Mistry's "A Fine Balance"

Mining the subjunctive here, always avoid cliches like the plague - and flee Oprah's quotidian soap opera recommends quickly.

However, I've been proven wrong...yet again. It has been a pleasant shock to read this Oprah-nominated book. Thanks Joan, for these two months just marinating myself in Mistry's magical and incisive prose. He's right up there with Rushdie and Roy as great Indian writers, as evidenced by his votes for the Booker Prize.

Coincidentally, we just watched the movie "Outsourced." Much less sanguine than our book but conveys some of the same Hobbesian messages about the harshness of most existence in India - and much of the world. Highly recommend it. We're so fortunate in America to have cheap beer, plenty of toilet paper and flushing toilets, and a warm Methodist clubhouse to discuss great literature in.

Merry Christmas to the entire claven
Leon

Correction

Well, after I posted for all to see that Annie wouldn't be with us this quarter because of her class, it turns out she'll be doing an Internet class instead so she'll be able to join us after all. That is fantastic.

Janelle, how can you possibly teach full time and take three classes??! (see her comment to my previous posting.) Wow, you are taking on a lot my friend. Even if you don't have time to read the upcoming books, I hope you'll still come to the group meetings (if you can fit us in to your busy schedule!)

Have a great weekend everybody and I'll see you all on Monday, book box in hand!

Joan

The Glass Castle

Hello everyone,

It seems that I've heard nothing but positive comments on The Glass Castle. What a fascinating book - an unbelievable portrait of a family. I look forward to our discussion of the book next Monday, Sept. 22.

The new book I've chosen looks interesting and COMPLETELY different, although our theme of women in difficult circumstances (as Kristin observed) seems to be continuing. :-)

Hope to see you all next Monday. We will miss Annie as she begins her classes .... but she will stay in touch through our blog and hopefully after fall quarter, she won't have a class on Monday night.

Joan

Janelle Just Finished The Heat of the Moon

Ok, so I just finished The Heat of the Moon. I thought it was ok, but I found myself thinking, man this is cheeeeeesey! That is not to take away from the fact that I couldn't stop reading, I just had to know how it was all going to play out for Rachel. And, if I had to do it all over, I would read it again.

I'm not sure I really liked how it ended...I wanted the "Oprah Ending"...ya know? More glitz, more pay attention to me...here I am...ya know? I won't say anymore as I don't wanna spoil it for people still reading. It left me wondering a lot of things.

I'm glad we read this book for book club because I would not have read it on my own. It's good to widen your horizons once and a while, right?

And if you don't read my blog, I just finished reading The Glass Castle and A Wolf at the Table. If you've not read The Glass Castle, you need to read it. Seriously. Just. Go. Read. It. NOW!

See ya'll Monday at book group, 7pm, right?

janelle

Sandra Parshall Responds

Hi Everyone,

I guess Sandra Parshall read our blog and responded to my previous posting! Check it out by reading my posting "The Heat of the Moon", and click on "comment". Janelle, thanks again for getting this started for us.

Joan

"Just the knowledge that there is a good book awaiting one at the end of a long day makes that day happier." -- Kathleen Norris

The Heat of the Moon

I finally read this month's book - read it in two sittings. I probably would have finished in one sitting, but I started it late last night and finally went to sleep about 2:30 am! Many in the group told me it was a good book and that they "couldn't put it down". I have to agree.........I was thinking today about the difference in "readability" from book to book. Some you can just breeze through and WANT to keep reading 'til the end, others......well, it's like homework. Anyway, I also thought this book had the possibility of a sequel or becoming a series. The main character, Rachel, carries over into the author's next book, Disturbing the Dead. It is also a mystery, but it sounds like Rachel has moved on and is living in a new town. It's available at the library and I have put it on reserve.

I'm looking at some interesting new titles for next month. I put one on reserve that we will probably have to wait another month for, turns out I'm #2 on the list........sometimes the online info is a little confusing. So, I'll move on to another choice and hope the timing is right for the other one for next month.

Happy Reading and hope to see you all on August 25.

Joan

So What Are We Reading This Month?

Hi There,

Sorry I missed Monday's meeting. Cam and I took the kids to Bandon for a long weekend. The weather was great, and we had a good time.

So what are we reading this month?

Kristin

Barbara K.

Shari - you have great taste (poor pun intended). Barbara Kingsolver is genuine American royalty...and so modest. Wish she'd run for President (or something), disembowel the Pentagon, pay school custodians what we pay admirals, and make hate illegal.

Did you read about her battle with the javelinas invading her garden when she lived in the desert ("High Tide in Tucson")? She has such sensitivity to all critters, great and small. Reminds me of Annie Dilliard's "Pilgrim at Tinker's Creek."


Leon

Happy summer everyone! I didn't read the book this month, but I did want to tell you all about a fantastic Barbara Kingsolver book that I just finished. It is call Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It is an account of her family's journey of eating locally for 1 year. They grew much of what they ate and relied on local farmers for the rest. I read it in a week and thoroughly enjoyed it! Let me know if you want it and I will bring it to book group. Now, I am going to try to read a few chapters of this book before book group!
Shari

New to Blogging

Hi All - I have not gotten into blogging before, so did some stumbling around to find what to do.

I enjoyed The Last Days of Summer and read it three books ago. Will have to do a review for the July 28th meeting.

I am just finishing The Virgin's Lover - Phillipi Gregory. As the others in this series that I read the intrigue really kept me going. I really like books from that era anyhow.

See you around.

Eunice

Trouble

Well, I don't know what happened but I had some trouble figuring out how to post a comment on here. Sorry it took so long. :-)
I finished the book a while ago and loved it! It was really funny and very creative. I can't wait to meet on the 28th and see how everyone else felt.
Sorry that you won't be there Joan, but I'm sure I'll see you at chruch.

See you all soon! Annie

July 28 Meeting

Hi Everyone,

I hope you're all enjoying a summer of great reading, among other things. I'd be interested to hear what you're all reading in addition to our book! I just finished "The Other Boleyn Girl" - in my opinion: a PERFECT summer read! If you enjoyed our book "The Queen's Fool" you'll definitely enjoy the other books in the series: romance, intrigue, historical detail, human foibles - I pretty much could not put it down.

I also wanted to let you know that I won't be at our July 28 meeting, but Sharon has graciously agreed to deliver the new books and collect the old ones. If for some reason you can't make it to the meeting, please leave your book in the church office for me (I have a box there.)

I chose a book for July that I thought would be enjoyable........a mystery with a psychological edge and a splash of romance, according to the review and not too long to allow for all that other summer reading that everyone wants to fit in. Have a great month and I'll see you in church or at our August meeting on August 25.

Joan

"I have sometimes dreamt, at least, that when the Day of Judgment dawns and the great conquerors and lawyers and statesmen come to receive their rewards ... the Almighty will turn to Peter and say, not without a certain envy when He sees us coming with our books under our arms, “Look, these need no reward. We have nothing to give them here. They have loved reading.”
Virginia Woolf (1882-1941)

Last Days

Hey nice ladies. Thanks for letting me in the literary gang.

Last Days of Summer is a very enjoyable and easy read. Kluger’s wit and sarcasm remind me a lot of David Sedaris, also Heller's Catch 22.

One recurring theme in the book involves Joey's Jewish name and spiritual traditions leading to persecution, singling him out for abuse by kids from other religions.

Growing up in the 60’s, a childhood idol was the Dodger pitcher, Sandy Koufax. Koufax was an Orthodox Jew who would not pitch on the Jewish Sabbath...Saturday. This stirred up no end of trouble for me - an extremely Unorthodox Christian who loved Koufax - as I would defend his honor against attacks by the Algonquin Nitwit Roundtable I played baseball with. Most felt he put his selfish religious commitment above team loyalty, causing our beloved Dodgers to lose Saturday games - further evidence of Jewish perfidy.

It’s a theme I find often in literature, where Christians revere Jews and Israel for their special relationship with God (Chosen People, Teacher's Pet etc.) yet gladly perpetrate the stereotype, most recently on hateful display by Mel Gibson and Co., that all Jews are money-grubbing Christkillers who conspire to control the financial markets, the U.N., own the Jew York Times, and would happily toss their crippled granny under the train to cash her Social Secruity check.

Any similar experiences? I would enjoy any related comments.

Leon

Great Giveaway!

I hope this doesn't offend anyone in the group, but loving books like we all do, I thought you might like to enter the giveaway. So without further ado, here are the details:

So Trish has an amazing contest going on here. Hatchett Book Group USA is giving away 14 books to 5 people...yeah that's a lot of books!!! Seriously, you really need to go check it out and enter yourself to win!!! Oh, and this contest will close on Saturday, July 12th. She'll draw a winner on Sunday, July 13th. Go check it out!! All you have to do is leave a comment for her and you're entered!!!

Happy Reading all!!! I'm not too far into our current book as I'm reading The Poisonwood Bible. WOW! I'm loving this book.

Janelle

An Easy Summer Read

Hi Everyone!

Janelle, this was a great idea! Where was this blog when we were struggling through Caramelo and The Dollmaker?? Anyway, I haven't started the book yet, but I'm glad to hear that it's easy-going, amusing and a quick read. (I need to finish "Of Human Bondage" first (for a smaller bookgroup that I was dragged into) ...... anyone read that??!) Part of my goal in choosing this book was the summer theme, shorter, and hopefully an easy, enjoyable read. I hope you all enjoy the book, and I'll enjoy reading any posted comments.

Joan

Last Days of Summer

Thanks for starting the blog, Janelle! The book club selection this month is "Last Days of Summer" by Steve Kluger. It's set during world War II, and it's the story of the relationship between a 12-year-old boy living in Brooklyn, NY, and a superstar baseball player. The story is told through the letters they write back and forth to each other. I decided to start it while I ate my lunch today, and I quickly read the first 100 pages. In less than an hour. It's definitely a light and easy read (so far), and I was laughing out loud in some parts. So if you're feeling a little nervous about starting the book, my recommendation is to jump right in!

Kristin

The First Post

Here it is...our blog...I'll send out an e-mail to let you know the login to post an entry. How about we sign our entries (that way we know who wrote the post). Let me know if you have questions. Happy Reading!!!