a brief history

It is unknown exactly when the first gathering of the Cleveland Bookwomen tribe took place ~ most believe it occurred in early 1989. Regardless of exactly when the Bookwomen gathered for the first time, several wisebookwomen have stated that the first book discussed was Beloved written by Toni Morrison.

Compared to other book groups the Cleveland Bookwomen is a very stable book group. The bonds of friendship are strong as are our 'guidelines.' Although no guidelines are written down, over the years, experience has created a set of de facto 'advice' on issues such as bringing in new members, the size of the group, and the time and day of the book discussion meetings.

A tradition of choosing books for the upcoming reading year was established. The selection gathering takes place in September with a potluck dinner. Some years the group decides on a theme before this meeting takes place - a theme may help narrow the possible books down, however, we have learned some themes can be tricky.

Books read over the years

1989-1990 Theme: Women writing in various genres
Chamber Music Doris Grumbach
Lives and Loves of a She-Devil Fay Weldon
Slouching Toward Bethlehem Joan Didion
What Fresh Hell is This Dorothy Parker
Illness as Metaphor Susan Sontag
Persuasion Jane Austin
Earth Sea Trilogy Ursula LeGuin
Children’s Hour Lillian Hellman
Slaves of New York Tama Janowitz
Song of the Lark Willa Cather
No Word from Winifred Amanda Cross

1990 - 1991 Theme: Third World Literature
Things Fall Apart C. Achebe
Waiting for the Barbarians J. Coetzee
Nervous Conditions T. Dangarembga
The Beginning and the End N. Mafouz
Storyteller M. Vargas-Lloa
House of the Spirits Isabell Allende
Death of Artenio Cruz Carlos Fuentes
Kiss of the Spider Woman Mario Puig
Lucy Jamaica Kincaid
Floating World Cynthia Kadahata
Bone People Keri Hulme

1991-1992
Half of Man is Woman Chang H-I
El Salvador, The Promised Land Steve & Beth Cagan
Disturbances in the Field Lynn Schwartz
The Snow Leopard Peter Matheson
Mists of Avalon Marion Zimmer Bradley
To the Lighthouse Virginia Woolf
Parting is All We Know of Heaven Molly Mohnahan
Leaven of Malic Robertson Davies
Age of Iron John Coetzee
Heart of a Woman & I Know Why a Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou
Wuthering Heights Chalotte Bronte

1992-1993
Waterland Graham Swift
The Witching Hour Anne Rice
Howards End or Maurice EM Forester
Tell Me a Riddle Tillie Olsen
The Bean Trees Barbara Kingsolver
Composing a Life Mary Catherine Bateson
Backlash Susan Faludi
Cabin Fever Elizabeth Jolley
Possession AS Byatt
Woman Warrior Maxine Hong Kingston

1993-1994
Crossing to Safety Wallace Stegner
Killer Angels Michael Shaara
Bastard Out of Carolina Dorothy Alison
Your Blues Ain’t Like Mine Bebe Moore Campbell
Eleanor Roosevelt Blanche Weissen Cook
One Thousand Acres Jane Smiley
The English Patient Michael Ondaatje
The Game/The Waterfall AS Byatt
Like Water for Chocolate Laura Esquival
Age of Innocence Edith Wararton

1994-1995
Dreaming in Cuban Christina Garcia
Lottery and Other Stories Shirley Jackson
Dead Man Walking Sister Helen Prejean
Theory of War Joan Brady
Time and Again Jack Finney
Songlines or Utz Bruce Catwin
Life on the Mississippi Mark Twain
Billiards at Half Past Nine Heinrich Boll
Shipping News Annie Proulx
Wild Swans June Chung

1995-1996
A Personal Matter Kenzabura Oe
Smilla’s Sense of Snow Peter Hoag
Dracula Bram Stoker
Snow Falling on Cedars David Guterson
Train Go Sorry Leah Hager Cohen
Golden Apples Eudora Welty
The Wedding Dorothy West
Still Life AS Byatt
Practical Magic Alice Hoffman
Country of the Pointed Firs Sarah O. Jewett

1996-1997
Dakota Kathleen Norris
Confederacy of Dunces J. Kennedy Toole
Pere Goriot Honore Balzac
A Stone Boat Andrew Solomon
Emma Jane Austin
Summerhouse Alice Thomas Ellis
Tortilla Curtain T. C. Boyle
Moor’s Last Sigh Salaman Rushdie
Book of Ruth Jane Hamilton
Field Without Dreams Wictor D. Hanson
11 Million Mile High Dancer Carol Hill

1997-1998 Theme: more than 1 book by an author
Light in August William Faulkner
The Sound and The Fury William Faulkner
Absalom, Absolom William Faulkner
Hard Times Studs Terkel
Working Studs Terkel
Cheri and Gigi Colette
Vagabond Colette
100 Years of Solitude Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Love in the Time of Cholera Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven Sherman Alexie
Reservation Blues Sherman Alexie

1998-1999
Paradise Toni Morrison
Sparrow Mary Doria Russell
Regeneration Pat Barker
Before Women Had Wings Connie May Fowler
Reader’s choice -pick a book! Sherri Tepper
The Moon is Always Female Marge Pierce
Short Stories Flannery O’Conner
Eleanor of Acquitaine and the Four Kings Amy R. Kelly
Personal History Katharine Graham
Burgher’s Daughter Nadine Gordimer
The Road from Coorain Jill Ker Conway

1999-2000 Theme: Africa
Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad
Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver
Maps Naruddin Farah
Cry the Beloved Country Alan Paton
Nisa Marjorie Shostak
Famished Road Ben Okri
Mister Johnson Joyce Cary
Yoruba Girl Danciing Simi Bedford
Joys of Motherhood Buchi Emechita
Travels in West Africa Mary Kingsley
King Leopold’s Ghost Adam Hochschild

2000-2001
A Free Man of Color Barbara Hambly
Girl with a Pearl Earring Tracy Chavalier
Tar Baby Toni Morrison
Ladies Auxiliary
Voyage of the Narwhale Andrea Barrett
Dessa Rose Sherley A.Williams
The Plague Tales Ann Benson
Henry and Clara Thomas Mallon
Zorba the Greek Nikos Kazantazakis
In the Name of Salome Julia Alvarez
The Hours Michael Cunningham

2001-2002 Two themes The Immigration Experience & Cutting Edge Writing. Some of the choices embrace both themes
White Teeth Zadie Smith
English Passengers Matthew Kneale
Child’s Play David Malouf
Bronx Primitive Kate Simon
Middle Passage Charles Johnson
Baumgartners Bombay Anita Desi
A Gesture Life Change Rea Lee
Rise the Euphrates Carol Edgarian
Bonesetter’s Daughter Amy Tan
Speaking with The Angel Nick Hornby (ed.)
The Rehearsal Sarah Willis

2002-2003 Theme: Things that move the human spirit
Tender at the Bone Ruth Reichl
Finding Fish Antone Quentin Fisher
Bel Canto Ann Patchett
Double feature:
Botany of Desire &
The Sweet Breathing of Plants Michael Pollen
Linda Hogan & Brenda Peterson
Slaves in the Family Edward Ball
The Trial Franz Kafka
The Same Sea Amos Oz
Parallel Lives: Five Victorian Marriages Phyllis Rose
The Passion of Artemesia Susan Vreeland
Double feature:
Nickled and Dimed & Stupid White Men Barbara Ehrenreich
Michael Moore
Prodigal Summer Barbara Kingsolver

2003-2004 Theme: War & Peace
Maus and Maus II Art Spiegelman
A World of Hurt Mary ReynoldsPowell
The Face of Battle John Keegan
Guns of August Barbara Tuchman
Cold Mountain Charles Frazier
Double Feature Peace Pilgrim Peace Pilgrim
You Can’t be Neutral on a Moving train Howard Zinn
And Quiet Flows the Don Mikhail Sholokhov
A Pale View of Hills K. Ishiguro
Obasan Joy Kogawa
Ceremony Leslie Marko Silko
Last of the Amazons Steve Pressfield

2004-2005 Theme: All things Canadian
The Fall of Rome Martha Southgate
Oryx & Crake Margaret Atwood
Farfarers: Before the Norse Farley Mowat
St Urbain’s Horsemen Mordecai Richler
The Englishman’s Boy Guy Vanderhague
Fishing with John Edith Iglauer
Lives of Girls & Women Alice Munro
Kiss of the Fur Queen Tomson Highway
Away Jane Urquhart
Unless Carol Shields
The Forest Lover Susan Vreeland

2005-2006 Theme: Mysteries
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mark Haddon
Wolves Eat Dogs Martin Cruz Smith
The Maltese Falcon Dashiell Hammett
The Hot Kid Elmore Leonard
Witness for the Prosecution Agatha Christie
I Still Miss My Man but My Aim is Getting Better Sarah Shankman
Gaudy Night Dorothy Sayers
Broken English: An Ohio Amish Mystery P.L. Gaus
The Club Dumas Arturo Perez-Reverte
A Conspiracy of Paper David Liss
A Letter of Mary Laurie R King

2006-2007
Brick Lane Monica Ali
Kitchen Table Wisdom Rachel Naomi Remen
Seven Sisters Margaret Drabble
Germinal Emile Zola
In the Time of Butterflies Julia Alvarez
You Remind Me of Me Dan Chaon
Suite Français Irene Nemirovsky
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Ann Fadiman
The Hummingbird’s Daughter Luis Alberto Urrea
Caramelo Sandra Cisneros
Califia’s Daughter Leigh Richards