September 28, 2023
Attendees: Andrea, Angela, Heidi, Jen, Julie, Kristin, Megan, Susan, Suzanne,
Inspirational woman: Leslie Jones. Born in 1967, she is a famous comedienne who joined the SNL cast as a writer in 2014 at age 47. She starred in Ghostbusters as part of the female cast.
Megan: About the Carleton Sisters by Dian Greenwood. 80 years old, first time publisher.
Megan: The Coconut Latitudes by Rita Gardner. Story of her childhood. The family moved to a coconut farm in Dominican Republic and lived in a tin house. A mystery, something happens, someone disappears. Memoir. Easy read. Fascinating little snip-it of life. A memoir is a slice of life. An autobiography is about the entire life.
Suzanne: The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier. Originally published in French, translated to English. Plane load of people land and the same plane with the same people land again. The most creative and beautifully written novel Suzanne has read in a long time. The ending was spectacular and took her breath away.
Heidi: Steamy Kitchen Healthy Asian Favorites by Jaden Hair. Some recipes helped Heidi be vegan for four months to bring down her A1C pre-diabetes marker.
Angela: the Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron. Past One Book San Diego selection.
Angela: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Her new book. Angela listed to audio book. Story about a boy who lives with his football coach, was an outcast. Inspired by the story of David Copperfield. Won the Pulitzer for this book.
Sharon: Poorly Made in China by Paul Midler. John read this book. Paul Midler helped American companies setup business in China. China doesn’t have good quality and the book explains why. .
Jen: Funny books such as Bossypants by Tina Fey. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson. Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher.
Kristin: Sleeping Beauties by Susana Moore
Kristin: Melting by Anna Davis. English writer. Story about three grifters and their adventures. Easy read. Kristin read it on a train ride to Scotland.
Julie: From Madness to Mindfulness: Reinventing Sex for Women by Jennifer Gunsaullus, PhD
Andrea: Kindred by Octavia Butler. Historical fiction. Combines science fiction with historical fiction. Quality of the writing better than Outlander book series. This is one of Octavia Butlers earlier works. Then she become a science fiction writier.
Susan: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. Autobiography. Stories from a South African childhood. Funny. He had a traumatic childhood, but he writes about it in a way that is not sad. Impressed with his hustle, he hustled from day one. You learn about apartheid in the 1980s-90s. He couldn’t call his mother “mom” in public because she pretended to be his caretaker. The audio book is great because he reads it.
Megan: What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton. She wrote it about 2016 election. If you like politics, the book is enjoyable. She talked about James Comey, the Trump debate. Accessible and easy to read.
Suzanne: Our Dogs Ourselves by Alexandra Horowitz. Fun read
Suzanne: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk. Good to help you through trauma.
Suzanne: Well Met by Jen Deluca. Fun read. Darling book. Suzanne bought at Meet Cute book store San Diego Festival of Books book crawl.
Andrea: Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. Orphans were put on trains on the east coast and taken to the Midwest. Families would be lined up at the train station to “adopt” the kids to work on farms, weren’t treated as family members. Historical fiction. Early 1900s time frame.
Andrea: Sotah Naomi Ragen. Hisotrical fiction about Orthodox Jewish community. Adultress.
Andrea: The Wives of Henry Oades by Johanna Moran. He thought his wife was gone and he married again. He had two wives.
Andrea: The Power by Naomi Alderman. Our era’s Handmaids Tale. Girls and woman have the opportunity to have power. Show on Amazon Prime if you want to watch it.
Megan: How are you Really? By Jenna Kutcher. Megan follows the author on Instagram but didn’t like the book.
Megan The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston. No order to it. Mystical and interesting. Good reach. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts.
