Anna Quindlen
Notes and/or Comments:
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TIPS ON STARTING A BOOK CLUB •
Make the expectations clear. Common expectations include careful reading, active participation in book selection and discussion, and regular attendance.
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Decide what types of books your group wants to read. Only fiction? Prize winners? Classics? Anything and everything?
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Decide if the books should be coordinated with anything else. Bestseller lists? A local or visiting writers series? Book reviews?
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Figure out the logistics. How long should the meetings run? (We find that the best discussions last between 45 and 90 minutes.) Where will you meet? At a library? Coffee shop? Private homes? How will everyone keep in contact? Facebook? Email? Phone?
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Determine the leadership. Will you have a leader? Will the same person be in charge for each meeting, or will you rotate? Do you want to have special guests or experts visit the group? Will you have a budget set aside for visitors?
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Choose the books. Choosing what books to read is one of the hardest and most important activities the group will undertake together. Members should be prepared to read outside their regular areas of interest and go with the majority opinion. Remember that there is a big difference between "a good read" and "a good book for a discussion." Choose books well in advance so people can read ahead if they want.
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TIPS ON KEEPING A BOOK CLUB GOING What makes a book good for discussion? Probably the most important criteria are that the book be well written, have an interesting plot, and feature three-dimensional characters. Books that provoke discussion often present the author's view of an important truth, feature a difficult but necessary decision, or highlight a controversial aspect of life. These books can also be characterized by their lingering in the reader's mind long after the book has been put back on the shelf and the discussion is over. These books can be read more than once, and each time the reader can learn something new.
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THOUGHTS ON GENRE During a book discussion, people are often concerned with everything that the author hasn't said. For this reason, books that are strictly plot driven, (most mysteries, westerns, romances, and science fiction/fantasy), don't lend themselves to riveting discussions. You don’t want a book in which the author spells everything out for the reader. With those books all there is left to say is "Wasn’t that interesting." Librarians, booksellers, literary organizations and friends can often supply you with suggestions. In addition, this "everything that the author hasn't said" criteria, is a rich argument for including poetry in your book club’s reading list.
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READING CRITICALLY The very best books provide a profound sense of kinship between reader and writer. Searching for, identifying, and discussing how a book accomplishes this kinship can deepen your appreciation of the book. Asking questions, reading carefully, imagining yourself in the story, analyzing style or structure, and searching for personal meaning in a work of literature will enhance the work's value and discussion potential. •
Make notes and mark pages as you go. Reading for a book discussion differs somewhat from reading purely for pleasure. As you read a book in preparation for a discussion, mark pages you might want to refer back to.
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Ask tough questions of yourself and the book. Obviously, asking questions means you don't know the answer yet, and sometimes you will never discover the answer. This is okay. Definitive answers aren’t really the point of literature.
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Pay attention. As with any skill, critical reading improves with practice.
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Analyze the content. While summarizing a book can sometimes be useful, analysis will give you a greater understanding of the book and the relationship of its parts.
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Examine, evaluate, dissect, and read between the lines to connect the book’s content to other knowledge.
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Get to know the characters. When you meet the characters in the book, place yourself in the scene. Think of them as you
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do the people around you. Think about their faults, virtues and motives. Read portions aloud to get to know their voices. •
Notice the structure of the book. Sometimes an author uses the structure or form of the book to illustrate a concept that is central to the book’s purpose. Ask questions. Are chapters prefaced with quotes? How many narrators tell the story? How does the sequence of events unfold to create the mood of the story? Is it written in flashbacks?
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Make comparisons to other books and authors. Compare the book to the author’s other work and to the work of his or her contemporaries. Often, themes run through an author's works that are more fully realized in comparison.
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IF YOU ARE LEADING THE DISCUSSION •
Research the author online. Most authors have their own websites and usually their publisher’s website will also have helpful information. In addition, book reviews are readily available on Amazon.com and publications such as the New York Times and Publishers Weekly. If you do not want to enter into online resources you can visit your local library and utilize Book Review Digest, Book Review Index, or The Dictionary of Literary Biography. •
Come prepared with 10 to 15 open-ended questions. Remember, questions that can be answered yes or no tend to cut off discussion quickly.
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Questions should be used to start the discussion and keep it going, but be ready to let the discussion flow naturally. You'll often find that the questions you've prepared will come up all on their own.
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Remind participants that there are not necessarily any “right” answers.
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Don't be afraid to criticize a book; however, try to go beyond strictly evaluative comments such as "I just didn't like it" or “I liked it”. Remember that many of the best book discussions center on books that many group members dislike.
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Every reader responds to a book in ways that are intimately tied to his or her background, but aim to keep a balance in the discussion between personal revelations and critical response. 29
THOUGHT PROVOKING QUESTIONS TO LEAD DISCUSSION • • • • • • • • • • • • •
What makes the book distinctive? Is the period in which the book is set important to the theme? Why? Are the values presented dated? How? Is the setting of the book important to the purpose? Why? How realistic is the setting? Does gender play a role in the purpose of the book? How? Would the book translate well to a movie, play, or other format? Why? Is the book written to present the author’s worldview? How does politics play a role in the book? Is the plot and the subplots believable? Are they compelling? Did the author leave loose ends? What are they? Do you think that is purposeful? How understandable are the motivations of the characters? What motivates their behavior? How is the book structured? Flashbacks? From one point of view? All in dialogue? How does the language of the book help convey its purpose? Does the author rely heavily on imagery and symbolism? Why or Why not?
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SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR PARTICIPANTS •
SPEAK UP. Group discussion is a conversation; everyone needs to take part.
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LISTEN to others. Try to understand points of view other than your own.
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BE BRIEF. Share the discussion with others. A good discussion keeps everyone in the conversation.
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HAVE FUN. Enjoy having the opportunity to read books with a community or friends and to contribute to literary discussions.
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