Smoke and Dust

Many thanks to Chris Peek for hosting our September meeting. It is always a treat to view the beautiful Columbia from Chris's windows, though this time the view was hazier than usual. We are all wishing for clearer skies, as the smoke obscures all views, and is causing many to feel confined, and uncomfortable. The choice of The Worst Hard Time, by Timothy Egan could be considered either really good or bad timing. Good, as during these smoky days we can get a very small sense of the oppressiveness of the dust bowl days, or bad as in reading about the misery of that time just makes a hard time harder!

Exerpting from Claudia's review, The Worst Hard Time is   “A classic disaster tale” (New York Times) of greed, hardship and unbelievable perseverance.  The tragedy of the loss of the greatest natural grassland on earth could be blamed on many sources - " government for promoting the land ... banks with easy loans so one will buy everything, bank accounts not backed and deposits uninsured, railroad men with promotional pamphlets full of misinformation. The run up and frenzy of wheat boom, debt loads and technologic revolution " and human nature to consume and claim dominance over nature without considering the long term consequences.  The farmers and ranchers described in the book were not knowingly creating havoc with the land, but they were ill-advised and ill-equipped to create a sustainable life on the plains. The combination of mismatched farming practices and drought over many years, made the consequential dust bowl and deep poverty compounded by the great depression an epic human caused calamity.  The Worst Hard Times , was both appreciated for helping us gain an insight to that era , and critiqued for it's grim and longwinded style.

We discussed our next  book choices and as of this date the following suggestions have been made and will be submitted to Anne for approval. She will let us know if they are available and when we can expect them.. I am asking for 15 copies, of each book including one in LT if available.

• The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck - - Sandy
• The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway - Debbie G
• The Virginian: Horseman of the Plains by Owen Wister - Chris M
• Bad Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer - Claudia
• You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me - a Memoir by Sherman Alexie - Judy
• Still Life, by Louise Penny – Esther
• The Heirs: A Novel, by Susan Rieger – Chris Peek
• Grandma Gatewood's Walk, by Ben Montgomery - Debbie D. 

The next meeting will be at Esther's home on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at 5:30 PM. We will be discussing "At the Water's Edge" by Sara Gruen.

Reading List

Just a quick reminder: it's almost time submit a new reading list, so start thinking about your next book selection!

August Gathering

With many schedules disrupted for the summer, we decided to hold our August meeting at the Columbia Breaks Fire Interpretive Center's Arnie Arenson Picnic Shelter.  A bit smoky with the Canadian fires, but a pleasant gathering with our substantial appetizers and desserts.

The Cellist of Sarajevo is based on a real event - a horrific bombing - in which the author has intertwined the stories of three fictional character's lives during this siege of their hometown.  The cellist decides to play Albinoni's Adagio once a day for each of the 22 victims of a bread-line bombing.  This piece of music, which had been recreated after the original was lost in a different war, gave the cellist hope that Sarajevo could be rebuilt into something new and worthwhile just as this score had been.   The three other characters struggle with how this war has changed their lives and what they now accept each day.  They remember how life/the world used to be and wonder if mankind is still capable of humanity.  Paraphrasing other reviews of this book: The author took an imaginative leap to create an intense story of the endurance of the human spirit and the subtle ways individuals reclaim their humanity.  It speaks powerfully to the dignity and generosity of the human spirit under extraordinary duress.  Kris B. commented that "there was enough description to understand the hardship and human life lost but at the same time it didn't feel overly graphic."

Our September meeting will be held at Chris Peek's home on Wednesday, September 6th at 5:30.  Hope to see you there!

A Poetic Evening

Lovely gathering at Debbie G's on a beautiful summers eve.  Good to see Debbie D, back from her long vacation in the motor home.  Fun to reconnect with everyone!

Our book was an anthology of poems by Robert Frost.  Although poetry may not be everyone's favorite genre to read, we all found favorite poems in this anthology.  It is hard to find fault with Robert Frost's poetry and the commentary by Louis Untermeyer was insightful.  Robert was able to take a simple, ordinary subject and create a poem which is deep with meaning.  How could this be any less than a 6.0?!  Although nobody rated the poetry less, there were some small points taken off due to the presentation of the material.  The book itself, some felt, should have been nicer - more of a classic keep-sake, beautifully bound.  Our discussion was filled with memories which the poems brought up as well as discussion of other favorite poets.  As stated by Louis Untermeyer, "It is not so much the power of the thought as the expressiveness that affects the reader.  The spell of the lyrics is in their suggestion, in their half-revealed, half-concealed essence.  What counts here is not so much the meaning as the shades of meaning."

Beautiful Evening at Barbara's

We all were treated to a lovely garden party along the river at Barb's.  Glad the weather cooperated.  A bit humid, but no rain.  That came the following day!  Everyone enjoyed the wonderful variety of appetizers and salads along with beverages.  We welcomed new member Kimberly Flowers.  It was so relaxing to sit out under the canopy and listen to the river rush by.  Always a treat!

"Breaking Blue" was one of Timothy Egan's earlier works.  Although interesting to learn about life in the post-depression era, the book was a bit tedious to read.  You kept waiting for it to spring into action, but it kept slowly developing.  This story would have made a good novella.  It was somewhat surprising and disconcerting to learn about the way the police used to function: bribes, cover-ups, murder - despicable!  The ray at the end of the book was that the Connif children finally had closure and their father's name was added to the fallen officers memorial.  Chris M was not able to attend, but did point out that "I saw passages in this book that were areas he (Timothy Egan) took on in depth in his later works 'The Worst Hard Times' (dust bowl) and 'The Big Burn' (guys serving as wildland firefighters for work)."  The dedication and determination of one man to uncover the truth was amazing.  "Every crisis ends in resolution, good or bad.  Those who learn from it move on to something higher."

Our next meeting will be held at Debbie G's.  It will be on Wednesday, July 12th due to the July 4th holiday.  Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Sharing at the Waterfront

Great teamwork at Judy's lakeside home, by neighbors Judy and Chris P serving up great panini(s) for our Book Club gathering; extra bonus celebrating Debbie G's birthday with cake and cheesecake.

Thanks to Claudia for a concise summary shared, although she couldn't be here to attend discussion of "Our Souls at Night": This is a deceivingly simple story, simply written. No flowery descriptions of everything. Simple dialogue, a conversation, easy language, no quotes.
In fact, CP pointed out there weren't even explanation points, the conversation was so matter of fact. Most rated the book a four and wished for a different ending., although glad for the time this couple had the companionable, loving relationship. We all have a notion about how marriage should be, but it is different for each. Esther reported to Barbara that a movie is coming out, starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, if you can imagine!

Next meeting

The next meeting will be hosted at Barb's, in hopes of good outdoor weather, Wednesday June 7 (Sandy, Debbie and Chris out of town?). That puts Debbie G for July, but possibly rather than July 5, the following Wed July 12. May 3 notes coming up!