Tuesdays With Morrie - Fall 2001

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

Chosen by: Jessica

Location: Ryan's new house

Ryan and Kevin moved into their new house a little while ago, but this is our first meeting here. So far we haven't done the restaurant thing yet, we are just making the rounds at our homes. Carolyn, Shelley, Ryan, Jessica and Michelle were all there.

Our plan was to eat some appetizers, drink some wine, discuss the book, then watch the movie version of the book. The book was very touching and emotional. It is about a man who rekindles a friendship with his favorite, professor, who is dying, and they start meeting every Tuesday. "We're Tuesday people" (our group was meeting on Tuesdays at the time so we were Tuesday people too). They discuss life, love and everything under the sun. The main character learns a lot from this older man. I love stories like this. I have been lucky enough to have all of my grandparents and even one great gramma. I love sitting and talking with them. They have so much to share and so much life experience. Some of the best and most valuable life lessons can be learned from those generations before us.

After the movie we decided to make smores by the fireplace. Good idea until Ryan gets a little tipsy. A little marshmallow and red wine on the new tan carpet never hurt anything right? Since it was close to Halloween, Tipsy Ryan wanted to tell some ghost stories. Needless to say, they were more humorous then scary. But she did have a Wisconsin ghost story book that did have some frightening stuff in it. Silly Ryan.

We finally moved into our new house in Roseville and right away got a new puppy, Cedar, the Leonberger. He's gonna be huge. His best friend is Ryan and Kevin's chocolate lab puppy, Gus. So, Cedar got to come to book club too and play with his BFF. He was so tired when I left I carried him out, nearly limp, to the car. Good night.

Lolita - Summer 2001

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Chosen by: Shelley

Location: Shelley's on Grand Ave.

We met at my apt. on Grand Ave, still there. We are in the process of buying a house, hopefully we are able to move soon, although I will really really miss Grand Ave living. I was the only one to finish the book. I felt it was a great book but the discussion was very limited since no one else finished it. It is quite disturbing and uncomfortable, but I guess that made it intriguing for me. It is a classic of course with a few movie versions to go along with it. The main character is a middle aged man who stays w/ a family. Included in this family is a preteen daughter whom he starts to fantasize about and seriously flirt with. Wrong and disturbing, yes. As usual though, it was a good time and I'm so glad we are trying to keep up with our meetings. Sometimes it has been difficult to schedule everyone, but we seem to be able to make it work.

Hornito - Summer 2001

Hornito by Mike Albo

Chosen by: Carolyn

Location: Carolyn's house in Apple Valley

We sat outside on her patio and had appetizers and desserts. Those there: Ryan, Shelley, Jean, Carolyn, Jessica.

After discussing the book, a few of us sat in her hot tub. It was a very nice night.

A coming of age novel about a man's struggle with his sexual identity and trying to live the life of a gay man in NYC. Very interesting and trashy at times. Funny and eye opening, yet sad and uncomfortable as well. Good read. I would read more books by this author.

The Redemption of Sarah Cain - not sure when

The Redemption of Sarah Cain by Beverly Lewis

Chosen by: Jean

Location: Jean's house

Jean's house was new at the time and beautiful, so the first thing we did was get a tour. She was only in book club for a few meetings. She became pregnant w/ triplets and life got complicated for her, so she dropped out. After Jessica and I quit Abbott Northwestern and went to Children's Hospital, we eventually lost touch with her.

This book was actually quite painful to read. It was about a big city lady coming into an Amish community due to a death in the family (her sister married Amish I believe). The way it was written it was just plain boring. We all agreed that the Amish are very fascinating people and would normally enjoy a story involving them, but this was just not one of those stories. Whoops.

1st to Die - Feb 2001

1st to Die by James Patterson

Chosen by: Michelle

Location: Michelle's house in St. Paul

James Patterson is, of course, a mystery writer. It was a quick read and the discussion was quick as well. Since it was a mystery, with an ending all tied up, there wasn't a lot left to imagine. The character development wasn't great but the mystery kept you turning the pages. I hadn't read James Patterson before, and I know he's a very popular author, but I don't think I personally will be choosing him in the near future.

Carolyn is getting engaged! We talked a lot with her about the ins and outs of her wedding planning in Kauai, HI possibly.

While You Were Gone - Jan 2001

While You Were Gone by Sue Miller

Chosen by: Jessica

Location: Ryan's Uptown apartment

The members there were: Shelley, Ryan, Jessica, Michelle, Carolyn and Christina

We all brought a dish to pass and I made cream cheese wontons for the first time. They were actually pretty yummy. I am not a cook, so anytime I produce good tasting food, it's cause for celebration.

This was a novel about a woman looking back through her life as she was coming of age at college and dealing with her middle-aged current life. Marital woes, 1960's flashbacks, family dynamics, all which make for good long discussion. We all agreed that we would recommend this one. A good beach read.

Plainsong - Winter 2000

Plainsong by Kent Haruf

Chosen by: Ryan

Location: Jessica's condo in Maple Grove

We met at Jessica's place and had wine and appetizers. She had quite a spread. Those in attendance: Shelley, Jessica, Ryan, Christina, Michelle, Jean and Carolyn. (We gained some members and you can see)

This novel was a coming of age tale about a small town, a young girl who finds herself pregnant and alone, and 2 elderly bachelors who learn to open their lives to this girl and her baby. The characters were nicely developed and the reader was really able to get a feel for the town and the people in it. It was a page-turner and we all seemed to like it and the discussion went for quite awhile. We all agreed that we would recommend it. This became a Lifetime movie a short time after we read it, but I don't know if any of us actually watched it.

Our First Meeting - Fall 2000

We read Ripley Underground by Patricia Highsmith

Chosen by: Shelley

Location: Shelley's apartment on Grand Ave.

Our first meeting. I was so excited. I'd been wanting to get a book club together for a while and as luck would have it, 3 of my friends were very interested. We snacked on some appetizers and drank some wine, had the lights low with soft music in the background. We thought we were pretty cool. The original members: Shelley, Ryan, Jessica T. and Carolyn. Ryan unfortunately was sick that night, so just the 3 of us met. The book was the pre-Talented Mr. Ripley novel about the sinister character, Mr. Ripley. He is always trying to do good, but had an uncontrollable evil streak. He gets into a lot of bad situations and his way out of them usually consists of murder. I had a list of discussion questions that we went through and it was a lot of fun dissecting the book. Although the book kept you on your toes and was exciting, it wasn't one that any of us would recommend. Poor Mr. Ripley. I really hope we continue what we've started here. What a great excuse to get together with friends, drink wine and eat yummy food with fabulous women.

The Who and the Why

This is the journal of The Open Books. A book club that began in the fall of 2000, with only 4 members. It has waxed and waned from 4 members up to 10 members at one time. Currently, and for the past 2 years, we have been stable with 8 members: Ryan, Jessica, Kelli, Michelle, Carolyn, Christina, Kerry and myself, Shelley. Other members have been Angie, Jessica P and Jennifer. We all reside in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Six of us are nurses, one is a social worker and one is a chemist/scientist. We are all moms and of course, are very busy just trying to keep our lives together. The meetings take place about every 6 weeks and whoever picks the book, hosts the book, either at their own house or at a restaurant. Sometimes we do themes, such as ordering Chinese take-out to discuss the book Snowflower and the Secret Fan, or getting the movie version of the book and watch it following the discussion. Whatever we do, there are no rules and we are just glad to be able to get out of the house for a night with the girls.

I started a written journal several years back and have tried to keep it updated, but am continuously falling behind. I am now starting this blog to see if we can do a better job at archiving our meetings in a more timely fashion, and also to encourage my fellow book club members to join me in this process so that there are more views and thoughts than just my own.