The Books

2023: BARON HIGHLIGHTS of 2023: 

- January brought Cheez Wiz, Lone Star beer, gumbo and tales of East Texas family dysfunction in Liar's Club by Mary Karr at the Shadpad.

- February, a discussion of  Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh at Baron Sykes's St. Mary's flophouse/office complete with fish, chips, Bass, and Sykes/Clayton's dueling stories of visiting the UK.

- A March Texas History sidetrack into the 25th Anniversary of Waco (book by Jeff Guinn), hosted by Clayon, where we finally got to the bottom of Ash's Branch Davidian past and heard from a defense attorney who defended the Waco-s.  

- A King William Parade complete with a FLOAT and a KING GEBBIA aka Baron of the Year  as well as a post-party at Baron Zane's.  A YEARLY HIGHLIGHT.

- May brought a LAKE TRIP to the Karl compound, complete with a huge storm, a boat tour and a book nobody read (Goodbye to a River by John Graves) except Baron Brad, who allegedly did and was voted in.

- May also brought an old school Allensworth meeting at the Shadpad: discussing David Mamet's Glengary Glen Ross, another book nobody read, but hey, we all saw the movie, we all got coffee, and we heard from our resident salesmen what it's really like to sell. Aren't we all always selling, said someone?

- A June pool party at Baron Ash's for Black Ops by Ric Prado  to discuss war and the CIA. 

- In July, Baron Leo's Senegalese food highlighted something new to all of us about WWI: French-African soldiers conscripted to fight in the Great War. Also, a disturbing ending of David Diop's haunting short novel At Night All Blood is Black that only Baron Ritterbush could decipher for us.

- August brought The Screwtape Letters, hosted by Clayton, a classic book by C.S. Lewis that none of us liked except our newest member and religion/journalism/history triple-major James Kelly.

- In September, we met in a Mine Shaft to discuss Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, a return to Tom Robbins and a treasured dive bar.

- In October, again we wrote short stories, and then discussed them at the Shadpad in what was an epic meeting of positivity and good humor. Congrats to our winners Barons Haden, Moore, and Shaddock. 

- November brought a Country of Bad Wolfes by James Carlos Blake, a meeting with nothing but good vibes at RJs house: fantastic food, fascinating conversation, and a pesky mis-firing BB gun.

- December again meant the Alamo Bowl and a college football book about UM and Coach Harbough (Ben Mathis-Lily's The Hot Seat), and we even made it to the end of the game without falling over the railing!

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