The Men’s Book Group read a dozen books last year, equally divided between fiction and non-fiction. And, perhaps for the first time, books of fiction won the top two positions––13 points each for Giants in the Earth by O.E. Rolvaag and That Distant Land by Wendell Berry.

Folks particularly liked the characters developed in both books, and the use of somewhat archaic/local language and phrasing in Berry’s book in particular. In third place with 10 points was The Burglary: The Discovery of J. Edgar Hoover's Secret FBI. No other books received more than four points. Three books––Grandma Gatewood’s Walk, A Moveable Feast, and The Martian––did not receive any votes.

Folks generally liked the mix of fiction/non-fiction selections, though several thought a number of the books were too long. The message was to try to keep selections under 500 pages, especially for more factually dense non-fiction books.

Our next meeting is on Thursday, February 2^nd, at 6:30 at the Rivers. We will be discussing Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country.

Thanks for all the great discussions over the past year. Hope to see you in February.

--Jack Wichita