LitClub:  Call of the Wild
(near) Sacramento, California


A FULL MOON, the howl of a wolf, and a deep thirst for books (and wine) inspired the name of this group from Sacramento, California.

Tell us how you got your name.
Our first gathering found us dining outside on a deck with a full autumn moon overhead. We had just reached an impasse in christening our book club with a grand moniker.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, we heard heavy panting and the footfall of paws. There upon the horizon were two rogue, wolf-like canines seeking a pack (or maybe just two lost dogs).

Then, with a lusty howl ... aw-ooooooo ... an epiphany descended among us.

I feel a Jack London moment coming on...
Yes! And so...with a shiver of recognition for our northern California native Jack London a pack was born—Call Of The Wild (COTW)—a pack of 7, now 6.

Great story! You'd make Jack proud.
Maybe not. We're female-centric—mother, daughters, aunt, nieces, ex-in-law, outlaw and a world traveler. We wouldn't allow Jack London in as a member. We don't even allow our own husbands...though they tried to crash our meetings when they saw how much fun we have.

You won't let the poor guys in?
No, but they started their own "man club" just to get even!

Okay. So what have you been reading?
Here's what we've read over the past year:
Member Of The Wedding
Tender Is The Night
Language Of Flowers
Cutting For Stone
The Sisters Brothers
Gone Girl
Light Between Oceans
Then Again (Diane Keaton)
How It All Began
Father Of The Rain
Fall On Your Knees
Life Of Pi

How about some all-time favorites?
Day the Falls Stood Still—great characters and our first book club book.
Book Thief—sparked a lot of emotion
To Kill a Mockingbird—a classic.
The Sisters Brothers—different from anything we've read; a western theme and adventure.
The Help—great characters and story.
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn—we have a soft spot for the classics.
Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks—we all found the book well written and interesting. One member who works in the medical field learned something new and asked the physicians she worked with and none of them knew the significance of Hela Cells. They were impressed with the story.

Any disappointments?
We've had a few books disappoint us.
Freedom—great reviews but hard to care about the characters and what happened to them.
Tender Is the Night—the writing didn't really stand the test of time.
Cutting for Stone—a long slow read. Some members didn't finish
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy—too drawn out for most of us.

You pull your books out of a hat, so to speak.
Yes. Every several months, we all toss our recommendation into a hat. Then, at every meeting, we pull out our selection for the following meeting. Once we choose the last title, we come to the next meeting with more recommendations.

Any rules?
Like any good pack, we have an Alpha Reader. She makes executive decisions when we're too indecisive. And, being a pack, we don't care for "sad dog stories."

How about special activities?
Occasionally we invite our young “cubs” to the meetings. We've had a moonlight cruise and swim, visited a winery, and attended a David Sedaris reading and an edgy fashion show. We like to watch movies of the books we read...as well as plan our meals around book themes.

Overall, how would you describe Call of the Wild?
Fun, easy going, culture current, eclectic, beautiful, smart and wine lovin'... aw-ooooooooo!!!!