November 2022 Book Club

 

Blog 184 - 244 Books read! 

It's hard to believe that we are already at November's book club! Things in the world have somewhat stabilized since the initial quarantine. in 2020. Some things in the world have changed, some went back to "normal" and others still remain in some sort of transition. 

What has remained the same, and something we've been able to count on, is each other! After a year of meeting on Zoom, we transitioned to patios and outdoor spaces. We even tried a hybrid version with some meeting at Carla G's and others joining by Zoom. The virus is still among us. It seems more contagious but less deadly. It has certainly been a remarkable time of history to be living through. 

That said, our monthly meetings, however, they happened, have been an anchor point for something to look forward to each month. 

Lis decided to make a trip to Germany to visit her sister and brother and Diana volunteered to take her place as host. The house was decked out in fall decor. Diana and Ember greeted us at the door. Ember served as a perfect co-hostess working hard to keep our feet warm. Diana served a delicious sweet and spicy turkey sausage chili and cornbread. She also made the perfect chocolate cake in honor of Lis' birthday this week. We lit a birthday candle and sent her a video of us singing "Happy Birthday" and blowing out her candle. The house and the meal provided a warm and cozy spot for our discussion. 

We missed Lis, Barb, Leslie, Janie, Tammy, Lou, Darby and Terry but, we always feel each one in spirit! It was good to have Denise back. She was recovering from an exciting European vacation, a wedding and a bad case of an upper respiratory infection. Congratulations to Cassie and Emmett on their marriage!

This month's book was about a misanthropic octopus!  Described as "ultimately a feel good but deceptively simple" story about a widowed Aquarium employee named Tova and Marcellus McSquiddles, the octopus she meets in a daring tank rescue. Marcellus happily uses all eight of his tentacles, his three hearts and his sharp brain to help Tova solve the 30 year mystery of her missing son. Each of the characters, human and animal, needed each other in a specific way, whether they knew it at first or not. The two main characters were connected by grief and loss. Different ways of dealing with grief were examined. Tova must keep busy to keep the feelings of grief at bay. Her grandson remains stagnant and in a cycle of self-sabotage. 

We had a brief discussion about animals in our own lives and how we had felt seen by them. We also discussed how the book would have been different if it had been set in Arizona or Milwaukee as opposed to the PNW. Keys of all types were a theme throughout the book. We talked about Tova's Dala Horses and our own family heirlooms. Sometimes things we value, including photos, are not appreciated by the generation we'd like to leave them to. This book also brings to light the importance of Aquariums and Zoos in their efforts to rehabilitate and protect the animals while they entertain and educate the public. Many of these institutions have come a long way in their treatment of animals in captivity as we have personally witnessed at the Endangered Ark. 

The book was well liked and rated 4.1.

December's book club will be on the 9th at Laura's as is our tradition. The book is the Narrowboat Summer by Anne Youngson. Laura pointed out there are some episodes of Travel by Narrowboat on Amazon Prime she recommends as a supplement to the book. 

In the spirit of keeping things simple, we have decided, this year, to buy only one gift and we'll draw numbers. But, keep those Christmas cards coming. They are a favorite part of the holiday for us. 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and see you in December!

October 2022 Book Club

 

Carla G hosted our October meeting. Autumn is always my favorite time of year. Yet, when it arrives, I wonder how it got here so fast? I have noticed, overtime, the people see September as a fall month but not in Oklahoma. I tell people that September is a BER month, not a BRR month. I noticed that it was actually the first day of fall that I felt the chill in the morning temperature. I'm not getting out the heavy sweaters and coats just yet but I will definitely take the cooler days. The weather was so beautiful that we sat out on the patio to enjoy our discussion!

We missed Barb and Denise who are finishing up a European vacation. Tammy was unable to join but Leslie managed to make it between college sports events. Lou couldn't be here this month but read and loved the book. And, as always we miss Darby and Terry. Laura and Carla A both made it back from trips to New Mexico and Arizona. They weren't together but their paths crisscrossed! I always enjoy traveling vicariously!

We had so much good food last night! Carla G provided the Sweet Potato Chicken Chili. Carla A brought homemade Indian Tacos made by a new acquaintance, Valerie. I brought assorted peach/pear cobbler and Janie brought some beautifully decorated cookies. Lis brought a corn salad. Arnora brought the floral bouquet and nuts. There was fruit tray (sorry, I missed who brought that) and many bottles of beer, wine and a Honey Whisky courtesy of Diana
. Nothing like a Whisky Shot to start off the book club!

I recommended this month's book. Lis had read it as well and concurred. We read it recently in my "little book club" and I loved it so much that I ordered a hard copy and instantly reread it. 

Set in rural Pennsylvania's Endless Mountains, the story is described as redemptive and one that will touch the hearts of those who've lost a loved one. When I was researching books for the little book club and I read the summary, I almost dismissed it. But, the girls were looking for something light to read and I had seen it described somewhere as an enchanted fairy tale. 

In the book, one of the main characters says something about how most Fairy Tales start sad and end happy. And, that is reflected in this story of three people who come together to mourn the loss of an important person in their lives. The unexpected and dramatic deaths of two spouses on the same day and the ensuing events lead to an anxious but happy climax.  

There is a "story within the story" of a Grum who trades his love for gold. This story mirrors what is going

on in the "real" story of one of the main characters and added the element of fairy tale. 

I thought the author did a great job of weaving fairy tale into reality and showing the reader that life is full of enchantment and magic even in the midst of great loss. That there is nothing wrong with using story, metaphor and alchemy to salve our wounds. We go into the dark forest many times in our lives and we work our way out of it. 

We talked about the signs and symbols in nature. Diana pointed out how we are connected to all things but modern life has so disconnected from nature that we don't see or understand the signs. 

We were in agreement that the author perfectly hit the right notes of tragedy, grief, coming of age, mystery and magic and the book rated 4.5 

Our next book is "Remarkably Bright Creatures."