Anything Goes Book Club

General Information

This is a monthly club for women who enjoy reading both fiction and non-fiction books. The books are chosen by the group, after soliciting, receiving, and discussing recommendations from members. Every member steps up to be the discussion leader for one of the books recommended by either themselves or another member. 



Our meetings begin with the book discussion and end with a check-in from each member. This way we get to the meat of the meeting first, but we also make time to get to know and support each other. We invite you to join us every first Thursday of the month at 10:00 AM.



New members, new ideas and new opinions are always welcome. And remember, you can come for just one meeting if you are particularly interested in the book of the day. 

If you are interested in participating or want to be on our contact list, 1) login and add yourself to the contact group or 2) Contact Eleni Skevas, if you need the zoom link, using the Member Directory. If not a member, please contact us.

 

Event Information

14 women met on a sunny day on Zoom. We discussed The Women, by Kristin Hannah. Opinions were mixed on the book, with some preferring her bestseller The Nightingale. Various opinions were shared: 1) learned something about the era, as members were too young or naïve to remember much 2) triggered by the book, which brought back memories of this difficult time 3) felt the lack of acknowledgment the main character received was in keeping with views/treatment of women at that time in history, 4) disappointed by lack of development of characters and female friendships, 5) felt like a romance novel 6) too many issues were covered without much depth. We all related to watching MASH, and reflected about the treatment of women portrayed with Hotlips Houlahan. We also mentioned relatives and friends of various wars who experienced PTSD, and various coping mechanisms they demonstrated (not talking about their experience, or finding/not finding reunions helpful).

Other books/resources were mentioned: 1) Regeneration by Pat Barker (about men in WWII who experienced ‘battle fatigue’); 2) Healing Wounds, Diane Carlson Evans (10 year fight to win women a place of honor in Washington DC); 3) The Things They Carried and 4) Ken Burns’ PBS special on the Vietnam War.

Our next meeting reflects a change to in-person, as well as a time change: Thursday, April 3 from 10:15-11:45 a.m. at the Shoreview Library in the Book Club Room. We will discuss The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni (Pat).

Below are books for future months. Some of these titles are on 'best of' lists, so it may be worth requesting your copy soon.

May: The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore-Terri E
June: The Boys of Riverside, by Thomas Fuller-Terri E
July: All Fours, Miranda July-Terri E

Curious what books this group has read in the past? Check out the list here.

The book club is open to all members (and non-members are welcome to join us a couple times before becoming a member of our organization). It’s helpful if you’ve read the book, of course, but if you just want to listen in and test the waters without reading the book, don’t hesitate to do so. Please add yourself to the group using the instructions above on this webpage.