The following post is from Nancy and sums up nicely our last visit and future happenings of the Steppin Out Book Club.
-Thank you Shari for hosting a lovely warm evening for 15 of us (great turnout!) on January 23rd to discuss Winter Garden. Shari's enthusiasm for hosting and the book certainly was apparent! :-) We began by taking an idea from the book, where each person had to take a shot of vodka, (or water) and reflect and respond to the following three questions: 1) What is your favorite song? 2) What is a favorite memory, childhood or adult? 3) Do you have anything you regret in life? Well, it made for a very interesting mix of responses, but the overwhelming theme was the importance of spending time with family. It certainly stirred up many emotions as we reflected on our lives.
Next we sat down to a lovely catered meal with an eastern european flair--pierogies, rye bread, stroganoff and dumplings, cabbage rolls, and beet soup. It was all so delicious!
Black tea and apple tart for dessert accompanied our discussion, which Shari led with some very thought provoking questions. Everyone (most) agreed that they really loved the book and was surprised by how powerful a saga it was. A few members also chose to read Charms For The Easy Life by Kate Gibbons- if you are looking for something light to read, it was very well liked.
Our next book will be Defending Jacob, by William Landay. This is the description in the inner flap:
"A novel like this comes along maybe once a decade....a tour de force, a full-blooded legal thriller about a murder trial and the way it shatters a family. With its relentless suspense, its mesmerizing prose, and a shocking twist at the end, it is every bit as good as Scott Turow's great Presumed Innocent. But it is also something more: and indelible domestic drama that calls to mind Ordinary People and We Need to Talk About Kevin. A spellbinding and unforgettable literary crime novel."
If this book doesn't sound like your cup of tea, The Pursuit of Other Interests by Jim Kokoris is an option.
Wow! Sounds like a great tie in with our next meeting, when we host the Deadly Divas, authors of a tad bit lighter mysteries!
That meeting will beThursday, March 6 at my home when we welcome Denise Swanson, Heather Weber Blake, and Adrianne Giordano. Their publicist Sue will also accompany them. What is especially exciting is Denise's new book will be released just days before our meeting, and the Steppin' Out Book Club is featured in the book! What a great opportunity to host these lovely ladies again. We will have a catered dinner from Applauze Catering (Cari Annarella's hubby) so the cost will also include paying for our guests. Where else could you experience a GREAT evening with published authors?!?!
That meeting will beThursday, March 6 at my home when we welcome Denise Swanson, Heather Weber Blake, and Adrianne Giordano. Their publicist Sue will also accompany them. What is especially exciting is Denise's new book will be released just days before our meeting, and the Steppin' Out Book Club is featured in the book! What a great opportunity to host these lovely ladies again. We will have a catered dinner from Applauze Catering (Cari Annarella's hubby) so the cost will also include paying for our guests. Where else could you experience a GREAT evening with published authors?!?!
I have been trying to find a copy of Adrianne Giordano's books at my library--I encourage you to read one of her books prior to the meeting if possible.
Following our March meeting, the next book will be The Last Runaway, by Tracy Chevalier. We will meet in May--let me know if you are interested in hosting. The final book for the year will be Devil In The White City--we will celebrate that book with a tour in downtown Chicago hopefully.
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