April Book Club 2023

 

Beautiful Spring weather favored us this April Book Club. We dined indoors on pizza and salad and had our discussion and cake on the patio. 

We missed Pam and Denise. Barb and Lis joined us late as they weren't feeling in the best of form.  We certainly hope they are better now. Denise had the opportunity to view the eclipse in totality but, she sent us her thoughts on the book. She recommended it after loving it so much she had already read it twice.

A special congratulations to Leslie. They have finally purchased a home in the Jenks area. I'm sure she'll update us on her new address soon. This has been a long and frustrating journey for them and I know she is relieved to soon have her things out of storage. 

Carla G thought this was the easiest book club she had hosted. She opted to pick up pizza at Casey's.
Most of us had not eaten it before and it was delicious. Lis brought a wonderful salad with my favorite Poppy Seed dressing. Laura made a decadent German Chocolate Cake. We also had fruit, cheese, and hummus appetizers.  And, our usual assortment of wine, tea, and coffee. Arnora brought the beautiful spring flower arrangement. 

No Two Persons
Erica Bauermeister

I'm going to start with some of Denise's remarks. "I loved this book so much because it is about the transformative power of reading, which we all can attest to! When we have our book discussions, it amazes me how we receive and respond to the same book in many different ways.  When I read the book the second time, I picked up more subtle links between the readers. The author described these as love notes slipped between the pages."

Denise said she has three pages of notes on these connections and is ready for Discussion Part 2 if anyone is interested.

She pointed out that the book shared among the characters is called, "Theo." which means God's gift. She felt the main themes were; healing, validation, escape, and deliverance. A favorite quote was, "It is always like this? Can we never truly connect? All that matters is we try."  Denise found it sweet the many ways the characters imperfectly worked to connect in their different relationships. 

Denise puts it quite succinctly. Laura was hoping for more of the actual story of Theo. I could understand that. For me, this book wasn't about Theo so much as he was the catalyst for the story. This book reflected to me why I read. I've always thought great fiction holds a mirror up to the reader. And, the books that have had the greatest impact on me teach me something about myself and move me emotionally in some way. This book rated a 4.75.

One final thought that just popped up. In all the ways the different characters responded to the book,

turning it into a different sculpture was interesting! 

 

March 2024 Book Club

 

Denise was our host for the March Book Club.  It was a beautiful day but too windy for the patio. We missed Pam, Janie, and Barb. Pam was attending a funeral and we all wrapped loving arms around Diana who is mourning her beloved dog, Ember. 

Our meal, as always, was delicious. Denise provided Mexican Beef Casserole, chips and salsa, and cheesecake. She also had biscuits from the UK to go with our tea. Arnora brought a wonderful salad and her always stunning floral bouquet. Lis added a cheesy spaghetti squash, Grandy's cinnamon rolls, and two mini bundt cakes. We also had a diverse selection of wines and Carla G brought teas for us to drink and take home. 

Mystic Tea

Rea Nolan Martin

Mystic Tea is a contemporary love story between young and old, franchised and disenfranchised, pedestrian, and mystic. A community of quirky, mismatched women struggles to find meaning and purpose as they try to save their ramshackle monastery, in Upstate New York, from closing.  The six eccentric nuns have spent their lives in service to a church that is no longer interested in serving them. Confused about their future and, that of the entire monastery, they have taken in two new "novices" with their own problems. Despite the chaotic appearances to the contrary, there is divine guidance throughout the book. 

The "mystic" of the group seems to be aging and ailing Augusta. She sages her home to diffuse negative energies and makes teas and tonics. Augusta says, "Most people don't know the first thing about the luminous signals provided by divine providence to point them in the direction of their intended lives. Most people cross the street in the middle of rush hour against the light. Most people get hit head-on, stunned by their own ignorance, and blame it on God." 

Without retelling the story, there is a lot of drama in each character's life colliding with the potential demise of their home. The story provided great discussion. Laura connected deeply to personal revelations in her own spiritual life. Diana and Laura both mentioned having a problem with the omniscient narrator's perspective that interrupted the flow of the writing at some points. The book rated a 4. 

For our April meeting at Carla G's, we have chosen "No Two Persons" recommended by Denise who has already read it twice. 

Mystic Tea

Rea Nolan

This book is described as a contemporary love story between young and old, franchised and disenfranchised, pedestrian and mystic. And, also about female empowerment. A mismatched group of women, having spent their lives in service to a church that no longer cares about them, are confused about their future as well as the entire monastery. 

Feb Book Club 2024

 

Our February book club was hosted by Diana. Laura suggested the book Fire in Beulah. The Oklahoma author, Rilla Askew who lives locally and teaches at Oklahoma University,  accepted her invitation to attend our discussion. 

Inspired by the book Diana made brown beans, cornbread, chicken, and biscuits. Laura brought a beautiful salad. Carla G brought Chow Chow Relish, sliced onions, and iced tea. Diana also made Black Forest Cupcakes in honor of Rex's birthday. Arnora brought the floral bouquet and mixed nuts and we had an assortment of wine, tea, and coffee. 

We missed Janie, Lis, and Barb. Our condolences to Lis on the death of her aunt. 

Fire in Beulah
by Rilla Askew
published 2001

The story is set in Tulsa, Oklahoma against a backdrop of the oil-boom opulence, and racial distrust in the early 1900s. Blending fictional characters with historical events it is an unblinking examination of heritage and race culminating with the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1920.

Rilla was the perfect guest author. She fit right in with our group and promises to come back "Same Time Next Year!" She does have a new book coming out soon and I think we all agreed we could make that happen. 

We had a lively discussion that deepened the experience of reading the novel. Several of us agreed that we needed a good, descriptive word for a story that captivated our imaginations and we "loved" how it was told but the subject matter is so harsh that it seems like a contradiction to use the word "love." I have finally decided that maybe the word is just heart-wrenching.  I would put Fire in Beulah, Killers of the Flower Moon, The Personal Librarian, and Devil in the White City for starters among those books. We all know that terrible things have happened throughout history. But, I think one of the things that makes these particular books such a tender spot for us is that it is recent history. Some of it happened in history so recently our parents were alive and none of it happened more than 130 years ago. 

It was fascinating to hear Rilla speak of how the characters came to her, why she chose certain names and a few things that she would change now if she could revisit the story.  She pointed out that she realized the relationship with Althea and Graceful had not been clearly defined leaving some to think they were half-sisters because they shared the same last name.  Her intention had been to show a connection further back in history to a time when Althea's family would have owned slaves who would have taken their master's name. 

I realized, as we talked, that I had somehow confused Graceful's rapist as her employer rather than Althea's brother. I intend to go back and read that part but I also realized that I unwittingly made an assumption because historically that's how the story is often written. 

I hope that Rilla enjoyed the evening as much as we did. We did not take a rating but I will state mine as a 5! 

Jan Book Club 2024

 

Blog 197 - Books 259

Happy New Year 2024! This New Year's book club is hosted by Lis and is our traditional Pajama Party Brunch Foods book club. 

Everyone agreed that we had a stellar year of books in 2023. We have raised the bar for 2024!

We start this New Year with North Woods: A Novel by Daniel Mason. This book is the story of a place and its inhabitants over centuries. It is also about the fall of mankind and the habit humans have of repeating history or, so says the review and summary page. The author attempts to manage both a narrow and long view by focusing on the lives of each of the house's inhabitants while encompassing American history, natural history, and the relentless march of time and the cycle of seasons. Did he succeed? 

We missed Janie who is ill and Leslie who is on vacation. We were very glad that Laura and Diana were able to make it after experiencing a death in their family. We are all glad to have a chance to wrap our arms around them. 

Our meal, as always, was exceptional. 

• Liz -  breakfast casserole, cheese and crackers, stuff peppers, veggies, Zinfandel, and Mimosas 
  Carla A. sausage and bacon
• Diana sheet cake blueberry pancakes
• Carla G. fruit
• Denise Apple Dumplings with Caramel Ice Cream Arnora - Fresh flowers, mixed nuts, and bacon 

North Woods: A Novel 

Daniel Mason

We had a very engaging discussion of our book. For the most part, we felt the author succeeded in telling an interesting story. He had chosen a difficult format and one that was new to us. We have read a couple of other stories that were about the place that doesn't change but the people do. This story takes place in an isolated area of the North Woods in Massachusetts over 400 years. The story was somewhat linear but did go back and forth in time and timelines overlapped with people's memories and the interference of ghosts interspersed. Several were disappointed that there wasn't more made of the connections between the people who occupied the house. Listening to the book also made it difficult to follow in some instances. But, overall it rated a 3.75 and everyone had read. it.

It is interesting to note that this novel is shortlisted for the Pulitzer. 

February's book is Fire in Beulah by Rillas Askew. Either Diana or I will host. We'll make an update shortly as we determine the weather. 

Dec Book Club 2023

 

Blog 197 - Books 258

And that's a "wrap" on our 2023 reading year! We had our traditional Book Club and sleepover (for those who could) at Laura's.  We missed Denise but we know she was having a good time in Bentonville and were glad that Leslie could join us.  We were also greeted by Doug, Meagan, Nolan, and Hardy. That was a nice surprise! Lis brought along Jackie for a special appearance. 

We had a beautiful spread of food for our tea; Chicken Salad sandwiches, cheese and crackers, a pineapple cheese ball, deviled eggs, Spanakptia, and several desserts including a Gingerbread Cake.  Arnora brought a beautiful Christmas-themed bouquet and we had an assortment of beer and wine. We never go away hungry from book club!

After dinner, we played a new-to-us version of Dirty Santa introduced by Arnora. It was fun and we

enjoyed our gift and card exchange. A really nice touch was that Laura found the stamp with Mary McLeod Bethune's photo and gifted us each one.  And, Diana's gift was a picture of our 10th anniversary photo as a puzzle. Intended for each of us to get a chance to work the puzzle and pass it on through 2024.

I just realized that we are ending our year the way we started.  Our January book was The Personal Librarian written by Heather Benedict Terrell and Victoria Christopher Murray. And, we are finishing the year with The First Ladies by the same authors. I am not sure that has ever happened before.  We all loved the Personal Librarian. It was definitely none of us had heard and it was one worth knowing.  

The First Ladies is the story of an unlikely, for the times, friendship between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Mary McLeod Bethune who was known as The First Lady of Negro America. The summary and our review are below. 

The First Ladies
co-authored by 
Heather Benedict Terrell and Victoria Christopher Murray

Born in 1875, Mary McLeod Bethune was the daughter of formerly enslaved parents. As an adult, she was an educator and activist who refused to back down when white supremacists attempted to thwart her work. As she became more widely known, even Eleanor Roosevelt was awestruck and eager to make her acquaintance. Drawn together by their shared interest in women's issues, education, and civil rights they became close friends sharing triumphs and tragedies. When Franklin Roosevelt became president the women worked together to impact his policies. This is a story of two different, yet equally formidable women and how their friendship formed the foundation for the modern civil rights movement.

Among Mary's many accomplishments, she founded the National Council of Negro Women, established the Afro-American Women's Journal, and was President of the National Association for Colored Women. She was appointed as a National Advisor to FDR whom she worked with to create The Black Cabinet. She started a private school for African-American students in Daytona Beach that eventually became Bethune-Cookman University. She was the sole African-American woman on the delegation that created The United Nations Charter. First Lady Eleanore Roosevelt is more widely known for her accomplishments and humanitarian efforts that continued long after died and she left the White House. Unfortunately, Mary McLeod Bethune's story was mostly lost to the wider audience until our co-authors brought her back into the narrative. 

Everyone loved the book and it rated a 4.5.

Lis will kick off our January 2024 meeting with our traditional Pajama Party Brunch.  Our book for January is North Woods: A Novel by Daniel Mason. 

November Book Club 2023

 

Blog 196 - Books 257

Our intimate November book club meeting was hosted by Pam on a warm fall afternoon. We missed Lis, Janie, Barb, and Arnora. Having just had our first hard frost for the fall, it was nice to enjoy a sunny day.

Our meal was lightly themed around the book whose setting was a Cherry Orchard. Pam provided a hearty pot pie and roasted vegetables. She also had some delicious cheese and herb-flavored jellies. Denise brought a delicious salad, and Carla G. brought olives, tomatoes, and cheese. Diana provided a Cherry Crisp for dessert and I brought the vanilla ice cream to top it off. Laurie brought a delicious Apple Cider cocktail. We missed the lovely bouquet that Arnora usually provides. 

Arlo and his compadres greeted everyone warmly. I didn't get a chance to get a photo of all of them but I did get a good shot of Arlo. 

Tom Lake 

Written by Ann Patchett- Audible narrated by Meryl Streep

Described as a meditation on love at various stages and the lives parents led before their children were born. It is meant to be a hopeful but serious reflection on what it means to be happy even when the world is falling apart. Ann Patchett is described as writing a compelling narrative with piercing insights into family dynamics. The result is a rich and luminous story told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety. Did the book club agree? 

Lara, Joe, and their three adult daughters are riding out the pandemic on their Cherry Farm. Everyone is helping with the harvest because the regular workers are prevented from working. To entertain them Lara tells, in installments, about the time she dated Peter Duke, now a successful actor. Actually, the daughters demand to know the story and then they have to struggle with the details. They are disturbed by the fact that, when she was a young woman, their mother had an affair with a married man. 

Maybe because it was narrated by Meryl Streep, I found myself making comparisons to Bridges of Madison County. Similar but different. Both women choose farm lives and their children discovering and coming to terms with their mother's "secrets." Also, though I don't think she meant it to be, the "Cherry Trees" was just a little too en pointe... like the story of George Washington who couldn't tell a lie about cutting down one. 

I didn't find the narrative compelling enough to keep me coming back. I had to force myself to pick it up each time. It's not a story that is going to haunt me and I didn't feel emotionally moved by it. I didn't hate it but it fell flat for me. 

That seemed to be the general consensus. We have read three other Ann Patchett novels and liked them a lot. Several of us had researched her information on the book and I watched several interviews with her talking about it. We could understand what she was trying to accomplish and the fact that it was written during and about a pandemic accounted for the slowness of the story. It mimics the way we all felt when the world stopped for a time. Overall the book rated 3.5 for those attending. Leslie and Arnora called in that they loved the book. That might bring the rating up but they didn't give me a number. 

Next month at Laura's we will be discussing The First Ladies. This book is co-authored by the women who wrote The Personal Librarian which we all loved so much. 

I included this photo of the author because I thought it bore an uncanny resemblance to Laura! 

Blog 195 - Books 256

October Book Club has come and gone. We only have two more meetings to close out 2023.  This time of year always feels like it speeds up for me. 

We met at Carla Gibbs for the discussion of The Covenant of Water.

by Abraham Verghese. Everyone was present and accounted for except for Barb who took this opportunity for a camping weekend. 

The setting for our book was primarily India. Carla used that as the theme for our main dishes of Chicken Curry and Chicken Masala. Diana provided the Basmati rice, and Pam the Naan bread and yogurt. Carla G. also made Peppers with Cream Cheese and Laura made stuffed Dates and a yogurt lime drink called Lessi. Both Denise and Lis brought veggies and dips and Lis also brought a Cucumber/Avocado Salad and Janie finished off the meal with delicious brownies. As always, no one left hungry and most of us left with leftovers! Arnora brought mixed nuts and not one, but two, beautiful fall floral bouquets. 

Many thanks to Denise who found some very thought-provoking discussion questions. Like the meal, the book offered us a lot to "chew" on! This book was 736 pages, three generations, 45 characters, covered 77 years, and took 18 years to write. While the book covers a multitude of topics the main thread that runs through the book is the "condition" that leads to death by drowning by many of the male members. The family members live in fear of water but the protective measures they take often fail. 

The inspiration for this book was the writer's own family. His mother had written down her personal recollection of her life in India at the request of a granddaughter. It took three generations to finally discover that the "condition" was indeed an inherited medical condition and not some kind of family curse. The book is just so full of characters, relationships, drama, trauma, and history that there is no way to recount our discussion of it all here. Everyone loved the book. Arnora and Barb had not quite finished but for those who did it rated a 4.71, an "I thought it was brilliant," and an "I loved it with all my heart."

Our November book is Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. If you are interested in Audible, it is read by Meryl Streep and we will meet at Pam's