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