June 2015 Book

"The Door" by Magda Szabo

APRIL BOOK

Our book selection for April is

THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, by Jonathan Lethem

"The Fortress of Solitude is the story of Dylan Ebdus growing up white and motherless in downtown Brooklyn in the 1970s. It's a neighborhood where the entertainments include muggings along with games of stoopball. In that world, Dylan has one friend, a black teenager, also motherless, named Mingus Rude. As Lethem follows the knitting and unraveling of their friendship, he creates an overwhelmingly rich and emotionally gripping canvas of race and class, superheros, gentrification, funk, hip-hop, graffiti tagging, loyalty, and memory. The Fortress of Solitude is the first great urban coming of age novel to appear in years."

Catching up

So, in December we all agreed that "The Corpse Washer" is a beautiful book.












In January we were again in agreement that "All the Light We Cannot See" is an excellent read.













In February those in attendance were Ann, Janice, Mairtin and AM. All thought most highly of "An Unnecessary Woman" by Rabih Alameddine. It's well written and a very intriguing protagonist.














Our book for March is "Open City" by Teju Cole.

 Will our string of excellent books continue? Join us at Delancy Street to find out. Happy reading!

Thankful for Book Club

We were missing Greta today and hope she feels better soon. The group was split on "The Known World."  While some thought most highly of this book others felt there were too many characters and digressions. All liked the quality of the writing.

For December we are reading "The Corpse Washer" by Sinan Antoon.

September October

In September, four of us met; Janice, Art, Tony and me. Those of us who read Four Souls said we liked it  a lot.

October's book is The Known World by Edward P. Jones

And because it is plum season:

This is just to say.

August Update

Our July meeting was postponed due to everyone being somewhere else.

August rolled around and many of us were still unable to attend but the few of us who were met at a cozy table for four. Janice, Ann and Anne Marie were the first round of book club participants.

It was agreed that "Far Tortuga" is a very challenging read and yet worth the effort. It requires attention but the time spent in slow reading is rewarded. It deserves its masterpiece status.

We are reading "Four Souls" by Louise Erdrich for September and "The Known World" by Edward P. Jones for October.

After the bill was paid, Greta arrived! Janice and Ann both had other engagements but Anne Marie stayed seated for round two of book club and got to hear about Greta's trip to Ireland. It was a very pleasant way to spend a gray, foggy Saturday morning in San Francisco.

Summer Reading

For June we will be reading "Youth Without Youth" by Mircea Eliade.

For July it's "Far Tortuga" by Peter Matthiessen.

For August it's "Four Souls" by Louise Erdrich.

Where to begin?

January 2014: The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner.

First of a string of really good books. This was universally praised for the rich writing. The plot line could disappear sometimes but one was pulled along by the intelligence and beauty of the writing.









February 2014: The Good Lord Bird by James McBride.
Very funny, clever perspective on the life of abolitionist John Brown. Again, highly recommended.












March 2014: The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri.

This one didn't get the discussion it deserved since only one of us had finished it.  Recommended by Ann Lew especially.










April 2014: Americanah by Chimamanda Mgozi Adichie.


This is in the process of being enjoyed by all. Even with some caveats we agreed it was worth finishing to complete our discussion next month.










May 2014: Americanah by Chimamanda Mgozi Adichie. Part two.













June is to be decided. There was a recommendation to read something by Peter Matthiessen but there was not a particular book settled on.

Other possibilities are:

Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi.

Family Life by Akhil Sharma.

All Our Names by Dinaw Mengestu.

Bon Voyage to Mairtin. The rest of us will meet again in May.

The rest of 2013

We read "Kingdom of Strangers" in September. It was universally liked. Most of us did not realize there had been a second book in the series, "City of Veils," between this book and "Finding Nouf." We all felt that Zoe Ferraris's writing is getting better and better. Her insider's perspective on the life of a Saudi woman is fascinating.

In October we finally discussed "The Orphan Master's Son." Again, everyone thought this was a very good read. The details of life in North Korea under the rule of the beloved leader are mind boggling.

In November the others read "Behind the Beautiful Forevers." I can't tell you what anybody thought because I wasn't there and I didn't read it myself.

We met this weekend to discuss "Valdez is Coming" by Elmore Leonard. The consensus was that because of the spare style one had to read with attention or miss important details. Everyone who had read it would recommend it.

To start off 2014, our next book is "The Flamethrowers" by Rachel Kushner. It is on many "Best of 2013" lists.

Happy New Year and Happy Reading.

Another (Similar) Important Update!!

Because we uncharacteristically chose a very popular book, "The Orphan Master's Son" has been delayed yet again. It is hoped that by October Ann and Tony will have moved up the library queque. In the meantime we will read "Kingdom of Strangers" for September. Stay tuned!

Important Update!!

Due to library availability we have moved "Let the Great World Spin" up to August. "The Orphan Master's Son" is rescheduled to September in hopes that the 112 people who are ahead of Tony and Ann will have read and returned it.

From Now Through November

There were four of us, two of which had read the book. Luckily Janice and I were there early and so could discuss the book without making Tony and Greta feeling left out at all. It was agreed that "One Amazing Thing" is a sweet read. The setting for the various stories is very clever and each story is engaging. We also agreed that the stories don't ring quite true as impromptu confessions and they all have too similar a voice but were so entertaining it didn't hinder enjoyment.

For August:
The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson.

September:
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann


October:
Kingdom of Strangers by Zoe Ferraris


November:
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

There was NO problem getting into Delancey Street because so far The America's Cup has failed to draw any crowds. We'll see if things are more lively in August.

May became June and July is soon to follow

Our May meeting was postponed until today when we discussed "River of Smoke." The general opinion was that while the scholarship is impressive the book is a bit of a slog to read.

The book for July is "One Amazing Thing" by Chitra Divakaruni

.

BOOKS WORTH CONSIDERING

One Amazing Thing, Chitra Divakaruni, 240 pages
Late afternoon sun sneaks through the windows of a passport and visa office in an unnamed American city. Most customers and even most office workers have come and gone, but nine people remain. A punky teenager with an unexpected gift. An upper-class Caucasian couple whose relationship is disintegrating. A young Muslim-American man struggling with the fallout of 9/11. A graduate student haunted by a question about love. An African-American ex-soldier searching for redemption. A Chinese grandmother with a secret past. And two visa office workers on the verge of an adulterous affair. When an earthquake rips through the afternoon lull, trapping these nine characters together, their focus first jolts to their collective struggle to survive. There's little food. The office begins to flood. Then, at a moment when the psychological and emotional stress seems nearly too much for them to bear, the young graduate student suggests that each tell a personal tale, "one amazing thing" from their lives, which they have never told anyone before.


Girl Reading, Katie Ward, 368 pages
A young orphan poses for a Renaissance maestro in medieval Siena. A servant girl in seventeenth-century Amsterdam snatches a moment away from her work to lose herself in tales of knights and battles. An eighteenth-century female painter completes a portrait of a deceased poetess for her lover. A Victorian medium poses with a book in one of the first photographic studios. A girl suffering her first heartbreak witnesses intellectual and sexual awakening during the Great War. A young woman reading in a bar catches the eye of a young man who takes her picture. And in the not-so-distant future a woman navigates a cyber-reality that has radically altered the way people experience art and life.


The Language of Flowers, Vanessa Diffenbaugh, 352 pages
The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what’s been missing in her life. And when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.


The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller, 416 pages
“At once a scholar’s homage to The Iliad and startlingly original work of art by an incredibly talented new novelist….A book I could not put down.” —Ann Patchett “Mary Renault lives again!” declares Emma Donoghue, author of Room, referring to The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller’s thrilling, profoundly moving, and utterly unique retelling of the legend of Achilles and the Trojan War. A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart, The Song of Achilles is a dazzling literary feat that brilliantly reimagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad. An action-packed adventure, an epic love story, a marvelously conceived and executed page-turner, Miller’s monumental debut novel has already earned resounding acclaim from some of contemporary fiction’s brightest lights—and fans of Mary Renault, Bernard Cornwell, Steven Pressfield, and Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series will delight in this unforgettable journey back to ancient Greece in the Age of Heroes.


La Boutique obscure, Georges Perec, 272 pages
In La Boutique Obscure Perec once again revolutionized literary form, creating the world’s first “nocturnal autobiography.” From 1968 until 1972—the period when he wrote his most well-known works—the beloved French stylist recorded his dreams. But as you might expect, his approach was far from orthodox. Avoiding the hazy psychoanalysis of most dream journals, he challenged himself to translate his visions and subconscious churnings directly into prose. In laying down the nonsensical leaps of the imagination, he finds new ways to express the texture and ambiguity of dreams—those qualities that prove so elusive. Beyond capturing a universal experience for the first time and being a fine document of literary invention, La Boutique Obscure contains the seeds of some of Perec’s most famous books. It is also an intimate portrait of one of the great innovators of modern literature.


The Light Between Oceans, M.L. Stedman, 352 pages
AFTER FOUR HARROWING YEARS ON THE WESTERN Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby. Tom, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel insists the baby is a “gift from God,” and against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.


The History of Love, Nicole Krauss, 252 pages
The History of Love spans a period of over 60 years and takes readers from Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe to present day Brighton Beach. At the center of each main character's psyche is the issue of loneliness, and the need to fill a void left empty by lost love. Leo Gursky is a retired locksmith who immigrates to New York after escaping SS officers in his native Poland, only to spend the last stage of his life terrified that no one will notice when he dies. ("I try to make a point of being seen. Sometimes when I'm out, I'll buy a juice even though I'm not thirsty.") Fourteen-year-old Alma Singer vacillates between wanting to memorialize her dead father and finding a way to lift her mother's veil of depression. At the same time, she's trying to save her brother Bird, who is convinced he may be the Messiah, from becoming a 10-year-old social pariah. As the connection between Leo and Alma is slowly unmasked, the desperation, along with the potential for salvation, of this unique pair is also revealed.

MAY BOOK

River of Smoke, Amitav Ghosh, 528 pages
The Ibis, loaded to its gunwales with a cargo of indentured servants, is in the grip of a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal; among the dozens flailing for survival are Neel, the pampered raja who has been convicted of embezzlement; Paulette, the French orphan masquerading as a deck-hand; and Deeti, the widowed poppy grower fleeing her homeland with her lover, Kalua. The storm also threatens the clipper ship Anahita, groaning with the largest consignment of opium ever to leave India for Canton. And the Redruth, a nursery ship, carries Frederick “Fitcher” Penrose, a horticulturist determined to track down the priceless treasures of China that are hidden in plain sight: its plants that have the power to heal, or beautify, or intoxicate. All will converge in Canton’s Fanqui-town, or Foreign Enclave: a tumultuous world unto itself where civilizations clash and sometimes fuse. It is a powder keg awaiting a spark to ignite the Opium Wars. Spectacular coincidences, startling reversals of fortune, and tender love stories abound. But this is much more than an irresistible page-turner. The blind quest for money, the primacy of the drug trade, the concealment of base impulses behind the rhetoric of freedom: in River of Smoke the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries converge, and the result is a consuming historical novel with powerful contemporary resonance. Critics praised Sea of Poppies for its vibrant storytelling, antic humor, and rich narrative scope; now Amitav Ghosh continues the epic that has charmed and compelled readers all over the globe.

April Book

The Plague of Doves, Louise Erdrich, 352 pages
The unsolved murder of a farm family still haunts the white small town of Pluto, North Dakota, generations after the vengeance exacted and the distortions of fact transformed the lives of Ojibwe living on the nearby reservation. Part Ojibwe, part white, Evelina Harp is an ambitious young girl prone to falling hopelessly in love. Mooshum, Evelina's grandfather, is a repository of family and tribal history with an all-too-intimate knowledge of the violent past. And Judge Antone Bazil Coutts, who bears witness, understands the weight of historical injustice better than anyone. Through the distinct and winning voices of three unforgettable narrators, the collective stories of two interwoven communities ultimately come together to reveal a final wrenching truth.

February and March books, maybe in this order

We chose the next two books. I'm proposing that for February we read "The Outlaw Album" by Daniel Woodrell. It is much shorter, much more appropriate for the short month.













That would leave "The Stranger's Child" by Adam Hollinghurst for March.












This is NOT the order we agreed upon when we met in January so until all have weighed in it's not been determined which is first. So read both very quickly!


FYI: This comment was added to the above post. Sadly, I haven't finished the book so it wasn't made by me.
Ms. G.

I loved this book, even though I had trouble getting into it at first. The structure was a little difficult to follow, especially as young children at the beginning of the novel reappear as adults later in the book. I liked the way the whole idea of genteel Victorian sexual mythology got re-evaluated as the novel moved through the decades to the present era in England. I just finished this novel and am still trying to work out who all the characters were and their relationship to each other. I enjoyed it, though. Any other opinions?

Welcome to 2013

Our book for January 2013 is . . . (drumroll). . .

"On Canaan's Side" by Sebastian Barry.












The rest of the year is still unknown. Where shall we meet? How about Delancey Street Restaurant on Saturday, January 12?

Books for the rest of 2012

There was consensus that "House Made of Dawn" was a very difficult book to read. There was some beautiful writing about nature but not much plot. In many sections it was hard to tell which character was doing the talking. It is NOT a book you can read in bits and pieces because it is so hard to hold the thread of narrative.

Greta and Mairtin both had excused absences due to illness and proximity. The rest of us went ahead and boldly picked the next four books.

The book for September 8 is "The Book of Salt" by Monique Truong.













We will discuss "A Dry White Season" by Andre Brink on October 13.



Next up is "Breath" by Tim Winton on November 10.

December's book is "Unaccustomed Earth" by Jhumpa Lahiri. Our last meeting of the year is December 8.



See you there.

The last book of the summer is . . .

House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday. See you August 11.

Hello fellow breakfasters and readers,

I've finished both Refelctions in a Golden Eye and The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, and I have to admit that neither has the force, plot, or passion of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.  I know it's late in the game, but I'd like to recommend that book for our next discussion.  There's so much more to talk about!

Tony

MAY - JUNE - AND BEYOND

MAY

BROOKLYN, COLM TÓIBÍN

 JUNE

VOICE OF AMERICA, E.C. OSONDU


JULY
I don't think we settled on a book for July.

HOUSE OF MIRTH - EDITH WHARTON

We got together on Saturday for the April edition of BookClub. Notable members in attendance were Art, Janis, AnneMarie, Tony and Máirtín. Excused absent were Ann (visiting family in Japan) and Greta. We had two months to make a go of this book. Everyone had cracked it open and several members had finished or nearly finished it. General consensus was that it was a good book.

From March to April

Most members were unable to attend in March so the discussion of House of Mirth by Edith Wharton has been postponed until April. See you then.

February and March

Today's discussion of River Thieves, by Michael Crummey, began, uncharacteristically, as soon as the first members were seated. That would be Janice, Ann and Anne Marie. Janice had a question about the meaning of a line about three-quarters through the book. Art and Tony arrived together a few minutes later and jumped in and provided some elucidation. We had moved onto other topics when Mairtin arrived late due to traffic so talk of the book began again. There was general agreement that is a very good book but had a very different pace from Galore by the same author. It didn't have the same feeling of being on a rollicking ride but was more subdued. Ann described it as "frozen." All agreed that the writing was beautiful.



The book for March is House of Mirth by Edith Wharton.

November and December 2011 and January 2012

November was Pao: A Novel
by Kerry Young.




December was The Oracle of Stamboul
by Michael David Lukas.





And January 2012 (can you believe it?!?) is The Dew Breaker
by Edwidge Danticat.

OCTOBER BOOK

WAR Sebastian Junger

September Book

We are reading "Broken April" by Ismail Kadare.

See you in September.

But what we will be reading is open to debate. August means end of vacation and the school teachers were all accounted for. There was an excellent turn out with all present save Greta, who was already swamped with work and was missed. It was universally agreed that "Galore" was a magnificent book, beautiful language and characters.

Unusually, we left undecided on what to read next. Some suggestions were "Just Kids" by Patti Smith and a recent book by William Trevor. (Sorry but I can't remember the name now.)

All suggestions will be entertained (and with luck entertaining as well).

August Reading

Ann wins "Best Reason for Missing Book Club" with her hula-club financial responsibilities excuse. Mairtin was a close second with the ever popular "I'm on another continent" justification. Tony ran a poor third with "I'm in a nearby city." You must be MUCH further away than Carmel to impress us!

Meanwhile, the rest of us had a lovely breakfast (once Greta regained her senses and ordered the bagel plate to augment her fruit cup) and even touched on the book for a few minutes during our conversation.

For next month our book is "Galore" by Michael Crummey.

To be clear, we are READING about Newfoundland, we are MEETING in San Francisco. See you August 13!

A Very Familiar Title for July

Since Ann and Tony read different books and Anne Marie and Art had not finished the June book, we resolved that we would all read "Land of Marvels" by an old favorite Barry Unsworth for July. Really. No kidding. Land of Marvels. See you July 9.

A new title for June

Out with the Hedgehog and in with "Land of Marvels" by an old favorite Barry Unsworth. It looks like Mairtin will make it even though he flies off to Europe the next day. See you June 11 at the Ritz-Carlton. Oh wait, I meant Delancey Street.

Bird Cloud photos here

The February mystery

I think we held Purple Hibiscus over for a second month, hence the appearance of a missing book.

May and June selections

The next Book Club meeting is back to our usual schedule, second Saturday of the month. And need we specify the location?
May 14, 2011

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

June 11, 2011


Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Happy reading!

Bird Cloud

Having let this lapse for many months the first task is to catch up. What have we been reading? Or at least discussing even if we have not read?

December 18, 2010

Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh


January 8, 2011

The Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Nogzi Adichie

February 12, 2011

????
I wasn't there and can't remember!

March 19, 2011












The Quickening Maze by Adam Foulds

And now we are at

April 16, 2011

Bird Cloud by Annie Proulx

The meeting was well attended, only Greta was missing and missed she was. It was fitting that this meandering book lead to a meandering discussion. Uncovered was the fact that Art is a cousin of Annie Proulx and that the house is now on the market for $3.6 million or so.

A photographer, Wayne Thom, who worked for the architect has a number of photos of the house for the viewing. Is Bird Cloud as you pictured it?

End of Daylight Savings Time

Thanks book clubbers for agreeing to switch November and December meetings to the third Saturday of the month so I can attend. It is very appreciated! So our November meeting is the 20th, same time and same place.

Our book is "The Thing Around Your Neck" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

September and October books

August was another fine meeting with only Art and Tony M.I.A. We hope they will be able to join us on September 11 when we'll discuss Lonely Crusade by Chester Himes.

Our book for October is Blood River by Tim Butcher

Until then, best wishes for all who are starting a new school year.

Missing in Action

I wan't sure whether I could make it or not. When I woke up at 9:15 I was sure that I just didn't want to rush over. The new job is great and very demanding. As these things often seem to go there was a slow burning problem that erupted in to a crisis by Friday afternoon and spilled over in to the evening. It was nice to sleep in a little.

Have a great summer.

P.S. We saw City Island and loved it.
-Art

Summer reading--and beyond!

A fine meeting today, even if our numbers were few. There was universal praise for "Fine Just the Way It Is."

What's up next? We decided to tackle a longer book and give ourselves two months to read it. (Also a couple of us are out of town next month.) So grab your library card and start reading!

August 14, 2010
A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz

September 11, 2010

Lonely Crusade by Chester Himes

See you in August.