June 2025 Bookclub News

 

Chris Whitaker(imagined) when he began writing book.

 

Dear Bookclub,

Unable to join our group for the discussion of Chris Whitaker's "All the Colors of the Dark",  I learned from Wanda that: 

"Book not anyone's favorite. All agreed sooo long, most enjoyed beginning, the mystery, but became confusing as he wrote on and on. Author didn't seem to miss a hot topic. We missed your input."

Fear not! Here is my input (in a large nutshell):

Chapter 1 Huh...

Chapter 2 interesting

Chapter 3 interesting, interesting.... 

Chapter 35 wow

Chapter 90 yikes

Chapter 114 got it, uh-huh

Chapter 135 yup, yup

Chapter 172 art!

Chapter 195 yup, yup

Chapter 210 enough

Chapter 287 Sammy is funny

Chapter 290 CW is masterful at character names/nicknames

Chapter 350 wow

Chapter 420 still here

Chapter 424 prison

Chapter 576 predictable to the third

Chapter 800 I am getting old

Chapter 801 that's actually good writing

Chapter 842 plot twists exhausted

Chapter 850 uh-huh, uh-huh 

Chapter 851 uh-huh, uh-huh

Chapter 852 uh-huh, uh-huh

Chapter 905 there is more to tidy-up

Chapter 1200 nearly there 

Chapter 1204 another plot twist (really?)

Chapter 1205 the neatly tied bow 

Chapter 1403 ta-da

 

Perhaps we became weary of Whitaker's novel because we are well-read. Tedium comes easily when you've read it all before. The intense characterization of Patch was most unique and entertaining to me. I also found that the range of good/bad was extremely gray and intriguing. Being a petty thief to feed oneself vs. abduction and torture for no reason. The following author's interview may shed some light on Whitaker's take on Patch; Chris has had a bumpy road growing up and even after. He seems a bit unlucky:

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0ch3dYDnbM

Had to check out Square Books. Definitely a place I would visit if I were in the neighborhood:

 

https://squarebooks.com/

Wanda's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"An Unfinished Love Story" Doris Kearns Goodwin *chosen

"Broken Country" Claire Leslie Hall

"The Secret Life of Sunflowers" Marta Molnar & Dana Marton

Chris Whitaker(imagined) at conclusion of writing book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up next:

 Happy reading,

LK

 

May 2025 Bookclub News

 

our spoiler

Dear Bookclub, 

Terrie spoiled us with a splendid ladies' lunch and a glorious garden tour. We loved it!

 

garden rendition

Elif Shafak's "There are Rivers in the Sky" introduced us to many new thoughts and concepts. We were smitten with the water connections and powerfully, the one drop :

Characters felt rich and well-developed although at some point Shafak started the box-checking game of trending-now-inclusivity. Arthur's story was especially endearing with the Dickens' quality to his coming of age. Well-appreciated, the woven layers of the stories from ancient cultures to present, kept us hopping.

 

the King

 

Please enjoy the PDF of Austin Henry Layard's account of his work:

https://fada.birzeit.edu/bitstream/20.500.11889/5194/4/Nineveh%20and%20its%20remains%20.pdf

Val's share:

An 18th-century vision of the entrance to the River Fleet from the Thames, from the school of Samuel Scott

ALAMY

This delightful article about hunting London's lost rivers, opens the flood gates of man's poorly planned development of civilization. Indeed!

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/london/article/hunting-lost-rivers-kxp8jldz9

Further sleuthing on the article's mention of the "Bridge to Nowhere":

 

Bridge to Nowhere 2014

 

https://bridgetonowhere.friendsofburgesspark.org.uk/bridge-to-nowhere/ 

 

Finally, please check out these two short YouTube videos about living on a house boat in London: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5m7NAHIKRU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoPUK7srmWE

Terrie's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"My Name is Emilia del Valle" Isabelle Allende *chosen

"The Bullet Swallower" Elizabeth Gonzalez James

"The Jackal's Mistress" Chris Bohjalian

 

Up next:

Happy reading,

LK
 

April Bookclub News

 

 

 

Sargent's Robert Louis Stevenson and His Wife

 

Dear Bookclub,

Lunching at a cozy Cafe Luna table on a chilly April afternoon to discuss Camille Peri's "A Wilder Shore", we were gratefully distanced from the discomfort of the many locales and ordeals Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife, Fanny, experienced in their quest for a healthy and peaceful life together.

not Samoa

"The Romantic Odyssey" subtitle mystified while notice of Louis' maladies and Fanny's dedication illuminated an offbeat emphasis. Disease lurked in Louis and Fanny's contributions were minimized yet their colorful world beamed. Peri's introduction states her desire to inspire "anyone seeking a freer, more unconventional life".  The magic and magnetism of the circle of writers and artists in this odyssey would be quite impossible to conjure up with even the most exquisite amount of inspiration from Peri's research. We were duly amazed and impressed by RSL and Fanny, recognizing unique.

John Singer Sargent's portrait fascinates. It is currently in Steve Wynn's private collection. Please enjoy this essay from a JSS virtual gallery:

https://www.jssgallery.org/Paintings/Robert_Louis_Stevenson_and_His_Wife.htm 

19th century laudanum

 

Laudanum and other outdated toxic remedies jumped from the pages alerting our present day sensibilities. Check out this piece, interesting not only for its content but also for its existence - the Museum of Health Care at Kingston Blog:

https://museumofhealthcare.blog/laudanum-freedom-from-pain-for-the-price-of-addiction/ 

 

Val's suggestions for an upcoming read:

 "Wild Dark Shore" Charlotte McConaghy *chosen

"Rabbit Moon" Jennifer Haigh

"Medicine River: The Story of Survival and the Legacy of the Indian Boarding Schools" Mary Annette Pember

 

 

Up next:

 Happy reading,

LK

March Bookclub News

 

Dear Bookclub,

Discussion of Purnell's Pamela took a backseat to hours of catching up and reminiscing. Nostalgia lingered on our bookclub day-drinking from years-gone-by.  Consuming tea and water, we finally got down to business to decipher the "Kingmaker". 

Astounded by the finesse of Pamela Churchill Harriman, her long list of conquests, and her 'involvement' in many historic events, I wonder if the enchantment came naturally. Her attraction to the naughty great-great Aunt Jane Digby, certainly suggests an inherited gene or emulation or both. 

Jane Digby is amazing and naughty or not, you decide:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/clips/around-the-world-in-80-days-s1-who-is-jane-digby/#

 PBS Masterpiece Series!
 

Four centuries of Digby fortune welcomed Pamela at birth. A minor naval engagement, 'Action of 16 October 1799', part of the French Revolutionary Wars, involved British and Spanish forces and resulted in the acquistion of the wealth by  Sir Henry Digby, an Admiral. Please enjoy this description:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_16_October_1799 

 

HMS Ethalion in action with the Spanish frigate Thetis off Cape Finisterre, 16th October 1799, Thomas Whicombe. 

The wealth waned yet Pamela's launch was impressive. Perhaps the poster child for Helen Gurley Brown tactics, who once famously quipped, "Good girls go to heaven. Bad girls go everywhere.", Pamela did indeed get around. Remember these??

 

 

 

My suggestions for an upcoming read:

"Sargent's Women" Donna M. Lucey

"Mutinous Women" Joan DeJean* chosen

"Be Ready When the Luck Happens" Ina Garten

 

 

 

Up next:

 

 Happy reading,

LK

 

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