sametimenextmonth: February Book Club

Sunday, February 14, 2010

February Book Club - Be Mine, Valentine

It is early on Sunday morning as I sit here in bed. I have one kitty at my feet and one stretched across my lap between me and the computer. I'm having a steaming cup of Godiva Creme Brulee coffee with frothy cream. It is Valentine's Day and I have just finished reading the "love notes" from my book club Valentine's and listening to Unchained Melody. I consider myself my own best Valentine and one lucky girl! Any single person out there feeling lonely and sad because they don't have a "romantic partner" doesn't have my wonderful friends! But more about that in a moment.

This months book club was hosted by Janie out on Easy Street. I just love that she has arrived where everyone wants to be! Several of us car pooled from Norman and we arrived, as usual, with arms full of food, drinks and books. The door was locked. That was unusual as we usually just walk on in. But we rang the bell and I was looking curiously through the window when this vision in black and orange all "a sparkle" came toward the door. It was Elisabeth all decked out in her Indian Salwar Kameez. She'd been keeping the door locked and guarding it so that Janie could keep her foot up and not be tempted to hobble to the door. Yes, our hostest with the mostess had surgery on her foot this week and still managed to serve us lasagna for dinner. She had planned to host book club around this time so she could enjoy it in her own home while she recuperated. These girls are troupers for sure! A little later in the evening we got a bit of a "show and tell" from Elisabeth about her ensemble that she had purchased on her recent missions trip to India. We're all just green with envy but thrilled that Elisabeth had this exciting adventure.

This now brings me to the this months book "Baking Cakes in Kigali" by Gaile Parkin. This was a very sweet story of Angel who bakes beautiful and very artistic cakes in a community in Rwanda. Angel, her husband and 5 grandchildren live in a "compound" in Kigali where people employed by various government agencies and embassies live while working in Kigali. This setting brings a lot of diversity of people and culture to Angel's doorstep. Angel's son and

daughter are both "late" meaning deceased and she and her husband are raising the 5 grandchildren.

The cakes are what bring the variety of people to Angel's door. She learns all about their lives and loves as she gently questions them about their desires for the cakes. Angel is very aware and observant, some might event say intuitive. She acts on this information in some subtle and not so subtle ways as she impacts everyone she meets. In the process, she is also impacted and brought to a deeper understanding and awareness of her daughters passing. Angel also becomes a mentor for young "Girls Who Mean Business". Angel is a very special, professional "somebody" who is also going through the undignified process of menopause. We all liked the book very much. We thought some very serious subjects, including that of "cutting" young girls" and AIDS was handled deftly, thoughtfully, with humor and a light hand.

The book rated a 3.7 and 2 "I love its!" Darby and Denise compared it to Alexander McCall's #1 Ladies Detective Agency set in another part of Africa. Pam, who recommended the book, agreed.

Next to the lasagna Denise served a beautiful salad, Barb brought the bread and Lis brought a tuna appetizer. I don't know what she calls it but it looked a little like a pizza and tasted yummy. Diana brought dessert; A Valentine's Heart Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. My mouth waters thinking about it. Arnora brought beautiful red tulips and Darby brought homemade wine "Montepulciano", which was really, really good. And as always there were other beverages, coffee and tea.

Pam, Laura, Terry, Carla G., and Lou were unable to attend and we missed them.

Now, about my book club Valentine's. Before we had our book discussion Janie handed us all an envelope with strips of paper inside. She instructed us to write our names on the envelopes and pass that to our left a couple of times. Then we were to write a "love" note to the person whose name was on the envelope. The envelopes were sealed and to be opened today... Valentine's Day.

What a great idea! It was fun to do and what a treat to sit here in the quiet of a Sunday morning with an envelope full of love from all you wonderful women. I am so blessed and never take for granted how you welcomed me in to a group that had already been going strong for a couple of years. I know, I didn't make the best first impression, ha-ha. But you got past it and I am so grateful and thankful and happy! You enrich my life in ways you will never know and words can not express! I hope for you all the best of Valentine's Day no matter how you spend it or with whom. You have made mine complete!

1 comment:

Diana said...: So well said Sherrie. I'm so grateful you have taken over the "creative mintues" of our meetings. I love reading your synopsis of our wonderful evenings. I am richly blessed by each of you dear ladies. Diana; February 15, 2010 at 5:03 PM

2015 Hosts and Books

Jan 9 - Pam Boeck - All the Light We Cannot See
Feb 6 - Lou Christian - Alif the Unseen
March 6 - Terry Cummings - Kind of Kin
April 3 - Janie Tisdale - The Girl on the Train
May 1 - Arnora Parish - The Stolen Child
Jun 5 - Barb Barrow - The Elephant Whisperer
July 10 - Diana Beal - Lone Wolf
Aug 7 - Denise McGough - The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
Sept 11 - Sherrie Phillips - H is for Hawk
Oct 2 - Arnora Parish - The Boy Who Drew Monsters
Nov 6 - Sherrie Phillips
Dec - Laura Madden - A Child's Christmas in Wales & Christmas Day in the Morning

The Honey Tree - Mary Oliver

And so at last I climbed

the honey tree, ate

chunks of pure light, ate

the bodies of bees that could not

get out of my way, ate

the dark hair of the leaves,

the rippling bark,

the heartwood. Such

frenzy! But joy does that,

I'm told, in the beginning.

Later, maybe,

I'll come here only

sometimes and with a

middling hunger. But now

I climb like a snake

I clamber like a bear to

the nuzzling place, to the light

salvaged by the thighs

of bees and racked up

in the body of the tree.

Oh, anyone can see

how I love myself at last!

how I love the world! climbing

by day or night

in the wind, in the leaves, kneeling

at the secret rip, the cords

of my body stretching

and singing in the

heaven of appetite.

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Lis and Diana's Review of Isaac's Storm

Lis said: This book centers around the devastating hurricane that hit Galveston, Texas, in 1901 and is blamed for the death of over 4500 people. Although the story wasn't a page-turner for most, it was full of interesting historical and scientific data while building up to describing accounts of the devastation and aftermath that the storm created. In my opinion, it is debatable whether the book should be considered a true fiction or a non-fiction. Hand in hand with the storm description, the book tells about the creation of the National Weather Service and the struggle that the organization went through to earn the people's trust. When looking back over the disaster, the author identifies areas of misuse and false pride - in the bureaucratic sector as well as the people's personal lives - that, if it had been overcome, might have averted some of the lost lives. Building up to the storm, the author touches on many historical facts surrounding the era, such as the state of Arkansas passing legislation a few decades earlier to legalize the proper pronunciation of its name to be "Arkansaw." Into this background, the author creates the characters that he was able to find in his research that made up the early Weather Service and some of the residence of Galveston, their spouses and children, making us shiver with dread over successful and unsuccessful rescue efforts. After bringing to life the unimaginable aftermath, with whole neighborhoods destroyed and bodies at every step, the book concludes with Galveston's recovery and a large chapter of Acknowledgements for the extensive support and research that the author relied on. I for one enjoyed the book immensely and, after the first third, found it difficult to put down till the end. Elisabeth Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine. I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

Diana said: The old saying, "hind sight is 20/20" comes to mind while reading the hurricane account of Galveston, Texas in 1901. Author Eric Larson's story reminded me of his first book we read, Devil in the White City, as he combined historical facts and real people while piecing together a plausible tale of personalities and lives. I have huge respect for writing historical fiction, as the writer not only has to devise an interesting story but also works as an investigator and researcher in the process. The first third of the story was slow and at times I found myself skimming the pages waiting for action. I think this may have been purposeful by Larson. As a reader I was going about my daily business and uninvolved like the townspeople of Galveston noting the changing winds and heading off to work. I took occasional notice of Isaac's trip to the American west by stage and his appearance as a "dandy", the use of telegraph as the primary form of communication from on location to another and it was surprising to find out the American and Cuban weather men held so little regard for each other. Americans found the Cuban forecasters primitive, romantic and unreliable. But once the hurricane was upon Galveston, I was spellbound for the remainder of the book. With the exception of once when I had to put the story down due to the brutal descriptions of decaying bodies which I found overwhelming. For me the story telling mimicked the event itself. Galveston and the rest of the U.S. were going along with business as usual, and then wham! A hurricane the magnitude no one expected or had experienced before bursts forth with action and drama and left no one untouched including me.

Lis' review of A Thousand Splendid Suns

The story playing in Afghanistan made it another compelling read and a walk through a different culture, very foreign to most of us. I had the fortune to have also read the book The Kite Runner by the same author and found that the two stories make great companion books, almost a must-read duo. Our month's selection takes us into the Arabic culture through the life of two women, one of them a servant girl's bastard child - and yes, I used the old fashioned term for illegitimate child on purpose to stay with the tone of the novel. The other woman is depicted as a well-educated, emancipated young woman from a progressive, westernized family. Through the turmoils surrounding Afghanistan's recent 30-year history, their lives intertwine with the same abusive husband and their attempt to deal with the changes brought on by the Russian occupation, the takeover of the Mujahedin and, eventually, the Taliban. The companion book, The Kite Runner, deals with the same political and social upheavals in Afghanistan but is told through the life of a man and his very devoted male servant. A Thousand Splendid Suns evoked a lot of emotion for most of us, feeling comfortable as well educated American women that have rights and can expect a certain social standing that greatly exceeds the animal-like treatment of our female Afghan counterparts under Taliban rule. Needless to say, we had a lively discussion about Afghanistan's troubles, the interactions of both women's parents' influences, their different upbringing, and how it made them relate to each other. We found similarities to the book Shanturam in this author's use of the cinema, especially Bollywood movies. One thing we did not discuss though that I found enticing, was the advantages of being able to skip hair and make-up treatments through the use of a Burka! Blue was, after all, the favored color of my youth, although I always preferred much darker shades. What do you think, ladies, Burkas in our future?

sametimenextmonth

Sunday, February 14, 2010

February Book Club - Be Mine, Valentine

1 comment:

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