Bill's Book Group (for Guys)

July 16, 2020
Everyone,

Thanks for welcoming me back to the group on Zoom last night. It was great to see familiar faces and to know that the pandemic has not dampened the zeal for reading in the group.

The two thumbs-down votes out of 17 seem to have derived from failed expectations. Bill thought it was too predictable. Dick likened it to a bad young-adult effort. Most of us who liked it thought it was an engaging story with believable characters. It may not have the staying power of "Star Wars" or "Huckleberry Finn.," but it was fun to read. It had all the classical conflicts between villains and good guys, it had the Noble Quest, irony, authentic dialogue, a just ending ---what more do you want out of a good summer read?

I would like to remind Dick that "Huckleberry Finn" was considered a kid's book when I was growing-up. Now it's a classic! And Bill, did you predict the revenant pig scarer? Or the convenient death of the Black Witch?

I rest my case.
Dennis Noonan denoonan@aol.com

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Bill's Book Group (for Guys): Less, Moldover, and an Updated Syllabus

Barbarian Days, A Surfing Life

I just got back form vacation in Portugal witnessing some really great surfing in Cascais and Sarges. The World Champion Surfing Competition was just over but many of the surfers remained to ride the waves. It was very interesting to see surfers, and surfing families whose lives revolve around the next big wave and the next surfing location. Living in trailers, vans, station wagons, with all of their worldly possessions, eating on the fly, drying clothes and wet suits in the sun, constantly either surfing or studying the wave patters, the prevailing winds, the tides, the storm activity, the seasonal variations, sharing stories and secrets about propitious beaches...fascinating. Many of the surfers sported long dreadlocks, and a clear addiction for the waves.

For the truly dedicated there is no other life, but it is a lifestyle for the young, who realize that their wanderlust will end, as they fall in love and have families. They will live with the wives and husbands and young children in vans and trailers scraping by as long as possible, but the clock is ticking; the children will have to go to school. The gift these parents give to their children is a love of the ocean and the freedom of the surfing life, challenging the waves... each wave a unique monster with the potential to crush you to the shore, to smash you into your board, to throw you into the rocks, but the adrenaline rush and feeling of conquering the waves is too great to abandon. You will spend all day on the waves until it is too dark to see then sit but the sea with the rest of the addicted, transfixed by the limitless pull of the sea, eating soups and bread, trail mix and energy bars, like mountain climbers of the shores, the focus not on food but on the sea...just enough sustenance to keep going. Tomorrow you will get up very early and head south or north or whatever direction is necessary to catch that next wave.

Monday, April 15, 2019

Less, Moldover, and an Updated Syllabus

It was a big week for the Book Group last week and I want to thank everyone who made it to the store on Tuesday night for Joe's book launch party for Every Moment After or Wednesday for the discussion of Less. I give a special shout to those of you (there were 14!) who made both nights. Joe and I both really appreciate the enthusiasm and support. It was standing room only on Tuesday night including all the way up the stairs. I counted over 90 people in the room. And now Joe hits the road for book promotion!

We had about 25 of you in for the discussion on Wednesday and I'm increasingly amazed at our ability to have a disciplined and cogent conversation over the course of the two hours with the large group. I was just looking back and by my calculations, Less was the 50th meeting of Bill's Book Group for Guys. (I've included an updated list of our reading selections below.) Several of you have been with us since the beginning, but we've picked up some great friends along the way. I want to express my sincere gratitude to all of you. For me personally, the conversations and friendships that have emerged through the Group are one of the best developments out of our purchase of the store a little over 8 years ago.

All thumbs Up!

As you all should know by now, our next meeting is slated for Wednesday, May 22nd at 7pm. We'll be reading Every Moment After with the author in attendance.....

Hope to see you all there!

Updated BBGG Reading List

The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain

Cooper's Creek by Alan Moorehead

The New Confessions by William Boyd

A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers

Headlong by Michael Frayn

The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

The Nick Adams Stories by Ernest Hemingway

The Son by Phillipp Meyer

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carre

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

All That Is by James Salter

Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace

A Quiet Flame by Philip Kerr

Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis

Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt

Tenth of December by George Saunders

Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

The Tsar of Love and Techno by Anthony Marra

The Sellout by Paul Beatty

Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo

Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan

The Harder They Come by TC Boyle

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean

The Whites by Richard Price

Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh

Black Swan Green by David Mitchell

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson

The Sportswriter by Richard Ford
Atonement by Ian McEwan

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

Red Notice by Bill Browder

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin

Gringos by Charles Portis

Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perrotta

The World is a Narrow Bridge by Aaron Thier

Mr. Peanut by Adam Ross

The Shepherd's Life by James Rebanks

Autumn by Ali Smith

My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

Less by Andrew Sean Greer

Every Moment After by Joseph Moldover

Monday, November 26, 2018

Shepherd's Life Check-in

The Shepherd's Life: Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape Cover Image

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I'm just back in town from a family gathering in California, myself. So I'm a little late, but I wanted to send out a reminder that we are scheduled to meet, this Wednesday at 7pm to discuss The Shepherd's Life. As always, to help with room set up, please shoot me a quick note if you plan to attend.

Below, I've attached a couple of my own photos from a walking trip through the Lake District a few years back. However, if you really want to get into the mood, you'll want to check out the Herdy Shepherd Instagram or Twitter feed. Since the publication of his book, James Rebanks has become a social media phenom.

Herdwick sheep

Fells and ghyll above Windermere

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Aaron Thier Tomorrow Night!

https://scontent.fbos1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/45163745_10156454221336210_7083870108833021952_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&_nc_ht=scontent.fbos1-2.fna&oh=0da28e1cd6f93faab3cfb63b58baf43f&oe=5C49BA06

Just a quick reminder about Aaron Thier's event tomorrow night at 7pm. Hope you can make it....

Also, a little fun for all you book blurb aficionados out there.....

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Mr Peanut Post Mortem

It was a busy event week last week with a great turnout, enthusiastic discussion, and, most importantly, a strong endorsement for Mr Peanut ! :) I also want to send a special thanks to those of you who came in the previous night for our event with Sarah Smarsh and Linda K Wertheimer to discuss Heartland. So nice for Wellesley Books to get the shout out on Sarah's Instagram for the SRO crowd on such a rainy evening and for the great questions asked by our own Book Group! As I've said before, acknowledgements like this are like gold with publishers and we'll use them to build an even bigger event pipeline down the road.

While we are on the topic of upcoming events, I wanted to make sure you saw the email blast that came out this morning regarding a Bobby Orr: My Life in Pictures book signing that Wellesley Books is hosting on Tuesday, November 6th. We have not announced the event to the general public yet, but when we do we expect it to sell out quickly. If you have any interest, please act quickly.

After a lot of back and forth on logistics and timing, I am happy to announce that Aaron Thier will be coming to the store on Wednesday, November 7th, to discuss The World is a Narrow Bridge. Come get your book signed and get all those questions answered! The event is free and open to everyone, so bring your friends and loved ones..... However, we ask that you register for the event here to help us gauge the level of interest.

And finally, our next Book Group meeting is set for Wednesday, November 28th. We'll be reading A Shepherd's Life: Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape. James Rebanks takes us through a shepherd's year with the rugged Herdwick sheep in England's Lake District.