Motherless Brooklyn/Whiskey Tasting Recap

Thanks again everyone for your enthusiasm and cooperation during our special whiskey tasting and discussion of Motherless Brooklyn.  We had a large group and a compressed format, but I thought the evening flowed nicely.  Could've been the warm up, but I'm sure the general consensus on the strengths and shortcomings of the book made the conversation move quickly.  I continue to wonder if the more controversial book choices ultimately lead to more memorable discussions. Incidentally, I noticed director Ang Lee (Life of Pi, The Ice Storm) was a featured presenter at the Golden Globe awards.  Apparently he was there to help publicize his upcoming adaptation of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk.  Maybe it's time for a revisit? Now that was a spirited night!

Dan Tarsy wanted me to remind you that the documentary about Tourette's syndrome is called Twitch and Shout.
 

"Time's a goon, right?"  asks Bosco, aging punk rocker in A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, our next BBGG selection set for Wednesday, February 24th at 7pm.
  
Aging, loss of innocence, and redemption are explored in a series of vignettes set around the music industry and connecting the characters and chapters in this book. Should feather in nicely with previous selections like The Flamethrowers and Tenth of December. 

Hope to see you all back soon!

Updated BBGG Syllabus

Here, in order, are the books we've read since 2014:

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

Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem

Don't be a Terminal Tugboater

Looking forward to seeing you all on Wednesday night at store at 7pm.  Please arrive promptly, we have a big agenda.  For the first 30 minutes or so Nick O'Connell, founder of Cask Force, will be on hand to lead us through a tasting of some specially selected whiskeys.  Cask Force is your forward thinking whiskey and spirit negociant, sourcing barrels from all over the world and re-using them to create limited edition, unique products.

We also have a great book to discuss.  For a little homework to help with the discussion, Ralph Blair sends along this link to an article on Tourette's syndrome from the London Review of Books.

See you soon!  Bill