Embedded Files
2024
Short Stories 2024 by the Oil Barons of South Texas (October) hosted by Matthew Shaddock.
The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson (September) hosted by Armand Fermin at Chris Karl's Lakehouse on Lake LBJ
To Hell and Back by Audie Murphy (August) hosted by Joe McCormick at Baron Ash's pool.
Brilliant Orange: the Neurotic Genius of Dutch Soccer by David Winner (June) co-hosted by Clayton Haden and Matthew Shaddock at Toyota Stadium for the San Antonio Futbol Club game on June 1st vs. Memphis 801.
Bianca Bosker's fantastic book, Get the Picture (May) was hosted by Baron Ash at the Gallery of Alberto Gonzalez in the Lone Star/South Town art district, followed by a racous meeting afterwards at Kunstler Brewing Company
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger (April) - a Parent Night Steak Dinner hosted by Matthew Shaddock at the Shadpad.
Dune Messiah by Frank Hebert (March) hosted by Brien Mayoral at Armand Fermin's backyard for a boisterous going away party for Baron Bobby Gebbia.
The Wager by David Grann (January) hosted by Armand Fermin in his fine back yard setup.
2023
The Hot Seat by Ben Mathis-Lily (December) hosted by Matthew Shaddock with a tailgae at the 2023 Valero Alamo Bowl between Oklahoma University and the Arizona Wildcats.
Country of Bad Wolfes by James Carlos Blake (November) - a meeting with nothing but good vibes at RJ Rowntrees's house: fantastic food, fascinating conversation, and a pesky mis-firing BB gun.
Short Stories by the Oil Barons of South Texas (October) - for the second consecutive year, 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.
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins - (September), Chris Karl hosted us at the Mine Shaft Saloon to discuss the book at a treasured dive bar.
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis (August ) hosted by Clayton, a classic book that none of us liked except our newest member and religion/journalism/history triple-major James Kelly.
At Night All Blood is Black by David Diop's (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 of note, the disturbing ending of a haunting short novel that only Baron Ritterbush could decipher for us.
Black Ops: The Life of a CIA Shadow Warrior by Ric Prado (June ) was hosted by Joe McCormick with a pool party at Baron Ash's for to discuss war and the CIA.
David Mamet's Glengary Glen Ross (May) brought an old school Allensworth meeting at the Shadpad hostedy by Clayton Haden: discussing, 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?
Goodbye to a River by John Graves (May) brought a LAKE TRIP to the Karl compound, complete with a huge storm, a boat tour and a book nobody read except Baron Brad, who allegedly did and was voted in.
Aril brought 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.
Waco by Jeff Guinn (March) Texas History sidetrack into the 25th Anniversary of the tragic events, 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
Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh (February), a discussion of at Baron Sykes's St. Mary's flophouse/office complete with fish, chips, Bass, and Sykes/Clayton's dueling stories of visiting the UK.
Liar's Club by Mary Karr (January) - brought Cheez Wiz, Lone Star beer, gumbo and tales of East Texas family dysfunction at the Shadpad.
2022
Take it Like A Man: the Autobiography of Boy George (December) at the home of Armand Fermin in Southtown, San Antonio, before attending the Alamo Bowl at the San Antonio Alamodome between University of Texas and University of Washington
Short Stores by the Oil Barons of South Texas and Waterloo (October) a night of literary criticism and awards hosted by Clayton Haden at The Cottage Irish Pub.
The End of the World is just the Beginning. Mapping the Collapse of Globalization by Peter Zeihan (September) hosted by Joe McCormick at Baron Armand's house.
The Greatest Gambling Story Ever Told by Mark Paul (August) hosted by Baron Sean Capo at his new back yard pool.
Empire of the Scalpel: The History of Surgery by Ira Rutkow M.D. (June) - hosted by Armand Fermin at Kuenstler Brewery.
The Magic Christrian by Terry Southern (May) at the pool of Baron Ash Penix, host RJ Rowntree provided Hot Dogs for the Barons, for less than the Guy Grand price of $500 per, as well as burgers and chili (hopefully not made of animal waste and filled with $1,000 bills like the Guy Grand Animal Soup).
Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time (April) hosted at The Cove the San Antonio College Scobee Planetarium by Br. Shaddock.
Forget the Alamo by Bryan Burrough, Christ Tomlinson, and Jason Stanford (March) hosted by Armand Fermin in his back yard, including a video conversation with the author.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (February) hosted by Justin Barbour at Beethoven Maennerchor.
Contrabando by Don Henry Ford, Jr. (January) hosted by Baron Tanner Neidhart at a joint meeting and chili cookoff with the Waterloo Barons at the Red Fox Ranch in Dripping Springs, TX.
2021
Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell hosted by Sean Caporaletti at an undisclosed AirBnb near Fort Sam Houston.(December).
Imperium by Robert Harris (November) at the appropriately-themed Mediterranean manor of equestrian class member Baron James Sykes, he of considerable historical, cultural and trivial knowledge of ancient Rome.
Justine by Lawrence Durrells hosted by Leo Barrios (October).
The Dude and the Zen Master by Jeff Bridges and Bernie Glassman hosted by Ali Fadel at Ashley Penix's house (August).
Dark Invasion by Howard Blum hosted by Armand Fermin (July).
Dune by Frank Herbert hosted by Brien Mayoral at Brick at Blue Star (June).
Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth by Avi Loeb, hosted by Bobby Gebbia (May)
Steve Martin's Born Standing Up hosted by Clayton Haden at the Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club (April).
Gomorrah by Roberto Saviano hosted by Matthew Shaddock (March)
Green Lights by Matthew McConaughey hosted by Matthew Shaddock (February)
Rebel Yell by S.C. Wynne hosted by Brien Mayoral (January)
2020
Baron Morale Night at Saint Mary's Airbnb hosted by James Moore
Runnin' with the Devil by Joe Layden and Neil Monk hosted by Bobby Gebbia at Bond's Rock Bar
Tunnels of Cu Chi by Tom Mangold hosted by RJ Rowntree
Greedy Bastards: One City's Texas-Size Struggle to Avoid a Financial Crisis by Cheryl Sculley hosted by James Sykes
The Wax Pack: On the Open Road in Search of Baseball's Afterlife by Brad Balukjian, hosted by Sean Caporaletti at Adapt Architecture
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles hosted by Clayton Haden in the Babe Ruth Suite at the Menger Hotel
Genearation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America by Bruce Gibney hosted by James Sykes at the Chris Karl family lake house
The Autobiography of Gucci Mane hosted by James Sykes on Zoom
Cornbread Mafia by James Higdon hosted by James Moore on Zoom.
Lancelot by Walker Percey hosted by Clayton Haden at the Klingenhoffer House
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummings hosted by Ash Penix at Adapt Architecture
2019
The Old Testament by God (December) hosted by Ash Penix
Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud (October) hosted by Clayton Haden at the Shadpad
The Big Con: The Story of Confidence Men by David Maurer (September) hosted by James Moore
The Great Successor: The Divinely Perfect Destiny of Brilliant Comrade Kim Jong by Anna Fifield (August) hosted by Armand Fermin
Moon Shot by Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton (July) hosted by Justin Barbour
Baron Morale Night at the San Antonio Chanclas hosted by Clayton Haden
Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling by Ross King (June) hosted by Zane Reinhard
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (May) hosted by Clayton Haden at The Winchester
The Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges (April) hosted by Jason Ritterbush
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari (March) hosted by Zane Reinhard at Beethoven's Maennerchor
God Save Texas: A Journey Into the Soul of the Lone Star State by Lawrence Wright (February) hosted by Justin Barbour at Beethoven's Maennerchor
Of Meat and Men by Katy Vine (January) hosted by Sean Caporaletti at the San Antonio BBQ Cookoff
2018
Boys Will Be Boys by Jeff Pearlman (December) hosted by Ash Penix at the Alamo Bowl
The Stranger by Albert Camus (November) hosted by Aldo Perez and Matthew Shaddock
The Son by Philip Meyer (October) with Poker Night hosted by Sean Caporaletti
Faith of My Fathers by late Sen. John McCain (September) hosted by Chris Karl at the VFW
Villa Incognito by Tom Robbins (August) hosted by Chris Karl at Beethoven's Maennerchor
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain (July) hosted by Ali Fadel at Chris Karl's lakefront home
How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan (June) hosted by Zane Reinhard
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John le Carre (May) hosted by James Moore
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke (April) hosted by Chris Karl at the Alamo Drafthouse
The Fight by Norman Mailer (March) hosted by Tanner Neidhart and Clayton Haden at the Red Fox Inn
Fire and the Fury by Michael Wolff (February) hosted by Armand Fermin
Power of the Dog by Don Winslow (January) hosted by Aldo Perez
2017
The North Water by Ian McGuire (December) hosted by Armand Fermin
Ham on Rye by Charles Buchowski (November) hosted by James Moore
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (October) hosted by Sean Caporaletti at Broadway 50/50
The Johnstown Flood by David McCollough (September) hosted by Justin Barbour at Beethoven's Biergarten
The Tale of the Unknown Island by Jose Saramago (August) hosted by Ali Fadel at Chris Karl's lakefront home
It by Stephen King (June) hosted by Clayton Haden
SOE Manual: How to be an Agent in Occupied Europe by Special Operations Executive (May) hosted by David French
Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby (April) hosted by Chris Karl at SAFC's Toyota Field
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (March) hosted by Geraldo Perez and Ash Penix
Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger (January) hosted by Zane Reinhard
2016
North Dallas Forty by Peter Gent (December) hosted by Matthew Shaddock at the Alamo Bowl
Barbarian Days by William Finnegan (November) hosted by Armand Fermin
Nimitz by E.B. Potter (October) hosted by Justin Barbour at the Admiral Nimitz Museum and National Museum of the Pacific War
Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (September) hosted by Sean Caporaletti
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (August) hosted by Matthew Shaddock
Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson (July) hosted by Chris Karl at Lake LBJ
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (June) hosted by James Moore and Sean Caporaletti
But Enough About Me: A Memoir by Mr. Burt Reynolds (May) hosted by Ali Fadel
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins (April) hosted by Ash Penix
Free Country: A Penniless Adventure the Length of Britain by George Mahood (March) hosted by Chris Karl and James Moore at Grayze
Consider The Lobster by David Foster Wallace (February) hosted by Chris Karl
Telefon by Walter Wager (January) hosted by Armand Fermin
2015
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (November) hosted by Zane Reinhard
One Second After by William Forstchen (October) hosted by Jason Ritterbusch
On Bullshit by Harry Frankfurt (September) hosted by Chris Karl
For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemmingway (August) hosted by James Moore
The War That Forged a Nation: Why the Civil War Still Matters by James M. McPherson (July) hosted by Armand Fermin
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan (June) hosted by Clayton Haden
Jaws by Peter Benchly (May) hosted by Bobby Gebbia
The Crucible by Author Miller (April) hosted by Zane Reinhard
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches by S.C. Gwynne (March) hosted by Armand Fermin
Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright (February) hosted by Matthew Shaddock
Maus by Art Spiegelman (January) hosted by Zane Reinhard
2014
As You WIsh: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride by Carey Elwes (December) hosted by Tanner Neidhardt
Dracula by Bram Stoker (October) hosted by Clayton Haden
What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe (September) hosted by David Molleo
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (August) hosted by Armand Fermin
A Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (July) hosted by Clayton Haden
Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life by Alex Bellos (May) hosted by Justin Barbour
The Seagull by Anton Chekhov (April) hosted by Zane Reinhard
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (March) hosted by Clayton Haden
Plutocrats:The Rise of the New Global Super Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else by Chrystia Freeland (February) hosted by David Molleo
The Sports Gene Inside the Science of Extraordinary Sports Performance by David Epstein (January) hosted by Scott Gillette
2013
Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell (November) hosted by Armand Fermin
Life by Keith Richards (October) hosted by Matthew Shaddock
Black Mass: Whitey Bulger, the FBI, and the Devil's Deal by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill (September) hosted by Kelly Heegard
Horns, Hogs, and Nixon Coming: Texas vs. Arkansas in Dixie's Last Stand by Terry Frei (August) hosted by Tanner Neidhardt
The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell (July) hosted by Clayton Haden
The Last Policemen by Ben Winters (June) hosted by Ash Penix
Big, Hot, Cheap, and Right: What America can learn from the Strange Genius of Texas by Erica Grieder (May) hosted by Matthew Shaddock
Downtown San Antonio by Joan Marston Korte and David L. Peche (April) hosted by John Peterson
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (March) hosted by Scott Gillette
Life of Pi by Yann Martel (February) hosted by Justin Barbour)
2012
Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King (December) hosted by Tanner Neidhardt
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (November) hosted by Clayton Haden
Gentlemen's Blood: A History of Dueling From Swords at Dawn to Pistols at Dusk by Barbara Holland (October) hosted by Kelly Heegard
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (September) hosted by Scott Gillette
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson (August) hosted by Zane Reinhard
1776 by David McCullough (July) hosted by Justin Barbour
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer (June) hosted by Zane Reinhard
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett (May) hosted by Clayton Haden
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard (April) hosted by Scott Gillette
Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes by Bryan Burrough (March) hosted by Matthew Shaddock
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (February) hosted by Alan Petner
The Postmortal by Drew Magary (January) hosted by Justin Barbour
2011
Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki (December) hosted by Scott Gillette and Alan Petner
One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick (November) hosted by Kelly Heegard
The Foundation by Issac Asimov (September) hosted by Zane Reinhard
Super Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner (August) hosted by Scott Gillette at the Book Cave
Killer Angels by Michael Shaara (July) hosted by Clayton Haden
Baseball in the Lone Star State: the Texas League's Greatest Hits by David King (June) hosted by John Peterson at the Texas League All-Star Game, Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium
Killing Pablo by Mark Bowden (May) hosted by Tanner Neidhardt
The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell (April) hosted by Scott Gillette at the Book Cave
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (March) hosted by Matthew Shaddock
Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga by Hunter S. Thompson (February) hosted by Alan Petner
The Gun by C.J. Chivers (January) hosted by John Peterson
2010
Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond (December) hosted by Tanner Neidhart
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (October) hosted by Ash Penix
Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe (September) hosted by Ash Penix
Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut (August) hosted by Clayton Haden
Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent (July) hosted by John Peterson
Soccernomics by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymansski (June) hosted by Tanner Neidhart
The Big Short by Michael Lewis (May) hosted by Scott Gillette
Tales from Q School by John Feinstein (April) hosted by Tanner Neidhart
Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a LIfetime by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (March) hosted by Justin Barbour
Shane by Jack Schaefer (Feburary) hosted by Justin Barbour
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (January) hosted by Scott Gillette
2009
The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard (December) hosted by Tanner Neidhardt
Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, and A Dream by H.G. Bissinger (October) hosted by Matthew Shaddock
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (September) hosted by David Denton
Moneyball by Michael Lewis (August) hosted by Matthew Shaddock
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (July) hosted by Ash Penix
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (June) hosted by Paul Santoyo
Che: The Diaries of Ernesto Che Guevara by Che Guevara (May) hosted by Willie Trevino
Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (April) hosted by Scott Gillette
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemmingway (March) hosted by Chris Soileau
How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization by Franklin Foer (February) hosted by Clayton Haden
Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty by Jeff Pearlman (January) hosted by Matthew Shaddock
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