For July: The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson

The Diamond Age Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson

Carmyn, Pam, Judy, Brian and Larry met at Pam's to discuss The Diamond Age over a bucket of chicken from the Venerable and Inscrutable Colonel Sanders.

For June: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Carmyn, Pam, Brian, Andrea, Larry, and Kristine met at Pam's on June 25th for our discussion on Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Each year we usually try to read at least one of those books that many consider to be part of our literary consciousness--a classic. There are so many, and even as an English teacher, I've not read them all. It turned out THIS was a title many of us hadn't read.

The general response was mixed. I actually liked the book, though it was a bit "messed up" and demanded discussion. With the internet so handily available I immediately googled the book and read the Wikipedia page, some of the Spark Notes, and several articles about the book, including some biography pages of Kurt Vonnegut.

This was not my first exposure to Vonnegut, however. In college I read Cat's Cradle, a book which also inspired a "what the heck" as I read it. Both books have an irreverence for Christianity that might be part of why his work is so frequently getting "challenged" in schools and libraries. I, also, use the short story "Harrison Bergeron" with students.

One question that was posed at book club was "Why? Why is this book considered such a classic?"

We speculated and here are a few ideas that emerged. Slaughterhouse Five is a story within a story. It's a great example of post-modern writing. Part of the lesson that Billy Pilgrim learns from the Tralfamadorians (the aliens who abduct him and put him on display in a zoo on their planet) is demonstrated in the time travel. The structure of the novel seems to be doing something unusual and while that alone might be noteworthy, the subject matter is. We didn't completely solve this question.

It's an anti-war story told at a time when the world was rather fed up with the Vietnam War. It's a story about the bombing of Dresden and one man's response to that event. Vonnegut, himself, actually survived the bombing of Dresden and perhaps this is his way of dealing with that event.

This novel reminded me of Hemingway's short story "A Soldier's Home" which is in our American Literature textbook. In that story, Harold Krebs returns home from war and is clearly suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder. Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse Five is much the same. His apathy, "so it goes," to everything in his life from his wife, to his kids, to his job, is indicative of the sort of man he's become post-war. He only seems to get excited by Kilgore Trout, an unknown, unusual author whose work he's introduced to in the mental institution following the war. Kilgore Trout is a terrific character, the alien bit was great fun. And the war segments which actually do seem to appear in a chronological order were intriguing. Those bits made me want to know more about what happened in Dresden. They reminded me that I've read another version of that event in Jonathan Safron Foer's book Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

Slaughterhouse Five was worth the read, I'd recommend it even though some book club members would not. We had a rousing discussion, so there's always that!

For May: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

We met on May 26th at Judy's to discuss The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

Though we didn't really intend it to be this way, our May title is another YA book and another book on WW II. We all seemed to enjoy the book. Even though the story includes a hidden Jew, it is an entirely different perspective on the WW II experience.

The Book Thief is a childhood tale, a story of family and friends and reading and books in the midst of this horrific setting--a small town on the outskirts of Munich in Germany during WW II. It's sweet and funny and tender and loving but every action is shadowed by the world in which they live. It reminded me that people grew up like this. That entire childhoods were sprouted and spent under the shadow of Hitler, with fear lurking dark all around.

The story's narrator is Death and I liked that aspect, but because of that the whole construct of the point of view, of that narrative device, the book is a bit wobbly. I found his voice and fascination with color and use of synesthesia to be poetic and lovely, but some have found Zusak's writing style to be suspect.

One twitter friend admits that while she loved it, most in her book club found it just too depressing, though I 'm not sure anyone in OUR book club felt this way. I guess I found it uplifting. I felt that Hans and Rosa Hubermann were great heroes and wonderful parents and people. I loved so many small details in this book and the big ideas too. I'd highly recommend this one.

For April -- A Revolutionary War Theme

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Volume 1 -- The Pox Party
by M.T. Anderson

On Tuesday April 28th, we met to discuss two books at Pam's place over crock pot lasagne and all sorts of delectable items.

We read Octavian Nothing along side the George Washington: Spymaster book and I felt the two were complementary texts. This one is a young adult novel which has a rather elevated vocabulary and explores some difficult issues. There was some discussion in our group as to whether or not we'd even call this a "YA book." It's meant to be written in the Gothic style and I think it's a very successful effort in that regard. It's quite neat, actually.

Much of the story is set in Pre-revolutionary war Boston at the home of Mr. Gitney or 03-01 as he prefers to be called (in his numerical system he's devised). There, young Octavian lives with his mother and it's not too long before we discover things are a bit unusual at the Novanglian College of Lucidity which is the official name for Gitney's "operation" in Boston. He has a team of researchers in science and all sorts of philosophical pursuits who come and go and are apparently studying Octavian as well.

The story explores the science and beliefs of the era, racial tensions, mounting tensions between the British and the Patriots, and personal freedoms and responsibilities. Most of the story is told through Octavian's eyes, but there is one section which I rather liked in which a young soldier named Evidence writes letters to his sister Fruition and we learn the events of the story that way.

A great scene in the story, which occurs just before all hell breaks loose, is the Pox Party which lends its name to the title of the book. In this scene Gitney rounds up friends and family and they infect themselves with a low dose of the small pox in an effort to become immune. One book club member commented that the scene reminded them of The Masque of the Red Death.

While not everyone in the group was finished with this book, I understood others to find it as engaging as I did.

George Washington, Spymaster:
How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War by Thomas B. Allen

While this book had a cool premise and lots of great resources I felt it was dry, too brief, and confusing as a result. I am all about the spy world and so learning about a founding father through that lens was neat.

The book is aimed at young readers and maybe if they were already studying the Revolutionary War this would make sense to them. However, I felt like there were so many names thrown at me with little sense of who they were or how they connected. It was a lot to keep track of and it just seemed like the author could have have delved a little deeper with each one to bring the reader into the personality and character of the various players in the story.

The notes at the end of the book that corresponded with the chapters were particularly fun. I also can see how some might get a real kick out of trying to write things in Tallmadge's code which is provided in the back of the book. The author includes a lot of websites where one can view other primary source materials and I thought that was a real bonus.

Another revolutionary book that was recommended by both Larry and Brian was Paul Revere's Ride by David Hackett Fisher.

For March: The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

For our March meeting we met at Carmyn's apt. on April 8th to discuss The Reader.

When I saw the film version of The Reader I instantly wanted to discuss it with someone. The ending was mystifying to me. I wanted to know how the two characters truly "felt" toward one another. Was it actually love? Was it love for both of them? I was struck by the story and immediately added the book to my "to read" list with hopes that a written version might add in a bit more explanation or narrative element complete with a bigger glimpse into the characters thoughts as if that would help me to understand better than the intense looks and implied emotions through action in the film.

What I discovered is that I actually knew LESS at times while reading the book. It seemed like there were some extra bits in the middle of the book. For some reason I don't recall him visiting with his father about the situation with Hanna at the trial... I think in the film he sees his professor. The ending was rather spot on.

Overall, I think the film was VERY well done and Kate Winslet was a terrific Hanna. I liked the book and it provided a very good book club discussion. I liked that the focus on the Holocaust was only minimal and while that colored and shaped much of what was going on in the book there was so much more. It was about personal responsibility, choices, and guilt.

To read this book in isolation would have been less satisfying for me than reading it and then discussing it with me book group.

UND Writers Conference

RRVWP fellows with poet Greg Williamson
at The Toasted Frog Wed. April 1, 2009

For Feb. -- Writers Conference Book

On March 4th we met at Judy's to discuss the various Writers Conference books we each chose to read.

Each year many of us take advantage of the opportunity to meet with an author from the conference and this year the RRVWP arranged for Greg Williamson, a poet, to be our guest author and provided copies of Errors in the Script for us to read. Still this year, we decided to each read our own picks and get together and discuss.

The 40th Annual UND Writers Conference will be held March 31-April 4, 2009, at UND.

Andrea read Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman and had mixed reviews but she's also read everything else he's written and enjoyed it all... She's also part done with St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell, a short story collection.

Marci finished the whole short story collection by Russell and enjoyed the book, though she wasn't able to attend the meeting.

Judy is reading Steve Almond's Candyfreak but isn't too "sweet" on it... She also remembered she'd read Feast of Love by Charles Baxter some time ago.

Carmyn has all of these on her "to read" list and is hoping to read a few more once she is done with Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A low Culture Manifesto by Chuck Klosterman. She's really enjoying the essays in the Klosterman book and would happily read another. Carmyn's not read Baxter's Feast of Love, but she has seen the movie. Does that count?

UPDATE:
Following the conference I posted on my other blog about the event. For a closer look at the actual events, feel free to check out those posts on Greg Williamson Karen Russell and Steve Almond and Chuck Klosterman and Charles Baxter.

For January-- The Ghost in Love by Jonathan Carroll

The Ghost in Love by Jonathan Carroll

We met to discuss this book on Wed. February 4th at 5:30 pm at Carmyn's place.

I served a creamy tomato soup and Pam brought a yummy pecan dessert, Judy brought some homemade bread and we had all sorts of other delectables as usual! I am getting hungry just thinking about it. Too bad we couldn't figure out a way to serve, Ofi, but I am getting ahead of myself here.

What can I say? This book is surely one of the strangest books I've ever read. The book is filled with the absurd: talking dogs, the angel of death, lesbian ghosts, white earless dogs covered in faint blue tattoos, telepathic connections to strangers, traveling to memories, meeting one's fractured self.

It's a book about fate and love (less about love than I thought it would be). It's about controlling our own destinies. The book seemed to have something to say about God. There was a lot of philosophy rolling around. A lot of ideas introduced in rapid succession which added to the profoundly bizarre nature of the tale. I don't usually say this, but I think this book could have benefited from about 150 more pages just to flesh out some of those ideas, to develop the characters. This seemed to be the consensus at book club.

I had some favorite moments. One with Danielle meeting herself at all different ages sitting on picnic benches having a feast with her favorite foods. Another moment I loved was when the dog and the ghost first reveal themselves to Ben. I love that the delicious food that Ling prepares for Ben is "Ofi." And when he asks what that is she replies: "It's love and magic; it's a kid's imagination made real." She explains that his childhood love, Gina, made up that word to describe the pretend food she made him. "Nothing is more delicious than childhood love."

Pilot, the dog, was probably the best character. I just don't think it was necessary that he be the reincarnation of Ben's Italian love who was tragically killed. That sort of spoiled things for me. I mean, what are the odds... and unless that somehow matters more, WHY even have that be part of the story.

This book was an interesting read, but not an essential one. Yet, it was fun to discuss as a group.

--review by Carmyn

The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs

For December we met at Pam's on Dec. 10th to discuss The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A. J. Jacobs

Food:

Chicken tortilla soup

Tortilla chips and salsa

Sourdough bread and butter

Carrots and dip

Wine and more wine!

It's pretty funny. Entertaining, in a non-blasphemous way. I think that the rest of the group enjoyed it. Some maybe more than others.

Judy noted that this may be an entire new genre. People who do strange things so they can write books about them! She may be on to something.

Because I started reading this far too close to the book club time (are you sensing a trend with me?) I managed to only complete about half the book. But oh, what a half!

A year ago I borrowed but didn't read Jacobs' book, The Know it All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Man in the World. In that book he takes his readers through his journey of reading the Encyclopedia Brittanica A-Z.

In this one, The Year of Living Biblically, his task is to follow the Bible as literally as possible. I suppose to some it might seem blasphemous, but I think his treatment of the subject matter is just fine. A bit sensational, sure, but not particularly offensive. I felt the same way when I saw Jesus Camp. I was rather surprised by some of the things he discussed. I didn't know there was a Creation museum. That floored me. Also the existence of Clean Flicks. What the heck? I guess their practice of editing films was seen as in violation of copyright so now they simply offer "clean" movies rather than try to "clean them up."

Jacobs book is fascinating. Educational. Entertaining. Laugh-out-loud funny at times. His wife is a saint and also very funny--when she deliberately sits in every chair in their home... She has spunk and is good natured and takes her crazy husband in stride. Of course I'm only half done with the book... hmmmm.....

About a week prior to reading Jacobs' book, I was directed to look at this site, which is aimed at taking a closer look at Christian culture. I was intrigued by the way the site ended up complementing my reading. I was thinking Jacobs needed to take a look at that site. Of course I haven't even gotten to the last three months of his experiment yet, when he focuses more on the New Testament.The website, is worth a browse. I started with Stephanie's first posts back in August and worked my way forward. The site might be perceived as rude. Or mocking. I suppose there is an element of the mocking involved. Still the bottom line is that so much of what I read on that site is true of my experience. I could think of examples within the Christian culture I know, on nearly every one of the 55 posts I read. Lest you think I'm pointing a finger and laughing, please realize that I know I've subscribed to many, many of these traits at one point in time. My favorite posts? #12, #19, #25, #27, #39, #45, #56 .... If I don't quit, I'll have marked them all! :)

In case you are curious as to why Stephanie is writing this blog, she addresses that in a number of the comments I've read in which she defends herself and her posts to those who are offended. Stephy says: "Christian culture doesn't have anything to do with Jesus himself. But people in Christian culture feel that doing many of these cultural things are imperative to relationship with him, and they're not. Also, Christian culture is a way to avoid true relationship and a way to "play house" if you will, little rituals and mandates not decreed by God yet they make us feel like we are closer to God. Anything can be used to avoid relationship of course, we are endlessly creative in finding ways to avoid it, because true relationship is messy and reveals things to us about ourselves that we'd rather not see. Christian culture is a very pervasive thing that isn't clearly addressed and I think it should be. So I'm writing about it."

Both the book and this blog play around with these ideas. Ideas many hold sacred. Yet, if you let yourself, you might find yourself laughing and this book was certainly educational as well as entertaining. A. J. Jacobs has a rare and unusual mind and did I mention we thought his wife was a saint?

Fought Over Any Good Books Lately?

Judy shared this with our group over email. As she stated when she sent it, I guess we are the lucky ones. Read on....

From the New York Times
By JOANNE KAUFMAN
Published: December 5, 2008

JOCELYN BOWIE was thrilled by the invitation to join a book group. She had just returned to her hometown, Bloomington, Ind., to take an administration job at Indiana University, and thought she had won a ticket to a top echelon. “I was hoping to network with all these women in upper-level jobs at I.U., then I found they were in the book group,” she said. “I thought, ‘Great! They’ll see how wonderful I am, and we’ll have these great conversations about books.’ ”

Ms. Bowie cannot pinpoint the precise moment when disillusion replaced delight. Maybe it was the evening she tried to persuade everyone to look beyond Oprah Winfrey’s picks, “and they all said ‘What’s wrong with Oprah?’ ” she said.

Or perhaps it was the meeting when she lobbied for literary classics like “Emma” and the rest of the group was abuzz about “The Secret Life of Bees,” a pop-lit best seller.

The last straw came when the group picked “The Da Vinci Code” and someone suggested the discussion would be enriched by delving into the author’s source material. “It was bad enough that they wanted to read ‘Da Vinci Code’ in the first place,” Ms. Bowie said, “but then they wanted to talk about it.” She quit shortly after, making up a polite excuse: “I told the organizer, ‘You’re reading fiction, and I’m reading history right now.’ ”

Yes, it’s a nice, high-minded idea to join a book group, a way to make friends and read books that might otherwise sit untouched. But what happens when you wind up hating all the literary selections — or the other members? Breaking up isn’t so hard to do when it means freedom from inane critical commentary, political maneuvering, hurt feelings, bad chick lit and even worse chardonnay.

“Who knew a book group could be such a soap opera?” said Barb Burg, senior vice president at Bantam Dell, which publishes many titles adopted by book groups. “You’d think it would just be about the book. But wherever I go, people want to talk to me about the infighting and the politics.”

One member may push for John Updike, while everyone else is set on John Grisham. One person wants to have a glass of wine and talk about the book, while everyone else wants to get drunk and talk about their spouses. “There are all these power struggles about what book gets chosen,” Ms. Burg said. Then come the complaints: “It’s too long, it’s too short, it’s not literary enough, it’s too literary ... ”

Read the complete article here.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

For October/November we had a spirited discussion of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski on Wednesday November 12 at Carmyn's apt. We also had sour creamy cheesy baked chicken breasts, baked potatoes, green beans, and apple crisp and apple pie ice cream for dessert!

I have been sort of waiting to write about this until after I'd finished the book, but that still hasn't happened so I'll not prolong this any further.

Most everyone in our group enjoyed this book quite a bit. I liked it too, but simply ran out of time and then kept on being busy afterward. The Hamlet connections were the focus of much of our discussion. Having a number of English teachers in the group certainly helps. It's been ages since I've read Hamlet, but even I recognized many of the allusions.

I found the language and imagery to be engaging and I enjoyed the descriptions of the dog training aspects, mainly because it was so unfamiliar.

I intend to finish the book, probably over vacation. In the meantime, here are a few words from Goodreads on the book:

Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose thoughtful companionship is epitomized by Almondine, Edgar's lifelong friend and ally. But with the unexpected return of Claude, Edgar's paternal uncle, turmoil consumes the Sawtelles' once peaceful home... spoilers omitted....David Wroblewski is a master storyteller, and his breathtaking scenes—the elemental north woods, the sweep of seasons, an iconic American barn, a fateful vision rendered in the falling rain—create a riveting family saga, a brilliant exploration of the limits of language, and a compulsively readable modern classic.

Read this one. It comes highly recommended.

Evidence of Things Unseen by Marianne Wiggins

For September's book club meeting we drove to the Northland Inn in Crookston, MN where we were treated to a delicious meal by our Crookston pal, Larry! There we discussed Evidence of Things Unseen by Marianne Wiggins.

Judy suggested this book and I'm glad she did. Since she'd read this one in July, she decided to try another Wiggins book rather than reread this one. She enjoyed John Dollar, but would recommend that readers just dive in and avoid finding out too much about the book before beginning. She felt that some of the surprise and wonder was stripped away by knowing the "gist" of the book before she began.

Andrea, Judy and I all finished the book and Larry and Brian were at about the same spot in the story. We discussed Wiggins' writing style and while Judy and I enjoyed the poetic, rather "literary style" of language, Larry found Wiggins' writing style grating. I enjoyed the character descriptions and really did love the characters and the way they were portrayed in this novel-- the watery-eyed, blinking, science nerd Foss, his young wispy white-haired wife Opal, the sometimes drunken, womanizing, says-it-like-it-is, Flash. We also were impressed with the time span of the book and the historical references made to things like the Scopes Monkey Trial, WWI trench warfare, prohibition, ku klux klan, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the Manhatten project. The story is a tender, intriguing, often heartbreaking look at a young couple's journey through these years reflecting both his desire to contribute to science and passion for things that are luminescent and their mutual desire to have a child.

Wiggins uses imagery relating to fish, to things that are illuminated, and of course there is the the frequent reference to things unseen. I really enjoyed this book and those that finished it seemed to as well. There was some comment that the ending seemed a bit "pat," or a bit too neat, but that didn't really detract from the overall experience for me. I would recommend this book.

The Alienist by Caleb Carr

For August we read The Alienist by Caleb Carr
We met at Andrea's for tacos on August 21, at 6:00 pm.

We were split in our love of the book. Judy, for whom this was a reread, enjoyed the book, as did Pam who was pages away from finishing it. Both Carmyn and Brian who were midway through the story liked what they'd read so far, but Kristine and Andrea were less than impressed. Andrea was abandoning it, whereas Kristine read the entire thing.

It was fun to read about H.H. Holmes in the first chapter because many of us had read about him in an earlier book club pick, The Devil in the White City. Though that book was a nonfiction read and this one a fictional account with only a few mentions of historical figures. It was interesting to learn about the time period and more than once I wished I could dine at Delmonico's with the gang--the food descriptions were heavenly. The serial killer bits were pretty much the opposite. While this book didn't rock my world, it was a pleasurable read and worth the time it took.

Pam told us about another book she'd read by Caleb Carr --The Italian Secretary. That book was written as part of a commission by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's estate for a group of current authors to write new tales. Carr's story emerged in the form of a novel and so it was published separately rather than as part of the collection. So, if you've run out of the original Sherlock Holmes' stories, you'll have to give this collection a try or check out Carr's novel.

Young Adult Novel-- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

For July we read the young adult novel Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
and we met at Kristine's for BBQs and all sorts of yummy food.

Author Study-- Louise Erdrich -- Reader's Choice

For June we met at the Porpoura coffee shop to discuss our Erdrich books.

Carmyn read Tracks
Judy read A Plague of Doves
Kristine started Love Medicine and then abandoned it for The Antelope Wife
Brian read two of her children's books: The Birchbark House and The Game of Silence

The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin

For May we read The Children's Blizzard and met at Judy's house.

UND Writer's Conference Book -- Junot Diaz

Our featured author of the UND Writer's Conference was Junot Diaz.

Some chose to read his novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and others read his short story collection Drown. We had the opportunity to meet with Diaz at The Toasted Frog.

Suite Française by Irene Nemirovsky

For February we read Suite Française by Irene Nemirovsky
We met on Sunday, February 24th at Judy's.

The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie

We read The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie

and met for brunch and book talk at Kristine's place on Saturday, January 12th.

Author Study---Sherman Alexie--Reader's Choice

Sherman Alexie. For November we did an author study. Readers could choose a book by this author and we discussed our choices and his writing style and subject at Aaltos Garden Cafe, a new restaurant at the Canad Inns, at 6:00 pm on Tuesday Nov. 2oth.

Carmyn read Flight

Brian read The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven

Judy read Flight, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Andrea read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian and Flight

Larry read Ten Little Indians

Kristine read The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven

Pam read Flight

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

For October we read: Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
We met at Judy's for brunch on Saturday October 27th

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

For September we read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.
We met at Carmyn's place on Tuesday Sept. 18th at 6:30 pm

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder

For August we read Sophie's World

by Jostein Gaarder.

We met at Pam's on

Tuesday August 21st at 6:30 pm

Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros

For July we read Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros.

We met at Pam's on Thursday July 19th

In the true spirit of book club the food was fantastic. (See pictures below) Almost unintentionally everything was in the three colors of the Mexican flag, from the guacamole to the strawberries. The book was a little less fantastic. Only Kristine managed to finish in time for our meeting. Judy and Brian aren't planning to complete it. And Pam, Carmyn, and Larry all hope to..... eventually. (I'm still working on that!) Our responses to Caramelo were mixed, though it was evident no one LOVED the book and everyone thought it dragged. Several in the group had read House on Mango Street or "Eleven" and expected this to be similar in style or format and found that Cisneros didn't quite live up to that expectation.

The structre of this novel seemed different from her previous ones, and we focused on that for awhile commenting, too, on the placement of the footnotes and what we thought of them. I didn't mind them, but agreed that they broke up the flow of the reading since they were at the end of the chapter. One suggestion was they'd be better placed at the bottom of the page where the notation occured rather than at the end of the chapter because they slowed down the reading or caused you to have to flip back and forth or forget why it was marked.

Judy pointed out that if this book had been written with a language other than Spanish sprinkled in, the sheer volume of the foreign words would not have been tolerated. It DID had an impressive amount of untranslated Spanish in the book and we spent some time looking at examples of that and shooting words Pam's way seeking explanations.

Pam liked the middle section best... while Larry prefered the first section. I didn't really have an opinion on that. I did, however, have a bit of trouble keeping the various characters straight in my head... we were learning about a young girl, her father's and mother's stories, and her grandparent's stories as they happened in Mexico City, Acapulco, Chicago etc.

I think Cisnero's style of language is pretty poetic... but Kristine had the exact opposite perspective on that. She didn't like the way Cisneros' sentences seemed so staccato while I found tons of rich description and poetry in what she wrote. Brian felt that there was TOO much description in the story and it detracted from whatever current story she was on... you'd lose track of the thread in the midst of the description.

Another thing Kristine pointed out had to do with the title and its role in the story. Caramelo. The grandma had a caramelo scarf in the story and it is also the name of the book... Since she alone, completed the book, we asked her what happens with the scarf. She felt the idea wasn't developed... she said it was like Cisnero's editor told her to go back and mention the damn scarf every 75 pages or so to keep the continuity but it really wasn't any big thing and it held no epiphany and it was more than anything contrived and lacking what it could possibly have offered.

Still, it was a good discussion and the book was interesting. I'm just not sure it was one I would recommend. Try another Cisneros book first.

Kristine's Mexican Flag Veggies

Larry's Dos Equis Beer and Pam's Flautas

Mexican candy to add even more authenticity.

Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan

On June 27, we drove out to Kristi's "country home" to discuss Amy Tan's book Saving Fish From Drowning. It was a cool evening and perfect for the corn chowder Kristi made for the group. She also made spinach dip and a delicious jello fruit salad. Pam brought tinto de verano--red wine and lemonade. Kristine brought bread and Brian remembered our healthy side with veggies and dip. Marci and Carmyn brought fruit and monster cookies (compliments of our friend Anna, who also joined us) for dessert. Judy topped off the evening with a still warm homemade apple pie, that was to die for.

As we sat around the high topped table we heard consensus from the group. This wasn't the best Amy Tan any of us had read. For many of us, the story lacked sympathetic characters. For others, it was the Author's Note at the beginning they found troubling. The book hinted that the story was real.. or based on some realistic research.. because of a fictional author's note at the beginning. Kristine was intrigued enough to pause her reading and try to determine if any of these people or places existed and then was saddened to learn it was all a sort of "trick of the author." I hadn't even thought about it and simply assumed that while the story had to be fiction, I trusted the author's note to be real and that the story was BASED on some events or discoveries the author made. It wasn't until our book meeting that --I-- discovered otherwise.

We were amazed at the naivety of the Karen tribe, at the obnoxiousness of the travelers--truly playing out the role of the "ugly American" for its readers. Some readers liked Heidi by the end, so I guess there was a sympathetic connection to some extent. However, I can't say I was anything but relieved to be done with the story when it finally concluded. I love Amy Tan books but this one lacked some of the charm and magic I found in her earlier novels. In her author comments she says after her mother died that she was thinking she could no longer do mother and daughter books anymore and that her mother found a new voice in this one in the ghost narrator of Bibi Chen. I guess I did like her character for the most part but it still wasn't enough for me.

Interestingly though, Judy admitted she'd not been able to finish the book before book club. This was not because she didn't have time, but because she was reading it right before her trip to Peru and couldn't continue because it just seemed like a bad idea to read about travelers being kidnapped in a foreign country right before she was embarking on a huge adventure not unlike our characters. (why invite worry, right?)

Well, now we've been to Burma/Myanmar and back..... next stop Mexico with Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros.

May's Catch Up Month

Catch-Up Month!
Meeting was Monday May 14
at Carmyn's Place

We each picked a book club book we'd not managed to finish during the past year and we tried to complete it for this meeting. For folks like Larry, who've completed every book, he simply needed to find a book he's been dying to read and go for it!

Here's what we've read this year:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty
For September we each read an adolescent lit book
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Then we did a book swap for our January meeting
For Feb, we read Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
For March, our UND Writers Conference author, Stuart Dybek's book of short stories -- Childhood and other Neighborhoods.
For April, The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

The Food:
Carmyn provided colorful bean dip and tortilla chips
Pam brought brats and buns in the spirit of "Catch-up"
Marci's brought veggies to dip in a lemon dill dip.
Brian brought spinach dip and crackers.
Judy brought dessert.
Larry brought beer
Kristi brought Blue Moose spicy spinach dip and chips

The Readers:
Carmyn read The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Richards but didn't finish it. Not sure I will.

Pam read Wicked by Gregory Maguire and The Other Boelyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory (a book from her OTHER book club!)

Larry read Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. This wasn't originally a book club selection. It's a darker look at the future, a sci fi book with a changed approach--almost prophetic. It features a girl with a unique talent--she's a human beta-test for products, logos. She works as a consultant.

Brian read Assassination Vacation by Sara Vowell. Brian hadn't originally come to the meeting where we read this book and so this was a perfect chance to jump in and read one we KNEW he'd enjoy. We were right. And talking about it again as a group was like reminiscing a fond memory.

Marci read ?

Kristi read Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards--didn't like it very much-- and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls--loved it.

Judy read NOTHING... she was surviving the end of the school year! Almost there.

We also set the books for the next three months:
For June--
Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan

For July--
Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros

For August--
Sophie's World by Jostein Gaardner

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

The Memory Keeper's Daughter
by Kim Edwards

We met on Tuesday April 24 at Marci's House and enjoyed some delicious Papa Murphy's pizza... pepperoni and, a book club favorite, gourmet vegetarian. We enjoyed warm cheesy herb bread, fresh veggies, wine, Amber Bock beer, and Pepperidge Farms coconut cake for dessert.
Larry, Judy, Christine, Kristi, Marci, Pam, and I were all there and the discussion was immediate. Though no one seemed to "love" the book, it seemed everyone had something to say. I was at a disadvantage having only read the first few chapters; however, I'll have a chance to read it since next month is "catch up" month.

Some of our discussion centered around our discontent with certain aspects of the novel. It was mentioned that Kim Edwards was a short story writer before and we questioned if THAT was why her work seemed to have issues with concluding and how it could almost be a short story within a larger work from time to time. We agreed that parts were moving, but I also think that one claim was "the ending sucked" and another commenter felt it was "wimpy and sad." We talked about the grief of miscarriage or that of the loss of a child or a father. We also discussed the roles of husbands and wives in that historical time period and what life would be life for someone with mental disabilities in that era as compared to today. We questioned if things could have been different for Nora and David, if he'd been truthful. For a book we didn't love we actually had a pretty good conversation.

------------------------------------------------

"But, look, the morn, in russet mantle clad,
Walks o'er the dew of yon high eastern hill."
--from Hamlet, Shakespeare

Our discussion time moved on to a more playful conversation including some Latin, a explanation of chiasmus, discussion of sonnets and what iambic meter sounds like, and some wonderfully cheesy jokes by Kristi involving a duck and his bill!

Childhood and Other Neighborhoods by Stuart Dybek

For the month of March we read a collection of short stories by Stuart Dybek and then had an opportunity to meet with him when he was at the university for the Writer's Conference.

We met as a group a week earlier, at Judy's house, to discuss his work.

I am still working on finishing the book and writing this post but I can post two of the recipes, by special request. Carmyn made the soup, using Sara D's recipe (see, Sara... you are STILL with us even though you are far away in PA) and Judy made the scrumptious dessert.



Pumpkin Crab Soup

1-24 oz. can of pumpkin
6 cups chicken stock
1 large onion, sliced
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. cumin powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 pound crab meat (from the can is what I used)
6 oz. skim milk (or you can use cream, I did)
pepper to taste

Heat oil in a skillet and add onion. Saute for 5-8 minutes. Add cumin, cayenne, and basil. Stir for a minute. Pour in chicken stock and add pumpkin. Simmer covered for 15-20 minutes. Add crab meat and simmer the soup for 3-5 minutes. Add milk and stir. Serve!

Rum Cake

1 yellow cake mix
1/2 cup cold water
1/3 cup veg. oil
1/2 cup Capt. Morgan Spiced Rum
3 eggs

Mix and pour over 1 cup chopped pecans in tube pan.

Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees (toothpick test).
poke holes in cake and then glaze with the following mixture:

Glaze

1/4 pound butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar

Combine and boil 5 minutes
then add 1/2 cup rum.

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

February 20, 2007 Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
Location: The Toasted Frog 7:00 pm

This was my first trip to The Toasted Frog, though I think I may be the last person in town to go there. I was not disappointed. I snacked on Larry's order of sweet potato fries (light and yummy!) while we waited at the bar and I ordered the fish taco which was wonderful. Back in the conference room where we met to discuss our book, I had dessert: deep fried cheesecake and all of that rich and delicious food was washed down with a Newcastle. Pam, Judy, Larry and I discussed the book though at the time of the meeting only Judy was done reading. Now, I think we've all managed to finish and I may not be accurate in saying this but I think we all enjoyed it.

Judy listened to the audiobook version and reported that the story had many voices reading various sections including Conan O'Brien, Dave Eggers, Stephen King, Jon Stewart and, of course, Vowell herself, whose distinct voice and deadpan delivery will be familiar to fans of NPR's This American Life.

Because they can sum this book up better than I can, I'll include the review from Publisher's Weekly on the Amazon site:

What do you get when a woman who's obsessed with death and U.S. history goes on vacation? This wacky, weirdly enthralling exploration of the first three presidential assassinations. Vowell (The Partly Cloudy Patriot), a contributor to NPR's This American Life and the voice of teenage superhero Violet Parr in The Incredibles, takes readers on a pilgrimage of sorts to the sites and monuments that pay homage to Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley, visiting everything from grave sites and simple plaques (like the one in Buffalo that marks the place where McKinley was shot) to places like the National Museum of Health and Medicine, where fragments of Lincoln's skull are on display. An expert tour guide, Vowell brings into sharp focus not only the figures involved in the assassinations, but the social and political circumstances that led to each-and she does so in the witty, sometimes irreverent manner that her fans have come to expect. Thus, readers learn not only about how Garfield found himself caught between the Stalwarts and the Half-Breeds, bitterly divided factions of the Republican party, but how his assassin, Charles Guiteau, a supporter of the Stalwarts and an occasional member of the Oneida Community, "was the one guy in a free love commune who could not get laid." Vowell also draws frequent connections between past events and the present, noting similarities between McKinley's preemptive war against Cuba and the Philippines and the current war in Iraq. This is history at its most morbid and most fascinating and, fortunately, one needn't share Vowell's interest in the macabre to thoroughly enjoy this unusual tour.

Pam is quick to say that the Garfield section was her favorite. The book being divided into only four chapters reads a little slower for those of us who enjoy a good chapter break now and then. The Lincoln section was interesting but it was also a little overwhelming. I had favorite bits all through the book and I was amazed at the parallels one can draw from these historical presidents and their lives to the political world of today. I also marveled at the connectedness of their world and the strange coincidences that show up again and again in the details Sarah Vowell explores.

Before I finished the last section of the book, I blogged about this book elsewhere. Feel free to check it out if you are interested in reading more of my thoughts on the book. I would highly recommend this title and I think I need to pick up one of her other books... A Partly Cloudy Patriot, perhaps.

December Book Exchange

December Book Exchange Discussion
Thursday January 4th, 2007
Location: Marci's House at 6:00 pm

The Food:
Soup season continues
Judy brought a roasted pepper bean soup. We drank wines brought by Larry and Kristine. Carmyn brought sour dough and french bread from the Dakota Harvest Bakery, and Marci provided a yummy spinach dip and fresh veggies. Pam and her dessert were missed but Marci found some jam and so we had jam and bread for dessert as we sat by the fire and discussed our books from the exchange.

The Books:

One theme emerged.... few of us had time to read all the delicious books we brought home from the last meeting. Christmas vacation always seems like such a gift of days upon days off and then the reality hits and well.... only Judy completely finished her selection: The Painted Drum. Though I did finish ONE of my three options, Wit and Pam, who couldn't make it, did finish one of hers as well: The Chill.

Kristine finished two books over break: Animal Farm by George Orwell and The Island by Gary Paulsen. However she is still reading Tomcat in Love by Tim O'Brien as recommended by Larry for her Dec. book exchange book. She found that she was unable to empathize with the narrator and liked the bits with Viet Nam best. He is a bit of a scoundrel and she is hoping that the book will resolve itself by the ending (Larry assures us it will, though he points out that our "Tomcat" becomes less likeable as the story goes on). Ultimately Kristine is determined to find out if Lorna Sue (Tom's ex-wife) is, in fact, involved in an incestuous relationship with her brother... Hmmmm......

Larry is reading Patty Jane's House of Curl by Lorna Lardvick as recommended by Pam. It's Lardvick's first novel and it focuses on two sisters in Minnesota who have faced hardship and loss and bond to form a collective strength and a hair salon. In some ways it compares to Fannie Flagg's Fried Green Tomatoes in spirit and to Steel Magnolias with its fellowship of women gathered in a hair salon. Larry read part one and had to put the book down to deal with the almost predictable plot-driven tragedies... "It was almost melodramatic--it grosses me out!" were the words he used. However part two is where the salon comes in and the women begin to rebuild their lives. Larry's connection to the story can be found in his own memories of his mother's hair salon that was part of his childhood home... smelling of permanent waves and housing a Coke machine full of those curvy cold Coke bottles.

Marci read about 1/3 of The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter as recommended by Judy. So far she likes it but doesn't "love it." The thing she DID enjoy was the different perspectives on the various love stories. Feast of Love is a book about writing a book and that was somewhat annoying to Judy when she first read it, but later it all gets even more connected and that makes it better. She was glad she read it and Marci is eager to finish it as well. Marci thought she might still try to read Picture Bride by Yoshika Uchida as recommended by Judy.


Carmyn read W;t by Margaret Edson as recommended by Kristine. This play is typical in its brevity but powerful in its message. I really enjoyed it and am thinking about buying a copy for myself. I had once seen a few minutes of the film version of the play starring Emma Thompson and oddly enough the bit I'd seen ended up being one of my favorite bits. The one thing I regretted is that I didn't know as much about John Donne as I ought. I felt that this book was one that explored the ideas of life and death and illness and regret, but it also emphasized the power of literature. Now, I'm afraid I'll need to start to study Donne's poetry. I also started the The Dirty Girls Social Club by Alisa Valdez-Rodriguez as recommended by Pam but am only about 1/3 of the way through the book. I was just consumed by reading a biography of Woody Guthrie over break and that left far too little time for other reads. I still plan to at least "taste" The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs as recommended by Kristine.

Judy read The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich as recommended by Larry. This book is different from the typical Erdrich in that it is initially set in New Hampshire. The story begins with some nominally Native American folk who live there and it connects to North Dakota with the drum which one of the main characters steals from an estate sale in order to return it to its home in North Dakota... a sort of spiritual quest. Since Judy LOVES Erdrich books she wasn't disappointed and though it didn't take the place of her favorite (Tracks) it was a pleasure to read Erdrich's latest.

Pam read The Chill by Ross MacDonald as recommended by Carmyn and she really appreciated the older style of mystery: the sort that gets solved not by CSI teams or forensic squads but by interviews, questioning and old fashioned putting two and two together. Her other book was The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland as recommended by Marci.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

November 30, 2006 The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Location: Carmyn's Apartment at 6:00 pm

The Food:
Soup season at book club is my favorite.
Marci brought a corn chowder that was perfect for a chilly November evening. We drank Newcastle beer brought by Larry and a bottle of red and a bottle of white compliments of Kristine. Carmyn provided artichoke dip* and a veggie tray, and Pam brought two kinds of delicious bread. Judy's banana cream pie and cookies (the cookies were a particular favorite for me: chocolate hazelnut creme de piroline) offered a sweet ending.

The Book:
This memoir, recommended by Pam, was a hit for everyone.

The Glass Castle is a no-holds barred tale of a nomadic, deprived childhood told with the hypnotic wonderment of a child who always wants to believe that Daddy will be a hero in the end and that Momma really does know best. You are enrapt reading about Walls and her siblings rifling through trash cans at school looking for food, doing the skedaddle in the middle of the night, or waiting for Dad to come home after another bender. It's a riveting story and a testament to Walls' indomitable desire to rise above a life that could have easily turned her into just another tragic headline.... Walls tells the story from the point of view of herself as a child, recalling the events as she saw them at each respective age. Scavenger hunts in the desert and late-night escapes from the family's latest town are treated as adventures.
excerpt of a review by Denise Hazlick
MSNBC

One word repeatedly rose to the surface in our book discussion: resiliency. This story is one that demonstrates how resilient the children were in the Walls family. At times the parents seemed so amazing... creative, innovative, strong, intelligent, nonconformist, unflappable. Yet, they were also horrible... alcoholic father, excitement addict mother who'd hoard chocolate bars while her kids nearly starved, an unwillingness to work, stealing from the kids' hard earned cash, deplorable living conditions. Walls story raises questions about homelessness and family life, about dependency and responsibility, about education (the homeschooled and the unschooled), and about how far the ties to family should reach. I think we'd all agree this was a good read and one worth recommending.

Read an interview with the author here.

The Book Exchange:
We drew names and then pitched our book picks .... here's how it shaped up.

Kristine will read
Tomcat in Love by Tim O'Brien as recommended by Larry

Larry will read
Patty Jane's House of Curl by Lorna Lardvick as recommended by Pam
Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman as recommended by Judy

Pam will read
The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland as recommended by Marci

Marci will read
Picture Bride by Yoshiko Uchida as recommended by Judy
The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter as recommended by Judy
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (borrowed from Carmyn, referred to in The Glass Castle)

Carmyn will read
Wit by Margaret Edson as recommended by Kristine
The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs as recommended by Kristine
The Dirty Girls Social Club by Alisa Valdez-Rodriguez as recommended by Pam

Judy will read
The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich as recommended by Larry

*The Artichoke Dip Recipe*

Combine:

One can of drained and food processed artichokes (not the marinated kind)
One cup of sour cream
One cup of mayo (I used the Canola Mayo kind)
One cup of parmesan cheese
One 8 oz block of Philadelphia cream cheese
Two-Three swish swishes of Tabasco sauce
Two-Three swish swishes of Worcestershire sauce

It helps to grease the baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Enjoy!