Vista Viewing at Diane's

Dear Bookclub,
It was a spectacular summer evening to be at Diane's: perched on her terrace overlooking an amazing view of Rancho Bernardo as we delved into "The Girl on the Train", imagining the possibilities and  charged character portrayals, while sipping portable gin & tonics. Diane developed the British theme with a capping off of an exquisite English trifle:

Titles recommended for upcoming selections included "Big Data" by Viktor Mayer-Schonberger,

"Under the Wide and Starry Sky" by Nancy Horan(chosen for Karen's - October), and "Euphoria" by Lily King (chosen for Kim's - November). As always, too many books, so little time - always a tough decision with such great suggestions.

Next up: "The Dovekeepers" by Alice Hoffman, to be discussed at Kate's on July 23rd. An ambitiously crafted historical novel of ancient Judean times, Hoffman's work is best introduced in her website:

http://alicehoffman.com/books/the-dovekeepers/synopsis/

The recent movie created much fodder for panning in bird analogies. Reading those reviews became comical. Has anyone seen the film?

Please RSVP to Kate.

Enjoy your read,

LK 

Train Schedule

Dear Bookclub,
Our train schedule, or in Brit, shhhhhchhhhhhhedule, has us meeting at Diane's this Thursday, June 25th to discuss Paula Hawkins', "The Girl on the Train."

Hmmmm, should have been subtitled, "and what happens when she disembarks".

Having enjoyed the book, (although could see the train coming(!) ), I had to dig - not too deep to- discover why this was such a popular read. My 'other' book club also had it as a selection this month and I bet every other book club out there has it on their list. Good, yeah, but runaway train?? Well, from the Daily Beast,

 

The Fastest-Selling Adult Novel in History: Paula Hawkins’ ‘The Girl On The Train’

"Stephen King is a fan. Dreamworks just bought the movie rights. Your book club is definitely reading it. Author Paula Hawkins discusses her debut mega-hit, The Girl on the Train." Read the entire piece:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/04/20/the-fastest-selling-adult-novel-in-history-paula-hawkins-the-girl-on-the-train.html

Interesting. Still feel a bit like a baited consumer. But that's the same world that brought us this lovely computer, our phones, organic lettuce, fair trade dark chocolate, etc.




Read on! And RSVP to Diane :)
LK

Recap at Lori's May 21, 2015

Dear Bookclub,
Our beloved optimist extraordinaire, Lori, hosted bookclub despite an early morning departure for Santa Rosa, complete with a genuine Chilean spread (spare partaking of the canned tuna and packaged cookies; a nod to the miners' fare and a great centerpiece).

Most of our large group had read Hector Tobar's "Deep Down Dark:The Untold Story of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free". Our enthusiastic crowd debated the motivations of the miners, discussed their current status and contemplated the authenticity of the movie. The fascination of survival mixed with the reality of the culture gave us much to consider. Kate even gleaned a parallel to the mine in one of our previous read's, "All the Light You Cannot See" in a literary skateboard move whose name escapes me that Julie proclaimed. Our insight is ever expanding.

The next selection to choose will be for our September 25th anniversary celebration. Brainstorming for a special title included:

* "The Wizard of Oz" - Frank L. Baum (suggested because it was thought he wrote it in Coronado; actually was in Chicago!)
  http://gapersblock.com/airbags/archives/the_yellow_brick_road_began_in_humboldt_park/

He did write sequels four years later in Coronado
 http://gapersblock.com/airbags/archives/the_yellow_brick_road_began_in_humboldt_park/

It would still be fun and we could have a tour on Coronado commemorating Baum's affiliation with the island:
http://www.coronadonewsca.com/coronado_events/oz_con_international/l-frank-baum-s-coronado---a-walking-tour/article_cbdf9da4-1427-11e4-ae20-001a4bcf887a.html

I think there were formal events last August but the above mentioned would be self-guided. Does anyone know of anything different?


* a book from the 1990 - the year of our club's inception. This is quite the list - thank you Wikipedia -  and a walk down memory lane. Some ideas include-

• Booker Prize: A. S. Byatt, Possession: A Romance
• Carnegie Medal for children's literature: Gillian Cross, Wolf
• Iain M. Banks - Use of Weapons
• Hoda Barakat - The Stone of Laughter (حجر الضحك)
• Greg Bear - Heads and Queen of Angels
• Thomas Berger - Orrie's Story
• Louis de Bernières - The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts
• William Boyd - Brazzaville Beach
• Ray Bradbury - A Graveyard for Lunatics
• John Bradshaw - Homecoming
• Tom Clancy - Clear and Present Danger
• Hugh Cook - The Wazir and the Witch and The Wishstone and the Wonderworkers
• Bernard Cornwell - Sharpe's Waterloo and Crackdown
• Michael Crichton - Jurassic Park
• Jim Dodge - Stone Junction
• Roddy Doyle - The Snapper
• Dominick Dunne - An Inconvenient Woman
• James Ellroy - L.A. Confidential
• John Kenneth Galbraith - A Tenured Professor
• John Gardner - Brokenclaw
• Elizabeth George - Well-Schooled in Murder
• Andrew Greeley - The Cardinal Virtues
• Elizabeth Jane Howard - The Light Years, first of the Cazalet series
• Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter - The Conan Chronicles 2
• Marsha Hunt - Joy
• P. D. James - Devices and Desires
• Robert Jordan - The Eye of the World
• Imre Kertész - Kaddish for an Unborn Child (Kaddis a meg nem született gyermekért)
• Stephen King - Four Past Midnight and The Stand
• Hanif Kureishi - The Buddha of Suburbia
• Joe R Lansdale - Savage Season
• Elmore Leonard - Get Shorty
• Robert Ludlum - The Bourne Ultimatum
• Ian McEwan - The Innocent
• Brian Moore - Lies of Silence
• Bảo Ninh - The Sorrow of War (Nỗi buồn chiến tranh)
• Tim O'Brien - The Things They Carried
• Orhan Pamuk - The Black Book
• Robert B. Parker - Stardust
• Rosamund Pilcher - September
• Belva Plain - Harvest
• Terry Pratchett - Eric and Moving Pictures
• Thomas Pynchon - Vineland
• W. G. Sebald - Schwindel. Gefühle ("Vertigo")
• Lucius Shepard - The Ends of the Earth
• Danielle Steel - Message From Nam
• James Tiptree, Jr. - Her Smoke Rose Up Forever
• Scott Turow - The Burden of Proof
• Andrew Vachss - Blossom
• Kurt Vonnegut - Hocus Pocus
• Harry L. Watson - Liberty and Power
• Banana Yoshimoto - Amrita
•  

any others?

* our first book, Larry McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove"

*???

Please email your idea and/or vote and I will explore and share.




 

BTW, this is the 125th anniversary of Coronado

http://coronadoarts.com/coronado-celebrates-125-1/coronado-celebrates-125-1/

Hopefully, there will be events while we are visiting!



Next month we will meet on the fourth Thursday, June 25th, at Diane's, to discuss Paula Hawkins' "The Girl on the Train".

Happy Reading!
LK

A "Deep Down Dark" pre-game show

Dear Bookclub,
Tonight we meet at Lori's to discuss Hector Tobar's "Deep, Down, Dark".  I think you will really enjoy watching this great interview with clips and insight. There are videos from deep, down, dark taken with cell phones, and news clips.

http://www.france24.com/en/encore/20150303-hector-tobar-deep-down-dark-chilean-miners-book-film

Also, please read about the challenge of making the movie of a story whose ending is well-known:

http://www.laweekly.com/arts/hector-tobars-deep-down-dark-is-a-masterful-look-at-the-chilean-miners-5207320

Hope to see you tonight!
LK

May Bookclub News

Dear Bookclub,
A varied take on "The Husband's Secret" did not keep our group from a unified outpouring of friendship and support in our discussion of much beyond Moriarty's book. Barb's gracious soriee, much appreciated by all, spared nothing but a tour of the master dressing area - alas! We forgot to demand a viewing of the remodeling we spied last year. It's a to-do for next year.

Suggested by Barb for our August read, were two titles we already have selected and a third suggestion that was an easily accepted winner:

"The Girl on the Train" Paula Hawkins
"Deep, Down, Dark" Hector Tobar
"The Spool of Blue Thread" Anne Tyler *chosen




Up next, at Lori's on May 21, Tobar's "Deep, Down, Dark". 

 These images are meant to entice you into reading this compelling tale. You may wonder how you can be so captivated by a story whose outcome you surely know.  Tobar is a master storyteller and the details surrounding the 33 men and their journey will transport you to another realm.

   

Happy reading!
LK

March 2015 Bookclub News

Dear Bookclub,
Sue's Cabo glow removed any trace of her February ailment as she treated us to a delectable selection of French cheeses and a German apple strudel last Thursday night to discuss "All the Light We Cannot See". Anthony Doerr's beautifully written novel was well-liked by all. We were once again amazed at the variety of books we have read about World War II, thinking how can yet another, capture our attention and imagination with such intensity. Admittedly, Doerr's rich characters, coupled with his intriguing immersion into the radio/museum/natural history/multileveled sensory-motivated-vision-deprived environment, created a welcome page turning read. Discussion tiptoed around my not having finished the book. Savoring it, I am finishing with top priority and urge all of you to please read it if you haven't already!

Saint-Malo

Please see the short video below that includes Doerr's process for this novel and some wonderful images:

Anthony Doerr explaining his work.


Considered for our July selection:
"The Dove Keepers" by Alice Hoffman *chosen
"The Boston Girl" by Anita Diamant
"A Paris Apartment" by Michelle Gable
"A Spool of Blue Thread" by Anne Tyler

Feed the fish, stock up on canned goods, have water handy; you are not going to move while you read what is next up: Liane Moriarty's "The Husband's Secret"; please RSVP to Barb.

Happy Reading,
LK

February 2015 Bookclub News

Dear Bookclub,
Taken down by a nasty flu, our esteemed hostess, Sue kept us on track from afar, communicating her inability to have us at her home days ahead and sharing her chosen titles for an upcoming selection. Julie rallied to the rescue and treated us to 'bar' food (salad bar, dessert bar - do not be fooled - there was nothing bar-like about the fine china and dining room setting) in the spirit of the pub references throughout our book, "One Plus One" by Jojo Moyes.

Not all had finished but all enjoyed the tangled tale of the unconventional family and as predictable as it played out, the journey was in the end, a good read.







After viewing Julie's newly refurbished garage, we retired to the dining room for dessert and to vote on Sue's book selections. We also discussed an upcoming trip to the 1906 Lodge in Coronado to commemorate our 25th anniversary. It was decided to try to find a Thursday - Saturday in April and have the men join us for dinner and the night on Friday. I've collected lots of input from everyone (thank you!) and then got waylaid by a nice visit this week from my parents. Will get back on track and see if I can solve the puzzle ASAP!  Not sure that it will be April between availability at 1906 and members. Stay tuned. 

The considered list of Sue's suggestions:

"The Boston Girl" by Anita Diamant
"A Paris Apartment" by Michelle Gable
"The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins (*chosen)

 Next up is "All the Light You Cannot See".
Happy Reading!
LK