Linda and Denise
March 11th 7:00—9:00 p.m. Citizens of London:
The Americans Who Stood With Britain in Its Darkest, Finest Hour
by Lynne Olsen
This non-fiction account reads like a novel. For those who enjoyed last year's selection Garden of Beasts, you may very much enjoy this story of the days in London before the United States entered World War II. It is well-researched, uncovering things you may not have known about the efforts of Americans Edward R. Murrow, Averill Harriman, and John Winnant to persuade Roosevelt to help Britain at this crucial point.
by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
From the publisher:
When her husband threatens to murder her newborn daughter, Kavita sends baby Asha off to a Mumbai orphanage where she is adopted by an Indian-born doctor now living in California with his American wife.
June 22nd 12:00—1:00 p.m. House in the Sky: A Memoir
by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett
You may have read about this event in the news a year or so ago.
From publisher: The dramatic and redemptive memoir of a woman held for fifteen months of harrowing captivity in Somalia.
July 20th 12:00—1:00 p.m. Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini
From publisher: A gifted seamstress, she earned her freedom by the skill of her needle, and won the friendship of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln by her devotion. A sweeping historical novel, Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker illuminates the extraordinary relationship the two women shared, beginning in the hallowed halls of the White House during the trials of the Civil War and enduring almost, but not quite, to the end of Mrs. Lincoln's days.
Aug 17th 12:00—1:00 p.m. The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin
This book will remind you of The Paris Wife and Loving Frank. It is another book about a woman married to a well-known man. In this case the book is about Anne Morrow Lindbergh, who was the wife of Charles Lindbergh.
Sept 21st 12:00—1:00 p.m. The Bartender's Tale by Ivan Doig
A coming of age story of a father and son, told from the son's point of view.
Rusty, the son, focuses most of the story on the summer in 1960 when he was twelve years old. Doig is known as a very good story teller.
We had a very good turn-out for our discussion of Citizens of London. Luckily, the blizzard did not come until the next day! We had a lively discussion with several of us amazed that we had not heard of Gil Winant, American Ambassador to Britain in the early days of World War II. We all felt that there were so many interesting details about things we had not realized that made for good reading. We would recommend the book to anyone who likes history. The book was well-written and well-researched. Thank you Karen and Jon Patterson for recommending it.
ReplyDeleteWe had another wonderful, spirited book discussion on The Secret Daughter during our May 25th meeting. As a point of interest, the question came up about when the name of the city of Bombay was changed to Mumbai. It was changed in November of 1995 after the right wing Hindu nationalist party Shiv Sena came into power.
ReplyDelete