March 2026 Bookclub News

 

 

Dear Bookclub,

Arundhati Roy's "Mother Mary Comes to Me" jolted as anticipated. Mrs. Roy dances in the chorus line of abusive mothers yet perhaps she is the one your eye gravitates to on stage; her whirlwind of oddity cannot be overlooked. Arundhati's memoir accentuates the unconventional upbringing, amazing us with her independent break, the reunion with her no-less-colorful father, and ultimately bucking the system with unexpected choices. We felt bogged down with the interlude of political history and social advocacy. Terrie was distracted by her dislike of the author. Many of us never considered that aspect but I must admit, I have thought about it since her mention. The powerful writing carried me through with admiration of Roy's artfully crafted phrases. Astonishing stories presented poetically, thrilled.

 

 Pallikoodam is a very impressive school; please check out the website: https://pallikoodam.org/

 

Terry's suggestion s for an upcoming read:

"The Lion Women of Tehran" Marjan Kamali *chosen

"Everyday Movement" Gigi L.Leung 

"Burn Book: A Tech Love Story" Kara Swisher

Up next:

 Happy reading,

LK 

 

 

 

February 2026 Bookclub News

 

 

Dear Bookclub,

Perched at tables in "Trudy's" new restaurant, Harland Brewing, we braved new territory like a crew on Captain James Cook's HMS Resolution. Actually, the luxury of fresh salads, fish tacos, lobster roll, Japanese ale and carafes of fresh water hardly shadowed what Cook and his crews ate and endured. Enthralled by the vastness of the voyage, topics developed, cultures revealed and the beautiful, wild environment, we loved the book. Like flying fish on high seas in our minds, fascinating facts were tossed about page after page. 

 

 

Cheers to Hampton Sides for crafting "The Wide Wide Sea" from his brilliant research. Wade Hampton Sides, named like a rugged fictional hero, sticks to the literary non-fiction as an American historian, author and journalist. Also having written about Kit Carson in "Blood and Thunder", Sides declares he is "drawn to these heroic characters that have become controversial in modern times".  Please enjoy this Lorene Mills' interview of Hampton Sides on "Report from Santa Fe":

https://www.pbs.org/video/new-mexico-author-hampton-sides-crg7c8/ 

Mills is a character.... 

 and Hampton Sides is just lovely....

 

Sides' other works presented here are enticing. Hope that we will read another. Also discussed in this program was the Santa Fe International Literary Festival. If we could ever concoct a week long trip, this would be awesome:

Santa Fe Community Convention Center

 https://www.sfinternationallitfest.org/

Discussion of the atrocities that exploration brought about to the cultures and the environments through introduction of disease and non-native animals was disheartening. If it hadn't been Cook, perhaps another explorer would have been the troubling pioneer. However much is owed to Cook the cartographer. 

 

Please excuse my share of, and admittedly enjoyable for its brevity and visual value, this three minute 'Daily Dose' video about James Cook:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORa2QQlFzFA&t=4s 

 

Trudy's selections for an upcoming read: 

"The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny" Kiran Desai *chosen

"How to Read a Book" Monica Wood

"Emperor of Gladness" Ocean Vuong

 

Up next:

 

Happy reading,

LK 

 

January 2026 Bookclub News

 

 

Mary & one VIP Dalmation

Dear Bookclub,

Penny Haw's "Follow Me to Africa" did not impress our group. While most found it enjoyable to learn more about Mary Leakey, the novel's format of oscillating between the tale of Mary's youth to the tale of another young woman's experience many years later, tired our interest. Both time frames included Mary, yet the story's focus blurred as the chapters progressed. 

A more coherent dive into Mary's life and contributions with my keyboard search-collaborator broadened my understanding. Please check out this short, comprehensive video (which is charming in its original French) for some great visuals, above snap included, and a 30 second bio:

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jlYvSLC6t4o 

 

https://leakeyfoundation.org/

The Leakey Foundation website has a fascinating drop down tab, "Learn & Explore" that I encourage you to investigate. The mission of the foundation:

"The Leakey Foundation combines science and education to explore our shared past, understand our present, and inspire a better future. We’re on a mission to uncover the story of human evolution and share this knowledge with the world. Join us."

is well-represented in the website's offerings.  Please be sure to listen to something from the Oral History of Human Origins Research. I recommend paleoanthropolgist Yoel Rak's interview (the 5 minute snapshot if nothing else):

https://leakeyfoundation.org/oral-history-yoel-rak/ 

Yoel Rak

 

 

 

Back to Mary Leakey and her beginnings with Louis, who'd asked her for illustrations for his upcoming book, "Adam's Ancestors", published in 1934. In can be yours for about $16 on Biblio. Also, The Huntington has an original copy in their Rare Book Collection. 

Finally, the Leakey family tree is impressive. Please be sure to scroll down past the list of notables and click on the tree itself:

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

Princess Louise Leakey

 

Wanda's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"The Correspondent" Virginia Evans *chosen

"A Flower Traveled in My Blood" Haley Cohen Gilliland

"Atmosphere" Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

Up next:

 

Happy reading, 

LK