April 2019 Recap

George Peabody Library, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore

Dear Bookclub,

Susan Orleans' "The Library Book" opened up our luncheon 'table of contents' and gave us a glimpse of much more than the tale told:

*Val upped her cool-factor (which is mind-boggling when you consider her off the charts cool-factor we already know and exalt), revealing the experiences she has had working in libraries: the USD Men’s college library and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Library. 

Geisel Library, one of UCSD's four libraries

*Terry shared with us that she stops at the RB library regularly after visiting her mother and gets a variety of books that she enjoys but doesn't want to own. She definitely doesn't want to own. Any books. This is in her cool-factor.

Rancho Bernardo Library

*Retention of a book's content appears to be stronger when reading hard copy although 'books' might not ever get 'read' without the audible option. And the 1.25-2.0 reading speed.

Discussion ricocheted  from topic to topic, much like the book, touching upon history of libraries, the history of the L.A. Library, arson investigation, librarians, the homeless, book restoration, AIDS, our personal library experiences, Hemet, library logistics, what was happening in 1986, etc., ....

Library of Congress

Inspired by the thought of stacks of books, I presented my suggestions for an upcoming read:

"The Lost Landscape:A Writer's Coming of Age"  Joyce Carol Oates
"Golden Hill" Francis Spufford
"Exit West" Moshin Hamid
"Peggy Guggenheim" Francine Prose *chosen
"Coming to my Senses" Alice Waters
"Mom & Me & Mom" Maya Angelou
"The Character of Rain" Amélie Nothomb
"The Wine Lover's Daughter" Anne Fadiman
"The Silent Patient" Alex Michaelides (a reconsideration)

Am proposing a trip to LA to take in the sites including The Huntington Library and maybe even the Los Angeles Central Library:

The Central Library Fire...

... April 29, 1986

The Los Angele Central Library

Up next:

Happy reading,
LK

PS It's National Library Week  :)

March 2019 Bookclub News

“There but for the grace of serotonin go the rest of us.”
― Barbara Kingsolver,  "Unsheltered"

Dear Bookclub,

Finally finishing Kingsolver's epic tale, I was glad that I did, enjoying it up until the end and feeling accomplished that I got through it. Dragging crept in over and over, as the scope of the book kept widening. Our discussion centered on the giant bite Kingsolver had taken of current problems: battered eco-system, inequality of resources and funds, healthcare costs, the crunched pressure of the sandwich generation, dementia, suicide, overpopulation, underpaid educators, nutrition, infidelity, architecture, murder... what am I forgetting*? The concept of a fiercely edited tiny topic, seemed unimaginable to the author.

*this

This Barbara Kingsolver interview is a peak into her intent:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/one-true-thing/201811/interview-barbara-kingsolver-unsheltered

Terrie suggested for an upcoming read:

"The Silent Patient" Alex Michaelides

"The Island of Sea Women" Lisa See

"Behold The Dreamers" Imbolo Mbue *chosen

 Up next:
Susan Orlean's "The Library Book"

Happy reading,
LK

February 2019 Bookclub Recap

Edward S. Curtis' Canon de Chelly—Navajo (1904). (Library of Congress)

Dear Bookclub,

Timothy Egan's "Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher" has it all. A compelling story of a fascinating man while spanning an era of exciting exploration, industrial progress and the dark history of the demise of the North American Indian. Edward Curtis stole our hearts and imagination with his passion for preserving the culture of the Native Americans as it was rapidly disappearing, sparing no expense to his personal wealth, health or dignity. Did I mention family drama? Being friends with President Roosevelt?  Egan bundled it all with  J.P. Morgan, the advancement of photography, the history of Seattle, the exploration of Alaska, etc....  keeping us rapt while being entertained and educated. A perfect bookclub read!

North American Indian by Curtis, Volume 8, $22,000

Here is what a single volume of the original set looks like and can be yours for a little fortune:

https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/more-furniture-collectibles/collectibles-curiosities/books/north-american-indian-curtis-volume-8/id-f_12183643/











While researching where a set of the books may be found now, I discovered this  very interesting list of Curtis papers on the Online Archive of California:

https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8v69nrg/entire_text/

self-portrait, E. Curtis

Also, please enjoy this article from the Smithsonian and especially the four minute film embedded:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/edward-curtis-epic-project-to-photograph-native-americans-162523282/

Painting by Ojibwe artist Jim Denomie characterizes Edward Curtis as a paparazzi figure.

Finally, here is a great article, "A Critical Understanding of Edward Curtis's Photos of Native American Culture", inspired by the massive 2017 installation at the Muskegon Museum of Art displaying Edward Curtis’s entire ethnographic survey of surviving Native American culture at the turn of the 20th century. Again, an interesting take on the work and great pictures, of course, including the one above.

https://hyperallergic.com/383706/a-critical-understanding-of-edward-curtiss-photos-of-native-american-culture/


We missed Trudy very much and despite being down and out with the flu, she managed to send us suggestions for an upcoming read:

"Becoming" by Michelle Obama

"Theses Truths: A History of the U.S."  by Jill LePore

"The Immortalists" by Chloe Benjamin *chosen

Up next: Barbara Kingsolver's "Unsheltered"

Happy reading!
LK

January 2019 Bookclub Newsletter

Close, but not us. Yet.

A young Tara Westover

Dear Bookclub,

Arranged around a corner table at The Barrel Room, our discussion of Tara Westover's "Educated" was an agreeable matching of sentiment and comprehension; well-liked with a good dose of being appalled, having admiration for the successes despite the circumstances, and a dash of skepticism.

  Promising to share the links I'd found regarding the oil business 

and the family's reaction to Tara's book, please enjoy:

https://butterflyexpress.shop/

https://butterflyexpressions.net/2017/07/14/getting-know-essential-oils-constituents/ 

Logan Utah's Herald Journal News, February 23, 2018

'Educated' should be read with grain of salt, says family's attorney:

https://www.hjnews.com/allaccess/educated-should-be-read-with-grain-of-salt-says-family/article_0583f217-6fd2-51de-a891-9ca32adb589c.html

Suggested by Terry for an upcoming read:

 

"A Place for Us"   Fatima Farheen Mirza  *chosen

"Female Persuasion"  Meg Wolitzer

"Whiskey When We're Dry" John Larison

Up next:

Timothy Egan's "Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher" 

Happy reading,

LK

November/December 2018 Recap

Dear Bookclub,
Our ambitious read month was perfectly balanced with a grand gathering at Palm Springs' Avalon. Now, seemingly so long ago, our post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas jaunt elevated our holiday spirits and fortified our bond. Plied with great food and drink, we reconnected, rested, and discussed.

 A bit disappointed in Jenny D. Williams' "The Atlas of Forgotten Places", most in the group felt it dragged and was at times, not an easy read. However the setting and overall attention to Uganda and the Congo were welcomed. Kristin Hannah's "The Great Alone" was well-received and discussion centered on the different characters and how, despite being such obvious caricatures, the harsh Alaskan life delivers those kinds of people exactly. I personally had a hard time not eye-rolling as the ending unfolded yet the tears dropped down my cheeks. How does that kind of emotional hijacking occur even when you know it is coming?! Maddening!

Upcoming suggestions from Val:
"The Library" Susan Orlean *chosen
"On Sunset: A Memoir" Kathryn Harrison
"An American Marriage" Tayari Jones


Upcoming suggestions from Terrie:
"Virgil Wander" Leif Enger
"Where the Crawdads Sing" Delia Owens
"Being Mortal" Atul Gawande *chosen

Up next: Tara Westover's "Educated: A Memoir"

A distortion of reality is how Tara Westover describes her upbringing. She journeys through the pain and the truth that much of her childhood was beautiful despite the grossly abusive scenario.

"How an abused Mormon child read her way into a top university."* Westover's book begins with a statement declaring that it is not necessarily Mormonism that created her situation but that of an extremist:in this case, a fundamentalist Mormon.

*https://www.noted.co.nz/currently/profiles/how-an-abused-mormon-child-read-her-way-into-a-top-university/

And a deeply ingrained upbringing:

Tara sings a Mormon hymn:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlO_QkqQ9cE

Looking forward to our discussion.

Happy New Year reading,
LK

November/December 2018 Bookclub News

Coat of arms for Uganda

Dear Bookclub,

Ambitiously taking on discussion of both the November and December book selections in one fell swoop while on our 'girls' trip*, I decided I'd better sit up and take notice of the task at hand. "The Atlas of Forgotten Places" is described as "A moving, fictionalized account of real-life horrors in Africa" :

 xhttp://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/index.php/bookreview/the-atlas-of-forgotten-places-a-novel

My shallow googling quickly took me to Wikipedia's rundown on Uganda. And Idi Amin. Here is one of his quote's which surprisingly sounds like something that our current leader should say:

Sometimes people mistake the way I talk for what I am thinking.



I am leading us astray from Jenny  D. Williams' work and my task at hand. With Thanksgiving reality looming, I decided to load an audible of "The Atlas of Forgotten Places" only to be stopped short - it doesn't exist. I noticed upon further inspection that reviews of the book were few and a bit obscure. One really caught my attention - that of the Del Mar Times:

https://www.delmartimes.net/art/books/sd-cm-nc-globe-novel-20170622-htmlstory.html

I will read Williams' Atlas and listen to Kristen Hannah's "The Great Alone".

Hannah and her family moving to the Pacific Northwest

Please enjoy Kristin Hannah's February 2018 Newsletter Blog when her book was released:

https://kristinhannah.com/newsletter/february-2018/


Suggestions for upcoming reads:

from Val,
"The Library Book" Susan Orlean
"An American Marriage" Tayari Jones
"On Sunset"  Katheryn Harrison

from  TG.
"Virgil Wander" Leif Enger
"Where the Crawdads Sing" Delia Owens
"being Mortal" Atul Gawande


So looking forward to our upcoming trip!

Happy reading,
LK


*This somehow implies we will just be lounging around eating, drinking, talking, spa-ing, shopping, hiking, talking and talking some more. Oh yes, that's correct.

October 2018 Bookclub News

Alla Dreyvitser/The Washington Post

Dear Bookclub,
Enjoying our lunch at Piacere Mio, we happily caught up with each other and ordered yummy Italian fare before settling down to our book discussion. Jesmyn Ward's "Sing, Unburied, Sing" shook us up with the sad story of one African American family that is unfortunately, very timely and a true characterization of the complicated and ruinous environment that has evolved in Ward's deep South and beyond. Remembering Ginger's comment that she didn't care for this book, I delved into our read, curious about why she felt this way as her likes and dislikes nearly always mirror our taste. Within a few chapters, I understood: this was going nowhere good. That it was not an escape, feel-good work of entertainment was apparent within a few chapters. Necessary to Ward's art is the creation of a piece of literature that responsibly portrays the world she grew up in and still experiences today.

The above illustration for the quote below is from a Washington Post review:

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/a-powerful-new-entry-in-the-literature-of-race-in-america/2017/08/29/45cb2008-8b89-11e7-91d5-ab4e4bb76a3a_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.934db592e0a2  

'Looking out to the yard, Jojo thinks, “The branches are full. They are full with ghosts, two or three, all the way up to the top, to the feathered leaves.” '

Jesmyn Ward is interviewed by Jeffrey Brown in the PBS News Hour as her book was chosen as the first "Now Read This" selection. Only a few minutes long, she answers readers' question - all very thoughtfully crafted. I highly recommend watching this as it will enhance your appreciation for both Ward and her book.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEpKy0g9saM

Following this video, is another interview that took place in her home and town - excellent!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5E01GVW6gQ

Hoping this smattering of information will stay with you and give a deeper understanding of Jesmyn Ward, her work  and the plight she chooses to illuminate.

Trudy proposed three suggestions for an upcoming read:

"Imagine Me Gone" Adam Haslett
"An American Marriage" Tayari Jones
"Unsheltered" Barbara Kingsolver *chosen

Up next: 

Happy reading!
LK