August Book Club 2017

Tammy hosted August Book Club at the "ponderosa". It was a beautiful August night. We are having very mild weather for this time of year. We had our meal inside but, took the discussion outside as the sun set. The moon was working its way to full, there was a mild breeze and we were surrounded by 4 o'clocks and Humming Bird moths.

Tammy kept our meal in theme with this month's book; Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. She made Chicken Satay, pork stir fry with rice and Asian broccoli. Carla Gibbs brought lettuce salad with Mandarin oranges, and Diana and Sherrie contributed spring rolls. Laura brought lemon bars and Singapore Slings (say that real fast 3 times! haha. I almost typed Slingapore!). Terry brought sugar free blueberry pie and we had fortune cookies and fruit.

Lou was able to join us this month but, we missed Lis, Janie, Darby, Pam, Denise, Arnora and Leslie.

 The book rated a 3.2 for those who read it and, a "I liked it just fine," by Carla A. Tammy said she liked it find but, didn't feel the need to read the sequels.


 

Lis missed out on book club but wanted to contribute her review here - as I did not read this month's selection, I give you her review below.

Next month's book is Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale." For Hulu subscribers, this has been turned into a series.

Our October read is "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson.

 

Ala may!!! There are so many anecdotes that I cannot list them all.

This was a fun read to me when accepting it as a comedy and a mockery to Asian High Society. The book is, like Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, written as a satire to make fun of ultra-rich people’s excess and societal interactions, where there are “normal rich” and “stuck-up rich”. I couldn’t help but think of the Kardashians, The Hiltons, or even the Trump empire with their glitz, glamour, and control. This Beau Arts social circle draws a big difference between “new money” and “old money” and everything is about being accepted or having more than someone else.

Like a teenager’s love fantasy, the book is about a self-made woman, Rachel, of good standing falling in love with a good-looking college-grad and professional, Nick, that, she later finds out, is actually super rich, born into money of which the sum can hardly be exhausted. When Nick invites her to accompany him on a trip to Singapore and his family for a local wedding, she is unknowing and unprepared of the family’s wealth and social standing. Through friends and family members, she gradually figures out that Nick is extremely wealthy, that he is a highly sought-after bachelor, and that she is seen as a moneygrabber. Nick is completely oblivious and thinks that his family will love Rachel for her friendliness and openness, just like he does. Rachel is thrown into a whirlwind of this society, sometimes as the entertainment to be made fun of, sometimes as a tag-along. Nick is taking the opportunity to catch up with old friends and family. Both are not ready for the obstacles that their relationship is creating.

The reason for the trip is the wedding between friends Collin and Araminta. To unsuspecting Rachel, this would be just an event, while to the Singapore high society it turns out, it will be THE EVENT OF THE YEAR between two extremely rich families. All local gossip columns are lit up with it. What a shame that, after spending $40 million on the wedding, the guests still judged the event by what was NOT offered. A circle of would-be friends snub the exquisite dinner for a quick flight on their private jets to get, what they deem, decent food. Not even Araminta can enjoy it because she is too distracted about Astrid, Nick’s cousin and Araminta’s friend by reason of wealth, not wearing her latest purchases to the events. Since Astrid is known for her up-to-date Haute Couture wardrobe, this makes it difficult for the bride to know what she needs to look for to bring her own wardrobe up to the latest fashion. While Araminta seems very nice to Rachel at their first meeting, I felt like the author eluded to a sinister side that might have had Araminta set Rachel up as “entertainment” for her bachelorette party, given that she, the bride-to-be, might have known how her friends would react to an outsider and how unprepared to the financial excesses Rachel would be. Rachel doesn’t realize what bucket of worms she is opening up when she, without afterthought, refers to her meeting with Nick as a “catch”. To the money-grubbing single girls of the party, this reference confirms their opinion of Rachel and she instantly creates jealous enemies and a nightmarish encounter with a dead fish. (SPOILER ALERT) I wondered how many readers guessed that the fish had been planted by jealous Francesca – who has her eyes on Nick for his money - being in cahoots with Eleanor, Nick’s mother. Francesca’s last resort for trying to break up Nick and Rachel comes at the wedding, when she drops the bombshell of a long-past threesome between herself and Nick, coming as a surprise to all. While Nick’s mother goes above and beyond to break up Nick and Rachel, I held out hope for Rachel throughout the story that she would be accepted – until even Nick’s revered grandmother spoke and turned Rachel away.

Nick’s cousin and confidant, Astrid, a nonchalant, more open-minded, character seems to not give much value to people’s wealth. She doesn’t flaunt it but she still is able to quietly take it for granted. She feels that it is perfectly normal for her to spend thousands of dollars on a new wardrobe each season, while she hides her purchases from her husband, Michael, – who is “just well to-do” (or rich in my circles) – to keep from making him feel bad about not being able to fully support her spending habits. While Astrid seems to be non-judgmental of wealth, she seems to have lost touch of what it means to be wealthy. Her spending worries are not about having enough food to eat but are about making Michael feel bad. Still, the author allows Astrid to have a sweet and sincere personality. One of the shocking parts in the story is the affair that Michael seems to have behind sweet Astrid’s back, that (SPOILER ALERT) later turns out to be an attempt of driving Astrid away because Michael can’t stand the pressure of being part of this extreme society anymore. I couldn’t help wonder if a marriage between the story’s heroes, Rachel and Nick, might turn out similar to Astrid and Michael’s, a strained relationship that cannot bridge born-into ultra rich with just well-to-do.

A small but entertaining character is “Radio 1 Asia” who the author wisely uses in the story, an objective gossip about everyone. This friend of the family could be easily swayed and used to pass on information with a smile. He helps Rachel through some of her tough moments just because he wants to be in the know and likes passing gossip. I felt like he was one of Rachel’s alleys just because he wasn’t interested in bringing her down.

Still, even with all that excess, the story shows that people aren’t happy unless they can cut each other down, or because they cannot keep up with someone else, or just because of the constant pressure to portrait some expected image. This is well displayed when we find out about Collin’s depressions that he battled since early childhood. I almost felt a little bad for Collin when we read about his bachelor party that turned into a disaster for Colin and Nick. But Collin had allowed it to be planned by a friend that was known for his excess in everything “manly” and was misusing it for trying to make an impression and keep the financial connections happy. The party ended up being a testosterone debauchery with dog-fighting, high-stakes gambling, and high-end hookers. I was actually proud of Nick, Nemet, and Collin for finally making the decision to sneak off and leave their own party.

After everything that happened to Rachel during the trip, I thought it was funny that the news of the three-some was the thing that finally threw her over the edge – not the sideways looks, not the judgmental comments, not the excess, not the jealous competition. A true teenage googly-eyed romance story. It deviates when Rachel, through Eleanor’s meddling and attempts to break up the relationship, discovers details about herself and her own parents. Had I to guess at the gender of the author, I would have thought the story created by a woman because I related so well to the female characters and didn't see trends towards males characters in the story that we often see from male authors. As long as the story can be read as a satire, I think that it is excellently done and I am looking forward to the other two books in the trilogy.

 

 

July Book Club 2017

Due to the July 4 holiday next week, we moved book club to June 30. We missed Elisabeth, Denise, Janie, Leslie, Pam, Barb, Lou and Darby. The rest of us dined on a variety of "carnival foods". Terry provided meat and Pita for Gyro sandwiches and corn on the cob, Tammy brought the toppings and grape leaves or Dolma's, Janie dropped off the Tzatziki sauce. Carla G. brought mini hot-dogs and popcorn, Diana brought carrot cake. 

Carla and I ran to the liquor store to add to the wines and had a mini-book club section with the "Trent" who works there. When I mentioned it was wine for a book club, he wanted to talk about the classics. There were threats of severe weather. But, while there was some light mist and a bit of lightening, all was well in Bradford Place II.

Our book this month was "The Book of Speculation" a debut novel by Ericka Swyler. Carla A. recommended the book and was relived that is was well received.

The framework of the novel is told around the life of Amos, a mute boy abandoned by his family in the 1790's and a descendant, Simon, a present day librarian. Simon receives a mysterious book that contains his grandmother's name. This book has a lot of moving pieces so, I won't try to give the full details here. The mystery revolves around the women in Simon's history, including his mother, who all drowned on the same day in July, though years apart. Simon's sister returns home simultaneously with his receiving the book and the mystery begins to unfold. There is a lot of symbolism in the book and it is full of feminine mystique. Water, in many forms, mermaids, an ancient Tarot card deck, the book, the carnival and family secrets. The story is masterfully told and moves effortlessly from the past to the present. The story had elements and reminded us of: The Sepluchre and Night Circus. The rated a 4.15 of those who had finished.

August 4th book club (can you believe it) will be at Tammy's and our book is "Crazy Rich Asians."
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June Book Club 2017

 

We have officially hit the halfway point of 2017. The REALLY BIG NEWS this month is that Arnora and Stan are engaged! I can’t believe she waited  through dinner before she told us.  The official wedding will be sometime in September and intended to be a private, family affair. However, I vote that we give her one really big bachelorette party!

 

This month, Lis hosted and we were greeted by her beautiful pink roses at the door. She went full blown Presidential Election on the décor. If it didn’t move, it was covered in red, white and blue! She themed the menu to the earlier days of the White House when the Roosevelt’s took office and America was going into WWII and still in a great depression. Lis made a ham and scalloped potato main dish along with summer sausage. Janie made a delicious cornbread salad, Tammy brought watermelon salad, Diana brought greens, and Laura brought a red, white and blue dessert Trifle made with lemon pound cake, Mascarpone cheese, blueberries and strawberries and Arnora brought the floral centerpiece. We were well represented on the wine and coffee front, as well. We really missed Denise and Leslie who were derailed at the last minute. Pam, Barb, Carla G and Terry were also unable to make it.

 

Our book this month was a biography, Eleanor and Hick. Eleanor Roosevelt had played a minor character in our May book, The Muralist and we were intrigued about aspects of her personal life and longtime relationship with journalist, Lorena Hickox.  The book was well-received and rated a 4.4.

 

Franklin Roosevelt was elected to four terms as President and, in fact, died in office during his last term.  The Franklin and Eleanor were married for 40 years and had six children, one of whom died not long after his birth.  Eleanor had a sad childhood having lost both parents by the time she was 10. She was raised in a chaotic and dysfunctional household by extended family.  She was the favorite niece of her uncle and then President, Theodore Roosevelt. Franklin was a cousin to Teddy and a 5^th cousin to Eleanor.  They fell in love and married, much to the dismay of his mother.  Things started to go wrong early in the relationship. Franklin had been hoping for a wife who adored him but, wouldn't direct him and FDR’s mother was a constant presence in their lives. Eleanor was practical and constantly tried to direct him. In NYC, their town houses had adjoining rooms on three floors with Sara.  Eleanor hired a social secretary, Lucy Mercer only to discover later that FDR and she were having an affair. This broke her heart. Sara doted on her son and Eleanor always lived in homes bought and decorated by her and/or in the Governor’s mansion or White House.

 

Though FDR promised to end the affair with Lucy, they continued to see each other intermittently over the years, their meetings sometimes arranged by FDR’s daughter. In fact, Lucy was with him the night he died. FDR had at least 4 other documented affairs during their marriage including a 20 year relationship with his own secretary, Missy Lehand.

 

Lorena Hickox was a journalist. She and Eleanor began their relationship after the Lucy Mercer affair. Hick lived in the White House and traveled extensively with Eleanor.  Eleanor and Hick moved about in a rather large circle of lesbian women.  The relationship with Hick lasted over three decades. Eleanor also had important relationships with at least two men. What I took from this book was that I would not classify her as simply lesbian. I think she loved FDR deeply but in one of her quotes she stated “sometimes you just know that you can’t be all things to one person. And, you have to be ok with letting them get their needs met elsewhere.” Eleanor seemed to me to be a person who loved the person and it was irrespective of sexual persuasion.

 

We all agreed that we were happy that she also could get her needs met in the best way she could at a time when her life style would have been deeply disapproved. We also agreed that FDR’s affair with Lucy Mercer, even though she was deeply hurt, empowered her to find her own source of fulfillment. She did that in her personal relationships and as she championed the cause for women and the underprivileged. It was a fascinating time in political history and politics absolutely shapred the personal lives of Franklin and Eleanor. This is a fascinating family and, if you haven’t seen it, the Ken Burns documentary on the Roosevelt family is on Netflix.

 

July book club will be held on June 30 due to the July 4 holiday. Terry will host and our book is The Book of Speculation.

 

 

May Book Club 2017

Welcome to May 2017 Book Club at Diana's. We are coming up on the end of the first half of 2017 already! Feels like we are time traveling forward at a breakneck pace. We missed Pam, Lou, Darby, Leslie, Carla G and Janie. The rest of us dined on Diana's quiche accompanied by Carla A's Caprese salad and bacon.  Tammy brought a scrumptious Reuben dip, Denise brought a beautiful fruit salad, I brought croissants, Champagne and Peach Nectar for Bellini's Laura finished us off with a Lemon Pound Cake for dessert and Arnora brought the beautiful spring bouquet.

Our book this month comes From the author of the New York Times bestseller The Art Forger and is a thrilling new novel of art, history, love, and politics that traces the life and mysterious disappearance of a brilliant young artist on the eve of World War II.  Alizée Benoit, an American painter working for the Works Progress Administration (WPA), vanishes in New York City in 1940 amid personal and political turmoil. No one knows what happened to her. Not her Jewish family living in German-occupied France. Not her artistic patron and political compatriot, Eleanor Roosevelt. Not her close-knit group of friends, including Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, and Lee Krasner. And, some seventy years later, not her great-niece, Danielle Abrams, who while working at Christie’s auction house uncovers enigmatic paintings hidden behind recently found works by those now famous Abstract Expressionist artists. Do they hold answers to the questions surrounding her missing aunt?

Tammy recommended the book and we all heartily agreed as we had enjoyed the Art Forger. But, Tammy ended up not caring for the book at all. On the other hand, Carla Anderson "liked it a whole lot!" And, the rest of us fell somewhere in between. Most of us liked the story and what we learned about the art world at the time of WWII. While Hitler was plundering Europe of some of the world's finest art, the US Government set up a program called the Works Projects Administration to carry out public works projects such as roads and bridges. In a much smaller project, Federal Project Number One, the WPA employed musicians, artists, writers, actors and directors in large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects. Some of America's greatest Modern Artists (as named above) were part of this project.

The story goes back in forth in time as Danielle tries to authenticate, what she believes, are portions of a mural that her great aunt created for the WPA that disappeared when she did. We see that Danielle is still receiving the same kind of resistance and dismissal in the current day art world as her great aunt did 70 years earlier.  Her efforts take back in time to 1940's New York City but also to Paris where Alizee's family is desperately trying to receive Visa's to the US to avoid the German concentration camps across Europe.

Though this book was published in 2015, before the current administration took office, the new immigration policies and deportation laws mirror quite closely what was happening leading up to WWII with the Jews. Today, it is the Muslims but it seems someone is always the "immigrant nation" who is not in favor. "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

We all agreed that we would have liked to have had Danielle's character a bit more fleshed out. It was harder to connect emotionally with her character. But, we enjoyed learning about some of the artists of the day that were on the brink of discovery. The book had us discussing the mental health of artists in general. It also brought us to the subject of art as propaganda or rebellion. It is both. During the time of the WPA there were artists who "toed the party line" and those who tried to convey a message through their art as Alizee did with her mural and Picasso did, for example, with his mural, Guernica.  This paining is considered one of the most moving and powerful anti-war paintings in history.

As one point of local interest I pointed out paintings that are hanging in the Fred Jones, Jr. Museum of Art at The University of Oklahoma. Many of the paintings that were created under the WPA were collected for a travel exhibit that went oversees. Somewhere along the path of the exhibit, about 60 of the paintings were suddenly deemed inappropriate. They did not convey the image of a prosperous and exuberant America. They pointed more to the truth of a country that had been deeply affected by the war, an eight year drought and a great depression. These 60 paintings were removed from the exhibit and stored in a warehouse where they were discovered some 60 years later. The paintings went up for auction and the "Fred" purchased a dozen or so for a song. For example, the one by Georgia O'Keefe was purchased for $50.

The book rated a 3 and an "I really, really liked it a lot!" Laura recommended our next book, "Eleanor and Hick" about the love story of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and her secretary.  Eleanor figured promptly in The Muralist and we her story has peaked our interest.

Book Club April 2017

It appears that I have missed my quota of book clubs for the year in the first quarter. In March, I had a death in the family. In April, I attended a much needed spiritual retreat. Lis did a great job filling in for me and I offer her synopsis below. I look forward to seeing everyone in May!

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

4/7/17, we had a wonderful – and large – group meeting on Easy Street. Thank you, Janie, for having us all after a super-busy month for you. Sherrie, Pam, and Barb weren’t able to join us this month but they had the wonderful reason of enjoying a weekend retreat. Leslie and Lou were also missed. You were missed but we hope that you had a relaxing, refreshing time on the retreat. Terry and Janie brought guests – well Janie’s was already there; Janie’s sister-in-law Sharon and Terry’s daughter Robbie took part in our outing and it was great to meet them and hang out with them.

Janie sent out a “cry for help” in her reminder that she was too busy and turned the menu planning over to the whole group, woohoo a free-for-all, and the food turned out delicious. Magically, a salad theme evolved with lots of wonderful complimentary additions. We had greens, chicken, chick peas, spicy meatballs, cheese, bread, stuffed tomatoes. For the dessert course, Terry brought a yummy cherry pie to go with lemon and chocolate cake, lemon almonds and Peanut clusters. Carla (the Great) added the Easter touch with purple Peeps and Marshmallow Eggs in pastel wrappers that we snacked on as second desserts, or to make it sound more official, we were able to use after a break to bring our blood sugar back up and re-energize the book discussion; guilt-free snacking with purpose, lol.

And the discussion WAS lively; most of us liked the book a lot but a few had reservations about the detailed biological explanation of the nature of cells and the medical details of the research done with the HeLa cells. The author, Rebecca Skloot, did an amazing job of merging a scientific non-fiction account of HeLa cells and their contribution to medicine with a heart-wrenching memoir of the woman the cells came from and her family. She intertwined the worries, fears, excitement, and set-backs of Henrietta Lack’s siblings and descendants with medical facts and the evolution of patient protection over the last 60 years. Her account of how the use of HeLa cells affected the family makes the reader mull over how each one of us, through procedures and extractions, might affect medical research and that we wouldn't necessarily even know. One of the fortunate ones that was given information and encouraged was Janie with her account of her heart attack as a young woman and how the knowledge to the medical community that came out of it has contributed to the awareness of heart attacks in women. But through the author’s accounts of the family and their experience, we could understand their mistrust of Johns Hopkins hospital and were frustrated with them at the lack of explanation, communication, and help that they received through the years of using Henrietta’s cells. We felt with Debra and the author when they discovered how Debra’s older sister Elsie may have been treated using the procedures for the mentally ill of that time, procedures that are now unimaginable. Rebecca Skloot started her research on the origin of the HeLa cells for the purpose of writing a documentary of the woman behind them and their impact on science, as this description of the book reflects:

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and more. Henrietta’s cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can’t afford health insurance. (http://rebeccaskloot.com/the-immortal-life/)

I took this quick synopsis from the author’s web page, although I don’t think it does it justice; it seems like describing a diamond as a glass nugget. When reading the story, it was evident to me that the author had a passion for HeLa and had developed a personal relationship with and responsibility toward the family of Henrietta Lacks, especially her daughter Debra. I felt like I knew every character, felt with them their ups and downs. This, in my opinion, was what made the book such a gem. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks rated 4.875! 

Book Club March 2017

In my absence this month, Diana graciously took notes for the March book club.

We enjoyed a lovely March evening in Denise’s home. She made a delicious crockpot chicken enchilada soup, served with chips, salsa and then a Sopapilla cheesecake for dessert. Everyone's contributions made for a wonderful meal.
Leslie-guacamole
Laura-sangria
Janie-deviled eggs
Tammy-chili Frito salad
Carla G.-tortilla roll ups
Diana-Ginger beer 
This month's book was The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig. Apparently, it was not liked well enough for a discussion. In absence of that, I will post a synopsis of the book here and it's 1.7 rating. 

Nix is the 16 year old daughter of a time traveler. She has spent her whole life sweeping across the globe and through the centuries as her father looks for a map that will take him back to the year before Nix's mother dies in childbirth. He wants to change events that will bring her back to him. If he manages to change history, however, this could jeopardize Nix's very existence.  One review likened it to Rae Carson meets Outlander. I, personally, listened to about half of it on Audible and was enjoying it. However, due to another death in the family, I was unable to finish it.

According to Diana, the group spent more time discussing what to read next and cleaning up our Goodreads list. Carla G, will delete a few books from our Goodreads shelf. Most are books that have been there for a while and we've lost interest in for now. If you don't see one that you put on, and were really keen on it, let us know. Our next book for April at Janie’s is…The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

 

February Book Club 2017

Our thanks to Tammy for hosting February book club at her newly remodeled home. She and Randall did a beautiful job. It was a crispy cold and clear winter's night. I so enjoyed admiring the bright stars on my way home. 

We were a small group. We missed Pam and want to send our condolences on the loss of her friend, Joan Phillips. Several of us knew and loved Joan but, she was Pam's best friend. We send our thoughts and prayers to Joan's daughters and grandchildren and to the many friends who will miss her.  Barb, Lis, Lou, Darby, Leslie, and Terry were also missed. 

Tammy out did herself with her Chicken Piccata to the point of no leftovers! Denise brought pasta salad, Carla G the fruit and cheese, Janie brought Hummus and crackers and, I brought bread. Laura made chocolate chip cookies with whole wheat flour for dessert. The whole wheat flour was a substitute when she realized she was out of regular flour. However, the wheat gave the cookies a great texture and nutty flavor, without the nuts. We put back three for Lily otherwise, no leftover dessert either! Diana, Laura and Arnora brought wine and also, as always, graced us with the beautiful floral centerpiece.

Our book for February was "Moonglow" by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Michael Chabon.  This book was written as a memoir of Michael's maternal side of his family told mostly from the perspective of his unnamed grandfather, his grandmother and his mother. My review below is a mixture of Diana's notes and a couple of quotes from an online review that I thought helped explain the writing style.

The grandfather is an engineer who is dying from bone cancer. He wants his life to be remembered, for it to mean something and asks his, published author grandson, to write it down. The characters were so very human with complicated lives who experience great atrocities. They overcame some, and live with the consequences of others, for the rest of their lives. It is a story of survival and love.

Everyone agreed that story felt disjointed and sometimes hard to follow. Diana had even mentioned, at one point, she might not finish but, was glad she did. Arnora and Janie tried it but didn't stick it out. Carla A and I just didn't get to it. Carla is doing her own renovation and I lost track of time. It was agreed, by those who finished, that it was a full and satisfying read, albeit a long one and rated it 3.8.

Alex Preston, in his review in The Guardian, states the story is structured haphazardly between the grandfather's wartime exploits, his marriage and his time in jail. The story explores the fertile hinterland of the world between fact and fiction.  Chabon admits in his forward that he verified facts when he could but, quotes the grandfather as saying, "It's the way I remember it. Beyond that there are no guarantees."

To again quote Alex Preston, "The jumps in the story could definitely feel discombobulating but, there's a degree of logic at work. Memory hunting in the dark for the truth and affinities with the seeming randomness of life."

It seems true with any life, we don't see the chronology of it until the end.  As often happens with our book club discussions, this one made me want to read the book.

 

Denise will host our next meeting on March 3, and the book is "The Girl from Everywhere." 

Please remember to check your email regarding our trip to Hugo and the Endangered Ark Friday and Saturday, March 31 and April 1. Diana has reserved the nearby Hospitality House and has put down a deposit. There is still plenty of time for those to join who may still be unsure of their schedule. We had such a good time last year, it'd be a shame to miss it!