Intense Discussion and Fun

Lovely evening at Meredith's night last night. Americanah brought up discussion about racism, cultural identity, white guilt, social change, etc. that could've lasted all night - but - we had celebrating to do. We gave Melissa a mini baby shower to help welcome Victoria "Via" into the world. In addition to gifting fun baby books, we played Celebrities with the theme of "female role models." It was interesting the names that several of us put in - Princess Kate, Mother Theresa and Tina Fey....
The photos say it all. I laughed so hard - and if I had been pregnant, I certainly would've been peeing my pants!

Reunited and it feels so good...

Please read the title of this post to the tune of the Peaches & Herb song.

Life threw some serious curve balls at Tamara and myself these past three months. And as we both begin to come up for air from our personal hells, we found our way back to book club. And it felt good.
I sure have missed you ladies. Thank you for all the support and thoughtfulness you have given me through this battle in my life. The space we have created for each other is so much more than just about books.

We gathered at Danielle's house, admired her kitchy kitchen, navigated her parking challenges, and dug in for a tasty feast. I do apologize, but I don't even remember what book we were supposed to be discussing. I believe that the White Elephant gift exchange and perhaps Ayesha's homemade ice cream stole the spotlight.

Next book club is on March 24th at Meredith's house. It will probably be Melissa's last book club for a while until she surfaces back up from her adjustment to bringing Miss Via into the world - which given how resilient, optimistic and energetic Melissa is, should be pretty darn soon.

Regarding the photos - Danielle and Ayesha, since you were able to successfully avoid my photo taking session this time, please don't feel left out. I will be sure to get multiple close ups of you both next time. Feel free to bring a spirited hat, recycle bag or kitchen gizmo if you are more comfortable posing with a prop.

So THANKFUL

Stephanie hosted a relaxing evening in November to discuss Hakawati. The majority of us didn't read the book, but that didn't stop us from enjoying a good time. The amount of discussion time that we usually spend on the current book was instead given to the interesting selection of book nominations.

The food selection this evening was especially inspiring book club - especially the main dish that Stephanie made with mung beans and jack fruit. Yum! And a special thank you goes out to Danielle from myself for introducing me to the amazing combination of honey, walnuts and brie cheese. Heaven.

We decided on another Rainbow Rossell book to read next - Attachments. Next gathering is at my house - don't forget your loosely wrapped ornament and white elephant gift.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'd also like to say how tremendously grateful I am to have a group of women in my life that are so diverse, interesting and thoughtful. You are an anchor for me. Love you all.

(Photo missing Melissa, Danielle, Ayesha and Julie)

October 2014 Halloween Book Club

A New Tradition?

Tamara hosted a lively evening of dress up and discussion. Suprisingly - we ALL dressed up. This happens so rarely at a Halloween party. Perhaps it was because she told us very clearly that coming without a costume was NOT an option. We welcomed a new member to the group this month - Ayesha. And what a welcome it was.

We had a great cast of creative characters - The Spice Rack, Life of the Party, a Magician, and an Owl. And we also had some book related characters - Eleanor and Park; Bernadette and the Color Purple.

We discussed Eleanor and Park. It was a book club hit. All of us had tremendous compassion for Eleanor. Some of us craved a more concrete happier-ever-after love ending.

The highlight of the night - other than having like 3 dessert options - was when we all gathered onto the futon to take a group photo, the futon cracked and crashed. Of course we checked the damage, and then proceeded to finish our photo, then another part of the futon broke. So I'm guessing Tamara has "new futon" on her Christmas list this year. Sorry T!

Tamara thought of everything - we had ghoulish goblets for our wine and even prizes for costumes. The Owl and Park both won!

As a total Halloween junkie, I of course think we should implement this is a new tradition each year for book club. I would've worn three costumes if I could've - Maybe an astronaut helmet for Auggie, or a big Elephant trunk, and I'd still like to see someone dress up as Eleanor in her gym outfit. So, as you read the books for the upcoming year - start thinking about your costume for 2015!

Julie we missed you.What or who would you have dressed up as?

New Year, Old Faces

Look who made an appearance at book club this month! Two beautiful renegade book clubbers - Vicki and Tahnee! Boy have I missed those two ladies.

We started 2014 with book club at Melissa's new spacious abode - We even each had our very own stool around her kitchen bar. Vicki quickly volunteered to play bartender. Melissa made her dee-lish spinach pie.

Quote of the night: "I finally got an upgrade! It's a flip phone too, but this one doesn't have an antenna." Kim

We could've discussed the Lost Wife all night long - clearly this book touched all of us that read it. We are hoping there is a sequel about the feelings and process of their reunification. Hopefully, Steph is going to try some strings with her new author friend :-) One of the most compelling questions that came up for us was, "If it was you would you take a stand or would you comply for survival?"
A special thank you to Kim for bringing her book with the children's art from Terezin, and for the special stories about your own family.

The book nominations were:

• The Cuckoos Calling by Robert Galbraith
• The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony & Graham Spence
• The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

And the winner is......The Elephant Whisperer!

See you all in February. Thinking of you Tamara.

Happy Holidays to us!

We gathered at my house for an action-packed evening of holiday and book fun! We missed Tamara, Rebecca and Randi. We represented Tamara as best we could, and tried to fairly allocate her the book club bucks we thought she'd probably earn if she was in our presence.

We briefly discussed I am Malala. I think there was only one 1of us that actually finished the book - most were busy diving into the Lost Wife (which is amazing so far). The feedback about I am Malala that sticks in my brain was that there was something about the narration that lost the feeling of authenticity - perhaps her voice was lost in translation?

The competition this year for Book Club Bucks was INTENSE. Ladies, this is the first year we used up all the bucks I've made!! And Julie even snuck a few home in her purse - which she later returned, perhaps the guilt was too much ;-).
When making the Book Club Trivia this year, I had to reread all the emails and reacquaint myself with pretty much all the book selections. I was pretty embarrassed about my poor memory - however, once I administered the trivia quiz, I realized that I am not the only one with such a fuzzy memory for book details! Thanks for the validation ladies - I was really struggling, because I can no longer blame my memory issues on pregnancy or nursing.
My favorite part of the Book Club Trivia Year in Review is the part where we list the significant things that have happened in our lives - we've had a lot this year - pet loss, new pets, new house, sick then recovered father, potty training success, break up, moves, pregnancy, continued career explorations, trip to Morocco, kindergarten....

And I also have to mention that the most memorable dish this year appears to be Tamara's Salt n Pepper Tofu!!! Congrats Tamara - we gave you some extra book club bucks for that! Melissa also raved about her own spinach pie, Julie was commended for making two entrees and Kim was also praised for her yummy breakfast spreads.

Rather than spending time making the amaretto bread pudding, I indulged in a morning of crafts and made all the members a 2013 Book Club Ornament. It was very rewarding.

Thanks for all the fun times and memories. Book selected: Where'd you go Bernadette? by Maria Semple. Looking for Alaska by John Green was a close second. Melissa and Meredith are co-hosting the next book club at Melissa's new house. January 20th (I think!).

 

So Thankful for Steph

Stephanie to the rescue! Melissa's life suddenly got super busy when they finally found a house - Stephanie stepped up and offered to host us. She made a yummy veggie ragout. We discussed Dry Grass of August. The consensus was that it was a wonderful read (for those of us that read it!). Perfect to remind us about thankfulness.
This was also our last send off for Tamara before her journey to Texas to deliver Kirana. We played a quick shower game, guessing the Caldecott winning books for the last ten years. Everybody got a prize!

Okay ladies - let's have some caption suggestions for the following photos!