March Book 2019

Blog #139  Book #203

A great big thank you! to Janie for hosting this month. She's had a tough time getting her mom settled into her new living situation. But, she managed to power through and cooked us up a pot of the best potato soup I've ever had. She gave credit for the recipe to Panera via Rusty. Thanks, Rusty!

Other things on the menu were; cheese, bread and Spaetzle by Lis, blueberries, quiche by Laura, cornbread by Terry, cookies by Denise, brownies by Tammy and Carla brought walnuts and Kahlua to top them and our floral arrangement by Arnora. Also, a lovely assortment of wines, two kinds of Guinness, Pecan coffee and tea.

We had lots of great conversations as we caught up on our month. Aside from Janie moving her mom, both Pam and Terry are moving house. Lots of movement as we head into Spring! Congratulations on your new homes!We missed Pam, Barb and Leslie (and Darby and Lou.)

I think everyone had read The Nightingale except Denise. Terry was just a few pages from finishing. Everyone liked this book a lot and the overall rating was a 4.5.

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, is another WWII story. This one about two sisters living in France at the time the German's invaded.  The family had not adjusted well to the death of their mother. The father is distant and doesn't really know what to do with his daughters. The oldest, Vianne, is a young mother whose husband has been drafted. Isabelle is a headstrong teenager who gets kicked out of or, runs away from, all the boarding schools she is sent to. The girls are very different in their temperament and in their perspectives on life. Vianne seems to be more timid. She has a daughter to protect after her husband is a prisoner of war. She wants to fly under the radar, lay low, not make waves or draw attention. Isabelle wants to join the resistance - she wants to jump off the cliff and fly for a brief few moments before the fall.

I am not going to give a full overview here as there is just too much detail. Just to say, that both girls end up doing their part for the war effort in France while they are dodging German soldiers billeting in their home, walking stranded airmen across the Pyrenees mountains and, harboring abandoned Jewish children under the nose of the Germans. They didn't have only the worry of the German soldiers. The French formed a Vichy government and worked with the Germans. The girls couldn't trust their own countrymen. The action of the story really ignited in the last third of the book and was told with anticipation and intensity.

I had not thought about it while I was listening to the book but, as we discussed it, scenes from Gone With the Wind kept coming to my mind.  All wars seem to have the same similarities. There are those with bravado, swagger and idealism that ignore the reality that is coming. There are those who seek out or, are forced to fight the opposition in spite of the risk to life and limb. In war the aggressor believes he is right and justified in achieving the means at any cost and, the victims who are fighting to maintain their way of life. No matter the root that brings the war the greatest damage is always done to the civilians and mostly to the women and children who are considered "collateral damage."

Here are a few statistics we didn't cover in our discussion:

WWII civilian deaths 50-55 million. Military deaths were 21-24 million. The civilian deaths were double the number of soldiers. The number of Jews is estimated at about 17 million.

I forgot to mention it during our discussion. But, I remember a great quote from one of my favorite shows - The West Wing. And, I will leave you with this.

All Wars are Crimes.

April's Host: Sherrie

Book: Killers of the Flower Moon 

February Book Club 2019

Blog #138 - Book #202

 February's book was Barbara Kingsolver's "Unsheltered." Fortunately for us, we found warmth, comfort and shelter at Pam's home! Everyone was able to join us this month except for Carla A and Leslie. Barb's friend, Julie, had read the book and joined our discussion. Some of us have met Julie over the years and it was good to see her.

For our meal, Pam provided roasted chicken and a Greek salad. Carla G brought tomato basil soup and baguette. Julie brought chicken tenders from Cains. Diana brought delicious blueberry muffins and Laura brought apple cobbler. I brought a quiche, Tammy brought both sweet and savory plantains, Janie brought cheese and crackers, Barb brought roasted veggies and Arnora brought a beautiful bouquet of flowers. And, we had a wide assortment of wines and fruited water. 

Unsheltered: a timely novel that interweaves past and present to explore the human capacity for resiliency and compassion in times of great upheaval. 

One of the central questions is: "How could two hardworking people do everything right in life and end up destitute?" After a life time of doing the right things like getting an education and having professional jobs, they have nothing to show for it but debt, an inherited house that is falling apart and an ivy-league educated son who is in crisis.  In another time, a troubled husband and public servant asks, "How can a man tell the truth, and be reviled for it?" These questions and these families are living out their lives against the backdrop of all our contemporary social issues.

It seemed to me that the room was about equally divided on their assessment. Most of the group are Barbara Kingsolver fans with "Prodigal Summer" rating among one of the favorite books of our time together. Pam, Tammy, Barb and Julie really liked the book, while Diana, Laura, Denise and Arnora had mixed feelings about it.One of the issues that some had with the book was that it felt like the author had made a list of all our social woes and then weaved the story to promote her political views. The writing felt preachy.  Janie, Lis and I did not read it. Carla A told me that she didn't care for the story but she really liked the epilogue and thought you could get the gist from that. 

In essence the book attempts to paint a portrait of lie in precarious times when the foundations of the past have failed to prepare us for the future. That being said, if you read much history, you know that all times are precarious. To me, it just feel worse when you are the one living through it. 

March book club will be at Janie's and our book is Kristen Hannah's "Nightingale."

January Book Club 2019

Blog #137     Book #201

January 2019 opens with a pretty snowfall and Tammy and Lily as our hostesses. Many thanks to Lily who recommended this month's book, "The War That Saved My Life."

We had a smaller than usual group this time. Lou was able to join us but Pam, Janie, Denise, Barb, Lis, Leslie, Laura, Terry and Darby could not make it. We hope Denise feels better soon. We are sorry to hear of the passing of Lis' uncle. Good luck to Leslie's boy's who have basketball games - and wishing fun and safe travels to the others.

Tammy provided us Guinness Beef Stew and cornbread. Lou brought cabbage soup, Carla G brought salad, fruit, nuts and wine, Diana brought caramel Panna Cotta with chocolate sauce, and Carla A brought chocolate and cinnamon apple brioches. And, Arnora brought the beautiful bouquet of flowers. I have to say, one of the many reasons I love going out to Tammy's is getting out of the car and being dazzled by the stars in the night sky.

Our book was well liked by all. "The War That Saved My Life," was 2016's Newbery Honor Book and the winner of the 2016 Schneider Family Book Award as well as being on the NY Times bestseller list.  Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is humiliated by Ada's twisted foot to let her outside. Her mother is also abusive. When Ada's brother is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada sneaks out to join him. Ada and her brother are taken in by Susan Smith. She cleans them up, feeds them and reads to them from the Swiss Family Robinson. Miss Smith gives Susan encouragement and teaches her to read. The story is a coming of age story about a young girl who is behind the 8-ball in every way. She is born with disabilities, her father has died, her mother is abusive and there is a war coming. But, she finds a way to persevere and flourishes in spite of all the odds against her and fighting a war on all fronts.

We talked about Ada's courage throughout her journey and Susan's motherly intuition, even though she never thought she wanted children. We thought the author did a great job researching this wartime story f the lives of children who were evacuated away from London. Lily has read the second book in this 2-part series and filled us in on the future of some of the characters. The book rated 4.5.

February's book club location will be decided as we get closer. It will be either at Pam or Sherrie's. Our book is Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver.

Lou mentioned that she thought Killers of the Flower Moon was turning into the most boring book she might have read. So, just a heads up, we might want to reconsider that one. Arnora and Carla G had recommendations we can discuss in February.

December Book Club 2018

 

FUN FACTS: December 2018 makes 136 Blog Posts since I started this in 2007. And, Dirty Chick marks our 200th Book! Thank you, Carla G for keeping up with our titles and book count!

And, that's a wrap folks for this 2018 Book Club year. Another year in the "books" (pun intended) of wonderful friendships, food, fun and literature! All the locals made it out, including Janie and Terry who've been recovering from illness and surgery. We, of course, missed Darby and Lou but send them all our love and best holiday wishes.

We finished 2018 at Laura's and our book was Dirty Chick: Adventures of an Unlikely Farmer.

The food, as always, was delicious with Petit Fors, baked goat cheese, Honey/Apricot and Almond  goat cheese spread, Hungarian Mushroom soup and Chili, chocolate chip cookies, scones and chocolate bon bons.

We had our annual exchange of gifts and cards and a very fun discussion of our book. I, particularly enjoyed the book for this time of year as it was light reading and fun. November and December get so busy it is hard for me to get into anything too deep.  Our author, Antonia Murphy,  had previously blogged about the experiences that she and her husband had of moving from San Francisco to a rented farm in New Zealand. The trials and tribulations of raising two children and 19 randomly collected farm animals - with zero experience for any of it. Throw in a mix of quirky but lovable neighbors and let the games begin!

The open sequence of Antonia babysitting for her father and step-mother's chicken and duck was both hilarious and horrifying in equal measure. Let's just say, I now know more about a ducks anatomy that I wished I did.

Driven by a desire to live in a place less expensive than San Francisco and raise their children in an idyllic Lord of the Rings setting they set sail, literally, for New Zealand. The story follows their first year of living on a rented farm and collecting the menagerie of animals. Most of them given, or sold on the cheap, to them by neighbors looking to off-load some of their less desirable stock.  They some how make it work and fall in love with their life. By the end of the book, they have found a neighboring farm to buy.

The general consensus was that farming for all of us, except Pam, is best viewed from a far distance. Pam could see herself swaddling a not-so-little baby lamb with no problem. Which sounds really sweet until you read the other stuff you have to do that little lamb to keep it alive and healthy.  The book rated a 3.75.

We have picked books for our next 6 months. You can consult the list to the right of this blog for details on hosts and titles.

For now, Merry Christmas to all
and to all a good night
as we drift off to sleep
 with baby lambs and chickens and ducks in our sleep!

November Book Club 2018

Thanks to Lis for hosting our November book Club. We departed from a typical Thanksgiving meal by having Spinach ravioli, Mozarella Chicken sausages, salad, two different kinds of cheesy/savory breads and brie/cranberry bites all served family style in Lis' warm and cozy dining room with wine, coffee and Apple Cider with a kick!

We moved our discussion of the book - Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows in to the living room where we enjoyed our after dinner drinks, coffee and dessert while we discussed the book which rated a 4.6 of those who had finished it. She is breaking her parents heart by going against their traditional wishes. She stumbles into a second part-time job at the Sikh temple where she thinks she will be teaching creative writing to Punjabi women but, only widows show up for the class and they are not literate in English. After finding a book Nikki has bought as a joke: Red Velvet; Pleasurable Stories for Women, they find it inspiring. They convince Nikki to let them spend their classes telling one another stories.

The discussion was interesting and fun and we'll leave it at that. What gets discussed at book club ... stays at book club! haha.

December's book club will be at Laura's and our book will be Dirty Chick: Adventures of an Unlikely Farmer.

October Book Club 2018

Guest Blogger's and Book Review by Diana Beal and Lis Berry.

I was the host for October's book club. We missed Janie, who is still on the mend at home. Laura, Lou and Leslie were all involved in weekend football games. Denise is lying on a beach in Hawaii. And, Dean Darby is having a fun weekend celebrating her new promotion to Dean of Instruction. We all send our congratulations and look forward to celebrating in person some time soon!

Thanks to all her bringing the deliciousness to our meal. I provided the baked potatoes and meat toppings. Lis brought Brie and crackers and Pam brought homemade chicken and pork tamales. Tammy brought her bacon wrapped, cream cheese stuffed jalepenos and her Hello Dolly bars. Arnora brought the gorgeous bouquet of flowers that I will enjoy for at least a week.

Our book this month was The Immortalists. It is the story of the four Gold siblings, growing up in 1969's lower east side NYC. It takes the reader, or listener, on an epic saga. the siblings are told, by a fortune teller, the exact date of their death. This information changes the course of their individual lives. But, does it change their lives for the better or worse? Several of us connected with the golden- boy Simon the most. He is the first to die and just in his early 20's. When his father dies he decides he doesn't want to remain working in the family business and taking care of his elderly mother. His sister, Klara, talks him into going to San Francisco with her to see what their lives can be like out from under the shadow of the family business and religion. I could go on and on about Klara, Daniel, Varya and Simon. I will just say that Chloe Benjamin's writing made for a memorable story. I couldn't stop thinking about the characters and story after the book ended.

The book rated a 3.78. Sherrie, Barb and Pam didn't read, or finish the book. Just not the one for them this time.

Nov 2: Lis will host and our book is "Erotic Stories for Punjabi Women" by Balli Kaur Jaswai.
Dec 7: Laure will host and our book will be "Dirty Chick: Adventures of an Unlikely Farmer" by Antonia Murphy.
Jan 4: Tammy will host. January's book is recommended by Lily and is "The War That Saved My Life," by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

Sherrie mentioned that she'd like to do a Christmas project like the ones Darby used to do for us. This time, let's submit either the first novel remember reading, the most influential novel we remember from childhood or, if you didn't read much then... another novel with a brief description of how it impacted you.

Book Review by Lis Berry:

The book revolves around four siblings, two brothers and two sisters, and how they live their lives and the choices they make. As children, they see a fortune teller because the elder brother had heard that she could predict the day of your death. The elder sister, Varya, lives carefully and by reasons. She is a scientist and believes that she can discover how people can extend their lives. Curiously, she is the one that has been given the longest life prediction by the fortune teller. The 2nd brother, Daniel, and the one who talked the others into seeing the fortune teller, has been given a death around age 50 but, doesn't concern himself with it until memories are brought back into his life. The 3rd sister, Klara, always fascinated by magic, becomes an illusionist by trade. She is given a 30-year life span. The youngest brother, Simon, is given the shortest life span of 20 years. He lives his life without care or caution and tries to enjoy his few years to the fullest.

Curiously, the younger three die on the predicted day. Varya brings together the story with her realization that she has a son that she gave up to follow her goal of finding a pass to long life. As he comes back into her life when he is 26, he makes her realize that maybe she hasn't really lived at all.

To me, this book was less about the fear of knowing what day you die might loom over you and more about living life to the fullest, no matter the length. I felt that Simon lived more in his 21 years than Varya did in her cautious, very predictable and strategic life of 80 years. The story of Frieda, the test monkey that Varya nurtured from a baby to an adult, embodied this when the monkey finally seemed to fall into deep depression and didn't know how to pull itself out of it even when Varya tried to offer her enjoyable food and pleasure. Frieda didn't have either the physical or mental ability to deal with the sudden change. This seemed to be a turning point for Varya. She had a realization that that we cannot cheat death and by desperately trying to avoid painful feelings we may also deprive ourselves of pleasure. The book weaves a curious connection to a policeman that is fascinated by Klara and unintentionally leads Daniel to the fortune teller. Daniel seemed to have lived a fairly average life until he was forced to revisit memories through the policeman's questioning and information about the fortune teller. This reintroduction leads Daniel to try and redeem guilt feelings that he had pushed out of his mind by confronting her and the prediction of their death dates.

Some of us felt that all four siblings could have benefited from a long and deep regiment of therapy!

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.