Laura, Don't Drink All the Bourbon!

Watching food network today saw 2 recipes for Pojito, which is combination mojito and mint julep. AND a blackberry Mint Julep! I am afraid. Afraid I'm developing a taste for the Bourbon! oops!

August Book Club

The good news is I have feeling back in my arms. And my legs. And my fingers. And my toes. Most everything south of my neck went numb after the Mint Julep. Well, okay, I confess, it was after one peach Sangria, two Mojito's and then the Mint Julep! Let's just say I was about to get carried away but I pulled back and recovered in time for our book discussion.

The bad news is that we had a serious spillage issue on the way to book club. About half way to Lou's house Carla discovered the lid had slid off her sweet potato souffle and the goo was pretty much on everything in her bag. I hate to say it but it even got on her swim suit and sort of looked like a baby had poohed sweet potatoes. Luckily, Pam had some Clorox wipes in the car and we frantically managed to clean most of it up. Don't worry girls, we didn't put any of the spillage back in the bowl and there was plenty left for the meal. Which brings me to the food, which is always the first topic of conversation when recapping book club. Let me see if I can do this meal justice.

Lou made Caribbean Jerk Chicken kabobs with pineapple & pearl onions and she provided the Peach Sangria. Pam brought an Orzo Spinach Pesto Salad and two kinds of melon. Carla brought the aforementioned Sweet Potato Souffle, Quiche and Tiramisu. Denise brought brownies, Diana brought Italian Cream Cupcakes, Liz brought bread, dip and wine, Barb brought peach pie. Laura spent a King's ransom on good alcohol for Mojito's and the arm numbing Mint Juleps and Arnora brought the beautiful floral centerpiece & black bean and corn salsa. I have run out of descriptive words to describe the food these women bring. Delicious, wonderful, savory, inventive, etc. and so on just seem to fall flat. I am going to have to come up with a whole new vocabulary. Even though we might have a general theme for the meal it is pretty much pot luck. But, somehow everything always comes together and the flavors blend well or compliment each other in surprising ways. The food is never a disappointment 5 stars all the way!

Several of us came early to Lou's to take advantage of a swim in the late afternoon. Dinner was poolside as the sun set and we discussed the book under the stars basking in the cool August breeze. What luck to have such a nice evening in the usually hot Dog Days of summer! Did I just say "hot dog" days of summer? Yes, I did! Maybe I haven't fully recovered from the Mint Julep??

This months book was The Wednesday Sisters. The story revolves around a group of women who meet in Palo Alto, California in 1969. They meet in a park and bond over books and start a writer's group. Several of us thought the book was going to be about a book club and we've read several. The consensus was that it would be predictable...someone gets divorced, someone gets sick ... someone dies, the end. And it was a little predictable but no one got divorced (she should have!) and someone did get sick but no one died though everyone got a chance to try out a coffin. A clever little trick to get you thinking about end of life regrets.

It was about the bonding of the women and it was set against the tumultuous 60's. These women had come of age in a very transitional time and they were trying to navigate their place in the world and their families while trying to have some sort of life or meaning for themselves. Most thought the book was enjoyable and it rated a 2.71. Lou recommended the book; Carla A. loved it and Barb didn't like it at all and the rest of us fell in the middle.

We missed Darby, Carla G., and Janie.

There has been a change of plans for next months book & location. Netherland was getting a lukewarm reception so we've switched to Pat Conroy's new book, South of Broad, on sale now at a book store near you. Book club has been moved to Barb's house. See you there!

Movie Review

I went to see Julie/Julia this weekend. Twice! I really loved it and that is saying a lot. Other than Harry Potter and Angels and Demons I have been on a movie hiatus. I was getting bored with the same old story and worn out with violence. I will say that I enjoyed the story of Angels and Demons, however, it has its share of violence.

But, Julie/Julia is a very sweet story of Julie Powell, bored government secretary by day, intrepid cook by night, and how she gives herself a deadline of cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in one year. Her story is juxtaposed over parts of Julia Child's life and how she came to cooking and to be an author and TV personality. I thought it was charming, laugh out loud funny, and poignant. The 3rd co-star of this movie is the food. My mouth started watering within about 5 minutes of the start of the story and didn't stop even after the credits rolled. It was almost enough to make me want to start cooking myself! ha-ha.

I did think I could start a blog called "the reluctant cook", ha-ha. But for now I will stick to this one. If you haven't seen this movie yet I highly recommend it for light hearted entertainment and mouthwatering inspiration!

Summer

Well Ladies, it has been a hot and muggy summer. This month seems a long time between book clubs for some reason. Maybe it's because I've packed a lot into this month having gone to Savannah and Charleston on my vacation and helped a friend get moved (actually Carla and I helped her with the decorating part.) I've enjoyed our intermittent rains and brief reprieves from the heat. Last nights full moon and Venus were breathtakingly beautiful. I must say that I really enjoyed my trip with my sisters. Savannah and Charleston are right up my alley with all the history and historic areas - great cities on the water are my favorite! Now, having actually been to Charleston I am even more looking forward to Pat Conroy's book South of Broad, which is set there. There is just something about being in the actual environment that anchors a book for me. I had read and seen the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and being in Savannah and actually standing in the spot in Mercer House where both the shooting of Billy and the death of Jim Williams took place on literally the same spot 8 years apart was very eerie. Oh yes, supposedly, Savannah is one of the most haunted cities in the country. It certainly has a charm and appeal that are uniquely its own.

I look forward to next weeks book club and our discussion of The Wednesday Sisters.

South of Broad by Pat Conroy

Just as an update for anyone interested in Pat Conroy's newest book. The release date as been moved up to August 11. That is about a month earlier than I had first read. Thanks Pam for letting me know that! For anyone who isn't aware. Pam actually attended a lecture by Pat Conroy at OU a few years ago and got to meet him. I am sooo jealous!

July Book Club: The Angel's Game

July's Book Club was held at Diana's. The menu started off with a variety of dips: Diana, made the best Guacamole I think I have ever had. Simple is always the best. Terry brought yummo Spinach dip and Pumpernickel bread, Carla A. brought Olive Tapenade, Darby brought Fire Roasted Salsa, Carla G. brought cheese and cherry tomatoes and Lou brought a corn salsa. For the main course (like we haven't had enough already) Diana made Quesidillas and sweet corn on the cob and Lou brought a layered salad. For dessert Carla A. made a fantastic Tiramisu, Darby brought ice cream and, of course, there was wine and coffee. Janie brought home grown veggies to share with everyone and Arnora brought a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

We had 3 birthdays this month. Lou, Diana and Terry. Happy Birthday to all!

This months' book was The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruis Zafon. Set in Barcelona and translated from the Spanish, this book is the 2nd in his series of 4 books but is actually a prequel to the first published book, The Shadow of the Wind." Both books are set in Barcelona and his description of the city, the architecture and the weather are reminiscent of Gothic literature. Both books are stories about books, book stores and writers. There is romance, intrigue, murder, and the presence of the supernatural as the main character is pulled between poverty and vanity, good and evil, reality and fantasy, love and obsession. Early in the story a writer's work is compared to a Grand Guignol, which is a big puppet show or an amoral horror story. I thought this set the tone for the novel and certainly throughout we saw the grand marionette pulling the strings of and manipulating the other characters. Showing up in both books are the Sempere and Sons book store and The Cemetary of Forgotten Books. Zafon draws you in to the story and keeps you turning the pages. His characters are flawed and compelling and as much as I wanted to know how it ended, I hated to see it end. That is always the hallmark of a great book. The book rated 4.57 and Carla A's rating was a two thumbs up based on our discussion and a sound, "Boy, I wished I would've read it."

That said, we'll try to start of next months book club with a brief discussion of The Angel's Game to wrap it up for those who were missing: Pam, Barb, Denise, and Laura who could not be with us, and those who didn't finish. Next months book is The Wednesday Sisters at Lou's, poolside. We have tentatively picked the books through December. See the sidebar at the right for that update. However, since there were several missing we can revisit this list again in August.

Book Club Field Trip

Saturday, Gene and Lou Christian took Arnora, Barb, Diana, Carla A., Denise, Lis and me to the secure juvenile facility (COJC) in Tecumseh, Oklahoma. Gene is the Director and had asked Lou to arrange for our book club to conduct a joint discussion with a group of the girls there. The book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, was the suggested book for our discussion. We had read and discussed this book and thought the subjects written about would be ones the girls could relate to. Gene had informed us that the girls would be talkative and engaging but none of us really knew what to expect.

The facility itself is quite impressive. It's clean and well maintained with lots of opportunities for education and physical activity. Superintendent James Johnson was a complete delight. A man whose passion for his work and devotion to his charges was obvious from the first moment. He has a deep sense of pride in the processes and I developed an immense respect for him in just the couple of hours we had to share. James explained that the system they used is based on rewards rather than punishment as much as possible. He and the other staff work to form a community of support that these young women have never had in their lives. Even though they are incarcerated for a variety of offenses the staff do their best to make it a positive experience.

On arrival, we were ushered in to a very nice conference room where the staff provided a snack bar of punch, cold bottled water, cookies and candy bars. We were encouraged to sit apart leaving room for the girls to sit between us. They were very gracious and polite and walked around the room and shook our hands and introduced themselves. Diana started off the discussion by explaining how we conduct book club and pick our books. She had the questions from our original discussion and we proceeded as usual. The girls, indeed, were very engaging. Though none of them had finished the book they were able to relate to the topics the story brought up. They interjected with questions and sometimes a bit of their personal history that resonated with the story. Gene and James did a great job of asking questions of the girls that further involved them in the discussion. Even though the girls had not read or finished the book, I think most decided it would be worth the effort and based on our discussion would rate the book a 3.

The girls really seemed to enjoy themselves and asked if we could come back. Gene said he is delighted to get with Volunteer Coordinator Jamie to arrange another group and will let us know. Next time, the girls will pick the book for discussion. After the discussion, James gave us a tour and some history of the grounds and then surprised us with a "thank you" gift on our departure.

One of the girls gave Diana a note about her favorite books. I was unable to link to the PDF file but her favorites are "Dream Land" about a hard life & how a woman gets out of abusive relationships; "Last Summer" about how a woman went on a summer trip and the new things she saw; and the last one had "moon" in the title about a girl's life. She says, "These are really good and I've only read 3 but I love them all and I'm not even a reader." Another young lady pointed out that her favorite author was Dean Koontz.

I was humbled by this experience because on some level many of us have suffered some of the same conditions these girls have survived. Often, it is simply a matter of degrees. I could honestly say that "except for the Grace of God..." Had I chosen a different way to deal with the circumstances in my life I only hope that I would have had people like Gene, James and their staff who are so compassionate and caring and do the best they can with what they have to give these kids hope for a better future.

This was a completely positive experience from my perspective and I think I can speak for the other ladies as well. We look forward to another opportunity to interact with the girls and I would highly encourage anyone who was not able to attend to do so at some point.

A very special thanks to Gene and Lou for suggesting this outing and for all their efforts to coordinate it.