Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck (Blackbird)

The group met at Blackbird restaurant in Minneapolis and discussed John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, which I gathered the group thought had not weathered well.   I wasn't there. The next book will be Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne.

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (St. Paul Grill)

The most repeated comment about the book was "I'm glad we read this book."  Even though the style and format of the novel are old fashioned and the presentation is anything but subtle, Uncle Tom's Cabin still carries a punch, and it's easy to see why it had such a big impact on the mid-19th century--even beyond America.  We agreed that Tom himself has gotten somewhat of a bad rap in more recent times.  To be an "Uncle Tom" has come to imply aiding and abetting an evil institution, but Stowe actually depicts him as a simple but saintly man of great loyalty and principle who would not participate in evil doing.  We were also a little surprised at the centrality of Christianity in the novel.  Stowe uses the power of faith and message of Christianity to undermine slavery, and you don't have to be a believer to see how well this works.  All in all, a pretty great book that everybody knows about but relatively few read today.

As usual, the Grill was expensive, but top notch.

The Big Short by Michael Lewis (Heartland)

We met at Heartland's new space in downtown St. Paul and enjoyed a top notch dinner in a relatively quiet corner.  There was lots to talk about, especially election results and the fallout in the Minnesota Legislature.  But the book, a micro-level analysis of the current financial crisis, also got its due.  We discussed and quibbled over the big meaning of the meltdown, its "root causes", and what could or should have been done to prevent it.  Everybody agreed, however, that the book was well-written and made a very complicated issue a little clearer.  Next time we'll read Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.  Also suggested were Per Petterson's To Siberia and Bruce Chatwin's Songline.

Tinkers by Paul Harding (Haute Dish)

Dinner was at a well-regarded new restaurant, Haute Dish, which turned out to have some tasty dishes but whose overall rating was embarassingly low because of slow/bad service. They put us in a relatively quiet back alcove, and then kind of abandoned us for most of the next 2 1/2 hours. Our book discussion was outstripped by talk about travel, politics, and other topics. For some reason, despite its general poopularity Tinkers offered fewer interesting discussion points than many of our previous selections. For next time, we are reading The Big Short by Michael Lewis, an analysis of the financial crisis. The only other book suggested was John McPhee's Survival of the Bark Canoe. Bill suggests the next book.

Art of Travel by Alain de Botton (Fuji-Ya)

The noise at Fuji Ya made it hard to have a good conversation about Art of Travel, but we did our best.  We talked about different kinds of travel, the reasons for and morality of travel, and other topics prompted by de Botton’s generally well received and readable book.  The writer’s device of organizing each chapter around an idea and one or more “guides” or writers generally worked well, but the book was somewhat choppy, as if each chapter was a stand-alone essay.  Bill and Max missed this one and they were the next two to suggest future books.  In their absence, Phil urged us to pick Tinkers, a book that he mentioned last time.  So we did.

Journey of Man by Spencer Wells (Sanctuary)

Dinner was excellent at Sanctuary in Minneapolis, and the book (Journey of Man by Spencer Wells) got decent, but below average scores. The next book, suggested by Phil, is Alain de Botton’s Art of Travel. Other suggestions: Paul Harding, Tinkers, and Anne Enright, The Gathering.

Deaf Sentence by David Lodge (128 Cafe)

We made a return visit to 128 Cafe in St. Paul and gave it a pretty good rating, although not quite as positive as last time. Our book, David Lodge's Deaf Sentence, got mixed but mostly positive reviews, and everybody remarked on how much discussion it evoked, undoubtedly because most of us could identify with the main character and the topic of aging. Next month's book is Spencer Wells' The Journey of Man, a story of evolution that accompanied a PBS special. Other books considered: C. S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters and Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe; H. Von Kleist, Marquise of O.; Philip Pullman, Golden Compass; and Edward Buscombe, Stagecoach (plus the movie). These were Paul's suggestions. Phil is up next.

The Skeptical Romancer by Somerset Maugham (Barbette)

Our book this month was Somerset Maugham's The Skeptical Romancer, a collection of his travel writings from the 1930s. Most aggreed that Maugham's writings still seemed fresh although a couple of us rated the book only average. This was our second visit to Barbette, and we gave it outstanding marks. The next book is David Lodge's Deaf Sentence. Other suggestions were The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, This Republic of Suffering  by Drew Gilpin Faust, and Deadwood by Pete Dexter. Paul suggests the next book.

Catcher in the Rye & Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger (Spoonriver)

Probably because of his recent death, J. D. Salinger has been on our minds for the past few months, and so we decided to re-read Catcher in the Rye and Nine Stories which predictably got high scores. So did the restaurant Spoonriver. Books considered for next time: Dexter Filkins, Forever War; Michael Kazin, A Godly Hero; Edward Bale, Slaves in the Family; and Somerset Maugham, The Skeptical Romancer. We picked the latter.

One Man's Meat by E.B. White (Caffe Biaggio)

Our book was E. B. White's One Man's Meat, a collection of essays from the late 1930s and early 1940s on farming, world affairs, and many topics in between. We all found it enjoyable, but not earthshaking. Caffe Biaggio was a congenial venue on a snowy evening.

The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner (Red Stag Supper Club)

We dined at the Red Stag Supper Club, and enjoyed satisfying if not exceptional meals. Our discussion ranged from Tiger's trials, to football foibles, to Palin's preenings. I'm sure some elevated topics were in there, too. The book, The Spectator Bird, got a pretty good reaction, especially for the author's lyrical and often iconic writing style, but there were questions about plot lines and character motivation. The meaning of the eugenics subplot? And why didn't the countess choose to escape to the US? At Max's suggestion, we'll read E. B. White, One Man's Meat (alternative idea: Per Petterson's To Siberia), and we'll meet on February 9. The next book will be suggested by Don.

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (Al Vento)

Al Vento offered great dinner options that pleased everyone: Duck, lamb, scallops. Plus, wine was half-price on Mondays. Our book was Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres, which most of us rated as above average as a portrait of a seriously flawed Iowa farm family, but nearly everyone had quibbles about the book, especially the story about the poisoned sausages. Most of us didn't mind the somewhat exaggerated stories, but we drifted into discussions of incest and sex offenders in Minnesota institutions. We selected Wallace Stegner's The Spectator Bird for next time (December 7). Other ideas included Philip Roth, Indignation, Diane Ackerman, the Zookeeper's Wife, and David Lodge, Deaf Sentence. The next book will be suggested by Max.