Wednesday, April 27, 2022

April 2022 Bookclub News

Heroes:Elton & Billie Jean

Dear Bookclub,

"All In" meant just four of us gathering to discuss the Billy Jean King memoir. Kate aced it. We were 'served' margaritas by Denny from the baseline followed by a second set of Rubio's on an amazing array of floral dishes at the net....er... dining room table. Prepared for a good match, Kate and I dominated, having finished out the set, while Karen and Julie, with good intentions, had to retire before the end. 


 

Nevertheless, the third set of churros and vanilla ice cream, kept the energy up to the final moment. We appreciated Billie Jean's contributions to the history of tennis with her hard work, talent and success along with her dedication to equality in sports and beyond. Reminiscing about the times, it's hard to imagine the pain and obstacles Billie Jean overcame in her journey.

Narrating the Audible, Billie Jean was authentic, as we realized her emotional experiences still sit at the surface, her voice revealing all. Kate wondered about the photos she missed, included in the hard copy of the book. PDF's available with Audible versions of books can be accessed:

iOS

  1. Open the Audible app and go to your library.
  2. Tap on the audiobook that has a PDF, to open the player screen.
  3. While on the player screen, tap the 3 dots in the upper right corner.
  4. Tap Accompanying PDF.

Unfortunately, there are loads of great pictures in this book yet the accompanying PDF with the Audible version of "All In", does not contain a one. It's a hefty appendix of facts and stats.

https://www.billiejeanking.com/tennis/

For a dive into the world of Billie Jean, please visit her website, which has many wonderful photos and stories.


Kate's suggsstions for an upcoming read:

"Beautiful World, Where are you?" Sally Rooney

"The Last Thing He Told Me" Laura Dave *chosen

"Miss Benson's Beetle" Rachel Joyce

   

Up  next:

Happy reading,

LK

PS During the 2022 Super Bowl, my grandchildren fussed at the coin toss, not knowing the honoree. I set them straight! 




Thursday, April 21, 2022

March 2022 Newsletter

 


 

Dear Bookclub,

Amy Tan's memoir, "Where the Past Begins",  gave Lori a-Lori-opportunity, if ever there was one, for a beautifully hosted evening. Adorably appropriate cocktail napkins(see above) and a mouth watering menu including 'fabulous Charm Thai Kitchen spring rolls and delicious soba noodle salad*', as reported by Diane, with 'dumplings and green tea ice cream', as noted by Sue, set the stage.


Happy Bookclubbers


Not being present, I can only recount what I have faintly learned about the evening: discussion was good, thanks to questions created by Lori which added depth and highlighted the many aspects of Tan's life. Phew! I feared a book burning when Lori first sent me some pictures:


Reading and listening to Tan's book, transported me, entertained me and inspired me to reread "The Joy Luck Club", as Karen's recent rereading further sparked the notion. Her mention of the book's Mahjongg scenes really set the wheels in motion.

 

drawn by Angie Wang, circa 1989 from NY Times Book Review of "The Joy Luck Club"

Most enjoyable, I marveled at the writing, and of course the richly crafted stories. Coming upon this quote from a positive review by Carolyn See of the Los Angeles Times : "The only negative thing I could ever say about this book is that I'll never again be able to read it for the first time." I have to disagree. Guessing it has been about three decades since I'd first read it, the 2022 reading hit me like the first time. Struck by the pulling back of the curtain on the Chinese-American experience, I devoured it. "Where the Past Begins" did tint the novel for me as the insight into Tan's relationship with her mother illuminated the possible motivations and intentions I can only surmise may have led Tan's writing.

 

 Lori's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue"  V. E. Schwab

"The Forest of Vanishing Stars" Kristin Harmel"

"West with Giraffes" Lynda Rutledge *chosen

 

Up next:


 

Happy reading,

LK


PS *Vegetarian Soba Noodle Salad recipe from Lori:

https://giadzy.com/recipes/vegetarian-soba-noodle-salad/