Hi all, I forgot to include the dates we decided on for 2025 at least so far. Sally Ashburn has volunteered to host January, and Margo for February.
Dates so far are:
January 16 - book TBD as it is usually our most swapped from the December event
February 10 - Wendy and I are going to NZ on the 13th so squeezing it in before we leave
March 10
April 14
See you all on December 16!
Hi all, happy holidays! First off, we are scheduled for our annual book swap holiday party at Fiona's on December 16 at 6:30. I will cover the way it works again at the end, but get the date on your calendar and thank you Fiona for hosting!
And thank you to Karin who hosted our last gathering which was a blast and a great conversation. We generally were not a big fan of the book although some really liked it, and that did not stop us from having a lot of questions.
For example, who was seeking or receiving absolution? Was it Patricia (or Tricia)? Was it Charlene? Was it the greater American contingent plopped into Saigon during the Vietnam war, trying to recreate their American lives while their mission crumbled? Or all of the above?
It was so painful to read again a story that detailed the constrained lives of women in this era, Their lives were secondary, tertiary or worse to their husbands and children, with the casual expectation that these talented, capable women would subjugate their own existence to be a "helpmeet" to their husbands. No wonder they developed their own hierarchy and their own ways of coping.
And so, we wonder, who wanted absolution? And maybe that ambiguity is the point - didn't they all?
And so on we go to our Holiday book swap. As a reminder, everyone should bring a book that you want us to read next year, wrapped, with a note as to why you want us to read it but don't sign your name! We will each get an assigned number and select our book in order. What happens next is all the fun, a spirited exchange of who wants what - so much fun!
Let Fiona know what you will bring along to celebrate, and I hope you can all come as it is very fun.
So, Dec. 16, 6:30 pm, at Fiona's, she will share her address later. (I don't want to put an address on this blog as it is public.)
See you then!
