2010 book club reads

If you've been visiting my blog for very long, you know that I'm a reader. What you may not have known is that I'm in a book club. It's a great group of ladies that I enjoy spending time with and it never fails that someone makes a very thought provoking statement about our book(s). They're really nice too because even if you don't get the book read, you're still welcome to come to the meeting. We're just that way.

We try to read a variety of genre and authors. It's either so that there's "something for everybody" or because we're trying to broaden our horizons a bit. We try to mix up the format of our get-togethers...we've gone to see authors speak (The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls) and if the book was made into a movie, we've been known to have a movie night, complete with popcorn and hot chocolate (Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons). And we've met on a boat!

I've kept a running list of the books we've read since I joined the group and not counting our 2010 selections, there are 59 titles and authors listed. I like reading through the list...it's a reminder of what I've read, what I liked, and what I didn't... and I could not come up with all 59 titles off the top of my head. Secretly I hope that someday my girls will find that list of interest. My Grandma Rachel was an avid reader. She was educated through the 8th grade but she was a life-long learner through her love of books (and crosswords)...and I personally think she was one of the smartest ladies I've ever known. There have been many times I wished that I had a list of what Grandma read. I think it would be fun to read those same books.

So, without further ado, here's what we'll be reading in 2010. They are:

The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

March by Geraldine Books

Louisa May Alcott, The Woman Behind Little Women by Harriet Reisen

The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Lawman got this one in his stocking!)

The Possession by A.S. Byatt

We also have what we call 'traveling' books...you read it and when you're done you pass it on to someone else in the group. The best part is that you can write your thoughts about it inside the cover. This year's traveling books are In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.

Have you read any of these? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Do you have a reading list for 2010?