Book Club

Senior Planet Book Club: Vote For Our Next Book!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our discussion both in the comments section of SeniorPlanet.org and at our meeting over Zoom about The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah.

Now it is time to select our next reading!

Each Tuesday, we’ll post a thread on SeniorPlanet.org inviting your comments on the next section of the book and then we’ll host a discussion over Zoom the final week of reading the book together.

But first! We’ve put together a shortlist engaging books suggested by our members and staff. Now it’s up to you pick which one we’ll read together next. Read on for details about each book, then take the poll at the end and tell us: What should the Senior Planet Book Club read next?

We’ll announce the result of the poll in addition to how you can access a copy of the chosen book next Tuesday!

Have any feedback on book club? Tell us what you think in the comments or email phugi@oats.org!

The Books:

Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enriquez

“In these wildly imaginative, devilishly daring tales of the macabre, internationally bestselling author Mariana Enriquez brings contemporary Argentina to vibrant life as a place where shocking inequality, violence, and corruption are the law of the land, while military dictatorship and legions of desaparecidos loom large in the collective memory. In these stories, reminiscent of Shirley Jackson and Julio Cortázar, three young friends distract themselves with drugs and pain in the midst a government-enforced blackout; a girl with nothing to lose steps into an abandoned house and never comes back out; to protest a viral form of domestic violence, a group of women set themselves on fire.But alongside the black magic and disturbing disappearances, these stories are fueled by compassion for the frightened and the lost, ultimately bringing these characters—mothers and daughters, husbands and wives—into a surprisingly familiar reality.” -Goodreads.com

Tracks by Louise Erdrich

“Set in North Dakota at a time in this century when Indian tribes were struggling to keep what little remained of their lands, Tracks is a tale of passion and deep unrest. Over the course of ten crucial years, as tribal land and trust between people erode ceaselessly, men and women are pushed to the brink of their endurance, yet their pride and humor prohibit surrender. The reader will experience shock and pleasure in encountering a group of characters that are compelling and rich in their vigor, clarity, and indomitable vitality.” -Goodreads.com.”

The Kitchen God’s Wife by Amy Tan

“Winnie and Helen have kept each other’s worst secrets for more than fifty years. Now, because she believes she is dying, Helen wants to expose everything. And Winnie angrily determines that she must be the one to tell her daughter, Pearl, about the past—including the terrible truth even Helen does not know. And so begins Winnie’s story of her life on a small island outside Shanghai in the 1920s, and other places in China during World War II, and traces the happy and desperate events that led to Winnie’s coming to America in 1949.” -Goodreads.com

The Stationary Shop of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

“This is an amazing novel about life in Iran, and a woman whose life takes different turns. Marian Kamali is a great writer and really lets the reader know exactly how things work in this country and how to navigate through life and confines of her family.” -Goodreads.com

Take the poll!

What book should the Senior Planet Book Club read next?

Photo by Paul Schafer on Unsplash

COMMENTS

23 responses to “Senior Planet Book Club: Vote For Our Next Book!

      1. Looking forward to participating in the upcoming book read. Whichever book is chosen is fine with me, even though I did vote my preference. I saw the movie,Things we lost in the fire, but the book description sounds very different. Happy Holidays

  1. To: membership@seniorplanet.org, phugi@oats.org

    Hi –
    It seems that each of the four Planet Senior Book Club selections (at least currently) are based on Goodreads.com

    Is there any chance for future rounds of suggestions to include a book of poetry & lyrics, each page telling a story of its own ?

    If so, “American Music / Poetic Musings”, released in year 2021 (with literary works dating through the previous decades) may prove to be upbeat, worthwhile, and interesting for the Book Club readers.

    Thanks for considering !

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