Jim Cragan Memorial Book Club: A Gentleman In Moscow

History of Our Book Club

Jim Cragan and I were sitting around at lunch one day at Deaconess Medical Center where we worked discussing the fact that a lot of the women we knew (including Jim's wife Peg) were in book clubs. We were both interested in being in a book club but we realized that they were ALL women only clubs. Our only chance was to form our own. He was the driving impetus and we quickly got Lori and Julie to sign on as well as several past members who worked with us at Deac. This was in the fall of 1989. Sadly, a few years later Jim passed away suddenly. After the shock wore off we decided to keep it going in his honor. We are moving "fo-would" as Jim would say in his heavy Rhode Island accent.

Read Book Club List

1. 'Where I'm Calling From' by Raymond Carver (Jim) Fall of 1989

2. 'The Big Sky' by A. B. Guthrie (Jeff)

3. 'Don't Worry He Wont Get Far on Foot' by John Callahan (Jim)

4. 'Siddharthra' by Herman Hesse (Jeff)

5. 'Five Smooth Stones' by Anne Fairbaine

6. 'Yellow Raft in Blue Water' by Michael Dorris

7. 'Clear and Present Danger' by Tom Clancy (Lori)

8. 'House of God' by Shem (Julie)

9. 'Athletic Shorts' by Chris Crutcher (Lori)

10. 'The Dispossed' by Ursula Le Guin (Jan)

11. 'Breakfast of Champions' by Kurt Vonnegut (Larry)

12. 'A Thief of Time' by Tony Hillerman (Jeff)

13. 'Floating in My Mother's Palm' by Ursula Hegi (Linda)

14. 'Everything/Learned in Kindegarten' by Robert Fulghum

15. 'Candide' by Voltaire (Larry)

16. 'The Shell Seekers' by Rosamunde Pilcher (Rhonda?)

17. 'From Beirut to Jerusalem' by Thomas Friedman (Jim)

18. 'The Burden of Proof' by Scott Turow (Lori)

19. 'Straight on Until Morning' by Mary Lovell (Julie)

20. 'Refuge' by Terry Tempest Williams (Jeff)

21. 'A River Runs Through It' by Norman Maclean (Rhonda)

22. 'Walden' by Thoreau (Jeff)

23. 'The Bridges of Madison County' by Robert James Waller ('group')

24. 'When Heaven and Earth Trade Places' by Le Ly Hayslip

25. 'One' by Richard Bach (Rhonda)

26. 'To Dance With the White Dog' by Terry Kay (Julie)

27. 'A Thousand Acres' by Jane Smiley (Linda)

28. 'The Naked Ape' by Desmond Morris (Jeff)

29. 'Ellis Island' by Mark Helprin (Bob)

30. 'Mary Me' by Rick Baker (Julie)

31. 'Desert Solitaire' by Edward Abbey (Jeff)

32. 'Days of Grace' by Arthur Ashe (Lori?)

33. 'In Our Time' by Ernest Hemmingway (Rhonda)

34. 'O Pioneers' by Willa Cather (Bob)

35. 'Having Our Say' by the Delany Sisters (Julie)

36. 'The Business of Fancydancing' by Sherman Alexie (Jeff)

37. 'The Starship and the Canoe' by Kenneth Brower (Jeff)

38. 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott (Linda)

39. 'Smilla's Sense of Snow' by Peter Hoeg (Julie)

40. 'Death Comes for the Archbishop' by Willa Cather (Jeff) 1995

41. 'The Hot Zone' by Richard Preston (Lori) 1995

42. 'Winter (Notes from Montana) by Rick Bass 1995

43. 'The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole' by Sue Townsend (Julie)

44. 'Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha' by Roddy Doyle (Julie)

45. 'Stones from the River' by Ursula Hegi (Lori) March, 1996

46. 'Snow Falling on Cedars' by David Gutderson (Rhonda)

47. 'Reviving Ophelia' by Mary Pipher Phd (Jeff?)

48. 'A Spell for Chameleon' by Piers Anthony (Jeff)

49. 'The Roaches Have No King' by Daniel E. Weiss (Julie) June, 1997

50. 'The Celestine Prophecy' by James Redfield (Julie)

51. 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde (Julie)

52. 'Homeland and Other Stories' by Barbara Kingsolver (Linda)

53. 'Myst, the Book of Atrus' by Rand Miller (Candace)

54. 'She's Come Undone' by Wally Lamb (Julie)

55. 'The Horse Wisperer' by Nicholas Evans (Candace)

56. 'The Shoot Canoes Don't They?' by Patrick McManus (Clark)

57. 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' by Mark Twain (Larry)

58. 'Ishmeal' by Daniel Quinn (Julie)

59. 'Where River Turns to Sky' by Gregg Kleiner (Julie)

60. 'Undaunted Courage' by Stephen Ambrose (Jeff)

61. ' The Shipping News' by Annie Proulx (Rhonda) February 1999

62. 'The Boys of My Youth' by Jo Ann Beard (Candace)

63. 'The Postman' by David Brin (Jeff)

64. 'Cold Sassy Tree' by Olive Ann Burns

65. 'Dandelion Wine' by Ray Bradbury (Jeff)

66. 'A Walk in the Woods' by Bill Bryson (Lori)

67. 'Wait Till Next Year' by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Candace)

68. 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' by JK Rowling (Anita)

69. 'Tales from Marguiritaville' by Jimmy Buffet (Lori)

70. 'Issac's Storm' by Erik Larson (Julie)

71. 'Third Twin' by Ken Follett (Eileen)

72. 'This Side of Brightness' by Colum McCann (Julie)

73. 'Farewell to Arms' by Ernest Hemmingway (Jeff)

74. 'A Child's Christmas in Wales' by Dylan Thomas (Deanna)

75. 'Ahab's Wife' by Sena Jeter Naslund (Julie)

76. 'Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood' by Rebecca Wells (Lee)

77. 'Downsize This' by Michael Moore (Jeff)

78. 'Shaman' by Noah Gorden (Lee)

79. 'Me Talk Pretty One Day' by David Sedaris (Julie)

80. 'Angel of Darkness' by Caleb Carr (Lori)

81. 'A Reporter's Life' by Walter Conkite (Lori?)

82. 'Deep Water Passages' by Ann Linnea (Lee) Septermber, 2001

83. 'Prodigal Summer' by Barbara Kingsolver (Julie) November, 2001

84. 'Dry Rain' by Peter Fromm (Rhonda)

**. 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens (Jeff)

85. 'Fried Green Tomatoes' by Fannie Flagg (Lori)

86. 'Driving Mr. Albert' by Michael Pateriti (Julie)

87. 'I, Robot' by Isaac Asimov (Jeff)

88. 'Wildlife Wars' by Terry Groze (Rhonda)

89. 'It's Always Something' by Gilda Radner (Lori) 2003

90. 'White Teeth' by Zadie Smith (Julie)

91. 'Tuesdays the Morrie' by Mitch Album (Lee)

92. 'The Professor and the Madman' by Simon Winchester (Rhonda) October, 2002

93. 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' by Ray Bradbury (Candace) November, 2002

94. 'The Red Tent' by Anita Diament (Julie)

95. 'One for the Money' by Janet Evanovich (Lee) March, 2003

96. 'Staggering Work of Heartbreaking Genius'

97. 'Cold Mountain' by Charles Frazier (Joe) April, 2003

98. 'Bel Canto' by Ann Patchett (Julie)

99. 'Seabisquit' by Laura Hillenbrandt (Lee)

100. 'Last Days of Summer' by Steve Kluger (Lori)

101. 'Poisonwood Bible' by Barbara Kingsolver (Lee)

102. 'The DaVinci Code' by Dan Brown (Julie) 2004

103. 'The Immense Journey' by Loren Eiseley (Jeff) 2004

104. 'Under the Banner of Heaven' by Jon Krakauer (Lee)

105. 'When Elephants Weep' by J.M. Masson (Lee) November, 2004

106. 'Plain Song' by Kent Hauf

107. 'Hornet's Nest' by Jimmy Carter (Jeff)

108. 'Time Traveler's Wife' by Audrey Niffenger (Lee)

109. 'Counting Coup' by Larry Colton (Lori?)

110. 'Humbug' (Julie) December, 2005

111. 'Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' by C.S. Lewis (Candace) January, 2006

112. 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' by Harriet Beecher Stowe (Jeff) February 2006

113. 'Glass Castle' by Jeanette Walls (Julie) April 19, 2006

114. 'Mountains Beyond Moutains' by Tracy Kidder (Jeff)

115. 'Bee Keeper's Daughter' by Laurie King

116. 'Confederacy of Dunces' by (Julie)

117. 'Citizen Vince' by Jess Walter

118. 'Winter Dance' by Gary Paulson (Jeff) May, 2007

119. 'Dreams From My Father' by Barak Obama (Julie)

120. 'My War' by Andy Roony (Candace)

121. 'Lovely Bones' by Alice Sebold (Lee)

122. 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy (Joe) August, 2007

123. 'Girl with Pearl Earring' by Tracy Chevalier September, 2007 (group)

124. 'Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini November, 2007 (Lee)

125. 'Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates' by Mary Mapes Dodge (Jeff) January, 2008

126 'My Sister's Keeper' by Jodi Picoult March, 2008

127. 'Water for Elephants' by Sarah Gruen April, 2008 (Lee)

128. 'Three Cups of Tea" by G. Mortenson & D. O. Relin June, 2008(Lee)

129. 'Lamb; The Gospel According to Biff' by Christopher Moore, July 2008 (Julie)

130. 'Walking the Big Wild' (Y2Y) by Karsten Heurer Sept, 2008 (Lee)

131. 'My Stroke of Insight' by Jill Bolte Taylor Jan. 21, 2009 (Julie)

132. 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court' by Mark Twain March 12, '09(Jeff)

133. 'The Reader' by Bernhard Schlink May 6, '09(Jeff)

134. 'Ten Little Indians' by Sherman Alexie June 4,'09(Julie)

135. 'Dancing at Rascal Fair' by Ivan Doig July 23,'09 (Jeff)

136. 'Skeletons at the Feast' by Chris Bohjalian Sept. 16,'09 (Joe)

137. 'Seventh Son' by Orson Scott Card (Jeff)Oct 18,'09

138. 'Devil in the White City' by Eric Larson (Lee)Dec. 3,'09

139. 'The House on Mango Street' by Sandra Cisneros (Julie)Jan 6,'10

141. 'The Angel's Game' by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Jeff)Feb 23,'10

142. 'Plum Wine' by Angela Davis-Gardner (Lee) March 30,'10

143. 'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett (Joe) June 3,'10

144. 'Big Burn' by Timothy Egan July 15,'10

145. 'The Sparrow' by Mary Doria Russell (Julie)August, 2010

146. 'Bad Things Happen' by Harry Dolan (Julie)October 14, 2010

147. 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley (Jeff)

148. 'Patron Saint of Liars' by Ann Panchet ( ) January 11, 2011

149. 'Lacuna' by Barbara Kingsolver (Jeff)February 22,2011

150. 'Merle's Door by Ted Kerasote (Lee) March 28, 2011

151. 'Thirteen Moons' by Charles Frazier (Joe)

152. 'The Things They Carried' by Tim O'Brian (Jeff)June 13, 2011

153. 'Unaccustomed Earth' by Jhumpa Lahiri (Rhonda)

154. 'The Financial Lives of the Poets' by Jess Walter (Jeff)

155. 'Willie Mays; The Life, The Legend' by James Hirsch (Jim & Julie)

156. 'My Name is Mary Sutter' by Robin Olivier (Jim) Nov. 8, 2011

157. 'The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society' by Mary Ann Shaffer (Lee)

158. 'State of Wonder' by Ann Patchett (Jeff))

159. 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins (Julie)

160 & 161. 'On Fire' & 'Mocking Jay' by Suzanne Collins

162. 'Unbroken' by Laura Hillenbrand (Lee)

163. 'American Dervish' by Ayad Akhtar (Joe)

164. 'The Coroner's Lunch' by Colin Cotterill (Julie)

165. 'The Murder of King Tut' by James Patterson (Jim)

166. ' Animal Attraction' by Jill Shalvis (LORI)

167 "Sacred Clowns" by Tony Hillerman (Jeff)

168 "Blind Your Ponies" by Stanley G. West (Jim)

169 Empire o. t. Summer Moon by Gwynne (Candace)

170. 'Canada' by Richard Ford (Julie)

171. One Second After by William Forstchen (Rhonda)

172. Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling (Jeff)

173. Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver (Lee and Julie)

174. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (Jeff?)

175. The Book Thief by Markuz Zusak (Lee)

176. The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin (Lee)

177. Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Lee)

178. Ine's of My Soul by Isabel Allende (Julie)

179. The Bartender's Tale by Ivan Doig (Jeff)

180. In Company of Cheerful Ladies by A. McCall Smith (Lee)

181. A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron(Candace)

182. The Boys In The Boat by Daniel James Brown

183. Foul Play by Janet Evanovich (Jeff)

184. The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny (Julie)

185. A Separate Peace by John Knowles (?)

186. Wine Maker's Daughter by Timothy Egan (Jeff)

187. All the Light You Cannot See by Anthony Doerr(?)

188. A Good American by Alex George (Jim)

189. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Stuart

190. We Are Water by Wally Lamb

191. Room by Emma Donoghue

192. Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

193. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Joe) 4/21/16

194. Station 11 by Emily St. John Mandel

195. Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher by Timothy Egan

196. The Nightengale by Kristin Hannah (Julie)

197. Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig (10/16)

198. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

199. Make Me by Lee Child (Jeff) 1/24/17

200. Robinson Crursoe by Daniel Defoe

201. Bettyville by George Hodgman

202. Astoria by Peter Stark 6/15/17

203. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (Jeff) 7/24/17

204. Masie Dobbs by Jacaqueline Winspear

205. The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabriella Zevin (Jeff)

206. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

207. Martin Marten by Brian Doyle (Julie)

208. American Gods by Neil Gaiman (Jeff)

209. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (Lee) 4-26-18

210. Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove (Candace)

211. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (Jeff)

212. The River of Doubt by Candice Millard (Joe)

213. I Am The Messenger by Marcus Zusak (Maura)

214. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

215. Bold Spirit by Linda Lawrence Hunt (one I missed)

216. Dear Life by Alice Munro (Julie)

217. The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak (Maura)

218. 1984 by George Orwell (Tammi)

219. Little Bee by Chris Cleave

220. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

221. Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon

COVID

222. Aviator's Wife by Melanie Bengamin

223. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison (Jeff)

224. Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

225. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (Julie

and then Maura)

TEST

Friday, December 11, 2020

A Gentleman In Moscow

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