Hello!
We had a lovely discussion of The God of the Woods and also got off on some interesting tangents.
It’s time once again to choose our next one. I’ll post some more suggestions tomorrow or over the weekend. In the meantime, please post yours!
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Hi @Maeve
I was thinking perhaps a book by Freida McFadden. I am currently reading The Housemaid and I’m hooked!
I’m thoroughly enjoying her style of writing and I have since ordered The Boyfriend to read when I have finished this one.
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The housemaid sounds interesting. Let’s see what others have to say.
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Thanks for letting me join the other day, despite not having finished the book…lots of fun meeting everyone!
A link to Winter’s Bone, the book I mentioned on the call, for consideration:
Cheers, look forward to all the suggestions!
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Hi,
Thank you for organising and I enjoyed meeting people and the discussions.
I’d love to have a live chat with people on sits, it’s so nice to share experiences. I don’t know if this already happens? I do find the forum site difficult to navigate so perhaps I’ve missed something 
Aside from that….
I’d like to suggest a couple of books please.
One is “old” but for some reason is being talked about on a lot of local book clubs.
It is “ flowers for algernon” Daniel Keyes.
The other is “The Talented Mr Ripley”, Patricia Highsmith. I am going to be reading this for another book club so it would be interesting to hear a second discussion.
Love that there is a book club
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Oh…this is one of my lifetime favorite books, but it’s been a good decade since I last read it. What a neat suggestion. 
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@susiesav and @MerryPuppins , I remember seeing the movie, Charley, with Cliff Robertson years and years ago that was based on Flowers for Algernon. Did you see it?
And the 1999 film, The Talented Mr. Ripley, with Matt Damon and the original, Purple Noon, from 1960 were both great. I’ve heard Patricia Highsmith is superb writer.
Here are a few more ideas. All of them come highly recommended by recognized critics, and many are award winners or finalists.
After everyone who wants to has made suggestions, I’ll send the whole list and ask people to choose three.
The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne by Ron Currie
A WSJ Best Mystery Book of 2025 • A 2025 NPR Book We Love
A crime saga like no other “with a ferocious matriarch at its bruised, beating heart.” The novel explores love, retribution, and the ancestral roots that both nurture and trap us.
“Your ancestors breathe through you. Sometimes, they call for vengeance.”
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, NPR, People, Minnesota Star Tribune, New York Post, Chicago Public Library. LONG LISTED FOR THE JOYCE CAROL OATES PRIZE
Set in Ohio, post WWII through the Vietnam war. One town, two families, and a secret that changes everything.
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
A Godfather-inspired Southern crime epic and dazzling family drama
My Friends by Fredrik Backman
I happened upon this title and knew nothing about the author or the book but took a look when I saw that it was rated 4.6 by 48,800 people! It’s a story about the friendship of 14 year olds and the transformative power of art. Readers found the story very moving.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Winner of the 1997 Booker Prize
Compared favorably to the works of Faulkner and Dickens, Arundhati Roy’s modern classic is equal parts powerful family saga, forbidden love story, and piercing political drama. The seven-year-old twins Estha and Rahel see their world shaken irrevocably by the arrival of their beautiful young cousin, Sophie. — Amazon Editors
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Winner of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize
Welcome to Empire Falls, a blue-collar town full of abandoned mills whose citizens surround themselves with the comforts and feuds provided by lifelong friends and neighbors and who find humor and hope in the most unlikely places. — Amazon Editors
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai
BOOKER PRIZE SHORTLIST
KIRKUS PRIZE FINALIST
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New Yorker, The Washington Post, NPR, Time, Oprah Daily, The Guardian, The Financial Times, The Economist, Harper’s Bazaar, The Globe and Mail, BBC, New York Post, Kirkus Reviews, Elle, Library Journal, Libby*,* Chicago Public Library, Lit Hub
I wasn’t sure if I should include this as it’s long — 688 pages, but it’s supposed to be great!
It’s the story of two young Indian-Americans who were formerly match-made by their families, and their lives across continents over many years.
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I did see it, the first time I was quite young — like 7 — but it left such an impression on me…that’s why I read the book when I found it a few years later.
I saw the Matt Damon version of The Talented Mr. Ripley as well…have you seen the new series with Andrew Scott?
Thanks for doing this work!
@MerryPuppins , and thank you for taking part in the Book Club! It was great to meet you and I look forward to more great conversation around books, the Forum and THS, in general.
I haven’t seen Ripley with Andrew Scott but it’s getting raves, so it’s going on My List, but I’ll wait to see it until after we’ve read the book, if it’s one we end up reading. I’d seen the series, Olive Kitteridge, before reading the book and although she was extraordinary in the role, I couldn’t stop from seeing Frances McDormand as Olive and the supporting actors as their characters. Not the ideal for me.
@susiesav , there are no regular online meetups that discuss house and pet sitting. Our member, @VanessaW , ran one for a while but it no longer meets. Our Book Club meetings can always branch out, as we did at the last one, and continue these discussions, after we’ve covered the book. That was fun!
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Loved the Matt Damon film. I haven’t seen the other one. I did watch the Andrew Scott series mainly because I really like Andrew Scott. 
I thought it well done; very atmospheric with the black-and-white, film noir feel. The Italian locations were gorgeous.
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Thank you so much Maeve for the work you have put in here. Some great suggestions, I’m sure. I’ve only read the “God of small things” - superb book. Lots to go at there. One of my book clubs has been sent the booker shortlist, so I am about to receive the “loneliness of Sonia and Sonny”. That’s a mammoth read isn’t it?.
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Good idea 
yes it was fun. 
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