Year 4 Kick off...

1.  Erin hosted the event.
2. 12 people attended.
3.  Books were decided by the group- it took debating, arguing, bullying, and in the end compromise and collaboration.  Nice work, crew.
4. Awards handed out (but no prizes).  Apparently we still need to decide Most Improved and Best Book...

Andi 2011-2012 book club MVP
Amy 2011-2012 Amy
Most improved
Jodi 2011-2012 book club LVP
Worst book - silencing Sam
Best blogger - Amy
Shelley - talk and touch ribbon
Jenny - best sandwich
Renee - best self proclaimed leader
Best book -

Run by Ann Patchett was discussed.  I think my favorite part was when Shelley knew by heart her favorite quote. And I think the author is right, though I never would have thought of it myself; it's a book about politics (a nugget added by Renee from an interview with the author).

See you in October, everyone!  Don't forget to heck out the FFBC Facebook page.  Let me know if you are on Facebook and aren't a part of the books.

-amy

August 2012- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Just the basics here (blogging is proving to be more work than it' worth)...

Beth's house.  Only 4 or 5 people could make it.  But the book is brilliant and juicy and everyone needs to read it, so we will be revisiting it in January 2013!

June/July 2012

June:  The History of Love by Nicole Krauss.  Lovely little story about love and losing it and finding it.

A good interview from the author can be found here.

July:  The House on Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper.  Memoir from a Liberian who made her dreams come true.

Review from the NY Times can be found here. 

Both good books.  More complicated than fun but well-worth-the-read.

If you missed it, we've been meeting at Renee's and having lots of fun.  Hope to see you in August for Summer and the City by Candace Bushnell on August 23 at Beth's house.

The Author of May's book was on MPR last week...

Rebecca Skloot on "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" | Minnesota Public Radio News

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

Some said we discussed this book more than any other in the history of our book club.  Andi even said she liked the book more after the hefty discussion.  Pretty sure Beth was the only one who gave it a thumbs down; she felt the author tried too hard.  Even though the book is filled with flawed characters who aren't all that likeable, we felt the book moved quickly, told a good story, and presented itself as a good literary piece of work.  

Highlights of last nights discussion include...

• love and obsession (apparently we are all still adolescents when it comes to love sometimes)
• the human condition
• vulnerability
• addiction
• good writing vs good storytelling

You know, we call this the Fun First book club because no one should ever feel pressure to read this book and we want everyone to come regardless if they read the book; however, last night it might have been a little too boring for those who came and hadn't read the book, so I apologize for all of that silly book talk last night.  But it was awesome to see everyone (Nora, Andrea, Renee, Amy Horton, Beth, Erin, Shelley, Andi, and Jenny) and we look forward to seeing everyone else next month!

May 10 at Shelley's.  More info to follow.  The book is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.  See you then!

-amy

Unwind by Neil Schusterman

April 13: ACK! This was sitting in the drafts section of the blog.  Sorry for the delay!

For the March book club, we met at Houlihan's in Richfield to discuss Unwind- a YA book that deals with reproduction rights in a futuristic, dystopian world.  It was a page-turner and thus a quick read.  It seemed to remind people of Never Let Me Go from last year or Delirium from this fall.

The adolescent characters in the book face being "unwound" for different reasons.  Basically, their parents or the government has decided to harvest their organs to be transplanted to other people once they turn 18 because some of them are disobedient (Conor) or because they are being tithed (Lev) or they have no family (Risa).  It's hard to read sometimes because the characters are likeable and we know their fate just as they do.  The plot remains unpredictable, and the climax of the story is gripping and fulfilling for readers.  We all agreed that the book was good and offers substantial material to be discussed and debated.

Many of us noted the political undertones (though not so "under") of this book.  Erin and Amy H. pointed out how you could see the fringe of our society taking small steps and ending up in a place where an abortion alternative like being unwound starts to make sense.  Jen Buckley noted that there was a horror aspect to the book that made her wonder if it's appropriate for some more sensitive adolescents and could she teach it to her 7th graders.

So, we leave winter behind and move into spring.  Next month's book club is in St. Paul at my house.  We will be discussing The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach.  Hope to see you then!

-amy

p.s.  We had to meet at Houlihan's because Andi is homeless, or between homes, rather.  Good luck moving, Andi. Happy New House!

Skipping ahead a bit...

Hello there, book club fans.

January book club was great I'm sure.  I wasn't there- having a baby.  Renee and Horton were at the hospital too.  We were told it was a lovely evening that we missed.

February book club was really a storytelling event.  Renee, Erin, Andi (quickly trying to finish the last 50 pages), me and guest star Marion told the wonderful, beautiful tale of Cutting for Stone.  Don't think I can capture the book in words here, but if you missed book club those of us who read it put together the story for the others.  If you haven't read it, read it.

The characters (especially the twins who started their lives as conjoined and the parents who raise them as their own), their loves, their losses, their wins, their stories will dig a hole right in the middle of your heart. Renee got annoyed when the rest of us talked about themes of the book, but it's about family, loyalty, trust, betrayal, and love.  It's a commitment at about 700 pages, but it's a book I didn't want to end...it's that good.

This month's book club will be at Houlihan's in Richfield.  We'll be discussing Unwind by Neil Shusterman.  Hope to see you there!

-abskujawski

Hot Hammies

A lot of you asked for this recipe at the December book club, so I thought I would post it here. Hope you enjoy!

Sandwiches:

• 2 doz small buns (dollar rolls--I usually find them at Cub)
• 1 lb deli ham slices
• 1 lb baby swiss cheese slices

Assemble sandwiches and place in a 9x13 pan lined with foil.

Sauce:

• 2 sticks butter
• 2 T poppy seeds
• 2 T yellow mustard
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce
• 4 T brown sugar

Bring to a boil and let cool.
Spoon cooled sauce on top of buns.
Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes covered and 5 minutes uncovered.