The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See

On November 30th Laura Derrickson hosted us to discuss her book

“The Island of Sea Women” by Lisa See.

We had a phenomenal perfect attendance which has not occurred

for a very long time. Somehow Laura made it work. We were all 13 comfortably

seated as we each shared our thoughts.

The friendship of the two women and the heartbreaking rift was important

to everyone. The need for forgiveness was cited and necessary for self

preservation..The uniqueness of the diving Haenyo women who engage in dangerous 

free diving to harvest food from the ocean was also high on the impressive list.

We even engaged in a little fun experiment to see how long we could hold our breaths.

We discussed the roles of men versus women in that particular Jeju Island

scenario and the various traditional beliefs of Shamanism, Christianity and Confucianism.

Everyone also admitted to learning some new facts about the Japanese occupation 

of Korea and the brutal reality of their civil war as well as the American part in

shaping today’s Korea.

We then retreated to dine on beautifully set tables where we enjoyed salad, 

spinach pasta, and home made key lime pie. All of this accompanied by

lots of wine, beer, and even scotch.

As some people stated it was a great way to kick off the Holiday season.

Molly chose “The Swans of Fifth Avenue” by Melanie Benjamin and January 18,

was set for the next meeting.

 

Never by Ken Follett

In October Marsha hosted us at her home to discuss this gritty new thriller

by Ken Follett. We had two kinds of pasta salad as well as a green salad

and of course dessert.

“Never” is an action packed, globe spanning drama set in the present day.

America has the first female president as well as first gentleman.

There is a brilliant Chinese spymaster, the leaders of both Koreas and many undercover

agents  all struggling to prevent the outbreak of world war 111 when nuclear

weapons are used. Diplomacy has to be exercised to prevent this.

Every nation has its spies and undercover people gaining

each other’s intelligence.

As the crisis escalates we are taken into the world of international tension which is

all too real. There is some romance thrown in which could make the movie more

interesting when it comes out. It was 800 plus pages but it kept us captivated.

We have not read many spy thrillers but all agreed it was a nice change.

We asked Marsha to show us some of her jewelry artworks and

had  a little shopping spree before we went home.

Laura chose a book called “The Island of Sea Women” by Lisa See

for  our next read and November 30th set for the meeting

Blessings

In September we met at Julie’s home to discuss her book Blessing, by Anna Quindlen.

A teenage couple drop off an unwanted baby at the garage door of a an estate called Blessings which is owned by Lydia Blessing.

The caretaker and gardener, Skip Cuddy decides to keep the baby secretly. The owner of Blessings discover the baby and joins with Skip in raising the child which changes both their lives.

The secrets of the past and how they affect the decisions of the present is one theme. It’s about family and the community and about redemption and change. As Julie stated, it was a sweet book which speaks to people of our age and urges us to action in living a life worthwhile.

Julie made a wonderful pasta salad inspired by the New York Times and we had a lovely picnic on her deck.

Marsha chose the book called Never by Ken Follett for 

our October meeting.

 

The Man In The Dog Park

 In July we met at Carol’s house to discuss her book, 

The Man In the Dog Park by Cathy A. Small, an Anthropologist.

This is a book about homelessness which the author was

Inspired to co author with a homeless man she encountered 

In a dog park. The book takes us into the lives of homeless people

who  have slipped between the cracks into poverty and  exposes the

difficulty they face in trying to get back on track. We are taken into

the tented makeshift camps and the shelters. We experience a day labor agency, a panhandling corner, a pawn shop, HUD. offices and learn how what it’s like

to be homeless in America

So it calls us to become conscious of the problem and think about how we can help.

Melody Ingle was a guest speaker and she shared her experience of taking care of a local homeless man named James whom she has befriended.

Carol made a lovely meal and a very yummy creamy dessert.

Julie sent in her book choice called Blessings by Anna Quindlen.

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

 

On June 23rd, we met at Betsy's home to discuss her book

"The Lincoln Highway" by Amor Towles,

Betsy had questions penned by the author himself to guide our

discussion. Though the book was over 500 pages most people had read it

and thoroughly enjoyed it.

This is a fast paced and reflective adventure story centered on three young men

who were incarcerated in a juvenile work camp. The 3 boys are joined by Billy

a bright 10 year old on the Odyssey.  It is an adventure story set in 1954 and lasts

 for 10 days when they travel the Lincoln Highway from Nebraska to New York and then to

San Francisco. Each boy is different and they have conflicting motives for making the

trip. The author has created so many different characters and each character gets to

narrate the happenings of each day. They are joined by Sally a caring young

lady who is in love with one of the boys and has her own agenda for going along.

They meet a cast of characters along the way some of which are very minor

ones but all are important in the big picture of the adventure.

Some of the themes in the book are physical violence, murder, racism,

 corporal punishment of minors, suicide, greed, exploitation, autism, and revenge.

The end of the book leaves the reader on their own to decide what really happens.

There is a dream sequence which helps us to decide.

Discussion was animated and we all had a chance to voice our opinions.

We also welcomed our newest member, Linda Pratt who added many good

insights to our discussion. 

Betsy made a shrimp pasta salad, a watermelon mint cucumber salad and another 

vegetable salad. Dessert was a whipped cream and strawberry concoction topped

with cognac. Betsy indeed set the bar high with all these delicacies. 

Carol chose a book about homelessness entitled "The Man in The dog Park".

  

      

One Night Two Souls Went Walking by Ellen Cooney

 

In April we met at Sarah's home to discuss her book choice

which was entitled "One Night Two Souls Went Walking" by Ellen Cooney.

Sarah fixed a lovely vegetarian supper including a tasty lentil soup, a great bread

and a healthy salad. We of course accompanied this with lots of wine and beer.

The book is about a young female hospital chaplain who is joined one

night on her rounds by a rough and tumble dog who may or may not 

have been a ghost. This very caring chaplain tends to the souls of her

patients who are young and old, some living their last moments and others

navigating their altered lives. 

Our Reverend was raised as a Catholic but she switched to a Protestant religion

when she discovered that girls can't become priests. She works the night shift and because of her 

caring is a very popular chaplain who does not quote the bible but has a sense

of what people need to hear. The book makes a great argument for the existence of

a soul and an afterlife. There is no great plot just mainly separate vignettes of different

patients. She brings peace to their minds and souls.

The book is sometimes humorous and whimsical but it is also very thought

provoking and uplifting.

Betsy chose "The Lincoln Highway" by Amor Towles for our June meeting.

    

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz

 

On March 2nd, we met at Kathy's home to discuss her book,

"The Plot" by Jean Hanff Korelitz. We had a few members

who were unable to attend but we welcomed one new member,

Molly Donovon who added a lot to our group and discussion.

Kathy led a good discussion about the book which is about a

writer and teacher Jacob Finch Bonner who steals a plot from

a student who has died. The stolen plot results in a blockbuster book

which has both Oprah's and Stephen Spielberg's attention and huge

revenue and fame for the author.

The author begins to get threatening emails from an anonymous

source accusing him of plagiarism and theft. So it becomes a

mystery as to who is the accuser. Many members had the perpetrator

figured out but some had no clue. There is a major twist at the end.

We had a good discussion on what comprises plagiarism and  how it

has occurred throughout history. We also discussed the relationships

between mothers and daughters and what would lead a mother to

kill a daughter.

Kathy and Don got pizzas from the Ale Emporium and Kathy

made a wonderful green salad. We were told not to bring anything

and we obeyed.

Sarah chose a book called "One Night Two Souls Went Walking"

by Ellen Cooney which is about a hospital Chaplain. 

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Sold on a Monday

 

In February We met at Donna's home to discuss her book "Sold On A Monday"

written by Kristina Mc Morris. We had a perfect attendance except for Madeleine

who was quarantining before her upcoming surgery.

The book was set in the depression era and the story is about a snapshot

taken of two kids by a for sale sign. The reporter is Reed Ellis who gets a big

break for a story about his photo but loses the original copy of the photo. He is forced to

pose 2 other kids by the sign which leads to them consequently being sold

to a dishonest banker. The result is catastrophic for the children and the

mother who was ill and did not really want to lose her family but had little

choice. The author painted a good picture of the depression era. 

Our discussion centered around the moral responsibility of journalists to

be truthful. However, our protagonist along with his love interest made every

effort to right the situation despite the personal career consequences he faced.

This was a novel that was heartfelt and heartbreaking but all ended well.

This novel was inspired by an actual photograph that was published and

stunned the nation.

Donna regaled us with a delicious supper. We had a a choice of 2

soups and a wonderful Waldorf salad at her beautifully set table.      

Kathy chose a book entitled "The Plot" by Jean Hanff Korelitz

for the next read.

Klara and The Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

In December we met at my house but were hosted by Madeleine who

treated us to pizza, wine and cookies. 

Madeleine chose a book about artificial intelligence. 

We are transported to an age where teenagers have

their own robots as companions and caretakers to take up the slack when

parents are unavailable. It is a future time where Children have been 

genetically modified or lifted to be superior in intellect. It's the  parents'

choice. Klara is a perceptive robot who is chosen by Josie who is afflicted

by a life threatening illness. Klara as a robot is powered by the sun and she

believes the sun can heal Josie. Klara has many opportunities to observe

human behavior with all its complexities, loneliness and vulnerabilities.

Klara though lacking a heart is able to feel love and willing to make a big 

unselfish sacrifice to save  Josie,

We had a lively discussion about the morality of genetic modification,

cloning and the way the world is headed technologically whether we like

it or not.

Donna chose "Sold on a Monday" by Kristina Mc Morris for our next read.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

 

In November we met at Nettie's home to discuss Matt Haig's book

"The Midnight Library". This book is about a girl called Norah who

tries to commit suicide because her life has gone south. Her cat has

died, she has lost her job and life seems to have no meaning. She goes

to a library where a librarian guides her to the possibility of choosing

alternate lives that she may have lived. Nora pursues a "multiverse" where

she did become an Olympic swimmer, a rock star, a glaciologist, and had 2 different

married lives. Possibilities were endless but in the end she comes to realize

that her best life is the one she chooses for herself where the point of life

is life itself. We had a great discussion and even had a sharing moment when

each person revealed another life that they may have wanted to live. Maybe

we learned some thing about another person we did not know and that we have

to live this life as best as we can with all it's ups and downs.

Madeleine chose "Klara and the Sun" by Kazuo Ishiguri, a British author.

The World That We Knew

  

In October we met at Laura Derrickson's home to discuss her book

"The World That We Knew" by Alice Hoffman. The book begins in Berlin

in 1941 when a mother decides she must send her 12 year old daughter, Lea. away to

save her from Hitler's regime. She seeks the help of a mystical Rabbi but ultimately it

is the Rabbi's daughter Ettie,  who creates a Golem out of mud. The Golem, Ava, accompanies

 Ettie and her sister and Lea to France. So we were introduced to Jewish Mysticism and the

 mixing of it with realism, The Golem is invincible, strong, loyal and lacks nothing except a

soul and her chief purpose is to protect Lea. Once we suspended our disbeliefs we were 

taken on a magical journey of love, sacrifice  and survival by Hoffman who is a fine storyteller.

There were many themes of love explored between mother and daughter, between sisters,

and between man and woman.

We had a good discussion,

I chose "The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig for the next read,