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!

Tasty Times at Tamara's House

We all gathered at Tamara's house for some super yummy salt and pepper tofu and curry. It was her first time and last time hosting book club for 2013. She told us the interesting background about her house, and we got to meet her two gorgeous pups.
We discussed Daring Greatly by Brene Brown and What do Women Want by Daniel Berger. The summary of our thoughts? Brene Brown's videos are perhaps the best way to distill her main points. The book What do Women Want should've been written by a woman. No thanks Daniel, rape fantasies don't turn us on.

The next book we selected is I am Malala, to be discussed in December.

Sisterland at Julie's

It was a small group at Julie's to discuss Sisterland. We enjoyed a healthy Italian meal (well, healthy until the gelato came out later). Sisterland stimulated some interesting discussion - abortion, moving past infidelity, twin relationships, ESP....  We agreed she accurately captures the stress of mothering two young children, and that Jeremy pretty much sounds like an ideal husband.  I enjoyed the book but I think I still prefer American Wife and Prep over Sisterland.

Julie thoughtfully provided four books for us to choose from, and we unanimously selected The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew. Amazon blurb on the Dry Grass of August

Next book club: Monday, October 21st, 7:00pm at Tamara's house - a house with quite a backstory! She will send out directions to her house in an email when the date gets closer.