August 2017 Recap

Festive table with money!!! (see Diane below)

Dear Bookclub,
Lori treated us to marvelous Vietnamese fare as we gathered to discuss Viet Thanh Ngyuen's, "The Sympathizer". Our group had not all read the challenging award winning novel, but those that had the dip into Ngyuen's world of the spy-sympathizer, agreed his crafting was a mind-boggling feat. Ngyuen, himself, born in Vietnam but raised in the USA, coming here as a refugee with his family at the age of four, has been steeped in dual identity, a mighty theme in the book. I urge you to read this book if you haven't; the racial/cultural stereotyping, the history, the betrayals, and of course the language, i.e. the writing, are all remarkable.
Well-attended, the meeting did not linger on the heaviness of the book for long!

Our Star-hostess Lori

Diane discovers her money!

Rare appearance of Kim.....

and Jan!

A little discussion ensued about the Pulitzer Prize and its requirements. I learned that it is given to an American writer, for work preferably dealing with American life (Anthony Doerr's "All the Light We Cannot See" was honored in 2015 and not American life but so beautiful!) Please check out everything you wanted to know about the Pulitzer Prize from wikipedia:

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulitzer_Prize

Also a link to the announcement that a Vietnamese immigrant won the prize (note the vocabulary at the bottom; site is for English learners- interesting!)

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/vietnamese-immigrant-first-book-wins-pulitzer-prize/3292920.html

More about the winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Literature:

http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/219

Which led me to find this great piece about what really happened in 2012 when no award was given:

http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/letter-from-the-pulitzer-fiction-jury-what-really-happened-this-year


Lori's suggestions for an upcoming selection:

"the book that matters most" by Ann Hood *chosen
"Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi
"The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin


Up next:

Happy reading!
LK

August 2017 Bookclub News

Dear Bookclub,
Looking for that last easy-breezy summer read? This is not it! Viet Thanh Nguyen's "The Sympathizer" thoughtfully written, takes thought to appreciate. Dive in and take the journey- it will be unlike any other book you've read this summer, this year or even beyond. I do recommend a bit of research to help comprehension:

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/books/review/the-sympathizer-by-viet-thanh-nguyen.html

Wow:
Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Winner of the 2016 Edgar Award for Best First Novel
Winner of the 2016 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction
Winner of the 2016 Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Fiction
Winner of the 2015 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
Winner of the 2015-2016 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature (Adult Fiction)
Winner of the 2016 California Book Award for First Fiction
Winner of the 2017 Association for Asian American Studies Award for Best Book in Creative Writing (Prose)
Finalist for the 2016 PEN/Faulkner Award
Finalist for the 2016 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction
Finalist for the 2016 Medici Book Club Prize
Finalist for the 2015 Los Angeles Times Book Prize (Mystery/Thriller)
Finalist for the 2016 ABA Indies Choice/E.B. White Read-Aloud Award (Book of the Year, Adult Fiction)
Shortlisted for the 2017 International Dublin Literary Award
Named a Best Book of the Year on more than twenty lists, including the New York Times Book Review, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post

Studiously reading,
LK

July 2017 Recap

 

Dear Bookclub,
A perfect summer evening settled in on Kate's corner of paradise as our little group gathered for "Small Great Things". Kate actually indulged us with large great things:

La Maison de Kate

featuring visiting chef

Megan L.

July 20, 2017

menu

round table temptations

 ᏡᏡᏡ

hall of dining and discussion

  ᏡᏡᏡ

sweet endings

Ꮱ

Graced by a visit from Megan, we were treated to her shrimp and chicken kabobs, sharp insight and delightful conversation. A exquisite chip off the old block!

Jodi Picoult's novel about American racism impassioned our read, as Picoult tried her best to reveal the complicated, charged experience of being black. Keenly reviewed by Roxane Gay, in the October 11, 2016 New York Times Book Review, Gay notes:

"The more we see of Ruth and her family, the more their characterization feels like black-people bingo — as if Picoult is working through a checklist of issues in an attempt to say everything about race in one book."

Roxane Gay

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/16/books/review/jodi-picoult-small-great-things-roxane-gay.html 

Our feeling was the same, recognizing characters and situations that abound in our society. With an especially tidy ending, Martha-Stewart-tidy, packaged in finest cellophane and crisp bow, eye-rolling became stilled by the undeniable task of acknowledging the challenge of making a difference. The book will forever remind me of that work.

Kate's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"Americanah"  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

"Homegoing"   Yaa Gyasi

"Sapiens:A Brief History of Mankind" Yuval Noah Harari

"Nutshell" Ian McEwan *chosen

Up next, Viet Thanh Ngyuen's "The Sympathizer".

Studiously reading,

LK

July 2017 Bookclub News

“If I cannot do great things, 

I can do small things in a great way” 

Martin Luther King Jr.

Dear Bookclub.
Jodi Picoult's "Small Great Things" attempts to illuminate the American race issue through a fictionalized tale of dilemeas based on a true story of a black nurse barred from caring for a white baby: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/detroit-nurse-claims-hospital-barred-african-american-staff-from-caring-for-white-child/

Tonya Battle

 Katie Couric interviews the nurse, Tonya Battle:
 http://www.cbsnews.com/news/detroit-nurse-claims-hospital-barred-african-american-staff-from-caring-for-white-child/

The Picoult style of oscillating between viewpoints works well as the plot jumps predictably and predictably-unpredictably, provoking the reader to feel deeply and ultimately deflated as developments become complicated and unsolvable.  But as her title implies, from MLK's insight, we can all rise out of ignorance('ignore' is in ignorance), open our eyes and hearts and act. Picoult's paragraph in her Author's Note is worth repeating, re-reading and absorbing:

"So what have I learned that is helpful? Well, if you are white, like I am, you can't get rid of the privilige you have, but you can use it for good. Don't say I don't even notice race! Like it's a positive thing. Instead, recognize that differences between people make it harder for some to cross a finish line, and create fair paths to success for everyone that accommodate those differences. Educate yourself. If you think someone's voice is being ignored, tell others to listen. If your friend makes a racist joke, call him out on it, instead of just going along with it. If the two former skinheads I met can have such a complete change of heart, I feel confident that ordinary people can, too."

Thoughtful reading,
LK

June 2017 Bookclub Recap

Dear Bookclub,
I was very sorry not to attend bookclub at Diane's. This regret started weeks and weeks prior, realizing I would be out of town for the special, extraordinary evening that always is: "Diane-hosting'. Then circumstances shifted greatly for Diane when she sadly lost her mother earlier in the month. Her decision to invite our group to gather anyway, both as a comfort and as a tribute, further deepened my regret as I knew that this was going to be an extra, extra, special, extraordinary evening and indeed it was......from Diane:

"Well to begin with, we were a small, but mighty group on June 15:  Sue Dohren, Karen Ferrette, Lynne Huepper, Lori Kimball and myself.  Everyone was so very dear to accommodate all of my Nancy-isms throughout the evening.  I let my Mom's favorite foods guide the menu:  strawberries, brie, spinach quiche, and her signature Sour Cream Pound Cake.

Discussion was good. I found a local Nashville television interview that was recorded at the beginning of the Commonwealth book tour and shared that with the group to launch our discussion. There was reference in the interview to the autobiographical nature of the book. For the life of me I can't find the link to share with you here; but I'll keep looking. Everyone seemed to like the book (for those who had finished; most were close to completing) and we had some fun conversations about how a mother could send her four children across country for the summer without luggage - that was hilarious! And of course lots of discussion around the one summer tragedy, the revival of a author who regained his standing by "borrowing" a story, and the way in which Albie found out about his childhood. I thought it was a great book!

I'm afraid I kind of snowballed the selection of the next book... I honestly did not have time to research selections, so I suggested the book Lynne Huepper most recently recommended that has its origin in the far East on a tea plantation, and A Gentleman in Moscow. I asked Lynne to refresh us on the premise of the tea book which she graciously did, and then I shared how much I enjoyed the Amor Towles book along with this video: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles"

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8V6oDH9XRM


Me again .... this video is very clever!! I have wanted very much to read Towles' latest- great selection!

I don't know if this was the Ann Patchett interview that Diane described above, but it is very good. Please search to the bottom of the article(also good) to find a link to an actual interview .... worth listening to:
http://www.nashvillescene.com/arts-culture/books/article/20865213/nashvilles-ann-patchett-talks-about-her-bestselling-novel-commonwealth


The group of women that gathers each month as 'bookclub' has an ongoing energy that sustains a web of support and comfort reflected in a strength felt by members as circumstances arise. One never knows when you will be a feeder or be fed, as each of us see-saws through our lives. The books are mere magnets, attracting the minds; it is the individual spirits that find the opportunity to express, share and glean. Sometimes, you don't even have to be present to feel it, as I learned this past month. But I sure will be there in July.

Happy reading,
LK

 

May 2017 Recap

Dear Bookclub,
Martha's team, Jeff & David, led our May bookclub into a winning evening, plying us with delicious fare. Martha, as working-wonder-woman-center, directed her team to defend against the onslaught of food -&-drink-needy women who descended upon their home court. Well prepared, we gratefully settled into our bookclub mode!

 

"Dust Bowl Girls" drew us into the golden age of women's basketball with the Oklahoma Presbyterian College Cardinals' incredible success, coached by Sam Babb, the author's great uncle. Lydia Reeder's depiction of women's sports in the 1930's era, steeped in 'girls' rules' and the attitude that sports were unhealthy for women, sent us into a tizzy of discussion, appalled that the first lady, Lou Henry Hoover led the cause with restrictions. We spent much time observing the wide spectrum of female traits that blur sexuality, perceptions and even fair play. I found a great little paper written by an NYU psychology student, illuminating the problems and attitudes still prevalent today:

"The Female/Athlete Paradox: Managing Traditional Views of Masculinity and Femininity"
http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/appsych/opus/issues/2012/fall/female

 A well-done short film, written and narrated by Lydia Reeder, tells the Dust Bowl Girls story; enjoyable if you've read the book or a great shortcut to understanding if you have not. Please take a few minutes to watch:

youtu.be/fokmbnWmp50



Martha's choices for an upcoming selection gave us fabulous variety, that did not make the decision easy:

"The Little Bookshop in Paris" Nina George
"Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking" Susan Cain
"The Sympathizer" Viet Thanh Ngyuen *chosen










And finally, from downtown, here is a three point swish (new rules), from Megan Leahy. Chosen to give a TEDx talk through her Stanford Business School program,  Meg's presentation, "The Bonding and Bridging (Im)Balance" will hopefully inspire you in a thoughtful direction:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBQC_FyYxS8 

 Next up: Ann Patchett's "Commonwealth".

Happy reading,
LK

May 2017 Bookclub News

Dust Bowl Girls

Dear Bookclub,
Lydia Reeder's "Dust Bowl Girls" is a true family story; Coach Sam Babb is her great-uncle.
Set in the depression era, it has been described as "Boys in the Boat" meets "A League of Their Own". I really enjoyed both of those so looking forward to a long plane ride to Boston on Thursday with this for my read.

Coach Sam Babb

Lydia Reeder

Please peruse Reeder's website for a great timeline, pictures, and glowing reviews, of course!

http://lydiareeder.com/

Lace up your shoes and dribble on over to Martha's next Thursday, 5/18 for a lively discussion. Please note that this meeting will be starting at 7:30 pm.

Happy 'Reeding',
LK