Refuge Book Club: Martyr! A Novel by Kaveh Akbar - TBD

Community Center The Portico
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Looking forward to discussing this on Wednesday night!

Related - we were discussing during a call books we’d loved last year, and several of us mentioned TOMORROW, TOMORROW AND TOMORROW. Which I adored. Based on that, several of you mentioned one of her earlier novels, THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY which I read and loved, and then my wife did the same.

Last night we watched the movie made last year of this book and … skip it. It’s missing almost all the love and charm and sass that made the book so fun. The casting is mixed and the script (also written by Zevin, but maybe screenwriting and book writing are two separate skills) is flat and … it’s not without merit, but it’s definitely not what I was hoping for.

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Bummed I am going to miss this one tonight unfortunately. Really enjoyed this book and was looking forward to hearing others’ takes on it. I’m in for any future books with cephalopod narrators!

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Ryan McDonald is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Refuge Book Club
Time: Apr 19, 2023 09:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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Meeting ID: 912 8851 8077
Password: 004533

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Thank you!!

Looking so forward to chatting with you all this evening!

Also, if people want to bring any recommendations for next book - please feel free to! I’m sure we’ve skipped over some regulars getting to choose (or getting to choose recently) so feel free to bring a recommendation if you’d like!

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We have a knack for scheduling this during the Roost Captain’s Call. I’ll try to join late if I can. I promise I’m doing my homework each time, just not showing up to class lately …

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Love the handle, etc hop on in any time the water’s phine

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Thank you everyone, I’ve read several of the books for book club but due to reasons had never been able to join the zoom. It was wonderful and I hope to be able to participate in more going forward. Lots of erudite folks around these parts, great discussion.

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Thanks all for jumping aboard to chat about the book! Always great to connect with my golf friends who also read (or reading friends who also golf?)

Looking forward to diving into Brooklyn by Colm Toibin (which is available on Amazon…)

@Double_Bogey_Dave or @OffTheDole can you please update title ?

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I haven’t joined in much around here, but I’ve been meaning to read this book–do you guys have a date for the discussion? Sounds fun.

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Not yet. We typically settle on a Wednesday ~6 weeks out. Maybe end of may/beginning of June.

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To whichever one of you who recommended The Storied Life of AJ Fikry on the zoom call last week - thank you, and I hate you.

Spoiler

I did not expect to be sitting on my couch ugly crying on a Saturday morning

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Just don’t watch the movie with any expectations of it being good! Loved that book though. Quite different than her new one I’m told.

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wanted to jump on here cause i saw it on the google doc and felt the need to shout it out

Finished The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles last night, an absolutely amazing joyride of a book. a 500+ page size book is always daunting but before i knew it i was done in a week! highly recommend. Never read a Towles book until this one and already placed holds at the lib for his other two

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Lincoln Highway was a favorite of mine as well

I finished Brooklyn last night. Quick easy read that won’t change my life but was enjoyable.

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Pretty much a requirement for reading all three Towles books and giving your order of preference. “Lincoln Highway” is my 2nd ranked Towles (and I loved it).

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Definitely first place for me.

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  1. Rules of Civility
  2. Lincoln Highway
  3. A Gentleman in Moscow (didn’t finish it)
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I land the same. Rules was SO creative. I suppose Gentleman was too but I just couldn’t get there.

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Happy Pulitzer Prize Day—-Duel winners this year (offsets a couple of years of zero winners?)

“Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver was so well done in my estimation, and a deserved winner.

“Trust” by “Hernan Diaz” was on the read radar anyway so looking forward to that one as co-winner.

Thankful the Pulitzer Committee didn’t give my quirky award reading challenge something completely obscure and dry to tackle as they often do.

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I’ve had Trust on my to read pile, so that’s good. I read Kingsolver’s first novel in college and felt like she wasn’t for me but perhaps this will warrant a change of heart.

Do we have a date for Brooklyn yet?