Sunday 13 October 2024
Tuesday 3 September 2024
book 107: Black Cake
13 October 2024
Our next book is Black Cake, by Charmaine Wilkerson, spans sixty years in the life of one Caribbean/American family. There's a cake, too.
Oprah made it into a TV show that is available on Disney Plus. It featured on Obama's Summer 2022 Reading list and became a No. 2 New York Times bestseller.
We'll meet at Steph's place and Tim will bring the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Monika: 13
Stef: 9
Wendy: 13
Leigha: 11
Chris: DNF - wasn't enjoying it
Tim: 14
Cherie: 12
Average: 11.7
Sunday 4 August 2024
book 106: The Yiddish Policemen's Union
4 August 2024
Our next book is The Yiddish Policemen's Union, by Michael Chabon, who also wrote The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay which we read way back in 2009.
Our next book is The Yiddish Policemen's Union, by Michael Chabon, who also wrote The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay which we read way back in 2009.
The Yiddish Policemen's Union is a detective story set in the present-day in an imaginary Alaskan city named Sitka that was settled by Jewish refugees during World War Two.
We'll meet at Monika's place and Monika will bring the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Leigha 14
Steph 14
Wendy 12 and rising
Monika 14
Tim abstained (did not finish)
Average: 13.5
Saturday 9 March 2024
book 105: Before the Coffee Gets Cold
Sunday 19 May 2024
We met at Tim & Wendy's place and Wendy brought the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Leigha 10
Steph 10
Monika 14
Ann 12
Nicole 10
James 10
Tim 10
Wendy 12
Average: 11.0
Saturday 24 February 2024
book 104: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Sunday 24 February 2024
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (yes, those Oxford commas are in the actual title) is by bestselling US author Gabrielle Zevin. Set against a game-development backdrop, it is really a story about the relationship between childhood friends and adult collaborators Sam and Sadie.
We'll meet at Leigha's place and James will bring the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Steph 17
Chris 10
Ann 14
Tim 11
James 15
Leigha 16
Wendy 16
Average: 14.1
Sunday 3 September 2023
book 103: The Covenant of Water
The Covenant of Water is a 700+ page monster of a book by Abraham Verghese that has made its way on to Oprahs' Book Club list, complete with companion podcast. Over-achiever Verghese is also a doctor and professor at Stanford.
We'll meet at Ann's place. Steph will bring the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Monika 16
Ann 16
Stef 14
Leigha 15
Nic 15
Wendy 15
Tim 15
James 12
Ann 16
Stef 14
Leigha 15
Nic 15
Wendy 15
Tim 15
James 12
Average: 14.8
Sunday 23 July 2023
book 102: So You've Been Publicly Shamed
Sunday 23 July 2023
So You've Been Publicly Shamed, by British journalist Jon Ronson.
Some Arazonans think this book is inappropriate for high-schoolers, so it must be good.
We'll meet at Monika's place.
Ratings (out of 17):
Nicole: 12
Tim: 12
Ann : 12
James: 14
Steph: 13
Leigha 11
Monika: 14
Wendy: 15
Average: 12.8
Sunday 26 March 2023
book 101: The Feather Thief
Sunday 21 May 2023
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century, by Kirk Wallace Johnson. A weird but true story.
We'll meet at Steph's place.
Monika will bring the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Steph 14
Nicole 14
Ann 14
Monika 14
Leigha 13
James 12
Tim 13
Average: 13.4
100 books! Our faves so far...
So there you have it, we've reached 100 books and it only took us 16 years. Our top ten books of all time included book no. 100, scraping in at tenth position.
Here they are, in descending order by average score:
20/1/2013 Gone Girl 15.7
21/2/2010 Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil 15.3
22/4/2012 Lolita 15.3
24/5/2009 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 15.1
16/1/2022 A Gentleman in Moscow 15.1
28/6/2009 The Book Thief 15.0
7/5/2017 The Gentleman 15.0
12/9/2021 Do Not Say We Have Nothing 14.8
31/5/2015 Daughter of Fortune 14.7
26/3/2023 Lessons in Chemistry 14.6
Sunday 15 January 2023
book one hundred: Lessons in Chemistry
Sunday 26 March 2023
The story of Elizabeth Zott, scientist, dog-owner and TV cook.Coming soon to Apple TV+!
We'll meet at Tim and Wendy's place. Ann will bring the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Nicole: 16
James: 13
Wendy: 16
Tim: 16
Monika: 16
Leigha: 13
Ann: 14
Steph: 13
Average: 14.6
book ninety-nine: Sisters In Resistance
15 January 2023
Our ninety-ninth book is Sisters In Resistance by Tilar J. Mazzeo, billed as "the extraordinary true story of how three women - a fascist's daughter, a German spy, and an American socialite - raced against Hitler's SS to get key evidence into the hands of the Allies."
Hear an ABC Radio interview with the author here.
We met at Leigha's place. Tim brought the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Ann 8 below par
Leigha 11 learnt a lot but felt like a school assignment
Steph 9
Wendy
Tim
Nicole 11 as per Leigha
Average: 11.0
Thursday 17 November 2022
Sunday 16 October 2022
book ninety-eight: The Lincoln Highway
Sunday 16 October 2022
The Lincoln Highway is by Amor Towes, who wrote bookclub favourite A Gentleman In Moscow (average score: 15.1). This one is set in a different time and place. Will it be as popular?
We met at Tim & Wendy's place.
Wendy brought the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Leigha 15
James15
Anne 15
Tim 15
Wendy 13
Average: 14.6
Sunday 7 August 2022
book ninety-seven: American Dirt
Sunday 7 August 2022
American Dirt is a controversial 2020 novel by American author Jeanine Cummins, about the ordeal of a Acapulco bookshop-owner forced to leave behind her life and escape as an immigrant to US with her son.
American Dirt is a controversial 2020 novel by American author Jeanine Cummins, about the ordeal of a Acapulco bookshop-owner forced to leave behind her life and escape as an immigrant to US with her son.
We met at Ann's place and Maree brought the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Leigha 15
Maree 15
Ann 12
Wendy 13
Tim
Steph 14
Average: 13.8
Monday 28 March 2022
book ninety-six: 'The Secret History' by Donna Tartt
Sunday 22 May 2022
'The Secret History', a bestseller debut novel by Donna Tartt. You'll have to read the book because there is no movie.
We'll meet at James and Mari's place and Maree will bring the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Steph 14
Steph 14
James 11
Leigha 14
Ann 13
Tim 12
Average: 12.8
Monday 17 January 2022
book ninety-five: The Prague Cemetery
Sunday 27 March 2022
The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco has been called a sort of highbrow Dan Brown. No word on how either Umberto or Dan feels about that.
Steph kindly hosted; Leigha brought the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Leigha - 7 - Like trudging through a university assignment
Stephanie - 5 - So over it by page 100
James - 12 - Was hoping for something more like Eco's other novels. Respect but not love it.
Ann - 10 - Thought provoking, but didn't like it
Stephanie - 5 - So over it by page 100
James - 12 - Was hoping for something more like Eco's other novels. Respect but not love it.
Ann - 10 - Thought provoking, but didn't like it
Average: 8.5
Sunday 28 November 2021
book ninety-four: A Gentleman in Moscow
Sunday 16 January 2022
A Gentleman in Moscow, the worldwide bestseller by American novelist Amor Towles. Apparently, it is "The Grand Budapest Hotel" and "Eloise" meets all the Bond villains.
We met at Leigha's place.
James contributed the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Tim 16
Wendy 15
Leigha 16
Steph 14
Maree 16
Monika 15
Ann 14
Average: 15.1
Monday 25 October 2021
book: ninety-three: The Labyrinth
Sunday 28 November 2021
From Anne's shortlist comes the winner of the 2021 Miles Franklin Literary Award by Tasmanian and one-time alleged senator-defamer Amanda Lohrey.
We'll meet at Tim and Wendy's place.
Maree will bring the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Monika 12
Ann 12
Leigha 13
Stef 12
Tim 9
James 12
Maree 12
Average: 11.7
book ninety-two: No Time Like the Future
Sunday 24 October 2021
Selected from Tim's shortlist, Michael J Fox's (aka Alex P Keaton and Marty McFly) third book gives us a glimpse of his recent life, still living with Parkinson's disease but now with the added complication of a spinal tumour, the surgery to treat it and the aftermath from that.
We met at Maree's place.
Ann brought the shortlist for the next book.
Ratings (out of 17):
Ann 8
Jim 10
Tim 12
Nicole 13
Wendy 13
Monika 8
Steph 12
Maree 13
Leigha (in absentia) read it but did not score
Average: 11.1
Sunday 25 July 2021
book ninety-one: Do Not Say We Have Nothing
Sunday 12 September 2021
Ratings (out of 17):
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien.
We met at Steph's place.
Ratings (out of 17):
Ann - 15 - would have given more but it was complex and info not always tied together well
Maree - 15 - it matched the epic- ness of China and its size and history. Beautifully written.
Steph - 15. Leaving space for a 16 or 17 in the future ! Comprehension of
Chinese history.
Leigha - 14. Really enjoyed it. Struggled with first 30% when identifying all characters but once that sorted, I really enjoyed it.
James - 15 - really lovely. Great flow of characters and story.
Average: 14.8
Sunday 4 July 2021
book ninety: The Dictionary of Lost Words
Sunday 25 July 2021
We'll meet at Leigha's place.
Ratings (out of 17):
Leigha 14
Jim 12
Ann 14
Steph 14
Mari 11
Average: 12.3
Sunday 16 May 2021
book eighty-nine: Flyaway
Sunday 16 May 2022
Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings.
We met at Tim and Wendy's place.
Ratings (out of 17):
book eighty-eight: This is Going to Hurt
This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor, a nonfiction book by the British comedy writer Adam Kay.
We met at Monika's place.
TIm: 14
Wendy: 14
Monika: 14
Leigha: 13
Jim: 10
Average: 13
Saturday 16 January 2021
book eighty-seven: The Master and Margarita
Sunday 31 January 2021
Apparently the favourite book of most Russians, The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov features the Devil, which I think is a first for this book club. Bonus points if any book-clubber reads it in the original Russian.
We'll meet at Jim and Mari's place and Monika will bring the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Sunday 13 September 2020
book eighty-six: The Woman in the Window
Sunday 8 November 2020
The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn, the pseudonym of Dan Mallory. Mr Mallory tells fibs, apparently. The movie adaptation is reportedly coming to Netflix soon.
We met at Leigha's place. James brought the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Leigha 14
Nicole 15
James abstain
W 14
Tim 14
Monika 13
Average: 14
book eighty-five: Boy Swallows Universe
Much to Jim's and Cherie's chagrin, from Damian's shortlist comes the debut novel from Brisbane's favourite journo, Trent Dalton. His publisher reckons it has heart of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, both of which we rated highly, so let's see...
We'll met via Zoom and Tim brought the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Leigha 14
Monika 12
Nic 13
Maree 15
James 13
Wendy 13
Tim 16
Average: 13.7
Monday 8 June 2020
book eighty-four: The Natural Way of Things
Sunday 26 July 2020
The Natural Way of Things, by Charlotte Wood. Touted as ‘Handmaid’s Tale for the 21st Century’. Follows the story of a group of young women being held captive in the Australian desert.
Chosen from Leigha's shortlist comprising the University of Canberra's five most recent Books of the Year (this one was Book of the Year for 2019).
We'll meet at Nicole's place, or somewhere nearby, depending on the virus. Damien will bring the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
The Natural Way of Things, by Charlotte Wood. Touted as ‘Handmaid’s Tale for the 21st Century’. Follows the story of a group of young women being held captive in the Australian desert.
Chosen from Leigha's shortlist comprising the University of Canberra's five most recent Books of the Year (this one was Book of the Year for 2019).
We'll meet at Nicole's place, or somewhere nearby, depending on the virus. Damien will bring the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Cherie: 15 really liked it (but she gave the road 17 so she has form for this). Very atmospheric.
Damo: 15 works more as allegory and polemic text than novel.
James: 14 does not mind that the wider world was not built out (did not complete)
Nicole: 11 the unresolved story threads were unsatisfying
Leigha: 13 bit of an Atwood ripoff (but it predates the TV deal. Liked the Australian nature of it. At the end, wanting something more
Tim: 9 (did not complete)
Wendy: 14 aspects of the ending were great, but still some unresolved dissatisfaction
Average: 13.0
Monday 27 April 2020
book eighty-three: Wild
Wild by Cheryl Strayed. New York Times Bestseller. Movie with Reese Witherspoon.
Listen to ABC Radio’s Conversation with the author.
Listen to ABC Radio’s Conversation with the author.
Leigha will bring the shortlist.
Ratings (out of 17):
Nicole: 15
Cherie: 16
Damien: 16
Jim: 11
Leigha: 11
Wendy: 13
Tim: 12
Average: 13.4
Nicole: 15
Cherie: 16
Damien: 16
Jim: 11
Leigha: 11
Wendy: 13
Tim: 12
Average: 13.4
Sunday 15 March 2020
book eighty-two: The Last
26 April 2020 | by Zoom.
The Last by Hana Jameson.
Nicole brought the shortlist.
Monika 13.5
Leigha 11 lacked purpose bet each way
Nicole 12 w
CheriE 10 didn’t quite done niche last ten pages - Cooke have been longer but better, liked that his wife wise don’t come
Damian 12 liked it, eternal optimist
Wendy 12
Average: 11.8
The Last by Hana Jameson.
Nicole brought the shortlist.
Monika 13.5
Leigha 11 lacked purpose bet each way
Nicole 12 w
CheriE 10 didn’t quite done niche last ten pages - Cooke have been longer but better, liked that his wife wise don’t come
Damian 12 liked it, eternal optimist
Wendy 12
Average: 11.8
book eighty-one: Any Ordinary Day
Ratings (out of 17):
Tim: 12
Wendy: 13:
Leigha: 13
Nicole: 14
Cherie: dnf
Damian: dnf
Average: 13
Next time, we'll meet at Nicole's place and Nicole will bring the shortlist.
(Welcome back Nicole! According to the (unreliable) bookclub records, Nicole's last book was The Dinner way back in June 2013.)
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