May 2016 Bookclub Recap

Dear Bookclub,
Combinations and permutations make for new and interesting ideas and experiences. Like the variety of different authors and genres, the variety in our attendance stimulates and fuels the bookclub personality that 'are we'. Last night's gathering at Barb's nurtured a discussion unlike any other given that only one of our five had finished the book, one had not read it, three were deep into the woodsy pages; that book kept on giving and giving as conversation developed a labyrinth of ideas and concepts. This without any revelation of the mysteries. While feasting on Barb's luscious cheeses and salads, promises were made to discuss again when the readers had all journeyed to the end. Certainly tantalizing to any who have not considered the read, take on the web of characters and be prepared to be entertained and provoked.

Three great suggestions from Barb:

"LaRose" Louise Erdrich 

Barb presenting

"Trauma Shame and the Power of Love" Christopher Pelloski

Martha pondering our choices

"Miller Valley" Anna Quindlen *chosen

Karen with the chosen one

 

 

 

 

 

Lynn T!!

** Please note that Martha will be hosting in October and we'll be meeting on Tuesday instead of Thursday on that third week of the month: October 18 instead of October 20... in your calendars now please :)

Martha's gorgeous "High Tea" hat, which she did indeed wear to Barb's!

 Next up - "The Japanese Lover" by Isabel Allende.

Happy Reading,
LK

May 2016 Bookclub News

Dear Bookclub,
Disclaimer: I just started the 600+ page "The Lake House" for this week's meeting. Banking on the promise of it being a page turner, I am gliding through.

Kate Morton, born and raised in South Australia, moved with her family many times before they settled, finally, on Tamborine Mountain in south-east Queensland. There she attended a tiny country school and spent much of her childhood inventing and playing games of make-believe with her two sisters.
Kate fell avidly in love with books very early and as a love deeply felt, it is still mysteries and secrets that fuel Kate’s mind, keeping her awake deep into the night, turning or typing pages. This is the keenly fueled page-turning I refer to!

 

Must get back to my reading. Please RSVP to Barb for this Thursday's gathering.

Happy reading!

LK

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)!