Merry Christmas to all, we have a lot to read!

Thanks to everyone who came to my house for our annual Christmas fun book swap. What a great time! I have to say, we were pretty restrained when it came to stealing books from others, unless it was A Well-Behaved Woman by Therese Anne Fowler which moved around a number of times, leaving some sad people behind. So that is our March book!

March you say? Yes, January is War and Peace, thank goodness I am taking some time off. So much for tourism, I'll be reading. February we have been invited by Maggie to a private tour of "Congo Masks" at the VMFA on Feb. 6 which is a Wednesday. I think the time is 5pm but Maggie will let us know, thank you so much for your kind generosity! The tour will be followed by a private reception, it doesn't get much better than that!

If you are Congo-minded, I did some research on books on the Congo or by Congolese. The first of course is The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. It is a great read if you haven't had the chance yet. Another is The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. A modern Congolese author, Ronan Bennett has gotten great reviews of The Catastrophist, another option.

So March.

As for our books under the tree, wow! What fun we had and the food was both copious and delicious, no big surprise by now. I feel so lucky to be a part of such a smart, well-read, intellectually curious and sophisticated group of people who bring such great ideas.

So here are the books under the tree:

We Are the Lucky Ones - Georgia Hunter
Becoming - Michelle Obama (this one showed up twice under the tree and got traded as well)
Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruis Zafon (another that more than one person wanted)
Summer of Hate - Hawes Spencer. This is about the Charlottesville "events" by a local author
Those We Love Most - Lee Woodruff, daughter-in-law of Judy and Bob. Also popular with the group.
A Time to Be Born - Dawn Powell.  I didn't bring this book, but I spent a goodly amount of time trying to decide among two other Dawn Powell novels and one I eventually brought, she is someone to read if you haven't already.
A Well-Behaved Woman - Enough said, people were dying for this book. I can't wait!
The Riders - our old friend Tim Winton.  Another must read for me, but not before I finish his most recent, The Shepherd's Hut. 
Kingdom of the Blind - Louise Penny. I got my hands on this one and wouldn't let it go.
Unsheltered - speaking of Barbara Kingsolver, her latest.
Empire of the Summer Moon - S.C. Gwynne. Remember when we read this? A great read and a tragic history. One of our newer members brought this, so good to know we are reading things that resonate.
The Makioka Sisters - Junichiro Tanizaki.
The Irish RM - E. Somerville and Martin Ross. I have read this, it is great, first of a couple on this topic.
Before We Were Yours - Lisa Wingate

While I know who brought a few of these, for the most part, it is still a mystery, so fess up if you want.

Any one of these is a great place to start for 2019. We are meeting at Fiona's next time, which is January 22 at Fiona's at 6:30. See you then! Thanks.