Discussion Group - Red Tent Book Discussion Group

Our book discussion group has about 10 to 12 core members, but other people do occasionally attend. We read both fiction and non-fiction, and choose the books by consensus, although everyone is encouraged to suggest titles. There is no formal pattern to the discussion, and new participants are welcome.

The group normally meets on the first Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. to Noon in the CLA Room at the HUU Building.

2025 Book Selections

• January  - Blind Man Walking: The American Landscape, Up Close and Personal on the Appalachian Trail  by Brian Thompson
• February - The Women by (Kristin Hannah
• March - The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith  and Tears of the Giraffe. These are books 1 and 2 in this series.
• April - KNIFE by Salman Rushdie
• May - THE BACKYARD BIRD CHONICLES by Amy Tan
• June - Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• July - James by Percival Everett
• August - An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s  by Doris Kearns Goodwin

2024 Book Selections

• January -  The Color Purple  - by Alice Walker
• February - The Caretaker by Ron Rash
• March - All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson (Banned Book Discussion)
• April - The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
• May  The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
• June - The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (available with Kindle Unlimited)
• July - The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
• August - The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi
• September  - The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman
• October  - The Secret Life Of Sunflowers by Marta Molnar
• November -  The American Girl By Rachel English
• December - Mornings in Jenin By Susan Abulhawa

2023 Book Selections

• January - A Walk in the Woods – by Bill Bryson
• February -  Across the Blue Ridge Mountains by M S Marangione
• March -  Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs
• April - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
• May  - A Girl Called Samson  by Amy Harmon   (available on Kindle Unlimited for free or $4.99 to buy)
• June - Women Talking (also a movie)  by Miriam Toes
• July - The Namesake by JHumta Lakiri
• August The Botanist’s Daughter by Katye Nunn
• September  I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away by  Bill Bryson
• October -  FOUND IN A BOOKSHOP by Stephanie Butland 
• November - EDUCATED by Tara Westover
• December - THE TUESDAY NIGHT CLUB by Agatha Christie

2022 Book Selections

• January – Peril by Bob Woodward  at Linda's (rescheduled to January 8 and will be a pot luck.
• February – Migrations, by Charlotte McConaghy
• March -  Fortnight in September, by R. C. Sherriff
• April - Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard  by Douglas W. Tallamy at Martha  Faw's.
• May - Winter Garden by Kristan Hannah..
• June - Interpreter Of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
• July - A Fatal Grace: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny
• August - The Cruelest Month: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel #3 by Louise Penny at Glenda's.
• September - The Killing Woods: Book 1 of the Sidney Becker mysteries by Linda Berry at Linda's.
• October -  Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown at Linda's
• November  - The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd at Martha's.
• December - The Road from Coorain, by Jill Ker Conway

2021 Book Selections

• January - Hercule Poirot's Christmas  by Agatha Christie
• February - Hamnet  by  Maggie O'Farrell 
• March  -   Forty Signs of Rain by Kim Stanley Robinson
• April - News of the World by Paulette Jiles
• May  -  The Four Winds: A novel  by Kristin Hannah
• June -  The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards
• July - Blanche Among the Talented Tenth by Barbara Neely
• August - The Heirloom Garden by Viola Shipman  (NOTE - If you have Amazon Prime, the book is available for free as part of Amazon Reading.
• September - Tea, Scones, and Malaria: A memoir of growing up in Africa  by Katlynn Brooke
• October - The Home Place —Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair With Nature By J. Drew Lanham
• November - Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold
• December – Anthill, by E. O. Wilson at Eileen's.

2020 Book Selections

• January: The Soil Will Save Us by Kristin Ohlson
• February: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
• March: Bad Moon Rising by Ed Morrison  Mindy and Ed Morrison have agreed to come and talk about the experience of writing the book. 
• April: After the Fire by Lauren Belfer 
• May: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
• June: Watch and Discuss Weeping Camel  (87 minutes)
• July: Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith
• August: Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez and Kristin Ohlson
• September: A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult
• October: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
• November: The Things We Do For Love by Kristin Hannah
• December: December: Blowout by Rachel Maddow

2019 Book Selections

• January - Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore  by Elizabeth Rush
• February - Native Son by Richard Wright 
• March Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood  by Trevor Noah -
• April - Travels with Charley: In Search of America  by John Steinbeck
• May - Half Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide  by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Dunn
• June - A Gentleman in Moscow by by Amor Towles
• July  - The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner
• August - Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• September - Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
• October - Becoming.by Michelle Obama
• November - Matchmaking for Beginners by Maddie Dawson
• December - Chesapeake Requiem by Earl Swift., subtitled: A Year With The Watermen of Vanishing Tangier Island

2018 Book Selections

• January - Movie Amal
• February - Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
• March - The Scapel and the Silver Bear  by Lori Alvord
• April - Light on the Snow by Anita Shreve
• May - Mr. Ouita’s Guide to Gardening by Carol Wall
• June - Cancelled
• July - Driving Miss Norma by Ramie Liddle
• August - Unbelievable by Katy Tur
• September  - The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble
• October - White Trash by Nancy Isenberg
• November - Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
• December -   Movie Come Sunday

2017 Book Selections

• January - Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday.
• February - Jerry Lee Lewis: his own story by Rick Bragg.
• March - Pioneer Girl by Bich Minh Nguyen.
• April - Queen of Katwe by Tim Crothers
• May - Wish You Well by David Baldacci
• June - Good Harbor by Anita Diamant.
• July 8 - Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 
• August - Salmon Fishing in Yemen
• September - Girl on the Train
• October - In an Uncharted Country by Clifford Garstang.
• November - TBA
• December - TBA

2016 Book Selections

• January - Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
• February - The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich -l
• March - Of Love and Shadows by Isabelle Allende -
• April- Anthill by E O Wilson -
• May -  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
• June - Ecology of a Cracker Childhood by Janisse Ray
• OPEN
• August - The Mare by Mary Gaitskill
• September - Small Blessings by Martha Woodroof
• October - All I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum
• November - Japanese Lover by Isabelle Allende
• December - Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

2015 Book Selections

• January- King Peggy - Peggielene Bartels
• February - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie- Muriel Spark
• March- Boys in the Boat- Daniel James Brown
• April- Orphan Train- Christopher Baker Kline
• May- High Wind in Jamaica - Richard Hughes
• June- The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window- Jonas Jonasson
• July- Wild- Cheryl Strayed
• August- Night Circus - Erin Morganstern
• September- Breakfast With Buddha - Roland Merullo
• October- Stranger in the Kingdom - Howard Mosher
• November- Horrostor- Grady Hendrix
• December- State of Wonder- Ann Patchett

2014 Book Selections

• January - I Feel Bad About my Neck by Nora Ephron
• February - Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezuani
• March - Best Short  Stories of 2012 at
• April - A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy
• May - The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
• June - Your Spacious Self by Stephanie Vogt
• July - Peace Like a River by Leif Enger at Mary Hahn's
• August  - Mighty Be Our Powers  by Leymah Gbowee
• September - The Plate Spinner at
• October - The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas
• November - The General's Son: Journey of an Israeli by Miko Peled  
• December- The All Girl's Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg

2013 Book Selections

• January The Mournful Teddy by John Lamb
• February In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming
• March The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Neffenegger
• April Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
• May Night Train In Lisbon by Pascal Mercier
• June
• July Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas
• August Anthill by E. O. Wilson
• September The Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
• October Fairyland by Alysia Abbott
• November Movie Lincoln
• December A Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Godwin

2012 Book Selections

• January The House on Mango Street  by Sandra Cisneros 
• February Day After Night  Anita Diamant
• March Five Chiefs by John Paul Stevens
• April The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch 
• May Serena by Ron Rash 
• June Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
• July
• August Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantell 
• September The God of Small Things  by Roy Arundhati
• October On Gold Mountain by Lisa See 
• November Are You Somebody by Nuala O'Faolain
• December Saving Grandma by Frank Schaeffer

2011 Book Selections

• January - Regeneration  by Pat Barker
• February - English Creek by Ivan Doig
• March - Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese
• April - Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
• May - Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
• June - Still Alice by Lisa Genova
• July - Salt by Isabel Zuber
• August -  The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
• September - Raven Stole the Moon by Garth Stein
• October  - Empress of Mars  by Kage Baker
• November - The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein home.
• December - The Keepers of the House  by Shirley Ann Grau

2010 Book Selections

• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver - January 2
• Olive Kitterage  by Elizabeth Strout - February 6
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett - March 6
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - April 3
• Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen  - June
• East of the Mountains by David Guterson - July
• Florabama Ladies Auxilary and Sewing Circle by Lois Battle  - August
• Shadow of the Wind  by Carlos Ruiz Zafón - September
• One True Thing by Anna Quindlen - October 
• War Brides by Lois Battle - November
• Digging to America by Anne Tyler - December

Others to come:

• Regeneration by Pat Barker
• English Creek by Ivan Doig
• Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
• Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene
• Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau
• The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
• Rooftops of Tehran Mahbod Seraji
• Those who Saved Us by Jenna Blum

2009 Book Selections

• Marley and Me by John Grogan - January 3
• Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon - February 7
• Inkheart by Cornelia Funke - March 7
• Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell - April 4
• Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See - May 2
• Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear - June 6
• Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Relin - July
• Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi - August 1
• The Magnificent Spinster by May Sarton - October 3rd
• Cane River by Lalita Tademy  - November 7th
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver - Cancelled

2008 Book Selections

• Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg - January 5 
• Woman Hollering Creek by Sandra Cisneros - February 2nd
• Fall on your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald - March 1st
• Emma by Jane Austen - April 5th
• A Hope in the Unseen by Ron Suskind - May
• Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody - July  home
• Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen - August
• Bell canto by Ann Patchett - September
• Eat Pray Love  by Elizabeth Gilbert October
• Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides - November
• Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon - December

2007 Book Selections

• The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor
• Gap Creek by Robert Morgan
• Shirley Valentine, the video - viewing and discussion
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel
• The Third Child  by Marge Piercy
• The Love Spell, and Erotic Memoir of Spiritual Awakening by Phyllis Curott
• The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diament
• The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
• A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hassein
• To Kill a Mockingbird  by Harper Lee
• Lamb  by Christopher Moore

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