Book Clubbing Island Style - The Book Ends

Some background: The Book Ends are a group of Islander women who have been meeting on a regular basis for over 24 years. Founders Loma Vander Houwen and Linda Summers were busy moms wanting to get together with friends in a low key way to read and share books, thus the ‘come as you are' dress policy. But don’t let their laid-back style fool you; this group knows how to have some serious fun with books.

The club: “We have 18 members (3 never come, they just want the reading list), but we usually have 10 to 12 at each meeting” explains member Becky Curry. “We meet once a month on the second Monday, but we don’t meet in July or August. We usually…have 15 minutes to chat before we start talking about the book.” Sticking to appetizers and snacks, the food served sometimes ties in with the book’s setting, but often, as another member chimed in, it’s “chocolate, wine and cheese.” 

The books:  Each year, books are pitched at the September meeting and then voted on.  The top nine vote getters are selected. Usually, the person whose book is chosen hosts and begins that discussion.  Oftentimes, a member will bring in author research  and yes, Readers Guides are often referenced. This group tends to favor multi-cultural themed novels and historical fiction. In the early years, only paper backs were chosen. Now, with the majority of the group being E-Readers, anything goes. They are big supporters of Island Books and wanted to give a shout out to Roger Page. Here’s their list:

November Resistance by Owen Sheers

December Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

January Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

February Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

March The Imperfectionists by Tom Roehman

April The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli

May Zeitoun by Dave Egers

June The Paris Wife by Pamela McLain

optional:A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

Best Discussions: Under the Banner of Heaven, Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China and John Dollar

Biggest Let Down:   Loving and Leaving the Good Life a memoir about an urban couple moving to Vermont to homestead.

How they keep things interesting:  Each year the group tries to attend one Book-It performance.  This year they will see Garth Stein’s “The Art of Racing in the Rain”. Other memorable meets: having tea at The Tea House in Seattle’s Panama Hotel (the setting for Hotel on the Corner of Bittersweet); hosting Janna Cawrse Esarey, a Mercer Island grad and author of Motion of the Ocean, to discuss her book (one LOL read I’m told); and listening to a member’s son, a history teacher at Garfield, share his stories and photos of a trip to Sarajevo after reading The Cellist From Sarajevo.

How to feature your book club:  If you belong to a Mercer Island book group, I would love to schedule a visit and feature it on The Patch.  I can be reached by email at Helen.Gibson@gmail.com.  Happy Reading!