Happy New Year



The books we read in 2010…

• November 2010 - Shanghai Girls, Lisa See
• October 2010 - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson
• September 2010 - Look Again, Lisa Scottoline
• August 2010 - Last Days of Summer, Steve Kluger
• July 2010 - The Help, Kathryn Stockett
• June 2010 - The Wednesday Letters, Jason F. Wright
• May 2010 - Sarah's Key, Tatiana de Rosnay
• April 2010 - Ella Minnow Pea, Mark Dunn

Looking forward to starting our second year of the Books ‘n’ Wine Club with more fantastic authors and their novels.  See you all at Ellen’s in January 2011!!!!!!!!!

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

Seeing how Christmas is about the joy and wonder of believing I offer up some children's classics....

Twas the Night Before Christmas...who doesn't know this classic poem by Clement Moore.  So many illustrators have put put their artistic impression on Moore's poem but none do it better than Jan Brett!  Brett offers other winter classics such as The Mitten and Gingerbread Baby. Her website is something to check out as well.  She has some beautiful coloring pages to keep the kids busy! 

The Caldecott Winner is just that...a classic for the young and old.  Curl up by the fireplace and read this one as a family.  I hear the bell...do you?

Happy Hanukkah

Wishing you all Happy Hanukkah.

 

Learn more about this Jewish holiday also known as the Festival of Lights here.

I can’t resist recommending one of my favorite children’s authors, Patricia Polacco, and her book The Tree of the Dancing Goat.

Trisha and Richard's grandparents, who are from the Ukraine and Soviet Russia, and their mother are living on a farm in the 1930s. They are enjoying their own Hanukkah preparations when they discover their Christian neighbors are too sick to cut and decorate their Christmas trees. They do it for them. Their neighbors thank them with a carved menorah. This heartwarming tale by Patricia Polacco is a family favorite.

The Wednesday Sisters

Dear Books ‘n’ Wine Club,

Starting off the New Year of 2011 will be The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton.

 

Five young mothers become friends at the local park in Palo Alto, California sharing the commonality of children and the love of literature.  As Frankie, Linda, Kath, Ally, and Brett meet to watch the Miss America Pageant the idea of the Wednesday Sisters Writing Society is conceived.  It is the late 1960’s and the world is changing:  the Vietnam War, the race to the moon and the women’s movement.  For Frankie, Linda, Kath, Ally, and Brett their personal worlds are also unfolding.  Follow the Wednesday Sisters as they discover things about each other, themselves and the world around them. 
 
Before reading get inspired by viewing the 'trailer' for the book.  Clayton’s Website has a plethora of wonderful information – here you will find out the inspiration behind The Wednesday Sisters, reader guides, and much more.

Given the setting we pay tribute to California and its many vineyards. Today, the California wine industry is one among the finest in the world. It contributes to around 90% of total U.S. wine production. The industry boasts approximately 2,445 wineries, which produce more than 500 million gallons of wines every year. Chardonnay is the largest grown variety, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and White Zinfandel.  Click here to learn more about California’s wine industry. 

Happy Reading,

Jennifer

November Meeting Notes

Dear Books ‘n’ Wine Club,

Many thanks to Karin for hosting a fantastic meeting. Karin treated us to a wonderful meal of Lo Mein, stir fry broccoli, egg rolls and pineapple complete with chop sticks and zodiac placemats. We loved the bird nest dessert and chocolate trifle…Yummy! Oh and let’s not forget the fortune cookies and mints!

On to the meeting…

We send our love to Allison who was missed…our thoughts are with her and Tom.

We raised our glasses to toast a successful first year of the Books ‘n’ Wine Club. Thanks to Ellen for getting this group off the ground…we have thoroughly enjoyed each other’s thoughts on literature along with wonderful food and wine.

It was decided that in the New Year we resolve to spend more time discussing the book!!!!!!!

Congratulations to Ellen and her family. Grandson, Ari, arrived last week and he is a cutie.

Our discussions on Shanghai Girls were thought provoking. Karin provided us with quotes from the book inside our fortune cookies. Unfortunately, we got off topic and failed to discuss them all. Sara shared her quote…”Her funeral was small. After all she was not a person of importance, rather just a wife and mother.” Pearl stated this after Yen Yen’s passing. Early on Pearl says “I am not a person of importance.” This got us discussing Pearl’s lack of self confidence. From early on Pearl didn’t think of herself as beautiful or worthy. She felt unloved by her father. Even though she was a ‘beautiful girl’ she never felt pretty but rather left that to May. We didn’t really get to talk about Z.G. and his role, but rumblings at the table were we didn’t like the man.

A majority of our discussion centered on Pearl and May and this sister relationship. Many lacked sympathy for May as her character was self absorbed, shallow, and thoughtless. Marrie pointed out that her only redemption came when she pushed Pearl in the wheel barrow to the hospital. Even though May had given up her daughter to Pearl it was more self serving than a gift. This led our topic to Joy and the lack of bonding between mother and child. Pearl took her mother role seriously and May was the ‘fun’ aunt. Pearl and May’s relationship with Joy was not unlike the roles they had established for themselves. Pearl… caregiver, worker and provider. May…carefree, self-centered, and egocentric.

Sam’s suicide took us by surprise. Charli thought both Pearl and Sam might commit suicide, but Susan thought Pearl was stronger than Sam.

Charli eagerly waited for Vern to ‘just die already’. Like many of us we tired of Pearl being the caregiver to May’s husband the child like man along with taking care of Old Man Louie, Yen Yen, Sam, Joy, and working at the various family businesses.

Ellen brought up the contrasting positions of status the sisters held in Shanghai vs. California. How, despite the year of hell, the sister’s expectations were of a high standard when they arrived to their arranged husbands. What a shock to learn they were not the rich family they had dreamed of. Both Pearl and May had to deal with being minorities in a new country. We discussed Angle Island and the lengthy immigration process.

Overall, the group agreed we enjoyed this book especially for its culture and historical perspective. We even wondered if there might be a sequel. From an interview with Lisa See came this: “Yes, I’m writing a sequel. I don’t feel done with the characters, but more important they aren’t done with me. This one will take place almost entirely in Shanghai between 1957 and 1961. Those are kind of neglected or lost years that most writers have ignored, and I’m always interested in stories that have been lost, forgotten, or deliberately covered up. Once again I’ll be looking at art, sisters, and history.”

Our next meeting will take place at Ellen’s to discuss The Wednesday Sisters.

Thanks for a great first year ladies and here’s to many more great book club meetings.

Best,
Jennifer

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Given this holiday’s main focus is glorious food….we pay tribute to the cookbook. 

Here’s to Fanny Farmer...

and the Joy of Cooking...

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Movie Night

Susan has just informed me that the release date for the movie version of The Help is set for Friday, August 12^th.  Let’s plan a field trip to the theater that night!

                                            

History of Foot Binding

I was very curious to learn more about foot binding.  I've often seen lotus shoes in museums but could never quite figure things out. You can learn more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footbinding  and http://www.angelfire.com/ca/beekeeper/foot.html



Yikes!! 




I was also very curious to learn about "beautiful girls" and advertising. Here are a few examples




\

Shanghai Girls

Dear Books ‘n’ Wine Club,

Break out your cheongsam as we get ready to read Lisa See’s historical fiction, Shanghai Girls.


The name "cheongsam", meaning simply "long dress", entered the English vocabulary from the dialect of China's Guangdong Province (Cantonese). In other parts of the country including Beijing, however, it is known as "qipao". 

Pearl and May are sisters who live a life of luxury in 1930’s Shanghai otherwise known as the Paris of Asia. However, certain events lead them on a life changing journey. To prepare for our next meeting you can find the Reader’s Guide here.

"Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there." ~Amy Li

Click on the history link of the Angel Island Immigration Stations Foundation’s Website to learn more about the immigration process on the west coast.

Meet Lisa See in this YouTube interview in which she discusses Shanghai Girls and her own heritage.

What is your Chinese Zodiac sign?

Click here to learn more about your sign.


Let’s not forget the jiu. “In Chinese the word for alcohol "jiu" is used to mean all types of alcoholic beverages, from 'pijiu' (beer) to liquors (just called 'jiu') to grape wine ('putao jiu'). The same character is used in Japanese and Korean, for that matter. This lumping together of all intoxicating beverages gives us great insight into the traditional use for alcohol, intoxication. Even in modern China alcoholic beverages are generally classed by the general population by how much intoxication it delivers for the money. From this point of view table wine is at the bottom rung of the consumer preference list, with brandy being much higher.” (Source: http://www.shanghaifinance.com/food/chinesewine.php).

Looking forward to seeing you all at our next meeting and discussing Karin’s selection!

Happy Reading,

October Meeting Notes

Dear more mature and wise Books ‘n’ Wine,

Many thanks to Susan for hosting a wonderful fall evening. The Swedish meatballs and healthy green beans were fantastic. And who didn’t like the more figure friendly chocolate cake? Gotta love those Weight Watchers recipes!

We missed Sarah, who was away on business. We also missed Allison. Our hearts and minds are with her at this time of deep sorrow.

On to the book….

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo proved to be worthy of many interesting discussions. It was agreed that if Susan had not warned us that the beginning was insanely boring we all may have never finished the book in time. Despite the financial industry overload and somewhat excessive scene settings the book built suspense. Susan has even just finished The Girl with Who Played with Fire and I believe many of us plan to forge ahead with the Larsson trilogy.

Certainly the character that carries this book is Lisabeth. Obviously readers are curious about this antisocial and extremely complex individual. We discussed the disturbing scene of Lisabeth’s revenge on her guardian, Bjurman. The group agreed that Lisabeth was forced take control of the situation and that a violent act was the only way to get her point across. It was agreed that Lisabeth probably has Aspergers as it was suggested in the book by Mikael.

Coffee, cigarettes and lots of sex! Mikael’s sex life from one character to the next took some time to hash out. He hopped from Erika’s bed, to Cecilia’s to Lisabeth’s. Man that man was one James Bond! Many of the book’s sex scenes involve rape. In addition the author provides the reader with the sex crime statistics at the beginning of chapters. Was Larsson trying to promote a social cause? Certainly his antagonist characters all assert violence against women. Swedish men are no more violent towards women than any other country, however, it is easier for men to get away with it due to laws and less help is provided to women. Perhaps Larsson was trying to help women bring more focus for the need of more support groups, shelters and stronger laws regarding violence against women.

We talked about the language and the translation of some words was a challenge for many. Swedish words that had no translations were intermixed. Ellen challenged us to look for Horngatspuckeln (shopping area), Walpurgis Night (spring festival) and Snickerifbrik (joinery store/woodworking). No one seems troubled with the many f-bombs dispersed throughout the book.

It was agreed that Harriet was justified in killing her father. However, did Harriet have a moral obligation of society to make sure Martin (brother) never did to others what he had done to her? Lisabeth even expresses anger when she states if Harriet had done something in 1966 Martin Vanger couldn’t have kept killing and raping for thirty-seven years.

Although we covered a few additional items, with its multi-plot lines we could have continued to discuss this book well into the night. I do leave you with one more question: “Congratulations, You’ve managed to corrupt me” says Mikael to Henrik. Do you think Mikael should have published the truth about the Vanger family? Is Mikael corrupt or just as bad as them for burying the story?

Karin shared some insight into the movie version last night. Although not a habit of hers to watch the movie before reading, it was interesting to hear some of the comparisons and differences. Break out the popcorn!

Coming up next month is Shanghai Girls at Karin’s house. I also remind you to save the dates of December 3rd (Jenn’s ornament party) and December 19th (Tentative date for Ellen’s cookie swap).

Cheers,
Jennifer

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Finished the book - don't want to discuss on the blog before we have our monthly meeting - but I do want to issue a challenge to our members.  How many words can you find that you absolutely have no idea what the meaning is? :) I will start the list with the following:

Horngatspuckeln
Walpurgis Night
Snickerifabrik


See you all on the 25th   - Ellen

"Here's to the corkscrew - a useful key to unlock the storehouse of wit, the treasury of laughter,
the front door of fellowship, and the gate of pleasant folly."-W.E.P. French

January 2011 Book Choices

Ok - given this some thought- leaning more towards a classic - but a modern classic.  Here are some choices to mull over.

Harry Potter - book 1
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
To Kill a Mockingbird

Let me know your thoughts

Ellen (aka Heidi)

Author Updates

Books ‘n’ Wine Club,

Karin had mentioned that she ran across Tatiana de Rosnay’s newest book. This got me thinking about the other authors we have read. So, here is an update on those authors we have covered this year.

Mark Dunn has a recent new release entitled Under the Harrow. From Amazon.com: “What if Charles Dickens had written a 21st century thriller? Welcome to Dingley Dell. The Encyclopedia Britannica (Ninth Edition), a King James Bible, a world atlas, and a complete set of the novels of Charles Dickens are the only books left to the orphans of Dingley Dell when the clandestine anthropological experiment begins. From these, they develop their own society, steeped in Victorian tradition and the values of a Dickensian world. For over a century Dinglians live out this semi-idyllic and anachronistic existence, aided only by minimal trade with the supposedly plague-ridden Outland. But these days are quickly coming to an end. The experiment, which has evolved into a lucrative voyeuristic peep-box for millionaires and their billionaire descendants, has run its course. Dingley Dell must be totally expunged, and with it, all trace of the thousands of neo-Victorians who live there. A few Dinglians learn the secret of both their manipulated past and their doomed future, and this small, motley crew of Dickensian innocents must race the clock to save their countrymen and themselves from mass annihilation.”
Should Ellen pick this one to start us off for 2011? Don’t forget to vote…she needs your help!

Tatiana de Rosnay has a new book out, A Secret Kept. From Publisher’s Weekly: “The long-delayed resolution of a French family's mystery electrifies de Rosnay's (Sarah's Key) glimpse at the crushing cost of keeping secrets. Parisian architect Antoine Rey and his sister, Mélanie, celebrate her 40th birthday on the island where they vacationed as children with their mother, until she died there in 1974. Upon returning, Mélanie is gripped by a shocking repressed memory and loses control of the car. After a brief spell of amnesia, she tells her brother what it was she remembered: their mother had been in love with a woman. As a skeptical Antoine investigates this twist in their mother's past, an upsetting chain of events unfurls: his daughter's best friend drops dead of a heart condition at only 14 years of age; his teenage son is arrested; and he learns that his father is dying of cancer. Antoine gets support in his quest from a new lover, a Harley-riding mortician who teaches him how respecting death helps one to embrace life. This perceptive portrait of a middle-aged man's delayed coming-of-age rates as a seductive, suspenseful, and trés formidable keeper.”

From Jason F. Wright, The Seventeen Second Miracle. From Amazon.com: “Seventeen seconds can change a life forever. This is what Rex Connor learned on a gorgeous summer afternoon in 1970 when, as a lifeguard, he diverted his gaze for seventeen seconds and tragedy occurred. Forty years later the waves of that day still ripple through the lives of countless people, including his son, Cole. Cole Connor has become a patient teacher, and now he has invited three struggling teenagers to visit him on his front porch to learn about Rex Connor-and the Seventeen Second Miracle. Together they will learn how Rex Connor could have allowed seventeen seconds to destroy him, but instead he chose to live every day believing the smallest of acts could change the world for good. And the students, each with their own secrets and private pains, will begin to understand that even tragedy brings lessons. Even pain brings comfort. Even death brings miracles. A seventeen second miracle can change a life-if you let it.”

Kathryn Stockett has yet to release her second novel, however, The Help is set to become a motion picture with a release date of April 2011. A topped billed cast includes: Emma Stone (Skeeter), Bryce Dallas Howard (Hilly), Allison Janney (Charlotte), Viola Davis (Aibileen), Sissy Spacek (Miss Walters), Octavia Spencer (Minny), and Cicely Tyson (Constatine). We will have to plan an evening to attend the premiere!

Steve Kluger has yet to have any recent new releases. His young adult novels have gone to reprint, which is always a good sign for an author. Kluger has broken into the YA (young adult) scene with Almost Like Being in Love and My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park.

Lisa Scottoline is pumping out novels with her latest being Think Twice. From Publisher’s Weekly: “Bestseller Scottoline's 13th novel centered on the all-female Philadelphia law firm headed by Bennie Rosato (after Lady Killer) offers contrived situations and paper-thin characters on top of a premise that strains credibility. After Bennie's evil identical twin sister, Alice Connelly, drugs her and leaves her to die, buried in a remote farm field, Alice takes advantage of her physical resemblance to Bennie to assume her identity at the law firm as well as gain access to her wealth and, eventually, her ex-boyfriend. Many will wonder why the ruthless Alice didn't kill Bennie outright, leaving open the possibility that her victim will escape and attempt to foil her scheme. With authors like Lisa Unger proving that intelligent plotting and page-turning aren't incompatible, this tired effort is unlikely to win Scottoline new converts.”

As you know Stieg Larsson’s trilogy will be all we are left with because of his untimely death. So after you read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo run out and get the other two books, The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest and The Girl who Played with Fire.

Lisa See is a prolific writer and we will have to await her next novel as Shanghai Girls is her latest piece. If you have yet to read all of her work you may be interested in The Red Princess Mysteries which includes: The Flower Net, The Interior and Dragon Bones. Her other novels include: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan as well as Peony in Love. Interesting to note, See has two pieces of nonfiction: On Gold Mountain: The 100 Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family and 365 Days in China.

I hope you all have enjoyed the updates and I look forward to new authors and their novels in 2011.
Ellen, you better get picking!

Cheers,
Jenn

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Dear Books ‘n’ Wine Club,

Our next novel, chosen by Susan, is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

In my Internet travels I found two reading guides. Check them out here and here.

Published in Sweden in 2005 the original title was Men Who Hate Women. When translated it was given the title The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Which title better suits this action packed mystery thriller? Given the strong underlying themes of feminism and misogyny maybe the title should have been kept the same?

Researching Larsson proved difficult. From Random House this short biography is given: “Stieg Larsson, who lived in Sweden, was the editor in chief of the magazine Expo and a leading expert on antidemocratic right-wing extremist and Nazi organizations. He died in 2004, shortly after delivering the manuscripts for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.” He had a long time companion, Eva Gabrielsson, for 32 years, however, they never married. Given his untimely death in 2004 as a result of a heart attack, a legal mess between Gabrielsson and Larsson’s family now ensues. An interesting clip from ABC Nightline News sheds more light on Eva and the rumored fourth book! Larsson’s own life was full of intrigue and the saga still continues even after his passing.
 
If you are so inclined to know more about Larsson….Barry Forshaw, author of The Man Who Left Too Soon discusses in these YouTube clips Larsson’s biography and the Millennium Trilogy:  Clip 1, Clip 2, and Clip 3.  Forshaw is the first to publish one of now many biographies on Larsson’s life.
 
Then there is the movie! From the LA Times: “The late Stieg Larsson’s worldwide bestseller “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” is now so popular that it’s going to be made into a Hollywood movie — even though a hit foreign-language film already exists. The Swedish version stars Michael Nyqvist as an investigative journalist looking into a decades-old missing-person case with the help of a brooding, punky computer whiz (played by Noomi Rapace). It’s a grim, foreboding piece of work, but faithful to the novel and effectively gripping. The DVD and Blu-ray include interviews with Rapace and director Niels Arden Oplev.” Shall we plan a movie night? In fact, most of the books we have read have movies or are in the stages of being produced! Can you say…”Pass the Popcorn!”.


Oh, one last thing. What to do with all those corks from the many bottles we consume? A go green idea….

I look forward to discussing this mystery thriller with you all next month.

Until then, happy reading!
Jennifer

September Meeting Notes

Dear Books ‘n’ Wine,


Thank you to Sara for hosting another lovely evening. We enjoyed delectable custom pizzas and a healthy salad…yummy! We missed Allison, but know her presence was need elsewhere. We send our best to Allison’s neighbors.

The evening’s discussion centered on Ellen’s new arrival. We agree Birdie is so sweet and adorable.
                                      
Susan had to make a quick return home and Sara armed her with a mega flashlight which served a dual purpose as she made her way through the backyards. We chatted about neighbors and children once again. We also learned that should anyone be having a random drug test than the poppy seed dressing will alter the results! Marrie shared with the large group the fascinating history of her home. I told you in my last post it was a whopper of a story. Marrie will try to print out some on the home’s history from the library to share next time. We agreed that at this time we would not invite any other members to the book club. Also, there will be no hostess gifts allowed. Wine will not be considered a hostess gift rather a contribution to the evening and should be opened and consumed by the bearer.

Now onto the book….
We agreed that this thriller was thought provoking in terms of questioning our own moral judgment. It was agreed that the book was faced paced with extremely short chapters. We were disappointed in the lack of character development. I wondered why even introduce the character of Courtney, only to write her off in the first few chapter. Susan saw the kitchen scene coming, although most of us agreed this was a ‘surprise’. Marrie questioned the bad guy’s shot gun, and decided her weapon of choice would be the less obvious and easier to conceal, pistol. Karin felt that when Ellen went to Florida to ‘stalk’ Carol and Bill was creepy and we couldn’t agree more with her. Marrie felt if the author mentioned the missing child card that came in the mail, yet once again, she was going to scream! We discussed whether or not Ellen’s hand was forced by Sara. Our Ellen thought that the character Ellen (did you notice that some group members have the same character names…) forced her own hand by creating the situation herself, which is by starting the investigation in the first place. Yup, yet again, Charli cried. The quote of the night goes to Susan….”I threw my back out reading this book.”

Our next meeting will be at Susan’s to discuss the hot mystery thriller, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Happy Reading,
Jennifer

Libraries Run By Private Companies?????

In recent years we have all come to hear about municipalities outsourcing in order to save money.  Many schools have come to outsource its janitorial services, ours being one of them.  Public libraries are funded by public money (namely taxes) and are run by government employees (who are on pensions). So what do you think about privatizing libraries?  Some failing cities have gone this route in order to save their libraries.  However, this article explores a fairly healthy community, Santa Clarita in California, who has hired Library Systems and Services to run its library.  Given the fact that we are avid readers, who often seek the support of the library, what are your thoughts on this matter? 

Luau 2010

Another great party at the Johnson's yesterday.  Luau 2010 served up great food, potent drinks and fantastic band.  Spied a few book club members.....

Look Again

Dear Books ‘n’ Wine Club,

Our next book up for discussion is Look Again by Lisa Scottoline. On the author’s website you’ll find some interesting discussion questions (you’ll need to scroll down).

In this YouTube clip Lisa Scottoline chats about Look Again on the Comcast Network’s “It’s Your Call with Lynn Doyle”.

This book got me thinking about values, morals and ethics. What’s the difference? Values are rules. Morals are how we judge others. Ethics are professional standards. Read more here.

Also, this got me thinking about Kohlberg’s Moral Stages of Development. If you need a go back to psychology class go here for a refresher.

This book delves into the topic of open adoptions as opposed to a closed adoption. Go here to learn more about the pros and cons.

“I love everything that’s old: old friends, old times, old manners, old books, old wine.”
~Oliver Goldsmith from the comedy, She Stoops to Conquer

Looking forward to seeing you all soon.
Happy Reading,
Jennifer

August Meeting Notes

Dear Books ‘n’ Wine Club,


Thank you to Marrie for another wonderful book group meeting. We so enjoyed visiting her beautiful home; the surrounding pastoral land is so peaceful (love the wild turkeys). We thank her husband for grilling up some baseball fare of hot dogs and sausage, served along with a wonderful potato salad and beans.

You will all be disappointed to know that because there were so many side conversations going on that I am going to refrain from trying to summarize them all. Although I must add that Marrie shared some fascinating and intriguing information on the history of her home! If you didn’t get in on this conversation you must ask her about it the next time you see her.

Many thanks to Sara for leading the icebreaker game; it was fun learning new facts about each other. See if you can remember: Who has been married for 32 years? Who left Ohio and hasn’t looked back? Who has a gray cat? Who is one of 7? Who married their husband after 4 months? Who lived in Ireland for two years? Who likes to hike? Whose middle name is Louis (after the bearded aunt)?

As for the Last Days of Summer, the general consensus is we laughed, we cried and we enjoyed this coming of age story. We love Joey for being clever, precocious, creative and tenacious. The epistolary format was a perfect way to tell this charming story. Unlike other books, this one was heavily focused on characters and their development. We enjoyed the bond between Joey and Banks. We loved the simplistic and childlike notes between Green Hornet and Shadow. We reminisced about our favorite parts that made us laugh and we shared our sadness when learning of Bank’s passing. As Marrie said…a perfect book to share with any gender both young and old.

Our next meeting will be at Sara’s to discuss the Lisa Scottoline’s thriller Look Again.

Until next meeting,
Jennifer

Last Days of Summer

In preparation for our next book, Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger: 

Author's Website might be of some interest.  Along with discussion questions from here and here. 

Also, take the Wine Challenge Quiz and we can compare results at our next meeting. 

Happy Reading,
Jennifer

July Meeting Notes

Books ‘n’ Wine Club,


Well we had another wonderful meeting. Thank you to Allison for being such a gracious host. We are grateful to her “help” (husband, Tom) for supplying us with a fantastic southern menu of pulled pork, beans and slaw…yummy!

Topics for the evening were again vast and varied:

1. Mammograms – Yes, can you believe we went there again? Ellen and Marrie are now conducting a poll to see if women from a certain era remember the GPS metal Band-Aid devices. Results to follow next meeting.

2. Appendix – We are glad to learn that after the last meeting Karin’s evening pains were not related to the chicken salad, but rather appendicitis. Happy to report Karin is well after a painful experience. Glad you’re better Karin!

3. Dogs and the hunting camp – There was some discussion related to dogs and mice…yuck! Charli’s husband wants her to line the cabinets at the hunting camp. General consensus…let him do it himself!

4. Bugs – Again…YUCK! We discussed the annoying fruit flies (Charli seems to have gotten this under control) and some silver bugs (not silverfish) that Sara has discovered in the basement.

5. Formulaic – Yes, it is a word! Authors such as Danielle Steel, Nicholas Sparks, Mary Higgins Clark would be considered formulaic.

6. Recipes – After enjoying a lovely homemade salsa from Allison, we decided to post recipes from our evenings on the blog.

7. The book – We spent some considerable time discussing The Help. Some questions we delved into were: Favorite Character – overall winner was Aibileen. Would Mae Mobley become racist like her mother? We hoped that the teachings of Aibileen would remaim despite her young age and that growing up in the times of the civil rights movement would make her more like Skeeter and less like Hilly…at least we hope! Jenn’s favorite scene: The naked man at Celia’s. I loved how Celia came to help Minny and for that brief moment Celia was strong and not the pathetic character who has been so beaten down by all the miscarriages. Ellen wondered if Skeeter would have been like the other white women if her character wasn’t different from the others (well groomed and socially adept)? We debated whether Skeeter exploited the maids for personal gain. There was a feeling of yes and no on this question. We delved into the other characters: Minny, Elizabeth, Stuart, Johnny, Skeeter’s mother.

8. The author – We chatted about the controversy of a white author writing in the voices of black characters. The other conflict facing Stockett was her use of dialect for her black characters, but her failure to provide the southern white women their linguistic quirks. Finally, we discussed Kitty’s inexperience as an author and we wonder if she’ll be a one hit wonder (only time will tell…as we await her next book). Marrie appreciated Stockett’s writing style as she was able to take the reader from beginning assumptions about characters (and situations) to provide further depth as she progressed. For example, the reader was under the assumption there was something to fear about Johnny as Celia kept Minny a secret, however, we later learned that Johnny was a caring husband.

9. We missed Susan and look forward to her return next month…darn that traffic!

10. Our next meeting will be at Marrie’s to discuss Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger…another epistolary!

Happy Reading,

Jenn

The Help

Hello All,


In anticipation for our next book club meeting I have posted discussion questions for The Help found on Kathryn Stockett’s Website.

Also, I came across an interview that Katie Couric did with Kathryn Stockett that I thought would be of some interest.

And so not to leave the wine out I have posted a link of the Top 100 Wines from 2009 as found from the Wine Enthusiast. I think we’ll need to start working on this list.

Looking forward to seeing you all next month.

Best,

Jennifer

June Meeting Minutes

Dear Wine of the ..... oh sorry - book club members,


Thanks to Charli for hosting our meeting and providing a delicious dinner. The chicken sandwiches and pasta salad were scrumptious!

Topics discussed:

1. Neighbors, husbands, children....enough said.

2. Ellen has requested a blog....I'm not sure the world is ready for that...but I'm on it.

3. Marrie wants to play the ice breaker of fun facts next meeting....Sara has volunteered to take the lead on this one.

4. There was some discussion to switching to a Wine of the Month Club...I believe we'll continue this discussion each and every meeting!

5. Mammograms.....a lot of discussion took place on this so the recapping of this could be lengthy...but it went something like this....in the old days there were band aids with metal pieces on them, we didn't know we could be so flexible, if you are not endowed they will take other parts of your body to squish in the machine, so make sure you run out and get yours today.....but in Karin's case she's all set.

6. Oh, right...the book. We had a lovely discussion on The Wednesday Letter. Why did Laurel keep the secret from Jack? And how did they prosecute Pastor Doug when Jack didn't find out until later? Did we answers these??????


Next meeting will be August 3rd at 6:30pm and we will be travelling to Allison's in York, Maine (directions to follow at a later date) to discuss The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

So glad everyone could make it last night, it was great fun.

Until next time.....happy reading,
Jennifer

May Meeting Notes

Thank you for the wonderful and thoughtful discussion. Our next meeting at Charli's house to discuss The Wednesday Letters. In July we will travel to Allison's house in York, Maine. We will set a date as soon know when college drop off will be (for those empty nesters). Look forward to our next meeting - until then - happy reading.

Jennifer

April 2010 - First Meeting Notes

Hi all,
Our first book club meeting went great. Thanks to Ellen for being our first host. We missed Sara and Karin and look forward to them joining us next month.

To recap some of the topics we covered:

1. Food - this is to be simple and stress free. The food can be centered on the book (as Ellen provided us alphabet soup and finger sandwiches) Take in (as Susan mentioned ordering a pizza) or bring your own are other options. Just to note - two members have fish allergies.


2. Book selections - it was agreed that we would avoid hot button topics such as politics and religion as well as self-help books.

3. Schedule - We set a schedule for hosting and the next date (we hope to complete a few months in advance when the entire groups meets again next month). We will try and have a meeting each month but the schedule can and will be flexible. We also agreed that taking December off is a good idea.

Jennifer