November’s book pick was Dissolution by C.J. Sansom. This book pick was brought by Jill.
Book Synopsis:
Henry VIII has ordered the dissolution of the monasteries and England is full of informers. At the monastery of Scarnsea, events have spiralled out of control with the murder of Commissioner Robin Singleton. Matthew Shardlake, a lawyer, and his assistant are sent to investigate.
Book Discussion: Recap curtesy of Jill.
Book club always makes my holidays happier!
Fun evening as usual last night at the Village Tavern. Our waiter, Andrew, was all business. Well, to start. Once he warmed up to us everything changed! For those of you who couldn’t make it, we’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have (where is Andrew from?, where has Andrew lived in Charlotte?, what hobby/art does Andrew’s partner do?, how much did Andrew make/lose on his real estate?, so many things we can tell you!). And if you’re lucky, you’ll get some free whipped cream.
We kicked the night off with bubbles which seemed appropriate for the holiday season. Please remember, Shobha, lotion and wine don’t mix. Crab dip and home made chips for appetizers. Book discussion ensued. Dissolution was met with an even split of thumbs up/thumbs down. More dislike than sympathy for the monks and the hunchback. Agreement that having lived during that time in history would totally have sucked, though Americans are certainly among the “softest” of humans which could be why we think that. We learned that many forms of hunchbackness (kyphosis) are curable with therapies but not all – thank you teacher Jenn! So you know, Dissolution is the first in a series so if you are on the thumbs up side keep reading (they get better!).
Dinner was next – not big appetites; burgers and salads mostly and a switch to red wine. Most of us had not been to the Village Tavern in years so was fun to be back. Food was goodish, dessert was super yummy – a giant pound cake fruity thing. Sondra brought book picks. Thank goodness she hates themes because she was leaning towards a self-help theme to kick off the new year. My memory being what it is can not recall any of the books that did not win but I did cheat and bring the winning paper home with me so I am able to let you know the book pick for January is An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen.
Last but not least…book exchange! We voted no stealing and took turns alphabetically by middle name. Unsurprising to some of us that one book was duplicated, Flowers in the Attic. Amy and I both brought that as our favorite teenage book and I think Karie (or maybe Jenn) and Sondra went home with them (Sondra with the bonus copy that includes the next book Petals on the Wind). I chose Shobha’s thinking I was getting a Harlequin romance but even better than that received The Thorn Birds. Amy chose a book of poetry brought by Jenn. Shobha and Jenn were seated furthest from me and I am going to blame that on why I don’t remember what books they chose but I’m sure they were lovely. Oh wait, Shobha got Karie’s book which was a lovely copy of Wuthering Heights (maybe)? Well, you can see I have was having a lovely evening and I’m sure if you are interested someone else will share how the book exchange actually came out!
I hope everyone enjoys their holidays, safe travels, and I look forward to seeing you in January!
Jill
