Shepherd's Life Check-in

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

Aaron Thier Tomorrow Night!

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.....

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.

Mr. Peanut and Other Sundry Items

Mobius Strip

I hope you are all coming along well with  Mr. Peanut. If you haven't started yet, not to worry, we still have two weeks until the next meeting.  I got a couple of concerned comments about  breaking the 400 page mark, but I think you'll find it moves quickly. I actually have the original hardcover which clocks in at just over 300 pages. So no worries!

I've been in contact with Aaron Thier (The World is a Narrow Bridge) and we are working on a tentative date of Wednesday, November 7th, for him to visit the store.  I'm excited to chat with him and also think he'd be great resource for the aspiring writers among us.  However, I only want to commit if we can get a decent crowd.  Can everyone shoot me a note indicating your level of interest (won't/might/definitely come.) It would be a 7pm event and open to everyone. We'll probably provide some beer, wine, and snacks.

Also, remember the Sarah Smarsh Heartland event is coming on October 2nd.  As I mentioned at the last meeting, this book is a big deal and we're lucky to get her.  Andrew Lowenstein passed on this nice review in the NY Times.   Event is free to attend and will be in the store's used book cellar.

Lastly, I'm attaching this link from Ken Graves to a Vulture.com article on the 100 best books of the 2000s.  (Please substitute the Amazon links with those of your favorite independent bookstore.) :)  Interestingly, the article names 12 "new classics" and we've read 5 of them in our group.  See if you can guess them before you link in.....

Hope all is well and that I'll see you in a couple of weeks.

Questions for Tom Perrotta on Mrs. Fletcher

Hi All,

I spoke yesterday with Tom Perrotta, author of Mrs. Fletcher, after a memorial service for our mutual friend Mike Denneen.  (https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/07/18/mike-denneen-whose-sharp-producing-instincts-guided-musicians-and-bands-dies/MqzJ8Dlgc3lQuZY3XhCX3I/story.html).  Starting twenty years ago, Mike brought together young Boston area musicians and authors (like Tom Perrotta and Denis Lehane) in a reading/performance series called "Earful."  These readings are now held annually at the Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown.

I told Tom that our book club had recently discussed Mrs. Fletcher and that, it seemed to me, our reaction was mixed on age/cultural lines (perhaps like reactions to Margo's presentation at the senior center).  Tom was not surprised.

I asked Tom about his motivation for writing this novel, and he said he has always been interested in the evolving state of sexual politics, or where America "is" at any moment.  He noted that although internet porn is completely unknown / shunned by some of our population, it is ubiquitous among an even larger portion of society including most youth.  He was struck by how much porn has changed since we were kids and how it informs today's kids relations with dating and sex.

He had similar observations about gender politics and identity.  Our children live with different concepts and pronouns, he said, and these are starting to bubble up in our society.  In the novel, he tried to bring these themes to the surface.  I told him about wild carpool conversations after my daughter's gender studies class at Wellesley High School this year... 

The setting of Mrs. Fletcher was secondary to his aims but also autobiographical, as Tom's son had left for college a few years ago.  Tom based the character of Brendan on a composite of his son's friends (Tom's son actually thought the treatment of Brendan was mild). 

I commented that the arc of some of the characters seemed unfinished (Brendan becoming a plumber, Eve getting married again) and conventional.  I asked him how this would change for the HBO series for which Tom is currently writing the screenplay.  He said the TV series will be edgier by necessity, but he hasn't yet decided how the characters will end up.  It seems that TV gives authors a chance to rethink or extend characters.

Finally, for those of you who won't recommend this book to your wives, he said his wife had some misgivings too.  All in all though, he seemed happy with the novel and its reception.

Living on Tokyo Time

It's the middle of the night as I write this because I'm recently back in town after spending a little more than a week in Japan during a massive heat wave.  Given it's been a while since I checked in, I wanted to remind everyone that our next meeting is scheduled for this coming Wednesday, August 1st at 7pm. We'll be discussing Tom Perotta's Mrs. Fletcher, (which i realize might test the boundaries of our discussion diplomacy!)  Anyway, I hope you can make it and, as always, if you are planning to attend please shoot me a brief note.

After a recent stall in my reading, I used the long plane rides (and the surprisingly poor film selections on JAL) to reboot with several excellent books.  A couple were courtesy of a recent Boston Globe Bibliophiles article featuring Mallory Ortberg who, somewhat topical with our current reading selection, is transitioning and so also goes by the name of Daniel. Bibliophiles, like the NY Times Book Review By the Book column, features interviews with authors regarding their reading habits. While often predictable or dull, these interviews can occasionally offer some real nuggets.  Ortberg, who writes the Dear Prudence modern personal advice column for Slate.com, recommended a selection of historical comedies of manners that have so far all been gems.  I enjoyed both Nancy Mitford's Love in a Cold Climate and Excellent Women by Barbara Pym on the flight.

Thumb's up. "Surprise!"

However, the true revelation for me on the trip was The World is a Narrow Bridge, by Aaron Thier.  This young author so deftly juggles such a broad scope of grand existential topics with hilarious observations of modern daily life that I found myself continuously flipping back to his photo trying to figure out how old he could possibly be.  The book is so relevant and "of the moment" given our current state of affairs that, in a departure from tradition, I'm pre-announcing our next book group selection. It's brand new and hardcover, but I hope you'll pick it up for the next meeting because in so many different ways I DESPERATELY NEED TO DISCUSS THIS BOOK!


One last disclosure.  Usually when I travel I look to bring back something interesting for us to sample. However, in a true testament to current trends in popularity in spirits, Duty Free was completely sold out of all Japanese single malt whiskies at Narita. I'll try to find a compelling substitute.  Hope to see you soon.....

This classic not available on JAL

Stream of Consciousness after a Fever Dream

Meant to follow up late last week but I was still licking my wounds after our meeting and then I was in Atlanta over the weekend for my daughter's college graduation. Thanks again for the lively debate over Fever Dream.  We had several new participants as well as a few return visitors after extended absences. Great to have everyone there!  It was one of our larger groups, but I thought the discussion flowed pretty freely given the divided views on the book. I'm glad we read it!

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, June 20th.  We'll be reading Gringos by Charles Portis, one of my all-time favorite authors and books.  I hope you can make it.

If you remember, at the meeting there was some extended conversation about a New Yorker piece that featured a selection of diary entries from George Saunders on his development as a writer. As promised, I'm passing on a link to My Writing Education: A Time Line.  Incidentally, Saunders's mentor, Tobias Wolff, is mentioned frequently throughout the article.  I recently found a copy of Wolff's memoir, This Boy's Life in our Used Book Cellar.  I highly recommend it.  It could be a future Book Group selection.

While I'm on the topic of notable recent reads, The New Yorker had a terrific article  on Rachel Kushner, here writing style, and her phenomenal new book The Mars Room.  You'll remember we read (and liked) The Flamethrowers a few years back. This is better.

Lastly, we are very excited to host Dave Eggers (Hologram for the King) on last minute's notice at the store next Wednesday, May 23rd for a pop-up book signing and meet-and-greet from 12 noon until 1:30pm.  I've met Dave several times, he's relaxed and very down to earth.  He wants to come in, hang out, and talk books in a casual, informal setting. If you can find some time to get there, I think it's well worth the effort.  (At the very least, you can explain the reason for your vote :) ) It would also help the Wellesley Books profile and our ability to continue to bring in big name authors for events.  A few years back, several of you stopped in to meet Rachel Kushner in a similar manner when she came by the store on short notice during her tour for The Flamethrowers.  I hope some of you can find the time to get there next week.

As always, I look forward to hearing from you all and hope you can make the meeting in June.

George and Paula in the early years

Exit West Recap

Happy Patriots Day!  Many of you may know Rudy is out running today.  So far it looks like he's making good time and approaching the half way mark.  I had a lot of sympathy for the players and fans in attendance at the Red Sox game yesterday, but I can't imagine those that have planned and trained around the Marathon to have to deal with today's weather. Send him your thoughts and good wishes on this cold, rainy, blustery day....


Thanks everyone for your flexibility in making the Thursday meeting last week and for the lively and thoughtful discussion of Exit West, that in many ways flew in the face of my belief that you need a more divided view to facilitate a great conversation.

 As I mentioned, our next meeting will be back to a Wednesday night on May 9th.  A fairly quick turn around but we have a very short read in Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin, a giant killer and the overall winner of the 2018 Tournament of Books.  It joins the ranks of some of our most popular previous selections like:  A Visit from the Goon Squad, The Sisters Brothers,  and The Orphan Master's Son.   Unlike most selections, I have yet to read this one so feel free to offer your unvarnished opinions this time!

Lastly, some sad news that Philip Kerr, author of the Bernie Gunther novels (we read A Quiet Flame) died on March 27th at the age of 62.  His most recent iteration in his series, Greeks Bearing Gifts, was just published last week.  Barton passed along this NY Times obituary. 

Red Notice Wrap up - Next up Exit West

Loved the discussion on Wednesday night. Thank you all for your enthusiasm, flexibility around the change of date, and the strong attendance despite the post Skylar hangover.  That said, I'm still trying to come to terms with Bill Browder being played by The Rock in the movie adaptation.


Please take special note that our next meeting will be on a Thursday, April 12th. We will be discussing Exit West by Mohsin Hamid.  In this meditation on refuge, exile, and home, a couple flee their unnamed country riven by civil war through magic doors in search of a new life. Just out in paperback, this highly acclaimed novel was short listed for both the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle as well as featured on many 2017 book-of-the-year lists.  It's also just been selected as this month's pick for the PBS NewsHour-New York Times Book Club  where you can find lots supplemental material.

Also of note, today Exit West, as one of the top seeds, won it's opening round match in the 2018 Morning News Tournament of Books.  Following the commentary around it's progress is a great way to learn about the book.  The tournament runs in March, concurrent with the NCAA Basketball Tournament, with a similar format of brackets, seeds, etc.  Sixteen or more books (it even has a "play-in" round) are narrowed from a Long List of the most important books released in the past year. Each head-to-head contest is officiated by a different judge selected from a pool that includes writers from various backgrounds (TV, movies, web, print), critics, book industry gurus and an occasional musician. It tends to be a great vetting process because, in order to win, a book must please many different types of reader.  Some of our more popular previous book selections have gone on to win the tournament: The Orphan Master's Son, The Sellout, The Sisters Brothers, A Visit from the Goon Squad, and Station Eleven.  


 

Red Notice Check-in

 

 

I'm writing this from London in the middle of a snowstorm (2 inches!) which seems to have disrupted much of the City. During the unexpected break in my schedule I did manage to fight my way through the weather to make a quick visit to my favorite whisky shop - Cadenhead's - Scotland's oldest independent bottler, where I picked up an interesting and unique bottle for our meeting next week.  Remember I'm always looking out for you!

By the way, if you haven't started the book, there is still plenty of time for the invigorating read.  To get the juices flowing, you might want to check out this podcast Ralph sent along on Putin's No. 1 enemy or this Bloomberg article from Bart about when Russian officials 'Nightmare' your business.

For those interested, the Annihilation movie excursion is set for next Tuesday, March 6th at the 7pm showing in Framingham.  Steve is coordinating, if you are interested in joining, please let him know.

Blood Meridian debrief

What a great turnout and an enthusiastic debate last night!  As always, the more divided the opinions on the book, the better the discussion.  Thumbs up or down, I think everyone could find something of value from the evening.  It was great to see so many new faces in the room.  If it was your first visit, I posted an updated list of the books we've read over the last 4 years or so on our (lightly curated) blog. You can get a flavor for the spirit of the group and the types of books we favor (they're not all as tough as Blood Meridian.) You can also find the syllabus on the Wellesley Books website.

While we're at it, here is the link to the Wellesley Books partnership with Libro.fm for audiobooks.  I've always done audio books, going all the way back to Books on Tape in the 1980s.  I think you'll find the Libro prices very competitive with other audio book providers and you get to continue to support your local independent bookstore :).  You can also find a link to Libro on the Wellesley Books homepage. 

 

We'll follow up in the near future on Steve's suggestion for a group night out for the Annihilation movie coming out soon.  If you are thinking about joining, shoot me a note so we gauge the potential interest.  In the meantime, check out this list of the most highly anticipated book-to-film adaptations of 2018 with links to all the trailers.

Lastly, our next Book Group meeting will be on Wednesday, March 7th when we will discuss Red Notice by Bill Browder. Part financial caper, part spy thriller, part political crusade: Red Notice is the actual story of an accidental activist pursuing overwhelming odds to seek justice in post-Soviet Russia.

Updated Syllabus

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