The Books

The Second Year

Reading all of Kristin Lavransdatter took the better part of our first year.  We didn’t meet monthly but rather every 6-8 weeks, and we read the whole the Trilogy; the titles are listed below.  So I’d say about 7-8 months.  And we weren’t really officially a book club yet.  We had decided to read and discuss Kristin Lavransdatter, then the 2nd and 3rd, and then.…..we said “Hey, we should read some more books and be a book club!”

In 2001 we read:

My Heart Lies South: The Story of My Mexican Marriage by Elizabeth Borton deTrevino

My Heart Lies South: the Story of My Mexican Marriage

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (who was not a Catholic female author), which was discussed here.

Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor.  This is also when we became a Book and Movie club by watching Wise Blood and agreeing to check out more movies whenever they were made from the book.  Finally, we finished up our 2nd year with Rumer Godden’s An Episode of Sparrows!

The First Book

Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset/Translated by Tiina Nunnally

I know I need to start posting the books.  There are more than 60 over the course of 12 years.  However, if anyone wants to start a Catholic Women Reading Catholic Women Authors club, or you’re just looking for books for your book club this is just about the best selection you could make.  I will review it on the blog page soon and get some favorite quotes from the club.

We read this in 2000 give or take a year or two.  The trilogy (plan to read all 3; give yourselves 4-6 months or more) won the Nobel Prize for Literature, and Nunnally has won awards for her translations as well.

Book I:  The Wreath   Book II:  The Wife   Book III:  The Cross