September 2021 Bookclub News

 

Dear Bookclub,

Like a good neighbor, The Barrel Room accommodated our group for a nice outdoor lunch while we discussed Sarah Langan's "Good Neighbors". But unlike the folks of Maple Street, we were on stable ground, able to enjoy the comfortable weather, and endured no violence nor slanderous threats.

 

portrait of author by her father, Peter Langan

 

A trembling discomfort traveled through our presence as we voiced our thoughts and opinions about the book. Langan had obviously done a good job of upending our reading experiences. collectively agreeing that we wanted to finish the novel and travel to the other side of her creation... i.e. the end. Global warming, sink-holes, the neighbor one really doesn't 'know', cruel people, mean children, misinformed authorities, social media... the anxiety list mounts. Did I mention death?

Wanda noticed the author's jacket bio included her having an MS in environmental toxicology along with her Columbia MFA. "Mommy, when I grow up I want to be an environmental toxicologist who writes good novels". Cool or creepy.

 

Wikipedia

 

Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone",  episode 22, season 1, entitled "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" was a strong influence to Langan. Please check out the eerily similar description:

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

Val had mentioned this reference she found while researching the book. I connected her mention to what turns out to be a different episode, that I thought of immediately. Involving what I remember as people stuck in a dollhouse, it's not nearly as fitting as the true inspiration:

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

My favorite from that is the closing narration:
"The moral of what you've just seen is clear. If you drink, don't drive. And if your wife has had a couple, she shouldn't drive either. You might both just wake up with a whale of a headache in a deserted village in the Twilight Zone."

Sorry for the digression but The Twilight Zone was compelling as was "Good Neighbors" and I could probably have a memory of it in 50 years too. ***

Panopticon  - Adam Simpson

Artwork for the New York Times book review of The Panopticon, by Jenni Fagan.

 Forgetting to bring up the relevance of Rhea's obsession with the panopticon, I must include the above.

Finally, while reading the novel, I struggled to picture the sinkhole, especially the children's trek into it and the image of the dog bite. My weak research did not help but I thought it amusing:

 

 

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-69635-5_7

 Val's suggestions for an upcoming read:

 "Cloud Cuckoo Lane" Anthony Doerr

"Taste My Life Through Food" Stanley Tucci

"The Lincoln Highway" Amor Towles

"Beautiful Country" Qian Julie Wang* chosen

 

Up next:

 Happy reading,

LK

PS

***

August 2021 Bookclub News

 

We missed you Val & Ginger

 

 

 Dear Bookclub,

Indulging my request to host, I was thrilled to have our group for lunch to discuss Matt Haig's "Midnight Library". Not a regret in sight as blunders and setbacks accompanied the tableau of my purple cross-stitched and flower-strewn adorned dining table. That's just me and the optimistic execution of a menu I usually dreamily concoct.  Kumquats put back in the freezer and fresh squash cubed, and we eventually had a nice meal. Thankfully, we did not need to replay or re-live or tweak the afternoon. OR do we?

 

Generally enjoying "Midnight Library", we collectively agreed that the concept is not new and has had better executions (lots of puns there for sliders). Nora was not fun to relate to and the resolution murky. Personally, after having read it twice, I softened to the author and his intent after learning more about his history and motivation. Please delve into this Guardian article for real insight:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/jul/01/matt-haig-i-have-never-written-a-book-that-will-be-more-spoofed-or-hated

 

A few days ago, rearranging my garage freezer, I spied this:

 

yes, that is cubed squash; but was it there the morning of 8/4?

My suggestions for an upcoming read:

“The Mathematician’s Shiva” Stuart Rojstaczer

“Finding the Mother Tree” Suzanne Simard

“The Doctors Blackwell” Janice P NImura *chosen

Up next:

Happy reading,

LK

July 2021 Bookclub News

 

https://www.kpbs.org/podcasts/kpbs-roundtable/2021/jun/25/coronado-coach-fired-following-racist-postgame-inc/

 

Dear Bookclub,

Terry's trepidation about her suggestion, our July read, Douglas Murray's "The Madness of Crowds" dissipated as we eagerly expressed our gratitude for the enlightenment. As our heads and hearts swirled while we recounted the various examples and themes, the question of how to move forward with this knowledge emerged. Education, balanced sensitivity, a mindful awareness were mentioned. Agreeing that the internet stirs the insanity, the recent CIF basketball-tortilla-throwing incident that happened in our own little SD, just won't go away (see above). The link above is weeks old and new developments seem to crop up daily. Horrible behavior from the coach, a competition rife with tension and the aftermath is off to the madness of crowds.

Gleefully gathering at Vintana's

Douglas Murray's reading of "The Madness of Crowds" was a great listen.

  'cnn TROvesee*

 

Listening to the content, I found many pronunciations distracting. Generally, charmed by the author's accent, some moments had me sidelined by odd sounding words that, upon delayed processing, became clear and I could move on. But a lingering inner conversation had me wondering, is this speaker so ignorant? How could I harshly judge this intellect that was teeming with insight based on something as innocuous as accent? A constant in daily interpretation: listening and absorbing but with judgement....is this a madness or an anthropological hangnail? 'Covid' sounded like 'comet'; *controversy, a word surely used more than any other, screeched. Yet, how could I pause to waste any energy in judgement. What a glaring example of the obvious. Be kind. Just try to understand the message, I reminded myself. More on speech and judgement (a short and thoughtful piece):

http://linguaeast.com/dont-judge-others-based-on-their-speech/

To hear an excellent interview of Murray by Peter Robinson on the continuing fight against "The Madness of Crowds" please enjoy this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lp4XhZytdD0

I especially appreciated his point of the wasted time and resources into the misguided energy.

Trudy's recommendations for an upcoming read:

"Great Circle" Maggie Shipstead *chosen

"The Tipping Point" Malcolm Gladwell

"The Last Bookshop in London" Madeline Martin

Our luncheon was topped with the gripping suspense of Val's decision: would she bring Jim a new car or leftover lunch?

Jim enjoyed the burger.

Up next:

Read and Be Kind,

LK

May 2021 Bookclub News

 

 Dear Bookclub,

Perched on tall chairs around a long, highly-polished slice of tree, Cafe Luna served us a delicious lunch while we discussed Robert Kolker's "Hidden Valley Road".  Lunatic, derived from luna, the moon, historically referred to those made crazy by the moon and later characterized clinically insane people. How appropriate to meet at said cafe although I cannot recall any specific mention of lunacy in this account of a family's experience with schizophrenia. Disappointed that scientific work and understanding of the condition is slow in development, due to drug companies' lagging motivations and the mysterious nature of the disease, at least compassionately identifying a sufferer with a diagnosis and not a 'crazy' label has evolved.

Feeding our curiosity, Kolker did a fine job documenting the Galvins' tragic journey while presenting the state of research and treatment for the disease. We marveled at the family dynamics and debated the role of genes and parental behavior. Casual disregard by Pfizer for Lynn DeLisi's genetic study research shocked but we accepted as plausible. What a mess.

Lynn DeLisi

 

While reading "Hidden Valley Road" I was struck by seeing psychosis everywhere... schizophrenia affects about 1% of the population  - 2.6 million American adults. Seemingly at every turn, my command, "'Alexa' play 'Hidden Brain'" yielded this odd story:

(Make a cup of tea and pretty-please, check these out.)

 https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/the-fake-bride/

Which reminds me of a long time favorite "This American Life" podcast about two desperate siblings creating a family to babysit as a means of escaping their overbearing mother:

 https://www.thisamericanlife.org/175/babysitting/act-three-0

There is no evidence that either of these stories were about schizophrenics, which is kind of the point. 

Wanda's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"Next Year in Havana" Chanel Cleeton

"Empire of Pain" Patrick Radden Keefe *chosen

"The Mountains Sing" Nguyen Phan Que Mai

Up next:

Heedful reading,

LK

April 2021 Bookclub

 

 

 

 Dear Bookclub,

Gleefully converging on the Veranda, we were in full force to continue our bookclub magic in person. Taking command of a highly appropriate round table under the ideal Southern California sky, our discussion of Laila Lalami's "The Other Americans" was the second act to our catching-up performance.

Time moving forward through a pandemic does not pause for exceptional personal events and our roundtable had much to share, both joyous and heart-breaking. Strengthened by our elbow-to-elbow chain  of conversation, appreciation of our gathering graced our sisterhood. 

Book-chat, our cornerstone goes on. As each member presented her thoughts on Lalami's novel, an unfolding of perspectives mirrored the multiple angles of the book's characters and events. Thoughts and opinions included the book being too broad, unfocused, unlikable, brilliant brushing, insightful, well-written and clever.

Being familiar with Twentynine Palms and the surrounding area brought an easiness to picturing much of the book's settings. Morocco's political scene and the surprise, to me, that this family had emigrated from there was less familiar. To surmise a quick google education, from Wikipedia:

"Upon the death of Mohammed V, Hassan II became King of Morocco on 3 March 1961. Morocco held its first general elections in 1963. However, Hassan declared a state of emergency and suspended parliament in 1965. In 1971, there was a failed attempt to depose the king and establish a republic. A truth commission set up in 2005 to investigate human rights abuses during his reign confirmed nearly 10,000 cases, ranging from death in detention to forced exile. Some 592 people were recorded killed during Hassan's rule according to the truth commission."

What a beautiful place to leave:

Ginger's suggestions for an upcoming read:

        "The Island of Sea Women" Lisa See

        "Deacon King Kong" James McBride

        "How Beautiful We Were" Imbolo Mbue

        "The Beekeeper of Aleppo" Christy Lefteri *chosen

 

Up Next:

 

 

Happy reading,

LK

 
 

March 2021 Bookclub News

 

 

 

Susanna, Hamnet and Judith

Dear Bookclub,

Gratefully escaping 2021 by novel into 1580, Maggie O'Farrell's "Hamnet" stirred the Shakespeare, the plague, and the fright of losing a child in our collective reading experience. Agreeing that "Hamnet" was a beautifully written portrait of the blossoming and breaking of a family, a notorious one at that, we enjoyed discussing the many facets imagined. TG noted that the demise was drawn out, dragging...  reminding me of the moment, halfway through, when I realized this work was just about that: the demise.

 

Eloquently composing the essence of the home, the relationships, twins, helplessness and the countryside, O'Farrell's skill with her tale gave our imaginations a deep, rich journey. Shakespeare, never named yet ever present, widened our eyes to his passion, as he developed from the glover's son via the Latin tutor, the husband and father and most powerfully, the playwright.

 

O'Farrell's illuminating that there is no naming of a twin's position when their match has died, was a flash of understanding that the loss and accompanying pain would never fully fade. Agnes was a favorite character,  the Falconer, an ethereal yet believable heroine. The creative effort O'Farrell put forth was much appreciated. The ending, we thought, well-done.

 

I know if we could have, we would have really enjoyed seeing this. The best review/convincing position is that "It's only an hour long!" Just can't really explain but please check out the link and share your thoughts:

https://artsemerson.org/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=22165849-2C8E-437B-9E26-54EEF8195190#top

and more credibly:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/theater/hamnet-review-dead-centre.html?auth=login-email&login=email  

 

Canadian

 Another head scratcher is the book, "Hamnet and Judith". I believe it is just a different title for the same work published in other countries:

Or "Judith and Hamnet":

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terrie's suggestions for an upcoming read:

 "The Good Neighbors" Sarah Langan* (chosen)

"The Vanishing Half" Brit Bennett

"The Children's Blizzard" Melanie Benjamin

Up Next:

 

 

Happy reading,

LK

February 2021 Bookclub News

 

https://kaleela.com/palate-pleasing-palestinian-traditional-meals/

Dear Bookclub,

IF, If, if, if, if, if we could be together, we would surely have been sharing Palestinian food while discussing Etaf Rum's, " A Woman is no Man". I may have been grumpy if it were me preparing it though, as food, a hugely descriptive element in Rum's novel, represented both the distinct culture and the drudgery performed by the women. Finding the women bound in hard menial work lent to my grumpiness as the oppressed characters devolved and the depressive tone was masterfully transmitted to this reader's demeanor.

Collectively embracing the book's power, we discussed the complicated situation of the horrendous patriarchal oppression and violence coupled with the newly appreciated history of the cultural upheaval brought about from the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.

Nakba 1948 Palestine - Jaramana Refugee Camp, Damascus, Syria/ Wikipedia

The following article, dated April 2020, states that 11 Palestinian women have been killed, victims of domestic abuse so far that year;  five since the coronavirus lockdown (only weeks at that point):

 

Demonstrators hold signs during a protest demanding legal protection for women, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank [File: Mohamad Torokman/Reuters]

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/4/20/domestic-abuse-against-palestinian-women-soars

Please read about "The Ongoing Struggle of Palestinian Women":

https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/op-ed/the-ongoing-struggle-of-palestinian-women

NC Bookwatch interview by DG Martin

 

Etaf's novel is a bit autobiographical, as she had an arranged marriage; both her parents and her husband's parents were refugees from the camps. Here is a very telling interview, excellent and worth listening to if you are interested in the motivation and development of her work:

https://www.pbs.org/video/etaf-rum-a-woman-is-no-man-e7usip/

 

..and a shorter interview with Jenna Bush Hager's book club, also good (and has Rum touch on the ending):

https://www.today.com/video/-readwithjenna-a-woman-is-no-man-author-etaf-rum-chats-on-today-60564549725 

https://booksandbeanscoffee.com/ 

Finally, I wanted to check out Books and Beans, the bookstore in the novel.  Actually Etaf's bookstore, as mentioned in the first interview above, is named the same in her North Carolina town (follow it on Instagram: @booksandbeans), I also discovered Etaf is married to a 'local boy', a very heart-warming turn in her journey. Together they have three businesses including the bookstore. Please enjoy the article from a Spring 2020 issue of what looks like a wedding magazine, "Charm":

The short and sweet article can be found if you page through the online edition to pages 6-7:

https://issuu.com/cookecommunicationsnc/docs/charm_spring_2020

Val's suggestions for an upcoming read:

"The Midnight Library" Matt Haig* (chosen)

"The Four Winds" Kristin Hannah

"Whereabouts"  Jhumpa Lahiri

Up next:

 

Happy reading,

LK