Bonza! Bookclub

Literature Arts and Culture Clubs and Associations China Jhumpa Lahiri Philip Roth Michael Chabon

Our book club began in 1988. We meet monthly for dinner and discussion. We alternate meetings between Chicago and Oak Park.

The name of our club has changed a couple of times. Now we've settled on The Bonza! Bookclub (from "A Town Like Alice" by Nevil Shute).

We'd love to meet Jonathan Franzen, but not to talk about his books. He was a member's boyfriend in high school, and we'd love to get the scoop on that.

Sometimes, we can love a book but not have a lot to say about it.

We all disliked the memoir "The Lunatic Express: Discovering the World …Via Its Most Dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains, and Planes" by Carl Hoffman. We felt the author managed to travel all over the world without learning anything or having anything interesting to say.

Favorite books: "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole, "American Pastoral" by Philip Roth, "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" by Michael Chabon and "Crossing to Safety" by Wallace Stenger.

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