Saturday, December 15, 2018

Christmas Party: December 9, 2018

Once again, Annie and Paul hosted a joyful Christmas gathering in their cozy home. Despite the party lasting a good 4 hours, it still wasn't enough time to visit with everyone! Annie & Paul, Christe & Steve, Ellen & Jeff, Jo, Judy & Scott, Linda, Liz, and Nanc attended, along with the "kids," Emma & Forest, Marah, and Ty.
  
A water view with a sunset from Annie and Paul's

General visiting before we attacked the food

We didn't burn the midnight oil, but these candles were quite tall when we started!

Next Book: The Boy who Knew Too Much by Cathy Byrd
Location: Julie's
Date: Thursday, January 10, 2019
Time6:30


Future meetings:

February 14, 2019 - Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech at Hotel (after Library Oscar movie)?
March 14, 2019 - And Every Morning the Way Home gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman at TBA


Other books we are considering:

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
Heartland by Sarah Smarsh
Becoming by Michelle Obama


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
July 2016 - Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
August 2016 - Deep Water Passage by Ann Linnea
September 2016 - This Road I Ride by Juliana Buhring
October 2016 - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
November 2016 - No book.  Watched The Boys of '36
December 2016 - No book.  Holiday gathering.
January 2017 - About Grace by Anthony Doerr
February 2017 - Between the World and Me by Ta-nehisi Coates
March 2017 - Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
April 2017 - No book - meeting canceled
May 2017 - Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
June 2017 - The Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier also watched The Girl with a Pearl Earring
July 13, 2017 - Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates by Tom Robbins
August 2017 - No book - meeting canceled
September 2017 - A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut
October 2017 - Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala
November 2017 - The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich
December 2017 - No book. Holiday gathering.
January 2018 - To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey
February 2018 - Wonder by RJ Palacio
March 2018 - Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
April 2018 - My Grandmother Told Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman
May 2018 - Beartown by Fredrik Backman
June 2018 - The Marriage of Opposites by Fredrik Backman
July 2018 - The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony
August 2018 - No book - meeting canceled
September 2018 - In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides
October 2018 - My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
November 2018 - A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline
December 2018 - No book - Holiday gathering



Monday, November 26, 2018

Meeting: November 13, 2018

We delayed our November meeting so that those of us interested could attend the presentation on cranes at the refuge.  I believe at least 5 of us did go to refuge that night.  Judy hosted our evening and provided a huge variety of food.  As usual, she had a cozy fire going that made the meeting very homey while we socialized and discussed A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline.  Annie, Ellen, Linda, Jo, Julie, Judy, and Nanc attended.

Water view from the top of Judy's driveway

After Al lets his girlfriend go and stays home with Christina, she tells him that she didn’t give him a choice and he jokes, “How could I leave all this?”
Al and I have never hugged, that I can remember I don’t know the last time we touched, except when he is helping me get around. But here in the murk darkness I put my hand over his, and he lays his other hand over mine. I feel the way I do when I lose something – a spool of thread, say – and search for it everywhere, only to discover it in an obvious place, like on a sideboard under the cloth.
I think of what Mamey told me long ago: there are many ways to love and be loved. Too bad it’s taken most of a lifetime for me to understand what that means. ~ Christina Baker Kline
 ~ Jo Smith 


Next Meeting: Christmas gathering
Location: Annie's
DateSUNDAYDecember 9, 2018
Time4:35 (*laughing*)



Future meetings:

January 10, 2019 - The Boy who Knew Too Much by Cathy Byrd at TBA
February 14, 2019 - Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech at Hotel (after Library Oscar movie)?
March 14, 2019 - And Every Morning the Way Home gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman at TBA


Other books we are considering:

The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
Heartland by Sarah Smarsh
Becoming by Michelle Obama


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
July 2016 - Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
August 2016 - Deep Water Passage by Ann Linnea
September 2016 - This Road I Ride by Juliana Buhring
October 2016 - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
November 2016 - No book.  Watched The Boys of '36
December 2016 - No book.  Holiday gathering.
January 2017 - About Grace by Anthony Doerr
February 2017 - Between the World and Me by Ta-nehisi Coates
March 2017 - Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
April 2017 - No book - meeting canceled
May 2017 - Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
June 2017 - The Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier also watched The Girl with a Pearl Earring
July 13, 2017 - Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates by Tom Robbins
August 2017 - No book - meeting canceled
September 2017 - A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut
October 2017 - Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala
November 2017 - The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich
December 2017 - No book. Holiday gathering.
January 2018 - To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey
February 2018 - Wonder by RJ Palacio
March 2018 - Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
April 2018 - My Grandmother Told Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman
May 2018 - Beartown by Fredrik Backman
June 2018 - The Marriage of Opposites by Fredrik Backman
July 2018 - The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony
August 2018 - No book - meeting canceled
September 2018 - In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides
October 2018 - My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
November 2018 - A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline


Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Meeting: October 16, 2018

Ellen hosted our October meeting where we discussed My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout.  Ellen provided a delicious salad with pineapple, along with other treats.  Annie, Ellen, Jo, Judy, Linda, and Nanc attended.  It seems like we see too little of one another, so it was good to spend some quality time together.

Water view at sunset from Ellen's house


I found a "turned page" in My Name is Lucy Barton.  Lucy makes reference to a troubled discussion she has with her husband before they go out one evening (p.94-95).  She comments to herself on her clothing choice as they go out the door, and when they see her artist "friend" from the past, notices how he looks over her unmatched outfit.  She also states how this moment repeatedly comes back to her later in her life and that what was most important in the moment was her marriage.

Lucy: 
"I have said before: It interests me how we find ways to feel superior to another person, another group of people.  It happens everywhere, and all the time.  Whatever we call it, I think it's the lowest part of who we are, this need to find someone else to put down." ~ Elizabeth Strout
A human behavior that comes back to remind us how to be kinder in our lives.
~ Linda Jenkins



Next Book: A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline

Location: Judy's
DateTUESDAYNovember 13, 2018
Time6:30pm


Future meetings:

December 2018 - Christmas gathering at Annie's
January 10, 2019 - The Boy who Knew Too Much by Cathy Byrd at TBA
February 14, 2019 - Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech at TBA
March 14, 2019 - And Every Morning the Way Home gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman 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
July 2016 - Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
August 2016 - Deep Water Passage by Ann Linnea
September 2016 - This Road I Ride by Juliana Buhring
October 2016 - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
November 2016 - No book.  Watched The Boys of '36
December 2016 - No book.  Holiday gathering.
January 2017 - About Grace by Anthony Doerr
February 2017 - Between the World and Me by Ta-nehisi Coates
March 2017 - Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
April 2017 - No book - meeting canceled
May 2017 - Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
June 2017 - The Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier also watched The Girl with a Pearl Earring
July 13, 2017 - Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates by Tom Robbins
August 2017 - No book - meeting canceled
September 2017 - A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut
October 2017 - Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala
November 2017 - The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich
December 2017 - No book. Holiday gathering.
January 2018 - To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey
February 2018 - Wonder by RJ Palacio
March 2018 - Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
April 2018 - My Grandmother Told Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman
May 2018 - Beartown by Fredrik Backman
June 2018 - The Marriage of Opposites by Fredrik Backman
July 2018 - The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony
August 2018 - No book - meeting canceled
September 2018 - In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides
October 2018 - My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout