November 2017 Bookclub News

Dear Bookclub,
Thinking that George Westinghouse's salad dressing recipe had to be something amazing, I searched and searched and searched, spending waaaaaaaayyy too much time, and found nothing. Except a gentleman's request to author Graham Moore on Facebook for the recipe - no response. My tenacity has worn thin - hardly the stuff of the War of the Currents. Enjoying "The Last Days of Night", this recipe hunt will not be my big 'take-away'. But I am curious.

Moore's descriptions have also piqued my interest about Marguerite which led to discovering their home, "Solitude":

..... which led to an architect's blog, 'At Home and Afield', that has the most interesting article with wonderful pictures, fun and 'enlightening': 'On Buildings and "The Last Days of Night"'


https://michaelgimberblog.com/2016/11/11/on-buildings-and-the-last-days-of-night/


Val's discovery of Moore's website, 'illuminates' the  cast of characters along with a timeline:

https://mrgrahammoore.com/books/the-last-days-of-night/cast-of-characters/

Finally, suggestions from Val for an upcoming read:

"Young Jane Young" Gabrielle Zevin
"Little Fires Everywhere" Celeste Ng
"Rule of Capture" Ona Russell
"Ramblings with My Family, starting in China" Wendy Maitland



 Looking forward to an electrifying 'tea' at The Veranda!

Bright reading,
LK

October 2017 Recap

Dear Bookclub,
Our philosophical-love-story read, "American Philosophy" steeped in Piacere Mio, 'my pleasure', was just that. I adored the references to the American Transcendentalists(Concord!) while we all took pleasure in Kaag's story, savoring Del Sur-authentic-Italian. Val, we missed you.

My recent trip to Concord included a walk around Walden Pond with my mom. It is a peaceful place, especially the day we were there (it can get touristy). Check out the man, pond-side. From afar we imagined he was a plein air painter. Upon further inspection, clearly his 'paints' were a computer inside a box on his lap. A laptop. Maybe he lives under a tree up the hill.

laptop man on left shore

Finally Terrie's suggestions:
Elizabeth Strout "Anything is Possible"
Eowyn Ivey "The Bright Edge of the World" * chosen
Emily Ruskovich "Idaho"


Up next: Graham Moore's "The Last Days of Light"

Happy reading,
LK

October 2017 Bookclub News

 'Tis the good reader that makes the good book; in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakenly meant for his ear; the profit of books is according to the sensibility of the reader; the profoundest thought or passion sleeps as in a mine, until it is discovered by an equal mind and heart."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

West Wind, Hocking Library, Chocorua, NH

Dear Bookclub,
John Kaag's challenge, "is life worth living", takes the author/philosopher on a strange path, with fate-driven opportunities propelling him on an upward journey into freedom and choice. In researching just who is this John Kaag, I discovered some of his other published works.... surprisingly "Drone Warfare(War and Conflict in the Modern World)" and "Idealism, Pragmatism, and Feminism the philosophy of Ella Lyman Cabot". Not kidding. Just to be clear, I adore this book. Googling further had me reading an Australian article about Carol Hay, John's wife, and John taking the same job and the quickly divergent paths their careers have taken due to her being a woman. Fascinating:

http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/careers/what-happens-when-a-husband-and-wife-take-the-exact-same-job/news-story/a7ed57b6f3d7f053a508cb6a992b3765

Look forward to discussing the book this Wednesday!

Happy reading,
LK