May is supposed to bring flowers – instead it is bringing several best sellers and a great love story.  I am particularly excited to read Little Bee by Chris Cleave for the Little Shop of Stories Catch-All Book Group.  Cleave, the best selling author of Incendiary and The Other Hand, doesn’t want to give away much about this book.  I can’t wait to crack the cover, for now here is what the back of the book has to say:

“We don’t want to tell you what happens in this book. It is a truly special story and we don’t want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know enough to buy it, so we will just say this: This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meet again–the story starts there…Once you have read it, you’ll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don’t tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds.”

Later in the month the A-List Literates will be reading The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. We hear the movie isn’t so great, but this personal favorite was voted unanimously onto the spring book club list and endorsed by several contributors.  (Have you checked out the contributors page?)  I have been discussing this book with anyone who will have me since I read it, so indulge me at Eddie’s Attic, May 24th at 7:30.

Here are some of our usual favorites hitting it out of the park again in May:

Little Bee, by Chris Cleave, Catch-All Book Group, hosted by Little Shop of Stories on May – at 7PM.

Then We Came To The End, by Joshua Ferris, Pub Fiction, hosted by DeKalb County Public Library meeting at Karavana on May 20 at 7PM.

The Black Dahlia, by James Ellroy, Monthly Book Club, hosted by Bound to Be Read Books on May 20 at 7PM.

Sinfest v.1, Pinnochio the Vampire Slayer, Graphic Novel Club, meeting in Decatur at Raging Burrito on May 31 at 7PM.

A Mercy, by Tony Morrison, Decatur Library Book Club, meeting at Decatur Public Library on May 26 at 7PM.

Rainwater, by Sarah Brown, Lithonia-Davidson Library Book Club, meeting at Lithonia-Davidson Public Library on May 28 at 6:30PM.

By Yankee Rose

December is an exciting month for bookclubs here in the ATL, with the quarterly appearance of the Scandalous Book Club, holiday themed classics, and the addition of a new (to us) book club.

So some of us here at the A-List have a thing for graphic novels (but he prefers to remain anonymous). We were thrilled when Bound to Be Read chose The Watchmen for its June book club, and we may make occasional trips to Criminal Records to stock up on those plastic sleeves that store our old comic books, but we never imagined that we would find a grown up comic book club right in our backyard. Alas, we have discovered such a book club! Meeting the last Monday of each month at the Brick Store Thinking Man Tavern Raging Burrito, check in here for selections and dates.  (Note they will be meeting the first Monday in December to accommodate the holiday.)

In addition to the normal book club list, we have to highlight some special book club activities. Little Shop of Stories Catch All Book Group will be having a little holiday cheer with their book club this month. Anyone who wants to participate can bring a wrapped new or gently used book for the book group swap on December 15th (and come prepared to discuss the hilarious Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris).  Pub Fiction, hosted by Dekalb County Library, will be selecting their books for the new year in the December meeting.  So bring your favorite book and come prepared to make everyone else want to read it too.

Here are a few of our December favorites; we hope to see you there!

Peyton Place, by Grace Metalious, hosted by Bound to Be Read Books on December 6th, at 3PM.

The Last Christmas, by Brian Posehn and Rick Remender, meeting at Raging Burrito on December 7th, at 7 PM.

Holidays on Ice, by David Sedaris, hosted by Little Shop of Stories on December 15th, at 7PM.

The John Varley Reader, by John Varley, hosted by Charis Books on December 9th, at 7:30PM.

Bring your own book!, hosted by Pub Fiction meeting at Karavana on December 17th at 7PM.

Slamming Open the Door, by Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno,  hosted by Bound to Be Read Books on December 17th at 7PM.

Your Inner Fish, by Neil Shubin, hosted by Little Shop of Stories meeting at The Brick Store on December 19th at 7PM.

As always, if you want to grab any one of these titles, please consider your local independent bookstore first.