Book Club

Last night was my book club and we discussed last month's book 'The Wine Maker's Daughter" by Timothy Eagan. The book was an easy read, but certainly not one of my favorites. It was set in the Pacific Northwest and was intersting to read about local places and events that I hear about daily; and the beatuful descriptions he uses for wine and Italy and Seattle were fantastic... but there were some major character flaws and some disconnection among story lines. For a quick, easy read I recommend read it... but for depth - find something else.

Next month's selection is Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach. She is the author of the acclaimed book Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. In Spook Roach now turns her sharp eye and droll observations to what happens to a person's essence after death. Roach travels the world in search of answers: she heads to India to conduct research with a doctor who investigates cases of children whose families claim they are reincarnations of people from nearby villages and have the memories to prove it; she goes to the University of Arizona and meets with mediums currently working today; she tries her hand at telecommunication with the dead in the forests of California; and she even tries her hand at getting in touch with her own inner medium at a school in England. Roach is dogged in her approach as she examines each phenomenon through the lens of scientific fact. In the end, she usually walks away skeptical. The journey itself, however, is gripping, and Roach's witty asides liven up an already interesting and unusual read.

Sounds like an intersting read... and maybe just perfect for Halloween month.