Suggestions for summer reading

There were several suggestions for summer reading for those of us going on a leisurely vacation with time to read or spending some warm summer days sitting in the shade.

The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer
Promises in Death by J.D. Robb
Suite 606 by J.D. Robb
Salvation in Death by J.D.Robb
You´ve been Warned by James Patterson
The Senator´s Wife by Sue Miller
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen
Belong to Me by Marisa De Los Santos
Marley & Me by John Grogan
Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
The Halifax Connection by Marie Jakober

All are welcome to add other titles.

Meeting of April 27, 2009

This month´s meeting was at Jolene´s home. She provided us with excellent appetizers including a wonderful cheese and ham pastry. We had almost full attendance this month, Beth, Betty, Carla, Colette, Janet, Joan, Jolene, Linda, Michèle and Shirley. Our book choice this month is Beth´s, Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor.

Beth informed us that the author Elizabeth Taylor was one of several British authors, well known in the 1950´s to 1970´s who wrote about women´s lives. Ms. Taylor was not a sentimental writer but rather wrote with considerable detail about everyday challenges in women´s lives. Beth compared this book to Margaret Laurence´s The Stone Angel. The subject matter is about coping with ageing and the limited options as we grow old. The subject matter had all of us thinking of our own mothers and their situations. Janet mentionned the movie The Curious case of Benjamin Button that begins with the main character being old and depicts the limited options that he has because of age.

All liked the book, however many found the subject matter depressing. There was however considerable discussion and comparison of our own parents´ situation and of our own futures. We also discussed the differences between the book and the movie that most of us saw. Jolene installed the DVD on her new large screen and we were able to watch one scene in particular, that is the first evening meal, that set the tone for the atmosphere at the Claremont Hotel.

Jolene noted that the author seems to have inserted herself in the novel on page 136 of the paperback version when Mrs. Palfrey talks to ¨Miss Taylor¨ at the Library.

We all agreed that this was a good choice and thanked Beth. Our next meeting is on Monday May 25 at Linda´s home and the book choice is Shirley´s Those who Save Us by Jenna Blum.

Meeting of March 23, 2009

This month's meeting was at Janet's home and she provided us with wonderful appetizers and we had a beautiful and excellent chocolate tart made by Julia! Members present tonight were Beth, Carla, Colette, Janet, Joan, Jolene, Linda, Michèle and Shirley. The book choice this month was Jolene's and we read "Mr. Darcy Presents his Bride" by Helen Halstead.

Ms. Halstead is an Australian author who began by self-publishing this book under the name "A Private Performance".  The book was eventually picked up by Ulysses Press and the title was changed.  

This story is follows Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" and give the reader an account of Elizabeth Bennet & Fitzwilliam Darcy's first years of marriage and Elizabeth's entry into London high society.  There are several sequels to Jane Austen's book and Jolene brought several for us to peruse: "Mr. Darcy's Decision" by Juliet Shapiro, "Darcy's Passion" by Regina Jaffers, "The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet" by Colleen McCullogh.

Several of our members found the book frustrating and a bit boring. They found that it was difficult to determine who was speaking in the book sometimes. Also many descriptions of the evening balls or dinners were repetitive. Some felt the language was a bit stilted.

However some of our members quite enjoyed the book. They enjoyed the descriptions of the different homes such as Pemberley and the description of the 12th Night Ball.  Many members enjoyed reading about what happened after "Pride and Prejudice" to the Bennet's sisters.  It was a good easy read. 

There was quite a discussion about the lack of development of Mr. Darcy and not enough about the development of their relationship.

Meeting of February 23, 2009

This month's meeting was at Carla's home. Carla provided wonderful appetizers, a excellent dip with vegetables,  mushrooms stuffed with crab and cheese and a very nice cheese with nuts and apple melted! We were only seven this month, Betty, Carla, Colette, Janet, Jolene, Michèle and Shirley. The book this month was Stanley Park by Timothy Taylor recommend by Janet.

Timothy Taylor is a Canadian author from Vancouver. This is his first book. It was a finalist for CBC's Canada Reads competition in 2004 and was also short listed for the Scotia-Giller Prize.  

Most felt that the characters were well developed but many felt that the book was disjointed, difficult to follow and "weird". Many felt the book took a long time to take off. However some members very much enjoyed the book. All thought that it was definitely a foodie book.  Those of us who have been to Vancouver and know Stanley Park and the neighbourhood around the Park enjoyed reading the description and recognizing the areas we had visited. 

The book also gave a good insight into a homeless community, in particular the community in Stanley Park and all the problems and challenges of homelessness not only in Vancouver but in general. 

There was quite an animated discussion on Jeremy's attitude after the restaurant re-opened towards his new clientèle and what he served them. Many members agreed that he was making fun of them, serving them squirrel and other things without necessarily telling them. Was Jeremy taking his revenge? 

Meeting of January 26, 2009

Our meeting was held at Colette's home with Betty hosting. Thank you to Betty for great nibbles and an excellent wine choice. Betty, Carla, Colette, Janet, Joan and Michèle were present. This month's book was The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson suggested by Joan. This is the second book by Mary Lawson that the Book Club has read. Crow Lake was enjoyed by all members in 2004.

The book was unanimously enjoyed by all members present. All felt that the book was well written and that the story flowed well.  Each chapter began with a headline from The Temiskaming Speaker with the date. This helped the reader understand the chronology of  the two story lines. Carla mentioned and others agreed that Ms. Lawson is excellent at setting the mood and describing the surroundings. 

There was considerable discussion about the three main male characters, Arthur, Jake and Ian and the relationship between the brothers Arthur and Jake.  Janet compared them to the twin sons of Isacc and Rebekah in the Bible,  Esau and Jacob, the good and the evil.  There was a discussion about why Arthur does not stand up to Jake, how past incidents such as Jake's fall from the bridge affect Arthur's reaction to Jake's presence and actions. Many felt that Arthur's reaction was fuelled by guilt and his need to atone for failing to properly protect his brother and disappointing his mother. 

We also discussed how Ms. Lawson managed to keep suspense in a story line even though we knew from the beginning what eventually unfolded in the story. A good example is at the beginning of the book when Jake insists they play the knife game. 

We also discussed Ian's character, his denial as an adolescent of his eventual life choice to f become a family doctor taking over his father's practice. Again, it was evident from the beginning what Ian's choice would be but Ms. Lawson still kept suspense in the story line. 

This was a good choice, thank you Joan.  For those who have not viewed the video interview available on the left side of the blog, it is interesting to hear Ms. Lawson talk about her writing style and the connection she made between her two novels.

A "Name the Book Club" competition was held. Six suggestions were nominated: 

1. Cream of the Crop
2. Eclectic
3. Monthly Muse & Views
4. Ladies of Lit (LOL)
5. Nights of Wine & Proses
6. Read it & Eat

From a secret e-mail ballot, the name that won is "Monthly Muse and Views", suggested by Jolene.  All agreed that it is a good choice for the name of our Book Club. We also agreed to shorten the name to "Muse and Views". 

We also held our "Academy Award" of books read in 2008.  A Thousand Splendid Suns the book suggested by Michèle won easily. 

Books & Meetings in 2009

Monday January 26

Joan's choice The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson, at Colette's home, Betty is hosting.

Monday February 23

Janet's choice - Stanley Park by Timothy Taylor at Carla's home

Monday March 23

Jolene's choice - Mr. Darcy Presents his Bride: A sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice by Helen Halstead at Janet's home

Monday April 27

Beth's choice - Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor at Jolene's home

Monday May 25

Shirley's choice, Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum at Linda's home

Monday June 22

Colette's choice The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows at Shirley's home

Monday September 28

Carla's choice Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See at Colette's home

Monday October 26

Linda's choice The Hatbox Letters by Beth Powning at Beth's home

Monday November 23

Betty's choice Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin at Janet's home

Meeting of November 17th 2008

Our meeting was held at Michèle's home and the book discussed was "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini. This is the second book by this author that we have read. Almost all members were present, Betty, Carla, Colette, Janet, Joan, Jolene, Linda, Michèle and Shirley.  

Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul in 1965. He left Afghanistan with his family in 1976 when his father,  a diplomat was posted to Paris. Because of the communist coup in 1978, they were not able to return and immigrated to the United States, specifically California in 1980.  He went on to Medical School at the University of California in San Diego and graduated in 1993. He wrote "The Kite Runner" while still practicing medicine. Even though he was no longer practicing when he wrote "A Thousand Splendid Suns", it took him longer to write this book. He had difficulty writing from a woman's perspective until he decided to just write in their characters simply as people.   

The book was well liked by all members of the Book Club who were present.  Many members felt that the strength of the book is its character development and the family interactions. Mr. Hosseini himself says that his books are about families.  

Many members found that the book was a very sad story but that there was almost always a tiny light of hope. Miriam in particular touched many members, the sacrifices she made, the humiliation she must have felt when Laila arrived, a second wife and the courage it must have taken to help protect Laila and her children.  

We had a discussion about the war in Afghanistan and Canada's involvement. Many members felt that the world could not abandon this country especially because of the plight of women and children under the Taliban.  

We also talked considerably about a woman's situation in a muslim community, the restrictions she must endure such as the veil or burka, the lack of support for education, the lack of respect.  Many members had stories of women they knew and their experience. 

We had a short discussion about the title of the book. The phrase "A Thousand Splendid Suns" comes from a poem by 17th century Persian poet Saib-e-Tabrizi and is titled Kabul. The phrase taken from the poem is: 

"One could not count the moons that shiver on her roofs

And the Thousand Splendid Suns that hide behind her wall"

The whole poem can be found on Wikipedia.  Some members wondered if the suns represented the women hidden behind walls. Some thought it might be hope.

It was a great discussion as usual including not only the book and storyline but also politics and current issues. 

Meeting of October 27, 2008

We met at Joan's home and discussed the film, "Last King of Scotland" based on the book of the same title by author Giles Foden. Thank you to Joan for hosting this evening's meeting. The cheese plate was especially appreciated. We had almost full attendance, Beth, Betty, Carla, Colette, Linda, Janet, Joan, Jolene, Shirley and myself Michèle.

The movie is a fictionalized version of Idi Amin's rule as dictator in Uganda. General Amin is played by Forest Whitaker. It is based around the story of a young scottish doctor, Nicholas Garrigan, played by James McAvoy who becomes Idi Amin's personal physician.

Most members thought the film was well done though many visual errors were apparent in the movie. All members felt that Forest Whitaker was excellent and portrayed Amin's paranoia very well. Some members saw a correlation to the rise of Hitler, the charisma that mesmerized the population. Some members saw a correlation to MacBeth, King of Scotland and very paranoid. Members also felt that James McAvoy played Dr. Garrigan well as a naive easily influenced young man.

This month's choice generated a particularly good discussion. It is very apparent that this is a serious book club! Many members had very thoughtful and insightful comments. Two members had read the book even though the only requirement was viewing the movie. The plot and characters were quite different from the movie itself. One member did research on the British Empire and the impact of the British rule and quick withdrawal from African colonies. One member watched the director's version that gave background information on what scenes are fictional and what scenes are based on facts. There was a good discussion about the so-called benevolent but domineering and racist British rule that did not properly prepare native leaders for independence.

All members felt that this was a good choice generating a lot of discussion and thoughtful insight. Thank you Linda and thank you also to MJ.