Me Talk Pretty One Day

Greta welcomed us into her beautiful new home for our meeting about David Sadaris' book.  Special guest Ava (minus two teeth) rested on the couch upstairs, while we ladies gathered around the massive dining table for bacon wrapped chicken, kale salad, and fruit.

After pouring the wine, Queen Greta seated herself at the head of the table in her royal throne, and the dining commenced.

Points of Discussion:

• Greta chose the book because she wanted to read something hilarious, but we all had different opinions about how funny this book really was.  We do all agree that it's much funnier when read aloud.  Especially when Nancy reads it aloud.
• We discussed what role exaggeration played in his writing, and eventually determined that we all have enough funny personal anecdotes to write a book just like this.
• Some of us felt as if we still didn't really know much about the author after reading the book.  It's as if his stories, although deeply personal, actually revealed little about his true self. "I don't know you, but I get you."
• Erin brought up the date of publication and the interesting context clues that pointed to that time period in his writing.

Fun Facts:
I'm feeling a bit warm…oh no, and now I'm blushing!  And at the dinner table…how embarrassing.
Coming soon on You Tube- Nancy reads David Sedaris.  It'll be an overnight sensation!
Erin does a spot on impersonation of Marisa Tomei
On a tangential note, don't forget that Unitarism is to Christianity as Sufism is to Islam.  There will be a test.

Emily, a local townswoman, is delighted just to sniff the peaches at the Queen's table.

Flowers for Algernon

We gathered at Becky's house to drink discuss a classic book written in the 60's by Daniel Keyes.  It's classified as sci-fi, but really it is so much more than that.  The novel brings up so many deep discussion points about intelligence, relationships, and self-understanding.

Before sitting around (on her new couch) to talk about the book, we enjoyed a "Food and Wine" dinner of Kale Salad and Lemon Shrimp Spaghetti.  Those recipes came from the latest edition of the magazine.  It's about time she did something useful with that subscription.

Points of Discussion:

• We wondered how the concepts in the book would have appeared to an audience in the 60's verses  today.  As Erin said "They weren't printing organs back then."  We imagined it would have seemed even more science fiction-y to them.
• We talked about how Charlie's mom needed him to be a certain way in order to be okay with herself and thought about ways we might do that with our kids in a less dramatic fashion.
• We looked at things from Charlie's sister's perspective, and Elspeth shared some of her own experience growing up with a sibling who has Cerebral Palsy.
• Charlie's perceptions and quality of life changed with his level of intelligence.  Was his intelligence a blessing, a curse, or both?
• It was a mixed reaction from our group regarding whether the ending was deeply sad or not.
• The relationships between Charlie and two women were discussed briefly as we explored how those relationships revealed the emotional immaturity that accompanied his genius.

Fun Facts (Where do I begin??):
Nancy showed up with a new hairstyle that kinda reminded us of someone…

Expect to see Greta giving TED talks any day now, actually we might all be giving TED talks (now that Emily knows what they are), or if that doesn't work out…modeling.  I think what I'm trying to say here is, we're all smart and beautiful.
We want to watch the movie based on this book now, especially since Nancy told us about the hunk that plays Charlie…Cliff Robertson!  Hubba hubba!  And he even won an Oscar for the role.
Greta is now an official salesperson for the "Maisie Dobbs Jewelry" line, and she would never, ever hold a gun to my head.
If she did, I would spank her.

A Blessing on the Moon

I think I figured it out.  Yes, I know what happened.  Elspeth was so anxious about hosting her first book club dinner, that she deliberately chose the strangest book on earth in order to distract us from noticing the details of how clean her house was or how tasty dinner was.  She thought the craziness of the book would enthrall us so thoroughly and completely dominate our conversation and attention…and she almost pulled it off.  But her house was too darn cute and her meal was too deliciously amazing to remain in the shadows.  Foiled!  Nice try, El, nice try.

Now I must admit something embarrassing right now before I go on.  I had a major fail as group photographer last night.  I took pictures of some great things, including El's adorable new bulldog, wine, and one of the most perfectly cooked steaks I've ever eaten.  But there was no memory card in my camera.  I'm shaking my head in shame.  That's a rookie mistake, and I'm no rookie.  The truth is I've never done that before…ever!  I can't believe it happened last night.  Sorry everyone!

With that out of the way, let's move on to the Points of Discussion:

• The wandering of the dead Jews reminded us of the 40 years in the desert and of purgatory.
• We discussed the moon and fables and how this moon had become damaged because of the horrors in the world.
• A deep philosophical discussion came about regarding why bad things happen- the role God has in it, and the various ways people approach that question.
• The relationship between Chaim and Ola was disturbing to us all.  
• The hotel raised many questions for us and we wondered if Chaim was really dead at some points.  We also saw the symbolism in this experience related to how the Germans treated the Jews in real life.
• We all agreed we had never read a book like this and briefly discussed the criticism the author received for writing about the Holocaust in this way.

Fun Facts:
Dead sex disturbs Greta.
We were down 2 members: Erin, Jessica- we missed you!
El's husband Phil, in honor of the Biblical account of Jesus turning water into wine, served the best wine last.
Nancy was blingin' all over the place!  You go, girl!
Becky isn't allowed to talk to Greta's children or Nancy's grandchildren about animals and Heaven.

Redfield Farm

We met at Emily's lovely new home, and for the first time in a couple of months every member was present!  We feasted on a delicious Mediterranean inspired meal of lamb meatballs, cucumber salad, and roasted cauliflower.  We discussed Redfield Farm by Judith Coopey.  But the focus of our evening just might have been…

BABIES!  Babies, precious babies, everywhere!

Two beautiful babies made their book club debut.  We enjoyed passing them around, cuddling them, rocking them, and sniffing them (is there anything better than that newborn baby scent?)  Jessica and Emily- thank you for sharing your babies with us!

Points of Discussion about Redfield Farm:

• There were cases throughout the book of underdeveloped characters and unbelievable plot lines.  Some called the book predictable.  Nancy saw the characters as "composites" that the author put in to cover her bases in representing each "type" of person.
• We did enjoy the historical aspect of the novel.  Learning more about the Quakers and the Underground Railroad was interesting.
• We discussed making decisions for the greater good, and Ann's inner conflict between kindness and irritation toward Pru.  Those emotions and motivations were actually conveyed well in the story.
• The importance of family was a theme throughout the book.  Those who were separated from family didn't fare well as community seemed necessary for survival.
• We explored Ann's decision regarding her baby and how we did or did not relate to that.

Fun Facts:

This was Erin's first book to read on a Kindle…ever.

Did I mention there were babies all over the place?

Maisie Dobbs continued to be ridiculed and defended…it will never end.

Greta had an interesting conversation on the train because of reading Redfield Farm.

Emily made the most delicious walnut orange cake.  The recipe is here.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Is it me, or does Nancy seem to choose books with extra long titles?  We are all glad a friend of hers recommended she pick up this book by Rachel Joyce because it was a unique read that leant itself well to discussion.  After feasting on chicken paprikish, green veggies flavored by a homegrown lemon, and grape salad, we retired to the living room to get comfy.  I called Elspeth and put her on speaker phone so she could join the discussion.  She and Emily hated to miss (again) but they both had good reasons.  Emily was traveling to see family, and El is nursing her husband back to health after a terrible fall.

Emily is hosting next month, so she's guaranteed to be present.

Without further ado, here are the points of interest from this latest novel:

• We agreed that the book was emotionally heavy, even difficult to read at times, as we watched the characters journey through painful life events and relationships.  The physical journey for Harold mirrored and complemented his inner journey.
• Many of us did not care for the section of the book involving all the copy cat walkers.
• Elspeth pointed out the uniquely British characteristics of the book and its characters in an enlightening way because of her own British background.
• We talked about the universality of pain in people's lives and how Harold accidentally used therapeutic silence as he listened to and accepted the people he met on his journey.
• We discussed Queenie's role as friend and corrective experience for his mother's faults, and why he would feel so strongly the need to walk to her.
• We referred to the beautifully illustrated map in Erin's book and talked about our lack of understanding about the length and direction of his journey at times because of our unfamiliarity with England.

Fun Facts:
Jessica told us about the book Making the Terrible Twos Terrific which Nancy promptly declared fiction.
Greta warned against tailgating on others' existential crises.
Jessica opened a few gifts...next time we see her, she will have a baby girl!  (and we will finally know that baby girl's name.)
We shared our fun/secret ways of communicating with our husbands (Atta way to go...Rambo!  The Bobo finger for you!)
And Greta thought Becky smelled really good. (probably because they wear the same perfume.)

The Rosie Project

A quick and quirky book by Graeme Simsion was Erin's choice for us.  We met at Becky's house the week before Christmas to discuss the novel and enjoy each others' company.  However, we were denied the company of Emily and Elspeth due to illness.  We missed them!  (Rookies!...you don't get sick on BOOK CLUB night!! shaking head and rolling eyes)

The main character of the book followed a set weekly meal plan that included lobster on Tuesday night...and since it was a Tuesday night meeting, Erin graciously provided us with delicious lobster bisque from Pappadeaux.  Oh what a treat!

We had a wonderful meal followed by some spirited discussion, a book exchange, and the passing around of some really sweet gifts.

Points of Discussion

• Several of us realized waaay into the book that it was set in Australia
• Many felt the portrayal of Asperger's syndrome was well done and the character well developed.
• We pondered the definition of love, our own definitions and those of the characters in the book.  We discussed how sometimes we redefine it, and how we might even change our behavior because of it.
• We discussed empathy and how different people have different capacities for all types of emotions and behavior.
• The genetic aspect of the book was interesting, and the ultimate conclusion about Rosie's father's identity surprised some of us.
• Two suggestions came up for additional books/movies: The Reason I Jump (book) and Primal Fear (movie)
• We also looked at Don's ability to be insightful, especially as it related to his friends' open marriage.

Fun Facts:
Becky might quit her day job and pursue a career in dramatic reading.
We channeled Maisie Dobbs in order to experience what Jessica must be feeling as a pregnant woman as she lay on the couch.
Erin is super crafty and makes adorable homemade gifts.
Greta and Nancy make delicious treats (pecans!  chocolate dipped Ritz with peanut butter!  Oh My!)
Becky apparently wants everyone to write down their feelings.
(You don't really have to use the journal to write about feelings...unless you want to...)

Profiles in Courage

We are not readers of mere "fluff."  Oh no.  Shallow novels beware our vituperative ire!  We cast aside all senseless mediocracy for the pillars of significant writing.  May we ever value the written word, the deliverer of knowledge and power, and its ability to transform the mind, elevate the spirit, capture the heart!

Yeah, yeah, we read a Pulitzer Prize novel by John F. Kennedy in memory of his legacy and untimely death that occurred exactly 50 years ago today.  We felt pretty smart about it all, until we actually got into the book.  Not that it's terrible, by any means, just a bit...dry.  It did lead to some good discussion, however, inside Jessica's cozy home as the temps rapidly dropped outside.

We were treated to beef stew, baked potatoes, spinach salad, and wine (which I offered to the pregnant women...as a test.  They passed.)  We greatly missed Greta and Erin who were unable to join us.

Points of Discussion

• What is the role of a Senator?  Are they elected to vote their conscience or as a voice for the constituents' will?  
• What do we accept today as normal that 50 years from now we'll think "How could that have been okay?"
• Nancy shared her experience of the JFK assassination: she was in high school.
• Some of us thought the best part of the book was Kennedy's foreword.
• We talked about our views of history and its impact on us, especially as we learn new things we never knew before.

Fun Facts:
Nancy, Kindle reader extraordinaire,  finally darkened the door of her local library and even got a library card in order to check out this book.
Speaking of the library, Becky (with the wisdom of her age) outsmarted Emily (who isn't even old enough to be a Senator) and found the lighter weight copy of the book, though Emily's version did have pictures.
Boy did we ever cover the topic of designer babies, and we also gave Elspeth a little science lesson on the birds and bees.

 a new wine aerator!

 only a few weeks left!