sametimenextmonth: April Book Club 2012

Saturday, April 28, 2012

April Book Club 2012

Thank you, Diana, for being our guest Blogger for April. You did a beautiful job. While I thoroughly enjoyed my trip, I missed you all! I just wanted to say that I appreciated Darby's contribution of the Wabi-Sabi. That added another layer of depth to an already intensely satisfying story. I felt the whole story was summed up in one quote: that man's triumph over life was the conquering of language. And I felt the author was triumphant in that using philosophy as her vehicle. I was truly impressed with the character development. And one of my favorite parts is where Paloma refuses to talk to the therapist without an attorney present! And now, I will defer to Diana for the remainder if this months blog!

Our host for April 2012 book club was Barb. She greeted us in her lovely redesigned patio and photographed us as we arrived and gave us all gorgeous Peonies from her garden. The menu:

Salmon fillets - Barb
Garden Salad – Carla G
Mushroom Risotto - Diana
Sweet Potato Chili - Elisabeth
Focaccia bread with special balsamic and olive oil - Terry
Baked fudge – Darby
LA Baguette chocolate cake - Barb
Birthday Cookies – Denise
Wine – Pam
Coffee - Barb

After an exceptionally delicious meal, Darby started our discussion by reading an expert from an article on what is wabi-sabi. Excerpt …“Pared down to its barest essence, wabi-sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection and profundity in nature, of accepting the natural cycle of growth, decay, and death. It’s simple, slow and uncluttered and it reveres authenticity above all….” The article further elaborates and is worth reading. http://nobleharbor.com/tea/chado/WhatIsWabi-Sabi.htm

We loved Renee and her philosophical observances of the world. While she goes through her daily routines, she examines people, art, literature, movies and relationships in a wabi-sabi manner. She relishes the simple pleasures of daily tea and conversation with her dearest friend, tends to her cat Leo, contends with the demands of her employers and does so with unsuspecting humor. We were sad that she was tragically killed, but we realize that it is wabi-sabi. For we also loved Paloma, Renee’s 12 year counterpart, who believes the world is meaningless and plans to commit suicide. Once she and Renee become friends, Paloma begins to reexamine her views, and is on the brink of change, when Renee meets her untimely demise with a dry cleaning van. At first we are stunned and profoundly sad that Renee’s life comes to an abrupt end – after all she’s just opened a new chapter and she and Mr. Ozu are a perfect match. But, Renee’s death saves Paloma’s life as Paloma feels true loss and the heart ache for those left behind & realizes life is not meaningless.

Denise shared with us Googled Hedgehog quotes that elicited rereading many of our favorite quotes. http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1531887-l-el-gance-du-h-risson

“Do you know that it is in your company that I have had my finest thoughts?” One we’d all like to hear.
― Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog

I’ll end now by saying that writing is a challenge for me, and especially so when sharing with my literary friends. My email summaries are ones I can easily express; about the good company, food, and plans.

And while I love to read, I find it a painful task to summarize a story; kind of like listening to music, love it but can’t perform. So I truly appreciate what a great job Sherrie does each month summarizing with humor, love, and dedication the recap of our meetings. The blog is our history is being recorded, and there are many instances when a question is asked and I can go to the blog and find out when something happened, when it’s going to happen, or what we thought. I say a big THANK YOU Sherrie and I personally hope you never miss book club again!!!haha

And finally, a good quote to end this book club blog.

“When something is bothering me, I seek refuge. No need to travel far; a trip to the realm of literary memory will suffice. For where can one find more noble distraction, more entertaining company, more delightful enchantment than in literature?”
― Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog

For the record:

From our discussion, this book will be one of the most quoted, and without a doubt in our top books. It rated 4.9 of 5.

We decided, beginning in August, to change our meeting night back to the second Friday of the month except May and December and those dates determined closer to the meeting.

The book for May is "Remarkable Creatures" by Tracy Chevalier and the book for June is "Corduroy Mansion" by Alexander McCall Smith.

Here is the Chili recipe, I best write it now, lest I forget.
2 T olive oil
1 lrg onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 med sweet potatoes, diced
3 garlic gloves
3 T chili pdr
1 t salt
2 t cumin
1 t black pepper
1/4 t red pepper
2 t dried basil
1/2 t dried marjoram
1 can diced Ro-Tel tomatoes with chilies; 14oz can chicken or veg. broth (no MSG); Two 14 oz cans black beans, drained; Juice of 1 line (2 T); Heat olive oil, glaze onions and peppers. Add potatoes and garlic, simmer about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, broth, herbs and spices. Simmer uncovered about 30 min. Stir in beans, cook 10 more add lime toss and serve.

No comments:

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.

To Leave a Comment

At the end of each post you will see an option to "comment" click on that link. You'll be asked to identify yourself with either a Google email address & password or a couple of other options. If you don't have a Google account you can set one up with your current email and it only takes a minute to set up user name and password. Once you have that you can leave your comment you might be prompted to retype the security code. Your comment will automatically be posted. Process is the same if you use one of the identification options.

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

Saturday, April 28, 2012

April Book Club 2012

No comments:

Welcome

Internet Resources