What we are reading / Book clubs in Georgia

North Fulton Book Club

Julie Curnick/Roswell

How often they meet: Monthly

About this club: Twelve years ago, mothers who had started a book club for their daughters decided it would be fun to have one for the moms. "Their daughters are all at college, and the moms' book club continues," says Curnick, who joined three years ago. About a dozen women attend each meeting. Members love to have authors join them by phone. Call-ins have included Steve Lopez, author of "The Soloist" and Kate Jacobs, author of "The Friday Night Knitting Club." A favorite book was "The Street of a Thousand Blossoms" by Gail Tsukiyama. "One of our members, Peggy Hamel, lived in Japan for a while, and she always selects an Asian-inspired book," Curnick says. "She serves sushi, and other Asian-inspired dishes." Members hope Hamel, now headed to Spain, will select a Spanish book and join them via Skype for the discussion.

Other favorite books have included: "One Thousand White Women." by Jim Fergus, "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides  and "The Zookeeper's Wife" by Diane Ackerman. They also loved "South of Broad," though they did not think it was Pat Conroy's best. Readers struggled through "The Death of Vishnu," but they appreciated author Manil Suri's willingness to participate in the discussion. The club reads a variety of books, but they declared titles with drowning themes off-limits after reading "A Map of the World" by Jane Hamilton, followed by "The Weight of Water" by Anita Shreve.

Recently read: "The Weight of Silence" by Heather Gudenkauf

What it's about: In Iowa, two girls go missing, including the 7-year-old, mute daughter of an abusive alcoholic.

What members thought: "The book was suspenseful but an easy read," Curnick says. "Most felt the mother was a good mother who did her best to protect her children from her husband's alcoholism and abuse. Some felt the big secret wasn't that difficult to figure out."

Next assignment: "The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton

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Contact Patti Ghezzi at ajcbookclubs@yahoo.com