Liz hosted another great Seasonal Soiree. Sparkly decor, elegant-to-elfin attire, fine dining, fun headgear, and a rule change (or 3, some mid-game) that created perhaps the most aggressive gift swap ever! Sugar plums were dancing as many of us Secrete Santa-ed the extra parts of gifts to others who really, really wanted them (but lost out in the swap).
In 2023 we read:
- The Tender Bar, by J.R. Moehringer
- I Captured the Castle by Dodie Smith
- Elevation, Stephen King
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Tara Reid Jenkins
- Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt
- The Wife, Meg Wolitzer
- The Caliph’s House: A Year in Casablanca, Tarir Shah
- Fire Keeper’s Daughter, Angeline Boulley
- State of Terror, Louise Penny/Hillary Rodham Clinton
- The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert
- Daughter of Fortune, Isabel Allende
Per proper Bootleg Voting Procedures, the runaway winner was Remarkably Bright Creatures with 9 out of 9 votes! Followed by: The Tender Bar and I Captured the Castle with 3 votes each.
Liz Notes: I do believe that this might be the first time that one book was overwhelmingly the favorite. Raw data below. If the book received an El Stinko (ES), it lost a point. The majority, but not all, voted for their own pick as a fav. One person didn’t identify an El Stinko. And one person gave their own book an El Stinko – not unheard of but refreshing to admit your pick didn’t meet your expectations.
- The Tender Bar, by J.R. Moehringer 3
- I Captured the Castle by Dodie Smith 3
- Elevation, Stephen King 2 fav 1 ES
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Tara R. Jenkins 3 Fav/1 ES
- Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt 9 Fav
- The Wife, Meg Wolitzer 1 Fav/ 2 ES
- The Caliphs House: A Year in Casablanca, Tarir Shah 3 fav/1 ES
- Fire Keepers Daughter, Angeline Boulley 2 Fav
- State of Terror, Louise Penny/Hillary Rodham Clinton 1 ES
- The Signature of All Things, Elizabeth Gilbert 1 ES
- Daughter of Fortune, Isabel Allende 1 Fav
Club Member Reminder of the 2024 Hosting Schedule
January Karen S
February Katie
March Liz
April Shelley B.
May Rose
June Mary (she needs to swap for July or later)
July Karen C.
August Angelika
September Shelley M.
October Liz
November Wine & Co
December Holiday Party
enjoytheread 