A few months ago, Sevda sent me a note to let me know she'd read a review of a book that recommended that psychiatrists should tell their patients to read it instead of prescribing anti-depressants.  The thought made us laugh, but the suggestion has stuck with us.  This month, we're going to self-medicate by reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery



The Elegance of the Hedgehog is described in this way:
"The novel depicts and hopes to appeal to the connoisseur of humanity who can appreciate exquisite qualities unacknowledged by others. One of her two Parisian diarist heroines is a concierge, the other a suicidal adolescent. They sound conventional, but that's precisely the point: they both work very hard to achieve stereotypicality.  It is a moving, funny, triumphant novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us."

Reviews from people we don't know:
"This book made me struggle to empathize with the two main characters for the first few chapters, though I was appreciating the excellent writing. But as I got more involved in Renee and Paloma's stories and their delicate forging of connections, I came to love the book and didn't want it to end. A treat." - andreatodd

- and on the flip side -

"This was one of the worst books I have ever read. Still have not finished it, probably never will. Don't waste your money" - ohhowboring


Since this book takes place in Paris, I'd like to pair this book with the drink I enjoyed when my mom and I were in Paris - Kir Royale.  It's simple, easy, delicious, and fancy.  The book sounds good on it's own, but I'm pretty sure it would be even better with one of these in hand.

Kir Royale
6 ounces champagne
1/2 ounce crème de cassis
Lemon twist


After you're finished (that's the book that would be finished, not the Kir Royale), please leave your rating here.  Tell us what you think:

***** = This was one of the best books I've ever read.
**** = It was a great book, I'd definitely recommend it.
*** = It was pretty good.
** = There were some parts that were OK, but overall not great.
* = Not great.  At all.
0 = Didn't quite get around to this one.

Over the past year or so, many of you have sent me secret notes on the side to let me know that you've read the "Twilight" series.  I think "read" is a pretty delicate term for the way in which you read the books - quickly, in secret, and using every free moment you had available.  The "angel food cake of books" one of you told me.  And now that I'm halfway through the second in the series, I can say in all honesty that I agree with you completely.  Who knew that a teenage vampire book would be so enjoyable?

Anyway, now that I've publicly confessed, I just wanted to tell you that I've taken your recommendation and am working my way through the series.  What else should we be reading?  Any other vampire series we might enjoy?  Teenage angst that we should literarily relive?  Did I just make that word up?  Have I turned into the bookclub version of W?

Tell me what I should be reading.  Please be sure to add the title, author's name, and a brief description of the book, your thoughts and comments.

It seems that we have a growing trend around here where we're using the book club as a motivation to actually finish a book.  For the third time in a month, I've heard the statement "maybe if it's our book club book I'll actually finish it."  And it's in that spirit that my sister-in-law Carrie selected our book.  Please join Carrie and me in reading White Teeth by Zadie Smith.


White Teeth is described in this way:
"In this remarkable novel set in postwar London, 24-year-old Smith has cleverly created an unlikely friendship between Archie Jones, a simple working-class Brit, and Samad Iqbal, a Muslim Bengali waiter in an Indian restaurant, who meet in the English army in WWII. After the war, the two commiserate over their lives and those of their children; their dreams, disappointments and expectations unfolding with riotous humor as the characters in both generations struggle to carve out their own cultural identities. As Samad himself says, '…you begin to give up the very idea of belonging. Suddenly, this thing, this belonging, it seems like some long, dirty lie.'"

Reviews from people we don't know:
"As I plunged into this book I was unaware of what to expect and was pleasantly surprised by the unique reality of it. Each page captured every-day- life in a humorous and nonchalant way. It dealt with real issues, things that I could truly relate to as a reader, and brought to life a variety of other perspectives. As a whole it flowed smoothly from page to page and I found myself immersed in the lives of the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, though I was slightly disappointed by the lack of closure at the end, and would read it again in a heartbeat." - Anonymous

"I really liked Zadie Smith's writing style in that her descriptions were fantastic. The only thing this book was missing was a plot which is fairly important in my opinion. There were too many lulls to make me excited to pick it up to read." - Anonymous


Having not yet read the book, the title makes me want to pair it with Crest White Strips.  Or maybe something we can actually consume, like white zinfandel.  But neither of those feel like a very good pairing (although I'd bet that more of us have White Strips around than White Zinfandel).  This month, after you've read the book, help me out with a good pairing.  It could be a drink (alcoholic or non) or food.  If you'd like to include a recipe, please send it to me in email and I'll add it here as a link.  Any questions, just let me know.


As a new feature here, we're going to combine the announcement and rating entries.  This means no more waiting to add your comments, leaving it to chance that by the time I post the rating entry you will have forgotten your thoughts on the book.  So, when you finish the book, come on back and tell us all about it.  Here is the rating criteria:

***** = This was one of the best books I've ever read.
**** = It was a great book, I'd definitely recommend it.
*** = It was pretty good.
** = There were some parts that were OK, but overall not great.
* = Not great.  At all.
0 = Didn't quite get around to this one.

Like the "can't finish a book" epidemic running through our book club, there's a companion illness that some call "I can only read magazines, junk books, or maybe teen vampire books if I'm feeling really motivated."  I think there may be a cure - some really well-written books filled with good characters, lovely words, plot twists, or just flat-out page-turners.  Help us.  Tell us what you've been reading that maybe the cure to all that ails our reading-impaired minds.

Please be sure to add the title, author's name, and a brief description of the book, your thoughts and comments.

Did you read The Echo Maker?  What did you think?  Is it one that you'd recommend?  Have you read any other books by the same author?

Tell us all about it.

***** = This was one of the best books I've ever read.
**** = It was a great book, I'd definitely recommend it.
*** = It was pretty good.
** = There were some parts that were OK, but overall not great.
* = Not great.  At all.
0 = Didn't quite get around to this one.

Way back in November I asked Jill if she'd be willing to choose our book for December.  She promptly sent me two titles from which to choose.  Then, things got a bit chaotic around here, and before I knew it, it's practically mid-January.  So, here we are - many weeks late, and with a book to take us through February.  Please join Jill and me in reading Echo Maker by Richard Powers.


The book is described in this way:
"On a winter night on a remote Nebraska road, twenty-seven-year-old Mark Schluter has a near-fatal car accident. His older sister, Karin, returns reluctantly to their hometown to nurse Mark back from a traumatic head injury. But when Mark emerges from a coma, he believes that this woman--who looks, acts, and sounds just like his sister--is really an imposter. When Karin contacts the famous cognitive neurologist Gerald Weber for help, he diagnoses Mark as having Capgras syndrome. The mysterious nature of the disease, combined with the strange circumstances surrounding Mark's accident, threatens to change all of their lives beyond recognition."

Jill tells me that it's a good book, and I can't wait to get started.  I actually had the book in hand and intended to start reading it during those long hours when Marty was recuperating after his last surgery.  But, then when he was kind of mixed up after his surgery and asking me to get ice for the shrimp and wondering when the piroshkis were going to arrive, I decided that starting this particular book should wait.  Now that things are back to normal(ish), I'm ready to go.

For this month's pairing, I'd recommend anything from Fetzer's Echo Ridge label.  I haven't tried any of them, but the titles create a very nice match.  Let me know if you agree (or disagree, in this case, that might be even more important).

Did you read anything great over the holidays?  Anything new appear under your tree?  Let us know what you're starting, currently reading, or just finished that should be at the top of our lists.

Please be sure to add the title, author's name, and a brief description of the book, your thoughts and comments.

Have you finished reading Lottery?  If you finished it long ago (as I did), do you remember what you thought of the book?  If the answer to either question "yes", give the book your final rating.  What did you think?  Did you like it?  What did you think of the style, turn of events, characters?

***** = This was one of the best books I've ever read.
**** = It was a great book, I'd definitely recommend it.
*** = It was pretty good.
** = There were some parts that were OK, but overall not great.
* = Not great.  At all.
0 = Didn't quite get around to this one.

For this month's selection, I turned to my friend Brenda.  She's always good for a book recommendation - and they're usually ones that have good characters and writing that is easy on the eyes.  Sometimes a book that I can just fall into is exactly what the book doctor ordered.  This month, please join Brenda and me in reading Lottery by Patricia Wood.


Lottery has been described as "a funny, poignant, and wise novel about a very rich underdog who shows everyone just how little his IQ says about his smarts."

Reviews from people we don't know:
"Just as Perry could not add enough zeros on a line, I cannot add enough stars for this book! I loved it from the start and still can't stop thinking about it. I read it quickly also, and couldn't wait to get to the end. Yet, I wish it would've continued, so I could keep on reading about Perry and his (mis)adventures in winning the lottery. It is a great story and so true-to-life." - A reviewer

"Absolutely one of the greatest books I have read!Makes one think on life, giving and living. It definitely is a book that will stay in your mind and heart for a long, long time. It is also a book that will be hard to put down once starting to read. I anxiously await more by Patricia Wood!" - Anonymous

For this month's pairing, I'm suggesting a Zinfandel by Bayliss & Fortune.  I've never had it, but it's reasonably priced, and the name pairs well with this month's title.  I've purchased wines for worse reasons than that.  Usually that reason is "cheap".

Bargain Alert:  Speaking of cheap, in case you are planning on buying the book, I wanted to let you know that Amazon has a hardcover edition of the book at a special price (currently about half the price of the paperback version)

What are you reading this month?  Anything that we shouldn't miss?  What do you have on your list of books to start?  I'm always looking for new authors do discover and books to pour through.  If you have suggestions, please send them my way.

Please be sure to add the title, author's name, and a brief description of the book, your thoughts and comments.