2004 Book Club Archive

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler
The Sweet Potato Queen’s Book of Love - A Fallen Southern Belle’s Look at Love, Life, Men, Marriage and Being Prepared by Jill Connor
Flux: Women on Sex, Work, Love, Kids and Life in a Half-Changed World by Peggy Orenstein
Business As Unusual: The Triumph of Anita Roddick by Anita Roddick
Veiled Courage: Inside the Afghan Women's Resistance by Cheryl Benard
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress: A Novel by Dai Sijie
What I Loved: A Novel by Siri Hustvedt
Holy Fools by Joanne Harris
A Venetian Affair by Andrea di Robillant
The Great Fire: A Novel by Shirley Hazzard
The World According to Garp by John Irving
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
The Bitch in the House: 26 Women Tell the Truth About Sex, Solitude, Work, Motherhood, and Marriage by Cathi Hanauer
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
The Voyage by Philip Caputo
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
Aurora Dawn by Herbert Wouk
The Reader by Bernard Schlink
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

DECEMBER MEETING
Sunday, December 12, 4:00 PM-ish
No book - just a social gathering!
Hostess: Salina
Pictures: Click here. Use DavidGuest/Guest if you don't have an Imagestation account.

NOVEMBER MEETING
Monday, November 15, 2004, 7:30 PM
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
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Member Ratings: Fatima (thumbs up), Lisa (thumbs up), Salina (thumbs up), Alia (thumbs up), Natalie (thumbs up)
Consensus: Another unanimous thumbs up! There were some disagreements about what 'really' happened in the book which made for some good discussion. But overall, we really enjoyed reading it.
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Hostess: Fatima
Leader: Natalie
Future Leader: Darby - her suggestions for January

OCTOBER MEETING
Monday, October 18, 2004, 7:30 PM
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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Member Ratings: Darby (neutral), Lisa (thumbs down), Fatima (thumbs up), Melanie (thumbs up), Natalie (tentative thumbs up), Jessica (tentative thumbs up)
Consensus: Obviously, not much of a consensus on this one. The book was long and the characters got confusing after a while. It was definitely different than most books which made it interesting. Between the fact that it was a translation and was semi-based on historical/cultural background that most of us were unfamiliar with, it seemed to go over most of our heads.
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Hostess: Natalie
Leader: Jessica
Future Leader: N/A

SEPTEMBER MEETING
Monday, September 20, 2004, 7:30 PM
Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir and Michele Fitoussi
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Member Ratings: Lisa (tentative thumbs up), Natalie (tentative thumbs up), Darby (tentative thumbs up)
Consensus: The writing wasn't great, it lacked the emotional punch that it could have had. But the story itself (and the fact that it's true) made it a worthwhile read.
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Hostess: Lisa
Leader: Darby
Future Leader: Natalie - her suggestions for November

AUGUST MEETING
Tuesday, August 17, 2004, 7:30 PM
Middlesex: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides
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Member Ratings: Lisa (thumbs up), Fatima (thumbs up), Salina (thumbs up), Melanie (thumbs up), Paula (thumbs up), Natalie (thumbs up), Amy (thumbs up) - our first ever unanimous "thumbs up"!!
Consensus: Fascinating story, very well written.
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Hostess: Salina
Leader: Melanie
Future Leader: Jessica - her picks for October

JULY MEETING
Tuesday, July 20, 2004, 7:30 PM
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
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Member Ratings: Jessica (thumbs up), Darby (neutral), Lisa (neutral), Fatima (neutral), Salina (neutral), Melanie (thumbs up), Natalie (thumbs up)
Consensus: Witty, fun read but nothing particularly literary (except in subject matter).
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Hostess: Jessica
Leader: Amy
Future Leader: Darby - her suggestions for September

JUNE MEETING
Tuesday, June 15, 2004, 7:30 PM
A History of the Wife by Marilyn Yalom
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Member Ratings: we never quite got around to rating the book, but it sparked a lot of good discussion!
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Hostess: Melanie
Leader: Lisa
Future Leader: Melanie - her suggestions for August

MAY MEETING
Tuesday, May 18, 2004, 7:30 PM
Beach Music by Pat Conroy
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Member Ratings: Natalie (neutral), Darby (thumbs down), Jessica (thumbs down), Fatima (thumbs down), Melanie (thumbs down)
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Hostess: Fatima
Leader: Natalie - her notes
Future Leader: Amy - her suggestions for July

APRIL MEETING
Tuesday, April 20, 2004, 7:30 PM
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
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Member Ratings: Salina (thumbs down), Lisa (neutral), Amy (thumbs up), Fatima (neutral), Natalie (neutral), Jessica (thumbs down)
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Hostess: Natalie
Leader: Salina - her notes
Future Leader: Lisa - her suggestions for June

MARCH MEETING
Tuesday, March 30, 2004, 7:30 PM
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
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Member Ratings: Jessica (thumbs up), Natalie (thumbs up), Karmen (neutral), Salina (thumbs up), Melanie (thumbs up), Fatima (neutral)
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Hostess: Salina
Leader: Jessica
Future Leader: Karmen - her suggestions for May