It’s time to pick the first book for the book club.  The club is open to both members and non-members.  The way it will work is we’ll decide on a book, take one month to read it, then discuss it online via skype chat.

I’ve chosen six books to choose from.  Please pick one by commenting on this post, in the forum under books, or email me at
holly@nwflaa.com.  The book with the most votes will be the first book read.  The deadline to pick the first book is February 17th.

Book #1 – Private Lives of the Impressionists by Sue Roe.  Paperback – 368pp  Barnes & Noble – $14.39

Brief Synopsis – “This intimate, colorful, superbly researched account takes us into their (Manet, Monet, Pissaro, Cezanne, Renoir, Degas, etc.) homes and studios, and describes their unconventional, volatile and precarious lives, as well as the stories behind the paintings.”

Book #2 – The Joke’s Over by Ralph Steadman.  Paperback – 416pp  Barnes & Noble – $14.25

Brief Synopsis – “In the spring of 1970, artist Ralph Steadman went to America in search of work and found more than he bargained for when he met Hunter S. Thompson at the Kentucky Derby.  Their remarkable collaboration resulted in the now legendary Gonzo Journalism, which would document the civil rights movement, the Nixon administration, Watergate, and the many bizarre and great events that shaped the second half of the twentieth century.  When Thompson committed suicide in 2005, it was the end of a unique friendship filled with both betrayal and understanding.  A rollicking, no-holds-barred memoir, The Joke’s Over is the definitive inside story of the Gonzo years.”

Book #3 – The Yellow House by Martin Gayford.  Paperback – 352pp  Barnes & Noble – $11.96

Brief Synopsis – “From October to December of 1888, Paul Gaugin shared a yellow house in the south of France with Vincent van Gogh.  They were the odd couple of the art world – one calm, the other volatile – and the denouement of their living arrangement was explosive.  The Yellow House is a singular biographical work, as dramatic and vibrant as the work of these brilliant artists.”

Book #4 – Dorthea Lange by Linda Gordon.  Hardcover – 624pp  Barnes & Noble – $28.00

Brief Synopsis – “Dorthea Lange’s photographs define how we remember the Depression generation; now an evocative biography defines her creative struggles and enduring legacy.”

Book #5 – Provenance by Laney Salsbury and Aly Sujo.  Hardcover – 352pp  Barnes & Noble – $21.56

Brief Synopsis – “A tautly paced investigation of one of the 20th century’s most audacious art fraud, which generated hundreds of forgeries – many of them still hanging in prominent museums and private collections today.  Provenance reads like a well-plotted thriller, filled with unforgettable characters and told at a breakneck pace.  But this is certainly not fiction; Provenance is meticulously researched and captivating account of one of the greatest cons in the history of art forgery.”

Book #6 – The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel.  Hardcover – 496pp  Barnes & Noble – $16.19

Brief Synopsis – “Focusing on the eleven-month period between D-Day and V-E Day, this fascinating account follows six Monuments Men (American and British museum directors, curators, art historians, etc.) and their impossible mission to save the world’s great art from the Nazis.”