The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton (Tanpopo Noodle Shop)

After ignoring St. Paul for six months, we ended up at Tanpopo Noodle House, a Japanese home-style restaurant in Lowertown that got a repectable if not wonderful review from our group. We read G. K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday which got a decidedly mixed review. Some thought it a remarkable tour de force of conservative/Christian thought while others thought it just boring and dated but mercifully brief. Not widely read today, Chesterton has his followers and was once considered a peer of Shaw. Next time we will read James Jones' From Here to Eternity. Other books considered included La Rochefoucould's Maxims and Spencer Wells' The Journey of Man. Next meeting is July 27. Phil suggests the next tome.

Blood Done Sign by Timothy Tyson (Mairin's Table)

We met at Mairin's Table, a Moroccan place with half-price wine on Mondays and Tuesdays. Service was a little slow, but it was quiet enough to talk and the food was mostly good. The book, Blood Done Sign My Name by Timothy Tyson, was admired by all, and it sparked a discussion about race, the south, and our own experiences. For next month (actually June 15), at Jim's suggestion, we will read G. K. Chesterton, The Man Who Was Thursday. Other books Jim suggested were Philbrick's Mayflower, Schlink's The Reader, Murakami's Wild Sheep Chase, Brock's Charlatan, and Ackerman's Zookeeper's Wife. Paul is in line to suggest the next book.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Nick and Eddie)

Despite one strong dissent, we gave this month's book, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, pretty uniformly high marks (not apparent from the mediocre average rating). It was an interesting story, well told, and some found it inspiring. Much of the discussion focused on whether or not Mortenson's exploits amount to a kind of "imperialism". For the next book, Max suggested Gladwell's Blink, Shields' Mockingbird, French's In the Woods, and Tyson's Blood Done Sign My Name. We chose the latter. Our venue for the evening, Nick and Eddie, was noisy and unsatisfying, although the food was (mostly) good.

Tender Is The Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Bali)

This month we met at a new Indonesian place called Bali. Nobody was really bowled over by the place but it was pleasant, affordable, somewhat adventuresome, and they treated us well. We read Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night, which we all found a little disappointing. Considered one of the 20th century's best novels, it just didn't seem to translate very well to the 21st. Although the story and writing improved as the book unfolded, it was hard
to get into, and some of the characters, like Rosemary and Tommy, were thinly developed. At Max's suggestion, next month we'll read Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. Other books he suggested were Shadow Catcher by Marianne Wiggins, First Person Plural by Cameron West, and Two Gentlemen of Verona by Shakespeare. Next meeting is March 31.

Dreams Of My Father by Barack Obama (Seafood Palace)

Our book was Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father, a memoir by our 44th. A thoughtful, well-written, and candid self-exploration by the future politician on the eve of his election to the Illinois State Senate, the book was far more impressive than the usual campaign tract. Our dinner at the Chinese restaurant, Seafood Palace, was good overall and a great value. Our next book is the classic, Tender Is the Night, by Minnesota author F. Scott Fitzgerald. We also considered Fred Kaplan's Lincoln: Biography of a Writer and The World Without Us by Alan Weisman.

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (B.A.N.K.)

Mea Culpa. I have gotten behind in updating this site on a timely basis. I was out of town for two months in the spring, got a new computer when I got back, and it took me--literally--two months to get all the bugs out of the new system and transfer all my data. Anyway, I'll pick up the thread now and try to keep it current.

A minor snowstorm slowed traffic as we made our way to our restaurant, B.A.N.K., which proved to be a rather unpopular choice. The setting is wonderful, but the food and service were not up to the standard one might expect from one of our most expensive venues. Overall, we ranked the place pretty low. Don and Jim had a premonition or something and skipped the event. Our discussion ranged from Morocco to the latest movies to Coleman/Franken. We ranked Lahiri's book (Interpreter of Maladies) fairly high, but we cited various topical and plot weaknesses in some of her short stories. For next time, Bill suggested two books on the current crisis, Peter Gosselin's High Wire: The Precarious Financial Lives of American Families, and Roger Lowenstein's While America Aged, plus Obama's memoir, Dreams from My Father. We chose the Obama book. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 13, and Roger will suggest the
next book.

Blade Runner by Scott Bukatman and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip Dick (Luci Ancora)

We watched a movie this time, Bladerunner, and some read the novel on which it was based, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Paul made a strong case that the movie raises important issues regarding human identity and contemporary society. An incomplete group, we met at Luci Ancora and had a very satisfying meal. The next book is V. S. Naipaul, India: A Wounded Civilization. The meeting is April 1.

All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy (Amazing Thailand)

We mostly talked politics since the presidential campaign was heating up, but the book (All the Pretty Horses) was well received. We liked McCarthy's powerful, lyrical style and, after the first 100 pages or so, the story was compelling. Most of us also gave high marks to the restaurant (Amazing Thailand). The next assignment is to watch the movie Blade Runner and to read Scott Bukatman's Blade Runner and Philip Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis (Heidi's)

We started at a new restaurant, Blackbird. But since they wouldn't seat us until all seven were present, we defected next door to Heidi's, which proved to be a great choice and an apt venue to celebrate our 10th anniversary as a book club. Our book-of-the-month, Babbitt, was universally praised as one of the best we have read. We noted Lewis' masterful evocation of the 1920s and American boosterism as well as the similarities to society today. We chose Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses as the next book, after considering the Cold War by John Lewis Gaddis and the Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright. Next meeting: February 4.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (Da Afghan)

We met at Da Afghan, which got a higher rating than the first time we were there. We were somewhat divided on the quality of the book, Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, but it did rate higher than the average. Our next book is the classic, Babbitt, by Minnesota author Sinclair Lewis.

Population 485 by Michael Perry (Salsa a la Salsa)

We had 100 percent participation at Salsa a la Salsa, a pretty good Mexican place (except for whatever Paul had--enchiladas, I think). We spent most of the evening talking about "The War", Ken Burns latest epic. When we finally got around to the book, Population 485, the discussion was mostly positive, although we agreed that maybe Perry has a tendency to over-write on occasion. The next book will be Robinson's Gilead; next dinner will be October 23.

Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (Peninsula)

Our gathering at Peninsula Restaurant (serving Malaysian cuisine) was attended by only four of us, but the food was top notch and the conversation fun. We pretty much agreed that Toole's Confederacy of Dunces was a very good comic novel that made perfect summer reading. The next book is Michael Perry's Population 485. Other works considered: Viktor Frankel, Man's Search for Meaning; Noel Perrin, First Person Rural; and Marilynne Robinson, Gilead. Don is on deck. Our meeting is scheduled for September 17.