Loyola Alumni and Friends Book Group

Our book club started in 1999 with a group of friends who graduated from Loyola University in the '70s. We have grown over the years to include other friends, and we now number about 15.

Our meetings begin with a dinner hosted by rotating members and occur about four times a year. Dinner can last about three hours, and the book discussion follows, lasting at least an hour.

Worst excuse for not reading a book: Members don't feel they have to have an excuse. Not having read a book never stops any of our members from participating in a discussion.

Books we loved: "Crossing to Safety" by Wallace Stegner, "Cold Mountain" by Charles Frazier, "The Magician's Assistant" by Ann Patchett, "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel and "Hannah Coulter" by Wendell Berry

We like books that embody hope for a better future and the value of having consistent friends.

One of our least favorite books was "White Doves at Morning" by James Lee Burke. We felt that Burke failed in his attempt to step out of his genre as a mystery writer, and the story line was disjointed.

The authors we would most like to meet are Bill Bryson, with his brilliant sense of humor, and Wendell Berry, with his keen observations about human nature.

Up next: "The River of Doubt" by Candice Millard.

Editor's note: Entries are edited. Also, we are updating our book club feature; find details at

chicagotribune.com/printersrow. Please email your submissions to ctc-bookclub@tribune.com, and include a phone number.

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