Meeting: June 9, 2016

Thanks to Linda for hosting another wonderful book club meeting and providing such delicious food. And additional thanks to Annie for spearheading the effort to get Ellen McDonah to join us as we discussed her book, One Woman's River. Book club members, Annie, Christe, Ellen, Jo, Judy, Kathy, Linda, and Nanc were in attendance, along with our special guests Ellen McDonah and Linda Lofgren. Before discussing the book, to a large degree, we dispensed with our usual discussions catching up with one another, and instead got to know Ellen as we learned about her background, her recent bout with cancer, and the 1500 miles she paddled last summer on the Missouri River.

Book club members along with Ellen McDonah and Linda Lofgren

I told Ellen, when she got to my house, that she's my new heroine! I'm totally flabbergasted that in the year 2014 she was the first woman to solo the river!  Amazing! ~ Annie Larkin

Ellen seems wise and is so good at expressing her thoughts, ideas, and feelings. I sat at Linda's and wondered as to how one person can have so many talents... she is a good writer (great at expressing her thoughts), an artist, and an adventurist. I know that envy is supposedly one of the seven deadly sins; but, I am envious of her:):):):):) ~ Judy Lee

"To head off problems, I tried to avoid negativity and unsubstantiated worry which are not a part of the creative process." ~ Ellen McDonah

I'd say that pretty much covers and situation, whether navigating the flooded Mississippi or moving through a regular day or hanging out on your deck in the evening, or...!! ~ Annie Larkin

When Ellen mentioned something about the river being a living entity, it reminded me of this excerpt from Siddhartha. ~ Jo Smith

"He saw that the water continually flowed and flowed and yet it was always there; it was always the same and yet every moment it was new." ~ Hermann Hesse

I enjoyed the way Ellen's writing made me feel a part of this extraordinary journey. Some experiences I could relate to closely from my own experiences of time spent on the river and some were beyond my imagination, particularly on the Lower Mississippi. The awareness of how quickly, at times, she had to make critical decisions and "trust her gut" was admirable. These decisions seemed to be made from a growth of knowledge Ellen developed through many previous experiences and yet at other times balancing her options and just "going for one" in hopes that she succeeded in making the right choice; keeping her educated thoughts focused, and letting go of fear for the moment. This journey seemed to be one of peace and meditation, and one of struggle and heart-beating challenges. This certainly was a "full of life" experience as a sole woman with her kayak, Inspiration, traveled for the first time in recorded history from the entrance of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca, MN to the Gulf of Mexico. LIfe changing to say the least! ~ Linda Jenkins

July meeting:

Book: Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Location: Jo's

Date: Thursday, July 14, 2016

Time: 6:30pm

Upcoming meetings:

August 11, 2016 Deep Water Passage by Ann Linnea at Ellen's
September 8, 2016 The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah at TBA

October 13, 2016 About Grace by Anthony Doerr at TBA



Books we've read so far:

January 2014 - Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott

February 2014 - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

March 2014 - Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

April 2014 - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie

May 2014 - The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

June 2014 - Breaking Free by Marilyn Sewell

July 2014 - The Orphan Train by Kristina Baker Kline

August 2014 - The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

September 2014 - Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

October 2014 - The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

November 2014 - The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

December 2014 - No book.  Holiday gathering.

January 2015 - No book.  Watched The Book Thief

February 2015 - The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

March 2015 - Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne

April 2015 - The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin

May 2015 - The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway

June 2015 - The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

July 2015 - Still Alice by Lisa Genova

August 2015 - The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

September 2015 - Ruby by Cynthia Bond

October 2015 - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

November 2015 - No book.  Watched To Kill a Mockingbird

December 2015 - No book.  Holiday gathering.

January 2016 - All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

February 2016 - Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson 

March 2016 - Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín

April 2016 - Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie

May 2016 - Jewelweed by David Rhodes

June 2016 - One Woman's River by Ellen Kolbo McDonah