December 2023 Bookclub News

 

Cheers!

Dear Bookclub,

A fancy group feasted at Vintana's for our lunch time holiday gathering, enjoying the fellowship and discussion of Kate Atkinson's "Festive Spirits". Luxuriating in a mid-day respite, we had a nice opportunity to share our thoughts on recent reads, update each other on our lives and enjoy the festive surroundings. Not all had the chance to read our selection but those who did, appreciated the twist on holiday tales. 

Missing the leader of our donation drive for "Gently Hugged", Julie was sadly absent, down and out with a bug. Donations were generous and the recipients at the headquarters in the Rancho Bernardo Winery were thrilled.

Jan Rightmer

Delivering!

Jan gave me a tour of the operation and it is truly impressive as Julie knew! With over 100 volunteers, they are able to give out 800 bags a year, filled with clothing, books and a new quilt or blanket. If you hadn't checked out the website before, please do:

https://gentlyhugged.org/home/

Finally, it was so nice to see so many at the RB Inn impromptu happy hour! I neglected to get any pictures but trust me, everyone looked marvelous!

Up next:

Happy reading,

LK

November 2023 Bookclub News

 

Cow Records Ocean Beach

Dear Bookclub,

Karen's cozy cocoon of a home sweetly enveloped us for our autumn meeting, as tradition dictates. Discussion of  Rachel Joyce's "The Music Shop", paused for soup, cornbread and wine, etc., eventually came to a crescendo, around the table of ten, in a well-orchestrated manner.

Martha asked for us to each share the significance of music in our lives which became the most interesting catalyst for appreciating the meaning of music to a family's culture and therefore the shaping of the individual's relationship to music. Discussing the power of music to the emotions, braided us back into Joyce's characters and their stories. The variety of our stories and the variety of the interpretations of our readers to the "Music Shop" stories, played into the enjoyment of all.

Vinyl is very much alive, as represented by our members and the stores peppering San Diego. Check out Cow Records and the familiar sounding personality of the store:

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/music/sd-et-music-records-20170525-story.html

With over 56 million views, perhaps you have seen this one before. I just wept once again, as I do every time I watch it, starting 13 years ago when it first was released. Hallelujah Chorus flash mob:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE

 

 

Karen's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"The Covenant of Water" Abraham Verghese *chosen

 "On Fire" John O'Leary

"The Nightwatchman" Louise Erdrich

Up next:

Festive reading!

LK

October 2023 Bookclub News

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/05/08/jackie-kennedy-camera-girl-carl-sferrazza-anthony-book-review

 

Dear Bookclub,

October's bookclub, a small, energetic gathering to discuss Carl Sferrazza Anthony’s "Camera Girl", was once again hosted by Julie. Truly our in-house organizer-hostess-extraordinaire, Julie rose to the occasion, filling in for Lynne (down with COVID), with ease, despite the heroic effort behind the serving of her pumpkin 'dump cake'. Evading a trip to urgent care with a burned hand and possible injury from broken glass and going back to the drawing board with new ingredients provided by her prince, Steve, Julie pulled it off with nary a bead of sweat on her brow, emulating a Miss Jacqueline Bouvier determination.

Jackie?, Lori, Kate & Kim

 

Sferrazza's book did not present as an intriguing read but felt more like a list of gathered facts. Enjoyed, nevertheless by me, remembering many of the bits and pieces from here and there, some of our readers found it dull. Julie reported that: "The book had a mixed reaction from our small but mighty group of 4, but we found a few highlights to talk about".

Juxtaposition between the emphasis on journalism, current culture, and publications in the pre-internet world and the weight of social media, news and entertainment in cyberspace brings to mind a great comparison of the coming-of-age for the characters in Gabrielle Zevin's "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" vs. Bouvier's coming-of-age. How the luster of working for a fashion magazine has dulled.

Lynne's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"Demon Copperhead" Barbara Kingsolver

"Tom Lake" Ann Patchett *chosen

 "Hello Beautiful" Ann Napolitano

 Up next:

 

Happy reading,

LK

September 2023 Bookclub News

 

Ulysses S. Grant, 4 days before his death, July 19, 1885

Dear Bookclub,

An intimate evening to discuss Mark Perry's fascinating "Grant and Twain: The Story of an American Friendship" seemed appropriate as our enthusiasm for the book was shared mightily between Kim, Diane and I. 

 

My Youtube share of Hal Holbrook impersonating Twain on the the family room big screen, inspired by Diane's tech-shares of meetings past, was startling in the frank content regarding man's 'intellect', (hardly evolved):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_rTMNnxwSE

I remember enjoying his many recordings over the years and Diane shared that she had seen him perform at the Escondido Performing Arts Center many years ago.

https://marktwainhouse.org/about/

 

 

 

More reminiscing from Kim and I about visiting Twain's home in Hartford, CT fired up my desire to return with new appreciation after reading Perry's book. Twain's brilliant mind and zest for life, reflected in the home's unique character, emphasized the spark introduced to Grant's situation. Being a catalyst in the writing and publishing of Grant's memoirs, Twain's similarities and differences to Grant, deftly illustrated by Perry, carried much of the book. The role of slavery in American society and the actions and attitudes from both of these prominent men could fill yet another book.

Grant's failing health, compounded by the inadequate medical care available at the time, also astounded us as he was able to continue writing and inspiring family, friends and the country. Check out "The Knick" for elaboration on this point:

 

 

Karen enlightened us about a wonderful 3-part mini-series on the History Channel,"Grant":

https://www.history.com/shows/grant

 

Finally, in keeping with the evening's theme, planning food from the era presented a challenge. Influenced by a fabulous audio of "Twain's Feast", my ideas were sidetracked and I ended up honoring the happy fig trees in my orchard and baking a fresh fig cake. 

 

I highly recommend listening to this ...especially fun while mired in Thanksgiving kitchen prep: 

"In this audio adaptation based on Andrew Beahrs' book, the food writer searches for "lost foods of America." The print work was inspired by Mark Twain, who once made a list of the American foods he missed most while traveling at length in Europe. This production pares down Twain's list of favorite foods into a unique eight-course meal that narrator Nick Offerman makes sound real. Following in Twain's footsteps, chef Tyler Anderson seeks out and prepares nineteenth-century American delicacies such as prairie hen, raccoon, and Philadelphia terrapin. Dinner guests--Twain scholars and entertainers--provide lively dialogue on the food and on themes related to American history and identity. Offerman's deep, resonant voice and dry narration are perfectly suited to Twain's witty anecdotes. "

 https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/150796/twains-feast-by-andrew-beahrs-audible-originals-ed-read-by-nick-offerman/

The feasters got permission to use Mark Twain's house for the event. Pretty cool.

 

Our upcoming read for December is Kate Atkinson's "Festive Spirits".

Up next:

Happy reading,

LK

August 2023 Bookclub News

 

 Dear Bookclub,

Martha treated our gathered group to a lovely dinner at the Bernardo Winery as she hosted our meeting to discuss Gabrielle Zevin's "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow". Her preparation to promote conversation about Zevin's novel proved very effective:

Simulation of Martha's papers

We chatted and nibbled, and chatted and nibbled, and chatted and nibbled our way through the evening, truly answering every reader's guide question posed, and aspects beyond. Details abound in the telling of Zevin's tale, which uniquely introduced the world of the 80's and 90's in a light that our group, being in the fog of motherhood during that time, only viewed tangentially. Sure, we knew Super Mario and magic eye puzzles (https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/the-hidden-history-of-magic-eye-the-optical-illusion-that-briefly-took-over-the-world/), but the pretentious lives of the developers of video gaming were totally off the radar. Debating choices made by Sam, Sadie and Max, we softened to their situations and dilemmas.

This novel's critical acclaim, clearly needed a mention in our discussion, as the Gen X-surround kept our ability to relate at bay. Good literature transcends generations. Had we reached a point in our stage of life where we were <gasp> over-the-hill with the trendy? Zevin's work educated and entertained but the journey, tedious at times and over-written with the era, ultimately left little hope for a moving, lasting impression. 

I noticed that the "Goodreads Choice Awards 2022" honored "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" with the #1 position in Fiction AND "Lessons in Chemistry" as #2 in Historical Fiction. Historical???? We will continue to read all (with our corrective lenses) and be better for it.

 

Martha's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"The Music Shop" Rachel Joyce *chosen

"Lessons in Chemistry" Bonnie Garmus

"The Night Watchman" Louise Erdrich

Up next:

Happy reading,

LK

 

July 2023 Bookclub News

 

 

 

Dear Bookclub,

The balmy Bernardo Winery impressed and coddled our gathered group; the perfect setting for an early evening of dinner, wine and discussion. We loved it and planned to repeat the event in August. 

Our talking 'stick', Marcellus, was magnetic, drawing stares and inquiries from neighboring diners and encouraging sharing from our thoughtful readers. Shelby Van Pelt's "Remarkably Bright Creatures" cleverly clung to our hearts with the highly developed characters ensconced in a modern fairy tale. 

Themes of loneliness, 'family' and types of intelligence sparked appreciation of the author's intentions and broadened our scope of empathy to man and creatures, alike. Our bonding widened with bright personal sharing; the photos depict our depth.

Please enjoy these amazing octopus videos....just keep clicking and watching.. you will not be disappointed!

https://wgntv.com/news/trending/the-story-behind-the-octopus-escape-at-the-seattle-aquarium/

My suggestions for an upcoming read: 

"Camera Girl: The Coming of Age of Jackie Bouvier Kennedy" Carl Sferrazza Anthony *chosen

"The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating" Elisabeth Tova Bailey

"Writers & Lovers" Lily King

 

 

Up next:

 

Happy reading,

LK

June 2023 Bookclub News

 

An evening at Diane's Sweet Spot West

 

 

Dear Bookclub,

Diane's Adorno Place easily transformed into a sports bar and we easily dove into the charade, imbibing her authentic bar bites, delicious wine and finely crafted cocktails. Discussion of the Amy Poeppel's Sweet Spot skipped along lightly, keeping to the cadence the book invited. We all enjoyed, agreeing it was a good summer read, excusing spots of ridiculousness and keeping tight to the spots of sweetness. Melinda's mean-spirited personality and the dumping of Felicity's baby can be easily overlooked with the clever images of Lauren's artwork, Leo's parenting style, Evelyn's transformation and laugh-out-loud descriptions of antics and dialogue. Diane wowed us with one of her clever high-tech shares, and we enjoyed a unison viewing of Amy Poeppel's awesome trailer for the book:

https://www.amypoeppel.com/the-sweet-spot

 

 

 

Our little group was delighted to have Laura H. join us and she graciously shared her 'happenings' as she and Lynne stopped by after an outing to Chuck E. Cheese. North County bar-hopping at its finest!

 

Diane's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"The Lady in Gold: The Extraordinary Tale of Gustav Klimt's Masterpiece, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Baurer" Ann-Marie O'Conner

"Grant and Twain: The Story of an American Friendship" Mark Perry *chosen

"The Heart's Invisible Furies" John Boyne

 

Up next:

Happy reading,

LK

 

May 2023 Bookclub News

 

 

Phil Connors

Dear Bookclub,

Reminiscent of Bill Murray's Groundhog Day experience, bookclubbers met yet again at Julie's. My gratitude abounds to Julie for taking over my hosting as last minute changes necessitated. Discussing Maggie O'Farrell's "The Marraige Portrait" was a breeze, Julie reported, as everyone had read the book or at least part, and her printed questions were never used.

Julie's scoreboard

 

The New York Times reviewed O'Farrell's book with quite the dagger. I'd enjoyed the book very much, being immensely entertained by the audible version. The review surprised me; the reviewer must not have been in the mood. Calling it 'ridiculous', I can only imagine there must have been an expectation for much more. My preferred method to read with as little outside influence as possible afforded me a pleasurable experience. Opinions!

https://www.nyti.es.com/2022/09/05/books/review/maggie-ofarrell-marriage-portrait.html

My suggestions for an upcoming read:

"The Missing" Tim Gautreaux

"Marmee and Louisa" Eve LaPlante 

"Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" Gabrielle Zevin *chosen

Up next:

Happy reading,

LK

 

April 2023 Bookclub News

 

Julie's List

 

Dear Bookclub,

Unable to attend our discussion of Taylor Jenkins Reid's  "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo", Julie has kindly reported on the evening:

 

 

“Our fearsome foursome had fun discussing The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, while dining on bbq chicken salads and berry pie, at Julie’s on 4/20/2023.  The book was thought to be fair to middling’ and did not engage us or get us thinking about it after reading. 

 

Still, we talked about our favorite husband of Evelyn (Harry, because they were friends) and the theme “Hiding the Truth as Means of Survival” in relation to the relationships of Evelyn and Celia, and Harry and his partner(s).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Karen had provided a UT article about the author, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and we were surprised that “Seven Husbands” was written in 2017, well before "Malibu Rising" and "Daisy Jones and the Six" (both on best sellers’ lists.  The article indicated that both Taylor and her husband were surprised that Tik Tok had started a buzz about “Seven Husbands” that drove IT up the charts!  Taylor is interested in getting more of her books into films or series such as Daisy Jones and… Coming soon… “Seven Husbands”!  Question for YOU dear reader… Who do you think will be cast to play Evelyn and Cecilia St. James?

Lastly, we voted (and counted emailed votes) on the upcoming selection.

Please enjoy the full article mentioned above:

 

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/nation-world/story/2023-02-28/taylor-jenkins-reid-writes-her-own-hollywood-success-story

 

 

Julie's suggestions for an upcoming read:

 

"Someone Else’s Shoes" Jo Jo Moyes

 

"Hello Beautiful"  Ann Napolitano

 

"Remarkably Bright Creatures"  Shelby Van Pelt *chosen

 

Up next:

 

Happy reading,

LK

 

 

March 2023 Bookclub News

 

Nothing Mad; only Merry

Dear Bookclub,

"Mad Honey" drew our readers in with a compelling, smooth-as-honey Picoult-style tale and suddenly, the attraction turned wild as page-turning accelerated into madness. Unable to hold back discussion, our group buzzed throughout the entire evening. Sue, not yet having finished the book, graciously agreed to our request to reveal the mystery so that we could freely drone on. Jodi Picoult and Finne Boylan's  collaboration inspired an intense, animated discussion, enjoyed amid a beehive of activity at Lori's kitchen counters. We turned over and over our experiences reading the book and unraveling the intricacies presented. 

Best read without any prior knowledge or research, I was shocked that I hadn't a clue about the book. I'd dismissed the duo of authors as being yet another of the trending, seemingly marketing-related collaborative creations and having no idea of Finne Boylan, I was primed for the roller coaster. Ultimately, there is nothing trite about the book and the authors' notes at the end, along with statements by both Picoult and Boylan online, describe a deep and unique collaboration. With mutual respect, the authors created a well-developed tale using rich characters, relatable emotions and timely debate, all the while educating the readers. 

Back to the kitchen! A honey-laden cheese board provided the backdrop to a very enticing "Bee's knees" cocktail (recipe at the end of book), expertly crafted by Lori. Also expertly crafted, Lori had paper strips for each member: fascinating bee-fact on one side and discussion question on the other. We truly appreciated Lori, our queen bee of the evening!

Mad honey is a hallucinogenic honey from the mountains of Nepal, where bees feed on a specific species of rhododendrons.  I promise the video embedded in this article will be the BEST 20 minutes you spend on any media today!!! Big screen option and prepare to be amazed by the gorgeous surroundings and the cultural aspects.

https://bigthink.com/health/mad-honey/ 

 

If you are so inclined, the medicinal real deal is available from Nepal, the fancy option with your name carved on the box:

https://bestmadhoney.com/

 

Lori's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" Alfred Lansing

"The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise"  Colleen Oakley

"The Sweet Spot" Amy Poepell *chosen

Up Next:

 

Happy reading,

LK