April 2016 Bookclub Recap

Lori's Falcon

Dear Bookclub,
Lured into the warm light of Julie's home through an open front door, bookclub ladies were treated to wine and delicious nibbles, none of which resembled recently warm-blooded wildlife, thank goodness.

 Julie's good at this but not a falconer-good. Again, thank goodness. No hidden bits in her pockets  - that we sensed.

 Released into the forest, well, her back patio overlooking the fading light on the golf course, serenaded by a crow or two and an annoying barking dog, conversation swelled with shrimp-toast and wine refills. Tempted to shun the captivity of the four-walled rooms, the group eventually obeyed the command to convene in the well-appointed dining room via a parade through the kitchen to fill our plates with chicken and salad. Now, we were ready to discuss, "H is for Hawk"! With nearly Mabel-like-high-maintenance, we settled down; no hoods, jesses, transmitters or bells needed.

not a hawk

Lori shared her amazing experience with falconry on a recent trip to England with Tom.

Our fascination with Lori's experience was equaled to the idea of Mabel's care and the duty Helen Macdonald assumed. We marveled at Macdonald's fascination with T.H. White and the eccentricity of his life. Noting the space left in Macdonald's own story, we wondered about specifics concerning her work and personal life. Forgiven for the absences with our appreciation of the brevity, (book could have been 800 pages), this beautifully crafted memoir gets a special nod for transporting us into another's wellies.

Sue brought us back to San Diego with materials about the local Raptor Institute. Looks really interesting!

http://raptorinstitute.org/

Finally, Julie presented three great selections for our upcoming July read:

"Circling the Sun" by Paula McClain
"Miller's Valley" by Anna Quindlen
"The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah *chosen

I know I blabbed too much about my personal opinion of "Circling the Sun"... please read it if you are looking for a good vacation read and not necessarily a narrative of Beryl Markham's accomplishments as an aviator, as title implies!

Diane announced she will host June 23 instead of June 16.

Next up: "The Lake House" by Kate Morton.

Happy Reading,
LK

April 2016 Bookclub News

Dear Bookclub,
There is an art to the bookclub selection; the read must be enticing, enjoyable, satisfying, transporting and of course stimulate discussion. It is rare to get this combination in a book and adding to that list of desires is the balance between knowing all about the book before reading it and the slow reveal in an unexpected experience of reading. Not yet being able to comment on the list of desires with "H is for Hawk", I have much to say about the later thoughts.

What I know about "H is for Hawk":
1) Helen Macdonald wrote the book as a grief memoir after her father's death
2) Helen Macdonald gets a hawk
3) Helen Macdonald with this book won the Samuel Johnson Prize for nonfiction and the Costa Book of the Year prize, awarded to the best new book in any genre.

What I didn't know about "H is for Hawk":
1) Anything about T. H. White
2) Anything about falconry besides the posters at The Greenbrier
3) Macdonald is masterly with her concepts beyond what is imagined in so simple the pretext of grief and healing with nature

I hope you are having the slow reveal experience that I am enjoying as I read for this Thursday's gathering at Julie's!

..... and Julie is wondering: "H" is for how many? Please RSVP to Julie ASAP:

 

from Julie

Happy Reading!
LK

March 2016 Bookclub Recap

 

Dear Bookclub,
How many ways to be a winner? Karen's volunteering to host twice in five months alerted the universe to shine the light her way. With the Ducks strutting around on the court making background music out of Duke (sorry, Kim, who graciously conceded that they'd had their recent turn as champions), Karen was glowing victorious. Festively feasting on "Fates and Furies" ham and cheese a la duck decor, the gathering warmed even further as Karen received the news that Scott had proposed and was engaged. Squeals of delight and congratulations reached astronomical decibels as Karen produced "the" finger on her cell phone (see below).

Zooming in on the screen:

Would Mathilde wear such a gem? Lotto's fortune never led to this yet what a tale Lauren Groff did spin with "Fates and Furies". A small subset of our group discussed the novel with opinions and enjoyment of the read from one end of the scale to the other. Not to be quickly forgotten, characters liked or not, Groff's stimulating saga is something that I recommend for its unique style  and mythological framing of marriage.

For our June read, Karen recommended:
"The Nightingale" by Kristin Hanna
"The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt
"The Japanese Lover" by Isabele Allende *chosen

Up next: "H is for Hawk" ....

Please enjoy the following article some had seen recently in the San Diego Union Tribune:

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2016/mar/03/hotel-del-coronado-hawk-scaring-seagulls/

Happy reading!
LK

March 2016 Bookclub News

from Lauren Groff's twitter page

Dear Bookclub,

"F & F" presents two sides to a marriage like two sides to a coin. Well perhaps the wildly different sides are more a coin and a flower pot. Make that a flower pot smashed on the sidewalk 30 stories below. Lotto, the shining gold bullion, leads through part one. Mathilde, his wife is revealed, jagged edges and all in part two through Groff's artful prose. Please listen to Groff read a portion of her novel with no spoilers (for those of you still reading!):

http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2015_f_lgroff.html#.Vu7mkBjnjow


Looking forward to a lively discussion at Karen's this week!

Happy Reading,
LK

February 2016 Bookclub Recap

Dear Bookclub,
A big 'tack' to Sue for bringing a Swedish element to our delightful gathering last Thursday night. Donning a beautiful Scandinavian sweater, Sue spoiled us with pickled herring, beets, Swedish meatballs, Absolut, and a lingonberry dessert that had us swooning. "A Man Called Ove" was well-received despite the formulaic construct. Many admitted to crying, maybe twice :) There were a few ideas for different endings, but all-in-all, Frederik Backman's novel nestled into our happy reads.

A presentation of great suggestions for an upcoming read from Sue, stirred up a logic that included book length, a study of genres in the months leading up to this read and old-fashioned 'what do you want'.  Considered:

"The Nightingale"  Kristin Hannah
"At the Water's Edge"  Sara Gruen
"My Name is Lucy Barton"  Elizabeth Strout
"The Lake House" Kate Morton *chosen

 Up next on March 24th at Karen's, "Fates and Furies".

Happy reading!
LK

PS Sunnylands and the La Quinta Resort are beckoning for our fall 2016 adventure. Please make your reservations and mark the calendar (9/29-10/2)!

February 2016 Bookclub News

Dear Bookclub,
Only 30% into our February selection, the month of l-O-v-e is not endearing me to O-v-e.  Fredrik Backman's Ove is grumpy and I can see what's going to happen in "A Man Called Ove". Doomed to an empathetic shift, this swiftly moving novel warms the cynic and shifts the mood. Hope it is an enjoyment to you!

Fredrik Backman: Swedish, blogger, journalist, novelist, debuting with our read, an ex-truck driver, father, successful writer - the most successful writer in Sweden in 2013. Which made me wonder - Sweden......what does it mean to be the most successful writer in Sweden?

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) monitors both the number and type of books published per country per year as an important index of standard of living and education, and of a country's self-awareness. Below is their latest information available:

China

In 2013

440,000

New titles and re-editions

United States

In 2013

304,912

New titles and re-editions

Sweden

In 2010

4,074

Just to be fair, let's check out the population of these three countries:

  China  1.357 billion

  United States  318.9 million

Sweden 9.593  million

OK - not bad... but....
Hard to get past that 1.357 billion thing; I think I will just lift my spirit with a little more Ove.

Happy reading!
LK


PS Want to try out your Swedish reading skills? Check out Fredrik's blog....er.. blogg:

http://www.fredrikbackman.com/

PPS Don't forget to RSVP to Sue for our February 18th meeting.

January 2016 Bookclub Recap

Dear Bookclub,
Around a colorful 'take' on a Russian meal-turned-shabby-chic, rounds of vodka were cheerfully consumed with a nod to David Greene's, "Midnight in Siberia". Sampling borscht and quickly getting past a bit of formulaic writing, we all agreed that the journey was enjoyable. And, again,...... let's toast to that! With a combined sharing of firsthand visits and reflections on the book, it was clear the multi-layered culture has only been glimpsed. Kate glowed with relief that her selection was so warmly received. Something I note as I'd stewed among my stacks, nervously just hours before, critically dismissing title after title, in search of the perfect Novel Group read. A successful list based on the tight race for April's selection(nearly a three-way tie):

"H is for Hawk" by Helen Mcdonald *chosen
"The Heart Goes Last" by Margaret Atwood
"The Tsar of Love and Techno" by Anthony Marra


While we were at it, we discussed our 2016 trip, voting to go to Palm Springs. I will coordinate a poll of when!

I want to share a December 31, 2015 email from Dana Withall from the San Diego Children's Discovery Museum, located in Escondido. She asked for individual information but because we were a group effort (i.e. I didn't know who'd donated), I could not provide a proper list.

Lynn, will you please pass this on to all members of “A Novel Group”?  If you can send me everyone’s name and email address, I’d like to thank each person individually.

Thank you for your very kind donation of the box of new children’s books for the San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum.  Your gift helps us provide high quality reading materials for our Book Nook!

With the help of supporters like you, we continue to create a special place where children, families, and communities can gather to dream and discover our world through science, the arts, and world cultures. The past year has been a remarkable one for the Museum highlighted by new exhibits and programs, the opening of our new Water Wise outdoor exhibit, and the purchase of our Mobile Children’s Museum cargo van. We reached over 57,000 attendees in 2014, up from 15,000 when we moved into our new building in 2011, and we are projecting attendance of around 115,000 in 2015.

San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum received the following donation(s) from you:



December 28, 2015                          Box of new children’s books
 

San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum provided no goods or services to you [other than goods or services with insubstantial value] in return for your donation. Please keep this receipt with your important papers. The Internal Revenue Service may disallow your deduction if you are unable to provide this receipt upon request.  Also, if the value of your gift is $250 or more, you must have this receipt in hand before you file your tax return.



We truly appreciate your support during this exciting time of growth. Our success would not be possible without the support of generous donors like you.

Sincerely,
Dana
Dana Withall
Director of Fund Development


Up next, "A Man Called Ove" by Frederick Backman.
Happy Reading,
LK