Really Serious Oreo Book Club: Who Lost Russia: How the World Entered a New Cold War by Peter J. Conradi

The Really Serious Book Club met February 21 to discuss Who Lost Russia: How the World Entered a New Cold War by Peter J. Conradi, Foreign Editor of the Sunday Times of London. The book is a revealing history of each U.S. President’s actions, policies, and personal relations with Russia’s leaders from Gorbachov to Putin. Why could the two countries … [Read more...]

Really Serious Book Club: Gene by Siddhartha Mukharjee

The Really Serious Book Club met at the home of Mary Crowl and digested the book Gene by Siddhartha Mukharjee. This is a comprehensive history of the discovery and current research on genes. The extent of environmental influence on genetic inheritance was discussed as presented in the book. The review was an opportunity for the members with … [Read more...]

The Really Serious Oreo Book Club: Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Our next meeting will be January 17. We will discuss The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee, a fascinating study of the history of genetics starting with Mendel and moving to the present day. The scientific advances and ethical issues we will confront should make for lively discussion. If you would like to join our intellectual explorations, please … [Read more...]

The Really Serious Oreo Book Club: Dark Money by Janet Moyer

Mary Crowl hosted the Really Serious Book Club meeting on Wednesday, November 15. We discussed the revelations and machinations of the Koch brothers in American politics over the last twenty years as reviewed in Dark Money by Janet Mayor. The decline of American politics and politicians toward the alt-right and the role of the Koch brothers in this … [Read more...]

Oreo Book Club: Dark Money by Janet Mayer

ADVENTURES OF THE MIND! Each month “The Really Serious Book Club” meets to exchange views on books covering a wide variety of subjects. The book for last month was Thomas Friedman’s Thank You for Being Late. In November, it’s Dark Money by Janet Mayer about the Koch brothers machinations. Since we do not meet in December, the book for the January … [Read more...]

Oreo Book Club: Sapiens-the History of Mankind, by Havari, Part II

Sapiens—the History of Mankind, by Havari, Part II, a thoughtful and thought-provoking segment of the book, was the subject of a discussion led by Priscilla Agnew at our August meeting, which was hosted by Mary Crowl. There was some disagreement with the author’s concept of the thrust of history, but it was still a brilliant concept. The author’s … [Read more...]

Really Serious Oreo Book Club: A Brief History of Humankind, Parts I and II by Yuval Havari

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Parts I and II by Yuval Havari, a thoughtful and thought-provoking book, was discussed by the group. While we did not agree with some of the author’s speculations and conclusions, the subject of the development of sapiens and our institutions from earliest times has been a fascinating journey. Sapiens as a … [Read more...]

Oreo Book Club: The King and Queen of Malibu

Really Serious Oreo Book Club John Hall hosted the June meeting of the Really Serious Oreo Book Club and led us in a discussion of his recommendation, The King and Queen of Malibu, the social and property history of early settlers in Los Angeles County, especially in the Malibu area. Those of us who lived in the western part of Los Angeles over … [Read more...]

Oreo Book Club: Cadilac Desert by Mark Reisner

Mary Crowl hosted the meeting with chocolates from Ghirardelli’s in San Francisco as an added treat. We discussed Cadillac Desert by Mark Reisner, a book that reviews the history of water use in the United States, but particularly in the western states. Reisner documents the inappropriate over-use of rivers and underground water by agriculture and … [Read more...]

Oreo Book Club: Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance

We met at the home of Norton Schwartz on March 15 to discuss the book Hillbilly Elegy, written by J. D. Vance. Aspects of the rural and poor small town culture were discussed and the impact of those values on the behavior of that group considered. We compared it to our own growing up and what differences and similarities were reflected in our own … [Read more...]