After a delay of almost two weeks, we finally had our January meeting at Nanc's on another icy night. Annie, Christe, Ellen, Jo, and Nanc attended. Thanks goes to Judy for sending cookies for dessert, despite not being able to attend. Only three of us in attendance had read To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey. We all enjoyed it.
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| A frozen water view from Nanc's |
I enjoyed reading To the Bright Edge of the World. From the adventures and trials during months of exploring and navigating up the uncharted Wolverine River that Allen and his group endured, to the life Sophie (always inquisitive) leads surviving basically on her own in Oregon with her love of nature and her hunger to learn more and more about photography in an era when women weren’t much a part of either.
The mystical additions that Ivey adds through the crow, the rooted child, and the otter husband add some indigenous tones to the adventures for us to think about. I find it fun to read about adventures (Allen's) that seem so unthinkable and the strength of a woman (Sophie) at a time when she may have been thought to be "strange." She was able to find so much inner peace by pursuing her desire to learn more about photography and to create beauty that she eventually shares with others.
The mystical additions that Ivey adds through the crow, the rooted child, and the otter husband add some indigenous tones to the adventures for us to think about. I find it fun to read about adventures (Allen's) that seem so unthinkable and the strength of a woman (Sophie) at a time when she may have been thought to be "strange." She was able to find so much inner peace by pursuing her desire to learn more about photography and to create beauty that she eventually shares with others.
~ Linda Jenkins
I did think the death of Sophie's baby may coordinate with the timeline of Allen birthing the tree baby, but the times didn't match. Maybe it was the full term timeline. The mystical theme was intriguing.
I have just started Snow Child. It takes place near Alpine on the Wolverine River in the 1920s.
Bob and I leave for Pensacola on February 1st. We will return mid March. I will keep up with the books and stay in touch.
Wishing everyone a wonderful winter.
~ Julie Howard
There were many references to light:
- The light playing on Sophie's fathers' sculptures
- Pruitt: "Do you, Mrs. Forrester, still believe? Do you bask in the golden light I once imagined I felt upon the crown of my head?"
- Sophie's use of light in her photography
Sophie musing about her pursuit of photography:
"I have sense enough to know that I might delude myself, that in all likelihood this lies beyond my ability and artistry, perhaps even beyond my faith, but then I think of Allen and know precisely what he would say -- nothing is impossible. Take one step, and then another, and see where the path leads. Don't think of the obstacles, only the way around them." ~ Eowyn Ivey
~ Ellen Bowles
The Library Oscar Nominated Film Series has been announced. This is the movie line-up for those who are interested:
February 1st - Get Out (Best Film, Actor, Director and Original Screen Play)
February 8th - Abacus (Best Documentary Film)
February 15th - The Big Sick (Best Original Screenplay)
February 22nd - Loving Vincent (Best Animated Feature)
Next Book: Wonder by RJ Palacio
Location: The Trempealeau Hotel after attending the Library Oscar Nominated Film Series movie The Big Sick
Date: Thursday, February 15, 2018
Time: 6:00 pm at the library and 8:15 at the Hotel
Location: The Trempealeau Hotel after attending the Library Oscar Nominated Film Series movie The Big Sick
Date: Thursday, February 15, 2018
Time: 6:00 pm at the library and 8:15 at the Hotel
Upcoming meetings:
Thursday, March 15, 2018 - Before the Fall by Noah Hawley at Judy's
Thursday, April 12, 2018 - TBA at Christe's
Thursday, May 10, 2018 - The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman at TBA
June ??, 2018 - TBA at Linda's
Thursday, May 10, 2018 - The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman at TBA
June ??, 2018 - TBA at Linda's
Possible selections for the future include:
- Beartown by Fredrik Backman
- Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Stroud
- Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
- The Boy Who Knew Too Much by Cathy Byrd
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 2019 - To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey
