Our Book Club
Established June 1998 in Madison, Wisconsin

In General we read


Book List History

 

2023

 
January Winter Ali Smith
February Black River S.M. Hulse
March Rules for Visiting Jessica Francis Kane
May Band of Sisters Lauren Willig
June The Marriage Portrait Maggie O'Farrell
July Lucy by the Sea Elizabeth Strout
August No Fond Return of Love Barbara Pym
September The Great Believers Rebecca Makkai
October Our Missing Hearts Celeste Ng
November Arcadia Lauren Groff
December The Dictionary of Lost Words Pip Williams
 

2022
(mostly back to in person )

 
January American Dirt Jeanine Cummins
February The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek Kim Michele Richardson.
March Fight Night Mariam Toews
April The Sentence Louis Erdrich
May Standard Deviation Katherine Heiny
June Bird Cloud Annie Proulx
July The Girl with the Louding Voice Abi Daré
August Oh William! Elizabeth Strout
September Matrix Lauren Groff
October The Seed Keeper Diane Wilson
November The Mercies Kiran Millwood Hargrave
December The Kitchen Front Jennifer Ryan
 

2021
(vaccine omicron zoom, Hoyt park)

 
January Hum if You Don't Know the Words Bianca Marais
March The Night Watchman Louis Erdrich
April A Long Petal of the Sea Isabelle Allende
May Girl, Women, Other Bernadine Everaisto
June Summer of '69 Elin Hilderbrand
July Afterlife Julia Alvarez
August Weight of Ink Rachel Kadish
September Daughters of Yalta Catherine Grace Katz
October Hamnet Maggie O'Farrell
December Transcendant Kingom Yaa Gyasi
 

2020
(pandemic year of Zoom)

 
January Cantoras Carolina De Robertis
February The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane Lisa See
March Provence, 1970: M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American Taste Luke Barr
April The Dutch House Ann Patchett
May Olive, Again Elizabeth Strout
July The Island of Sea Women Lisa See
August Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead Olga Tokarczuk
September Himself Jess Kidd
October Before We Were Yours Lisa Wingate
November Feast Your Eyes Myla Goldberg
December The Body in Question Jill Ciment
 

2019

 
January NW Zadie Smith
February Ninth Hour Alice McDermot
March Shell Seekers Rosemunde Pilcher
May An American Marriage Tayarii Jones
June Animals Strike Curious Poses Elena Passarello
July Once Upon a River Diane Setterfield
August White Houses Amy Bloom
September God Help the Child Toni Morrison
October The Trouble with Goats and Sheep Joanna Cannon
November Mr. Loverman Evaristo, Bernardine
December Home Fire Kamila Shamsie
 

2018

 
January My Brilliant Friend Elena Ferrante
February Music of the Ghosts Vaddey Ratner
March Lavinia Ursula K. Le Guin
April Some Sing, Some Cry Ntozake Shange & Ifa Bayeza
May A Spool of Blue Thread Anne Tyler
June Moon Tiger Penelope Lively
August Sing Unburied Sing Jesmyn Ward
September A Complicated Kindness Mariam Toews
October Beet Queen Louise Erdrich
December Little Fires Everywhere Celeste Ng
 

2017

 
January The Door Magda Szabo
February LaRose Louise Erdrich
March The Sound of Gravel Ruth Wariner
April A Thin Bright Line Lucy Jane Bledsoe
May Last Friends Jane Gardam
June Ru Kim Thuy
August The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty Vendela Vida
September Idaho Emily Ruskovich
October Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self Danielle Evans
November Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? Roz Chast
December A Week in Winter Maeve Binchey
 

2016

 
January Elizabeth is Missing Emma Healey
February West with the Night Beryl Markham
March Winner of the National Book Award Jincy Willett
April The Marriage of Opposites Alice Hoffman
May Caramelo Sandra Cisneros
June Persuasion Jane Austen
July The Turner House Angela Flournoy
September The Tale of Murasaki Liza Dalby
October The Vegetarian Han Kang
November The Tenth Gift Jane Johnson
 

2015

 
January The Pure Gold Baby Margaret Drabble
February All the Birds Singing Evie Wyld
March The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox Maggie O'Farrell
April The Man In the Wooden Hat Jane Gardam
June The Paying Guests Sarah Waters
July Euphoria Lily King
August The Professor's House Willa Cather
September The Light Between Oceans M.L. Stedman
October The Stone Carvers Jane Urquhart
November Falling In Love Donna Leon
 

2014

 
January Old Filth Jane Gardam
February Olive Kitteridge Elizabeth Strout
March When Women Were Birds Terry Tempest Williams
April Americanah Ngozi Adichie
May

All the Little Live Things
Remembering Laughter

Wallace Stegner
June The Interestings Meg Wolitzer
July Rebecca Daphne Du Maurier
August The Secret River   Kate Grenville
September The Lowlands Jhumpa Lahiri
October The Tiger’s Wife   Téa Obreht
December Are You My Mother Alison Bechdel
 

2013

 
January Composed Roseanne Cash
February The Round House Louise Erdrich
March Inheritance Lan Samatha Chang
April A Changed Man Francine Prose
May Coastliners Joanne Harris
July Maya's Notebook Isabel Allende
August The Orchardist Amanda Coplin
September Run Ann Patchett
October A Tale for the Time Being Ruth Ozeki
 

2012

 
January A Visit from the Good Squad Jennifer Egan
February Major Pettigrew's Last Stand Helen Simonson
April State of Wonder Ann Patchett
May What I Loved Siri Hustvedt
June The Year We Left Home Jean Thompson
July Swamplandia! Karen Russell
August Silver Sparrow Tayari Jones
September The Other Side of the Bridge Mary Lawson
October The Warmth of Other Suns Isabel Wilkerson
November The Long-Shining Waters Danielle Sosin
 

2011

 
January How to Cook a Wolf and Gastronomical me MFK Fisher
February The Hiding Place Trezza Azopardi
April Bitter in the Mouth Monique Truong
May Remarkable Creatures Tracy Chevalier
June Just Kids Patti Smith
August Case Histories Kate Atkinson.
September Digging to America Anne Tyler
October Foreign Bodies Cynthia Ozick
November First Desire Nancy Reisman
 

2010

 
January The Little Stranger Sarah Waters
February The Red Queen Margaret Drabble
March The Confessions of Edward Day Valerie Martin
April The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Rebecca Skloot
May Small Island Andrea Levy
June The Idea of Perfection Kate Grenville
August The Space Between Us Thrity Umrigar
September The Line  Olga Grushin
October Shadow Tag Louise Erdrich
November Age of  Innocence  Edith Wharton's
 

2009

 
February Plum Wine Angela Davis Gardner
March We Need to Talk About Kevin Lionel Shriver
April People of the book Geraldine Brooks
May A hole in the Universe Mary McGarry Morris
August Fault Lines and
The Guernsey Literary + Potato Peel Pie Society
Nancy Huston
Mary Ann Shaffer
September Hummingbird's Daughter Luis Alberto Urrea
October Laura Rider's Masterpiece Jane Hamilton
December Plague of Doves Louise Erdrich
 

2008

 
January Half of a Yellow Sun Adichie, Chimamanda Ngoz
February Special Topics in Calamity Physics Marisha Pessl
March Martha Quest Doris Lessing
April Madame Mao Anchee Min
May Origin Diana Abu-Jaber
July Astrid and Veronika Linda Olsson
August The Book Thief Markus Zusak
October The Tenderness of Wolves Steph Penney
November Land f No Right Angles Daphne Beal
December The Gardens of Kyoto Kate Walbert
 

2007

 
January Soldiers Don't Go Mad Mary Rodriguez
February Wickett's Remedy Myla Goldberg
March The Inheritance of Loss Kiran Desai
April How the Light Gets In MJ Hyland
May Sex Wars Marge Piercy
July The Year of Magical Thinking Joan Didion
August The Thirteenth Tale Diane Setterfield
September Fruit of the Lemon Andrea Levy
October On Beauty Zadie Smith
November Queen of the Tambourine Jane Gardam
 

2006

 
January The Position Meg Wolitzer
March A Thread of Grace Mary Doria Russell
April Truth and Beauty Ann Patchett
May Time Traveler’s Wife Audrey Niffenegger
June She’s not There Jennifer Finney Boylan
July Memento Mori Muriel Spark
August Interpreter of Maladies Jhumpa Lahiri
September March Geraldine Brooks
October Memory Keeper’s Daughter Kim Edwards
November Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel Lisa See
December Master Butcher’s Singing Club Louise Erdrich
 

2005

 
January The Summer before the Dark Doris Lessing
February Purple Hibiscus Chimamanda Ngoz Adichie
March Cassandra at the Wedding Dorothy Baker
April The Storyteller's Daughter Saira Shah
June The Radiant Way Margaret Drabble
July My Sister’s Keeper Jodi Picault
August Optimist’s Daughter Eudora Welty
September The Other Boleyn Girl Phillipa Gregory
October Affinity Sarah Waters
November Crazy in the Kitchen Louise DeSalvo
 

2004

 
January When the Elephants Dance Tess Uriza Holthe
February Middlesex Jeffery Eugenides
March Three Junes Julia Glass
April Reading Lolita in Tehran Azar Nafisi
May Look at Me Jennifer Egan
June Dining Out: Secrets from America's Leading
Critics, Chefs, and Restaurateurs
Andrew Dornenburg & Karen Page
July Little Friend Donna Tart
August The Photograph Penelope Lively
September Leaving Mother Lake Yang Erche Namu & Christine Mathieu
October Changing Planes Ursula K. Le Guin
November Mistress of Spices Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
 

2003

 
January The Bone People Keri Hulme
February Unless Carol Shields
March The Lovely Bones Alice Seybold
April 5 Quarters of the Orange Joann Harris
June The Book of Salt Monique Truong
June The Secret Life of Bees Sue Monk Kidd
August Atonement Ian McEwan
September Sights Unseen Kaye Gibbons
October Twilight Sleep Edith Wharton
November Seabiscuit Laura Hillenbrand
 

2002

 
January Ahab’s Wife Sina Jeter Naslund
February Comfort me with Apples Ruth Reichel
March Kaaterskill Falls Allegra Goodman
April The Lucky Gourd Shop Joanna C. Scott
May Don’t Let’s go to the Dogs Tonight Alexandra Fuller
June Pope Joan Donna Woolfolk Cross
July Bel Canto Ann Patchet
August American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood Marie Arana
September Dreaming in Cuban Cristina Garcia
October The Map of Love Addaf Soueif
 

2001

 
January Chocolat Joanne Harris
February Strong for Potatoes Cynthia Thayer
March The Red Tent Anita Diamant
April Tipping the Velvet Sarah Waters
May Girl with a Pearl Earring Tracy Chevalier
June The Doctor  
July Icy Sparks Gwyn Hyman Rubio
August Confessions of an Ugly Step Sister Gregory Maguire
September In the Name of Salome Julia Alvarez
October Nickel and Dimed Barbara Ehrenreich
November Stolen Lives: 20 years in a desert jail Malika Oufkir
 

2000

 
January Peyton Place Grace Metalious
February What We Keep  (and) Joy School Elizabeth Berg
March NP  (and) Kitchen Banana Yoshimoto
April All True Adventures of Lidie Newton Jane Smiley
May The Chinchilla Farm Judith Freeman
July Handyman Carolyn See
August Bee Season Myla Goldberg
September While I was Gone Sue Miller
October Keeping Faith Jodi Picault
November Oyster Janette Turner Hospital
 

1999

 
December Alias Grace Margaret Atwood
November Memoirs of a Geisha Arthur Golden
October Written on the Body  Jeanette Winterson
September Sister of My Heart Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
  Magician’s Assistant   Ann Patchett
June Empty Without you Rodger Streitmatter (Editor)
May Autobiography of a Face Lucy Grealy
April Where the Heart is Billy Letts
March Yo Julia Alvarez
February What looks like Crazy on an Ordinary Day Pearl Cleage
January Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver
 

1998

 
November Love Again Doris Lessing
October The God of Small Things Arundhati Roy
September Short History of a Prince Jane Hamilton
August Crooked Little Heart Anne LaMott
July The Golden Rope Susan Fromberg Shaffer
June Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood Rebecca Wells