We Have Always Lived in the Castle - a great read if odd

Finally, here is the blog for the last book club meeting, what a fun time we had at Susan's house. What a lovely place and a lovely setting! We are still trying to figure out how the ferns got so big. 

While we were a smallish group, the consensus was definitely positive on our book by Shirley Jackson. I had no idea that she was as prolific and as well know as she was during her lifetime, which ended in 1962. Like many people, I thought "The Lottery" was the sum of her work, so this book was a revelation. 

This novel, quite slim, was also quite odd, the story of a prominent family in a small town that had suffered a great tragedy that in some way turned the town against it. The two sisters and an uncle that remained somehow survive, isolated from the townspeople that are beneath them and the other prominent families that they cannot bring themselves to include in their small world. 

As the story unfolds through the unreliable voice of the younger sister, Mary Katherine Blackwood, known as Merricat, who gradually unfolds as the iron fist of the family and the source of the tragedy. In the end, it was just Merricat and her beloved sister Constance, living behind the barricade of the castle, blocked off from the life around them but somehow rehabilitated with the village. 

How much time goes by is impossible to tell, other than the fact that the ruin of their large house is now covered with ivy.  Evidently, this is Shirley Jackson at her best, and that is very good indeed. The writing is wonderful, both the gradual unfolding of the story and the crafting of the sentences. The story is in some way a parable, with people who resonate with us, even though we wish they didn't. 

This is a short read and a really good one - if you didn't get a chance to read it before the meeting, find some time, it is worth it. The gothic, strange nature of Shirley Jackson's work doesn't cancel out the thoughtful stories, the skillful writing and in the end, having a moral to the story, even if it isn't the one we want. 

So on to our next book,  A God In Ruins by Kate Atkinson. Our next meeting is Monday, September 2, 6:30 pm  at Gordon Gibson's house here in Goochland. Gordon, let us know if that no longer suits! See you all then! 

Tigerman - a world alway PLUS a change in book for August

We had a lovely time at my house, complete with a visit to my now two month old colt fresh from his breed inspection. Thanks to everyone who came! Welcome to our newest member of the group, Liz Culley! Liz is a trooper, she came with one day notice without reading the book. That's enthusiasm.

Tigerman turned out to be a great read and we enjoyed it. The mash-up of a poisoned community, a war fatigued Brit now nominally in charge of the local mission, a comic-book obsessed 11-year-old and a sinister fleet of boats in the harbor made for a really entertaining story that moved along really well, albeit a bit unbelievably.

Those of us who read the book all agreed that it was quite readable and at least the main character, Lester was engaging, particularly in his awkward attempts to adopt the comic-book kid called Robin. As Lester finds out more about this boy and the impact of the environmental damage to the island, the more he wants to take the boy with him when he leaves - whenever that might be.

The culmination of the book leaves Lester dressed as Tigerman, storming a drug ring with a dozen bond-like devices strung on his belt, thanks to Robin. It is hilarious while also being poignant and thrilling. While that finally goes bad, at least poor Lester gets the girl in the end.

We loved the writing, the pacing and the weird story. At the same time, the combination of a comic-book plot and real life and death, not to mention crime, made this book seem less serious than it might be.

We spent a long time talking about parenting, as that was an important part of the story, even as it was totally missing for this young man. Lester's love for this boy, his desire for a deeper relationship was really touching. Robin, for his part tragically lost his mother, alive but mentally erased by a toxic cloud that swept over the island. His cagey interaction with Lester made it all the more interesting.

Alas, in the end the conclusion was totally unbelievable and hurt the overall book, in my opinion. That being said, it was a fun and interesting read, definitely a cut above many.

So after all that discussion, we turned to the reviews of Go Set a Watchman which is set for our August book. The overall feeling was that we DID NOT want to read it. While it is on my shelf, I think I will wait a bit to read it, Scout and Addicus are too precious to me.

So for August, we decided to move up the Shirley Jackson book, We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Ashley has offered to host, let me know if that still works Ashley!

For September, the group wanted to read the new Kate Atkinson book, A God In Ruins. This is a related book to Life After Life, but not a sequel so don't worry if you haven't read it yet.

Call if you have any questions! Lynn was generous enough to give us her Pea and Mint dip recipe, expect to see this on my table anytime you come for dinner! Thank you Lynn! Here it is:

4 shallots, minced (I used scallions)
2 cups peas (I used org frozen)
2 Tbs EVOO
3 Tbs chopped mint
2 Tbs mascarpone
1/4  tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

In medium pan over medium heat, mix the shallots with the peas, and sauté in the evoo until the peas are barely done and the shallots are wilted, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the mint, mascarpone, salt and pepper.  Chop coarsely in a food processor or by hand and spoon onto the bread.  They had crostini - I used rice crackers.  

"Hold Still" - very interesting, perhaps a bit overwritten.

We had a lovely time at Jean's very lovely and book-filled house with some of our most dedicated readers. What fun, and we got to see pictures from Jean's daughter Emily's wedding (so beautiful) and  had yummy ham biscuit from the wedding too! Thanks so much for hosting Jean and to all who brought a wonderful array of goodies.

As for the book, the consensus seemed to be that it was an interesting read and that Sally Mann is a fascinating person who has accomplished a great deal with her work. Whether any of us actually liked her was a different question, one that we wondered was a fair one. Would we be wondering whether we would like a male photographer whose memoir we just read? Maybe, but would there be more distance, with less judgement? Maybe.

And of course, given the subject matter that brought her to prominence, pictures of her children that are still controversial, she come in for a lot of criticism as a person and a mother. The story of the New York Times censoring a photo of Virginia which caused Virginia so much pain was so interesting; the children could distinguish between a photo and themselves, yet so many others couldn't. And we were a bit ambivalent about that as well; was it alright?

Some of us have had a chance to meet Sally Mann and spend a bit of time with her. Fiona shared an exhibition with her daughter Jessie, the absolutely gorgeous one who is now an artist. Having met her,  the question is still open, but also the question of whether that actually matters.

I for one, found her charming and riveting in person, although peculiar in her choice of material and choice of equipment and technique. The mix of ether and ancient lens that made up the Southern photographs were a good example. Why make it so hard? Was that really the best way to represent what she wanted to show?  The story of her having her dog skinned, buried and then the remaining bones exhumed was too extreme for me; oh and then came the Body Farm pictures. Which were in color.

Still, the narrative of how her life and art developed was good enough that we all finished it and for the most part like it. One thing that we all noted was how "crafted" her sentences were. Not all of them, not enough to diminish the overall success of the story, but enough to make me and others skip ahead. In some cases, it was a bit hard to follow and she also seemed to reach for vocabulary. This is a pretty well-read group and we were scratching our heads about some of her word choices, but not enough to look them up. There were too many of them!

So overall, we liked it. The jury is still out on her but isn't that always the way with women artists?

OK, on to a very different read, Tigerman by Nick Harkness. We will meet on the 20th of July at Ashley's. August will be at Fiona's, and we will read the new Harper Lee book, Go Set a Watchman. I can't wait!!

I am a subscriber to Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concerns, which is a literary journal edited by Dave Eggers. It is amazing and so creative and resourceful. The most recent quarterly included two previously unpublished stories by Shirley Jackson of "The Lottery" fame.  It never occurred to me that she had written anything else but in fact she was a prolific and well-read author in the her time. So we have picked one of her best-know novels for September, We Have Always Lived In The Castle. This one will be out west on September 21, I am hoping for the Deep Run Hunt Club.

Please note, Wendy, Mary and I have a board meeting that usually meets on Mondays and so once we get the schedule, we may need to adjust dates a bit. Still, this is good planning ahead. Thank you again Jean!

"The Sociopath Next Door" We all know one.

What a great spirited conversation we had about this thoughtful book, which generally got good reviews from the group. The absolutely most interesting part of the discussion was of the people that we had all run across in our lives, or perhaps still have in our lives whom we now understand only too well.

The stories of when and where we had come across these people in our lives only proved the point that most people have had to deal with the lack of conscience or remorse in another close at hand, with obvious emotional consequences. As it was pointed out, one in 25 people in the US falls into this category and so we have met these people in the workplace, our associations and potentially in our families.

Our own stories were varied, from a (very) bad boyfriend to a manipulative college roommate. Julie had a textbook example of an employee with charm, looks, (just) enough smarts and the key tip-off - a perpetual but ever-changing play for pity. While that recipe worked really well for an individual sales person, it was a disaster for a larger role.

The book is written of course to make a point and so it fairly black and white in its depiction of a sociopath - one either is or isn't. We felt that there had to be more of a spectrum and wondered whether someone could moderate his or her behavior enough to be functional in a perfectly acceptable way. Lynn and Susan thought they knew someone who had done just that - while remorseless himself, he had built a life that was consistent, successful and even generous; just not emotionally engaged. The book does not weigh in on that possibility but it seems like a logical option.

By the way, did anyone else notice that the cover included three sets of eyes, only one that could be male but the statistics show this is a condition that is definitely more prevalent in men than women. We just can't catch a break.

Thanks to Maggie for hosting at her lovely house, including a tour of the tree house for those so inclined. The food as usual was spectacular! Lynn brought a pea and mint dip that was amazing! If anyone wants the magic cake recipe, let me know, it is yours for the asking. Speaking of magic, Ashley, those cookies! Amazing. Rick absolutely loved them, so can I have the recipe?

Our next book is Hold Still, by Sally Mann, a memoir of her life and controversial photography. This should be a great read as she is fascinating. We may want to combine this discussion with a trip to see her work at the VMFA. Jean has offered to host our next meeting on June 15.

See you all there, feel free to weigh in!

"All the Light We Cannot See" - a lovely moving book

Hi all! Sadly, time has gotten away from me so there is short notice on our next meeting and book so I will start there. Our next get together is at Maggie's on May 18 and the book is The Sociopath Next Door. I for one am looking forward to reading this and am hoping to find out I am not the sociopath.

Now for the lovely, intricate, moving novel by Anthony Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See. This was a wonderful read and we all agreed (except one, was it Sally?). While I have had my fill of World War II fiction, despite that backdrop, this was really a story of two children, in very different circumstances and how they become the people they are when they finally meet late in the book.

Each of these characters is remarkable. Certainly the war is the catalyst that causes them to meet, but it is really a minor player. Our group loved the language, the way the story unfolded and the interesting subplot of the diamond. We had enough confusion among us that we had to go back and read the page the finally answered the question of what happened to it. Thanks Mary for remembering!

And also thanks to Mary for hosting, it was a lovely evening at Fox Trot Farm! Now on to the next, see you at Maggie's on May 18!

Empire of the Summer Moon, by S. C. Gwynne

For our March book club, we selected Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Commanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History, by S. C. Gwynne.  I was lucky to have received this book during our holiday book swap at Celia's house, so I was interested in discussing it with the book club. 

We had our meeting at Beryl's beautiful new home, where she prepared delicious treats for us to enjoy while we caught up with each other's news, then talked about the book. Thank you, Beryl!

The book was stirring, with eye witness accounts of the lives of Cynthia Parker and her family, and the serious consequences of their settling in Indian territory.  We all were moved by the stories of kindness and love between children and their mothers that were beautifully written about, but were equally upset by the stories of violence by the Native Americans and by the settlers and American army.   Many part of the book are harrowing, and made us think of parallels in our world today, where cultures clash in horrific ways, but also reminded us of the love and power of the family. The author went into great detail about the culture of the Commanches and the other tribes of the area, as well as about the culture of the Americans and the Army of the time.  We were moved by the hardships of Cynthia Parker's life, admired her for her strength, and I know I was in tears when I read that her young daughter died. Quanah's story is tremendously interesting, in how he made his life as a chief, and father in the new world his people had to enter. A powerful book, and important to read, as it gave us a deeper understanding of this time in our country's history, as well as of the lasting effects those times have on Native Americans now.

Our next book is All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr.

Mary Milhiser will be hosting the gathering at her home at 6:30, on April 20th.

  

Hilary Mantel - Compelling, Enthralling, Odd

Once again, we have ventured into short stories only to find an unusual mind taking us places we don't want to go with people we don't think we like. In this case however, the journey was a gift, as the artistry and articulation of the author were just superb. Even as we felt uncomfortable with what unfolded, the consensus was that this book was beautifully written and a compelling read.

This slim volume of stories gave up a wide range of favorites among us. Many liked the first, a story first published as a memoir, about a British woman living in Saudi Arabia who opened the door to a visitor who just would not go away.

This we assumed was Mantel herself in another part of her life, before her first publication, unable to handle her health and the demands others put upon her. Her husband was a mirky character, mute but willing to be helpful in the end. Did she really not have enough conviction to ask a stranger not to visit? Sure, haven't we all been there?

The theme of doors showed up a lot - doors you shouldn't open, doors that lead to unwanted outcomes or dreaded knowledge; danger from within oneself came through the doors. Even when you led someone else through the door in hope of safety, as in the title story, there was just an illusion of help, a dead end of purpose if not of geography.

Another story that came up as a favorite was the "Long QT", a shocking story of infidelity that actually kills the wounded spouse. It was odd, creepy, somehow inevitable. I loved the description of the hapless neighbor involved, Lorraine. "It's a shame to be named after a quiche." What else needs to  be said to describe character?

"Comma" was another story that came up, the language so interesting and the story disturbing. And another, "How Shall I Know You" about an uncomfortable book tour, with the title giving away so much of the import of the story.

All in all, a great read if still unsettling. Isn't that the point of reading?

Our next meeting is at Beryl's - we had set Tuesday the 17th, but as it turns out, my flight gets back on the 15th. Can we do the 16th after all? The group agreed to change to accommodate me, but all is ok for our normal evening. The book is Empire of the Summer Moon, by S. C. Gwynne.

We had a good bit of discussion about the March book. Both Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner and All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr came up as options. Weigh in if you have an opinion and we can decide in February.

Thanks so much to Val for hosting! See you all next month.

Happy Holidays the Book Club way!

Hi all, we had a fabulous time with our third annual Holiday Book Swap. We laughed and laughed, all the while trading around great books with great stories about how we picked them. What a wide range of interests are represented in the group! It was great.

The most traded book of the evening was Hilary Mantel's most recent book, The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher, a collection of short stories and a departure from Thomas Cromwell. That will be our January book, and I can't wait. If it hadn't been sitting on my shelf, I would also have claimed it!

Although it did not get traded, there was lots of interest in the book Dawn brought that Fiona was lucky enough to get, called Empire of the Summer Moon. It is the rise and fall of the Comanche and we selected that as our February book.

This year, for the first time there were some post-swap swapping, as Beryl ended up with the book she brought and Susan was willing to trade. Humm, another angle to add in!

There was lots of food and fun, thanks to all for coming!

Here is the complete list of the books that ended up under the tree:

Gray Mountain - John Grisham
Please Look After Mom - Kyung Sook Shin
Winnie Davis: Daughter of the Lost Cause - Heath Hardage Lee (Bonus DVD of Parade's End came along with it - I have always loved The Good Soldier, part one of this Ford Madox Ford trilogy.)
Texts from Jane Eyre - Mallory Ortberg
The Bridal Wreath - Sigrid Undset
Joan of Arc - Mark Twain (who knew Twain wrote a book like this? Twain said it was his best work, can't wait to hear how it is!)
The Paris Wife - Paula McLain
On Agate Hill - Lee Smith
Tigerman - Nick Harkaway
The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher - Hilary Mantel
Empire of the Summer Moon - S.C. Gwynne
The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion
The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted - Elizabeth Berg

If you are looking for something to read, this list is a great place to start!

In the coming year, I have a board meeting on the second Monday of each month, so can we move to the third Monday? That will make our next meeting January 19 - did someone volunteer to host? If so, I have forgotten, pipe back up!

Hope to see you all then! Thanks and Happy Holidays!

All caught up with Year of Wonders and Brideshead Revisited

Thank you Ashley for hosting our group for our November discussion which was also our October discussion. Because our October date was a big bust, we had two books to discuss, Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks and Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. I hate to say it, but this was not a battle of equals, which gave us even more food for discussion. 

Speaking of food, thanks so much to everyone who brought such FABULOUS treats. As usual, we had an imaginative and robust set of appetizers to enjoy. Yum! We have a veritable bake-off in the quality and variety of things people bring along to share with our book discussion, so thank you! 

Now back to the books. Here is the short hand on Year of Wonders. Great start, really interesting and effective character development, really interesting characters. Compelling writing and plot development. Was there some reason it all had to blow up in the last, wholly inconsistent and odd finale? Who believed this outcome? Such a sad end to an interesting story based on a true experience of a small British village. Here is a link to the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyam. 

Hmmmm, no mention of Geraldine Brooks, it must be an oversight. Or maybe there was no record of a wronged housekeeper sailing off to Saudi Arabia while saving a rejected illegitimate child and her own unborn so this novel did not make the list of descriptive stories. 

Geraldine Brooks is a journalist which may be why the historic portion of the story development was so strong, and yet there was so little force in the way she chose to wrap up the narrative. I hear her best (and really good) book is People of the Book. I am deciding whether to try it out as this last was definitely a mixed result. 

On to a classic of English literature, Brideshead Revisited. A few pages in and I was hooked; what use of language! How beautifully the scene was constructed and an entire world constructed as if it existed all along and we just walked into it. At the same time, my immediate reaction was how dated the world, how dated the language. Isn't that the genius of a writer that even when we can no longer remember the world described, it still rings true and holds together. 

I can remember reading Evelyn Waugh 30 years ago and having a completely different experience. It was easier to image that life and understand the expectations of that society. Now, it seems like a dream, an imagined world, one akin to that of Tolkien it is so distant. Despite that, like The Hobbit, we are there and involved, no matter how foreign, no matter how improbable. 

Our discussion was fascinating, pivoting as it did between the role of religion on individual decisions and that of overall society. All in all, a great read, a great discussion and a great evening. 

On to our next meeting, December 8 at my house. This is our annual holiday Book Swap so here is the way it works. Each person brings a book that she really wants everyone to read. Wrap it like a present, with a note explaining why it is so compelling to you but do not sign your name, it is anonymous. 

All the books will go under the tree. We will draw numbers and pick a present in order. Each person will have the option of keeping the book she chose or trading for any other book already uncovered. Once we have opened all the books, number one will have the chance to pick from all the choices. Clear? It will make sense once we get started. 

So...no reading for December, but bring your best idea as a gift to your fellow readers. See you on December 8 at 6:30, 1137 Manakin Rd., Manakin VA. Let me know if you need directions. 

January's date is the 12th, our book will be the one traded most often in the December swap. Can you believe I am already getting inundated with info on the Book and Author dinner for May? Let me know if you are interested and whether in the luncheon or dinner. If there is enough interest, I will look into sponsoring a table. 

See you all soon! 

Our guest author David Ebenbach to speak at the Weinstein JCC!

Dr. David Ebenbach, who wrote Into the Wilderness and was our guest author when we read the book, will be speaking at the Weinstein JCC on Monday, September 6th at 7pm. His new book, "The Artist's Torah", is described as "an uplifting and down to earth guide to the creative process, wide open to longtime artists, and first time dabblers, to people of every religious background - or none - and to every creative medium".

David teaches creative writing at Georgetown, and is a terrific speaker and a great guy! Come out and hear his thoughts about the nature of the creative process in your life and work.


Where: The Weinstein JCC, Richmond, VA
When: Monday, October 6th, 7pm, $5 members and $8 for nonmembers

Register: Contact Erin Mahone: 545-8644 or online, at emahone@weinsteinjcc.org