Being in a book club that is 80% female would usually mean reading a lot of "Eat Pray Love", "The Red Tent", and "The Notebook". Luckily, even though my group only has a 20% geek ratio [me and the other male (who plays D&D with me on weekends)], we still get some great, geeky books.

This month, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

A book about magicians in the early 1800's in England during the Napoleonic Wars??? YES PLEASE!

You'll find a very long tale (864 pages) full of 1800 colliquilism and spelling as the author fills us in on all that is magical in England in the year 1808. The tone and description really make me feel like I'm in a sooty, foggy England of aristocrats and faeries. I always enjoy a book with footnotes, and JS&N creates a world full of magical literature and critical reviews.

If you have the time for such a lengthy book... or can convince eight women that they should join you in reading all about magic, spells, and 19th century England, pick this up.