November 2019 Bookclub News

George Saunders....... and......

Dear Bookclub,

George Saunders - who is this man, creator of "Lincoln in the Bardo"? Of course he graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a degree in exploration geophysics. That explains not a bit, except that his path as a writer is as unusual as his work. Here in his own very entertaining words:

http://www.georgesaundersbooks.com/about

....Abe......a little resemblance?

Having a most pleasant lunch at Cafe Luna, sitting outside around a polished tree slice table, we were endeared to Lincoln's compassion. The deep pain sets the stage for the his visits to the Bardo and those scenes, seemed to be most easily read and understood. Then came the ugly, the difficult, and the very, very strange. Some of us stopped enjoying, stopped reading. I have a tendency to want to read without much prior investigation so as to have my own experience; that experience is what I love about reading. Pushing through the ugly, difficult and strange led me to the ideas of judgement, birthright and a fantasy of long-dead spirits passing through Lincoln resulting in his refreshed view of the elements of the Civil War. I liked that experience even if I made it up and it was not what Saunders intended.  Now, digging around, enjoying a multitude of internet mishmash, a little clarity has emerged.

From Thomas Mallon's piece, "George Saunders Gets Inside Lincoln's Head" from The New Yorker, February 5, 2017:

"But he also elects to venture into Lincoln’s awareness and perceptions, and, when he does, it’s an all-in enterprise, a physical incursion undertaken not only to extract characterizing thoughts but also to influence them. After Lincoln says, hesitantly, of Willie’s remains, “Absent that spark, this, this lying here, is merely—,” the inserted shade of Hans Vollman orders, “Think it. Go ahead. Allow yourself to think that word.” A tremendous struggle for Willie, one with effects worthy of a Tim Burton movie, still lies ahead—“demonic beings” will soon trap him inside a stubborn carapace—but when his father lets go, accepts the boy’s death and helps to usher his spirit to a real afterlife, the consequences are world-shaping. Vollman and Roger Bevins perceive a Lincoln who now fully understands and embraces suffering, and feels a new bloody-minded determination to win the war."

Full article:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/02/13/george-saunders-gets-inside-lincolns-head


Just for fun, here's a review from the Irish Times:

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/lincoln-in-the-bardo-review-george-saunders-man-booker-prize-winner-1.2989866


And finally, we need some pictures!

Please read this interesting link from " Abraham Lincoln Online"on the death and funeral of Willie Lincoln:
http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/education/williedeath.htm

The receiving vault (foreground) and the tomb (background)

1865 newspaper illustration of Lincoln burial

Abraham Lincoln's tomb at Oak Ridge Cemetery in July 2005.

Mary Todd Lincoln, three of their four sons, including William, and Abraham Lincoln are all laid to rest in this tomb.

Moving on...
Wanda's suggestions for an upcoming read prompted the all-too-familiar struggle to choose one with the longing to read them all:

"In Extremis" Lindsey Hilsum *chosen
"Rules of Civility" Amor Towles
"This Tender Land" William Kent Krugger
"Indianapolis" Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic
"The Dutch House" Ann Patchett


Up next:

Festive reading,
LK

October 2019 Bookclub News

Thomas, Beal and the girls in Escondido

Dear Bookclub,

Sadly missing our October meeting at to be with Amanda and Lexie for unexpected and positively resolved medical attention, I still look forward to discussing Christopher Tilghman's "Thomas and Beal in the Midi". Later learning that I actually didn't miss much of a discussion as only two of us had finished it, I also discovered shared dubiety about the magnetism of Beal's beauty. Disney-esque:

Tiana from "The Princess and the Frog"

 ...or stunning:

yes, truly beautiful, but would that really be enough? Portrayed as spellbinding, I am not sure exactly why this made me uncomfortable, but it did. Perhaps an underlying implication that cast race and beauty as competitors felt untrue. Need to discuss. And Tilghman does have a lovely wife:

Caroline Preston

https://carolinepreston.com/about-caroline/


Finally, here is a favorable review:
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/christopher-tilghman/thomas-and-beal-in-the-midi/

Trudy's suggestion for an upcoming read:

"Red at the Bone" Jacqueline Woodson *
"Olive Again" Elizabeth Strout
"The Dutch House" Ann Patchett

*chosen

Up next:

 Happy reading!
LK

September 2019 Recap

TG's essential bar tools

Dear Bookclub,
Happy hour at TG's got our attention- another wonderful way to get together! Enjoying the discussion of Francine Prose's "Peggy Guggenheim" became even easier as Terrie twisted our arms to sip wine (well most of us; I think all of us said 'no' - haha!)

Fascinated by Peggy G's life-story, motives and contributions, the group agreed the read belongs on our virtual shelves of 'something different' - like those 'interesting whites' on the wine list.






"Mrs. Guggenheim, how many husbands have you had?"
"Do you mean mine, or other people's"*

*perhaps this would be more suited to a tequila description  than that of a white wine

Peggy G.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.....

Happy

Cheers!

Terrie's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"The Water Dancer" Ta-Nehisi Coates *

"This Tender Land" William Kent Krueger

"Red At The Bone" Jacqueline Woodson

*chosen

Our October read:

Christopher Tilghman's "Thomas and Beal in the Midi" has been calling to me since it was delivered to my front porch, with it's very appealing cover. ("The Pink Dress, or View of Castelnau-le-Lez, Hérault, 1864 (oil on canvas). by Jean Frédéric Bazille (1841-70) / Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France.) I even tried to put it on our August calendar by mistake. Last Sunday morning, as I prepared to lash myself to my kitchen to prepare Rosh Hashanah food to take to a dinner that night, I confidently went to download the audible for an enjoyable marathon. Quel désastre! No audible. Who is this guy?? Well.....

From amazon's website:
"Christopher Tilghman, the son of a publishing executive, was born in Boston in 1946. Though he was raised primarily in New England, his life has always revolved around his family's farm on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. His new novel, "The Right-Hand Shore" and its sequel "Mason's Retreat" tell the multigenerational story of a farm on the Eastern Shore modeled after his own. His other books include the novel "Roads of the Heart," and the short story collections, "In a Father's Place," and "The Way People Run." Currently a Professor of English at the University of Virginia, he and his wife, the writer Caroline Preston, divide their time between Charlottesville, VA and Centreville, MD."

I forgive him; I am enjoying the real read. But I have hardly cracked it. Binge reading here I come.

Happy reading!
LK

September 2019 Bookclub News

 Guess Who?


 





 

Surely they never imagined how important this image would be to our bookclub's deep appreciation of Peggy Guggenheim.

     

  And how grateful we are that no nuns were passing by.

Dear Bookclub,

Thanks to Trudy for going above and beyond in sharing her research and enthusiasm for our September read, Francine Prose's "Peggy Guggenheim". These images are from Trudy and JT's September 2018 trip to Venice where they visited Peggy's Palazzo. My introduction to the, dare I say, wacky, world of PG's passionate collection and all that entailed, leads me to view this collection of images from Trudy with a magnified intensity. Hardly a collection of art, this is a trail of experiences that are stranger than fiction! Can't wait to discuss with you.


Terrie's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"This Tender Land"  William Kent Krueger

"Red at the Bone" Jacqueline Woodson 
"The Water Dance" Ta-Nehisi Coates 


See you soon!
LK

August 2019 Bookclub Newsletter

Hello...

kitchen time

..and....

more kitchen time

Dear Bookclub,
A leisurely afternoon lunch at my home resulted in stunned realizations that it was magically 4 pm. No magic, just a very delayed starting time for actual eating, as we enjoyed catching up during my optimistically timed preparation.

getting down to business

Discussion of Imbolo Mbue's "Behold the Dreamers" was excellent as we analyzed the complexities and contrasts between the Cameroonian immigrant family and the wealthy Manhattan family employing Jende. Current events focus Mbue's portrait and story in our hearts and minds, as we process the plights and politics in our own backyard. The antics of the immigration lawyer encouraging an outrageous tale for Jende's asylum-seeking, showcased Mbue's talent in knocking the reader off course with shadings, keeping it 'real'. And spoiler alert, Neni's blackmailing Cindy achieved the same.

My suggestions for an upcoming read:

"Olive Again" Elizabeth Strout
"The Dutch House" Ann Patchett
"Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" Yuval Noah Harari
"Mr. Dickens and His Carol: A Novel" Samantha Silva *chosen (December selection)



Up next:

Happy reading!
LK

June & July 2019 Bookclub Recaps

 Dear Bookclub,
A post-wedding dip in my immune system sadly kept me from our June meeting as I nursed a miserable cold.  I learned that discussion of "A Place for Us" was swift; guessing other family sagas trumped Fatima Farheen Mirzra's family saga. Personally, I loved the novel's saga with the beautiful writing and an enlightening wash of the American Muslim experience.

Meeting again at The Kitchen at the Bernardo Winery, our July meeting to discuss "The Immortalists" was magical in that the patio and lunch made us grateful for the fine living we have in San Diego. Not as magical was the book, whose promise with the premise of learning one's death date, left the mystical behind in the dust of an overwritten attempt to include every decade's cliches from the sixties to the present. Still, it was a page turner, trying to learn the siblings' fates.

Val's suggestions at the June meeting for an upcoming read:

"Thomas and Beal in the Midi" Christopher Tilghman *chosen
"The Family Tabor" Cherise Wolas
"Everyone Know You Go Home" Natalia Sylvester
"El Norte" Carrie Gibson


Terry's suggestions at the July meeting for an upcoming read:

"Gentleman in Moscow" Amor Towles
"Virgil Wander" Leif Enger
"Underground Railroad" Colson Whitehead
"Lincoln in the Bardo" George Saunders *chosen

 

And finally, up next is internationally renowned, Imbolo Mbue's "Behold the Dreamers". Her novel has been translated into 12 languages, adapted into an opera in Poland as well as a stage play in Seattle, WA, and was recently optioned for a movie. Wow!

Please enjoy this Vogue interview with Imbolo Mbue on the importance of empathy in life and literature from July 2017:

https://www.vogue.com/article/imbolo-mbue-behold-the-dreamers-oprah-book-club

 

Empathetic reading,

LK

June 2019 Bookclub News/ May 2019 recap

There we are! Just to the right of the fire extinguisher.

Dear Bookclub,
An absolutely beautiful day in our own little Bernardo Winery, blessed with the presence of Ginger and saddened by the absence of Terry, we gathered to discuss mortality. Ironically, mired with caring for her mother's recent fall and subsequent surgery, Terry expressed her wish that Gawande could be the physician in charge of her mother: "doctors think of the body as a machine to be fixed versus a person"...and stating that "doctors need to be trained more on the end of life care".

Who can't wait to talk about death? Atul Gawande explores the reality of mortality, the failure of the body with old age... but he cuts to the chase... what to sacrifice for a future. The goal of hospice is to have the best possible that you can. One good day? Fight or give up? Appreciating his illumination of truth and expectation, while realizing what we have personally experienced so far, the path to mortality is indefinable in any general sense. The end result is indisputable as our drive to live over-shadows the inevitable and leaves us stranded with difficult decisions.

Here is a nice lecture by Gawande based on his book:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mviU9OeufA0

Up next, Fatima Farheen Mirza's "A Place for Us".

 Having recently introduced Everett and Olivia to the music of 'Westside Story', thanks to the magic of Alexa, I gave them a brief young person's guide to the plot. (The dancing around my kitchen island runs the gamut with The Beatles, 'The Nutcracker', etc., and of course "Who let the dogs out" etc.) Before even starting Mizra's book, I had the beautiful song, "There's a Place for Us" in my mind. And there it is the Romeo and Juliet framing of a story once again.

Fatima Farheen Mizra

Sarah Jessica Parker - as the librarian

TG and I have lamented and scratched our heads about Reece's approval stamp and here is one I'd never noticed until researching our current read. None other than Sarah Jessica Parker has thrown her tiara? cowboy hat? into the ring of imprints. Check this out:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/books/sarah-jessica-parker-first-book-acquisition-ala-book-club-pick.html?action=click&module=RelatedCoverage&pgtype=Article&region=Footer

Happy reading!
LK