March Meeting

Dear Book Clubbers,
Wednesday night’s meeting at Terry’s to discuss The Falls was super!  Terry was a fantastic host; you’d never know that she only moved in months ago.  Jackie did a great job leading the discussion by providing personal insights on author/cousin, Joyce Carol Oates’s family and early life, interesting biographical facts and thought provoking questions.  In general, the book was enjoyed, resulting in a 3.9 star overall rating.  We were pleased to welcome new members Julie (mom) and Emily (daughter) Tunstall to the group.  Incidentally, for those of you who didn’t get to read Oates’s article in the Smithsonian magazine which circulated at the meeting, it was reprinted in today’s Buffalo News.  Go here to read the article.
Announcements included the sad news that long-time resident, Dan Ostrander passed away last week from cancer.  Ina sent flowers to his wife on behalf of the community.
On a happier note, Natalie, Rory and big brother, Zander, welcomed a baby boy, Torin (sp?) on March 8th.  Everyone is reportedly doing fine.  Congratulations to the Rinaldi family!
I made a brief pitch that we should all be cognizant of the fact that there are several members in the group who have medical issues which make them more prone to catching bugs.  The common sense things that we are all familiar with are especially important to those in the group who might have subpar immune systems.
The next meeting is at 7:15 PM on Wednesday, April 14th at Liz’s.  The book for that night is Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.  Katie will give an assist with the discussion.  Snack volunteers are Jennifer and Katie for appetizers, Marion and Loraine for desserts and Julie, Jen and Jackie for wine.
Jennifer brought some books to circulate for everyone to enjoy before they land back home on her shelf, and all are welcome to do the same at future meetings.  One was Shanghai Girls which is on our list for the year; Grace won the drawing to be the first to get her hands on that.  Jill scored some books at the Orchard Park library book sale, and Sharon was lucky enough to snag David Copperfield, which those who feel up to it will be meeting to discuss sometime in August.
Lastly, I have been signed on www.shelfari.com for about a month now.  As recommended by Sue K., it really is a nice way to keep track of the books you have read and what you thought about them as well as a great mechanism for reading about what your friends (and the general public) think about books you are interested in.  You can certainly sign up on your own, but also look for an invitation from me in your mailbox when I get a little more caught up.
I think that is all for now.  Spring and our next meeting will be here before you know it.  Get reading!
Jan