No, not nominations for the Oscars,
the Emmys, the Golden Globes. Not even the CMAs, MTVs, SAGs or any other of the
weekly awards the entertainment industry deems necessary to bestow on itself.
The nominations I’m listing are far more important and far more intriguing.
They’re the nominations for the COFRL—Circle of Friends Reading List.
The September meeting of our club is
one of my favorites. At that time, members nominate books they particularly
enjoyed or think will make interesting reading and discussion. Then we vote for
those that will comprise our reading selections for the next year. Because of
time restraints, we went ahead and decided on our first two choices: for
October, Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake
by Anna Quindlen; for November, To Dance with the White Dog by Terry Kay. Also, for January, we’ll read Winter of the World by Ken Follett. The
remaining selections will be determined by votes. In the past, I’ve forwarded
this list to several friends who, as I do, appreciate suggestions for good
reading material. Now I’m sharing the list with you along with a link to a brief description of each book.
The Lost Wife
by Alyson Richman
The Painter from Shanghai
by Jennifer Cody Epstein
Empire of the Summer Moon
by S.C. Gwynne
Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by Countess of Carnarvor
One Thousand White Women
by Jim Fergus
In the Kingdom of Men
by Kim Barnes
The Litigators
by John Grisham
The Beginner’s Goodbye
by Anne Tyler
The Sweetness at the Bottom of thePie
by Alan Bradley
Where We Belong
by Emily Giffin
Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn
As you can see, our tastes in books
are as varied as the dishes we bring to our potluck dinners. And just like our
dinners, our list offers--to quote Templeton in Charlotte's Web--a “veritable smorgasbord”of delights. From lighthearted chick lit to inspiring
nonfiction to chilling mysteries, there is something to satisfy every literary
appetite. And just as I do at our dinners, I’m going to sample everything and devour
what I really like.
If you’ve read some of these books,
I would love to hear your opinion of them.
I got a little over-eager and read "Gone Girl." Those people are messed up. I'm also halfway through with "Winter of the World," so someone can borrow mine before January.
ReplyDeleteI'm (im)patiently waiting for my October and November selections to arrive by mail, even though I'll likely miss the November meeting.
I'm very interested in reading some of these. Maybe I can curl up and read them and pretend it's for book club. I miss you ladies!
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