APRIL BOOK SELECTION MADE!

OUR APRIL BOOK CLUB SELECTION IS

"A Single Man" by Christopher Isherwood

The author's favorite of his own novels. When A Single Man was originally published, it shocked many by its frank, sympathetic, and moving portrayal of a gay man in midlife. George, the protagonist, is adjusting to life on his own after the sudden death of his partner, and determines to persist in the routines of his daily life; the course of A Single Man spans twenty-four hours in an ordinary day. An Englishman and a professor living in suburban Southern California, he is an outsider in every way, and his internal reflections and interactions with others reveal a man who loves being alive despite everyday injustices and loneliness. Wry, suddenly manic, constantly funny, surprisingly sad, this novel catches the texture of life itself.

"A testimony to Isherwood's undiminished brilliance as a novelist."
—Anthony Burgess

"An absolutely devastating, unnerving, brilliant book."
—Stephen Spender

"Just as his Prater Violet is the best novel I know about the movies, Isherwood's A Single Man, published in 1964, is one of the first and best novels of the modern gay liberation movement."
—Edmund White

MARCH MEETING RECAP

We met on Wednesday, March 17 (Yes, St. Patrick's Day!) and discussed THE BILLIONAIRE'S VINEGAR by BENJAMIN WALLACE. A rousing discussion on the merits of the book took place, and members shared insights on the content and the related it to present day happenings within the wine world. There was agreement that the book is peppered with witty quotations and interesting personalities. Another great read for the Pittsburgh Gay Book Club!

MARCH BOOK SELECTION

THE BILLIONAIRE'S VINEGAR by BENJAMIN WALLACE

REVIEW:
The titular bottle, from a cache of allegedly fine, allegedly French wine, allegedly owned by Thomas Jefferson in the 1780s, set a record price when auctioned in 1985. The subsequent brouhaha over the cache's authenticity takes wine journalist Wallace on a piquant journey into the mirage-like world of rare wines. At its center are Hardy Rodenstock, an enigmatic German collector with a suspicious knack for unearthing implausibly old and drinkable wines, and Michael Broadbent, a Christie's wine expert, who auctioned Rodenstock's lucrative finds. The argument over the Jefferson bottles and other rarities aged for decades, flummoxed a wine establishment desperate to keep the cork in a controversy that might deflate the market for antique vintages. (In the author's telling, a 2006 lawsuit almost settles the issue.) Wallace sips the story slowly, taking leisurely digressions into techniques for faking wine and detecting same with everything from Monticello scholarship to nuclear physics. He paints a colorful backdrop of eccentric oenophiles, decadent tastings and overripe flavor rhetoric (Broadbent describes one wine as redolent of chocolate and schoolgirls' uniforms). Investigating wines so old and rare they could taste like anything, he playfully questions the very foundations of connoisseurship.

FEBRUARY MEETING RECAP

On February 17th, we met and discussed A SEPARATE PEACE by JOHN KNOWLES. A rousing discussion ensued as we covered the merits of, and occasional flaws in the story and the author's writing style. The consensus was that it is a worthwhile read that leaves the reader to fill in blanks, perhaps more so than some of us would have liked. Interested online members can share their opinion of the gay innuendo that seemed to be peppered throughout. Was it obvious to you? or, are we just perhaps 'reading' too much into it? Use the comments button below to voice your opinion!

FEBRUARY BOOK SELECTION

A SEPARATE PEACE by JOHN KNOWLES

Knowles' classic story of two friends at boarding school during World War II--one of the most starkly moving parables ever written about the dark forces that brood over the tortured world of adolescence--has been a consistent seller for more than 20 years.

Gene was a lonely, introverted intellectual. Phineas was a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete. What happened between them at school one summer during the early years of World War II is the subject of A Separate Peace. A great bestseller for over thirty years--one of the most starkly moving parables ever written of the dark forces that brood over the tortured world of adolescence.
"I think it is the best-written, best-designed and most moving novel I have read in many years. Beginning with a tiny incident among ordinary boys, it ends by being as deep and as big as evil itself." -- Aubrey Menen

"A quietly vital and cleanly written novel that moves, page by page, towards a most interesting target." -- Truman Capote

"Is he the successor to Salinger for whom we have been waiting so long? -- Encounter.

"A masterpiece." -- National Review.

JANUARY MEETING RECAP

PGBC Met on Wednesday, January 20th to discuss A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES by JOHN KENNEDY TOOLE. A great time was had by all!

JANUARY BOOK CLUB SELECTION

The January Pittsburgh Gay Book Club selection: A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES by John Kennedy Toole.

DECEMBER MEETING RECAP

The December meeting took place on Wednesday December 16th at the Borders Books in the Pittsburgh Mills Mall. We discussed YOU BETTER NOT CRY: STORIES FOR CHRISTMAS. All in attendance were in agreement that the book made for a great, and timely, selection. High praise and reccomendations all around! We chose the January book selection, which Jason reccomended and Augusten Burroughs seconded with entheusistic praise. (Ok, Ok, Augusten wasn't there, but he commented in a recent interview that he would like to write a biography on the author of the new selection.)

COMMENT ON THE DECEMBER BOOK SELECTION

We made the yule-tide gay! Our December book club selection was YOU BETTER NOT CRY: STORIES FOR CHRISTMAS by Augusten Burroughs. This collection of short stories by gay author Augusten Burroughs was recently released in October of 2009. We knew it was going to be a busy time of year, and we heard that it's a quick read... so congrats to all of you for putting this on your nice, not naughty, list. LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT BY COMMENTING BELOW!

PROMOTIONAL FLIER - Click to Enlarge

NOVEMBER MEETING A SUCCESS!

The group met on Wednesday, November 18th at the Borders Books in the Pittsburgh Mills Mall. Ralph Ashworth, Pittsburgh native and author of November's selection, joined us for the discussion. It was exciting to hear his perspective on the writing of the story and its characters. We also got a preview of whats on the horizon for the Jeff and Xander mysteries to come. THANKS RALPH! We anxiously await new installments, and will undoubtedly add them to our book club choices. There were 6 members in attendance and suggestions were made for next months book selection by members present. We left without a decision, so Tim and Jason chose a holiday themed new release by Augusten Burroughs to discuss at the December meeting.

COMMENT ON THE NOVEMBER BOOK CLUB SELECTION...

The first book club selection for the PITTSBURGH GAY BOOK CLUB was the mystery/thriller KILLER OF ORCHIDS by Ralph Ashworth.

FROM THE BOOK JACKET:
Ralph Ashworth's powerful and brilliantly written debut novel takes you on an intellectual and thrilling ride. It's a heart stopping tale told in a unique and fresh voice.

Jeff and Xander aren't your typical friends...
Xander Pooka is a remarkably brainy 11 year old, and Jeff Redwing is a middle-aged computer genius with Native American roots. But this young neighborhood boy and his aloof bachelor friend are about to embark on a dangerous adventure that could change their lives forever.
When the Butler County headlines splash the news of two murdered men and a mysterious samurai with an ancient sword, Jeff and Xander decide to investigate this hometown killing. Whats starts out as a fun afternoon of playing detective quickly becomes a life and death race for the truth. Using the latest in computer technology and pure detective work, these two amateur sleuths work together to track down a killer, unleashing a series of events that neither could have foreseen. As the pair uncover the dirty secrets of Butler County, and Jeff gets caught in the middle of yet another murder, it will take every bit of skill and daring to keep Xander and Jeff alive and out of jail. Will these two friends survive their brush with evil?

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