February 2017 Recap

Degas - 'Women combing their hair' c. 1875

John Sloan - women combing their hair on Manhattan rooftop - c. 1913

Dear Bookclub,
An artistic evening at Barb's discussing B.A. Shapiro's "The Art Forger" left us extremely satisfied on many levels. Good food, good drink, sisterly sharing, and fine book analysis solidly shaped our meeting. Agreeing that we'd learned much about the art world, forgery, technique, etc., and realizing how little we still knew and understood, we all enjoyed the read and the creative story surrounding the Gardner heist. Below is a link to a really neat interactive description of the missing pieces at the Isabella Gardner museum, showing the rooms in the museum with photos of before and after the theft. The mansion being left as Isabella requested is very apparent. Best to try on your computer and not a phone or ipad:

https://gardnermuseum.culturalspot.org/home

The following is a fascinating article I strongly recommend about a forger, his craft, his motivation and the museums that fall prey. Reading this article years ago, it never left my mind. Very interesting!

Mark Landis - a  real forger

https://www.google.com/amp/www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/08/26/the-giveaway/amp?client=safari

I hope you can take the time to investigate these two links - you will not be disappointed.

Three excellent recommendations from Barb for an upcoming selection:

"Dust Bowl Girls: The Inspiring Story of the Team That Barnstormed Its Way to Basketball Glory"  by Lydia Reeder *chosen

"History of Wolves: A Novel" by Emily Fridland

"Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge" by Erica Armstrong Dunbar


Up next: "The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead.

Happy reading,
LK

February 2017Bookclub News

Degas' After the Bath c 1883

 Dear Bookclub, 

"B. A. Shapiro invents a fifth version of Degas' "After the Bath" in the book "The Art Forger" which focuses on the Boston art world and the 1990 theft of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum". The title of an entry in the ARCA blog, Association for Research into Crimes Against Art; our bookclub surely opens our minds to many new thoughts and ideas and blogs that we never imagined:

http://art-crime.blogspot.com/2013/04/b-shapiro-invents-fifth-version-of.html

Layered with art-world community, painting techniques, melodramatic plot, true crime, Degas sensitivity, Shapiro's novel, no forgery of fine literature, is still enjoyable and will long be remembered.

Vermeer's "The Concert"

All thirteen works stolen from the Isabella Gardner Musuem:

http://www.livescience.com/51808-photos-paintings-stolen-from-gardner-museum.html

Looking forward to our discussion!

Happy reading,
LK

January 2017 Recap

 

Dear Bookclub,

San Diego tried to mimic an Alaskan aura with the threat/promise of a wicked storm on the evening of Sue's bookclub. We are not even competitive. Light sprinkles dotted the windshields upon our late night departure from Heatherfield Lane, stomachs satiated with salmon, mountain cookies, and moose-embellished ice cream. "All the Winters After", tickling our imaginations via an entertaining array of  northern culture from Sue's wintry decor to her fabulous dog sled bracelet her father had acquired during an WWII era Alaskan trip, surely did run the gambit (although no dog sled race). A smattering of cliched Alaskan life and the triple format: mystery, romance novel, action-suspense covered much ground. Seré Prince Halverson's read was quick, discussion lively: mission accomplished.

Sue's enticing titles for an upcoming read:

"Hillbilly Elegy" by J.D. Vance *chosen
"Small Great Things" by Jodi Picoult
"Killing the Rising Sun" by Bill O'Reilly

And in case you missed it:

amazing mountain cookies!

Up next, B.A. Shapiro's "The Art Forger".

Happy reading!
LK

January 2017 Bookclub News

Dear Bookclub,
Being totally consumed by the free fall of the holidays has me reeling with reality! Apologies for the blog's long winter's nap.

How long ago and far away our holiday tea seems but the images here bring the taste of the tower of delectables and the fragrant teas right home. The Grand Tea Room in Escondido enveloped our grand table amidst other celebratory gatherings, lending us a festive afternoon of feasting and chat.

Currently sipping tepid tea, grateful for our beautiful Sunday afternoon, the upcoming selection, "All the Winters After" suggests an entirely different scene. Set in the Lower Kenai Peninsula, I was shocked to open the book (yes, I got myself a hard copy during a weak moment of appreciating my eyes and the need to give them a screen break) and see a map that included Halibut Cove. A self-professed non-camper, to put it lightly, one of my few experiences roughing it in Alaska was on a tiny island off of Halibut Cove. This involved eating raw fish, zucchini that hit the dirt in between the journey from a campfire to a plate, buying a piece of pottery from a table in the middle of the woods, where an artist/hermit had left a money jar and his work, and later back in San Diego, head lice from the REI rented sleeping bags. A place with no running water or electricity (admittedly knitting at midnight on the porch of the cabin was charming) -  not really my cup of tea.

Yet to read more than a few pages, (two other books being read for this week), I did find a nice synopsis- review for anyone looking for a glimpse into our next meeting's book:

http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/all-winters-after

Thank you for all your tidy responses for the 2017 hosting calendar. Please update your calendars with the schedule posted here.

Looking forward to seeing you at Sue's!
Happy reading,
LK

November 2016 Recap

artist's rendering of Bookclub at Kim's

Dear Bookclub,
A lavish night at Kim's for our November gathering was appreciated by a nice sized group although we missed each and every absent member. Nestled around a beautifully appointed dining room table, book discussion was brisk as the book's promise of thought and debate did not go un-examined. Politely dismissing a couple of members who had not quite finished Ian McEwan's, "The Children Act", the discussion continued with varying interpretations and fact versification that should not be revealed to the incomplete reader. What a great read!

Kim's recommendations for an upcoming selection:

1.  "Eleanor and Hitch"   (Susan Quinn)
2.  "Commonwealth"  (Ann Patchett)
3.  "The Underground Railroad" (Colson Whitehead) *chosen

“Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” So begins Henry James' "The Portrait of a Lady", to be discussed at the December 17th holiday tea, steeping in literary pastoral on the path to divining the adventure and motivation that is Isabel. I hope you are enjoying your undertaking of this read. Much is written about this novel, which I noticed with the seemingly never-ending preface and introductions in my edition; please enjoy this insightful 2012 New Yorker article by Anthony Lane:

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/09/03/out-of-the-frame

Happy reading and sipping,
LK

November 2016 Bookclub News

Mission Trails Sunrise by Jimichu Photography, "The Reader"

Dear Bookclub,

This has been a very hard month. Unfathomable. Layered upon many other difficult months from our members' lives, it seems that the uncharted waters stretch all around us. Faith and friendship have proven to be powerful. I appreciate our group so very much.

Our gathering at Martha's for the October meeting was small and restorative (and more of the month was yet to come). "The Dream Life of Astronauts" may as well have been a handbook on keeping lizards; that's how deep that discussion was. It actually is a fine set of short stories, but we meandered. Martha and Dave shared some neat tales of autocross and Porsche passion, Ben's band "Red 40 and the Last Groovement" releasing an album..not usual book talk but memorable!

Martha's hard-to-chose list for an upcoming selection:

"Etta and Otto and Russel and James" by Emma Hooper
"The Art Forger: A Novel" by B. A. Shapiro *chosen
"The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character and Achievement" by David Brooks
"Thinking Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman

Up next is Ian McEwan's "The Children Act". Please RSVP to Kim for the November 17 meeting.

Happy reading,
LK

October 2016 Bookclub News

Dear Bookclub,
Palm Springs was our little oasis for a very magical weekend. The La Quinta Resort endeared us: ripe for exploring, very accommodating as a backdrop to good conversations, hospitable as a dining and drinking haven, tolerant of our rambunctious enthusiasm and a placeholder for sweet memories.

 Missing our fellow members, the little sisterhood represented spent a good deal of time planning future events and certainly made no certain plans! We want more and we want everyone :)

Adobe Grill

Morgan's in the Desert

 Sunnylands, the former Annenberg winter home turned retreat, provided a stimulating entrance for our imaginations into the world of high powered meetings.

 In the foundation's own words: "Sunnylands convenes global leaders and prominent experts for retreats and meetings that result in meaningful outcomes."

 The significance and history, very recent actually, was jaw-dropping. We did pick up our jaws and tested them, chattering again for 48 more hours. A gorgeous setting for continued good work set our appreciation off the charts.

Next up: Patrick Ryan's "The Dream Life of Astronauts", a refreshing read as a collection of short stories.

Please enjoy Maureen Corrigan's review from mid-summer on Fresh Air:

http://www.npr.org/2016/07/13/485842485/the-dream-life-of-astronauts-is-a-journey-to-emotional-deep-space

Hope to see you at Martha's on Tuesday October 18!
Happy reading,
LK