Meeting at Jan's November 2007

Hi Ladies,
I tried to fool you and change my address, but you all found me anyway! That's OK, it was a fun evening, complete with a number of other botched date/location confessions. It made me feel much better. I enjoyed sharing our thoughts about our book Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick. Most thought that this book belonged in the same league as two of our other favorite history based books--John Adams and Team of Rivals. Barbara Ruder remarked that if more history was written like this, kids would enjoy it a lot more. We agreed that it was well researched, as evidenced by the huge "notes" and bibliography sections. The characterizations were very detailed, especially those of Benjamin Church and Miles Standish. Our very own Sara Bostock is indeed related to Benjamin Church's grandfather! The one negative consensus was that the details of the many wars in the second half of the book were too lengthy and confusing.

Our December meeting will be at The Mandarin Gourmet in Palo Alto on Wednesday, December 5th, beginning at 6:30. RSVP to Laurie Hills. The December assignment is to read something "Christmasy", your choice. Be sure to bring a festively wrapped book that you have enjoyed, complete with a short note describing why you enjoyed it and consider it a special book. Choose a book that has not been a part of our recent book club selection.
January meeting--home of Kathy Spieker (book--Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle)
February meeting--home of Bev Guichard
March meeting--home of Barb Reis
October meeting (2008) has been claimed by Barbara Ruder who will organize tables at the CAR Author Luncheon

Suggested books:

Away, by Amy Bloom
World Without End, by Ken Follet
My Sister's Keeper, by Jody Picoult
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K.Rowling

Suggested movies/plays/TV:

Golda's Balcony--Theatreworks
American Gangster
Dan In Real Time
Bee Movie (although Marcia says it's "totally anatomically incorrect"!)
KQED American Experience biographies
It Happened One Night (or current movie) at Stanford Theatre

Road trip: The Charles Schultz Museum, Santa Rosa

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving, everyone,
Jan

October notes 2007

Hi Ladies,

We had a cozy group of 7 at October’s meeting to discuss Mark Haddon’s second novel A Spot of Bother…a pleasurable read with good jokes and funny situations. While we agreed the novel read more like a tv script for a soap opera, the book was entertaining and the writing sprinkled with British-isms was comical. The plot revolves around George’s recent retirement, his wife’s infidelity and the family’s response to daughter Katie’s proposed wedding to Ray.

Although the story was a bit dark at times (George’s fear of dying, his drinking and pill-taking habits, his self mutilation when he thinks he has cancer), this romantic comedy keeps you laughing. I wouldn’t call this book literature, but we all enjoyed a diversion from our usual fare.

As in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Haddon plunges into the heart and head of his characters. We felt the characters were very realistic, and the story an honest representation of family social dynamics. “Any of us might be George Hall or his wife, Jean, or his adult children, Katie and Jamie. We have felt what they feel, thought their thoughts, glimpsed their faces in our own bathroom mirrors.” Mark Haddon’s genius at understanding the strengths and frailties of human nature may be a result of driving a school bus and teaching In a school for autistic children early on in his career. Whatever the reason – he is great at exposing the triumphs and pitfalls of relationships that bind families together.

Unlike The Curious Incident… with the very endearing autistic15-year old Christopher, it was difficult to like the characters in this novel – George, a hypochondriac father emotionally detached from just about everyone and losing his mind, daughter Katie unsure of herself, Jean a mother bored with her marriage to George and having an extramarital affair with her husband’s associate David, Jamie not at all comfortable with his homosexuality, etc. – what a cast of pathetic players! This book made you want to laugh and/or cry.


November’s book: Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick


Next meeting Wednesday, November 14 @ 7:30pm at:
Jan Kopf’s home
276 Atherton Ave.
Atherton, CA 94027
Phone: 650-327-5354 or Tahoe14605@aol.com

May 2007 Meeting at Jay's Home

Hi everyone,

Thank you to everyone who braved the country lanes of Woodside to come to my house a couple weeks ago. We had a warm and joyful time together discussing The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, among other things. And special thanks to Mary Ann who updated the list of books we’ve read over the years – you are wonderful to keep this impressive list up-to-date!

The fundamental issue underlying our discussion of The Glass Castle was whether Jeannette’s parents were mentally ill or rebels who chose to live without responsibility. We all agreed that the children’s relative normalcy (well, maybe not all of them) was a remarkable feat.

Our next meeting is on Wednesday, June 13 at Marcia’s house. Please RSVP to her. As stated in the earlier email below, we are reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

Some of the “other” discussions were about how to give advice to our adult children…
“I know you’ve already thought of this…”
Complain to yourself on voicemail and listen to it before saying something negative aloud to your children
“That’s wonderful/that’s terrible…let me know how it turns out.”

And then there was Laurie’s statement, “Someday I’m going to write a book about cowboys.” Our girl Laurie never ceases to be amazing!

Some book suggestions for the group:
Walking on Eggshells by Janes Isay
To Hell with All That by Caitlin Flanagan about stay-at-home vs. working moms
The Witch of Cologne, good summer reading
Grace (Eventually) by Annie Lamott
Eat Pray Love
Born on a Blue Day (memoir by an autistic savant)

Movie suggestions:
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (on DVD now)
Black Book about the Dutch Resistance in WWII
The Namesake

Congratulations to all the graduates in our midst!

Xxoo Jay

April 2007 meeting at Karens

Hi everyone:

First of all I would like to convey that the next meeting will be at Jay's house on May 9th,

PLEASE LET HER KNOW IF YOU WILL ATTEND IN A TIMELY FASHION....

The book we will be reading: The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. If you mention our Book Club's name at Kepler's you will get a discount, since Barbara Beattie has registered us there.

Marcia and Jan both highly recommended the book and Marcia mentioned she had heard the author speak at a fundraiser for the Shelter Network. She was very impressed by this author who donated a lot of her time for discussion and presence at a cocktail party.

About our meeting last night: 8 of us were present and it was a nice cozy evening by a fire due to the cold weather. The conversation was lively and it seemed a lot of subjects were discussed.

Regarding the book, only 2 of us had finished the book. 3 only read 1/3 and the other 3 maybe 1/2. These last 6 had not liked the book and quit reading it.... I, for one, felt I had to finish it because I was holding the meeting. I did not care for the book and found the main character a pathetic individual, and all the different happenings, coups, romances, suicides, convoluted.

Unfortunately my printers both had problems (it may have been my computor) and I couldn't print out any reviews. In general the reviews had been somewhat favorable.

The people who liked the book and had recommended it, Laurie and Barbara (Reiss) were not present. Jane who could not attend at the last minute also liked the book. Barbara Beattie had not liked the book.

My suggestion is that we could have another short discusssion at the next Book CLub to hear the viewpoints from the others who could not be here last night. Here is a belated note from Barbara Reiss:

Barbara Reis
Hi Karen,
Forgive the late notice that I will not be in attendance this month. I was
trying to make it work. It is my inlaws' 61st wedding anniversary. I wasn't
sure the family was celebrating since we had a large party last year for
them, but apparently the fun continues...

I am particularly sorry to be unable to attend because I recommended the
book. I hope it is considered worthwhile by the group. Here are some of my
thoughts:

I personally learned a great deal about Turkey as the (not-so-perfect)
bridge between East and West.
I enjoyed the ironic and largely rational Arabic voice.
I'm glad to have never spent time in Kars (means snow in Arabic) where
people seem to have nothing else to do but argue over social and religious
ideologies. Seemingly no one who is even slightly Westernized can breathe
free in this place.
I would have liked more character development. Everyone falls into one of
four categories: secularist, conformist, opportunist or radical Islamist.
Individual identities are not well forged.
I enjoyed follow-up reading on Ataturk and his secular revolution in Arab
society.
Does anyone know the history of the importance of poetry in this culture?

Will miss everyone--and the discussion!
Barb Reis

Recommendations:

Audacity of Hope by Senator Barack Obama
Made in Heaven: Bill Bryson
The Emperor's Children
Him, Her, Him Again, the end of Him, Patricia Mary
What Came Before he Shot Her, Elizabeth George
You're Wearing That? Deborah Tannen
The Lost Painting, Jonathan Harr

movies:

Lives of Others
Namesake

Netflix:
Green Fingers
Water

TV: Planet Earth!!!!on Discovery Channel, Sundays at 8:00 (check tv listings)

Who knows about downloading book on tapes throught the Peninsula Library System?

Find recipes on:

Foodnetwork.com
Epicurious.com
Cooking.com

We also had a brief discussion about Myspace and Facebook.....

This will be it, I am busy this weekend and wanted to get this off immediately. I am sorry if it is a bit short.

Until then, have a great month and enjoy the nice green spring!

Hugs, Karen

March Meeting Barb Beatties

Hello all,
Book-club was a great success with 11 members present.
Our book this month "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortensen/David Relin was very well received. There were a few hesitations in the room but we all had to agree that Greg Mortensen is a modern day hero.
It was sugggested that many great men and women in history, overcame tremendous barriers to accomplish their goals. The words entrepeneur, pioneer and American Hero were used to describe Greg Mortensen. We compared this to "A Caliphs House" by Tahir Shah mainly how different dealing in the Muslim world is. It was a great story in real time. Proof that the twists and turns of real humans trumps fiction. You cannot make this stuff up!
We missed hearing Mortensen at Keplers on February 1st. It was decided to re-join Keplers as a bookclub (Barb Reis signed us up a few years ago )so that we are assured in getting all the local info. There is no cost and if you purchase through Kepler's you receive a 15% discount. I am in the process on registering our group under the decided name."The Ladies of the Bookclub". (I have added the kepler's link below}
Other books suggested ;
Red River by Lalita Tademy
Marley and Me by John Grogan
Bee Season by Myla Goldberg (we may have already read this!)
A Year of magical Thinking by Joan Didion ( now on broadway with Vanessa Redgrave- FYI-it will be showcased on the TV show Sunday Morning next sunday on CBS)
the Book Thief by Markus Zasak
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins



We discussed more about the middle east and Iraq trying hard not to fall into political pitfalls.
Karen suggested THE END OF IRAQ BY PETER GALBRAITH.
This as a good read into understanding the reality of civil war in Iraq and that Baghdad might possibly need to be walled, as Berlin was after WW2.

My notes get a little sketchy here...but I do believe that next months meeting is at Karen Perlroth's

phone #851-8184
kperlroth@gmail.com

April 11, 2007




NEXT MONTHS SELECTION IS ;

keplers site is to the right.


SNOW BY ORHAN PAMUK