Every year when we gather for our book swap, I feel so blessed to spend time with such interesting, energetic, intelligent people. Our book choices reflect our similarities and differences and are so additive to the fun atmosphere and great conversation that we have at every meeting. Welcome to Rene Massey, who braved the book swap as her first meeting, so glad to have you. Thank you all and Happy New Year!
Lucky me, I got the number 1 spot and so grabbed the Hamilton musical cast recording and companion book. If you haven't seen the show or heard the music, I really recommend it and it is getting me going for reading our next book which is Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Our next meeting is Jan. 16 at Kathy Baker's (thank you Kathy!) at 6:30.
So, as usual, we had a great array of interesting books to choose from and also some great cards to go with them. Here is the list, including who brought the book - I did not capture who ended up with them, but feel free to ask around and make private deals if you want!
So here it is:
Victoria by Daisy Goodwin - Fiona
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates - Val
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday - Rene
Mother Tongue and The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson - Maggie
Freddy and Frederica by Mark Helprin - Liz
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy - Gordon
A Man Called Ov by Fredrik Backman - Lynn
I'll Take You There by Wally Lamb
The Red Tent by Anita Diamond - Mary
The Innovators by Walter Isaacson - Jean
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salmon Rushdie - Celia
Elephant Company by Vicki Croke - Julie
Hamilton, the Revolution and Hamilton Cast Recording by Lin-Manuel Miranda - Kathy
Howard's End by E.M. Forster - Ashley
There is a reading list for 2017, a super place to start! Thanks to everyone for bringing in such good ideas to share. We had a relatively tame number of swaps, as everyone really seemed to like what they chose. A Man Called Ov changed hands at least once, as did the Hamilton set. Between the World and Me went around a couple of times and so is our February book! Yeah! Val told me about it a while ago and it has been on my list since then. I am looking forward to reading it.
Here are some additional titles that were mentioned as great reads:
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
Dreamland - not sure if it is the one by Robert L. Anderson (fiction) or Sam Quinones (nonfiction)
Winston Churchill Autobiography, the first 30 years
For what it is worth, I am haunting the library these days, thanks to Lynn and Julie. Here is my recent list, at least as much as I can remember:
The Hanging Garden by Patrick White (Nobel prize winner)
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (a series, I have three of them so far)
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (another Val recommendation)
Thus Bad Begins by Javier Marias, considered Spain's most important contemporary author, as well, two of his earlier books
The Bright Edge of the World and The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. Alaskan lit, who knew? Go for the first one if you are interested.
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. I may read his next one, Gentleman in Moscow, it has good reviews. I am iffy on the other.
The Dispossessed by Szilard Burbly. Hungarian, sad, literary and central European. What's not to like.
News of the World by Paulette Jiles (winner of the National Book Award for fiction)
News from Spain by Joan Wickersham - really good short stories
Dreams of My Russian Summer by Andre Mankind. This book won both major French literary awards in the same year, unprecedented. He has a long list I want to read.
We have our Feb. date set for the 20th at Fiona's. See you all in January, feel free to add in your ideas on great books to read! Happy Holidays!
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Monday, November 21, 2016
The Bridal Wreath - a timeless story, a trying telling
Well, despite the fact that this is one of my favorite books of all time, it was not a big hit for our group. In fact most of us didn't even finish it, or were having a hard time slogging through. This novel, which has never been out of print since it was published in 1927 failed to capture the imagination even of devoted historic fiction fans in the group.
The culprit keeping enthusiasm at bay was primarily the stilted, dated language, translated from Norwegian by Charles Archer in the 20's. While there are those (count me in) who think this evokes the time and place as well as the rhythm of the original Norse, it could be stiff and wordy. Evidently, there is a new translation, done in the late 90's that is more lyrical and natural sounding. The majority of us read the old translation.
And why, oh why do I love it when no one else did? Maybe it was the main character, Kristin and the way Unset uses her to unveil the history, society and legal structure of the region. All through the novel Undset puts her in situations new to her, but common to her people, so through her experiencing and learning each new step of her life, we can all learn along with her. It doesn't get much better for a historical novel in my opinion. There is no stopping the story to explain the customs of the times - they are unfurled to us as they are to Kristin as she matures from a little seven year old girl to a wife and mother.
Because of this narrative structure, the footnotes were so interesting, so well explained that they really added to the story. After reading this, much of the current culture of Scandinavia made more sense to me, especially the relatively more equal footing of women in today's culture. Women inherited property, which remained their own in the 14th century - in England, that took until the 19th century. Is it any wonder things are different?
As well, her story was one of the ages. The beautiful, much loved, willful daughter of an influential man choses the wrong person to love and pays the price. Is that not the stuff of many a wonderful story? And I really loved Kristin, for all her bad choices and firm determinations, and for the richness of her story. Ok, so I was the only one who felt that way.
On to our next meeting, which is our annual Christmas Book Yankee Swap. For those who are new to the process, or who need a refresher, here is the way it works. Each of us brings a book to go under the tree that you want others to read. Include a card about why you picked that book, but don't sign it! We want no undue influence in selection! We will all get a number at the beginning of the evening. Lucky number 1 selects a book first and opens it. Number 2 goes next and so on. Each person can decide to keep her choice, or swap for any of the books opened so far. Why is number 1 lucky? Because she gets the final choice of all the books!
We have no book to read for December since we will be otherwise engaged, but January is Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Start now, the print is small and the pages numerous.
We will meet at my house on December 12 at 6:30, 1137 Manakin Rd. Let me know if you need directions, see you all there then!
The culprit keeping enthusiasm at bay was primarily the stilted, dated language, translated from Norwegian by Charles Archer in the 20's. While there are those (count me in) who think this evokes the time and place as well as the rhythm of the original Norse, it could be stiff and wordy. Evidently, there is a new translation, done in the late 90's that is more lyrical and natural sounding. The majority of us read the old translation.
And why, oh why do I love it when no one else did? Maybe it was the main character, Kristin and the way Unset uses her to unveil the history, society and legal structure of the region. All through the novel Undset puts her in situations new to her, but common to her people, so through her experiencing and learning each new step of her life, we can all learn along with her. It doesn't get much better for a historical novel in my opinion. There is no stopping the story to explain the customs of the times - they are unfurled to us as they are to Kristin as she matures from a little seven year old girl to a wife and mother.
Because of this narrative structure, the footnotes were so interesting, so well explained that they really added to the story. After reading this, much of the current culture of Scandinavia made more sense to me, especially the relatively more equal footing of women in today's culture. Women inherited property, which remained their own in the 14th century - in England, that took until the 19th century. Is it any wonder things are different?
As well, her story was one of the ages. The beautiful, much loved, willful daughter of an influential man choses the wrong person to love and pays the price. Is that not the stuff of many a wonderful story? And I really loved Kristin, for all her bad choices and firm determinations, and for the richness of her story. Ok, so I was the only one who felt that way.
On to our next meeting, which is our annual Christmas Book Yankee Swap. For those who are new to the process, or who need a refresher, here is the way it works. Each of us brings a book to go under the tree that you want others to read. Include a card about why you picked that book, but don't sign it! We want no undue influence in selection! We will all get a number at the beginning of the evening. Lucky number 1 selects a book first and opens it. Number 2 goes next and so on. Each person can decide to keep her choice, or swap for any of the books opened so far. Why is number 1 lucky? Because she gets the final choice of all the books!
We have no book to read for December since we will be otherwise engaged, but January is Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Start now, the print is small and the pages numerous.
We will meet at my house on December 12 at 6:30, 1137 Manakin Rd. Let me know if you need directions, see you all there then!
Sunday, October 23, 2016
The Six Suspects, a good read if a bit odd
Well, we had a great discussion on this book, which was a somehow a cross between a comedy, a mystery and a social commentary on the seemingly corrupt and striated Indian society. So what did the author intend? Any or all of the above? Who knows, it is all a bit tongue in cheek while the plot moves forward with what are fairly damning twists.
The structure was daunting, as each of the six suspects was introduced in a chapter, then the story developed from each character's viewpoint. It took me a bit to figure out who was talking as those stories developed, all except the uber-stereotype of the stupid American. You know who I mean. Was it an accident that the character was named after an internet pioneer but was actually a forklift driver at Walmart? I don't think so.
The Bollywood actress maybe got the most words; she seemed to be an interim character. From a poor village and family, she now sits in a place of privilege and wealth, sought after by many of the richer, politically powerful characters. Her end was a bit shocking, a bit inevitable. As Ashley said, having someone else pretend to be you never ends well.
Each of the characters had its own position in Indian society and its own perspective, and that was the most interesting part of the book. The mystery was not so compelling, and few of us were reading on to find out "who done it." We read on, based on our discussion, because we were fascinated by the turns of the characters, the perspective and history, and the underlying criticism of the system that created and allowed them all.
So, overall, a really good read. On the other hand, it read like a screenplay and could be difficult to follow. I can't wait to see how the movie is, coming out in 2018!
On to our next book, a historical novel set in 14th century Scandinavia. The novel is The Bridal Wreath by Singrid Undset, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928, an honor not often given to women in that age or any other for that matter. We will meet on November 14 at Susan Smithwick's house.
December is our annual book swap at my house (unless someone else wants to host) and January's book is Hamilton by Ron Chernow, the inspiration for the phenomenon that is the Broadway show. Lynn says start early, it is long with small type. Can't wait!!
The structure was daunting, as each of the six suspects was introduced in a chapter, then the story developed from each character's viewpoint. It took me a bit to figure out who was talking as those stories developed, all except the uber-stereotype of the stupid American. You know who I mean. Was it an accident that the character was named after an internet pioneer but was actually a forklift driver at Walmart? I don't think so.
The Bollywood actress maybe got the most words; she seemed to be an interim character. From a poor village and family, she now sits in a place of privilege and wealth, sought after by many of the richer, politically powerful characters. Her end was a bit shocking, a bit inevitable. As Ashley said, having someone else pretend to be you never ends well.
Each of the characters had its own position in Indian society and its own perspective, and that was the most interesting part of the book. The mystery was not so compelling, and few of us were reading on to find out "who done it." We read on, based on our discussion, because we were fascinated by the turns of the characters, the perspective and history, and the underlying criticism of the system that created and allowed them all.
So, overall, a really good read. On the other hand, it read like a screenplay and could be difficult to follow. I can't wait to see how the movie is, coming out in 2018!
On to our next book, a historical novel set in 14th century Scandinavia. The novel is The Bridal Wreath by Singrid Undset, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928, an honor not often given to women in that age or any other for that matter. We will meet on November 14 at Susan Smithwick's house.
December is our annual book swap at my house (unless someone else wants to host) and January's book is Hamilton by Ron Chernow, the inspiration for the phenomenon that is the Broadway show. Lynn says start early, it is long with small type. Can't wait!!
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
The Underground Railroad is an amazing ride
The Underground Railroad in this book is a physical thing, a tangible track to other places, different worlds for each stop yet all in their way treating black men and women as less than human. This is a novel about slavery and the runaway slave Cora in particular, but it is also imaginative and slightly mystical in the way it goes about telling the story, starting with that truly iron railroad.
The novel more or less is told in episodes, each corresponding to a new stop on the journey, after escaping Cora's cruel owner and plantation. Each stop, the two Carolinas, then Tennessee, then finally Indiana, has its own cruelties, its own peculiar way to demonstrate its dominance over the former slaves and free black people that landed there.
Some situations seemed benign, even supportive when Cora first arrived, like South Carolina. That warm welcome masked sinister medical procedures and experiments that Cora barely escaped. And North Carolina had no such veneer of kindness. That stop found Cora hidden above an attic, watching the weekly ritual of another lynching of a black person found in the area. Harrowing.
Throughout this book, which was nominally a historical novel, I found myself looking up details of events described in the book, only to find that there was something similar in history, just not quite the same. By not sticking strictly to the history, Whitehead in a way creates a whole new perspective on slavery, by adding what might have happened. It isn't quite the same, and this new interpretation seems completely fresh and new as a result.
We all had a very strong reaction to this book, particularly those raised in the south where the overhang of slavery was still strong. The extensive and willful cruelty, the shocking disregard of basic humanity were often hard to read and reminded us again that the effect of slavery was not just a loss of freedom. It was often living in hell.
That said, we generally loved it. It was extremely well written, imaginatively conceived and for all its weighty topics, easy to read. And it sparked off a very interesting and far ranging discussion of our own experiences and attitudes.
It doesn't get much better than that for a book.
Our next meeting will be on October 17 at 6:30pm at Catherine's house. Thank you Catherine! The book will be Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup. See you all there!
The novel more or less is told in episodes, each corresponding to a new stop on the journey, after escaping Cora's cruel owner and plantation. Each stop, the two Carolinas, then Tennessee, then finally Indiana, has its own cruelties, its own peculiar way to demonstrate its dominance over the former slaves and free black people that landed there.
Some situations seemed benign, even supportive when Cora first arrived, like South Carolina. That warm welcome masked sinister medical procedures and experiments that Cora barely escaped. And North Carolina had no such veneer of kindness. That stop found Cora hidden above an attic, watching the weekly ritual of another lynching of a black person found in the area. Harrowing.
Throughout this book, which was nominally a historical novel, I found myself looking up details of events described in the book, only to find that there was something similar in history, just not quite the same. By not sticking strictly to the history, Whitehead in a way creates a whole new perspective on slavery, by adding what might have happened. It isn't quite the same, and this new interpretation seems completely fresh and new as a result.
We all had a very strong reaction to this book, particularly those raised in the south where the overhang of slavery was still strong. The extensive and willful cruelty, the shocking disregard of basic humanity were often hard to read and reminded us again that the effect of slavery was not just a loss of freedom. It was often living in hell.
That said, we generally loved it. It was extremely well written, imaginatively conceived and for all its weighty topics, easy to read. And it sparked off a very interesting and far ranging discussion of our own experiences and attitudes.
It doesn't get much better than that for a book.
Our next meeting will be on October 17 at 6:30pm at Catherine's house. Thank you Catherine! The book will be Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup. See you all there!
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Hemingway and company
In 1921, Hemingway arrived in Paris with his wife, Hadley, feverish ambition, a charming grin and not much else. He left seven years later with a different wife, an international reputation and a host of scorched relationships, some of whom had become the characters in his breakthrough novel, The Sun Also Rises. What happened in-between was the subject of Everybody Behaves Badly, by Leslie Blume.
Hemingway was a genius at ingratiating himself with the literary expat crowd in Paris, becoming in short order a key part of the literary scene while working as a journalist. Reading the two books back to back was a very interesting experience, and most of us were really interested in the juxtaposition. The novel itself, to most of us, felt dated, tired and not very compelling, at least not until the very last pages. With a few notable exceptions, I have never been much of a Hemingway fan and now I know why.
A week holiday in Pamplona to see the bullfights with a group of his literary friends from Paris provided the material for the novel Hemingway was desperate to produce in order to create his literary star. Blume's book made a few things very apparent that would otherwise be lost on an audience three generations removed.
First, that Hemingway used his friends to create characters, not very flattering ones, for his novel, and was so blatant that until final versions, he used their real names. That of course, did not endear him to most of those featured, as the portraits were not kind.
Second was that The Sun was a deliberate act. The creative process to me had always seemed removed from the world; an artist got inspiration, sat down and made it happen and that was that. This book showed that, for Hemingway at least, an artist could create with an end game in mind. In his case it was a new style of literature that was commercially successful, leaving his peers and predecessors in his dust. Was it any different for Picasso, a contemporary? Maybe not.
It was interesting to all of us that F. Scott Fitzgerald is, as the somewhat older, wildly successful author, is the mold to break in Hemingway's scenario. Yet, our group still preferred The Great Gatsby to The Sun Also Rises all these many years late. Hemingway may have, through his determination to create a new style, set the table for others, but Fitzgerald made a story that transcends its time. The Sun felt dated and stale.
These two books did set off a great discussion about books that have stuck with us and why. We thought it would be a good theme for our annual book exchange at Christmas - start thinking now!
In a burst of organization beyond the norm, we decided on a number of books and dates to come. Our next meeting is September 19. We decided to meet at Travinia, a restaurant that Jean recommended as it has a separate room we can use for our group. The book will be The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. This book imagines the Underground Railroad as a physical thing and the book has had great attention.
Hemingway was a genius at ingratiating himself with the literary expat crowd in Paris, becoming in short order a key part of the literary scene while working as a journalist. Reading the two books back to back was a very interesting experience, and most of us were really interested in the juxtaposition. The novel itself, to most of us, felt dated, tired and not very compelling, at least not until the very last pages. With a few notable exceptions, I have never been much of a Hemingway fan and now I know why.
A week holiday in Pamplona to see the bullfights with a group of his literary friends from Paris provided the material for the novel Hemingway was desperate to produce in order to create his literary star. Blume's book made a few things very apparent that would otherwise be lost on an audience three generations removed.
First, that Hemingway used his friends to create characters, not very flattering ones, for his novel, and was so blatant that until final versions, he used their real names. That of course, did not endear him to most of those featured, as the portraits were not kind.
Second was that The Sun was a deliberate act. The creative process to me had always seemed removed from the world; an artist got inspiration, sat down and made it happen and that was that. This book showed that, for Hemingway at least, an artist could create with an end game in mind. In his case it was a new style of literature that was commercially successful, leaving his peers and predecessors in his dust. Was it any different for Picasso, a contemporary? Maybe not.
It was interesting to all of us that F. Scott Fitzgerald is, as the somewhat older, wildly successful author, is the mold to break in Hemingway's scenario. Yet, our group still preferred The Great Gatsby to The Sun Also Rises all these many years late. Hemingway may have, through his determination to create a new style, set the table for others, but Fitzgerald made a story that transcends its time. The Sun felt dated and stale.
These two books did set off a great discussion about books that have stuck with us and why. We thought it would be a good theme for our annual book exchange at Christmas - start thinking now!
In a burst of organization beyond the norm, we decided on a number of books and dates to come. Our next meeting is September 19. We decided to meet at Travinia, a restaurant that Jean recommended as it has a separate room we can use for our group. The book will be The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. This book imagines the Underground Railroad as a physical thing and the book has had great attention.
October will be on the 17th, at Catherine's lovely townhouse in Short Pump. The book is Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup. This is a novel from South Asia (India) of the perspectives of six suspects in a crime.
November is on the 14th, which is a departure from our usual third Monday of the month, to accommodate travel for Thanksgiving. The location is at Susan Smithwick's (lucky us!) and the book is The Bridal Wreath by Sigrid Undset. Undset won the Nobel prize for literature in 1928, obviously unusual for a woman at that time. Her best-known work is Kristin Lavransdatter, a trilogy about life in Scandinavia in the Middle Ages, portrayed through the experiences of a woman from birth until death. This is the first of that trilogy and I encourage you to get the volume that includes all three books. It is a wonderful historic novel and my edition has outstanding footnotes that really explain the historic differences in the legal structure and culture from our own. This is one of my all time favorite books.
December is also an adjusted date to accommodate Christmas, so we will meet on Dec. 12, location is my house unless someone else wants to volunteer for our annual book Yankee Swap. Details to follow, just think about a book you want others to read and why. This will be maybe our fifth time and it is always fun.
January, get back to normal with the meeting on the third Monday of the Month, in this case Jan. 16, book is Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. We are jumping on the bandwagon, and hopefully I can get to see the show. So fun!
February in on the 20th, the book is The Housekeeper and the Professor. That is it, more details to follow on that.
That is about enough organizing for the moment - of course if anyone objects we can modify if needed but we are planned out for 5 months! When has that happened? Never.
Because we had such a great brainstorming on books, here are a number of the others we discussed.
The Nightingale. Another WWII novel set in France, Jean says it is good.
Lake House by Kate Morton, another Jean recommendation.
Mislaid by Neil Zink - evidently a sendup of a Virginia women's college, Catherine says it is good.
LaRose by Louise Erdrich. Her latest novel, unbearably sad for the first 150 pages, uplifting after that. She can do no wrong as far as I am concerned.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
Mr. Pip
Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood. Who doesn't want to ready Margaret Atwood.
Heads up, Louise Penny's new novel, A Great Reckoning is coming out on August 30. Let's plan a trip to Quebec to celebrate! I want to go see the hallowed ground.
Weigh in if you have info to add, see you on Sept. 19 at 6:30 at Travinia. Yeah!
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Outlander - very interesting story, albeit long
Thanks to Mary for hosting again at her lovely home, which worked out perfectly for us as there were only the few and the brave who got through the whole book. To compensate, we watched the first episode of the TV series developed by Starz which premiered in 2014. The first book was published in 1990. Lucky us, it was really good!
As it turns out, the whole first book translates into 16 episodes, so we really just had an introduction. I have to say, I was hooked. The story is really inventive, and the history is so interesting and purportedly (I haven't checked) quite accurate.
To recap the story, Claire, a nurse recovering from her horrors of World War II, goes to Inverness, Scotland with her husband, who also has his own emotional wounds from the war. They want to reconnect and start a family. Instead, they witness a pagan ritual that somehow leaves the circle stones charged. Claire goes back, touches a stone and ends up in 18th century Scotland, in the same area, confronted with her husband's ancestor who is very bad indeed.
Of course, a handsome Scot arrives just in the nick of time, along with his cohort, and a new adventure has begun. She uses her 20th century skills to the skepticism and amazement of the others and soon enough, the skeleton of her adventures for the these 8 books is set. I hear number 9 is on its way. While I will not be flipping the pages ferociously to get to the end, this is a great story and I certainly will watch the TV version. My husband by contrast, grabbed the book out of my hand and is lost to its charms for the time being, so each to his or her own.
The group generally really liked it, there are those among us who have read a lot of it and are big fans, which means a lot with this literary crowd. All in all, a good experience and insight into yet another phenomenon that had completely passed me by.
So on to another phenomenon, one with really lasting impact. There is a new book out on the making of The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. It is called Everyone Behaves Badly by Leslie Blume. We are going to read that book and also Hemingway's book for our next outing. So two books, hopefully fairly fast reads. I haven't read The Sun Also Rises since I was about 14 and I expect much of it passed me by, so this will be really interesting!
We will meet on August 15 (Happy Birthday Claudia!) at 6:30 pm and the current plan is to have a picnic at the Deep Run Hunt Club. I will monitor the weather and if it is anything like today, we will find an air conditioned alternative.
All the best, so fun to see you all!
As it turns out, the whole first book translates into 16 episodes, so we really just had an introduction. I have to say, I was hooked. The story is really inventive, and the history is so interesting and purportedly (I haven't checked) quite accurate.
To recap the story, Claire, a nurse recovering from her horrors of World War II, goes to Inverness, Scotland with her husband, who also has his own emotional wounds from the war. They want to reconnect and start a family. Instead, they witness a pagan ritual that somehow leaves the circle stones charged. Claire goes back, touches a stone and ends up in 18th century Scotland, in the same area, confronted with her husband's ancestor who is very bad indeed.
Of course, a handsome Scot arrives just in the nick of time, along with his cohort, and a new adventure has begun. She uses her 20th century skills to the skepticism and amazement of the others and soon enough, the skeleton of her adventures for the these 8 books is set. I hear number 9 is on its way. While I will not be flipping the pages ferociously to get to the end, this is a great story and I certainly will watch the TV version. My husband by contrast, grabbed the book out of my hand and is lost to its charms for the time being, so each to his or her own.
The group generally really liked it, there are those among us who have read a lot of it and are big fans, which means a lot with this literary crowd. All in all, a good experience and insight into yet another phenomenon that had completely passed me by.
So on to another phenomenon, one with really lasting impact. There is a new book out on the making of The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. It is called Everyone Behaves Badly by Leslie Blume. We are going to read that book and also Hemingway's book for our next outing. So two books, hopefully fairly fast reads. I haven't read The Sun Also Rises since I was about 14 and I expect much of it passed me by, so this will be really interesting!
We will meet on August 15 (Happy Birthday Claudia!) at 6:30 pm and the current plan is to have a picnic at the Deep Run Hunt Club. I will monitor the weather and if it is anything like today, we will find an air conditioned alternative.
All the best, so fun to see you all!
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Still Life by Louise Penney - a wonderful start to a long relationship
Thanks so much to Lynn Spitzer for hosting in her beautiful home! It is the epitome of casual elegance that is so comfortable and warm. If you haven't seen it, try to wangle an invitation, it is worth the trip.
Many of us felt the same way about Three Pines, the village described in Louise Penney's Still Life, the first in her Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries. There are two great strengths in this book, and those that follow in this series. The first is the way she creates a sense of place that is tangible and just feels like home. Three Pines is lovingly described, with a charming history and a killer bistro and book store. Who needs more?
Well, how about compelling characters with interesting relationships? Each major character has his or her own back story and the interactions among them are not only part of the plot line, but also part, a big part, of the atmosphere that makes up the village of Three Pines. This is the Canadian version of Brigadoon in some ways, not found on the map, peopled by those who sought out refuge and visited by those who only want to stay.
Too bad there is also something else - a murder. The plot rolls along, the people get even more interesting, details get richer and more interconnected and it all has a satisfying conclusion. This book is such a delight to read, and we all loved it.
Of course we got distracted talking about the follow on books, those that worked, those that didn't work as well, etc, and somehow got onto great series. The Outlander series had a huge following and so we decided to read the first in that series, called Outlander as our July book. The author (for those like me who are not in the know) is Diana Gabaldon and she is evidently a phenom.
Our next meeting is July 18 and I know someone volunteered to host and I did not make a note of it - anyone remember?
Look forward to seeing you all then!
Many of us felt the same way about Three Pines, the village described in Louise Penney's Still Life, the first in her Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries. There are two great strengths in this book, and those that follow in this series. The first is the way she creates a sense of place that is tangible and just feels like home. Three Pines is lovingly described, with a charming history and a killer bistro and book store. Who needs more?
Well, how about compelling characters with interesting relationships? Each major character has his or her own back story and the interactions among them are not only part of the plot line, but also part, a big part, of the atmosphere that makes up the village of Three Pines. This is the Canadian version of Brigadoon in some ways, not found on the map, peopled by those who sought out refuge and visited by those who only want to stay.
Too bad there is also something else - a murder. The plot rolls along, the people get even more interesting, details get richer and more interconnected and it all has a satisfying conclusion. This book is such a delight to read, and we all loved it.
Of course we got distracted talking about the follow on books, those that worked, those that didn't work as well, etc, and somehow got onto great series. The Outlander series had a huge following and so we decided to read the first in that series, called Outlander as our July book. The author (for those like me who are not in the know) is Diana Gabaldon and she is evidently a phenom.
Our next meeting is July 18 and I know someone volunteered to host and I did not make a note of it - anyone remember?
Look forward to seeing you all then!
Thursday, May 26, 2016
The Adventures of Tom Jones as demonstrated by Albert Finney
Many thanks to Susan Smithwick for making her fantastic home into the world's best movie theater, and to Fiona who brought movie treats. Any movie is better with Junior Mints, Whoppers and Raisinets and this one was no different.
Like most of us, it had been decades since I last read Tom Jones by Henry Fielding and I had completely forgotten the characters and the plot, such as it was. As Ashley pointed out relatively early on, this is not Jane Austen. Fine attention to detail and character development would get you nowhere with this story. And truthfully, it did not matter one whit, this was nothing but fun and we all had a great time.
Admittedly, the major reason, at least for me, was Albert Finney. Who knew he was so incredibly handsome as a young man. Absolutely, downright beautiful. He played the part of a charming womanizer extremely well, and he was funny, funny, funny.
So, an extremely easy reading month as there was none, topped off with a great movie and better camaraderie. So on to next month!
Lynn had volunteered to host June if it still works for her, which is on June 20. Our book, lucky us, is Still Life by Louise Penny. This is the first of eleven (so far) mystery novels featuring Armand Gamache and a cast of characters that is almost as compelling as he is.
See you all at Lynn's, if there is an update, I will let you know. Happy summer!
Like most of us, it had been decades since I last read Tom Jones by Henry Fielding and I had completely forgotten the characters and the plot, such as it was. As Ashley pointed out relatively early on, this is not Jane Austen. Fine attention to detail and character development would get you nowhere with this story. And truthfully, it did not matter one whit, this was nothing but fun and we all had a great time.
Admittedly, the major reason, at least for me, was Albert Finney. Who knew he was so incredibly handsome as a young man. Absolutely, downright beautiful. He played the part of a charming womanizer extremely well, and he was funny, funny, funny.
So, an extremely easy reading month as there was none, topped off with a great movie and better camaraderie. So on to next month!
Lynn had volunteered to host June if it still works for her, which is on June 20. Our book, lucky us, is Still Life by Louise Penny. This is the first of eleven (so far) mystery novels featuring Armand Gamache and a cast of characters that is almost as compelling as he is.
See you all at Lynn's, if there is an update, I will let you know. Happy summer!
Sunday, April 24, 2016
The Once and Future King - still a great read.
Thanks to Ashley for hosting at her lovely house, we had a good group and a lot of fun. We have been on quite a string of medieval settings recently, how better to continue than with the legend of King Arthur.
And T. H. White spun a great story that most of us enjoyed, albeit in fits and starts. Because I couldn't find my copy from 1980, I took a lead from Dawn and listened to it on Audible.com. Great service, and a good experience. but I admit my heart sank at the 33 hours of listening. Most others read one or another of the many editions out there. Julie brought along a copy of The Book of Merlin, a follow on novel we were surprised to find was published in 1977!
The base of the novel was written in the period leading up to World War II and there were certainly a lot of references to the use of force as a way to maintain control and power. Arthur's boyhood education, at the direction of Merlin exposed him to the many societies of animals. These specific and defined societies, including snakes, hawks and badger have their own structures, all of which teach the young Wart or the aged King Arthur, lessons about power and justice, which is what he brings to his kingdom; a way to use might for right. The compilation of these writings, published as this novel was first published in 1958 although the works were written between 1938 and 1941.
The group generally liked this book very much and those who had not finished it were soldiering on. The book seemed to me to move between sections, with the story moving forward well, great characters, great action, only to bog down in long dreary parts, like poor King Pellinore and the Questing Beast. As well, there were long philosophical sections that tied down the narrative and in my case at least, made the listening a little difficult. It might have been better on paper, but maybe not.
Overall, it is easy to see why this book has stood the test of time. The story is lovely in so many ways. In particular, each of the main characters, Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere were treated with great respect for their individual characters, so much more so than would just move the plot along. It was clear that the reasons for action were very important to White, and were the reason for the story.
So, in the end, a lovely story, one of the many of the great King Arthur, and as good as any. We go on to our next event, on May 16 at Mary's again. (Thank you Mary!)
We are planning to watch the early movie version of Tom Jones by Henry Fielding. Feel free to read the book if you want. For June, we decided to move to a modern setting and will read Still Life, by Louise Penny. If you haven't started reading this series yet, this will be a treat and this is the first of the now 11 books in the Three Pines series. I think Lynn volunteered for June, but stay tuned.
See you all at Mary's on May 16, 6:30 pm!
It
And T. H. White spun a great story that most of us enjoyed, albeit in fits and starts. Because I couldn't find my copy from 1980, I took a lead from Dawn and listened to it on Audible.com. Great service, and a good experience. but I admit my heart sank at the 33 hours of listening. Most others read one or another of the many editions out there. Julie brought along a copy of The Book of Merlin, a follow on novel we were surprised to find was published in 1977!
The base of the novel was written in the period leading up to World War II and there were certainly a lot of references to the use of force as a way to maintain control and power. Arthur's boyhood education, at the direction of Merlin exposed him to the many societies of animals. These specific and defined societies, including snakes, hawks and badger have their own structures, all of which teach the young Wart or the aged King Arthur, lessons about power and justice, which is what he brings to his kingdom; a way to use might for right. The compilation of these writings, published as this novel was first published in 1958 although the works were written between 1938 and 1941.
The group generally liked this book very much and those who had not finished it were soldiering on. The book seemed to me to move between sections, with the story moving forward well, great characters, great action, only to bog down in long dreary parts, like poor King Pellinore and the Questing Beast. As well, there were long philosophical sections that tied down the narrative and in my case at least, made the listening a little difficult. It might have been better on paper, but maybe not.
Overall, it is easy to see why this book has stood the test of time. The story is lovely in so many ways. In particular, each of the main characters, Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere were treated with great respect for their individual characters, so much more so than would just move the plot along. It was clear that the reasons for action were very important to White, and were the reason for the story.
So, in the end, a lovely story, one of the many of the great King Arthur, and as good as any. We go on to our next event, on May 16 at Mary's again. (Thank you Mary!)
We are planning to watch the early movie version of Tom Jones by Henry Fielding. Feel free to read the book if you want. For June, we decided to move to a modern setting and will read Still Life, by Louise Penny. If you haven't started reading this series yet, this will be a treat and this is the first of the now 11 books in the Three Pines series. I think Lynn volunteered for June, but stay tuned.
See you all at Mary's on May 16, 6:30 pm!
It
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Joan of Arc and Mark Twain
I like Joan of Arc best of all my books; and it is the best; I know it perfectly well. And besides, it furnished me seven times the pleasure afforded me by any of the others; twelve years of preparation, and two years of writing. The others needed no preparation and got none.
— Mark TwainLiz reminded me yesterday that I had not yet done this month's blog and so here it is; I am sorry for taking so long. I admit that I am still mulling it all over. Why was Mark Twain so obsessed with Joan? Why did he work for over 14 years on this book? How did he land on the odd device of using her secretary to tell the story? And how did we end up with such a wish-mash of vintage Twain telling stories and Joan's biography?
It is interesting to note that when this book appeared, in 1896, Joan's story was not well known. She was beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920. This book was early in raising her story to prominence.
Needless to say, while most of us liked the book, the reviews were a bit mixed. The narrative moved slowly. Mark Twain was certainly having lots of fun writing this book as some of the passages were obviously diversions and were quite funny. The sections describing the Palatin's exaggerations for example were Twain getting carried away. The contrast to the more somber descriptions of Joan's life made those passages even more interesting for me, as it was Joan I wanted to hear more about.
Joan is indeed a riveting character and all she accomplished, with so little preparation and at such a young age is incredible. Each person who came in contact with her, save her judges at her trial, was entranced with her intelligence, humility and amazing confidence. Twain certainly adored her and his resulting descriptions were rapt with admiration. She certainly seemed to have everything Twain admired - beauty, strength, inner fortitude and intellect, all while being a sweet, innocent young girl, too modest to wear women's clothing while in the presence of rough soldiers.
Needless to say, Twain and Joan did not seem a perfect match. Here is an interesting article on why he was so obsessed:
http://www.theawl.com/2012/04/the-riddle-of-mark-twains-passion-for-joan-of-arc
Within this article is the interesting admission that Twain "collects pets" of the young girl aged 10 to 16 variety. While there doesn't seem to be anything salacious about these relationships, it is still rather odd.
Regardless, I agreed with the narrator at the end of the book. Joan of Arc is certainly one of the most extraordinary people the world has ever produced.
And so we leave, once again, the 100 Years War and go on to our next book which brings us again to the world of Merlin and Arthur, a time also long ago and far away, but this time fiction. We will meet at Ashley's for The Once and Future King by T.H. White. It has been decades since I last read this, and I am looking forward to it!
Looking ahead, we are considering movie night for May, again at Mary's (thank you Mary!) to watch the Adventures of Tom Jones. That date is May 16. June will be at Lynn's, June 20.
See you all then! Please note the new email list, some people have updated their contact info. Happy reading!
Sunday, February 28, 2016
The Buried Giant and thank you Fiona!
The snow reschedule cost us some turnout this past week and so we had a lovely time at Fiona's with a small group, each of us with things to say about this unique book. Most, if not all of us, had read at least of Kazuo Ishiguro's books before, and some of us had read a few of them. Our group feltThis one is not at all like the others, in fact, each of his books seem to be a new approach.
At the same time, to me at least, this book is what I expect from Ishiguro. The slow pacing, the way information comes along the way to help the story along, and the removed, distant way the characters tell their stories were all familiar to me. And those very things made the book difficult to love, although most of us admired it a lot. Fiona really liked it, for one.
This was a melancholy book, one that literally had a mist lying over it, robbing the Britons and the Saxons of their memories of recent war. The mist, the breath of an old and dying dragon under a spell from Merlin, would hopefully keep peace until all those old enough to remember the war were gone, and so peace could continue. The narrative is dreamlike, and measured, even when there is tension and action.
The loss of those memories may have indeed kept the peace, but also cost the present. The main characters, Axl and Beatrice, can't remember when they last saw their son, nor what he looked like. And why was he gone? Nor could others remember their own lives. Beatrice and Axl both wonder, at different times, if we could remember, would we still love each other? Would some memories just hurt too much?
Fiona thought the story may have its roots in Plato's Cave, where those within saw only shadows and thought them to be the real world. In fact, Axl and Beatrice lose their candle early in the story, when their villagers decide they no longer merit one. That begins their long walk through an ancient Britain with a vague purpose to find the son they no longer had.
Eventually, even Beatrice and Axl must part, separated by a boatman who must take one or the other except when couples can prove their perfect love. And with no memories, how does one do that? It is sad, even heartbreaking, but one must precede the other.
I admit that while I did not love this book, it certainly stayed with me, and even now I think about it. That is one worth of a great novel. At the same time, what was the point of it all? Why did this odd world exist and what did it really all mean. Maybe it takes more than once to get all this novel had to offer.
However, on to our next book, Joan of Arc, by Mark Twain. We are meeting on March 21 at Mary Millhiser's house at 6:30 pm. Hope to see you all there!
At the same time, to me at least, this book is what I expect from Ishiguro. The slow pacing, the way information comes along the way to help the story along, and the removed, distant way the characters tell their stories were all familiar to me. And those very things made the book difficult to love, although most of us admired it a lot. Fiona really liked it, for one.
This was a melancholy book, one that literally had a mist lying over it, robbing the Britons and the Saxons of their memories of recent war. The mist, the breath of an old and dying dragon under a spell from Merlin, would hopefully keep peace until all those old enough to remember the war were gone, and so peace could continue. The narrative is dreamlike, and measured, even when there is tension and action.
The loss of those memories may have indeed kept the peace, but also cost the present. The main characters, Axl and Beatrice, can't remember when they last saw their son, nor what he looked like. And why was he gone? Nor could others remember their own lives. Beatrice and Axl both wonder, at different times, if we could remember, would we still love each other? Would some memories just hurt too much?
Fiona thought the story may have its roots in Plato's Cave, where those within saw only shadows and thought them to be the real world. In fact, Axl and Beatrice lose their candle early in the story, when their villagers decide they no longer merit one. That begins their long walk through an ancient Britain with a vague purpose to find the son they no longer had.
Eventually, even Beatrice and Axl must part, separated by a boatman who must take one or the other except when couples can prove their perfect love. And with no memories, how does one do that? It is sad, even heartbreaking, but one must precede the other.
I admit that while I did not love this book, it certainly stayed with me, and even now I think about it. That is one worth of a great novel. At the same time, what was the point of it all? Why did this odd world exist and what did it really all mean. Maybe it takes more than once to get all this novel had to offer.
However, on to our next book, Joan of Arc, by Mark Twain. We are meeting on March 21 at Mary Millhiser's house at 6:30 pm. Hope to see you all there!
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Signature of All Things and Maple and Pine do not mix
Well, we had a large and very fun group at Maple and Pine on Monday night, collected to discuss Elizabeth Gilbert's Signature of All Things. That was the good news, and that we had a fabulous time and a lovely dinner.
The bad news is that we had 15 people and a long table so there was not much we could do to get a group discussion going on the book. That and lots of good food made for a tough environment. Maple and Pine, if you haven't been there yet, is the signature restaurant of the Quirk Hotel, and it is very fun. The food is lovely and the atmosphere top notch, especially if you can get there when the Quirk gallery is open. One downside is that it was cold! Thankfully, the concierge brought us a space heater, otherwise we would have been shivering more than talking.
There was a bit on the book though and hopefully we can continue the discussion at our next meeting. One comment was it was too long - there were too many stories and chapters in Alma's life, perhaps we would all have been better served if Gilbert had had a better editor, to take out the things that did not advance the story. The whole Tahiti episode, for example, felt a bit false. And what was the meaning of the dog Roger? That could have cut out five hundred words right there with no loss of story. (Not that I didn't like Roger.)
On the positive side, there were some compelling characters, like Alma, and Prudence. Perhaps there could have been more for Prudence to show - she was compelling and at the same time kept at a great distance in the story. And Mr. Pike, what a great character he was!
All in all, we were mixed on whether we like the book or not - but again, it was hard to tell. So on to next month. The date is Feb. 15, at 6:30. Place is yet to be determined, let me know if you prefer someone's house or another restaurant pick. As for the book - we were planning on Mark Twain's Joan of Arc but there was some concern about the many pages and the teeny type in the time allowed. So we swapped to The Buried Giant, by Kazuo Ishiguro, and reading Mark Twain for March.
So great to have seen everyone, it was a wonderful start to the year!
The bad news is that we had 15 people and a long table so there was not much we could do to get a group discussion going on the book. That and lots of good food made for a tough environment. Maple and Pine, if you haven't been there yet, is the signature restaurant of the Quirk Hotel, and it is very fun. The food is lovely and the atmosphere top notch, especially if you can get there when the Quirk gallery is open. One downside is that it was cold! Thankfully, the concierge brought us a space heater, otherwise we would have been shivering more than talking.
There was a bit on the book though and hopefully we can continue the discussion at our next meeting. One comment was it was too long - there were too many stories and chapters in Alma's life, perhaps we would all have been better served if Gilbert had had a better editor, to take out the things that did not advance the story. The whole Tahiti episode, for example, felt a bit false. And what was the meaning of the dog Roger? That could have cut out five hundred words right there with no loss of story. (Not that I didn't like Roger.)
On the positive side, there were some compelling characters, like Alma, and Prudence. Perhaps there could have been more for Prudence to show - she was compelling and at the same time kept at a great distance in the story. And Mr. Pike, what a great character he was!
All in all, we were mixed on whether we like the book or not - but again, it was hard to tell. So on to next month. The date is Feb. 15, at 6:30. Place is yet to be determined, let me know if you prefer someone's house or another restaurant pick. As for the book - we were planning on Mark Twain's Joan of Arc but there was some concern about the many pages and the teeny type in the time allowed. So we swapped to The Buried Giant, by Kazuo Ishiguro, and reading Mark Twain for March.
So great to have seen everyone, it was a wonderful start to the year!
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