Happy New Year!! BAIN book discssion, Tuesday, January 13 at 2 pm — virtual or in person

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On Tuesday, January 13, at 2 pm, we will be discussing We Should Not Be Friends by Will Schwalbe. This meeting takes place on the second Tuesday of the month, as usual. It will be an in person and virtual meeting, on Zoom.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. You will be sent the link and/or address upon RSVP.

We have put together the schedule below for future reading. Comments are welcome

January 2026We Should Not Be Friends by Will Schwalbe [Memoir], 336 pp., 2023. “An unexpected page-turner that may inspire readers to reach out to old friends. This delicate memoir tracks their intermittent friendship, from initiation into one of Yale’s secret societies to thirty-five-year college reunion. Schwalbe overcomes the perspectival limitations of memoir-writing by allowing himself access to his friend’s thoughts, notably in rhapsodic contemplations of the sea surrounding the Bahamian island where Maxey ultimately finds purpose.” —The New Yorker

February 2026 —  Horse by Geraldine Brooks, historical fiction, 2022, Goodreads 4.26, 400 pp.   “[A] sweeping tale . . . fluid, masterful storytelling … [Brooks] writes about our present in such a way that the tangled roots of history, just beneath the story, are both subtle and undeniable … Horse is a reminder of the simple, primal power an author can summon by creating characters readers care about and telling a story about them—the same power that so terrifies the people so desperately trying to get Toni Morrison banned from their children’s reading lists.”— Maggie Shipstead, The Washington Post

March 2026Knowing What We Know by Simon Winchester, nonfiction,  Goodreads 3.83, 423 pp.  2023.  “A delightful compendium of the kind of facts you immediately want to share with anyone you encounter . . . . Simon Winchester has firmly earned his place in history . . . as a promulgator of knowledge of every variety, perhaps the last of the famous explorers who crisscrossed the now-vanished British Empire and reported what they found to an astonished world.”  — New York Times

From the creation of the first encyclopedia to Wikipedia, from ancient museums to modern kindergarten classes—this is award winning writer Simon Winchester’s brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain, and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds.

April 2026 — Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, 2014, 297 pages, A literary novel. Alex read this book in one day. The story grabbed her and took her on a sweet, sad journey of one family. Well written from start to finish, it unfolds nicely so you truly understand each person and relationship. The story involves family dynamics, teenager’s angst, relationships, race and makes you realize how hard it is to be different from everyone around you.

BAIN Book Discussion — Tuesday, November 11 at 2 pm

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On Tuesday, November 11, at 2 pm, we will be discussing Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. This meeting takes place on the second Tuesday of the month, as usual. It will be a virtual meeting, on Zoom.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. You will be sent the link upon RSVP.

We have put together the schedule below for future reading. Comments are welcome.

November 2025 — Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann,  400 pages.  Goodreads 4.14, 2017. What an incredible period in Oklahoma history. The author captures an era of lawlessness and greed in frontier life and shares a piece of history that almost remained untold. A cautionary tale demonstrating the level of greed and heartlessness that can sometimes take hold in people’s hearts. A shameful tale of what happened to the Osage Indians, once the richest people in America.

December 2025 —  West by Carys Davies, 2018, Goodreads 3.71, 160 pp.     Stunning debut novel (The Guardian). One of the most unsettling elements is Davies’s vein of dark, gleaming humour. Her writing manages the odd feat of seeming both timeless and historically specific, and her comedy is no exception.

January 2026We Should Not Be Friends by Will Schwalbe [Memoir], 336 pp., 2023. “An unexpected page-turner that may inspire readers to reach out to old friends. This delicate memoir tracks their intermittent friendship, from initiation into one of Yale’s secret societies to thirty-five-year college reunion. Schwalbe overcomes the perspectival limitations of memoir-writing by allowing himself access to his friend’s thoughts, notably in rhapsodic contemplations of the sea surrounding the Bahamian island where Maxey ultimately finds purpose.” —The New Yorker

February 2026 —  Horse by Geraldine Brooks, historical fiction, 2022, Goodreads 4.26, 400 pp.   “[A] sweeping tale . . . fluid, masterful storytelling … [Brooks] writes about our present in such a way that the tangled roots of history, just beneath the story, are both subtle and undeniable … Horse is a reminder of the simple, primal power an author can summon by creating characters readers care about and telling a story about them—the same power that so terrifies the people so desperately trying to get Toni Morrison banned from their children’s reading lists.”— Maggie Shipstead, The Washington Post

March 2026Knowing What We Know by Simon Winchester, nonfiction,  Goodreads 3.83, 423 pp.  2023.  “A delightful compendium of the kind of facts you immediately want to share with anyone you encounter . . . . Simon Winchester has firmly earned his place in history . . . as a promulgator of knowledge of every variety, perhaps the last of the famous explorers who crisscrossed the now-vanished British Empire and reported what they found to an astonished world.”  — New York Times

From the creation of the first encyclopedia to Wikipedia, from ancient museums to modern kindergarten classes—this is award winning writer Simon Winchester’s brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain, and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds.

April 2026 — Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, 2014, 297 pages, A literary novel. Alex read this book in one day. The story grabbed her and took her on a sweet, sad journey of one family. Well written from start to finish, it unfolds nicely so you truly understand each person and relationship. The story involves family dynamics, teenager’s angst, relationships, race and makes you realize how hard it is to be different from everyone around you.

BAIN Book Discussion — Tuesday, October 14, at 2 pm — virtually and in person

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On Tuesday, October 14, at 2 pm, we will be discussing The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. This meeting takes place on the second Tuesday of the month, as usual. It will be a hybrid meeting, in person in Buenos Aires and on line internationally.

In person meeting is a great way to enjoy the book discussion and each other’s company. Thanks in advance to the host! Otherwise, see you from my time zone or yours on Zoom.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. You will be sent the link and address upon RSVP.

We have put together the schedule below for future reading. Comments are welcome.

October 2025 — The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, Goodreads 4.23, 1923, 127 pp.  Gibran is one of the few writers out there who were unproblematic and who mainly kept to himself. The fact that he arrived as an immigrant in America not speaking any English, only for him to flourish in the arts and later write one of the most important books in the last decades. I love that he took pride of his Lebanese heritage and his Arabic language.

November 2025 — Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann,  400 pages.  Goodreads 4.14, 2017. What an incredible period in Oklahoma history. The author captures an era of lawlessness and greed in frontier life and shares a piece of history that almost remained untold. A cautionary tale demonstrating the level of greed and heartlessness that can sometimes take hold in people’s hearts. A shameful tale of what happened to the Osage Indians, once the richest people in America.

December 2025 —  West by Carys Davies, 2018, Goodreads 3.71, 160 pp.     Stunning debut novel (The Guardian). One of the most unsettling elements is Davies’s vein of dark, gleaming humour. Her writing manages the odd feat of seeming both timeless and historically specific, and her comedy is no exception.

January 2026We Should Not Be Friends by Will Schwalbe [Memoir], 336 pp., 2023. “An unexpected page-turner that may inspire readers to reach out to old friends. This delicate memoir tracks their intermittent friendship, from initiation into one of Yale’s secret societies to thirty-five-year college reunion. Schwalbe overcomes the perspectival limitations of memoir-writing by allowing himself access to his friend’s thoughts, notably in rhapsodic contemplations of the sea surrounding the Bahamian island where Maxey ultimately finds purpose.” —The New Yorker

February 2026 —  Horse by Geraldine Brooks, historical fiction, 2022, Goodreads 4.26, 400 pp.   “[A] sweeping tale . . . fluid, masterful storytelling … [Brooks] writes about our present in such a way that the tangled roots of history, just beneath the story, are both subtle and undeniable … Horse is a reminder of the simple, primal power an author can summon by creating characters readers care about and telling a story about them—the same power that so terrifies the people so desperately trying to get Toni Morrison banned from their children’s reading lists.”— Maggie Shipstead, The Washington Post

March 2026Knowing What We Know by Simon Winchester, nonfiction,  Goodreads 3.83, 423 pp.  2023.  “A delightful compendium of the kind of facts you immediately want to share with anyone you encounter . . . . Simon Winchester has firmly earned his place in history . . . as a promulgator of knowledge of every variety, perhaps the last of the famous explorers who crisscrossed the now-vanished British Empire and reported what they found to an astonished world.”  — New York Times

From the creation of the first encyclopedia to Wikipedia, from ancient museums to modern kindergarten classes—this is award winning writer Simon Winchester’s brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain, and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds.

April 2025 — Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, 2014, 297 pages, A literary novel. Alex read this book in one day. The story grabbed her and took her on a sweet, sad journey of one family. Well written from start to finish, it unfolds nicely so you truly understand each person and relationship. The story involves family dynamics, teenager’s angst, relationships, race and makes you realize how hard it is to be different from everyone around you.

BAIN Book Discussion — Tuesday, September 9, at 2 pm — virtually and in person

Featured

On Tuesday, September 9, at 2 pm, we will be discussing The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli. This meeting takes place on the second Tuesday of the month, as usual. It will be a hybrid meeting, in person in Buenos Aires and on line internationally.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. You will be sent the link upon RSVP.

We have put together the schedule below for future reading. Comments are welcome.

September 2025 — The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli – non-fiction.  2017.  Beautifully written by a physicist, which explains quantum physics of time. – Goodreads 4.1, 224 pp, 2017.  Fortified with quotations from Proust, pp 224. Anaximander and the Grateful Dead (Rovelli has a hippyish past), the book continues a tradition of jargon-free scientific writing from Galileo to Darwin that disappeared in the academic specialisation of the last century.

October 2025 — The Prophet by Khalil Gibran, Goodreads 4.23, 1923, 127 pp.  Gibran is one of the few writers out there who were unproblematic and who mainly kept to himself. The fact that he arrived as an immigrant in America not speaking any English, only for him to flourish in the arts and later write one of the most important books in the last decades. I love that he took pride of his Lebanese heritage and his Arabic language.

November 2025 — Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann,  400 pages.  Goodreads 4.14, 2017. What an incredible period in Oklahoma history. The author captures an era of lawlessness and greed in frontier life and shares a piece of history that almost remained untold. A cautionary tale demonstrating the level of greed and heartlessness that can sometimes take hold in people’s hearts. A shameful tale of what happened to the Osage Indians, once the richest people in America.

December 2025 —  West by Carys Davies, 2018, Goodreads 3.71, 160 pp.     Stunning debut novel (The Guardian). One of the most unsettling elements is Davies’s vein of dark, gleaming humour. Her writing manages the odd feat of seeming both timeless and historically specific, and her comedy is no exception.

January 2026We Should Not Be Friends by Will Schwalbe [Memoir], 336 pp., 2023. “An unexpected page-turner that may inspire readers to reach out to old friends. This delicate memoir tracks their intermittent friendship, from initiation into one of Yale’s secret societies to thirty-five-year college reunion. Schwalbe overcomes the perspectival limitations of memoir-writing by allowing himself access to his friend’s thoughts, notably in rhapsodic contemplations of the sea surrounding the Bahamian island where Maxey ultimately finds purpose.” —The New Yorker

February 2026 —  Horse by Geraldine Brooks, historical fiction, 2022, Goodreads 4.26, 400 pp.   “[A] sweeping tale . . . fluid, masterful storytelling … [Brooks] writes about our present in such a way that the tangled roots of history, just beneath the story, are both subtle and undeniable … Horse is a reminder of the simple, primal power an author can summon by creating characters readers care about and telling a story about them—the same power that so terrifies the people so desperately trying to get Toni Morrison banned from their children’s reading lists.”— Maggie Shipstead, The Washington Post

March 2026Knowing What We Know by Simon Winchester, nonfiction,  Goodreads 3.83, 423 pp.  2023.  “A delightful compendium of the kind of facts you immediately want to share with anyone you encounter . . . . Simon Winchester has firmly earned his place in history . . . as a promulgator of knowledge of every variety, perhaps the last of the famous explorers who crisscrossed the now-vanished British Empire and reported what they found to an astonished world.”  — New York Times

From the creation of the first encyclopedia to Wikipedia, from ancient museums to modern kindergarten classes—this is award winning writer Simon Winchester’s brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain, and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds.

April 2025 — Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, 2014, 297 pages, A literary novel. Alex read this book in one day. The story grabbed her and took her on a sweet, sad journey of one family. Well written from start to finish, it unfolds nicely so you truly understand each person and relationship. The story involves family dynamics, teenager’s angst, relationships, race and makes you realize how hard it is to be different from everyone around you.

BAIN Book Discussion — Tuesday, August 12, at 2 pm

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On Tuesday, August 12, we will discuss Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood. The meeting is at 2 pm on the second Tuesday of the month, as always. RSVP appreciated.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. The meeting will take place virtually. You will be sent the link upon RSVP.

Below is the schedule for future reading. Comments are welcome.

August 2025 — Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood, literary fiction, 2023, 320 pp, Goodreads, 3.76.  A deeply moving novel about forgiveness, grief, and what it means to be ‘good’, from the award-winning author of The Natural Way of Things and The Weekend.

“Wood joins the ranks of writers such as Nora Ephron, Penelope Lively and Elizabeth Strout.” THE GUARDIAN UK

September 2025 — The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli – non-fiction.  2017.  Beautifully written by a physicist, which explains quantum physics of time. – Goodreads 4.1, 224 pp, 2017.  Fortified with quotations from Proust, pp 224. Anaximander and the Grateful Dead (Rovelli has a hippyish past), the book continues a tradition of jargon-free scientific writing from Galileo to Darwin that disappeared in the academic specialisation of the last century.

October 2025 — The Prophet by Khalil Gibran, Goodreads 4.23, 1923, 127 pp.  Gibran is one of the few writers out there who were unproblematic and who mainly kept to himself. The fact that he arrived as an immigrant in America not speaking any English, only for him to flourish in the arts and later write one of the most important books in the last decades. I love that he took pride of his Lebanese heritage and his Arabic language.

November 2025 — Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann,  400 pages.  Goodreads 4.14, 2017. What an incredible period in Oklahoma history. The author captures an era of lawlessness and greed in frontier life and shares a piece of history that almost remained untold. A cautionary tale demonstrating the level of greed and heartlessness that can sometimes take hold in people’s hearts. A shameful tale of what happened to the Osage Indians, once the richest people in America.

December 2025 —  West by Carys Davies, 2018, Goodreads 3.71, 160 pp.     Stunning debut novel (The Guardian). One of the most unsettling elements is Davies’s vein of dark, gleaming humour. Her writing manages the odd feat of seeming both timeless and historically specific, and her comedy is no exception.

January 2026We Should Not Be Friends by Will Schwalbe [Memoir], 336 pp., 2023. “An unexpected page-turner that may inspire readers to reach out to old friends. This delicate memoir tracks their intermittent friendship, from initiation into one of Yale’s secret societies to thirty-five-year college reunion. Schwalbe overcomes the perspectival limitations of memoir-writing by allowing himself access to his friend’s thoughts, notably in rhapsodic contemplations of the sea surrounding the Bahamian island where Maxey ultimately finds purpose.” —The New Yorker

February 2026 —  Horse by Geraldine Brooks, historical fiction, 2022, Goodreads 4.26, 400 pp.   “[A] sweeping tale . . . fluid, masterful storytelling … [Brooks] writes about our present in such a way that the tangled roots of history, just beneath the story, are both subtle and undeniable … Horse is a reminder of the simple, primal power an author can summon by creating characters readers care about and telling a story about them—the same power that so terrifies the people so desperately trying to get Toni Morrison banned from their children’s reading lists.”— Maggie Shipstead, The Washington Post

March 2026Knowing What We Know by Simon Winchester, nonfiction,  Goodreads 3.83, 423 pp.  2023.  “A delightful compendium of the kind of facts you immediately want to share with anyone you encounter . . . . Simon Winchester has firmly earned his place in history . . . as a promulgator of knowledge of every variety, perhaps the last of the famous explorers who crisscrossed the now-vanished British Empire and reported what they found to an astonished world.”  — New York Times

From the creation of the first encyclopedia to Wikipedia, from ancient museums to modern kindergarten classes—this is award winning writer Simon Winchester’s brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain, and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds.

April 2026 — Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, 2014, 297 pages, A literary novel. Alex read this book in one day. The story grabbed her and took her on a sweet, sad journey of one family. Well written from start to finish, it unfolds nicely so you truly understand each person and relationship. The story involves family dynamics, teenager’s angst, relationships, race and makes you realize how hard it is to be different from everyone around you.

BAIN Book Discussion — Tuesday, July 8, at 2 pm

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On Tuesday, July 8, at 2 pm, we will be discussing In The Distance by Hernán Díaz. This meeting takes place on the second Tuesday of the month, as usual.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. RSVP, please. The meeting will take place virtually. You will be sent the link upon RSVP.

We have put together the schedule below for future reading. Comments are welcome.

July 2025 — In the Distance by Hernan Diaz (born in Buenos Aires, writes in English, lives in USA).  Pp 272. NYT headline, “A Debut Novel. A Tiny Press. A Pulitzer Finalist. “In the Distance,” is a weird western about a lonely Swede traveling America’s frontier in the 1800s.

August 2025 — Stone Yard Devotional, literary fiction, 2023, 320 pp, Goodreads, 3.76.  A deeply moving novel about forgiveness, grief, and what it means to be ‘good’, from the award-winning author of The Natural Way of Things and The Weekend.

“Wood joins the ranks of writers such as Nora Ephron, Penelope Lively and Elizabeth Strout.” THE GUARDIAN UK

September 2025 — The Order of Time by Carlo Reveli – non-fiction.  2017.  Beautifully written by a physicist, which explains quantum physics of time. – Goodreads 4.1, 224 pp, 2017.  Fortified with quotations from Proust, pp 224. Anaximander and the Grateful Dead (Rovelli has a hippyish past), the book continues a tradition of jargon-free scientific writing from Galileo to Darwin that disappeared in the academic specialisation of the last century.

October 2025 — The Prophet by Khalil Gibran, Goodreads 4.23, 1923, 127 pp.  Gibran is one of the few writers out there who were unproblematic and who mainly kept to himself. The fact that he arrived as an immigrant in America not speaking any English, only for him to flourish in the arts and later write one of the most important books in the last decades. I love that he took pride of his Lebanese heritage and his Arabic language.

November 2025 — Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann,  400 pages.  Goodreads 4.14, 2017. What an incredible period in Oklahoma history. The author captures an era of lawlessness and greed in frontier life and shares a piece of history that almost remained untold. A cautionary tale demonstrating the level of greed and heartlessness that can sometimes take hold in people’s hearts. A shameful tale of what happened to the Osage Indians, once the richest people in America.

December 2025 —  West by Carys Davies, 2018, Goodreads 3.71, 160 pp.     Stunning debut novel (The Guardian). One of the most unsettling elements is Davies’s vein of dark, gleaming humour. Her writing manages the odd feat of seeming both timeless and historically specific, and her comedy is no exception.

January 2026We Should Not Be Friends by Will Schwalbe [Memoir], 336 pp., 2023. “An unexpected page-turner that may inspire readers to reach out to old friends. This delicate memoir tracks their intermittent friendship, from initiation into one of Yale’s secret societies to thirty-five-year college reunion. Schwalbe overcomes the perspectival limitations of memoir-writing by allowing himself access to his friend’s thoughts, notably in rhapsodic contemplations of the sea surrounding the Bahamian island where Maxey ultimately finds purpose.” —The New Yorker

February 2026 —  Horse by Geraldine Brooks, historical fiction, 2022, Goodreads 4.26, 400 pp.   “[A] sweeping tale . . . fluid, masterful storytelling … [Brooks] writes about our present in such a way that the tangled roots of history, just beneath the story, are both subtle and undeniable … Horse is a reminder of the simple, primal power an author can summon by creating characters readers care about and telling a story about them—the same power that so terrifies the people so desperately trying to get Toni Morrison banned from their children’s reading lists.”— Maggie Shipstead, The Washington Post

March 2026Knowing What We Know by Simon Winchester, nonfiction,  Goodreads 3.83, 423 pp.  2023.  “A delightful compendium of the kind of facts you immediately want to share with anyone you encounter . . . . Simon Winchester has firmly earned his place in history . . . as a promulgator of knowledge of every variety, perhaps the last of the famous explorers who crisscrossed the now-vanished British Empire and reported what they found to an astonished world.”  — New York Times

From the creation of the first encyclopedia to Wikipedia, from ancient museums to modern kindergarten classes—this is award winning writer Simon Winchester’s brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain, and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds.

April 2025 — Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, 2014, 297 pages, A literary novel. Alex read this book in one day. The story grabbed her and took her on a sweet, sad journey of one family. Well written from start to finish, it unfolds nicely so you truly understand each person and relationship. The story involves family dynamics, teenager’s angst, relationships, race and makes you realize how hard it is to be different from everyone around you.

Book Discussion — Tuesday, July 8, 2 pm — virtual or in person

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On Tuesday, June 10, at 2 pm, we will be discussing Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. This meeting takes place on the second Tuesday of the month, as usual.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. If you would like to have lunch before the discussion, RSVP, please. The meeting will take place in person and virtually. You will be sent the link and/or address upon RSVP.

We have put together a list of books for the rest of the year. If you would like to get this list in your in box, email tonilin@aol.com. The complete schedule will be included here later in the month.

July

In the Distance by Hernan Diaz (born in Buenos Aires, writes in English, lives in USA).  Pp 272. NYT headline, “A Debut Novel. A Tiny Press. A Pulitzer Finalist. “In the Distance,” is a weird western about a lonely Swede traveling America’s frontier in the 1800s.

BAIN Book Discussion, Tuesday, June 10, at 2 pm — virtual or in person

Featured

On Tuesday, June 10, at 2 pm, we will be discussing Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. This meeting takes place on the second Tuesday of the month, as usual.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. If you would like to have lunch before the discussion, RSVP, please. The meeting will take place in person and virtually. You will be sent the link and/or address upon RSVP.

We have put together a list of books for the rest of the year. If you would like to get this list in your in box, email tonilin@aol.com. The complete schedule will be included here later in the month.

June

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, 335 pp. 2011, Goodreads 4.09.   With this snappy period piece, Towles resurrects the cinematic black-and-white Manhattan of the golden age of screwball comedy, gal-pal camaraderie and romantic mischief.

Book Discussion – Tuesday, May 13 at 2 pm — virtually on Zoom or Google Meet

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On Tuesday, May 13, at 2 pm, we will be discussing Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin. This meeting is on the second Tuesday of the month, as usual.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. The meeting will take place in person, on Zoom or Google Meet. You will be sent the link upon RSVP.

We have put together a list of books proposed for the next 9 or so months to vote on. Many members have voted. Some have not, yet!! If you would like to get to the list (and vote, or not), email tonilin@aol.com. We will decide at the May meeting which books will be read next.

May

Black Like Me by journalist John Howard Griffin. Non-fiction, 1961, 224 pp, recounts his journey in the Deep South of the United States, at a time when African-Americans lived under racial segregation.

Book Discussion — Tuesday, April 8, 2 pm — venue to be announced

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On Tuesday, April 8, at 2 pm we will be discussing The Wager:  A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann. This meeting is on the second Tuesday of the month, as usual.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. The meeting will take place in person, on Zoom or Google Meet. You will be sent the link upon RSVP.

The books we plan to read in future months are listed below. Suggestions are encouraged. The May book was just added.

Future reads:

April

The Wager:  A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann.   Non-fiction, 263 pages.  2023.  #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on The Wager, showing that it was not only the captain and crew who ended up on trial, but the very idea of empire.

May

Black Like Me by journalist John Howard Griffin. Non-fiction, 1961, 224 pp, recounts his journey in the Deep South of the United States, at a time when African-Americans lived under racial segregation.

Book Discussion — Tuesday, March 11 — 2 pm — on Zoom or Google Meet

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On Tuesday, March 10, at 2 pm we will be discussing Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck. This meeting is on the second Tuesday of the month, as usual.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. The meeting will take place on Zoom or Google Meet. You will be sent the link upon RSVP.

The books we plan to read in future months are listed below. Suggestions are encouraged. The May book was just added.

Future reads:

March

Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck.  Fiction, translated from German, 336 pages. 2023
“Berlin. 11 July 1986. They meet by chance on a bus. She is a young student, he is older and married. Theirs is an intense and sudden attraction, fueled by a shared passion for music and art, and heightened by the secrecy they must maintain. But when she strays for a single night he cannot forgive her and a dangerous crack forms between them, opening up a space for cruelty, punishment and the exertion of power. And the world around them is changing too: as the GDR begins to crumble, so too do all the old certainties and the old loyalties, ushering in a new era whose great gains also involve profound loss.

From a prize-winning German writer, this is the intimate and devastating story of the path of two lovers through the ruins of a relationship, set against the backdrop of a seismic period in European history”

April

The Wager:  A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann.   Non-fiction, 263 pages.  2023.  #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on The Wager, showing that it was not only the captain and crew who ended up on trial, but the very idea of empire.

May

Black Like Me by journalist John Howard Griffin. Non-fiction, 1961, 224 pp, recounts his journey in the Deep South of the United States, at a time when African-Americans lived under racial segregation.

Book Discussion — Tuesday, February 11 — 2 pm Buenos Aires time — Zoom or Google Meet

Featured

On Tuesday, February 11, at 2 pm we will be discussing James by Percival Everett. This meeting is on the second Tuesday of the month, as usual.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. The meeting will take place on Zoom or Google Meet. You will be sent the link upon RSVP.

The books we plan to read in future months are listed below. Suggestions are encouraged.

Future reads:

February

James by Percival Everett – 4.57 Goodreads rating – historical fiction – pp 303, 2024.  A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim’s point of view.

Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.  Everett is a preeminent American author, and “James” is his sly response to “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” The title immediately suggests what he is up to with this subversive revision. In these pages, the enslaved man known as Jim can finally declare: “I will not let this condition define me. … My name became my own.” While Everett flashes his own brand of humor, the novel gathers speed and terror like a swelling storm. Its conclusion is equally shocking and exhilarating.

March

Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck.  Fiction, translated from German, 336 pages. 2023
“Berlin. 11 July 1986. They meet by chance on a bus. She is a young student, he is older and married. Theirs is an intense and sudden attraction, fueled by a shared passion for music and art, and heightened by the secrecy they must maintain. But when she strays for a single night he cannot forgive her and a dangerous crack forms between them, opening up a space for cruelty, punishment and the exertion of power. And the world around them is changing too: as the GDR begins to crumble, so too do all the old certainties and the old loyalties, ushering in a new era whose great gains also involve profound loss.

From a prize-winning German writer, this is the intimate and devastating story of the path of two lovers through the ruins of a relationship, set against the backdrop of a seismic period in European history”

April

The Wager:  A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann.   Non-fiction, 263 pages.  2023.  #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on The Wager, showing that it was not only the captain and crew who ended up on trial, but the very idea of empire.

Book Discussion — Tuesday, January 14, at 2 pm on Zoom or Google Meet

Featured

On Tuesday, January 14, at 2 pm we will be discussing What Could be Saved by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz. This meeting is on the second Tuesday of the month, as usual.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. The meeting will take place on Zoom or Google Meet. You will be sent the link upon RSVP.

The books we plan to read in future months are listed below. Suggestions are encouraged.

Future reads:

January

What Could be Saved by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz. 2021.  pp 448.  A richly imagined page-turner that delivers twists alongside thought-provoking commentary. The novel is grounded in its deeply realized characters and the relationships among them, but the author layers in a consideration of power dynamics, racism, and privilege in a way that adds an undercurrent of realism and ugliness, particularly regarding the way the featured family lived in the ’70s. At the same time, the book is a gripping mystery that subtly ratchets up the tension with each chapter.

February

James by Percival Everett – 4.57 Goodreads rating – Historical fiction – pp 303, 2024.  A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim’s point of view.

Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.  Everett is a preeminent American author, and “James” is his sly response to “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” The title immediately suggests what he is up to with this subversive revision. In these pages, the enslaved man known as Jim can finally declare: “I will not let this condition define me. … My name became my own.” While Everett flashes his own brand of humor, the novel gathers speed and terror like a swelling storm. Its conclusion is equally shocking and exhilarating.

March

Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck.  Fiction, translated from German, 336 pages. 2023
“Berlin. 11 July 1986. They meet by chance on a bus. She is a young student, he is older and married. Theirs is an intense and sudden attraction, fueled by a shared passion for music and art, and heightened by the secrecy they must maintain. But when she strays for a single night he cannot forgive her and a dangerous crack forms between them, opening up a space for cruelty, punishment and the exertion of power. And the world around them is changing too: as the GDR begins to crumble, so too do all the old certainties and the old loyalties, ushering in a new era whose great gains also involve profound loss.

From a prize-winning German writer, this is the intimate and devastating story of the path of two lovers through the ruins of a relationship, set against the backdrop of a seismic period in European history”

April

The Wager:  A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann.   Non-fiction, 263 pages.  2023.  #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on The Wager, showing that it was not only the captain and crew who ended up on trial, but the very idea of empire.

Book Discussion — Tuesday, December 10, at 2 pm on Zoom or Google Meet

Featured

On Tuesday, December 10, at 2 pm we will be discussing Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.. This meeting is on the second Tuesday of the month, as usual. It is a very very short book, so don’t worry if you haven’t started it til the last minute.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. The meeting will take place on Zoom or Google Meet. You will be sent the link upon RSVP.

The books we plan to read in future months are listed below. Suggestions are encouraged.

Future reads:

December

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.  2021.  pp 70.  Historical fiction.  Ireland.  Christmas.  For us, an anti-Christmas Carol?  Already an international bestseller, Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope, quiet heroism, and empathy from one of our most critically lauded and iconic writers.
Booker Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2022)
Orwell Prize for Political Fiction (2022)Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award (2022)Writers’ Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2022)

January

What Could be Saved by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz. 2021.  pp 448.  A richly imagined page-turner that delivers twists alongside thought-provoking commentary. The novel is grounded in its deeply realized characters and the relationships among them, but the author layers in a consideration of power dynamics, racism, and privilege in a way that adds an undercurrent of realism and ugliness, particularly regarding the way the featured family lived in the ’70s. At the same time, the book is a gripping mystery that subtly ratchets up the tension with each chapter.

February

James by Percival Everett – 4.57 Goodreads rating – Historical fiction – pp 303, 2024.  A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim’s point of view.

Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.  Everett is a preeminent American author, and “James” is his sly response to “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” The title immediately suggests what he is up to with this subversive revision. In these pages, the enslaved man known as Jim can finally declare: “I will not let this condition define me. … My name became my own.” While Everett flashes his own brand of humor, the novel gathers speed and terror like a swelling storm. Its conclusion is equally shocking and exhilarating.

March

Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck.  Fiction, translated from German, 336 pages. 2023
“Berlin. 11 July 1986. They meet by chance on a bus. She is a young student, he is older and married. Theirs is an intense and sudden attraction, fueled by a shared passion for music and art, and heightened by the secrecy they must maintain. But when she strays for a single night he cannot forgive her and a dangerous crack forms between them, opening up a space for cruelty, punishment and the exertion of power. And the world around them is changing too: as the GDR begins to crumble, so too do all the old certainties and the old loyalties, ushering in a new era whose great gains also involve profound loss.

From a prize-winning German writer, this is the intimate and devastating story of the path of two lovers through the ruins of a relationship, set against the backdrop of a seismic period in European history”

April

Book Discussion — Tuesday, November 13, 2 pm on Google Meet

Featured

On Tuesday, November 12, at 2 pm we will be discussing Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon.. This meeting is on the second Tuesday of the month, as usual.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. The meeting will take place on Zoom or Google Meet. You will be sent the link upon RSVP.

The books we plan to read in future months are listed below. Suggestions are encouraged.

November

Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon. 2024, pp 304. Historical fiction.  4.25 rating on Good Reads.  An utterly original celebration of that which binds humanity across battle lines and history. 

On the island of Sicily amid the Peloponnesian War, the Syracusans have figured out what to do with the surviving Athenians who had the gall to invade their city: they’ve herded the sorry prisoners of war into a rock quarry and left them to rot.

Told in a contemporary Irish voice and as riotously funny as it is deeply moving, Glorious Exploits is an unforgettable ode to the power of art in a time of war, brotherhood in a time of enmity, and human will throughout the ages.

December

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.  2021.  pp 128.  Historical fiction.  Ireland.  Christmas.  For us, an anti-Christmas Carol?  Already an international bestseller, Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope, quiet heroism, and empathy from one of our most critically lauded and iconic writers.
Booker Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2022)
Orwell Prize for Political Fiction (2022)Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award (2022)Writers’ Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2022)

January

What Could be Saved by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz. 2021.  pp 448.  A richly imagined page-turner that delivers twists alongside thought-provoking commentary. The novel is grounded in its deeply realized characters and the relationships among them, but the author layers in a consideration of power dynamics, racism, and privilege in a way that adds an undercurrent of realism and ugliness, particularly regarding the way the featured family lived in the ’70s. At the same time, the book is a gripping mystery that subtly ratchets up the tension with each chapter.

February

James by Percival Everett – 4.57 Goodreads rating – Historical fiction – pp 303, 2024.  A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim’s point of view.

Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.  Everett is a preeminent American author, and “James” is his sly response to “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” The title immediately suggests what he is up to with this subversive revision. In these pages, the enslaved man known as Jim can finally declare: “I will not let this condition define me. … My name became my own.” While Everett flashes his own brand of humor, the novel gathers speed and terror like a swelling storm. Its conclusion is equally shocking and exhilarating.

March

Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck.  Fiction, translated from German, 336 pages. 2023
“Berlin. 11 July 1986. They meet by chance on a bus. She is a young student, he is older and married. Theirs is an intense and sudden attraction, fueled by a shared passion for music and art, and heightened by the secrecy they must maintain. But when she strays for a single night he cannot forgive her and a dangerous crack forms between them, opening up a space for cruelty, punishment and the exertion of power. And the world around them is changing too: as the GDR begins to crumble, so too do all the old certainties and the old loyalties, ushering in a new era whose great gains also involve profound loss.

From a prize-winning German writer, this is the intimate and devastating story of the path of two lovers through the ruins of a relationship, set against the backdrop of a seismic period in European history”

April

BAIN Christmas Party — Saturday, December 14 — 8 to 12 pm

Featured

BAIN IS HAVING THEIR CHRISTMAS PARTY AND EVERYONE IS INVITED!

  

Cash payment, sorry no credit cards, to reserve your spot will start this Friday, September 27th at the End of Month Social, plus Wine and Tapas and End of Month Socials in October and November.  If you are not able to make it to any of these events, please contact Janice Cooper Eddy at janice@goarbor.com or What’sApp +1 214 563 7784.  

Yearly dues and renewals are $20 USD or the equivalent at the blue rate.

BAIN Book Discussion — Tuesday, October 8 at 2 pm virtually, earlier in person

Featured

On Tuesday, October 8, at 2 pm we will be discussing two works by Euripides, The Trojan Women and Medea. This meeting is on the second Tuesday of the month, as usual.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com.

The virtual meeting will take place on Zoom or Google Meet. In person attendane in Palermo Botanico is a welcome possibility  If you want to arrive early, RSVP as above.  We will have lunch and get ready for the discussion.

You will be sent the link or address upon RSVP.

The Trojan Women and Medea by Euripides. These books are an excellent lead in for the November book discussion.

November

Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon. 2024, pp 304. Historical fiction.  4.25 rating on Good Reads.  An utterly original celebration of that which binds humanity across battle lines and history. 

On the island of Sicily amid the Peloponnesian War, the Syracusans have figured out what to do with the surviving Athenians who had the gall to invade their city: they’ve herded the sorry prisoners of war into a rock quarry and left them to rot.

Told in a contemporary Irish voice and as riotously funny as it is deeply moving, Glorious Exploits is an unforgettable ode to the power of art in a time of war, brotherhood in a time of enmity, and human will throughout the ages.

December

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.  2021.  pp 128.  Historical fiction.  Ireland.  Christmas.  For us, an anti-Christmas Carol?  Already an international bestseller, Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope, quiet heroism, and empathy from one of our most critically lauded and iconic writers.
Booker Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2022)
Orwell Prize for Political Fiction (2022)Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award (2022)Writers’ Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2022)

January

What Could be Saved by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz. 2021.  pp 448.  A richly imagined page-turner that delivers twists alongside thought-provoking commentary. The novel is grounded in its deeply realized characters and the relationships among them, but the author layers in a consideration of power dynamics, racism, and privilege in a way that adds an undercurrent of realism and ugliness, particularly regarding the way the featured family lived in the ’70s. At the same time, the book is a gripping mystery that subtly ratchets up the tension with each chapter.

February

James by Percival Everett – 4.57 Goodreads rating – Historical fiction – pp 303, 2024.  A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim’s point of view.

Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.  Everett is a preeminent American author, and “James” is his sly response to “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” The title immediately suggests what he is up to with this subversive revision. In these pages, the enslaved man known as Jim can finally declare: “I will not let this condition define me. … My name became my own.” While Everett flashes his own brand of humor, the novel gathers speed and terror like a swelling storm. Its conclusion is equally shocking and exhilarating.

March

Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck.  Fiction, translated from German, 336 pages. 2023
“Berlin. 11 July 1986. They meet by chance on a bus. She is a young student, he is older and married. Theirs is an intense and sudden attraction, fueled by a shared passion for music and art, and heightened by the secrecy they must maintain. But when she strays for a single night he cannot forgive her and a dangerous crack forms between them, opening up a space for cruelty, punishment and the exertion of power. And the world around them is changing too: as the GDR begins to crumble, so too do all the old certainties and the old loyalties, ushering in a new era whose great gains also involve profound loss.

From a prize-winning German writer, this is the intimate and devastating story of the path of two lovers through the ruins of a relationship, set against the backdrop of a seismic period in European history”

April

BAIN DT Book Discussion – Tuesday, September 10 at 2 pm

Featured

On Tuesday, September 10, at 2 pm we will be discussing Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance. This is the second Tuesday of the month, as usual.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. The meeting will take place on Zoom or Google Meet.You will be sent the link upon RSVP.

A list of books we will be reading during the next months is included below. Suggestions are encouraged.

September

Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance. 2018, 388 pp.  From a former Marine and Yale Law School graduate now serving as a U.S. Senator from Ohio and the Republican Vice Presidential candidate for the 2024 election, an incisive account of growing up in a poor Rust Belt town that offers a broader, probing look at the struggles of America’s white working class.

THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

October – prep for November

The Trojan Women and Medea by Euripides.

November

Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon. 2024, pp 304. Historical fiction.  4.25 rating on Good Reads.  An utterly original celebration of that which binds humanity across battle lines and history. 

On the island of Sicily amid the Peloponnesian War, the Syracusans have figured out what to do with the surviving Athenians who had the gall to invade their city: they’ve herded the sorry prisoners of war into a rock quarry and left them to rot.

Told in a contemporary Irish voice and as riotously funny as it is deeply moving, Glorious Exploits is an unforgettable ode to the power of art in a time of war, brotherhood in a time of enmity, and human will throughout the ages.

December

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.  2021.  pp 128.  Historical fiction.  Ireland.  Christmas.  For us, an anti-Christmas Carol?  Already an international bestseller, Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope, quiet heroism, and empathy from one of our most critically lauded and iconic writers.
Booker Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2022)
Orwell Prize for Political Fiction (2022)Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award (2022)Writers’ Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2022)

January

What Could be Saved by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz. 2021.  pp 448.  A richly imagined page-turner that delivers twists alongside thought-provoking commentary. The novel is grounded in its deeply realized characters and the relationships among them, but the author layers in a consideration of power dynamics, racism, and privilege in a way that adds an undercurrent of realism and ugliness, particularly regarding the way the featured family lived in the ’70s. At the same time, the book is a gripping mystery that subtly ratchets up the tension with each chapter.

February

James by Percival Everett – 4.57 Goodreads rating – Historical fiction – pp 303, 2024.  A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim’s point of view.

Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.  Everett is a preeminent American author, and “James” is his sly response to “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” The title immediately suggests what he is up to with this subversive revision. In these pages, the enslaved man known as Jim can finally declare: “I will not let this condition define me. … My name became my own.” While Everett flashes his own brand of humor, the novel gathers speed and terror like a swelling storm. Its conclusion is equally shocking and exhilarating.

March

Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck.  Fiction, translated from German, 336 pages. 2023
“Berlin. 11 July 1986. They meet by chance on a bus. She is a young student, he is older and married. Theirs is an intense and sudden attraction, fueled by a shared passion for music and art, and heightened by the secrecy they must maintain. But when she strays for a single night he cannot forgive her and a dangerous crack forms between them, opening up a space for cruelty, punishment and the exertion of power. And the world around them is changing too: as the GDR begins to crumble, so too do all the old certainties and the old loyalties, ushering in a new era whose great gains also involve profound loss.

From a prize-winning German writer, this is the intimate and devastating story of the path of two lovers through the ruins of a relationship, set against the backdrop of a seismic period in European history”

April

The Wager:  A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann.   Non-fiction, 263 pages.  2023.  #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on The Wager, showing that it was not only the captain and crew who ended up on trial, but the very idea of empire.

Strictly Social — Friday, August 30, 6 to 8 pm, Kilkenny Irish Pub

Featured

On Friday, August 30th, from 6 to 8 pm. BAIN’s monthly Strictly Social event will take place on the first floor at the Kilkenny Irish Pub.  M.T. Alvear 399.  You can order and pay for your drinks directly at the upstairs bar.

BAIN members and guests are invited to come to socialize and enjoy delicious snacks and drinks.

Click to RSVP:  bainsocial@gmail.com  to assure we have ordered enough food for all of us.

Food is included in the entrance fee. Members and guests You pay for your own drinks.

Entrance to the event is 8000 pesos for BAIN members, 9000 pesos for guests. You can also join or pay your yearly dues of US$10 or the equivalent in pesos Argentinos at the blue rate.

Strictly Social — Friday, July 26, 6 to 8 pm — Boca del Toro at Pulitzer Hotel

Featured

On Friday, July 26th, from 6 to 8 pm. BAIN’s monthly Strictly Social event will take place at the Boca de Toro Club, lower level of the Pulitzer Hotel. Pulitzer Hotel Maipú 907 (corner of MT Alvear)

 We invite all our members and guests to come enjoy some delicious food and drinks.

Click to RSVP:  bainsocial@gmail.com  to assure we have ordered enough food for all of us.

Enjoy some delicious food which is included in the entrance fee.  Members and guests pay for their drinks. 

Entrance to the event is 7000 pesos for BAIN members, 8000 pesos for guests. You can also pay your yearly dues of US$10 or the equivalent in pesos Argentinos at the blue rate.

Boco.jpeg

BAIN DT Book Discussion — Tuesday, August 13 on Zoom — 2 pm

Featured

On Tuesday, August 13 pm we will be discussing Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. This is the second Tuesday of the month, as usual.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. The meeting will take place on Zoom.

You will be sent the Zoom link upon RSVP.

A list of books we will be reading during the next months is included below. Suggestions are encouraged.

August

Daughter of Time – – Josephine Tey – 1951.  Pp 206.  A really beautiful book (for a detective novel). “The book explores how history is constructed, and how certain versions of events come to be widely accepted as the truth, despite a lack of evidence and/or any logical plausibility. Grant comes to understand the ways in which myths or legends are constructed, and how in this case, the victorious Tudors saw to it that their version of history prevailed.”

September

James by Percival Everett – 4.57 Goodreads rating – Historical fiction – pp 303, 2024.  A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim’s point of view.

Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.  Everett is a preeminent American author, and “James” is his sly response to “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” The title immediately suggests what he is up to with this subversive revision. In these pages, the enslaved man known as Jim can finally declare: “I will not let this condition define me. … My name became my own.” While Everett flashes his own brand of humor, the novel gathers speed and terror like a swelling storm. Its conclusion is equally shocking and exhilarating.

October – prep for November

The Trojan Women and Medea by Euripides.

November

Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon. 2024, pp 304. Historical fiction.  4.25 rating on Good Reads.  An utterly original celebration of that which binds humanity across battle lines and history. 

On the island of Sicily amid the Peloponnesian War, the Syracusans have figured out what to do with the surviving Athenians who had the gall to invade their city: they’ve herded the sorry prisoners of war into a rock quarry and left them to rot.

Told in a contemporary Irish voice and as riotously funny as it is deeply moving, Glorious Exploits is an unforgettable ode to the power of art in a time of war, brotherhood in a time of enmity, and human will throughout the ages.

December

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.  2021.  Pp 128.  Historical fiction.  Ireland.  Christmas.  For us, an anti-Christmas Carol?  Already an international bestseller, Small Things Like These is a deeply affecting story of hope, quiet heroism, and empathy from one of our most critically lauded and iconic writers.
Booker Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2022)
Orwell Prize for Political Fiction (2022)Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award (2022)Writers’ Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2022)

January

What Could be Saved by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz. 2021.  Pp 448.  A richly imagined page-turner that delivers twists alongside thought-provoking commentary. The novel is grounded in its deeply realized characters and the relationships among them, but the author layers in a consideration of power dynamics, racism, and privilege in a way that adds an undercurrent of realism and ugliness, particularly regarding the way the featured family lived in the ’70s. At the same time, the book is a gripping mystery that subtly ratchets up the tension with each chapter.

BAIN Downtown Book Discussion — Tuesday, July 9 at 2 pm on Google Meet

Featured

On Tuesday, July 9, at 2 pm we will be discussing Mendeleyev’s Dream: The Quest for the Elements by Paul Strathern. This is the second Tuesday of the month, as usual. To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. The meeting will take place on Google Meet.

You will be sent the Google Meet link upon RSVP.

A list of potential books for us to read during the next months is available for your vote. If you would like to receive the list, please send a message to tonilin@aol.com. Don’t miss this chance to vote!

July — Mendeleyev’s Dream: The Quest for the Elements – Paul Strathern — 2019 — 314 pp 

The wondrous and illuminating story of humankind’s quest to discover the fundamentals of chemistry, culminating in Mendeleyev’s dream of the Periodic Table.

**One of Bill Gates’ Top Five Book Recommendations**

In 1869 Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleyev was puzzling over a way to bring order to the fledgling science of chemistry. Wearied by the effort, he fell asleep at his desk. What he dreamed would fundamentally change the way we see the world.

From ancient philosophy through medieval alchemy to the splitting of the atom, this is the true story of the birth of chemistry and the role of one man’s dream.

In this elegant, erudite, and entertaining book, Paul Strathern unravels the quixotic history of chemistry through the quest for the elements.

June Wine and Tapas, Friday June 14th 8 PM Recoleta

Featured

Join us for Wine & Tapas in Recoleta on Friday June 14th, from 8 pm til whenever the last person goes home!  Bring finger food and wine to share.

New to Buenos Aires? New to BAIN Downtown, or is this your first Wine & Tapas? It’s easier than you think! One of our members has graciously opened their doors to create a social environment for a limited number of BAIN members and guests.

Be sure to RSVP right away. RSVP: rentaplus@hotmail.com You will receive the address upon receipt of RSVP.

If you are interested in becoming one of these fabulous hosts or if you have any questions about the event, please contact Venetia Featherstone-Witty at her email address chefvenetia@yahoo.com

This event Is limited to current BAIN Downtown members only and their personal guests. It you are interested In becoming a member of BAIN Downtown, please contact bain.downtown@gmail.com

Wine & Tapas is held in a member’s private home. Please extend your host the courtesy of an RSVP, and if it turns out that you can’t come, inform your host of that fact in advance of the event.

Book Discussion – Tuesday, June 11 at 2 pm — Google Meets and in person

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On Tuesday, June 11, at 2 pm we will be discussing The Inventor and the Tycoon: A Gilded Age Murder and the Birth of Moving Pictures by Edward Ball. This is the second Tuesday of the month, as usual. To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. The in person meeting will be in Palermo Botanico.

You will be sent the Google Meet link or the physical address upon RSVP.

Suggestions for discussion in 2024 are welcome. Please send to tonilin@aol.com .

The list of the books for the next two months is included below. We changed the order of the books for June and July!! We still need to fill out the year, so suggestions are needed.

June – The Inventor and the Tycoon: A Gilded Age Murder and the Birth of Moving Pictures–Edward Ball – 2013 — 464 pages

From the National Book Award-winning author of Slaves in the Family, a riveting true life/true crime narrative of the partnership between the murderer who invented the movies and the robber baron who built the railroads.
  
Set in California during its frontier decades, The Tycoon and the Inventor interweaves Muybridge’s quest to unlock the secrets of motion through photography, an obsessive murder plot, and the peculiar partnership of an eccentric inventor and a driven entrepreneur. A tale from the great American West, this popular history unspools a story of passion, wealth, and sinister ingenuity.

July — Mendeleyev’s Dream: The Quest for the Elements – Paul Strathern — 2019 — 314 pp 

The wondrous and illuminating story of humankind’s quest to discover the fundamentals of chemistry, culminating in Mendeleyev’s dream of the Periodic Table.

**One of Bill Gates’ Top Five Book Recommendations**

In 1869 Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleyev was puzzling over a way to bring order to the fledgling science of chemistry. Wearied by the effort, he fell asleep at his desk. What he dreamed would fundamentally change the way we see the world.

From ancient philosophy through medieval alchemy to the splitting of the atom, this is the true story of the birth of chemistry and the role of one man’s dream.

In this elegant, erudite, and entertaining book, Paul Strathern unravels the quixotic history of chemistry through the quest for the elements.

Strictly Social – Friday, May 31 – 6 to 8 pm

Featured

On Friday, May 31, from 6 to 8 pm BAIN’s monthly Strictly Social event will take place at a new venue — the lower bar at Boca de Toro in the Hotel Pulitzer.

Please RSVP to assure we have ordered enough food for all of us. Entrance to the event is 6000 pesos for BAIN members, 7000 pesos for guests. You can also pay your yearly dues of US$10 or the equivalent in pesos Argentinos at the blue rate.

Bar: Boca de Toro Club — Piso -1 — Hotel Pulitzer

Address: Maipú 907

RSVP

Wine & Tapas – Recoleta – Saturday, May 11 – 8pm until ??

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Join us for Wine & Tapas in Recoleta on Saturday, May 11, from 8 pm til whenever the last person goes home!  Bring finger food and wine to share.

New to Buenos Aires? New to BAIN Downtown, or is this your first Wine & Tapas? It’s easier than you think! One of our members has graciously opened their doors to create a social environment for a limited number of BAIN members and guests.

Be sure to RSVP right away. RSVP: helenwilkie@me.com You will receive the address upon receipt of RSVP.

If you are interested in becoming one of these fabulous hosts or if you have any questions about the event, please contact Venetia Featherstone-Witty at her email address chefvenetia@yahoo.com

This event Is limited to current BAIN Downtown members only and their personal guests. It you are interested In becoming a member of BAIN Downtown, please contact bain.downtown@gmail.com

Wine & Tapas is held in a member’s private home. Please extend your host the courtesy of an RSVP, and if it turns out that you can’t come, inform your host of that fact in advance of the event.

Strictly Social — Friday, April 26 — 6-8 pm — Alambique

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On Friday, April 26, at 6 pm the BAIN monthly social will return to one of our favorite places — Alambique. Please RSVP to assure we have ordered enough food for all of us. Entrance to the event is 6000 pesos for BAIN members, 7000 pesos for guests. You can also pay your yearly dues of US$10 or the equivalent in pesos Argentinos.

Bar: Alambique

Address: Honduras 4413 

Directions to Alambique

RSVP

Book Discussion – Tuesday, May 14 – 2 pm – Google Meet and in person

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On Tuesday, May 14, at 2 pm we will be discussing The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by Jmes McBride. This is the second Tuesday of the month, as usual. To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. If you would like to meet in person, please resond to tonilin@aol.com. Or if you would like to offer a meeting place, please do.

You will be sent the Google Meet link or the physical address upon RSVP.

Suggestions for discussion in 2024 are welcome. Please send to tonilin@aol.com .

The list of the books for the beginning of 2024 is included below. We still need to fill out the year, so …

May–The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store – James McBride — 2023 – 400 pp

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR/FRESH AIR, WASHINGTON POST, THE NEW YORKER, AND TIME MAGAZINE

“A murder mystery locked inside a Great American Novel . . . Charming, smart, heart-blistering, and heart-healing.” —Danez Smith, The New York Times Book Review

“We all need—we all deserve—this vibrant, love-affirming novel that bounds over any difference that claims to separate us.” —Ron Charles, The Washington Post

Bringing his masterly storytelling skills and his deep faith in humanity to The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride has written a novel as compassionate as Deacon King Kong and as inventive as The Good Lord Bird.

June–Mendeleyev’s Dream: The Quest for the Elements–Paul Strathern– 2019–314 pp 

The wondrous and illuminating story of humankind’s quest to discover the fundamentals of chemistry, culminating in Mendeleyev’s dream of the Periodic Table.

**One of Bill Gates’ Top Five Book Recommendations**

In 1869 Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleyev was puzzling over a way to bring order to the fledgling science of chemistry. Wearied by the effort, he fell asleep at his desk. What he dreamed would fundamentally change the way we see the world.

From ancient philosophy through medieval alchemy to the splitting of the atom, this is the true story of the birth of chemistry and the role of one man’s dream.

In this elegant, erudite, and entertaining book, Paul Strathern unravels the quixotic history of chemistry through the quest for the elements.

July – The Inventor and the Tycoon: A Gilded Age Murder and the Birth of Moving Pictures–Edward Ball –2013–464 pages

From the National Book Award-winning author of Slaves in the Family, a riveting true life/true crime narrative of the partnership between the murderer who invented the movies and the robber baron who built the railroads.
  
Set in California during its frontier decades, The Tycoon and the Inventor interweaves Muybridge’s quest to unlock the secrets of motion through photography, an obsessive murder plot, and the peculiar partnership of an eccentric inventor and a driven entrepreneur. A tale from the great American West, this popular history unspools a story of passion, wealth, and sinister ingenuity.

Wine & Tapas – Friday, April 12 – Palermo Hollywood — 8 pm

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Join us for Wine & Tapas in Palermo Hollywood on Friday, April 12, from 8 pm til whenever the wine runs out! 

Be sure to RSVP right away.

RSVP: airyhillstudio@mac.com

You will receive the address upon receipt of RSVP

Bring finger food and wine to share.

New to Buenos Aires? New to BAIN Downtown, or is this your first Wine & Tapas? It’s easier than you think! One of our members has graciously opened their doors to create a social environment for a limited number of BAIN members and guests.

If you are interested in becoming one of these fabulous hosts or if you have any questions about the event, please contact Venetia Featherstone-Witty at her email address chefvenetia@yahoo.com

This event Is limited to current BAIN Downtown members only and their personal guests. It you are interested In becoming a member of BAIN Downtown, please contact bain.downtown@gmail.com

Wine & Tapas is held in a member’s private home. Please extend your host the courtesy of an RSVP, and if it turns out that you can’t come, inform your host of that fact in advance of the event.

Book Discussion – Tuesday, April 9 — 2 pm — Google Meet or in Person

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On Tuesday, April 9, at 2 pm we will be discussing The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth. This is the second Tuesday of the month, as usual. To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. If you would like to meet in person in Almagro, please resond to tonilin@aol.com. Or if you would like to offer an alternative meeting place, please do.

You will be sent the Google Meet link or the physical address upon RSVP.

Suggestions for discussion in 2024 are welcome. Please send to tonilin@aol.com .

The list of the books for the beginning of 2024 is included below. We still need to fill out the year, so …

April — The Golden Gate – Vikram Seth – 1986, verse – 320 pp

“The great California novel … , in verse (and why not?): The Golden Gate gives great joy.”—Gore Vidal

One of the most highly regarded novels of 1986, Vikram Seth’s story in verse made him a literary household name in both the United States and India. 

John Brown, a successful yuppie living in 1980s San Francisco meets a romantic interest in Liz, after placing a personal ad in the newspaper.

“A splendid achievement, equally convincing in its exhilaration and its sadness.”—The New York Times

“Seth pulls off his feat with spirit, grace and great energy.”—The New Yorker

“A marvelous work . . . bold and splendid . . . Locate this book and allow yourself to become caught up, like a kite, in the lifting effects of Seth’s sonnets.”—Washington Post Book World

May–The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store – James McBride — 2023 – 400 pp

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR/FRESH AIR, WASHINGTON POST, THE NEW YORKER, AND TIME MAGAZINE

“A murder mystery locked inside a Great American Novel . . . Charming, smart, heart-blistering, and heart-healing.” —Danez Smith, The New York Times Book Review

“We all need—we all deserve—this vibrant, love-affirming novel that bounds over any difference that claims to separate us.” —Ron Charles, The Washington Post

Bringing his masterly storytelling skills and his deep faith in humanity to The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride has written a novel as compassionate as Deacon King Kong and as inventive as The Good Lord Bird.

June–Mendeleyev’s Dream: The Quest for the Elements–Paul Strathern– 2019–314 pp 

The wondrous and illuminating story of humankind’s quest to discover the fundamentals of chemistry, culminating in Mendeleyev’s dream of the Periodic Table.

**One of Bill Gates’ Top Five Book Recommendations**

In 1869 Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleyev was puzzling over a way to bring order to the fledgling science of chemistry. Wearied by the effort, he fell asleep at his desk. What he dreamed would fundamentally change the way we see the world.

From ancient philosophy through medieval alchemy to the splitting of the atom, this is the true story of the birth of chemistry and the role of one man’s dream.

In this elegant, erudite, and entertaining book, Paul Strathern unravels the quixotic history of chemistry through the quest for the elements.

July – The Inventor and the Tycoon: A Gilded Age Murder and the Birth of Moving Pictures–Edward Ball –2013–464 pages

From the National Book Award-winning author of Slaves in the Family, a riveting true life/true crime narrative of the partnership between the murderer who invented the movies and the robber baron who built the railroads.
  
Set in California during its frontier decades, The Tycoon and the Inventor interweaves Muybridge’s quest to unlock the secrets of motion through photography, an obsessive murder plot, and the peculiar partnership of an eccentric inventor and a driven entrepreneur. A tale from the great American West, this popular history unspools a story of passion, wealth, and sinister ingenuity.

Strictly Social — Friday, March 29, Amores Tintos — 6 to 8 pm

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On Friday, March 29, at 6 pm the BAIN monthly social will return to one of our favorite places — AmoresTintos,  featuring a special treat, “La Hora de Vermú”. Please RSVP to assure we have ordered enough food for all of us. Entrance to the event is 6000 pesos for BAIN members, 7000 pesos for guests. You can also pay your yearly dues of US$10 or the equivalent in pesos Argentinos.

Directions to Amores Tintos — Soler 4202

RSVP

When you arrive, check in, and order your drinks.  There will be 5 tables pre-set inside with tableaux and 4 glasses to sample their artisanal vermú. Find your conversation group and grab a table inside or outside.  As tables fill up outside, they will bring the set-up. 

Don’t forget your Off! Mosquitos aren’t invited, but …

Here is a description of their special vermú:

Vermouth made by hand at Amores Tintos. It stands out for its balanced and delicate flavor of citrus fruits, herbal and spicy notes. The wine, the main ingredient of vermouth, was carefully selected. We make a Malbec Blend from Valle de Uco (Mendoza) and a Chardonnay from Valle de Pedernal (San Juan). Resulting in a fresh wine base, very fruity and excellent for macerating the herbs we select. Comes with a soda siphon.

Directions to Tintos Amore Soler 4202

RSVP

“Global Geopolitics and Economy” — Sunday, March 24, 7 pm in Villa Crespo

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On Sunday, March 24, at 7 pm, BAIN Member Patricio Castro will present a talk to those interested.  We will gather at a private home in Villa Crespo. The talk will be followed by the wine & tapas that you have brought!

Please RSVP to shulah2@gmail.com .  You will receive the address upon RSVP.

Subject: Global geopolitics and economy: outlook for 2024 and what this leap year could bring us

Patricio M. Castro’s CV:  Argentine engineer and economist, holds a degree in engineering from the University of Buenos Aires (Argentina) with post-graduate studies at Stanford University, California. Worked in the private sector in managerial positions at the Fate and Bunge & Born groups, and in the Argentine central administration, where he held the position of Under-Secretary of Public Function in 1987-1989; was a consultant to the World Bank and the Inter American Development Bank prior to joining the Fiscal Affairs Department (FAD) of the IMF in 1992 as Technical Assistance Advisor with expertise in customs, social security and tax administration. He retired from the IMF in 2014 as a Senior Economist at FAD and continues working with FAD as a consultant. During his career he has worked in tax and customs reform in many countries in Africa, South East Asia, and in most countries in Latin America. He has participated in numerous regional and international events and conferences on tax and customs issues, has published numerous papers on the subject and is coauthor of the IMF book “Changing Customs: Challenges and strategies for the reform of Customs Administration.”

Wine & Tapas – Saturday, March 16, Palermo Bosques, 8 to 11 pm

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Join us for Wine & Tapas in Palermo Bosques, on Saturday, March 16, from 8 to 11 pm! 

Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP right away.

RSVP: dblioness2000@yahoo.com

You will receive the address upon receipt of RSVP

Bring finger food and wine to share.

New to Buenos Aires? New to BAIN Downtown, or is this your first Wine & Tapas? It’s easier than you think! One of our members has graciously opened their doors to create a social environment for a limited number of BAIN members and guests.

If you are interested in becoming one of these fabulous hosts or if you have any questions about the event, please contact Venetia Featherstone-Witty at her email address chefvenetia@yahoo.com

This event Is limited to current BAIN Downtown members only and their personal guests. It you are interested In becoming a member of BAIN Downtown, please contact bain.downtown@gmail.com

Wine & Tapas is held in a member’s private home. Please extend your host the courtesy of an RSVP, and if it turns out that you can’t come, inform your host of that fact in advance of the event.

Strictly Social — Friday, February 23 — 6 to 8 pm

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This month we will enjoy the end-of-the-month BAIN Social evening on the back terrace of the La Rabieta microbrewery, at the Hipodromo in Palermo. 

The address of La Rabieta is Av. del Libertador 3949, corner of Bullrich and Libertador. At the Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo.

Directions to Rabieta

RSVP

BAIN provides the hors d’oeuvres, you provide the fun.

Fee is 6000 pesos for members, 7000 pesos for guests. Yearly membership is $US10 or the equivalent at the blue rate. If you join at the event, you pay as a member.

If you wish to join BAIN Downtown, the process will go faster if you fill out the membership form at https://baindowntown.com/new-members/membership-application/ before the social.

See you there!

Wine & Tapas — Friday, February 16 — 8 to 11 pm — San Telmo

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Join us for Wine & Tapas in San Telmo on Friday, February 16, from 8 to 11 pm!  Be aware there is an adorable and friendly cat on the premises!

Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP right away.

RSVP: vivi_fala@hotmail.com

You will receive the address upon receipt of RSVP

Bring finger food and wine to share.

New to Buenos Aires? New to BAIN Downtown, or is this your first Wine & Tapas? It’s easier than you think! One of our members has graciously opened their doors to create a social environment for a limited number of BAIN members and guests.

If you are interested in becoming one of these fabulous hosts or if you have any questions about the event, please contact Venetia Featherstone-Witty at her email address chefvenetia@yahoo.com

This event Is limited to current BAIN Downtown members only and their personal guests. It you are interested In becoming a member of BAIN Downtown, please contact bain.downtown@gmail.com

Wine & Tapas is held in a member’s private home. Please extend your host the courtesy of an RSVP, and if it turns out that you can’t come, inform your host of that fact in advance of the event.

Book Discussion — Tuesday, February 13, 2 pm — Where’d You Go, Bernadette

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On Tuesday, February 13, at 2 pm we will be discussing Where’d You Go, Bernadette. This is the second Tuesday of the month, as usual. To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com.

You will be sent the Google Meet link or the physical address upon RSVP.

Suggestions for discussion in 2024 are welcome. Please send to tonilin@aol.com .

The list of the books for the beginning of 2024 is included below. The list has recently changed, so check it twice, please.

February — Where’d You Go, Bernadette – Maria Semple — 2013, 352 pp

“Divinely funny, many-faceted novel…leaves convention behind… The tightly constructed WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE is written in many formats-e-mails, letters, F.B.I. documents, correspondence with a psychiatrist and even an emergency-room bill for a run-in between Bernadette and Audrey. Yet these pieces are strung together so wittily that Ms. Semple’s storytelling is always front and center, in sharp focus. You could stop and pay attention to how apt each new format is, how rarely she repeats herself and how imaginatively she unveils every bit of information. But you would have to stop laughing first.”―Janet Maslin, The New York Times

A wild ride.

Utterly delightful

March —  Moral Hazards — Tim Martin — 2020, 354 pp

The author, Tim Martin, will be with us to discuss the book.  If you would like to buy a copy of the book, please let Toni know.

“A woman fights to protect the victims of sexual violence in the world’s largest refugee camp in Martin’s debut political thriller.  … Martin’s prose is precise and powerful throughout this novel. …The deftly constructed characters help to give life to these issues while also involving readers in their particular plights.

A well-crafted novel that’s both informative and dramatically satisfying.​”  Kirkus Review

April — The Golden Gate – Vikram Seth – 1986, verse – 320 pp

“The great California novel … , in verse (and why not?): The Golden Gate gives great joy.”—Gore Vidal

One of the most highly regarded novels of 1986, Vikram Seth’s story in verse made him a literary household name in both the United States and India. 

John Brown, a successful yuppie living in 1980s San Francisco meets a romantic interest in Liz, after placing a personal ad in the newspaper.

“A splendid achievement, equally convincing in its exhilaration and its sadness.”—The New York Times

“Seth pulls off his feat with spirit, grace and great energy.”—The New Yorker

“A marvelous work . . . bold and splendid . . . Locate this book and allow yourself to become caught up, like a kite, in the lifting effects of Seth’s sonnets.”—Washington Post Book World

May–The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store – James McBride — 2023 – 400 pp

NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR/FRESH AIR, WASHINGTON POST, THE NEW YORKER, AND TIME MAGAZINE

“A murder mystery locked inside a Great American Novel . . . Charming, smart, heart-blistering, and heart-healing.” —Danez Smith, The New York Times Book Review

“We all need—we all deserve—this vibrant, love-affirming novel that bounds over any difference that claims to separate us.” —Ron Charles, The Washington Post

Bringing his masterly storytelling skills and his deep faith in humanity to The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, James McBride has written a novel as compassionate as Deacon King Kong and as inventive as The Good Lord Bird.

June–Mendeleyev’s Dream: The Quest for the Elements–Paul Strathern– 2019–314 pp 

The wondrous and illuminating story of humankind’s quest to discover the fundamentals of chemistry, culminating in Mendeleyev’s dream of the Periodic Table.

**One of Bill Gates’ Top Five Book Recommendations**

In 1869 Russian scientist Dmitri Mendeleyev was puzzling over a way to bring order to the fledgling science of chemistry. Wearied by the effort, he fell asleep at his desk. What he dreamed would fundamentally change the way we see the world.

From ancient philosophy through medieval alchemy to the splitting of the atom, this is the true story of the birth of chemistry and the role of one man’s dream.

In this elegant, erudite, and entertaining book, Paul Strathern unravels the quixotic history of chemistry through the quest for the elements.

July – The Inventor and the Tycoon: A Gilded Age Murder and the Birth of Moving Pictures–Edward Ball –2013–464 pages

From the National Book Award-winning author of Slaves in the Family, a riveting true life/true crime narrative of the partnership between the murderer who invented the movies and the robber baron who built the railroads.
  
Set in California during its frontier decades, The Tycoon and the Inventor interweaves Muybridge’s quest to unlock the secrets of motion through photography, an obsessive murder plot, and the peculiar partnership of an eccentric inventor and a driven entrepreneur. A tale from the great American West, this popular history unspools a story of passion, wealth, and sinister ingenuity.

Strictly Social — Friday, January 26 — The Kilkenny Bar & Grill — 6 to 8 pm

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This month we will enjoy the end-of-the-month BAIN Social evening at The Kilkenny Bar & Grill on Friday, January 26 from 6 to 8 pm. We will be gathering back by the fireplace. 

Please RSVP (link below) to make sure we have enough provisions for you.

The address of The Kilkenny is Marcelo T. de Alvear 399.

Directions to Kilkenny bar

RSVP

BAIN provides the hors d’oeuvres, you provide the fun.

Fee is 5000 pesos for members, 6000 pesos for guests. Yearly membership is $US10 or the equivalent at the blue rate. If you join at the event, you pay as a member.

Book Discussion — Irregular Time — 2 pm, Monday, January 8 — Google Meet

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On Monday, January 8, 2024 we will be discussing Guest by Emma Cline. We usually meet on the second Tuesday of the month, but this month, exceptionally, we meet a day earlier. To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com.

You will be sent the Google Meet link upon RSVP.

Suggestions for books to discuss in 2024 are needed. Please send to tonilin@aol.com .

The list of the books for January and February 2024 is included below.

January 8, 2024    The Guest by Emma Cline – 2023, 294 pp.  From NYT review, “Under Cline’s command, every sentence as sharp as a scalpel, a woman toeing the line between welcome and unwelcome guest becomes a fully destabilizing force. And not just for her hosts, but for the novel itself.”

February 13, 2024    Moral Hazards by Tim Martin — 2020, 354 pp.  The author, Tim Martin, will be with us to discuss the book.  If you would like to buy a copy of the book, please let Toni know.

“A woman fights to protect the victims of sexual violence in the world’s largest refugee camp in Martin’s debut political thriller.  … Martin’s prose is precise and powerful throughout this novel. …The deftly constructed characters help to give life to these issues while also involving readers in their particular plights.”

“A well-crafted novel that’s both informative and dramatically satisfying.”  Kirkus Review

Wine & Tapas — Saturday, January 13 — 8 to 11 pm — Palermo

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Join us for Wine & Tapas in Palermo on Saturday, January 13, from 8 to 11 pm!  Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP right away.

RSVP: jisaacs61@hotmail.com

You will receive the address upon receipt of RSVP

Bring finger food and wine to share.

New to Buenos Aires? New to BAIN Downtown, or is this your first Wine & Tapas? It’s easier than you think! One of our members has graciously opened their doors to create a social environment for a limited number of BAIN members and guests.

If you are interested in becoming one of these fabulous hosts or if you have any questions about the event, please contact Venetia Featherstone-Witty at her email address chefvenetia@yahoo.com

This event Is limited to current BAIN Downtown members only and their personal guests. It you are interested In becoming a member of BAIN Downtown, please contact bain.downtown@gmail.com

Wine & Tapas is held in a member’s private home. Please extend your host the courtesy of an RSVP, and if it turns out that you can’t come, inform your host of that fact in advance of the event.

Wine & Tapas — Saturday, December 16, 8 to 11 pm, in Recoleta

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Join us for Wine & Tapas in Recoleta on Saturday, December 16, from 8 to 11 pm!  Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP right away.

RSVP: sailingnakamakula@gmail.com

You will receive the address upon receipt of RSVP

Bring finger food and wine to share.

New to Buenos Aires? New to BAIN Downtown, or is this your first Wine & Tapas? It’s easier than you think! One of our members has graciously opened their doors to create a social environment for a limited number of BAIN members and guests.

If you are interested in becoming one of these fabulous hosts or if you have any questions about the event, please contact Venetia Featherstone-Witty at her email address chefvenetia@yahoo.com

This event Is limited to current BAIN Downtown members only and their personal guests. It you are interested In becoming a member of BAIN Downtown, please contact bain.downtown@gmail.com

Wine & Tapas is held in a member’s private home. Please extend your host the courtesy of an RSVP, and if it turns out that you can’t come, inform your host of that fact in advance of the event.

Book Group Discussion — Tuesday, December 12 — 2pm on Google Meet

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On Tuesday, December 12, 2023 we will be discussing  Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout. This is the second Tuesday of the month, as usual. To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com.

You will be sent the Google Meet link or the physical address upon RSVP.

Suggestions for discussion in 2024 are welcome. Please send to tonilin@aol.com .

The list of the books for the rest of 2023 and January 2024 is included below. The list has recently changed, so check it twice, please.

December 12, 2023  Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout – 2022, 304 pp.  – from Amazon, “NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From Pulitzer Prize–winning author Elizabeth Strout comes a poignant, pitch-perfect novel about a divorced couple stuck together during lockdown—and the love, loss, despair, and hope that animate us even as the world seems to be falling apart.

“Strout’s understanding of the human condition is capacious.”—NPR”

January 9, 2024    The Guest by Emma Cline – 2023, 294 pp.  From NYT review, “Under Cline’s command, every sentence as sharp as a scalpel, a woman toeing the line between welcome and unwelcome guest becomes a fully destabilizing force. And not just for her hosts, but for the novel itself.”

BAIN Holiday Party — Palacio Balcarce — Thursday, December 7 — RSVP!

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Please join us on Thursday, December 7 at 8pm at Palacio Balcarce for the BAIN Holiday Dinner.   Payment of ARS$21,000 for members and ARS$26,000 for guests is due on or before November 24; no refunds can be made due to venue policy.

    RSVP and make your menu choices on this form.

Payment accepted:

  • in person at a BAIN event (Wine and Tapas on November 17 or End of Month Social on November 24)
  • by any Board Member
  • via bank transfer to Toni (contact via email: tonilin@aol.com)

Please pay a BAIN board member on or before November 24.  If you will be attending the Wine & Tapas, you can certainly pay then.  Or you can pay at the Strictly Social event at Novotel on November 24. Otherwise, get together with a board member at a place of your choice.  Please pay in cash. 

Cliff Williamson cliff@transpack.com.ar

Jennifer Griffith  jgriffiti@gmail.com

Venetia Featherstone-Witty  chefvenetia@yahoo.com

Silvia Simonetti   silvia_simonetti@hotmail.com

Wendy Huebner    tangonomad7@gmail.com

Silvia Portalanza    silporta@hotmail.com

Toni Quintana   tonilin@aol.com

Strictly Social — Friday, November 24 from 6 to 8 pm — Patio #378 in the Novotel Hotel

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This month we will enjoy the evening at Patio #378, on the ground floor of the Novotel Hotel. Please RSVP (link below) to make sure we have enough provisions for you.

The address of Patio #378 in the Hotel Novotel is Corrientes 1334

DIRECTIONS to NOVOTEL

RSVP

BAIN provides the hors d’oeuvres, you provide the fun.

Fee is 5000 pesos for members, 6000 pesos for guests. Yearly membership is 3000 pesos. If you join at the event, you pay as a member.

An important upcoming event — RSVP now: December 7, Holiday Dinner at Palacio Balcarce. Watch the BAIN Downtown website and your email inbox for details.

Wine & Tapas — Friday, November 17 — 7:30pm to 11 pm — Palermo

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Join us for Wine & Tapas in Palermo on Friday, November 17, from 7:30 to 11 pm!  Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP right away.

RSVP: philip_holmes_uk@hotmail.com

You will receive the address upon receipt of RSVP

Bring finger food and wine to share.

New to Buenos Aires? New to BAIN Downtown, or is this your first Wine & Tapas? It’s easier than you think! One of our members has graciously opened their doors to create a social environment for a limited number of BAIN members and guests.

If you are interested in becoming one of these fabulous hosts or if you have any questions about the event, please contact Venetia Featherstone-Witty at her email address chefvenetia@yahoo.com

This event Is limited to current BAIN Downtown members only and their personal guests. It you are interested In becoming a member of BAIN Downtown, please contact bain.downtown@gmail.com

Wine & Tapas is held in a member’s private home. Please extend your host the courtesy of an RSVP, and if it turns out that you can’t come, inform your host of that fact in advance of the event.

Strictly Social — Friday, October 27, 6 to 8 pm — Kansas Grill & Bar, Barrio Norte

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This month we will enjoy the outdoor patio at Kansas (in case of rain we will meet on piso 2). Please RSVP (link below) to make sure we have enough provisions for you.

Kansas Grill & Bar is located at Avenida Santa Fe 1946.

BAIN provides the hors d’oeuvres, you provide the fun.

Fee is 5000 pesos for members, 6000 pesos for guests. Yearly membership is 3000 pesos. If you join at the event, you pay as a member.

Directions to Kansas

RSVP

Some upcoming events so you can be sure to save the dates: October 28, Ladies Lunch; November 17, Wine & Tapas in Palermo; November 24, Strictly Social, probably at Olympo; December 7, Holiday Dinner at Palacio Balcarce. Lots going on. Watch the BAIN Downtown website and your email inbox for details.

Book Discussion — Tuesday, November 14, at 2 pm on Google Meet

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On Tuesday, November 14, 2023 we will be discussing  Kindred by Octavia Butler. This is the second Tuesday of the month, as usual. To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com.

You will be sent the Google Meet link or the physical address upon RSVP.

We have added two additional books at the end of the list (December and January). Please investigate availability as the last one was just published in 2023.

The list of the books for the rest of 2023 and January 2024 is included below. The list has recently changed, so check it twice, please.

November 14    Kindred by Octavia Butler – 2009, 264 pp. “In what is considered a literary masterpiece and Butler’s most popular novel, Kindred follows a young Black woman named Dana. Though she lives in 1976 L.A., she’s suddenly transported to a Civil War-era plantation in Maryland. Soon, the more frequently Dana travels back in time, the longer she stays, as she faces a danger that threatens her life in the future.”

December 12, 2023  Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout – 2022, 304 pp.  – from Amazon, “NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From Pulitzer Prize–winning author Elizabeth Strout comes a poignant, pitch-perfect novel about a divorced couple stuck together during lockdown—and the love, loss, despair, and hope that animate us even as the world seems to be falling apart.

“Strout’s understanding of the human condition is capacious.”—NPR”

January 9, 2024    The Guest by Emma Cline – 2023, 294 pp.  From NYT review, “Under Cline’s command, every sentence as sharp as a scalpel, a woman toeing the line between welcome and unwelcome guest becomes a fully destabilizing force. And not just for her hosts, but for the novel itself.”

Wine & Tapas — Saturday, October 14, 2023 — 7 to 11 pm — Recoleta

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Join us for Wine & Tapas in Recoleta on Saturday, October 14, from 7 to 11 pm!  Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP right away.

RSVP: beth@eviking.com

You will receive the address upon receipt of RSVP

Bring finger food and wine to share.

New to Buenos Aires? New to BAIN Downtown, or is this your first Wine & Tapas? It’s easier than you think! One of our members has graciously opened their doors to create a social environment for a limited number of BAIN members and guests.

If you are interested in becoming one of these fabulous hosts or if you have any questions about the event, please contact Venetia Featherstone-Witty at her email address chefvenetia@yahoo.com

This event Is limited to current BAIN Downtown members only and their personal guests. It you are interested In becoming a member of BAIN Downtown, please contact bain.downtown@gmail.com

Wine & Tapas is held in a member’s private home. Please extend your host the courtesy of an RSVP, and if it turns out that you can’t come, inform your host of that fact in advance of the event.

Strictly Social — Friday, September 29 — Amores Tintos — 6 to 8 pm

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Returning to a recent and much liked location, Amores Tintos.  Join BAIN members, catch up, celebrate a beautiful evening, pay your dues, invite friends.  RSVP so we are sure to have enough appetizers for all.

RSVP

Location:  Amores Tintos, Soler 4202 

Time:  18:00-20:00

directions

Wine bar with wines on tap.  “Try before you buy.”

Weather permitting we will be in the lovely outdoors space with canopy.

Members:  2000 pesos

Guests: 3000 pesos

Yearly membership:  3000 pesos

If you join at the meeting, you attend as a member.

BAIN Book Group — Tuesday, October 10 at 2 pm — virtually or in person

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On Tuesday, October 10, 2023 we will be discussing  Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson. This is the second Tuesday of the month, as usual. To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com.

You will be sent the Google Meet link or the physical address upon RSVP.

We have added two additional books at the end of the list (December and January). Please investigate availability as the last one was just published in 2023.

The list of the books for the rest of 2023 and January 2024 is included below. The list has recently changed, so check it twice, please.

October 10, 2023    Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson – 2022, 192 pp.   ONE OF BARACK OBAMA’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2022 * An NPR and Time Best Book of the Year * Longlisted for the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize (Canada) * Finalist for CALIBA’s 2022 Golden Poppy Awards

A successful art dealer confesses the story of his meteoric rise in this “powerful, intoxicating, and shocking” (The New York Times) novel that’s a “slow burn à la Patricia Highsmith” (Oprah Daily). “You’ll struggle not to rip through in one sitting” (Vogue).

November 14    Kindred by Octavia Butler – 2009, 264 pp. “In what is considered a literary masterpiece and Butler’s most popular novel, Kindred follows a young Black woman named Dana. Though she lives in 1976 L.A., she’s suddenly transported to a Civil War-era plantation in Maryland. Soon, the more frequently Dana travels back in time, the longer she stays, as she faces a danger that threatens her life in the future.”

December 12, 2023  Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout – 2022, 304 pp.  – from Amazon, “NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From Pulitzer Prize–winning author Elizabeth Strout comes a poignant, pitch-perfect novel about a divorced couple stuck together during lockdown—and the love, loss, despair, and hope that animate us even as the world seems to be falling apart.

“Strout’s understanding of the human condition is capacious.”—NPR”

January 9, 2024    The Guest by Emma Cline – 2023, 294 pp.  From NYT review, “Under Cline’s command, every sentence as sharp as a scalpel, a woman toeing the line between welcome and unwelcome guest becomes a fully destabilizing force. And not just for her hosts, but for the novel itself.”

Book Discussion — Tuesday, September 12 — 2 pm on Google Meet

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On Tuesday, September 12, at 2 pm we will be discussing Silverview by John le Carré. This is the second Tuesday of the month, as usual. To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com.

You will be sent the Google Meet link upon RSVP.

It would be good to add two additional books to the list so there is no discontinuity. Come with suggestions, please. And/or email suggested titles in advance.

The list of the books for the rest of 2023 is included below. The list has recently changed, so check it twice, please.

September 12, 2023   Silverview by John le Carré – 2021 – 215 pp.     In his last completed novel, John le Carré turns his focus to the world that occupied his writing for the past sixty years—the secret world itself.

“[Le Carré] was often considered one of the finest novelists, period, since World War II. It’s not that he ‘transcended the genre,’ as the tired saying goes; it’s that he elevated the level of play… [Silverview’s] sense of moral ambivalence remains exquisitely calibrated.” —The New York Times Book Review

Silverview is the mesmerizing story of an encounter between innocence and experience and between public duty and private morals. In his inimitable voice John le Carré, the greatest chronicler of our age, seeks to answer the question of what we truly owe to the people we love.

October 10, 2023    Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson – 2022, 192 pp.   ONE OF BARACK OBAMA’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2022 * An NPR and Time Best Book of the Year * Longlisted for the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize (Canada) * Finalist for CALIBA’s 2022 Golden Poppy Awards

A successful art dealer confesses the story of his meteoric rise in this “powerful, intoxicating, and shocking” (The New York Times) novel that’s a “slow burn à la Patricia Highsmith” (Oprah Daily). “You’ll struggle not to rip through in one sitting” (Vogue).

November 14, 2021   Kindred by  Octavia Butler – 2009, 264 pp. “In what is considered a literary masterpiece and Butler’s most popular novel, Kindred follows a young Black woman named Dana. Though she lives in 1976 L.A., she’s suddenly transported to a Civil War-era plantation in Maryland. Soon, the more frequently Dana travels back in time, the longer she stays, as she faces a danger that threatens her life in the future.”

BAIN Book Discussion – Tuesday, December 9 at 2 pm — on Zoom

On Tuesday, December 9, at 2 pm, we will be discussing West by Carys Davies. This meeting takes place on the second Tuesday of the month, as usual. It will be a virtual meeting, on Zoom.

To RSVP, please email tonilin@aol.com. You will be sent the link upon RSVP.

We have put together the schedule below for future reading. Comments are welcome.

December 2025 —  West by Carys Davies, 2018, Goodreads 3.71, 160 pp.     Stunning debut novel (The Guardian). One of the most unsettling elements is Davies’s vein of dark, gleaming humour. Her writing manages the odd feat of seeming both timeless and historically specific, and her comedy is no exception.

January 2026We Should Not Be Friends by Will Schwalbe [Memoir], 336 pp., 2023. “An unexpected page-turner that may inspire readers to reach out to old friends. This delicate memoir tracks their intermittent friendship, from initiation into one of Yale’s secret societies to thirty-five-year college reunion. Schwalbe overcomes the perspectival limitations of memoir-writing by allowing himself access to his friend’s thoughts, notably in rhapsodic contemplations of the sea surrounding the Bahamian island where Maxey ultimately finds purpose.” —The New Yorker

February 2026 —  Horse by Geraldine Brooks, historical fiction, 2022, Goodreads 4.26, 400 pp.   “[A] sweeping tale . . . fluid, masterful storytelling … [Brooks] writes about our present in such a way that the tangled roots of history, just beneath the story, are both subtle and undeniable … Horse is a reminder of the simple, primal power an author can summon by creating characters readers care about and telling a story about them—the same power that so terrifies the people so desperately trying to get Toni Morrison banned from their children’s reading lists.”— Maggie Shipstead, The Washington Post

March 2026Knowing What We Know by Simon Winchester, nonfiction,  Goodreads 3.83, 423 pp.  2023.  “A delightful compendium of the kind of facts you immediately want to share with anyone you encounter . . . . Simon Winchester has firmly earned his place in history . . . as a promulgator of knowledge of every variety, perhaps the last of the famous explorers who crisscrossed the now-vanished British Empire and reported what they found to an astonished world.”  — New York Times

From the creation of the first encyclopedia to Wikipedia, from ancient museums to modern kindergarten classes—this is award winning writer Simon Winchester’s brilliant and all-encompassing look at how humans acquire, retain, and pass on information and data, and how technology continues to change our lives and our minds.

April 2026 — Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, 2014, 297 pages, A literary novel. Alex read this book in one day. The story grabbed her and took her on a sweet, sad journey of one family. Well written from start to finish, it unfolds nicely so you truly understand each person and relationship. The story involves family dynamics, teenager’s angst, relationships, race and makes you realize how hard it is to be different from everyone around you.