Season's Greetings Everyone!

 It was unfortunate that both Entiat and Chelan schools had their holiday concerts last night.  We had a smaller gathering at Maureen's but this gave us a lot of time to visit as well as discuss our book, wrap kids gifts and enjoy yummy things. 

A Redbird Christmas was a fun holiday read filled with humor.  Though predictable, the characters were people who you liked.  It was a quick read that was easy to fit into the gaps between all the holiday madness, and it was a good way to escape that madness for awhile.

It was the last chance to contribute to our Christmas Jar.  Maureen went to Entiat Food Center and purchased their holiday meal grocery bags to be donated to the local community.  Maureen reported that we had collected almost $315.00 this year!  It is wonderful to be a part of this group of like-minded people who care about our community!

Our next book will be Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.  The meeting will be at Claudia's home on January 10th at 5pm.  Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to all!

A Reflective Evening

 We enjoyed a thoughtful evening as we reflected on the aspects of life that were presented in our book, "The Secret of Clouds" by Alyson Richman.  Esther made the Topper family lasagna recipe that was included in  this book and it was delicious!  Although we found the book to be predictable, it was touching and there were themes within the story that we all could relate to.  Teaching children, growing and understanding, friendship and relations, and baseball.  The characters were "searching to find meaning in a world that's often difficult and confusing."  The story included the death of a child.  "One small thing can change the course of an entire life."    Judy S said "we have to realize that all of the people who aren't here are here all the time" and Maureen added "they are a part of the world we live in."  Esther reflected on the meaning of clouds in the title and said "we are always changing.  Things we love in the past are there but they have changed and become something new."

Judy B came with appropriate baseball trivia and Cracker Jacks.  Cracker Jacks producers felt their product was a great snack and they pushed selling them at ball parks as early as 1896.  They are still sold at concession stands today.  In 1914 and 1915, the Cracker Jacks prizes were baseball cards, which are extremely valuable.  And, in 1910, President William Taft stood up to stretch during the 7th inning at the ball park in Pittsburgh, starting the tradition of the 7th inning stretch.

We will not be meeting in November.  Instead, we will meet in early December at Maureen's home.  The members of the walking book club will be invited, along with their daughters, and we will all wrap children's gift books and top off the Christmas Jar.

Camping Out Along the River

 We enjoyed a lovely cool evening after a rainy day at Judy B's home.  Joe helped Judy make the camp stew foil packs which were baked instead of cooked over the open fire due to the rain.  Judy and Joe also provided bags of GORP - good old raisins and peanuts, or granola, oats, raisins and peanuts - loaded with M & Ms and dried blueberries instead of raisins, so I guess we should call it GOBP.  (1913 Oxford English Dictionary defines the word "gorp" as a verb meaning "to eat greedily")

Judy's selection for us this month was "The River" by Peter Heller.  This story was a canoe adventure on the Maskwa River in Northern Canada by two friends.  As Judy B-S said, the friends "were obviously well prepared and experienced.  What they could not plan was the "story"." The planned leisurely backwoods paddle became a race for their lives, with a mystery and a wildfire; a real thriller.  The author's descriptions of paddling a river and of the wildfire were well researched and very real.  Heller set scenes with his great descriptions so well you could easily imagine yourself actually being there.   Esther reported that this story "contrasts beauty and terror, control and chaos, trust and betrayal."  It was a meditation on friendship, loyalty and love.  

Our next meeting will be October 26th, 5pm, at Esther's home.  We will not be meeting during November and will gather again in December for our annual collection of children's gift books and final chance at contributions for our Christmas Jar.  The December meeting will be at Maureen's home and we will invite members of the walking book club to join us.  This meeting will be finger food instead of a meal.  Stay turned for more details.    

A Murdoch Evening

We all gathered at Chris Mallon's home on a lovely August evening to share our friendship, thoughts and a pot luck with Mallon  beef as the main entre and Ghiradelli (San Francisco) chocolate for dessert.   Of course, everything was delicious!  Judy Bell's son folded an army of orgami jumping frogs to share with all of us and we had them hopping around and across the table.  An evening spent among friends is always a treasure!

Our book this month was "The Japanese Lover" by Isabel Allende.  Allende has written several fiction and non-fiction books, of which one, "The Soul of a Woman" was a favorite of Chris's.  Amazon's book review stated that "The Japanese Lover" is "a moving tribute to the constancy of the human heart in a world of unceasing change" which is true, but it barely scratches the surface of all this story is about.  More than just a love story, it's a multigenerational and multicultural history as well as dealving into multiple views of topics such as privilege, social status and aging.  Allende's book blended several histories and changing life styles within its characters.  It shows that everybody has a story, but one has to speak to them and ask about them to discover their story.  Here are a few quotes from this story:

..."age doesn't make anyone better or wiser but only accentuates what they have always been."

"We are not old because we are 70.  We start to grow old as soon as we are born."

..."shared pain is more bearable....We all have demons in the dark recesses of our soul but if we bring them out into the light, they grow smaller, weaker."

"How exuberant and boisterous the universe is... It turns and turns, and the only constant is everything changes."

Along the River

 We enjoyed a wonderful evening at Chris Peek's home.  It is so nice to see her back home in Entiat!  Our book this month was "American Dirt" by Jeanine Cummins so we had Mexican fare: delicious enchiladas and all the trimmings (ie: margaritas).  What a feast!  Debbie G joined us with the happy/sad news that her house has sold and she will soon be moving to Idaho.  We will miss seeing her on a regular basis and hope she will continue reading with us, emailing her comments and thoughts about our books.  We will keep the connection with our friendship.

"American Dirt" is an unforgettable and gripping novel about emigrating to el norte.  Jeanine Cummins wrote "I am acutely aware that the people coming to our Southern border are not one faceless brown mass, but singular individuals, with stories and backgrounds and reasons for coming that are unique."  You realize that there is a very thin line between our worlds: compassion vs. cruelty, safety vs. desperation, beauty vs. horror.  The sudden loss of innocence and the realization that terror is more immediate than grief.  All for the chance to realize the dream of getting to a country that doesn't want you.  "American Dirt" is hope; a modern "Odyssey" with the US as the refuge.  You have to have hope to be willing to lose everything to gain everything.  Everyone is running from something.  Cummings wrote this to "honour the hundreds of thousands of stories we never get to hear."

Way Up in the Pines

 We had a lovely time meeting way up river at Mary's home and were pleasantly surprised to see Chris Peek who just returned from Arizona for the summer.  We caught up, shared stories and enjoyed a nice late-spring evening.  Maureen brought some of her mother's books to share with us and, true to our month's read, feasted on beef stew and biscuits.  

"This Tender Land" by William Kent Krueger followed the journey of four orphans as they headed for the Mississippi River in a canoe searching for a place to call home.  Placed during the Depression, they crossed paths with several other individuals who were also adrift and searching for a new life.  Along this journey the orphans learn about life and how they fit in this world.

The writing was eloquent and there were several quotes worth saving.  Here are a few: "With every turn of the river, the world had become broader, its mysteries more complex, its possibilities endless."  "There is a river that runs through time and the universe, vast and inexplicable, a flow of spirit that is at the heart of all existence, and every molecule of our being is a part of it."  "I still struggle to understand what I know in my heart is a mystery beyond human comprehension.  Perhaps the most important truth I've learned across the whole of my life is that it's only when I yield to the river and embrace the journey that I find peace."

Tea Party!

 We enjoyed gathering at Judy Schmidt's home and shared a Seder meal.  Judy had information on the different dishes being served and their meaning.  We also enjoyed a tea party of green tea chai and assorted cookies, all served on Judy's beautiful floral tea set.  It was perfect for today as the sun was out and spring is finally sharing its abundant flowers.

We discussed our read, "People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks.  It is a historical novel of the Sarajevo Haggada, one of the "oldest surviving Jewish illuminated texts" (Wikipedia).  It is a good lesson in cultural history, moving back through time as this rare manuscript, created with Orthodox icons, Islamic calligraphy and Catholic pages was lost and found, being passed to many individuals who kept it safe.  The narrator of this story is Hannah, a book conservator hired to restore the Haggada.  During the restoration, Hannah finds clues of its past, taking us back through time to experience life at several key moments.  This story shows that "what united us was more than what divided us.  That to be a human being matters more than to be a Jew or a Muslim, Catholic or Orthodox."

Slowing Down

 We had an enjoyable evening at Claudia's home and all were glad it didn't snow.  Our pot luck had a nice selection of all the right nourishing things, with lots of time to chat and share stories of our lives.

Our read this month was "Upstream" by Mary Oliver, a well-known poet who gained her language from the books she surrounded herself with while growing up.  This was a collection of short essays cobbled together which gave insight into those things which influenced Mary's life; in essence her memoir.  There was no strong conclusion, rather reflections which each reader could consider.  We did not delve in with deep discussion about the book; rather we shared our individual thoughts as we reflected on our own lives.  Chris shared a few of her favorite Mary Oliver poems which told of Mary's relationship with the environment.  I said I was amazed that one person could spend days observing a spider and it's nest.  I don't have the patience to spend my time that way, yet, it was pointed out, I do have the patience to concentrate my focus on making a basket.  Judy B and Debbie shared stories about themselves and their families; memories which sprang forth as they spent time reflecting on the past.  

The whole world changes slowly day by day; nothing remains the same.  There are ties we don't see in the history of our lives, how things fit together, their influences on events and how we change as a result.  Not only people, but places change too.  We reflected on the history of Entiat and how many things changed after Rocky Reach Dam was built.  Entire livelihoods had to shift and accommodate.  Not always for the worst, just different.

Parts of this book really drew me in and seemed so clear while other parts left me dazed and confused - too deep for me to grasp any clarity.  But it did make me pause and consider.  I think, to really understand, this book should be read, bit by bit, with a group and discussed each step of the way.  That would slow you down long enough to take in all Mary wants us to learn.

Moments of our lives spent in nature, in the world, absorbing what surrounds us, are time wisely spent.  In Mary Oliver's words: "I would say that there exist a thousand unbreakable links between each of us and everything else, and that our dignity and our chances are one,  The farthest star and the mud at our feet are a family; and there is not decency or sense in honoring one thing, or a few things, and then closing the list.  The pine tree, the leopard, the Platte River, and ourselves - we are at risk together, or we are on our way to a sustainable world together.  We are each other's destiny.    

I could not be a poet without the natural world.  Someone else could.  But not me.  For me the door to the woods is the door to the temple."

Who Doesn't Love a Dog Story?

 Thank you Maureen for hosting our meeting in your lovely home.  We all enjoyed the warmth of friendship along with a good meal and thought-provoking discussion.  

Take one self-focused, self-centered ultra marathoner and add in one determined little dog.  You get a heart-warming, true story of strangers coming together in a foreign land for the good of this one lucky little pooch.  Gobi proved to be strong and resilient and certainly was attracted to the person who most needed companionship.  Dion was ultra-focused on his goal of being on the podium or winning this race and he wasn't planning on letting anything get in his way.  This ultra marathoner had ultra tunnel vision.  But he had a concern about Gobi and opened his heart.  Bringing a dog home to the UK from China is no simple matter but fate worked in Gobi's favor.  Dion made a promise to Gobi of safety and security because Dion never had these growing up.  He was amazed at the outpouring of help and happiness by so many strangers because Gobi put a smile on people's faces.  Dion also learned that "working as a team, rather than a bunch of individuals, wasn't nearly as bad as I used to think it would be."  He learned to count on other people and realized that his areas of weakness were covered by other's strengths.  "I didn't have to shoulder the work all on my own.  I could lean on the others, and they could take it.  They didn't let me down.  And I didn't fail them either."  We all learned a bit about China and found that people all around the world are similar to us.

Our next book, "Upstream" by Mary Oliver, is a short book so we set the date of March 9th, 5:30pm at Claudia's home for our next meeting.  Looking forward to seeing you there.

Crime, Punishment and Mercy

 Thank you Esther for providing us another wonderful evening filled with great nourishment.  Two delicious soups and homemade bread.  Always warm and cozy, just like home!  With all our shared contributions it was quite the feast.  

Esther noted that it was fortunate this discussion coinsided with the Martin Luther King holiday as our book, "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson, was set in the South and dealt with racial injustices.  Although a difficult subject to read about, we had a lively conversation on equal justice, or lack thereof.  There is an unfairness based on ethnicity, social class and gender, and the punishment does not always reflect the crime.  It take small steps over many years to make changes, even when the needed changes are obvious.  Time and patience are the rule. 

Carl Sagan Quote

"A book is made from a tree. It is an assemblage of flat, flexible parts (still called ‘leaves’) imprinted with dark pigmented squiggles. One glance at it and you hear the voice of another person - perhaps someone dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, the author is speaking, clearly and silently, inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people, citizens of distant epochs, who never knew one another. Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic."

-Carl Sagan, Cosmos