One evening two women making desultory conversation declared their interest in forming a book club. The idea caught fire and a group formed. Their children grew to adulthood, hair grew sparser and greyer, and still, over many a year, many a gathering, the spark glowed healthily.
The group's reading list includes the following, initially assembled by Pat Atkins in May 2007, updated irregularly by the brainstorming powers of various bookclubbers. To add a title, make a suggestion, a correction, click one of the "Click here" links and this page generates an Email.
This version of the list sorts by author's first name. You can search the list by using a Keyboard Shortcut: hold down the Ctrl key--on a Mac, the Open Apple key--then letter F. Type a few letters or words then press Enter or Return. The "Extras" column holds links to supplementary materials, such as a photo essay celebrating one evening's book.
2008-2009 Host List (compiled by Barbara Sedano) Add hosts click here.
BOOK TALK HOSTS
2010 |
2009 November Tarr & Ontiveros October Sedano August Parker June Atkins/Gillis April McClure March Giffen February Sedano |
2008 November Benafel October Giffen September McClure August Tarr/Ontiveros June Parker May Atkins March Sedano February Good |
Click here to add a title or make an edit
Search hint: Use Ctrl + F and type a word, then press Enter. Apple + F etc.
Title |
Author First Name |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SMALL ISLAND | Andrea Levy |  Villa Ontiveros, June 26, 6pm |
| John Banville | The Infinities |
Chez Parker, May 8 |
| OLIVE KITTERIDGE | Elizabeth Strout | We missed all of you who were otherwise engaged last night. But we did eat a lot, and talk a lot. |
BRIGHT ANGEL TIME |
Martha McPhee | |
| DISGRACE | J.M. Coetzee |
|
POSSESSION |
A. S. Byatt |
|
| RUINS | Achy Obejas |
|
THAT NIGHT |
Alice McDermott |
|
CALLIGRAPHY OF THE WITCH |
Alicia Gaspar de Alba |
|
HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG |
Andre Dubus III |
|
THE AIR WE BREATHE |
Andrea Barrett |
|
THE RED TENT |
Anita Diamant |
|
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA |
Arthur Golden |
|
THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS |
Arundhati Roy |
|
THE TIME TRAVELERÕS WIFE |
Audrey Niffenegger |
|
TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE |
B.Traven |
|
THE POISONWOOD BIBLE |
Barbara Kingsolver |
|
THE READER |
Bernhard Schlink |
OSCAR'D |
THE STONE DIARIES |
Carol Shields |
|
EYE OF HORUS |
Carol Thurston |
|
A GESTURE LIFE |
Chang-Rae Lee |
|
NATIVE SPEAKER |
Chang-Rae Lee |
|
COLD MOUNTAIN |
Charles Frazier |
|
MONKEY HUNTING |
Christina Garcia |
|
| All THE PRETTY HORSES | Cormac McCarthy | |
THE ROAD |
Cormac McCarthy |
|
| BALZAC AND THE LITTLE CHINESE SEAMSTRESS | Dai Sijie |
January 9, 2010. Casa Giffen. |
DEVIL TALK |
Daniel Olivas |
|
SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS |
David Guterson |
|
VERNON GOD LITTLE: A 21ST CENTURY COMEDY IN THE PRESENCE OF DEATH |
DBC Pierre |
|
DEWBREAKER |
Edwidge Dandicat |
|
FOR KINGS AND PLANETS |
Ethan Canin |
|
| GUIDED TOURS OF HELL | Francine Prose | |
DEAFENING |
Francis Itani |
|
THE SPINNING MAN |
George Harrar |
|
| YEAR OF WONDERS | Geraldine Brooks | |
THREE CUPS OF TEA |
Greg Mortensen/Oliver Relin |
|
LITTLE AMERICA |
Henry Bromell |
|
ATONEMENT |
Ian McEwan |
|
LYING ON THE COUCH |
Irvin D. Yalom |
|
| THE INFINITE PLAN | Isabel Allende | |
THE LECTURER'S TALE |
James Hynes |
|
A THOUSAND ACRES |
Jane Smiley |
|
| THE EYRE AFFAIR | Jasper Fforde | PAT'S |
| THE WILD GIRL | Jim Fergus | Did we read this book as a group? Submitted with hazy recall. |
MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL |
John Berendt |
|
BLACK & WHITE AND DEAD ALL OVER |
John Darnton |
|
A WIDOW FOR ONE YEAR |
John Irving |
|
THE CORRECTIONS |
Jonathan Franzen |
|
| BLINDNESS | Josˇ Saramago | |
IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES |
Julia Alvarez |
Did we read this book as a group? Submitted with hazy recall. |
THREE JUNES |
Julia Glass |
|
THE SECRET RIVER |
Kate Grenville |
|
GEEK LOVE |
Katherine Dunn |
|
| NEVER LET ME GO | Kazuo Ishiguro | |
PLAIN SONG |
Kent Haruf |
|
KITE RUNNER |
Khaled Hosseini |
|
SWIFT AS DESIRE |
Laura Esquivel |
|
INTUITION |
Lisa Samson |
|
| MR. PIP | Lloyd Jones | |
ROBBER BRIDE |
Margaret Atwood |
|
GILEAD |
Marilynne Robinson |
|
CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT |
Mark Haddon |
|
THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY |
Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows | |
| HEADLONG | Michael Frayne | |
ANIL'S GHOST |
Michael Ondaatje |
|
THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING |
Milan Kundera |
|
TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE |
Mitch Albom |
|
THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST |
Mohsin Hamid |
|
HALF BROKEN THINGS |
Morag Joss |
|
THE BEE SEASON |
Myla Goldberg |
|
THE PHOTOGRAPH |
Penelope Lively |
|
OUT STEALING HORSES |
Per Petterson |
|
DEATH OF A RED HEROINE |
Qiu Xiaolong |
VIEW MOVIE - CLICK HERE |
WANTING |
Richard Flanagan |
Oct 3, Casa Sedano |
INDEPENDENCE DAY |
Richard Ford |
|
THE LAY OF THE LAND |
Richard Ford |
|
EMPIRE FALLS |
Richard Russo |
|
STRAIGHT MAN |
Richard Russo |
|
FIVE SKIES |
Ron Carlson |
|
THE CATASTROPHIST |
Ronan Bennett |
|
CLOUD SPLITTER |
Russell Banks |
|
A FATAL INVERSION |
Ruth Rendell |
|
ADAM AND EVE & PINCH ME |
Ruth Rendell |
|
MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN |
Salman Rushdie |
|
CARAMELO |
Sandra Cisneros |
|
YAKOTA OFFICERS CLUB |
Sarah Bird |
|
FINGERSMITH |
Sarah Waters |
|
AHAB'S WIFE: OR, THE STAR-GAZER |
Sena Jeter Naslund |
|
A PRAYER FOR THE DYING |
Stewart O'Nan |
|
THE LIKENESS |
Tana French |
|
| THE PLAYMAKER | Thomas Keneally | |
WOMAN OF THE INNER SEA |
Thomas Keneally |
|
IN THE LAKE OF THE WOOD |
Tim O'Brien |
|
| A MERCY | Toni Morrison | |
| PARADISE | Toni Morrison | |
PROPERTY |
Valerie Martin |
|
RAIN OF GOLD |
Victor Villase–or |
|
I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE |
Wally Lamb |
|
ALWAYS OUTNUMBERED, ALWAYS OUTGUNNED |
Walter Mosley |
|
A DANGEROUS FRIEND |
Ward Just |
|
| FORGETFULNESS | Ward Just |