First Monday each month, 7 pm, in COVID times we are doing ZOOM meetings. The standing ZOOM link will be emailed out. Please send an email to fortbend-tx@aauw.net if you would like to join in (whether you have read the book or not).
Upcoming book: May 2 – The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray – DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
We have adapted our Discussion Question format for virtual meeting. The questions are to 1) help you to read and think about the book. and 2) to assist us in the Zoom discussion. We suggest that you choose one or two questions to address in the ZOOM.
Thanks to Judy’s capture, here is a list of our July ZOOM “sharing of bedside (or wherever) books” – Bookies July Sharing results
Thank you to all who voted THIS year and to Judy Cenkus, Jane Stilley and Barbara Pickthall who helped Betsy Nock plan the year. Final Bookies List-2022-MaY2023
Thanks also to Amy Bice who graciously added her time and effort to be sure that Bookies continued on through the pandemic. Special thanks to our very longtime Bookies Convenor, Gwen Crockett.
HERE is a list of additional books that have been recommended by Bookies members just in case you run out of reading material in 2021 (and into 2022!!)
“…if you don’t know the exact moment when the lights will go out, you might as well read until they do.”— Clive James
2022 and in to early 2023 Featured books:
- Jan 3, 2022 – Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-Up by Leslie M.M. Blume Discussion Questions. For extra credit or better understanding, also read John Hershey’s Hiroshima
- Feb 7, 2022 – Hamnet by Maggie O’ Farrell Discussion Questions
- Mar 7 – The Splendid and The Vile by Erik Larson Discussion Questions
- Apr 4 – Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro Reading Group Guide
- May 2 – The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- June 6 – Nature’s Best Hope by Doug Tallamy Discussion Questions
- July 4 or 11 – Bring your own book
- Aug 1 – The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion Discussion Questions
- Sep 5 – Maus (and Other BANNED books) by Art Spiegelman Discussion Questions
- Oct 3 – Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton Discussion Questions
- Nov – Cokie: A Life Well Lived by Steven V. Roberts
- Dec – Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- Jan 2023 – Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
- Feb 2023 – How The Word is Passed by Clint Smith
- Mar – Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin
- Apr – Good Poems for Hard Times by Garrison Keillor
- May – The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
2021 Featured books:
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- Jan 7, 2021 – The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates Discussion Questions
- Feb 1 – Moloka’i by Alan Brennert Discussion Questions
- Mar 1 – Lab Girl by Hope Jahren Discussion Questions Hope Jahren Website
- Apr 5 – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Discussion Questions
- May 3 – Oil and Marble by Stephanie Storey Discussion Questions
- June 7 – The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott Discussion Questions
- July 5 – What Are You Reading? share by all….Thanks to Judy’s capture, here is a list of our July ZOOM “sharing of bedside (or wherever) books” – Bookies July Sharing results
- Aug 2 – Any book of poetry that includes selections of The Song of Hiawatha and other poems of Longfellow by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Discussion Question Hiawatha
- Sep 6 – Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon Discussion Questions
- Oct 4 – Giver of the Stars by Jojo Moyes Discussion Questions
- Nov 1 – East of Eden by John Steinbeck Discussion Questions
- Dec 6 – The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan Discussion Questions
2020 Featured books:
- Jan 6, 2020 – Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate Discussion Questions
- Feb 3 – God Save Texas by Lawrence Wright Discussion Questions created by our own snowbird, Betsy
- Mar 2 – The Sea by John Banville Discussion Questions
- Apr 6- BYOB (Bring Your Own Book)
- May 4 – It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis Discussion Questions
- Jun 1 – Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Jul 6 – Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz Discussion Questions
- Aug 3 – Educated by Tara Westover Discussion Questions
- Sep 7 – There There by Tommy Orange Discussion Questions
- Oct 5 – WHAT TO READ NEXT?? Bring suggestions
- Nov 2 – Carnegie’s Maid by Heather Terrell Discussion Questions
- Dec 7 – The Lost Husband by Kathrine Center – new pass Discussion Questions
2019 Featured books:
- Jan 7 2019 – The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick Discussion Questions
- Feb 4 – The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers Discussion Questions
- Mar 4 – Evicted by Matthew Desmond Discussion Questions —AMAZING piece of research!!
- Apr 1 – Heating and Cooling by Beth Ann Frennely Discussion Questions
- May 6 – The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida 616.85 HIG 2013 Discussion Questions for The Reason I Jump
- June 3 – Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles Discussion Questions
- July 1- Book planning session—July 1 – We gathered suggestions for the books for the coming year!! Our leader Gwen Crockett assisted by Snow Bird Betsy compiled the votes and published results below and above in 2020.
- August 5 – Born a Crime by Trevor Noah Discussion Questions If you only do ONE book as an audiobook, THIS should be the one. Read by the author himself.
- Sept 9 (n.b., 2nd Monday) – Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens Discussion Questions
- Oct 7 – Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb Discussion Questions
- Nov 4 – American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt by Karen Harper Discussion Questions
- Dec 2 – Barbara Jordan: American Hero by Mary Beth Rogers Discussion Questions
2018 Featured books:
- Jan. 2, 2018 – Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name by Vendela Vida author wiki & Discussion Questions (gathered by our Snow Bird member)
- Feb. 5 – Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly Discussion Questions [510.92 LEE 2016]
- Mar. 5 – Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple LitLovers summary
- Apr 2 – The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede Discussion Questions assembled by our Snow Bird member, Betsy.
- May 7 – News of the World by Paulette Giles Discussion Questions Author website & blog
- June 4 – Forged in Crisis by Nancy Koehr Discussion Questions
- July 2 – Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman Discussion Questions
- Aug 6 – The Line Becomes a River by Francisco Cantú Discussion Questons for The Line Becomes a River Background information gathered by Betsy: U.S immigration before 1965 – Key facts about US Immigration Policies and proposed changes
- Sep 3 – The Other Einstein by Maria Benedict Discussion Questions
- Oct 1 – Leonardo da Vinci, Part 1 – Chapters 1 – 16 by Walter Isaacson Discussion Questions gathered by Betsy
- Nov 5 – Leonardo da Vinci, Part 2 – Chapters 17 – 33 by Walter Isaacson Discussion Topics YOU must bring a question–a good one was, “Can creativity be taught/ learned?“
- Dec 3 – Dead Lemons by Finn Bell – E-book only–you must buy and download. Plan for the author to SKYPE/FACEBOOK in (from New Zealand) Discussion Topics to jog your thoughts
2017 Featured books:
- Jan. 2, 2017 – The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George LitLovers synopis & questions, Author Website
- Feb 6, 2017 – Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard Discussion Questions Author Website
- Mar 6, 2017 – The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Discussion Questions Wikipedia
- April 3 – Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Author Interview Discussion Questions
- May 1 – Daughters of the Samurai: A Journey from East to West & Back (950.72 NIM 2015) by Janice P. Nimura Discussion Questions – watch an interchange WITH the author!! & on YOUTUBE
- June 5 – A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin Discussion Questions
- July 3 – a book by Lilas Taha Bitter Almonds or Shadows of Damascus – author-led discussion–Was WONDERFUL and touching
- August 7 – One Summer, America 1927 by Bill Bryson Discussion [973.915 BRY 2013]
- Sept. 4 – NO BOOKIES Maria Semple book moved to March 2018
- Oct. 2 – My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsberg Discussion Questions [347.7326 GIN 2016] 400 pp.
- Nov. 6 – Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole Discussion Questions
- Dec. 4 – Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig author website & discussion points
2016 Featured books:
- Jan.4, 2016 – The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. Lit Lover Site: Author Bio, Reading Guide, Summary
- Feb.1 – Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon Discussion Questions Romantic Outlaws by Charlotte Gordon – Behind The Scenes
- Mar.7 – The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown, Publisher Reading Guide
- Apr.4 – Dear Committee Member by Julie Schumacher Questions for Dear Committee Member assembled by our snow bird member Betsy Nock.
- May.2 – The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay, Lit Lover Reading Guide
- Jun.6 – The Arc of the Swallow by Sissel-Jo Gazan The Arc of the Swallow Discussion Questions assembled by our snow bird member Betsy Nock.
- Jul.11 – 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles Mann, Publisher Reading Guide
- Aug.1 – Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee, Lit Lovers Discussion Questions
- Sep.5 – The New Neighbor by Leah Stewart, Publisher Reading Group Guide
- Oct.3 – Elephant Company by Vicki Croke, Author Website, THE ELEPHANT COMPANY Discussion Questions assembled by our snow bird member Betsy Nock
- Nov.7 – The Rubiayat of Omar Kyyham translated by Edward Fitzgerald
- Dec.5 – Catch 22 by Joseph Heller, Publisher Reading Group Guide
2015 Featured books:
- Jan. 5 – The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion Publisher Guide & Author Interview, LitLovers synopsis & more questions
- Feb. 2 – The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville by Clare Mulley LitLovers Readers Guide
- March 2 – The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
- April 6 – Chasing Utopia: A Hybrid by Nikki Giovanni
- May 4 – My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
- June 1 – Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- July 6– The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: A Novel by Gabriellle Zevin
- Aug. 3 – Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande Discussion Questions assembled by snow bird member, Betsy Nock.
- Sept. 7 – Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline—Author Site information and questions; Lit Lovers Book Group Questions
- Oct. 3 – The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code by Margalit Fox. Discussion Questions assembled by snow bird member, Betsy Nock.
- Nov. 2 – Sold by Patricia McCormick—publisher site questions; Author Site background information
- Dec 7 – One Plus One by Jojo Mayes—A Conversation with JOJO MOYES from publisher site
2014 Selections
- Mar 3 – Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë, Guide
- Apr 7 – Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan Guide – excellent discussion, guided by some questions right from Robin Sloan that day!! Author’s Wonderful Website FESTINA LENTE! (meaning here)
- May 5 – When My Brother Was An Aztec by Natalie Diaz Review and NPR Interview On Poetry Foundation site: Bio and more… From SHMOOP How to Read a Poem
- Jun 2 – Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese Guide, Author Biography
- Jul 7 – The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown, GUIDE, Author Site
- Aug 4 – A Higher Call by Adam Makos
- Sep 11 – I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (Author), Christina Lamb (Contributor) – Reading Guide from LitLovers
- Oct 6 – The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton LitLovers Guide
- Nov 3 – Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Brunt Publisher Guide
- Dec 1 – Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple Author Q&A LitLovers Guide
2013 Selections
- Dec 3, 2012 – The Buddha in the Attic – Julie Otsuka, Guide, Author Site
- Jan 7, 2013 – The Christmas Cantata – Mark Schweizer, General Questions
- Feb 4 – Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President – Candice Millard, Guide
- February 8, 2013 – Book & Author Dinner w/AAUW Educator of Year, Sam Needham – benefits Fort Bend Literacy
- Mar 4 – You Know When the Men Are Gone – Siobhan Fallon, Guide
- Apr 1 – Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts – Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson, Guide
- May 7 – The Dinosaur Feather – Sissel-Jo Gazan, Guide
- Jun 4 – Margaret Sanger: A Life of Passion – Jean Baker, Guide
- Jul 1 – Uncle Tom’s Cabin – Harriet Beecher Stowe, Guide
- Aug 6 – The Casual Vacancy – J.K. Rowling, Guide
- Sep 2 – I’ll Have What She’s Having—Mapping Social Behavior – R A Bentley, M. Earls, M J O’Brian, Guide
- Oct 8 – The Language of Flowers – Vanessa Diffenbaugh, Guide
- Nov 5 – The Giver – Lois Lowry, Guide
- Dec 2, 2013 – Death Comes to Pemberley – P D James, Guide
- Jan 6, 2014 – The Light Between Oceans – M L Stedman, Guide
- Feb 3, 2014 – A Reliable Wife – Robert Goolrick, Guide
The more you read, the more you know
The more you know, the smarter you grow
The smarter you are, the stronger your voice
Whether speaking your mind
or making your choice. …seen on a T-shirt
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