This Month's Selection: The Hearts of Horses by Molly Gloss

Afternoon Readers Book Club

The Hearts of Horses
by Molly Gloss

Tuesday, July15
1:00 p.m.

From the publisher:

Set in eastern Oregon in the winter of 1917, The Hearts of Horses tells the story of nineteen-year-old Martha Lessen, a tall, big-boned young woman whose shyness around other people is in sharp contrast to her tender yet confident manner with horses—and her fierce advocacy on their behalf.

There’s not a cliché to be found in Gloss’s lyric, literary prose, which sets Martha’s story in an unvarnished, un-romanticized World War I–era American West. This West isn’t filled with brave, uncomplicated cowboys; rather, it’s peopled with individuals whose everyday lives are fraught with the stark realities of war, cancer, death, alcoholism, and the agony of unrealized dreams. But Gloss’s writing is realistic, not pessimistic, and she weaves the elements of The Hearts of Horses together to form a one-of-a-kind story about the connections between people and animals that is moving and heartfelt, with an abundance of historical detail.

Sound good?

Read along with the Afternoon Readers Book Club and post your comments here any time, or on the discussion post after July 22nd!

What We Thought: Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley

Christopher Buckley has written a political satire about the United States Supreme Court and the influence of reality television on popular culture. The author shows respect for the political process and the judicial system. His knowledge of the subjects is demonstrated in the complex descriptions of the Constitution and election laws. This is not just another goofy story, but a realistic depiction of a "what if" situation.

Book group members agreed that the book provided a fascinating insight into the world of the Supreme Court and the Washington political scene. Although the characters and much of the plot are ridiculous, there was enough factual information to engage the reader’s interest and move the story along. The characters of President Donald Vanderdamp and Judge Pepper Cartwright were likeable and added realistic touches to the story. Other characters were so comical that perhaps they were on the verge of revealing something that could have actually happened in real life.

The discussion continued with comments about the character of those who aspire to political office. What kind of a person would subject themselves to the intense personal scrutiny of a campaign and what would be the effect? Is it the desire for power, public service or something else?

New York Times Book Review contributor Blake Wilson wrote in his review: “At a time of high political absurdity, Buckley remains our sharpest guide to the capital, and a more serious one than we may suppose.”

Have you read Supreme Courtship or any other books by Christopher Buckley? Share your thoughts in the comments. You don't have to be a member of the Afternoon Readers book group to comment!

This Month's Selection: Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley

Afternoon Readers
Tuesday, June 17, 1:00 p.m.

Supreme Courtship
Christopher Buckley
Hachette/Twelve, 2008

President of the United States Donald Vanderdamp is having a hell of a time getting his nominees appointed to the Supreme Court. After one nominee is rejected for insufficiently appreciating To Kill A Mockingbird, the president chooses someone so beloved by voters that the Senate won't have the guts to reject her -- Judge Pepper Cartwright, the star of the nation's most popular reality show, Courtroom Six.

Will Pepper, a straight-talking Texan, survive a confirmation battle in the Senate? Will becoming one of the most powerful women in the world ruin her love life? And even if she can make it to the Supreme Court, how will she get along with her eight highly skeptical colleagues, including a floundering Chief Justice who, after legalizing gay marriage, learns that his wife has left him for another woman?

Soon, Pepper finds herself in the middle of a constitutional crisis, a presidential reelection campaign that the president is determined to lose, and oral arguments of a romantic nature. Supreme Courtship is another classic Christopher Buckley comedy about the Washington institutions most deserving of ridicule. 

Have you read Supreme Courtship? Please share your thoughts in the comments below, or on the discussion post to come!