How is everyone liking Anthropology of an American Girl so far?
-Carolyn
Monday, July 12, 2010
Decision Made
It looks like we are reading The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler for our October meeting! I don't think everyone voted, but it looks like the AT would've been the winner, regardless.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Vote for October Book
If I can figure out how the poll thingy works, vote for your October book of choice soon! We have plenty time, but let's say the poll will close by July 10 in case people want to order books or be ambitious and read ahead. Without further ado, the choices are ...
South of Broad – Pat Conroy
Against the sumptuous backdrop of Charleston, South Carolina, South of Broad gathers a unique cast of sinners and saints. Leopold Bloom King, our narrator, is the son of an amiable, loving father who teaches science at the local high school. His mother, an ex-nun, is the high school principal and a well-known Joyce scholar. After Leo's older brother commits suicide at the age of thirteen, the family struggles with the shattering effects of his death, and Leo, lonely and isolated, searches for something to sustain him. Eventually, he finds his answer when he becomes part of a tightly knit group of high school seniors that includes friends Sheba and Trevor Poe, glamorous twins with an alcoholic mother and a prison-escapee father; hardscrabble mountain runaways Niles and Starla Whitehead; socialite Molly Huger and her boyfriend, Chadworth Rutledge X; and an ever-widening circle whose liaisons will ripple across two decades-from 1960s counterculture through the dawn of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. The ties among them endure for years, surviving marriages happy and troubled, unrequited loves and unspoken longings, hard-won successes and devastating breakdowns, and Charleston's dark legacy of racism and class divisions. But the final test of friendship that brings them to San Francisco is something no one is prepared for.
South of Broad is Pat Conroy at his finest; a long-awaited work from a great American writer whose passion for life and language knows no bounds.
The Accidental Tourist – Anne Tyler
Macon Leary is a travel writer who hates both travel and anything out of the ordinary. He is grounded by loneliness and an unwillingness to compromise his creature comforts when he meets Muriel, a deliciously peculiar dog-obedience trainer who up-ends Macon’s insular world–and thrusts him headlong into a remarkable engagement with life.
“BITTERSWEET . . . EVOCATIVE . . . It’s easy to forget this is the warm lull of fiction; you half-expect to run into her characters at the dry cleaners . . . Tyler [is] a writer of great compassion.”–The Boston Globe
“Tyler has given us an endlessly diverting book whose strength gathers gradually to become a genuinely thrilling one.”–Los Angeles Times
Run – Ann Patchett
Since their mother's death, Tip and Teddy Doyle have been raised by their loving, possessive, and ambitious father. As the former mayor of Boston, Bernard Doyle wants to see his sons in politics, a dream the boys have never shared. But when an argument in a blinding New England snowstorm inadvertently causes an accident that involves a stranger and her child, all Bernard Doyle cares about is his ability to keep his children—all his children—safe.
Set over a period of twenty-four hours, Run takes us from the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard to a home for retired Catholic priests in downtown Boston. It shows us how worlds of privilege and poverty can coexist only blocks apart from each other, and how family can include people you've never even met. As in her bestselling novel Bel Canto, Ann Patchett illustrates the humanity that connects disparate lives, weaving several stories into one surprising and endlessly moving narrative. Suspenseful and stunningly executed, Run is ultimately a novel about secrets, duty, responsibility, and the lengths we will go to protect our children.
The Red Tent – Anita Diamant
Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters about her father, Jacob, and his dozen sons in the Book of Genesis.
Told in Dinah’s voice, this novel reveals the traditions and turmoil of ancient womanhood – the world of the red tent. It begins with the story of her mothers – Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah – the four wives of Jacob. They love Dinah and give her gifts that are to sustain her through a hard-working youth, a calling to midwifery, and a new home in a foreign land. Dinah’s story reaches out from a remarkable period of early history and creates an intimate, immediate connection.
Deeply affecting, The Red Tent combines rich story-telling with a valuable achievement in modern fiction: a new view of biblical women’s society.
Hannah
South of Broad – Pat Conroy
Against the sumptuous backdrop of Charleston, South Carolina, South of Broad gathers a unique cast of sinners and saints. Leopold Bloom King, our narrator, is the son of an amiable, loving father who teaches science at the local high school. His mother, an ex-nun, is the high school principal and a well-known Joyce scholar. After Leo's older brother commits suicide at the age of thirteen, the family struggles with the shattering effects of his death, and Leo, lonely and isolated, searches for something to sustain him. Eventually, he finds his answer when he becomes part of a tightly knit group of high school seniors that includes friends Sheba and Trevor Poe, glamorous twins with an alcoholic mother and a prison-escapee father; hardscrabble mountain runaways Niles and Starla Whitehead; socialite Molly Huger and her boyfriend, Chadworth Rutledge X; and an ever-widening circle whose liaisons will ripple across two decades-from 1960s counterculture through the dawn of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. The ties among them endure for years, surviving marriages happy and troubled, unrequited loves and unspoken longings, hard-won successes and devastating breakdowns, and Charleston's dark legacy of racism and class divisions. But the final test of friendship that brings them to San Francisco is something no one is prepared for.
South of Broad is Pat Conroy at his finest; a long-awaited work from a great American writer whose passion for life and language knows no bounds.
The Accidental Tourist – Anne Tyler
Macon Leary is a travel writer who hates both travel and anything out of the ordinary. He is grounded by loneliness and an unwillingness to compromise his creature comforts when he meets Muriel, a deliciously peculiar dog-obedience trainer who up-ends Macon’s insular world–and thrusts him headlong into a remarkable engagement with life.
“BITTERSWEET . . . EVOCATIVE . . . It’s easy to forget this is the warm lull of fiction; you half-expect to run into her characters at the dry cleaners . . . Tyler [is] a writer of great compassion.”–The Boston Globe
“Tyler has given us an endlessly diverting book whose strength gathers gradually to become a genuinely thrilling one.”–Los Angeles Times
Run – Ann Patchett
Since their mother's death, Tip and Teddy Doyle have been raised by their loving, possessive, and ambitious father. As the former mayor of Boston, Bernard Doyle wants to see his sons in politics, a dream the boys have never shared. But when an argument in a blinding New England snowstorm inadvertently causes an accident that involves a stranger and her child, all Bernard Doyle cares about is his ability to keep his children—all his children—safe.
Set over a period of twenty-four hours, Run takes us from the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard to a home for retired Catholic priests in downtown Boston. It shows us how worlds of privilege and poverty can coexist only blocks apart from each other, and how family can include people you've never even met. As in her bestselling novel Bel Canto, Ann Patchett illustrates the humanity that connects disparate lives, weaving several stories into one surprising and endlessly moving narrative. Suspenseful and stunningly executed, Run is ultimately a novel about secrets, duty, responsibility, and the lengths we will go to protect our children.
The Red Tent – Anita Diamant
Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters about her father, Jacob, and his dozen sons in the Book of Genesis.
Told in Dinah’s voice, this novel reveals the traditions and turmoil of ancient womanhood – the world of the red tent. It begins with the story of her mothers – Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah – the four wives of Jacob. They love Dinah and give her gifts that are to sustain her through a hard-working youth, a calling to midwifery, and a new home in a foreign land. Dinah’s story reaches out from a remarkable period of early history and creates an intimate, immediate connection.
Deeply affecting, The Red Tent combines rich story-telling with a valuable achievement in modern fiction: a new view of biblical women’s society.
Hannah
Monday, June 28, 2010
Candlelight Discussion
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Anyone remember what story Solveig was telling in that photo? I think it had something to do with adventures in a chinese market?!
I love the pins -- thanks to Marit! Such a cute idea. I think we should all wear them to every meeting... you forget yours, you can't come in! Kidding.... ; )
Jenna was at the meeting as well, we just forgot to snap the photo until the very end. I thought of photoshopping her in, but not sure if my skills are advanced
enough for that!
Thanks for a great evening ladies. Looking forward to August 30th!
Carolyn
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Meeting #6: Let the Great World Spin
With the tornado sirens ringing we traveled through horizontal rain and rivers of water on I-35 to Solveig's house to discuss Let the Great World Spin, just as our world outside also threatened to spin. With the power knocked out, candle light gave the atmosphere of a small bistro in China Town with authentic cream cheese wantons, a shrimp stir fry, delicate spring rolls, and even delicious New York style cheesecake -- all masterfully prepared by Solveig and Marit.
The interwoven characters of Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin provided the basis for our discussion -- the tightrope walker we felt was selfish; the monk we felt bordered on the deranged side of extreme; the penthouse wife we felt symphathy for. We marveled at how McCann wrote about New York as if it were a character in his book, and how the themes of the book transcend to the events that transpired in the city after 9-11: grief and love, cynicism and hope, despair and resiliency.
Thank you to you all - especially our hosts - I had a wonderful time meeting all of you and look forward to many, many more good times ahead!
Cheers!
Hannah
The interwoven characters of Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin provided the basis for our discussion -- the tightrope walker we felt was selfish; the monk we felt bordered on the deranged side of extreme; the penthouse wife we felt symphathy for. We marveled at how McCann wrote about New York as if it were a character in his book, and how the themes of the book transcend to the events that transpired in the city after 9-11: grief and love, cynicism and hope, despair and resiliency.
Thank you to you all - especially our hosts - I had a wonderful time meeting all of you and look forward to many, many more good times ahead!
Cheers!
Hannah
Monday, June 21, 2010
Let the Great World Spin Dinner Party
Grab your heels, polish your nails (fetch a revealing frock?) and crack those books! You're invited to big-apple-style-event: The Bookettes are going to New York! Well, not really. Come, join me at my place for stiff drinks, Asian take-out, decadent desserts and beautiful women making intelligent conversation.
I sent out an e-vite, with all of the details.
See you soon!
Solveig
Friday, June 11, 2010
Next up: Anthropology of an American Girl
It was a close call, but the poll is closed and it looks like we will be reading Anthropology of an American Girl next!
A review that Solveig recently found says, "If publishers could figure out how to turn crack into a book, it'd read a lot like this"... can't wait!
Sarah, do you have any input on what day would work best for our next meeting? Anyone else?
-Marit
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
August meeting time (and VOTE!)
Hey folks! Remember to vote for your book choice on the blog if you haven't yet (it looks like there's only one day left to do it...perhaps we can post it again though).
I'm not sure if we've set a concrete date yet for the early-August meeting at Sarah's, but for me it looks like I have to leave on Thursday with my family for a wedding in Chicago that weekend (my cousin's). If Wednesday the 4th was still a possibility then that would be my first choice...but if Thursday the 5th works better for everyone else, I understand and I'll be sure to make the next meeting. :) Post comments as you wish.
Remember to VOTE, and see you all on Friday the 25th @ 7:00pm!
~Christine
I'm not sure if we've set a concrete date yet for the early-August meeting at Sarah's, but for me it looks like I have to leave on Thursday with my family for a wedding in Chicago that weekend (my cousin's). If Wednesday the 4th was still a possibility then that would be my first choice...but if Thursday the 5th works better for everyone else, I understand and I'll be sure to make the next meeting. :) Post comments as you wish.
Remember to VOTE, and see you all on Friday the 25th @ 7:00pm!
~Christine
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