July Book Club 2018

What a great night we had at Arnora's! We were sorry that Pam, Denise, Tammy and Terry could not make it. Lou was back at home in Florida and, of course, Darby is in Chicago. Diana and I had just driven in from our trip to Salida, Colorado and we made it in time for book club.

Arnora made a delicious lemon cod with rice that paired nicely with an assortment of summer salads and the bread and cheese appetizer. Salads included; apple-broccoli, Asian, cucumber-tomato-onion, cherry tomato-cheese and yellow squash in a vinaigrette.

Laura provided berry shortcake and cherry pie with homemade whipped cream for dessert. We had an unusually good assortment of wines and tea and coffee.

Everyone enjoyed catching up on recent travels before we settled in for our discussion of  "Before We Were Yours," written by Lisa Wingate.

This story is told in two parts; the present day Avery residing in Boston but returning home to Charleston, SC. Avery's dad is a Senator undergoing treatment for cancer. They are grooming Avery to run for his seat if his treatments do not go well. At a political event at a local nursing home, Avery stumbles onto a photo of her own grandmother in the room of a resident she doesn't know. This sends her on a journey to discover the connection.  The second story is that of five children living on a Shanty boat on Mud Island in Memphis, TN. When the parents go into town for the birth of twins, the children are stolen off the boat by the Tennessee Children's Home and put up for adoption.

This story chronicles the true life story of Georgia Tann through one families separation and eventual reunification. Georgia Tann was a notorious child trafficker that operated several Tennessee "children's homes" between the 1920's through 1950. Thousands of children were stolen through various means and sold or, "adopted" out to wealthy politicians, actors and or various socialites. Georgia profited to the tune of about $10 million dollars in today's money but, was also responsible for the deaths of hundreds of babies and toddlers through abuse, neglect and malnutrition.  She was eventually prosecuted but fate had its way with her.  She died of ovarian cancer before she could be convicted. The story of Georgia Tann is true. The story of the Foss children and Avery is fictionalized.

We all agreed that the story felt like it had been written by two different authors. The story of the Foss children was deeply emotional and riveting. But, when we switched to Avery's story, it seemed lighter, more predictable and a step above the Harlequin Romance.

However, we also felt that the lighter story was a reprieve from the deeply disturbing story of how these children had been treated. And, Avery's story had another angle to consider. Avery is born into wealth and position in the south. Her family is well connected politically and socially. She is highly educated and it is understood that she will marry her childhood sweetheart and at some point step into her father's senate seat.

The discovery that her, now ailing, grandmother is from these shanty boat people and the discovery of how the siblings survived and found each other causes Avery to deeply search her soul. Is she in love with the childhood sweetheart? Will the law and politics be her true calling or, is she just simply living out a path that is chosen for her.

The theme throughout the book for all of the characters is how they struggle to sing their own song. The separated sisters all wear the same bracelet with the dragonfly symbol. In the Native American Animal Totem meaning the dragonfly:

Carries the wisdom of transformation and adaptability. It is connected to the symbolism of change and light. It reminds you to bring more lightness and joy into your life. Those with this totem may be inclined to delve deep into their emotions and shine their true colors.

The book rated a 4.3. Next month we will meet at Denise's and our book is The Wonder, recommended by Pam.

June Book Club 2018

June 1, 2018 marks the halfway point of the year. We're heading into summer and Barb welcomed us in to her lovely home this month. Her fried chicken was supplemented with

Diana's olives, hummus, pita and bear. Carla Gibbs brought fruit
and Lou brought salad and wine. Terry's potato salad and Denise's rolls. Liz brought cake and wine. Carla A made corn on the cob.  Pam brought quinoa salad, and Arnora brought cherries and her beautiful bouquet of flowers and I brought baked beans. It was great picnic food for our summer book club and yet, we were eating inside in the A/C and not fighting the flies and ants. It was perfect!

Tammy was called away unexpectedly, Janie got sick at the last minute and Leslie's boys had baseball. We always miss Darby but, Lou was able to join us two consecutive months! What a treat.

Our book this month was the modern classic, "The Outsiders" by Oklahoma author S. E. Hinton. This is a well known book, made into a movie and often required reading in High School. However, most of us in book club had managed not to read it until now.  The backstory of this book is fascinating in its own right.

S. E. Hinton or, Susan Eloise Hinton, was a 15 year old high school student at Will Rogers High in Tulsa Oklahoma in 1964. She says that is the year she made a "D" in creative writing. One day,
a friend of hers was walking home from school and these "nice" kids jumped him and beat him up. She went home and started pounding out a story. How it was published was nothing short of a miracle. S. E. had a friend whose mother wrote children's book. She showed the manuscript to her and she showed a friend who had a NY agent. This person continues to be her agent and she received the contract on graduation day. The book was made into a move in 1983 starring all the latest up and coming young stars; C. Thomas Howell, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Diane Lane, Leif Garrett, Darren Dalton and Tom Waits.

She has also written; That was Then, This is Now; Rumble Fish; Tex and Taming the Star Runner.
The Outsiders and Rumble Fish were adapted to film by Francis Ford Coppola. Tex and That was Then, This is Now were also adapted to film and S.E. had cameo roles in three of the four films.

Not bad for a 15 year old girl from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Of course, a female writer in the 1960's writing about mostly boys, was encouraged to use her initials so as not to be identified as female.

As for the book, we really loved it. While I have always been aware of the book and movie, I was not required to read it in high school.  I had avoided the movie because it looked like guys film that I didn't think would interest me.

The main character of the book Ponyboy, is coming out of a Paul Newman movie one evening and on his walk home is mugged by a group of the socially elite kids in his school. The rich and popular kids were called "Socs" and poorer kids from the wrong side of the tracks were called "Greasers."

This mugging and potential flirtation between one of the girl Socs and a guy Greaser fuels a competition that is always on a slow burn and it escalates in to one of the Greasers, the soft spoken and abused Johnny, killing one of the Socs in self-defense.

Overtime as the action escalates there is some crossover connection and recognition that the people aren't so different. Money and position separates them but, their problems and emotions are really the same. The tag line for the movies says, "They weren't looking for a fight, they were looking to belong."

Something about the writing reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird. The opening lines draw you in and put you in the emotional life of the main character, Ponyboy. The warring gang activity reminded me of West Side Story. I found the characters realistic, I related to their angst, frustrations and desires.  I thought the writing was captivating and she told a completely compelling story in 189 pages. I cared about what happened to them.

When I was in high school a few short years later, our popular kids were still called "Socs" but the kids from the wrong side of the tracks had become "hoods." The really smart kids were "nerds." But it was like there were these two extreme factions of two small groups and then this wide swath of of just normal, anonymous kids. I fell into that group. I probably don't know what all went on between the various groups - but we didn't have any murders. However, I could definitely relate to how people feel compelled to label everyone and then judge them based on those labels whether true or not.

Diana added that she thinks the book is still so popular (it's still the #1 best selling YA novel) because most teens need an extended family to help them transition to adulthood. As we age and grow our families grow. Our book club is a family and is kind of like the "greasers." We've developed our own family.

We also had a few laughs when someone asked if any of us had been in a brawl or "rumble." A few of us had some humorous tales to share of our childhood encounters.

I wasn't prepared to love this book as much as I did and I'm glad to know more about this homegrown author and her story.

The book rated a 4.5 and our next read will be Before We Were Yours.

P. S. Barb's cat came in during our discussion and signaled her approval of both the group and the book!

May Book Club 2018

We were so excited that Lou was in town for May's book club. She graciously hosted us at her "little guest house" at Shell and Steve Harrington's place.  It was a gorgeous night and a few of us ate on the patio facing the sunset. Diana has a new hair/color and she looked so good I couldn't resist a photo. Hope she doesn't mind.

Lou made a one pot, chicken pesto. We had croissants( Sherrie), salad (Tammy) and fruit. Denise made a yummy corn chowder dip and Carla A brought smoked Gouda cheese dip. Leslie brought brownies for dessert and we have an assortment of wines. Arnora brought a beautiful deep pink geranium for our centerpiece.

After writing this blog for so long, I have run out of adjectives to describe the food without sounding redundant. Let's just say it's always great. Never had a bad meal at book club.

This month's book, the Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis was suggested by Terry. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to make it to the meeting. However, she graciously agreed to let me print her thoughts here:

The thing I loved most about Screwtape is that all the different flaws humans possess have been with us since the beginning of time. So many of the letters were talking to me, personally. It is a humorous look, yet so true. I thought throughout the reading of little quotes my parents taught me through the years such as; idle hands are the devil's workshop, there are no atheists in a fox hole or, birds of a feather flock together. They didn't fit me all the time but, on occasion I recognized the teachings. The things we pride ourselves in having; humor, love, pleasure, kinship, faith and truth. The other side sees them as places in our constitution to invade. I have always felt the struggle going on between these two powers and have tried to identify the WHY. I was raised in a preachy church that taught that even if you think it, you're as guilty as doing it. This one opened the door for all sorts of bad behavior to escape my consciousness. If I thought it, I might as well do it, LOL. I had hoped to share a story with you all but was lost (way to go Devil.) While living with my first husband he woke every morning cursing his existence and God. It just seemed so counterproductive to having a good day or, life. Our attitude always effects the outcome. As he struggled one morning to change a flat tire, I heard him cussing God and telling him how angry he was at being born. I went into the garage an asked what the heck was going on. He proceeded to tell me how mean God was. I asked if he'd thought about it not being God but the other entity. Jokingly, he put his hands out in front of him and said, "Ok God, let's just do this thing together." At that exact moment, the spare jumped off the back of the land cruiser and landed in his hands. I simply said, "I rest my case" and went back to the kitchen. There isn't a day in my life that I don't feel the presence of a higher power. C. S. Lewis was a convert and his short little book explained so much to me about the war going on inside my head. I loved the book and even found some humor in my crazy thinking.

The book received mixed reviews. Terry, of course, loves it along with Laura, Lis and Denise. Laura and Denise had studied other C. S. Lewis writings and had a broader perspective of the book. Several of us felt that it was a bit "preachy." I would say, for me, it felt like a long sermon. While I didn't love the book, I do appreciate it and how it adds to my base of knowledge. And, I fully admit that my own church experience colored my perception of the book. The book rated a 3.

The premise of the book is that Satan or, Screwtape, is writing letters of instruction to his nephew, Wormwood, on how to distract people and tempt them away from salvation. I found my biggest problem with the book was that it's a one-way conversation. All the letters are from Screwtape to Wormwood. We hear a bit of Wormwood's voice when Screwtape is admonishing him on how to be do his job better.

However, that said, I am always happy to read a classic or, at least attempt it. There are a few I have tried that I just couldn't get through. Anna Karenina comes to mind. All of the arts come down to us through the ages. There isn't anything new under the sun - they knew that even in Biblical times. I find I often enjoy more modern works when I have a broader perspective of the classics that most works are based on.  In fact, I've heard it said that most plots are variations on the themes of Shakespeare. And, he probably based a lot of his plots on the Greek and Roman mythologies.

June's book is The Outsider's. Published in 1967 with a movie produced in 1983, it is surprising that most of us had not read it. Diana will host. We attempted to see if the author S.E. Hinton might address the group as she lives in Tulsa. But, that didn't work out.

April 2018 Book Club

Thanks to Terry to hosting book club on a chilly night in April. Winter is having it's fun with us and having a last hurrah. But, we were greeted warmly by friends, food and drink, as usual. Terry decided on a Quiche Florentine as our main dish in honor of the book's setting. You can tell by the photos that we had plenty of wine, a great salad, croissants, deviled eggs, a pineapple salad that was almost dessert and some lovely chocolates.

We also had a couple of special guests as Robbie's grandchildren stopped by. Thankfully, they did. We discovered Janie had a flat tire and Robbie's son-in-law dropped by to put on her spare. Janie let us know that she made it home safely.

We did miss members this month; Barb, Pam, Laura, Arnora, Lou and Darby. However, Lou will be in town and will host us in May! Details will be put on the blog as we get closer.

The Alice Network was well received. The book had two protagonists and alternating story lines between parallel events happening in both WWI and just after WWII.

In 1947, Charlie St. Claire is a smart math-whiz who, because she is a girl finds herself sadly underestimated. And, finds herself unmarried, pregnant and being taken by her mother to Switzerland to take care of "the little problem." However, Charlie is fixated on locating her cousin, Rose, who seemed to disappear without a trace during the War. She abandons her mother and finds her way to London. Here she locates Eve Gardiner, a woman and her handsome Scottish driver, Finn, a war-stunned Scotsman. Charlie believes that Eve's information about her cousin, and that she and Finn can help her solve the mystery.

At this point, we are taken back to 1915 where Eve is a young girl who has been recruited as a spy. She is French-born but has grown up close to the German border and speaks German. She is able to wait tables in a French restaurant where the owner welcomes German soldiers.  Eve's relationship with the restaurant owner escalates and soon she finds herself pregnant as well.

The two women, years apart, are both affected by war. They both find themselves in situations that are not friendly to young women of the time and they are on a collision course with historical events. The Alice Network is the network of spies that Eve is involved in. The ending brings both stories to a climax with most of the characters involved in a showdown that brings Eve long sought justice.

The book rated 3.73. Our book for May was suggested by Terry and is "The Screwtape Letters" bu C.S. Lewis.

March Book Club 2018

Fabulous friends, wonderful book club night! Thanks Lis for hosting and Carla A. for co-hosting! We all agree, we need our girlfriends so much! The food was all delicious, as Carla G. says, "the best meal of the month!" Hungarian goulash & mushroom soup, and warm bread are the best yummy comfort foods. We also had chips, guacamole, Jim's homemade green salsa, Carla G. broccoli kale salad, and Tammy made fresh humus to go with veggies. We had 3 desserts, Janie's chocolate dipped strawberries, and Carla A. made a cream pie that tasted like creme brûlée and a banana cornbread drizzled with maple & pecans! A culinary feast indeed!

Rosie Project was a hit! Everyone loved it! Ratings ranged from 4-5, with maybe a record, 8 of us rated it a 5! Overall rating 4.77. Thanks Carla A. and Sherrie for recommending this book. It will be one of our favorites.

And another big thanks to Lis for the following summary of the Rosie Project:
The story was a wonderful way of capturing a snapshot of someone living with Asperger’s Syndrome and the lovable dolt he could be. Slightly misguided by a sex-addicted friend, Don Tillman lived his tightly regimented life accepting that he will be considered as the odd-ball and weirdo by most people he encountered. After learning that he had a longer life-expectancy if he were married, he decided to “shop” for wife-candidates, using a list of traits and behaviors the prospect must possess. Instead, he came across Rosie, who did not fill the expectancies at all. She had a way of accepting and reflecting that soon endeared her to him and he figured out that he didn’t want to live without her anymore. Now it became a project of winning her over, understanding how to communicate with her, and how to give a real complement. Don learned that, while the truth is honorable, it does not always want to be heard. We learned that a person with a noticeable handicap can learn to overcome while another’s handicap goes unnoticed or is socially accepted. Another book that had me snickering and giggling while on my way to work and taking the long way just so I can listen a little longer.

Terry hosts our April meeting when we will discuss our next book...The Alice Network by Kate Quinn. We missed everyone who was traveling or spending time with loved ones. Always hope to see you all, same time next month!

February Book Club 2018

It was a dark and stormy night...

Well, it was a dark night for sure but, the stars were shining bright as we arrived at Tammy's for February Book Club. We had a great showing and Lily joined us for our discussion of "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle.  This month we were missing Pam (who was hanging out with Darby and Sam in Chicago), Leslie and of course, Lou and Darby.

We had a 100% participation this month as everyone managed to read the book. Food, as always was delicious. I can't speak for the Liverwurst sandwiches as I opted for the chicken salad. But, the chicken salad was wonderful. We had a large fruit salad, chips and salsa, pita and chick pea salsa, Brioche bread, brownies, cake from LaBaguette and assorted wines, tea and coffee. After writing the blog for so long, I have long run out of superlatives to describe the food. Anyone with a more creative vocabulary, please chime in!

After reading our book, I couldn't believe that I had deliberately avoided it for so long. I had chalked it up to its label of "Sci-Fi" and dismissed it because I don't usually care for that genre. However, I misjudged the book by its cover. That should teach me! Here, I am going to offer a "What parents need to know" about the book I found.

"A Wrinkle in Time is one of the great works of literature for kids. Besides being an exciting story, its message of individuality, nonconformity, friendship and courage have inspired generations of readers. This is a wonderful book for kids (I'm adding adults as well) who have ever felt "different" or lonely or, who have wrestled with loss. It celebrates the power of individuality, bravery and love."

The story revolves around Meg whose parents are scientists. Dad has been sent on some classified mission and has gone MIA. He has not responded to letters from home in over a year. Meg is acting out in class and is always in the principals office.  Meg has three brothers. The twins are about eight and the baby, Charles Wallace is five. Meg is twelve. The perfect age for this "coming of age" story. Meg and Charles Wallace share some interesting qualities that make it difficult for them to fit in with their peers. They are smarter than the average children of their age, more intuitive and precocious. Charles Wallace doesn't seem to mind his differences and has found that if he lets people think he is a "moron" things go easier for him. Meg, on the other hand, berates herself and fights with others because she can't find a way to be comfortable in her own skin.

One dark and stormy night, what appears to be a tramp shows up at Meg's home. It turns out that this is Mrs. Whatsit. She is one of three "witches" that are living in an abandoned and, supposed, haunted house out on the back of the property. However, these are no ordinary, eccentric grannies.  We soon find out that they have come to take Meg and Charles Wallace on an epic quest to find their father. A classmate of Meg's, who shares the same intelligent and awkward qualities, joins them.

The rest of the story is the journey through other worlds where they meet strange characters and are helped on their journey. We learn what it means to "tesserac" and how to avoid the dark forces that permeates all the worlds. You can try to resist with all your might, use the force of anger but, in the end, it is love that wins out.

One of the the things I loved best about this story is that the witches give each of the kids a "gift" that is supposed to serve them well on their way. Meg is given the gift of her faults.

We had chosen this book because few of us had read it and, a new movie is coming out next month based on the book. The book rated a 4 and a "I really loved it" by Carla A.

Our next book is The Rosie Project and Laura pointed out how "Wrinkle" is a great jumping off point for Rosie as it explores some of the same themes. Lis will host.

January Book Club 2018

We kicked off our January Book Club with our annual Pajama Party at Diana's. Our book was "Cooking for Picasso" by Camille Aubrey.  Diana found her website where she had posted several recipes from the book. Diana made for us the "Rustic Sunday Chicken" and Laura made the Easter Cheese-cake Pie. Tammy brought the tart salad, Lis brought a cheese plate. I brought mulled wine and there were other wines as well. The meal, as always, was absolutely delicious!

We missed Pam, who was enjoying warmer weather with her nursing students in Belize. Also, Janie, who was home sick, as well as Terry and Denise who were unable to join us. Lou made it back to Oklahoma on her way home to Florida from Denver and we were excited to have her.

Rex and Ember greeted us at the door. Ember was excited to see everyone and did a good job of keeping her "herd" together.

Cooking for Picasso was very well received by the group. Everyone in attendance had finished the book and it rated a 4.18.

Cooking for Picasso "is a tasty blend of romance, mystery, and French cooking," so says Margaret Atwood. It takes place in the French coastal town of Juan-Les-Pins and covers three generations of women affected by the abstract artist Pablo Picasso. Though the women in the story, and their connection to Picasso are fictional, the details of Picasso's life and the fact that he did, indeed, spend time in this very city, are all true.

Ondine is the daughter of the owners of a restaurant in this town and Picasso hires them to cater his lunch every day. Ondine is sent with the food on her bike to Picasso's home. She soon becomes his model and has a brief sexual encounter with him which produces a daughter. She is also promised one of the paintings. Ondine finally escapes to America with her returning boyfriend who agrees to raise the child as his own. When this daughter, Julie, is a teenager, her father is murdered and Ondine takes her back to France. Then Julie ends up running away with an American back to America and gives birth to Celine. Celine ends up back in France uncovering the mystery of her grandmother and the painting and in the process falls in love with a Chef  who has purchased the "mas" where Ondine originally lived. Of course, the story has more detail, and the mystery of the painting; will she find it? won't she? Will she save the "mas"? Kept me turning the page.  We thought the language was descriptive without being too heavy handed. The characters were well developed and we cared about that happened to them.

Picasso, was a maniacal painter throughout his lifetime. Classically trained, initially, he turned to abstract expressionism. However, he wasn't a very nice man. He was definitely a misogynistic narcissist who had two wives and many lovers. He was a man who seemed to be without the capacity for compassion. Many women were drawn to him and fought over him to the detriment of them all.

I forgot to mention this during our discussion but there was a description of Picasso by one of the women in the book that I will paraphrase here: "having his attention was like having the sun on your face but, when he turned his attention from you it was like getting the cold side of the moon." This is the classical definition of a narcissist and I read almost that exact quote from Jennifer Garner describing Ben Affleck when they were going through their divorce. I just thought that was fascinating. I am betting Jennifer didn't even realize what she was saying.

Next month's book is A Wrinkle in Time and our discussion will be at Tammy's.