February 2025 Bookclub News

 

 

King Bird-of-paradise feathers. Photo: Blickwinkel/Alamy

Dear Bookclub,

Mama Cella's welcomed us for our chatty lunch to discuss Kirk Wallace Johnson's "The Feather Thief". Well-liked, we pondered the similarities to "The Art Thief" and wondered about the plausibility of Edwin Rist lugging his loot single-handedly. Not only does the story seem incomplete, the damage of the theft will never be fully understood. 

Walter

 

Intrigued by Walter Rothschild's natural-specimen collecting obsession, which ultimately became the Museum at Tring, I found a bit of fascinating history... be sure to check out the man working in the shed:

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/walter-rothschild-a-curious-life.html 

 

Minna B. Hall

Harriet Hemenway

 

Marveling at the history of the "feather-fever" in fashion, which resulted in the slaughtering of birds world-wide, we learned that Audubon Society was founded by two very long-lived cousins, in response with preservation and protection in mind:

https://www.massaudubon.org/about/history

The King Bird-of-paradise feather above is also from the Audubon website, illustrating an article about Johnson's book complete with excerpt:

https://www.audubon.org/news/on-hunt-hundreds-rare-birds-stolen-museum 

The path forward is strange as any feathers recovered would be scientifically useless and Rist, now Reinhard lives on as a professional flutist. Edwin Reinhard. The researching of Rist/Reinhard is not very rewarding. I am lame with Facebook but this fun info popped up while googling. Be sure to read the comments on the sidebar:

https://www.facebook.com/MontserratArtsCouncil/photos/edwin-rist-fluteedwin-rist-was-born-in-new-york-city-and-completed-his-bachelor-/1649151885126470/?_rdr 

Thief

And hear is a video of his playing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO80dgra5C0 

 

Terry's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"Memorial Days" Geraldine Brooks *chosen

"Playground" Richard Powers

"Season of the Witch: Enchantment, Terror, and Deliverance in the City of Love" David Talbot

 

Up next:

 

 Happy reading,

LK

January 2025 Bookclub News

 

 

Dear Bookclub,

Dining by the floor to ceiling windows at Vintana, we were treated to an osprey's circular soar and contemplated the possible lure. Awestruck by nature's display, we were mesmerized but unable to explain the Lexus dealership attraction. Inconclusive, we quickly moved onto matters at hand: lunch and discussion of Kiran Millwood Hargrave's novel, "The Mercies".

Nature's humbling power to disarm the delicate balance of life in early 17th century Vardø set the stage for this beautifully written work. We appreciated Hargrave's poetic prose which delivered the ugliness of human fallibility amidst harsh obstacles. Realizing the story is a re-imagining of true events, and that witch trials were not uncommon during this time in history, we could only wonder how today's 'witch trials' present.

 

Steilineset in Vardø, Finnmark, Norway, commemorating the trial and execution in 1621 of 91 people for witchcraft. Installation by Louise Bourgeois.

 

Please read more about the Vardø witch trails:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vard%C3%B8_witch_trials_(1621)

Are you yearning for just a little more info on '10 Little Known Witch Trials From History"? It's your lucky day:

https://historycollection.com/10-little-known-witch-trials-from-history/ 

 

Trudy's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"All The Colors of the Dark" Chris Whitaker *chosen

"An American Beauty: A Novel of the Gilded Age inspired by Arianna Huntington" Shana Abe

"I Cheerfully Refuse" Leif Enger

 

Up next:

 

Happy reading,

LK

 

 

December 2024 Bookclub News

 

Hollywood!

Dear Bookclub,

Our LBC getaway to Griffith Park kicked off the holiday season while entertaining us with camaraderie, escapism and exposure to L.A. funk, literally and figuratively. Air quality alerts, 4 minute Uber rides, rubbing elbows with hip Gen X/Y'ers at the Everly and Tao, a smattering of cultural diversity - all intangible delights.

Discussion of Daniel Mason's "The North Woods" drew our readers' passion with the appreciation of the clever genius his writing evoked. Hollywood, North Wood(s) .... the wood analogy stops there. The patch of Massachusetts land, with its imagined histories, holds no relation to the California craggy terrain. Toyon, is the holly-like bush that gave Hollywood its name; please read more about the 1886 entrepreneurial couple behind that, Harvey and Daeida Wilcox:

 https://treepeople.org/2012/12/31/hollywood-name/

 

Meanwhile, Mason's north wood was the site of captivating tale after tale and could have been named Applewood. In doing research about old apple trees in Massachusetts, I found a fascinating interview with Mark Richardson, New England Botanic Garden’s Director of Horticulture. 

fireblight

He is overseeing an apple orchard restoration project and this interview discusses the historic collection being salvaged - some trees from the 1600's. Climate change is impacting disease like fireblight and the efforts to reproduce trees with scionwood is nothing short of miraculous. The interview:

https://awaytogarden.com/historic-apples-get-a-new-start-with-mark-richardson/ 

I recognize the New England Botanic Garden as a place we visited with my parents a few short years ago:

my mum

https://nebg.org/orchard/

Back to the darker side of the novel,  the cover girl is explained as "the ghostly catamount watching over the house" in a charming interview with Daniel in the June 2024 issue of the also charming publication, "The Northern Woodlands".

https://northernwoodlands.org/blog/article/north-woods-daniel-mason

Why you wonder, has it taken me so long to write this? I keep stumbling down rabbit holes and have mercifully edited out a dozen of them but will share just a few more.

Mountain lions in Massachusetts - Fact or Fiction??? Tracking, DNA, preservation of tracks for further study, natural history and great photos....enjoy:

https://www.mass.gov/doc/mountain-lions-in-massachusetts-distinguishing-fiction-from-the-facts/download 

Sadly, while writing this, the Los Angeles fires are burning and our elusive Hollywood sign (hidden behind the veil of darkness or smog) is now shrouded in smoke:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/09/us/hollywood-hills-landmarks-california-fire.html

Missing Wanda and Ginger, our subset managed to talk, walk, eat and drink away 48 hours with exuberance, refueled for part 2 of the holidays. Hopefully we will reunite en masse again soon.

Wanda's suggestions for an upcoming read:

 "There are Rivers in the Sky" Elif Shafak *chosen

"Daughters of Shandong" Eve J. Chung

"The Elements of Madame Curie: How the Glow of Radium Lit a Path for Women in Science" Dava Sobel

Up next:

Happy reading,

LK

November 2024 Bookclub News

 

 

Tempest's great, great, great, great.....

Dear Bookclub,

Seven ingenious minds gleefully gathered round a table at Poway's Brigantine restaurant to discuss Ariel Lawhon's "The Frozen River" and not a one thought to have the moment immortalized  with a cellphone image. The silver fox will have to do. 

And it more than did for Margaret Ballard, symbolizing feminine strength and individuality, according to Lawhon, who characterized Margaret's fox as Tempest. Powerfully portraying a source of inspiration and awe, midwife Ballard's Tempest drew me into the mystique of the main character's life and energy. We all enjoyed the book, well-written and teeming with discussion points. Noting the justice system, the treatment of women, the state of medicine, and real-life Margaret Ballard, we appreciated the author's notes at the end of the book for further enlightenment about the story behind the story. "A Midwife's Tale" by Laura Thatcher Ulrich, took the 1991 Pulitzer Prize in History, with the story of Margaret Ballard based on her diaries. The diaries themselves were difficult to decipher, according to Lawhon, but fascinating:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/midwife-gallery-diary/

Please check out Hallowell, ME - historic and now:

https://hallowell.govoffice.com/

Hallowell, ME circa 1905

Terrie's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"A Wilder Shore" Camille Peri *chosen

"Creation Lake" Rachel Kushner

"Tell Me Everything" Elizabeth Strout

Up next:

Happy reading!

LK

October 2024 Bookclub News

 

Dear Bookclub,

The layered genius of Percival Everett was evident in his portrayal of Mark Twain's Jim. We were entertained by the clever perspective presented through the power of language, history of attitude towards slaves, and survival instincts. We were also horrified with the clever depiction of the reality of the power of language, the history of slavery and survival. Everett is as fascinating as his work.

Hoping you can access this article from The New Yorker  entitled "Percival Everett Can't Say What His Novels Mean":

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/03/18/percival-everett-profile?_sp=7ae194c5-910d-4839-b502-570c83f8e414.1728842427090

And here is the great link from Terrie to the PBS News Hour interview:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/percival-everett-on-his-novel-retelling-huckleberry-finn-from-jims-point-of-view

 Researching Everett on the ever-entertaining Wikipedia here are some insightful nuggets:

* named after his father, Percival Everett was an Army sergeant and later a dentist

*his great-great grandmother was once enslaved

*born in Georgia, raised in South Carolina, moved to the "American West", schooled in FL and RI (University of Miami and Brown), settled in Los Angeles

*wrote Seattle, Wyoming (Viertnam Vet), contemporary American West, Grand Canyon, New Mexico, D.C., Mississippi, etc., etc. - the man is a rich tapestry

*brilliantly matched with Danzy Senna, his wife https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danzy_Senna

 I am so appreciative of learning about Everett and reading more of his work.

US!

 

 

Val's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"Kingmaker" Sonia Purnell *chosen

"Playground" Richard Powers

"The Border Between Us" Rudy Ruiz

 Up next:

 

Happy reading,

LK

September 2024 Bookclub News

 

Dear Bookclub,

Anna Quindlen's "After Annie": if the Hallmark channel had a baby with a YA novel, this would be the result.  Quindlen's apt descriptions of family life, well represented in her columnist career, earned her a Pulitzer Prize in Commentary. That gift carried this novel. We relished her characterizations of friendship, sibling depictions, childhood views and spousal relations steeped in the trying circumstance of death and loss. 

By the end, the novel became bogged with a lot of activity that checked boxes. That shading felt designed for a younger audience with less life experience than our more mature group. Feeling irritable about this book, I decided I was tired of reading predictable. Predictable can be soothing and I do enjoy my 'junk' reads, just not for bookclub. Seeking validation from reviewers, I was surprised to find positivity. Books that are terrible are not usually reviewed. More and more, I feel that a kindness prevails when a book is reviewed. Here is one example:

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/anna-quindlen/after-annie/

In wanting to credit the author of this review, I couldn't find one. Realizing I skim Kirkus Reveiws without knowing its purpose, I did a little 'research':

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkus_Reviews 

Virginia Kirkus http://shareclips.net/index-168.html

And I did find an author of a terrific piece on reviewing, Gregory McNamee. Please check out his thoughts on "What I've Learned Reviewing 7,500 books for Kirkus":

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-features/articles/what-ive-learned-reviewing-7500-books-for-kirkus/

 

https://www.gregorymcnamee.com/

McNamee's books, listed in his website, boast a wide variety of subjects, mostly regarding the Southwest. In scrolling through his work, I half expected to see one of my favorites, "Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon". Alas, it is not his but in the spirit of going off the rails, I must include it in this blog:

https://www.grandcanyon.org/products/over-the-edge-death-in-gc-1-20-20739

My suggestions for an upcoming read:

"The Feather Thief"  Kirk Wallace Johnson *chosen

"The Friday Afternoon Club" Griggin Dunne

"The Light Eaters" Zoë Schlanger

Up next:

Happy reading,

LK

 

August 2024 Bookclub News

 

 

Naï Zakharia

 

Dear Bookclub,

David Grann's "The Wager" rocked and shocked with the details of an unimaginable journey exposing the extremes of human will and deadly forces, both natural and man-made.  While Grann's research clearly went deep, the telling was at times "a slog", as some of our crew described the read. Yet, the survival struggle is one we love (diminishes our daily annoyances) and we meekly dismissed the point of sacrifice for the empire.

 

Dion Graham

The audible, narrated by Dion Graham(clearly not Grann's son as I'd erroneously piped up ... (Grann sounds like Graham?) was d-r-a-m-a-t-i-c.  TG appreciated it greatly while TVD and myself found it annoying. TG, you have the last word with this one! From Wikipedia:

"Dion Graham is an American actor and narrator. As an actor, he has worked both on and off-Broadway, as well as in TV series and film. As of April 2024, he has narrated at least 280 audiobooks.^[1] He has earned a place on AudioFile magazine's list of Golden Voice Narrators, as well as Audible's Narrator Hall of Fame. Further, he has won 11 Audie Awards, 71 Earphone Awards, 3 Listen-Up Awards, and 1 Odyssey Award.

Book Riot called Graham "the best of the best" in audiobook narration, saying, "His voice is rich and emotive, making even the driest bits of a long biography or history come alive. His ability to inhabit characters seems limitless; his myriad character accents are always flawless."^{[2] "}

 ^{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dion_Graham#cite_note-1} 

my nerve center

 

Grann in his Westchester County home office

^{Definitely a rung below me on the Martha Stewart's best ideas for a working office, Grann left his to research Wager Island. The quote, from a Wall Street Journal article shared below, is Grann's description of the journey that took him out of his comfort zone exploring archives and into the sea:}

The boat was maybe 50 feet, heated by a wood stove. When we set out into the open ocean, it gave me my first taste of these terrifying seas. In front of us was a mountain of water, behind us was a mountain of water. And all you could do was sit on the floor, because if you stood you could get chucked and could break a limb. I sat for eight to 10 hours on the floor. I put on a book tape of Moby-Dick, which in retrospect was not the most soothing thing to do.

 Please enjoy the full article:

 ^{https://www.wsj.com/articles/david-grann-author-lost-city-sherlock-holmes-c00f75d3?st=ji0y69sgr9282q9&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink}

^{Ginger's suggestions for an upcoming read:}

^{"The Mercies" Kiran Millwood Hargrave *chosen}

^{"Sandwich" Catherine Newman}

^{"Lake of the Woods" Tim O'Brian}

^{Up next:}

 

^{Happy reading,}

 ^LK