What next book?

The last shorts stories had their likers and their haters. However, both groups agreed that these stories were really weird.
Now it is time to select another book. Please choose between the two following:

The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham
and Bonk by Mary Roach

what book?
	the midwitch cuckoos
	Bonk
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Too nice a day to be indoors....

but here we all are. And I am going to need a good book for some cottage reading. OK, what I really need is an impressive cover to disguise the tripe I'm really reading. The choices are:

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor

All the Little Live Things by Wallace Stegner

Voting closes Friday, 4pm. Meeting will be the week of August 20.

Good Book Covers!
	Hemingway
	O'Connor
	Stegner
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Empire of the Ants

I'm not writing a review on Empire of the Ants. Didn't finish it. Couldn't finish it. Or perhaps more accurately, won't finish it. I learned all I needed from the discussion at Monday's meeting. It was slow and the ending predictable but there might be enough creepy insects and gore to entice the 11 year old.

Looking for Ants?

Days before the big spring picnic, we've chosen to read about ants? I don't get it.

But our newest reader, Cherise, tells me there a 20% off sale at Half Price Books this weekend. Looking to save a buck?

Too Early for Beach Reading?

Doesn't look like we've got any action or romance in this month's suggestions. OK, at least no happily ever after. Guess we'll save that for summer.

Our suggestions are:

Empire of the Ants by Bernard Werber

Where the Air Is Clear by Carlos Fuentes

Tomatoland by Barry Estabrook

Say Her Name by Francisco Goldman

Polls close Monday at 6pm. Meeting week of June 25.

You've got 6 weeks. How will you spend it?
	Empire of Ants
	Air Is Clear
	Tomatoland
	Say Her Name
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So, what did we think of The Tempest? From what I hear of the discussion, the tequila was good. I guess we'll have to see the CalShakes version to know if we liked it or not.

I'm late, I'm late...

I seem to be spending a lot of time this week apologizing to people for being behind on things. Perhaps I'm just working on (the much hated) Berkeley time. So, here is the very late poll for our next big read.

The Tempest by William Shakespeare (and field trip to CalShakes)

The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession by David Grann

Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller

Polls close Monday, 4pm, PST.

Pick a book, see a play!
	Tempest
	Sherlock
	Cocktails
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The Golden Gate

Welcome back Sandra! This will be my last act as the substitute to the substitute organizer (Holly = lazy).

To summarize our meeting last night: John is an ass, the cats were awesome, the poetry didn't seem to add anything to the book, and in general everyone liked Golden Gate in the same way you might enjoy a soap opera.

Think of suggestions for the next book and send them to us by next Monday at 5pm. My suggestion is below....

I suggest we read some Shakespeare. I picked The Tempest, because it is a fairly famous play, has some comedy, a monster, a shipwreck, a fairy, revenge and a love story. As an added bonus: Cal Shakes is doing a performance of it in June (Book club field trip?)

Devil in the White City

We should have seen it coming. Remember reading Devil in the White City just a while back? It seems a descendant of the murderer, H.H. Holmes, has proven that he was also Jack the Ripper!

And get this! There's to be a movie with Leonardo diCaprio.

How's the poetry coming?

RadioLab

I know a lot of your are RadioLab fans. Here's an interesting interview with Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich about the show. I've been trying all morning to listen.

Poetry it is!

Well, I never thought I'd see the day! But, it looks like we're reading poetry. Go get your copy of Golden Gate and get busy!

By the way, have you checked out Yelping with Cormac lately???

Think we'll make it two in a row?

Can you believe I got busy yesterday and totally forgot to post the poll? Imagine!

The choices for our next read are:

Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species by Sean Carroll

The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth

Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada

A new book to love?
	Remarkable Creatures
	Golden Gate
	Alone in Berlin
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Poll closes Monday, 5pm.

Next meeting week of March 5

We liked it.

Well, at least we all found at least something to like in The Borrower. Perhaps it was all those wacky Russians! And those kooky actors! Perhaps it was the unusual plot. I think most were frustrated at the total lack of self motivation in the central character but that may have been the point.

Hey Carlos, want to write a nice review and post it here?