February Book Club 2022

 

As the weather took another frigid turn and the Omnicron is still raging, we met on Zoom this month. Unfortunately, as we met on a Sunday afternoon, about half our group was unable to attend. But, those who did enjoyed the discussion.  As we on Zoom, we were on our own for food and drink.

Actually, it's a bit of a shame that we ended up on Zoom with this particular book as it was all about food! 

Our protagonist is a Filipino-American named Lila Macapagal who has been living in Chicago. After a bad break up with her boyfriend she moves back to the small town of Shady Palms to nurse her wounds and help in her families restaurant. The catalyst for the story begins when an old, hometown boyfriend and now food critic ends eating in the restaurant with his stepfather. Then ends up have a fatal allergic reaction the Adobo dish he is eating. 

This sends Lila on a vengeance to clear her families name and reopen the restaurant that is their only income. Lila, though spunky and determined, is also very naive. She apparently, hasn't watched many police procedural dramas. I've never been in law enforcement, but even I know you don't talk to the cops without a lawyer present when you are being accused of murder. Her spunky, well-meaning, naivete consistently complicates the investigation and continually leads to more trouble for everyone until they stumble onto the real murderer. I guess all of her bumbling adds to the humor of the story but I had issue with it. 

Everyone like the story well enough. We all agreed it was a fun, light read and just what we needed for this time of year. The book rated a 3. 

January Book Club 2022

 

As we are now two months into 2022 it seems that the Corona Virus is still with us. In its third (I think, I'm losing count) mutation, the Omnicron is more contagious than the earlier viruses and numbers are rising again. With that consideration, half of us met at Carla Gibbs' for the meal and the other half joined us on Zoom. It was our first time to try a Hybrid meeting. 

Carla made a Sweet Potato Chicken Chili and cornbread as our main dish. Rather than just wine, I actually contributed a warm Brie with a caramelized apple topping. 

This month, we were thrilled to see Diana who has been recovering from a heart attack and stints. We're just so happy that she listened to her body, got quick and stellar care. 

Our book for January was written by the author of another book club favorite, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. 

The novel opens with our protagonist as a small child enjoying the company of her father during WWII. He is showing her a book of magical creatures including a golden beetle that may, or may not, reside in New Caldonia. There's a knock on the Library door, he is handed a telegram. He exclaims, "Not all of the?" Then proceeds to leave the room and shoots himself. Quite dramatic and certainly traumatic for his little daughter. We find out later that he has three soldier sons who have all been killed on the same day. 

The story jumps ahead to 1950 where Margery is living a very unfulfilled life as a science teacher. One day, walks out of the job and books a ticket to New Caldonia where she intends the find the golden beetle. She hires an assistant and the adventure begins. Throughout the book the twin themes of trauma and obsession drive the story. 

The book was well received and rated a 4. 

December Book Club 2021

 

In keeping with our Christmas tradition, Laura had us at her home for a High Tea. It was a beautiful afternoon! Of course, there was too much wonderful food and we had our exchange of gifts and cards. 

Our book this month was Anxious People was written by Fredrik Bachman who also wrote A Man Called Ove. 

The catalyst for the story is a failed bank robbery which turns into a farcical hostage situation. The bank robber, whose identity is not revealed until the end of the story, tries to rob a cashless bank in Stockholm. They end up hiding out in an apartment where eight prospective buyers are being the shown around. These people inadvertently find themselves in a siege situation. Add to this confusion a rather inept father/son police duo and it sets the stage for confusion, humor, irony and pathos. 

The book was well received and rated a 4.1 

November Book Club 2021

 

Blog # 177 Book #239

November's Book Club was hosted by Lis. We missed Barb, Laura, Denise, Tammy, Leslie and Pam.

The rest of us enjoyed Lis' Sweet Potato Chili and Mayan Hot Chocolate. Carla Anderson brought Chicken Tortilla Soup. Carl Gibbs brought bread, cheese and wine. Janie brought Peach Cobbler and Ice Cream. 

Our book was recommend by Barb who counts it among one of her favorites. West with the Night is the memoir of Beryl Markham. Born in England in 1902 she was raised by her father in Africa where she became a pilot and horse trainer. 

 she was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean from east to West. Her contemporary, Amelia Earhart, and American born 5 years earlier. was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from West to East in 1932. Beryl was also a contemporary of Isak Dinesen, Dynis Finch Hatton and Ernest Hemingway. 

Upon reading Beryl's manuscript he remarked, "She has written so well, and marvelously well, that I was completely ashamed of myself as a writer. She can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves as writers. It is really a bloody wonderful book." 

I wouldn't say that our book club rating of a 3.4 reflects Hemingway's praise. However, I think that reading the book 80's after its publication may account for the difference in our appraisal. Some liked it better than others. I really enjoyed her descriptive writing. I thought it beautiful prose and she led a remarkable life. However, it being written in 1942, I thought she did a good job of being discreet about the more sensational parts of her love life. That said, the story was told with a lack of emotion that I think colored the story. She married three times and had one son. However, she had affairs, among others, two sons of King George V, Princes Harry and Edward. Edward later abdicated the throne. She also acquainted and friends with the author Isak Dinesen of Out of Africa fame. Isak had been having an affair with Denys Finch Hatton while he was also seeing Beryl. Of her relationships Beryl mentions only Finch Hatton (that I recall) but does not give details and never mentions Dineson. 

Beryl was born in England but was taken to Kenya at age 4. She grew up there with her father. Her mother and a brother stayed behind in England. Beryl grew up with a Zebra as a pet and was around horses all of her life as well all the wild life in Africa. She learned to fly at a young age and initially earned money by scouting elephants for hunters.  In 1920, at age 18, she became the first woman in Kenya to be given a horse trainers license. 

I won't give the full bio here but among her many accomplishments, she did become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean from east to West in 1936. Her contemporary, Amelia Earhart, an American born 5 years earlier, was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from West to East in 1932. 

I was happy to have read the book and to have learned more about this woman. 

October Book Club 2021

 

Thanks to Arnora for hosting and for making her Easy Chicken Pot Pie. The pot pie paired beautifully with fresh veggies, pizza and brownies for dessert! We missed Barb and Tammy. 

October's book was described as "The thriller novel you've been waiting for. No one can be trusted, emotions run high and the story unravels slowly but wonderfully."

The discovery of a girl abandoned in a field of dandelions by the side of the road in a small Texas town threatens to unearth the long buried secrets of a legendary cold case. The description of the town lends itself to the Southern Gothic style of mystery. Told from three points-of-view over a near 15 year time period. The book opens ten years after the original girl's disappearance and ends when the abandoned girl is 18. It's a small town where everyone knows everyone. But, there is deceit and betrayal buried under the small town conventions and proprieties. 

The book was well received and rated a 3.7. 

September Book Club 2021

Many thanks to Laura who volunteered her patio for this month's book club. It was a beautiful evening to sit outside for our discussion.  

September's book was A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. We had loved his book, "Rules of Civility," several years ago. 

A "Gentleman in Moscow" is about an aristocratic Russian, Alexander Rostov, who is arrested in 1922 at the end of the Russian Revolution. He is convicted, of being an aristocrat. But, rather than being executed by the Bolesheviks, he is put under house arrest in a luxury hotel, The Metropol, in Moscow. There he lives out the next 30 years of his life. 

(What follows is paraphrased from Amor Towles website)

A novel set in Soviet Russia in an era of austerity in which the hero spends three decades of his life in the confines of a single building might seem dull. But, it's the perfect opportunity for the author to investigate the depths of the Russian soul. 

As the author draws you deep into Alexander's existential malaise, a willowy actress enters the scene. In the kitchen three collaborators convene, connive and, cook. Knives are juggled, passports stolen and disguises adopted. Alexander adopts a daughter. There are many story lines connecting the people who work, as well as live, at the hotel. And, we follow it all with interest until one day in 1954 a well orchestrated escape is executed.

Amor Towles, admits to his own personal love affair with the Russian authors and way of life. He weaves into his story history, food, wine and the culture of a people who endure the long, hard Russian winters. 

I felt from the start that his book was an homage to Dostoevsky as the writing style reminded me very much of Anna Karenina. 

The book rated 4.5

August Book Club 2021

Thanks to Denise for hosting our August Book Club. It was a beautiful day!

Last year, Diana had arranged for her friend and poet, Vivian Nida to recite from her book of poems, "From Circus Town, USA." Diana met Vivian when she was a student in one of her high school classes. They had been in intermittent contact over the years. Vivian grew up in Hugo, Oklahoma and her book of poems is inspired by the circuses that wintered there over the years. Of course, we have a connection to the Endangered Ark Foundation that grew out of those circuses. Vivian's initial visit to book club was postponed due to Covid last year. Our patience was certainly rewarded! Vivian read to us from her book and shared photos of her family, the town and, the circus. She regaled us with charming anecdotes and even brought us Animal Cracker cookies.                                      

Our book for August was "The Lost Apothecary," a debut novel by Sarah Penn.This story is told from the perspective of two time periods. In current day London, aspiring historian, Caroline Parcewell, is spending her 19th wedding anniversary alone. On the eve of this long awaited trip, Caroline finds out about her husband's infidelity. She decides to make the trip alone to give herself time to process her situation. On a field trip she discovers an old apothecary bottle that becomes a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that happened in London 200 years earlier.

In 18th century London, a female apothecary is carrying on the business of her deceased mother. She has a predominantly female clientele and an underground reputation for selling well disguised poisons that enable some of these women to do away with abusive and oppressive husbands. The book was fairly well received and rated a 3.4.

The book was fairly well received and rated a 3.4.