April 2026 Bookclub News

Dear Bookclub,

Diane's evening was spectacular from the greet of a "Good Night and Good Luck" champagne cocktail to The Briar Club playlist (there is one on Amazon Music):

https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/9643405bbeec4e659e63176054c72491sune?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F 

 

After catching up, we settled down to business, sharing our favorite characters and a memories-of -boardinghouse-stays discussion. This morphed into college reminisces, naturally!

Kate Quinn's "The Briar Club" - part patchwork quilt of characters well-developed, part murder-mystery, part cookbook, all à la 1950's, delighted our group. With a nod to the Pillsbury bake-off, Diane created two amazing canapés; one with spinach and artichoke and the other with spinach and lamb - unbelievably wonderful (and barely visible in the picture below as I had already destroyed the supply at this end of the table).

 

When I say created, I mean Diane impressively researched Pillsbury Bake-off recipes and re-imagined. Please check out the history of the contest:

https://www.pillsbury.com/bake-off-contest/history-of-the-pillsbury-bake-off-contest 

Eleanor Roosevelt presenting in 1949 at first Bake-off

The Briarwood House in Quinn's novel was itself a character. In the spirit of that fantasy, Diane's inclusion of Lina's 8-layer honey cake gets my vote for the most-honored guest, seated at the head of the table:

stunning and dreamily delicious!

 

Quinn's novel was appreciated for spinning a tale that included just about every issue, politically and socially of the era and not wearing us out in the process. Her box-checking nearly tipped the book into the ridiculous but it worked for us. We read well, we discussed well and we ate well. Thank you Kate Quinn and Diane!

sweater girls

 

Diane's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"Theo of Golden" Allen Levi

"What the Bears Know" Steve Searles and Chris Erskine

"When Women Ran Fifth Avenue" Julie Satow *chosen

 Up next:

Happy reading,

LK
 

 

March 2026 Bookclub News

 

Dear Bookclub,

There were doughnuts. My fingers were merrily putting one into my mouth, so no pictures of those. Irene would have been flabbergasted to serve the charcuterie Lori presented. Pictured below as the centerpiece, with our round-tabled gang, the platter astounded and got us rolling to discuss Luis Alberto Urrea's "Goodnight, Irene".

 

Urrea's novel was very well-liked by all. Our appreciation was much enhanced knowing the author's mother, Phyllis McLaughlin Urrea, and her best friend, Jill Knappenberger, were the inspiration for Irene and Dorothy, the main characters. But mind-blowing appreciation came to us through Julie, who shared that her parents were friends with Jill in Illinois. Knappenberger was remembered as a bright no-nonsense woman and indeed, Urea was able to visit and interview her when she was 95 years old. 

from The News-Gazette

https://usveterans.news-gazette.com/veteran/those-who-served-red-cross-driver-knew-value-of-morale-boost-during-battle-of-bulge/ 

Jill Knappernberger (1918-2020)

https://www.knappenberger.net/jill-pitts-knappenberger/

This interview is from a University of Illinois Alumni Association event, quite long, but I encourage you to listen to as much as you can to hear Urrea tell more about his mother's story:

https://www.youtube.com/live/KDm-NiXG3OA 

Posted by Urrea on Facebook before the event, his joy at meeting Knappenberger is apparent!

   

Phyllis McLaughlin

Phyllis McLaughlin, bottom right, with troops during World War II. Her friend Jill Pitts Knappenberger is the tall woman standing in the back.Credit...Family Photograph

 

The above photo is from an excellent NY Times essay, Luis Alberta Urrea's "My Mother Returned from World War II a Changed Woman". Please learn more about Luis' experience as a child of this amazing woman and his revelation about the toll the war had on her:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/12/opinion/women-ww2-redcross-clubmobile.html

Luis Alberto Urrea, prolific and unique, surprised me with this novel. His other works more familiar to us... "Into the Beautiful North", "The Hummingbird's Daughter", "The House of Broken Angels"... all emphasize his insight into the bridging of his Mexican-American heritage. Exploring Urrea's website reminded me of his depth, with the list of non-fiction works and poetry pushing beyond the more well-known fiction titles. Check him out! https://luisurrea.com/about/

And be sure to investigate this one, in the spirit of curiousity-inspired bookclub dives:

https://luisurrea.com/books/wandering-time-western-notebooks/

 

Lori's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"The Lion Women of Tehran" Marjan Kamali *chosen

"The Names" Florence Knapp 

"Endurance" Frank A. Worsley 

 

 

 

Up next:

 Happy reading,

LK 

February 2026 Bookclub News

Dear Bookclub,

Julie jazzed up our evening with Barbies galore and touches of 60's nostalgia to put us in the proper mood to discuss Renée Rosen's "Let's Call Her Barbie". Borrowing from Stevie's preschool and digging into her own impressive stash of childhood dolls, Julie's display fully ignited our already sparked memory-neurons and the reminisces flowed. There is no denying the power of Barbie; our group had been strongly influenced, given the timing of Barbie's birth and ours. Sharing the stories of our first Barbies, we enthusiastically chatted and chatted. And ....who's that you hear?? Yes, 'tis Chatty Cathy! Julie's childhood Chatty Cathy chimed right in, wowing us with the memory and more fascinating, that Julie still possessed her doll!'

 

But wait, there's more!

Thumbelina

 

Reflecting on the development of these revolutionary dolls, (Thumbelina could be wound up and slowly squirmed with life-like movements), it was easy to imagine the engineers and executives competitively innovating to come up with the next run-away hit. Hearing the clink of the ice in the glasses, smelling the cigarette smoke, Rosen's depiction of the corporate sixties complete with the treatment and perception of women, was on target. 

Bild Lilli

 

Noted was the uncanny likeness of Barbie to Lilli. Ruth Handler's confidence in developing her version of the doll is remarkable given the similarity. Please enjoy this mesmerizing and very entertaining video of a restoration of  Bild Lilli:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INH-wbVrsJI&t=53s 

Julie's display included two dolls who could have characterized Jack and Zsa Zsa - hey we're playing dolls! 

 

 

 

Jack Ryan and Zsa Zsa Gabor

 

I must apologize for taking so long to get this blog written. The amount of information and pathways to more information is endless and I have been indulging in them since before we even had our meeting. My edit is scattered and random! But please take a moment and check out this in-depth article written by Doug Acuri as part of an American Toy Anthology he is writing. Excellent photos, illustrations and diagrams. "Jack Ryan and Ruth Handler of Mattel: The Power Ballad of American Coffee, Sex, Speed, Guns, Conspiracy, Caffeine and Four Letter Words in Toy Making".

https://medium.com/@solidi/jack-ryan-and-ruth-handler-of-mattel-the-power-ballad-of-american-coffee-2c19994e6732

 

 

Barbie restored in video below

Leaving you with one more restoration video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InsX-DvTDbQ 

 

Julie's suggestions for an upcoming read:

 "Theo of Golden"Allen Levi

 "Wild Dark Shore" Charlotte McConaghy *chosen

"Becoming Madame Secretary" Stephanie Dray

 

 

Up next:

 

Happy reading,

LK 

January 2026 Bookclub News

Virginia's Northern Neck 

 

Dear Booklcub,

Driving with the upmost care while listening to Bruce Holsinger's "Culpability", the concept of cars unexpectedly crossing lanes or the median kept me on alert. With or without technology, a fragile combination of seemingly random events can shape existence. Throw in the distraction of a phone mounted before me, the story being read to me or my wandering mind- it's a miracle the day is survived and the destination arrived.

Surviving and arriving at Kate's was excellent! Move over thoughts about unpredictability, fault, responsibility, blame, chat bots and AI - Kate indulged us with a wholesome supper to take away anxiety. 

 

  
 

Holsinger's tale shook out the obvious conversations he slung at bookclub readers. We enjoyed the game yet felt a bit played as he included predictable twists, page-turning distractions and yet left us head-scratching over plot gaps. We had trouble grasping the opening accident scenario; I, for one, thought it would be clearly described later in the book, but it was not. Holsinger succeeded in his quest to entertain and provoke. Kate, thankfully, provided bookclub questions to keep us on track.

Being a coveted Oprah selection, the author smoothly courted the masses as seen in this video of the interview and discussion:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WxdNMusE5Q

 

 

 

 

Bruce's alter ego is scholarly. His 2023 Yale University Press "On Parchment": Animals, Archive, and the Making of Culture form Herodotus to the Digital Age" publication, presents the Linden Kent Memorial Professor at the University of Virginia in a different light: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300260212/on-parchment/  

 

Please enjoy his 2014 piece on writers of historical fiction in "Humanities", The Magazine for the National Endowment for the Humanities. (—Detail from a portrait of Anne Boleyn (1504–36) c. 1533 (oil on canvas), English School, (16th century) / Loseley Park, Guildford, Surrey, UK / Photo © Mark Fiennes / Bridgeman Images)  Note the play between plausibility and invention while reflecting on our own experience while reading our recent selection!

https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2014/novemberdecember/feature/scholar-stretches-truth-english-professor-bruce-holsinger-w 

Deborah McNamara

 

Finally, I wonder, what is your p(doom)? A term Holsinger refers to in his Oprah discussion, p(doom) is the probability of existentially catastrophic outcomes as a result of artificial intelligence.  From the ABC (Australian) website is a great article (artwork above), "AI's Dark In-joke": https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-15/whats-your-pdoom-ai-researchers-worry-catastrophe/102591340 .  If your head is not spinning or your heart sinking, please check out the chart of notable p(doom) values on this Wikipedia page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P(doom) 

Kate's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"The Briar Club" Kate Quinn *chosen

"My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry" Fredrick Bachman

"All the Broken Places" John Boyne 

 

Up next:

 

 

Happy reading,

LK 

December 2025 Bookclub News

 

Dear Bookclub,

Our holiday bookclub luncheon at Vintana's celebrating A Novel Group's 35 years, cheerfully reminded us why we enjoy being together! Gathered at a festive round table, prosecco fairies (Kate & Diane) generously filled our glasses with bubbly to honor the occasion. We went around the table, sharing reminisces of our many years together, trips taken, notable books, clever meals, and momentous discussions. The variety of memories impressed even us! Grasping for names of members from decades ago was an unexpected party game. 

 

 

Mention of Lily King's "Five Tuesdays in Winter" revolved around the highly misplaced nod to Christmas. Thinking the suggestion came from a search on literary holiday reads, leading to the appreciation of Lily King and diverting from any Christmas connection (see above). The short stories are memorable and extraordinarily crafted but did not spread any holiday cheer.

Unfortunately, we did not get Martha or Jan in this snap taken by the hostess as we exited, as they had already departed, but we were a mighty 9!

 

 

Finally, fortunate to lead this amazing group of women for all these years, I was touched by the gratitude shown in the perfect card and gift presented to me. As a sloth wordsmith reduced to simple jots when asked to sign a card, I am impressed by the meaningful messages penned on my card - each one touching. You could have stopped there! But The Author Clock amazes me every seven minutes. If ever there was a tower of whipped cream and cherries on a scoop of the finest ice cream, this clock for me is it. Let me try to explain. More than a beautiful desk clock, this marvelous screen displays the exact time above a quote that cleverly includes a relevant reference to the time. For instance:

 

I rarely recognize a quote and in the beginning, I was looking up the titles and authors. Some are plays; most are books that I have never heard of. So many books! The Author Clock connects to the internet for updated information - seems infinite. Also, the frequency can be controlled as in every minute up to once an hour.  I set mine for seven minutes.  I love it! Thank you so much :) 

Up next:

 Happy reading,

LK 

 

November 2025 Bookclub News

Sue's Friendsgiving November 2024

 

Dear Bookclub,

This time last year, our bookclub gathered for a Friendsgiving at Sue's not knowing how much our world would change before our next opportunity to repeat the tradition. Lynne hosted this year and an outpouring of grief for our departed friend blended with remembrances emphasizing the importance of our deep connection. 

 

 

 

Fredrik Backman's, "My Friends", aptly titled, veered into a world of challenged, complicated friendships told through an imaginative story, at once touching and difficult. I found myself amazed, laughing out loud and weary. Ultimately, wishing it had been tighter, I don't think I will easily forget the story and forgive the dragging.   

 

Homer

 

Herrara

Owen

The painting is truly a fictional character. Winslow Homer's "Three Boys on the Shore", Lauren Herrara's "The One" and Caryn Owen's abstract seascape are each stunning in their own way. The reader got to form a unique vision of "The One of the Sea",  a curious aspect to one's understanding of the painting's power in Backman's book. I still really wanted to find the actual work! 

Backman

 

Please take two minutes to watch this entertaining video of Backman discussing the use of art, humor, and emotion in his writing:

 https://youtube.com/shorts/OzUDefQvPMM?si=3T_3LsTwdWWdeRDy

 

Lynne's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"Twice" Mitch Albom

"Good Night, Irene" Luis Alberto Urrea *chosen

"Atmosphere" Taylor Jenkins 

 Up next:

 

Happy reading,

LK