Book Club

Sun., May 23, 1999

Name: The Thursday Night Book Club.

City: Spokane.

Group history: Group of 12 women has been together nine years. Meets monthly, except summers, rotating between individual members’ homes. Usually the host does not facilitate the meeting. Chooses books through process in which each member nominates favorites, makes a pitch, and then the group as a whole votes on top 10. Reads an eclectic selection, including the occasional classic and nonfiction book, but mostly contemporary fiction.

Book reviewed: “Straight Man” (Vintage Contemporaries, 416 pages, $13 paper) by Richard Russo.

Group representative: Tami Rossi.

The review: Known for his biting humor, Russo is the author of “Nobody’s Fool” and “The Risk Pool.” “Straight Man” tells the story of a college professor who, in the midst of something approaching a midlife crisis, is forced to deal with a series of humorous developments. “This book is hysterically funny,” Rossi says. Even so, she explains that the group’s overall reaction varied widely. Some enjoyed the humor, but others found the book’s protagonist glib, lacking depth and ultimately irritating.

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