sametimenextmonth: September 2018

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

September Book Club 2018

It's hard to believe that we are already at September book club! It was another lovely night as we arrived at Carla G's for dinner and a discussion on the patio as we head into fall.

Carla G provided a flavorful Moroccan Chicken Stew and Screech Rum Punch. The Rum Punch was a featured "character" in the story. Diana brought Couscous, Lou & Tammy brought salads, Terry brought bread, Pam brought a baked gouda & Hummus, Barb, Pam and Sherrie brought wine, Denise and Lis provided desserts.

We all enjoyed "The Day the World Came to Town." It was nice to have Lou and Pam with us and we had a great discussion. The book rated a 4.5 from 11 votes. Carla A loved, loved, loved it! Pam really liked it. We missed Barb, Laura, Leslie, Darby and, of course, Janie who is home recuperating from knee surgery. We wish her a speedy recovery!

"The Day the World Came to Town" is a factual account of the events of the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers. This story is almost always told from the perspective of the victims, survivors and first-responders at the scene. This book sis told from the vantage point of the many planes that were stranded when America shut down its air space. The story is set in Gander, Newfoundland, a small town of about 5,000 people that took in the passengers that were stranded there and provided them shelter, food and comfort until things could be sorted out. I think this story is probably indicative of what happened across the US but it is made personal by the stories of a handful of people that we follow as they try to determine what has happened and what their next steps will be.

Diana remarked, "For me, it was fascinating and wonderful to learn of the generosity and resourcefulness of the people in this small island town. It brought back memories of all the help and generosity we received from our community after the May 3, 1999 tornado. People can be incredibly selfless when tragedy hits. This brings me hope. I know it's not always the case, but in a perfect would, it would be."

Our next book is "The Immortalists" by Chloe Benjamin. We do not have a selection for November. Laura has posted a suggestion on the Facebook page. You might look at that and reply if you are interested. Lou also suggested, "Some Form of Grace." This book is by Dee Dee Chumley, a local author who might be willing to speak to our club.

August Book Club 2018

We had a beautiful August night at Denise's lakeside home. There were only seven in attendance making for an intimate discussion of The Wonder by Emma Donoghue. We missed Leslie, Carla G., Barb, Pam, Lou, Janie and Arnora. Sporting events, visiting family and travels prevented them from attending. Janie is preparing for upcoming knee surgery and we wish her a successful surgery and speedy recovery.

Denise provided us with a delicious chicken salad, pretzel rolls and white wine. Diana brought appetizers, Lis brought cheese and a salad, Tammy brought watermelon salad and Laura provided the Blueberry Cobbler.

This month's book, The Wonder was recommended by Pam. The novel is about a nurse, Elizabeth "Lib" Wright, a nurse trained by Florence Nightingale. She is hired by a committee of locals in a small village in the Irish Midlands to investigate a potential miracle or, "wonder" as they were sometimes called. She is to be assisted by a local nun, Sister Michael. An 11 year old girl, Anna O'Donnell has refused food for the 4 months since her birthday but, seems healthy and vital. Her family and the church have a vested interest in confirming these claims. When the Catholic Church deems someone a saint, a miracle or, a relic it increases tourism to the local area. In fact, one of the committee members hopes that Anna might be the first person canonized since the 13th century.

The story takes place seven years after the potato famine in Ireland and the country is still reeling form the affects. Food is a dominant theme of the book as the people are still struggling to feed themselves and Anna seems to be existing on "manna from heaven."

The book was inspired by actual accounts of almost 50 cases of so called "fasting girls." The case it most resembles is that of Sarah Jacob, a Welsh girl, who at age 12 was said to have gone without food for two years. She eventually died and her parents were tried and convicted of manslaughter.

In Stephen King's review, he compares The Wonder to The Crucible and The Exorcist. But, more like the Exorcist in that every visit is more terrifying than the next. The difference is that Reagan is possessed by a demon but Anna is possessed by the suffocating dogma of the church.

The book was well received by those that read it and rated a 4.

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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

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

September Book Club 2018

August Book Club 2018

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