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.

October 27, 2022

The Art of Dying Well by Katy Butler (Noyes & Cutler)

While not an exemplar of outstanding literary depth and quality, Butler's book is a useful handbook for thinking about and planning for death.  Complete with checklists, best practices, anecdotes, and even a glossary of terms, the book is thought provoking and accessible.  It sparked a good discussion of topics seldom explored in most dinner conversations.  The restaurant provided a good round-table setting, offering excellent food and good service overlooking Mears Park in downtown Saint Paul.  (The piped-in music, however, sometimes made it difficult to converse.)

Our next book is Orwell's Roses by Rebecca Solnit; the only other contender was Kazuo Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun.  We agreed to have our next meeting on January 3 and the following book will be suggested by Bill.

Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)