We are seven handsome and charming* guys who meet at a different restaurant every month or so, having read a book in common, and discuss whatever we want--generally the assigned book, but usually many other timely topics as well. We rotate the responsibility to suggest titles, but the group has the final say. Our book club rules: 1) Anything goes, fiction or nonfiction; 2) paperbacks are preferred; and 3) staying under 300 pages is desirable (N.B., we violate this one all the time). We rate all books and restaurants on a 5-point scale.

* All other adjectives were vetoed.

August 11, 2015

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger (Public Kitchen)

We enjoyed dinner at Public Kitchen, a relatively new place on Mears Park in Lowertown, which offers an eclectic American-style menu.  Good food and good service.  Our conversation touched on presidential politics, travel, summer activities, sports, etc.

The book, Ordinary Grace, was an unexpected hit that impressed almost all of us.  It was a story well told and well written about small-town characters and relationships that was emotionally moving and deeply meaningful. It could be described as a coming-of-age story, a murder mystery, or an evocation of 1950s or 1960s Minnesota.  One criticism was the plethora of characters and the unlikely coincidence of multiple deaths from diverse causes in a short time.

The next book is The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert.  Other titles considered were The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner and A Time of Gifts: On Foot to Constantinople by Patrick Leigh Fermor.  Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, September 29, and Paul will suggest the next book.
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