13 Sep
That Wife Book Club
I’m really excited that so many of you expressed interest in the idea of participating in my online non-fiction book club. My Goodreads profile is overflowing with non-fiction books, and I confess I’ve lately fallen out of love with fiction as of late. Little Bee was my latest attempt and I couldn’t even finish. It just felt kind of contrived and I didn’t appreciate the way I felt like the author was jerking me around in order to build suspense. I was listening to the audio version though, and I’ve heard others say that they struggled with the audiobook so I might need to give it another try at a later date.
For now, though, let’s dive in and read some non-fiction. The book club “rules” will be as follows:
1. Books must be non-fiction
3. Book options will be presented by me, the book we read will be chosen by a vote here on TW.
2. The discussion post for each book will go up between the 15th-20th of each month. Try to have the book finished by then, but you’re free to join in if you haven’t.
Yes, I’m going to take control of the options, so it isn’t exactly democracy. This is my book club, so I want to filter and make sure I’m reading books that interest me, you know? But each time a new book needs to be chosen I’ll present several options and whichever gets the most votes will be the one we read, so I won’t be a dictator. 
With this post we’re going to choose what books we read for October, November, and December. We’ll choose the books in groups of 2 or 3 so that those who are using the library (like me) will have plenty of time to get them. I’ve attempted to represent a variety of topics with these selections, but please feel free to leave suggestions for future book choices in the comments section below.
I’ve read this once, and listened to it something like five times now. I LOVE this book and it’s one of the few non-fiction that I’d be willing to read again for the TW club.
The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History
Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture
Latter Days: An Insider’s Guide to Mormonism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
I was about halfway through this when it had to go back to the library. It’s a bit difficult to get, unless you live in Utah you’ll probably have to get it through inter-library loan, but it’s a really accessible history of the Church and what we believe today with a really fantastic FAQ section in the back.
Go ahead and cast your vote below! The most popular book will be what we talk about in October, the second most popular what we read in November, and the third will be the December book of choice, so you can choose your top three favorites in the poll.
Just for fun, I created some blog badges if you’d like to tell others about the That Wife Book Club. I made two sizes so you can find one that fits in your sidebar.
Time to get my library card activated here in Chicago!
Also:
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
Is it too late to join the book club? Btw - welcome to Chicago!!
Jenna Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 11:39 am
You can join at any time!
Just know what we’re reading and join in the discussion sometime after the 15th of next month!
I tried to add the badge to my blog (in blogger) but it wouldn’t work!
Jenna Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 11:38 am
Oh man! I obviously suck. This was my first time trying to make blog badges and I guess I didn’t do it right. Let me test it out on my own Blogger blogs and see if I can make it work.
Jenna Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 11:45 am
Ok, this is how you can add it.
1. Save the badge that you want to your computer desktop.
2. Go to the Design tab in your blogger dashboard.
3. Click “Add a Gadget”
4. Choose the “Picture” option
5. A box will pop up, press “choose file” and find the badge.
6. Add a link to https://thatwifeblog.com/tag/book-club/
7. Hit save and it should show up in your sidebar!
Andrea Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
Awesome! I feel so tech savvy..
I need to get in on this book club action. I’m all about it, baby!
Jenna Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 11:47 am
How lucky are we have a male in our book club! (who just happens to be my awesome friend TP).
I’m expecting big things from you in the comments section on the discussion posts.
Andrea Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
I’m trying to get my fiance to do it too so maybe we’ll get another man!
If you have the time, I recommend a visit to the Harold Washington Library downtown. It is absolutely beautiful. Check out the winter garden on the 9th floor, it’s my favorite.
4Oooo great choices! I’ve been wanting to read The Devil in the White City for a long time! (Huge history buff)
I’ve fallen out of love with fiction too-too much interesting non-fiction to read! I’m becoming my mother-lol!
Any chance you might add Babycatcher to your next list-I just finished it and it is awesome. If you haven’t read it, I’m sure you’d love it, but my guess is you already have!
5So can you just join in when you’re interested in a book and skip the next month book if you’re not interested?
Because 1) I may be interested in some of them and 2)Well it depends of how much time I can allow for this every month as well.
But I know you mentionned Nutureshock and I’ve been wanting to read it, so I feel it would be even more fun if it brought a discussion afterward.
Jenna Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
Yep! Just read when you find a book you’re interested in and join in the comments section of the discussion post I put up.
People! Please stop voting for “Devil in the White City”! I know it’s about Chicago, Jenna, but I actually read it for another book club and it was dreadfully boring. It introduces this murder-mystery (the “Devil”) of the title, but then kind of trails off about it. Maybe that’s giving it away, but if so, then good, people will stop voting for it!
Jenna Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
Did you really dislike it so much? I actually added it because it was mentioned a lot in a post several months ago where I asked for people to point me toward non-fiction books they thought I should read.
Anyone else agree with Emily?
Sarah for Real Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Disagree with her, though I haven’t read it. It was highly recommended to me because I’m in the architecture field. I hope we read it!
Penny Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
I HATED that book - it was really horribly written and boring.
Jenn Reply:
September 14th, 2010 at 8:19 am
Totally disagree! It’s a fascinating book and very well written. I actually loved all of the details about the world’s fair - you find out about all of the people and contraptions that got their start there.
TJ Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
I also read “Devil in the White City” and wasn’t wild about it, and came to comment to recommend NOT choosing that one. It’s sort of written like a pseudo-nonfiction book that wants to be historical fiction, and succeeds at neither. (I’ve also read “Thunderstruck” by the same author, and of the two Thunderstruck is better. But I wouldn’t recommend that one, either.)
TJ Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 3:23 pm
(fwiw, I’ve also read “The Hundred Year Diet,” and it’s great.)
Jesica Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 3:41 pm
I completely disagree, Devil in the White City was AMAZING! I would recommend it to anyone and everyone, it was a wonderful book. I’m completely intrigued by serial killers and love learning random tidbits of information though and this book is chock full of both.
Emily Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
But, see, I felt like it wasn’t even really about the serial killer - like it billed itself as this historical true crime book, but mid-way through they forgot about the crime and focused on every detail of the World’s Fair that year.
So see, Jenna, now we can’t read this book because we already had a book club-like discussion on it.
This isn’t a vote, but completely agree about Little Bee. I couldn’t stand it! Tried, gave up. Recently included it in a box of books to donate, just to get it out of my house. I hate buying books that I don’t read, especially when a book gets so many rave reviews. But that one wasn’t for me.
8One of my goals for 2010 is to join a club of some sort! I had intended for it to be an “in-person” type of club, but here it is September & I haven’t even gotten a start on finding groups/clubs in my area…. so this might be a great opportunity for me to fulfill one of my goals for the year:) Can’t wait to see what is picked!
9So excited!!!
10I love Half the Sky! I wish I could make that required reading for everyone!
Love this idea!
11“Half the Sky” is FANTASTIC. So excited to see a book like that listed as one of your choices. I’m the opposite of you—I read way too much fiction—, and I hope this will help me back into reading non-fiction books. So glad you’re doing this, Jenna! By the way, I was really looking forward to “Little Bee” also, since I’d heard such great things about it, but I didn’t like it either.
Sophia Reply:
September 13th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
Yes, it is! I loved that book and I used it as a source for my thesis. Very moving.
I would love to join the book club. Is it kind of like Oprah’s book club where anyone can read along? We don’t actually have to be “members”? I’m glad to see that it looks like the majority want to read the same things I want to read. These are some great options, Jenna!
13I’m really excited about this book club. I’ve always wanted to join one, but I am much more interested in non-fiction and it seems those types of clubs are hard to find. I can’t wait to see what makes the top 3!
14Voted and can’t wait. Hope these books are in my library.
15Half the Sky and Nurtureshock are such amazing books. I’d read both again!
Also, whenever anyone asks why we still need feminism activists since “women have equal rights and there is nothing left to fight for” I just say “read Half the Sky and tell me if you still believe that at the end!”
16I am super excited about this! Hooray!!
17This sounds like my kind of book club! Can’t wait to see what the final results are. And a couple suggestions for next time, Culture of Fear (Revisited) or Paranoid Parenting, both by Frank Furedi. I found Culture of Fear while researching for my thesis and it was a breath of fresh air for me, I think you’d like it too.
18Super excited about your selections, Jenna! I can’t wait to see what’s picked!
19The only one in the list that I’ve heard anything about is The Devil in the White City, but they all seem interesting. Can’t wait to see what book #1 will be!
20I’m probably going to read the three I chose either way, but it would be quite fun to do it a book-club setting.
I just bought Nurture Shock yesterday night and I CAN’T wait to start. My husband must think I’m crazy considering I have 4 books started right now. Love reading!
21I loved Devil in the White City for the history of Chicago aspect of it…I thought it was a great read
Even if you don’t pick it for book club, I would recommend reading it (since you’re a Chicagoan now!).
22Love this idea Jenna! So excited.
23I’m excited for the club!
24Haven’t voted yet… Is Latter going to be accessible for us non-LDS readers? I’m curious about it, and I know that I wouldn’t read it without an LDS “guide” (ie - you). To me, its like going to an art museum alone vs going to an art museum with friends who majored in art history. I know I’ll enjoy it much more with an “expert.” (putting it in quotes, because I feel you may be too modest to accept being called an expert, although you’re the closest to expert that i know!).
Jenna Reply:
September 14th, 2010 at 9:59 am
It is actually written by someone who works (worked?) in the Church PR department and it’s specifically written for non-members, although I found it fascinating because there were several things that I either forgot or had never heard about.
I hope that it will be voted number 1 eventually!
I wanted to vote for four, not three!! I’ve already checked my library and two of the options aren’t available through my library so I may have to skip those months if they are selected. If that happens, maybe I’ll pick one of your other selections the library does have! Super excited though! When does voting end so I can get my request in to the library? I’ve had to wait months in the past, depending on a book’s popularity…
Jenna Reply:
September 14th, 2010 at 10:00 am
I forgot to announce an end date, sorry! I think I’m going to close voting tomorrow. At this point it looks like the top three are chosen. I’ll announce the first book that we’ll read on Thursday. I hope I find some mail with my name on it at this address soon, otherwise I can’t get a library card.
I voted. This sounds like fun! I enjoy the group reads on GoodReads, too (I’m here: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3349119). A couple of future suggestions are two of my favorites: Lone Star Swing by Duncan MacLean and Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. I really want to finish The China Study soon. I also love British history and am on a Tudor kick these days. I’ve been dying to read about the Magdalene laundires. And anything about health and women’s issues are always up my alley.
27I voted! Love the blog badge — it matches my color scheme
28I voted and I love this idea! I love love love reading, and have just really gotten into non-fiction books.
29Devil in the White City is GREAT! It’s written by a journalist so every thing is very accurate — I love that all the quotes are REAL quotes. But because it’s real there are parts that verge on creepy. As a journalist student…I loved it!
30I’m very excited about this…what a wonderful idea!
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