TYC Book Club   2023 Reading Season

Meeting Dates : 

JAN 14,  MAR 12,  MAY 21, JUNE 25, JULY 23, AUG 20,  

SEPT16 (Note date change to Saturday: Bill's Game)

OCTOBER 15th at Claudia Lewis' home 

 Linda and I will be posting titles for this year's books in the  next

couple of months. We choose a variety of books based on suggestions from members as well as book reviews and other recommendations. We are looking forward to another year of reading, thinking, talking, and having fun with a wonderful group of people. Our book discussion adds another layer of connection to the TYC community; everyone is always welcome to attend. Happy reading!

Linda and Denise

Meeting #1 

In October the Book Club met.  We decided to schedule another meeting in January on Saturday, January 14th (with a bad weather back- up date of January 21). 

 

We will read Lady Clementine by Marie Benedict.  We will meet at Claudia Lewis's house at 12:00 until 2:00. 

The book is an historical fiction account of the life of Clementine Churchill, the wife of the most famous prime minister in British history. It is a page turning story of a remarkable woman married to a most remarkable man.  As usual, everyone is welcome. As time gets closer, please let Claudia know if you will be attending.   

Meeting #2  March 12th, 2023 at Claudia's home from 12:00-2:00. Please call Claudia to let her know if you will be attending. 

Horse by Geraldine Brooks

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 Horse published in 2022 is a work of fiction inspired by true events. Pulitzer prize winner, Geraldine Brooks, uses the history of a famous nineteenth racehorse to explore the legacy of slavery. It is a classic horse story, a boy forms a bond with a horse, but it is so much more than that! Happy reading. We look forward to a lively discussion. 

 

 Famous Portrait of Lexington painted by Thomas Scott in the 1850's.

 This is a link Geraldine Brooks' very interesting website. You might want to take a look at it before our meeting!

Website with Further Information

 

Painting by Edward Troye, American equestrian artist. Title of the painting is Richard Singleton with Viley's Harry, Charles and Lew.Richard Singleton is the name of the horse and Harry Lewis, called only Harry in the title is supposedly Jarrett's father in the book.

Meeting #3  May 21 Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

meeting at 12:00 - 1:00 in the TYC clubhouse.

 

 

Good Reads describes this book as:" Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist."

The book is about women's lives and careers in the late 50's and early 60's.  It follows the story of Elizabeth Zott, a brilliant chemist who is forced to become a television chef when she finds herself a young, single mother. We will have some fun with this one!

Apple TV has created a series based on the book starring Brie Larson. It promises to be quite good. 

Meeting # 4       June 25, 2023  at TYC   12:00-1:00

The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Ricardson 

 

    You may have read an earlier book also based on the Pack Horse Librarian Project called the Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. This book is a follow up, but it stands on its own, and was highly recommended by a several of book club members, who called it a page-turner. 

Description of book from Amazon: "In the ruggedness of the beautiful Kentucky mountains, Honey Lovett has always known that the old ways can make a hard life harder. As the daughter of the famed blue-skinned, Troublesome Creek pack horse librarian, Honey and her family have been hiding from the law all her life. But when her mother and father are imprisoned, Honey realizes she must fight to stay free, or risk being sent away for good."

 

Meeting #5   July 23  at TYC  12:00-1:00 pm

You Are Not Forgotten by Evelyn Grubb and Carol Jose

Kim Race has met the author whose story was intriguing to her. She will have copies available for purchase of $10 each. She is making this available to book club members because the publisher has had some problems. The book sounds fascinating.

Description of the book from Amazon:

 You Are Not Forgotten is a story of courage, honor, and personal growth told by the woman who lived it. Evelyn Fowler Grubb was an American heroine and an eyewitness to the history recorded in this book. She was the wife of U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Wilmer Newlin Grubb who was shot down over North Vietnam in 1966 and photographed alive and well at his capture. Throughout the course of the war, Evelyn and thousands of other wives and family members were unable to get information or contact their loved ones. The U.S. government was unable to get reliable information and was hesitant to release unconfirmed data. The North Vietnamese government refused to provide information, and completely ignored the Geneva Conventions. This book traces the heart-rending journey of these families through the life of Evelyn Grubb and her family.

Meeting #6  Aug 20 at TYC 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Foster by Clare Keegan

 We do not usually select novellas as our choices, but this short book is beautifully written, not flowery, not over the top. Even though it is short, it has the emotional impact of a long novel. You will easily finish this book in a day or two, but don't rush through it. It is understated and perceptive,  just the kind of book to read on your porch on a summer afternoon.

The story is set in rural Ireland in the 1980's. It is told from the point of view of a young girl who  is sent away to distant relatives to ease life for her mother, who is expecting yet another child. The book has a small plot, but we think there may still be much for us to discuss.

Claire Keegan is a well-respected Irish writer, one well worth reading.

 

Meeting #7 (Note Date Change to Saturday, September 16th)

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingslover

 

 This book is receiving a great deal of attention so we thought it might be a good one for our book club to read and discuss. Kingsolver is a very well-known and well-respected writer.  The  book addresses poverty and the opioid epidemic in a poor county in Virginia so it not a light book, but the main character, a teenage boy, experiences the themes of Charles Dickens' classic novel, David Copperfield. (It is not necessary to re-read David Copperfield to appreciate the book, but the book definitely is a nod to David Copperfield.) The book may do what books can do so well--allow us to understand lives that may not be like our own.

     Many readers enjoy the character of Demon Copperhead. He is both naive and experienced. The question we may ask is how does a young boy who has as much bad luck as you can imagine, survive?

 

Meeting #8  Oct 15th at Claudia Lewis' house 

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict 

 

We promise this is the last Marie Benedict book we will read, but the group has found her historical fiction interesting. So we are going to go with one more--this one examines a mystery around Agatha Christie, herself. Fans of Agatha Christie may find this especially interesting.

 

 TYC Book Club 2022 Season

      We are looking forward to a new year and a new season of reading. The last few years during the pandemic have not been easy at TYC, but we have continued to meet, and many of us have found the book club to be a place of connection during these difficult pandemic years. 

       Our first book selection of the new season for our March meeting is Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. Claudia Lewis has volunteered to host our March meeting at her home on Sunday, March 20th from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome, but please contact Claudia ahead of time to let her know you are planning to attend.

Hope to see you at the meeting. 

Denise David and Linda Maddigan

 

 Meeting #1   March 20th from 12:00 until 2:00 p.m.

 

  

 Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is a book that covers four generations of a family. We think you will find it to be an engaging book to read.

   It is the story of four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family who struggle to find a home in Japan. The story is absorbing as it moves through "love, loss, determination, luck, and perseverance." The book is a National Book Award Finalist. It is described as a page-turner even though it is 400 pages in length. It has been described as an "exquisite, haunting, epic." We think you will enjoy this book.

The New Yorker recently had an article about Min Jin Lee. This excerpt may help us think more fully about why she wrote Pachinko.

Amid a surge in anti-Asian hate crimes, Lee has also taken on a new role, becoming a kind of spokesperson for Asian Americans. “It’s a very strange thing because I would rather not say anything. I would rather not draw attention to myself,” she says. “But, because I’m trained in history, I realized how important it is to be visible for Asian Americans in this country.” It’s a reminder of the first line of “Pachinko,” which reads, “History has failed us, but no matter.”

 

Note: Sandy and Kim mentioned that  Pachinko is now a movie that can be streamed through Apple+ TV

Meeting #2   Meeting Rescheduled to  May 22 at 12:00 to 1:00 at TYC.  

The Paper Bracelet is a novel by Rachel English, an Irish journalist, who writes this fictional account based on her interviews with women who had lived through a shameful legacy of the treatment of pregnant women in 1970’s Ireland. Pregnant women were sent to a home for unwed mothers where they were to repent their sin, deliver their babies, and ultimately sign away their children. 

 

The book is described as an engrossing page-turner that you will not be able to put down, or when you do, it might be to compose yourself from reading this poignant story. 

Meeting #3   June 12th from 12:00 to 1:00 at TYC 

 

 

School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan is a novel about a future time where parents (mostly women) are sent to government-run reform school after they have been reported for being bad mothers. It is a fast, compelling read that reminds us of Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale, a future dystopian world.  We will have some provocative discussion about this book. 

This book was suggested by Jenna Bush Hager of the Today Show Book Club who says: "This book is every mother’s worst nightmare written in exquisitely beautiful prose...It offers a sharp social commentary about parenthood and the vulnerability of mother."

Meeting #4   July 17th from 12:00-1:00 at TYC 

 This Tender Land by William Krueger

 

 

This Tender Land, which was recommended enthusiastically by a book club member, is the unforgettable story of four orphans who travel the Mississippi River on a life-changing odyssey during the Great Depression.

Reviewer, Joe Hartlaub, comments about the book:  "A reading of This Tender Land flows like the Mississippi River, which runs through the novel in a quiet backdrop. Although it takes place in a bygone era, the themes are contemporary, as occurs with the best of historical fiction, of which this book should certainly be included. You will not be disappointed with the story and will read it effortlessly from start to finish in a single sitting."

 

We are not suggesting that you will read this in one sitting, but we think you will enjoy this book. 😀

 

Meeting #5   August 21st  from 12:00-1:00 at TYC  

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

 

 This is the story of J.P. Morgan's personal librarian, a woman who rose to prominence in the early 1900's, but as if that is not remarkable enough she was actually an African-American woman who passed as white. The book explores her life and contributions as well as the personal cost of "passing" in a society of Jim Crow, hangings, and incredible racial bias.  

Reviewer Pamela O'Sullivan of the Library Journal writes of this book, "... excellent ... This fictional account of Greene’s life feels authentic; the authors bring to life not only Belle but all those around her. An excellent piece of historical fiction that many readers will find hard to put down."

Author Marie Benedict explains in her author's note that she has had a long time interest in Belle da Costa Greene, but she did not feel comfortable writing the story until she came to work with an African American author, who could help her truly bring out the racism Bella endured. So it came to be that she and Victoria Christopher Murray worked together on this book, the story of an African American woman who helped J.P. Morgan build his massive art and manuscript collection. However, no one knew she was Black. 

 

Meeting #6  Sept. 18th from 12:00 to 1:00 at TYC 

Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin 

 

 The Music of Bees may remind you of Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine, an earlier book club choice. It is the story of three unlikely people who find connection and friendship working on a bee farm. 

The author, Eileen Garvin, is herself a beekeeper  who lives in Hood River, Oregon, where she sets her story.We learn a lot about bees and about friendship, as well as about the power of compassion and the courage to start over.

 

Meeting #7  Oct. 2nd from 12:00 to 2:00 at Claudia Lewis' home.

The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict 

 Claudia Lewis has graciously agreed to host our October meeting at her home. Please call Claudia or Linda or Denise for directions.

We thought we would finish out the reading season with another book by Marie Benedict, who so often tells the little known stories of women. This book focuses on the life of film star of yesteryear, Hedy Lamarr.

When she lived in Germany, she was known as Hedwig Kiesler, and she attended many dinner parties with high level Nazis, who thought of her as a beautiful airhead, not realizing she was a brilliant woman who would use her knowledge for important scientific breakthroughs. Quite a remarkable story.  

If you are interested in delving deeper you may want to read other books that explore the subject in greater depth:  

Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World by Richard Rhodes

The Life of Hedy Lamarr by Stephen Shearer

Ecstacy and Me, My Life As a Woman Hedy Lamarr's autobiography

 

 

 

 

 

 

       TYC Book Club 2021

       We usually gather outside on the clubhouse patio on Sundays once a month from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Our discussions are lively and congenial. We invite you to join us.

Below are this year's book choices as well as the meeting dates.

Hope to see you soon,

Linda Maddigan and Denise David

Meeting #1   March 21, 2021

 

Our first selection is The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. 

 

It follows the lives of twin girls, both light-skinned Black girls, who run away from home at age sixteen and live very different lives. The story does not move in a linear fashion since it is told through the recollections of various characters.

 

An NPR review describes this book as a"... a multi-generational family saga that tackles prickly issues of racial identity and bigotry and conveys the corrosive effects of secrets and dissembling. It's also a great read that will transport you out of your current circumstances, whatever they are."

  

Interesting interview with Britt Bennett

 

Meeting #2   May 16, 2021 at TYC Clubhouse (hopefully)

Our second selection is The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah.

Four Winds is Kristin Hannah's most recent book, taking us to the Dust Bowl of the 1930's, a touching story of a harsh time period. Perhaps some of you remember reading The Grapes of Wrath in high school. This book has the same poignancy, but it is a woman's story, a woman, who along with other characters, faces great struggles. 

The Book Club enjoyed two earlier books by Kristin Hannah, The Nightingale and The Great Alone. We think this one might lead to equally good discussions.

Delia Owens, author of Where the Crawdads Sing has this to say about Four Winds: "Through one woman’s survival during the harsh and haunting Dust Bowl, master storyteller, Kristin Hannah, reminds us that the human heart and our Earth are as tough, yet as fragile, as a change in the wind."

This video gives a quick overview of Dust Bowl Policies: 

 Video on Dust Bowl Policies

 Below is a picture of the daughter who is in the picture in Dorothea Lange's very famous photograph taken in 1936.  Migrant Mother Photograph. 

This is the story of what happened to the woman in the photograph

Florence Thompson the real migrant mother

 

Meeting #3    June 13 at TYC Clubhouse

Our third choice is Hidden Life of Trees: What They feel, How They Communicate by Peter Wohlleben 

 

We try to have a variety of books on our list each year, and this one a bit unusual, but we think you will find it intriguing.

It is a science/ecology book, and it is sure to lead to some interesting discussion. The book is beautifully written by an author who has a deep love of forests. He shares his own observations as well as some scientific research. He makes us care about trees, notice them, and think very differently about them. Do they work together? Do they communicate?  We will have some fun discussing all of this.

Meeting # 4  July 18

Our July choice is Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

 

 This novel has been described as  "a portrait of a marriage, a shattering evocation of a family ravaged by grief and loss, and a hypnotic recreation of a story that inspired one of the greatest literary masterpieces of all time. Hamnet is mesmerizing and seductive, an impossible to put down novel from a gifted writer."

(And yes, the masterpiece being referred to is Hamlet.)

The NY Times named it as one of the best books of 2020. 

 

Meeting # 5  August 15

Our August choice is The Guest Book by Sarah Blake

 

August is the time for some summertime reading, and that means stories that we can get lost in.  The book follows three generations of the Milton family. The novel has been described as family saga and American epic. Curl up and get ready for a page-turning read.

Sarah Blake Interview

 Meeting # 6  September 12 

Our September choice is Radium Girls by Kate Moore

A novel based on the  incredible true story of the young women who were conisdered "lucky" to be working with the new wonder drug radium, until they suddenly became very ill. These women worked in the factories where they painted the numbers on the faces of watch dials. They fought an uphill battle against the dangers of the new wonder drug, radium.

Meeting # 7  October 3rd

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

 

 Good Reads describes The Midnight Library as "an enchanting new novel. Nora Seed finds herself faced... with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place."

 

 

 

 

 

 

TYC Book Club: 2016 Reading Season

TYC Book Club: 2016 Reading Season

Click on Tab at top for 2017 book list

Several years ago, we noticed that in addition to our interest in boating, many members of TYC also share an interest in reading. We decided that TYC members might enjoy having a book club. We were not sure how many people would come, but over the years we have been very pleased with the interest and the participation of club members. We meet once a month during the boating season from May through September,  usually on the third Sunday of the month from 12:00 until 1:00 at the clubhouse, and we have one winter meeting in March at a member's home, which will be announced.


The Book Club has become a special part of TYC. It is a great way to talk about some good books, but perhaps equally as important, it is also a good way to get to know other members of TYC. We have a good time, and we do talk about the books.  We hope you will join us at our next meeting. Everyone is welcome. Hope to see you this season.

Linda Maddigan and Denise David



First Selection for 2016:  March Choice

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson
March 15th, 2016 from 7:00-9:00 p.m.


 

It has been over one hundred years since the sinking of the Lusitania, but the interest in the sinking of this impressive ship remains high. It was the era of elegant travel aboard one of  Cunard Line's fastest ships, one of those beautiful ships that regularly used to cross the North Atlantic. World War I had already begun for Europe.  It was only a few years after the Titanic had hit that fateful iceberg. Our questions abound, and  Erik Larson, who you may remember from In the Garden of Beasts or Devil in the White City,  once again writes a nonfiction book that has us on the edge of our seats. And, of course, there is the local connection: Elbert Hubbard of East Aurora, the father of the Roycroft movement, makes a small appearance as a passenger on the Lusitania. We have much to talk about.

Judy Brodie, lifetime member of TYC, has graciously volunteered to host the meeting. Please call her at 716-688-5224 or email her at jsbrod0804@aol.com to let her know that you will be attending. She will be happy to give you directions if you need them. See you there!

Second Selection  May 15th 

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Meeting May 15th at the TYC Clubhouse

from 12:00-1:00 p.m.  

 

 

  The Nightingale  comes highly recommended by several TYC members. The book focuses on the story of two sisters living in France during the German occupation of World War II.  It is one of those books that lets us experience a life we have not lived, but allows us to consider the choices and decisions we might have made at such a time.  We look forward to another good discussion.
 


Third Selection  June 12th 
 Orphans and Inmates by Rosemary Higgins

Meeting June 12th 
 TYC Clubhouse     12:00-1:00 p.m.
 


 We selected this book in part for its local connection--the author is a graduate of U.B.  and the story takes place in the Canal District of Buffalo in the 1830's, but  the novel is historical fiction filled with lively characters set against the backdrop of the early years of social services for those who were poor, orphaned or labeled insane.  The author's description of the book follows:
"In the spring of 1835, at the pier of Buffalo's Canal District, the most dangerous square mile in developing America, 17 year old Ciara Sloane steps onto land, alone, save for her younger sisters, orphaned at sea on the voyage from Ireland." 

Fourth Selection July 17th
Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman 
from 12:00-1:00 p.m. 

 

 Again, this book comes highly recommended by several book club members.  Marriage of Opposites  is described as a " forbidden love story set on the tropical island of St. Thomas about the extraordinary woman who gave birth to painter Camille Pissarro; the Father of Impressionism." It is a compelling tale.

 

 Fifth Selection  August 21  
TYC Clubhouse    12:00-1:00 p.m. 

Me Before You  by Jojo Moyes

 

 This is a book for an August afternoon. Find yourself a place in the shade and settle in with this book. Yes, it is a love story, but it raises some profound questions. There will be plenty to talk about.

Sixth Selection September 11th

Sara and Eleanor by Jan Pottker 
TYC Clubhouse 12:00-1:00 p.m.
 (Please note: This date is correct!) 
 

There are so many books  about Eleanor Roosevelt that we have had a hard time finding just one. Claudia Lewis Del Russo has recommended Sara and Eleanor by Jan Pottker so we are recommending that for the group, but if you would like to read any other book on Eleanor Roosevelt we are sure that it would add even more to the discussion. 

Please note:  This book club meeting is a follow-up to the "portrayal" of Eleanor Roosevelt  by Denise Reichert at  the TYC Tea on Saturday, September 10th. The tea is $14 per person. It begins at 12:30. Please sign up in TYC clubhouse. You can pay at the door, but we need to know how many are coming. :)

 

Eleanor Roosevelt statue at Franklin Roosevelt memorial in Washington, D.C.

 

 

 Seventh Selection  October 16th
12:00 to 1:00 at TYC Clubhouse.
 

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 

This is a novel about a grumpy old man, but as is the case with all of us, there is more to his story. The book was heartily recommended by several at the book club meeting, who described it as both funny and sad.
 See http://forvo.com/word/ove/#sv to hear it pronounced in Swedish.

We have not met in October in the past, but the group wanted to add a meeting this year so we will see how it works out!

The October 16th meeting was a great success so we will now extend our reading season from May through October with one meeting in February or March.