Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian (Smack Shack)

Gathering at Smack Shack in Bloomington on a hot evening, we avoided talking politics and focused instead on the early 18th century adventures of English navy ship captain Jack Aubry and his first mate Stephen Materin.  The tale is told with authentic lingo and the author almost makes the reader feel like a member of the crew.  Except for some frustration understanding some of the historic maritime references and the lack of a real story line, we ranked the book very high.  The restaurant was top notch, offering great food and service in a relatively quiet environment. 

Our next book is The Woman Behind the New Deal by Kirstin Downey.  Other titles considered were Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks and No Ordinary Time, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by Doris Kerns Goodman.The next person to suggest titles is Dick.  We meet on Tuesday, October 21.

In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick

The book about a maritime tragedy in the Massachusetts whaling fleet of the 1830s is a gripping tale of adventure and survival that prompted Melville to write his classic novel Moby Dick. The loss of lives and the desperate eating of human flesh made for a sordid, and widely discussed, story in its day.  Biaggio offered a more traditional menu for our book group. Good service and food in a quiet setting.  Our next book is Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander.  We'll meet on Tuesday, September 16, and Ron will suggest the next book.

NIght Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry (Italian Eatery-Travail)

We found the restaurant food excellent and the service very good, not counting the food spilled in the cleanup. Our book was quite disappointing.  It purported to be a story of two friends looking for a runaway young daughter, but the plot was confusing, the characters unlikable, and the ending hard to understand.  We gave it one of our lowest ratings ever.  Our next book is In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick, and we'll meet on August 12.  Other books considered: Hillbilly Elegy by Vance and Wild Dark Shore by McConaghy.  We also chose our following book: Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brien.

Serviceberry by Kimmerer and March on Washington by James (Mill Valley Kitchen)

Great restaurant experience with a quiet table, good service and fine food. Our books, however, got mixed but mostly favorable reviews.  The Serviceberry was a paean to communitarianism with a hope that, as a culture, we can create the circle of life represented by the serviceberry's role in the natural world. The March on Washington was bogged down at the beginning by detailing the almost day-by-day efforts of A. Philip Randolph to organize a massive demonstration for civil rights before and during WWII.  We found the author's story-telling skills to be weak.

Our next book is Kevin Barry's Night Boat to Tangier.  Other titles considerted were Moore, The God of the Woods, Backman, My Friends, and Snyder, On Tyranny.  Peter is up next to suggest books.  We'll meet on July 1.

Martyr! by Keveh Akbar (Minnesota Valley Country Club)

Max reserved a table for us at his country club. Situated in a private room with views of the links, it was comfortable and quiet and provided us with excellent food and service.  The book got a mixed welcome: some thought it meandering and confusing while others appreciated the writing and the author's search for meaning in death. We chose two books for next time (May 28) because they are short and easy reads: The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer and The March on Washington by William Jones.  Don will suggest the next book.

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (Dick's house)

Over home-cooked lasagne, we had an excellent discussion of the McBride book and talked about many other topics as well (e.g., politics and movies).  Max participated via Zoom which was a much better experience than the last time we tried. Most of us considered the book one of the best reads ever, stressing the author's insights, mixed backgrounds, and story telling abilities. Our next book is Akbar's Martyr!, an immigrant tale.  Other titles considered were The Overstory by Richard Powers and Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (it turned out that we had already read the latter and we agreed to put different Vonnegut title on the list in the future.). Peter is next in line to suggest the following book; we'll meet on April 23.

The Dragon from Chicago by Pamela Toler (Ron's Condo)

Toler's book traces the life of Sigrid Schultz, one of the pioneering female foreign war correspondents of the 20th century.  With unusual drive and talent, she covered the rise of the Nazis in Germany, worming her way into the personal lives of Goering and other pals of Hitler.  Our dinner at Ron's condo was homemade and delicious; our virtual connection with out-of-town members was only partially successful. Our next book is James McBride, The Heaven and Earth GroceryStore.  We also considered Ann Patchett's Bel Canto and Louise Erdrich's Night Watchman.  We plan to meet next time on Wednesday, March 5, and the next person to offer new book titles is Don.

Autocracy by Applebaum/Demon of Unrest by Larson (Raag)

We read two books on this occasion: Autocracy by Anne Applebaum, an eye-opening look at the patterns of autocracy around the world, and Demon of Unrest by Eric Larson, a close-up study of the period between Lincoln's election and the beginning of the Civil War.  Both books were praised by our group.  We met for a second time at the modern Indian restaurant Raag. Our next book will be The Dragon of Chicago.  Others considered were Hollars' Wisconsin for Kennedy, Milton's Stalin Affair, and Urrea's Good Night Irene.  Ron is in charge of making sugestions for the following book.

The Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan (Biaggio)

Although difficult to find, Biaggio was a perfect venue.  It was quiet and offered a good variety of Italian dishes at a reasonable price.  The book by Egan also pleased us all.  A story of the Ku Klux Klan's takeover of Indiana politics in tbe 1920's, the book provided a detailed look at a reactionary movement not unlike the current day MAGA phenomenon.  Lots of parallels emerged from the book, which ended with a criminal trial that sank the movement in 1924. The next books we'll read are: Anne Applebaum, Autocracy, Inc., and Eric Larson, The Demon of Unrest. We plan to meet on Dec. 19; Dick is next to suggest the following book.

The Bridge at St Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder (Cocina Del Barrio)

The book is considered a classic and was made into at least two movies, but for the most part, we found the story and portraits of the victims of the bridge collapse interesting but not especially compelling or meaningful.  Nevertheless, we were happy to get this book into the "already read" category.  Our restaurant, at 50th and France, offered excellent food options, but the place was a little noisy.  Our next book will be Timothy Egan's Fever in the Heartland.  Other titles: Joan Didion, Year of Magical Thinking, Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go, and Amor Towles, A Gentleman in Moscow.  Our next meeting will be Tuesday, Oct. 29 and Peter will suggest the next book.

The Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende (Christos)

The book is the story of two people caught in the chaos of the Spanish Civil War, their escape to France and then Chile. and their lives in the challenging politics of each country.  The author includes detailed stories of the main characters and the larger political events surrounding them.  Our restaurant lived up to its reputation for fine Greek cuisine and excellent service.  Our book for next time is The Bridge at San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder.  Other titles considered were Silent Spring by Rachel Carson and Erasure by Percival Everett.  Roger suggests the next book.

The Crowded Hour by Clay Risen (The Tea House)

The book is a detailed account of Theodore Roosevelt's Rough Riders and their experiences in the Cuban theater during the Spanish-American War. Full of interesting anecdotes and behind-the-scenes facts, it began to drag with the weight of all that information.  The restaurant, once a top rated place, disappointed.  The food was good, but the service and atmosphere were substandard.  Our next book is Isabelle Allende, A Long Petal of the Sea. Others considerted were Horse by Geraldine Brooks, and This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger.