Along the River

We spent a lovely evening at Chris' home on the Columbia river.  Western themed pot luck anchored with delicious chili was enjoyed by all.  Also much conversation, including comments on the movie "The Book Club" which some of us had viewed together.

"The Virginian" is a classic, being written by Owen Wister in 1902.  It was the first true fictional western novel written, which paved the way for this new genre.  Being a classic, we all struggled with the written English of the day, it seeming so very formal.  This slowed the reading as we had to concentrate on the author's meaning.  I suppose novels written today will need to be full of footnotes describing phrases (OMG, LOL), actions (tweet, blog) and things (TSA) common today.  This novel had all the elements you would include in a western: ranches, cattle, gambling, drinking, frontier justice.  It establishes "the man of few words" figure which is central to most westerns.  It also has romance (yes, the handsome cowboy gets the girl) as well as a portrait of what it means to be a man: living simply with nature and having a strong moral conviction.  It is a study of action & violence, hate & revenge, friendship & love.  It also illustrates that the conditions of society were similar over 100 years ago: social class, racism, quality vs. equality.  "It's not a brave man who is dangerous, it's the coward who scares me."

We are gathering our next book picks, so be sure to contact Esther with your book title.  Our July meeting will be held at Maureen's home on July 5th.  Looking forward to seeing you there!

Email Meeting, then June meeting

It was decided that the ratings for the book The Heirs and comments will be reported to Esther and Claudia for the Blog and if Chris Peek can host the June meeting, it will be at her home for the May selection, The Virginian.

Women and WWII

Thanks to Debbie G for the delicious German soup, and everyone for all the other yummy contributions.  It was so nice to gather around and share friendship along with our book discussion. 

This month's read was "The Women of the Castle" by Jessica Shattuck.  It was yet another WWII story, but with a decidedly different view.  The story brought together three German women, of different social statuses and political views, and their families during the war.  As with other WWII stories, we expected it to end when the war ended.  Though the war was a major driving factor, the story went beyond the 40's, moving into the 50's and how people were coping with their life's changes after the war ("It was so ugly.  The peace and plenty of this time were like a thin quilt spread over a pile of shit.  No one was innocent.") and then into current times. One woman wants to "put the past away and be done with the horrible time."  Another "holds it close and lets it shape her life."  The third "didn't lie, she just didn't share the truth with us."  For some, "history came above everything else."  For others, "history was death", a "horrible, long, sloppy tale of grief."  It was interesting to see how these women became friends during the war and how their lives and friendship changed and evolved post-war.  It was about more than self-preservation; it was about protecting their children.  "Sometimes it is easier to see clearly from a distance.  And what is up close...is harder to make out."  We all reflected that none of us could be sure what our beliefs would be or what side we would support if we were in the same situation.  "There is so much gray between the black and the white...and this is where most of us live, trying, but so often failing, to bend toward the light." 

Our May meeting will be hosted by Barbara.  She will be contacting us via email to set the meeting date and time.  Stay tuned!

Walking in the Woods

Chris M's home was the perfect setting for our discussion of "Grandma Gatewood's Walk" being tucked back into the woods.  And Chris shares similarities with Grandma Gatewood: love of hiking, noticing the plants and flowers, appreciating the serenity of nature.  It goes without saying that the food we enjoyed was great - and was a far more nourishing meal than that which sustained Grandma Gatewood.

The notion to walk the entire length of the Appalachian Trail bloomed inside Grandma Gatewood.  In 1955, at the age of 67, with minimal supplies and a change of clothes in her home-made sack, wearing tennis shoes, Grandma Gatewood began her journey.  She told her children she was going for a walk, but didn't mention where she was heading.  Her years of farm life seemed to be enough preparation for her, being a strong and resilient woman.  "There were a million heavenly things to see and a million spectacular ways to die." 

The author included different aspects of post-war life and how they influenced Grandma Gatewood and the Appalachian Trail.  Some of us found this information interesting while others found it to be a distraction from Grandma Gatewood's story.  He also explored Grandma Gatewood's life and the many challenges she faced in her marriage.  She went on to hike the Appalachian Trail a total of three times and also hiked the Oregon Trail.  It is estimated that she hiked 14,000 miles in her later years.

"Remote for detachment,
Narrow for chosen company,
Winding for leisure,
Lonely for contemplation,
the Trail leads not merely north and south
but upward to the body, mind and soul of man."
-Appalachian Trail summary by Harold Allen

When asked by reporters why she was hiking, she replied "Because, I wanted to."

Our next meeting will be April 5th at Debbie Deardorff's home.  We'll see you there!

Life's Lessons

Thank you Nika for hosting our gathering.  Yummy soup and breads along with everyone's offerings - so pleasant to share food and conversation.  A warm and cozy evening with friends.

Our book was "Still Life" by Louise Penny, a debut book and the first of a murder mystery series.  Not extravagant and flashy, but written with common conversations set in a homey community.  Well developed characters, many seemed like they could be neighbors.  Although a murder mystery, there were also comments and lessons on life and our own decisions about our own lives.  Making choices about who we are and how we want to live; what we should do to be happy or stand still lose ourselves.    "If we can accept that nothing is permanent, and change is inevitable, if we can adapt, then we're going to be happier people."  "The fault lies with us, and only us.  Ultimately it's us and our choices....We're the only ones who can change our lives, turn them around" "Life is change.  If you aren't growing and evolving you're standing still and the rest of the world is surging ahead."  "The prayer stick, its brightly colored ribbons catching the wind, sending their gifts into the air, knocking against each other.  Like true friends.  Bumping, and sometimes hurting, though never meaning to."

Our next meeting will be March 8th, 5:30, at the home of Chris Mallon.  Looking forward to seeing everyone there for another wonderful evening of sharing books and friendship.

Bad-Ass Librarians

We all would have made really bad-ass librarians!  Thank you all for coming and sharing your thoughts and observations on our book.  I'm pleased so many found it intriguing and didn't absolutely hate it.  I knew we were in for a history lesson - one which I knew I needed as I don't feel well informed about the history of North Africa - a history which is certainly affecting the world we live in.  But I was hoping that there would have been more information about the 377,000 manuscripts themselves.  One could tell that the author was a reporter, including all the details that he dug up.  Parts were interesting as you learned how they found the manuscripts in the first place and then how they hid them from terrorists and moved them to safety.  Book reviews stated: "Compelling narrative with a rare happy ending", "ordinary people can respond with extraordinary heroism when faced with evil", "willing to risk everything to preserve civilization."  These ordinary people were very extraordinary and did something great to preserve their heritage.  It's good to know courageous people still are able to make a difference in this wold.

Nika will host our February meeting.  She has a meeting every Tuesday, so our book club meeting will be Thursday, February 8th at 5:30.  Mark your calendars and I'll see you there.

The Sun Also Rises

Our meeting at Sandy's was cozy, as we enjoyed wine, appetizers and treats beside her tall and refreshingly simply adorned Doug Fir Christmas Tree. It was a sweet respite from the busyness of our lives and as always satisfying to share good food, beverages and conversation with fellow readers and friends.

The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway was not well received by most of us, for the repetitiveness of the plot and the insensitivity of the characters.   Set in Paris, and then Spain, the story follows the everyday life of a group of American and English expats living in Paris shortly after WWI.  They eat, drink and travel together to fish and go to the bullfights.  Their callousness is typified by this description given to the narrator Jake -
"You're an expatriate. You've lost touch with the soil.  Fake European standards have ruined you. You drink yourself to death. You become obsessed with sex. You spend all your time talking, not working. You are an expatriate, see?  You hang around cafes. " 

Several mentioned that the most enjoyable and interesting part of the book was the description of the travel to Spain from Paris. One could easily imagine being on the crowded bus that took them through the many twists and climbs in the Basque country.
" Now as we went higher there was a wind blowing the grain. The road was white and dusty, and the dust rose under the wheels and hung in the air behind us.  The road climbed up into the hills and left the rich grain-fields below. Now there were only patches of grain on the bare hillsides and on each side of the water courses" . Hemingway's description of the terrain and the people they encountered carried the reader along for journey vicariously. 

I  often found myself imagining scenes beyond what was written, which  apparently was the intent of Hemingway's spare style of writing.   "The Iceberg Theory is a style of writing coined by American writer Ernest Hemingway. When he became a writer of short stories, he retained this minimalistic style , focusing on surface elements without explicitly discussing underlying themes." - google search    

Our next book is The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu , by Joshua Hammer.  We will meet at Claudia's home on Wednesday, Jan. 3 at 5:30 PM.