And Furthermore

Our book for November 2025 was "The Wrong End of the Telescope" by Rabih Almeddine. Thumbs up from all.

For December we will be reading "Wandering Stars" by Tommy Orange.

For 2026? To be decided. 

For the record

 The last post took us up to March. From there:

April:  "North Woods" by Daniel Mason

May: "The Friend" by Sigrid Nunez

June: Postponed due to protests

July: "Solito" by Javier Zamora

August:  "Psalm for the Wild-Built" by Becky Chambers

And into the future:

September: "The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah

October: "James" by Percival Everett

What we read

 

So our September book was "Telephone." AM had ordered all the versions of "Telephone" and distributed them randomly but our wily crew figured out the twist so no surprises were revealed. 

October and November were "Pachinko" by Min Jin Lee. It is almost 500 pages so we allowed two months.

December's book was "Long Island" by Colm Toibin, a follow up to "Brooklyn. It was well received by all except me but maybe I'm just cranky. The meeting had been delayed a week due to crazy weather that actually triggered a tornado watch. Maybe that's why I was so cranky.

January's book was "Goodnight Tokyo" by Atsuhiro Yoshida. Charming story but be sure to take notes on the many characters to keep them straight.

Frebruary's book was "Creation Lake" by Rachel Kushner. It got seven thumbs up.

March will be "Emma" by Jane Austen. Tony had suggested we turn to the classics for a change and this title was voted in.

July 2024 and Beyond

It was an all female group this morning so no cootie shots were required. "People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks found little favor from our readers. While the subject of the recovered haggadah was worthy of exploration the framing story of Hanna was not strong enough.

Summer schedules meant most would miss our August meeting AND our September meeting as originally scheduled. All present agreed that we would skip August and move our September meeting to Saturday, September 7.

Our September book is "Telephone" by Percival Everett.

Our October book is "Pachinko" by Min Jin Lee.

Happy reading!

Where were we?

So our March book became our April book when there was a dearth of readers for the March meeting. In April we discussed "The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store." Generally favorable but overall not a favorite. Mr. McBride could have used a skillful editor.

In May our book was "An Artist of the Floating World" by Kazuo Ishiguro. This book WAS an overall favorite. Well written and with underlying mysteries that made the pages fly. 

June was a tiny crew--Ann, Janice and Anne Marie. Ann and AM had finished our book, "Treacle Walker" by Alan Garner, but Janice couldn't make it past thirty percent. 

Upcoming for July is "People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks.  Keep your fingers crossed that this will find favor with all.

Starting off on the good foot

January's book was "Crook Manifesto" which, although everyone present was enjoying, only Janice had finished reading it. Odd and inexplicable. It was decided that we would carry on and pick a February book regardless. Tony's sister's book group had had a good discussion about "Cry the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton so that was chosen. 

Our February meeting took place on a beautiful day. Greta's friend Stephen joined us. Reviews were mixed from those who had read the book. It was agreed the descriptions of the landscape were lovely. As Tony described it the book's three sections were Steven Kumalo's story, James Jarvis's story  and a fantasy of togetherness. After breakfast several of us walked to the Ferry Building to enjoy the weather.

Our March book is "The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store" by James McBride.

Entering 2024

The update from July played out as advertised. 

August: The Nichol Boys

September: Salt Houses

October and November: The Covenant of Water

There was a surprise for December. Only three of us were in attendance in November and we agreed to The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher. What a BAD book! One of the rare total bombs on our lengthy list of books we've read together. Whew. Even the person who suggested it (who shall not be named here) couldn't finish it. 

For January we will read Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead, one of our favorite writers.

July and Beyond

A great turnout today--but not perfect. Mairtin is on his Europe tour. All present had read (!) and all enjoyed this month's book "Drive the Plow Over the Bones of the Dead" by Olga Tokarczuk. Greta discouraged us from following up with the author's other popular book, "Flights."

We lined up our books for the next three or four months.

August: "The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead.

September: "Salt Houses" by Hala Alyan which is set in Palestine.

October and maybe November: "The Covenant of Water" by Abraham Verghese. This is a fairly new book and may be hard to get which is why we gave ourselves a couple of months for our library reservations. It is also long, 736 pages, so it may well take two months.

The weather is perfect this time of year to curl up by the fireplace under several blankets for some cozy reading. Enjoy!

June

 Demon Copperhead was so long it took April AND May for us all to finish it as much as we wanted. It got mixed reviews.

June's book is At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop. 

We found it on a list of books nominated for  the International Booker Prize most liked by celebrities. This book was recommended by Barack Obama!

Celeb List

2023 is starting off well

Everyone loved our January book, "Foster" by Claire Keegan.  Tony was the only one missing but he had already voiced his appreciation of this book.

Coming up:

February: The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree by Shokoofeh Azar

March: A Bad Character by Deepti Kapoor

April: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Start your reading engines.

 

Another year under our reading belts

 This is just for record keeping.

November 2022: A Woman's Story by Annie Ernaux

December 2022: The Children's Train by Viola Ardone

Our first book of 2023?

January 2023: Foster by Clair Keegan

How time flies.

Once again I will work backward to figure out our last few months of reading.

October 2022: "The Book of Form and Emptiness" by Ruth Ozeki.

September 2022: "I Will Die in a Foreign Land" by Kalani Pickhart, set in Ukraine.

August 2022: "My Name is Yip" by Paddy Crewe.

June and July 2022: "Dead Souls" by Gogol. In June, we had all gotten different translations and most of us found it a slog. Tony brought the translation by Guerney which seemed better by far so we agreed to try again with this version

May 2022: "The Overcoat" by Gogol.

Coming up for November 2022: "A Woman's Story" by newly minted Nobel Laureate Annie Ernaux. 

Carry on.

Where were we?

 I am working backward to fill in the gaps.

For April 2022 we will be reading "April in Spain" by John Banville

March 2022:    "The Lincoln Highway" by Amor Towles

February 2022: "Small Things Like These" by Claire Keegan

January 2022: "The Night Watchman" by Louise Edrich

December 2021: "Gravel Heart" by Abdulrazak Gurnah

November 2021: "Harlem Shuffle" by Colson Whitehead

October 2021: "Invisible Cities" by Italo Calvino

September 2021: "East of Eden" continued

August 2021: "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Next time I will not let so much time lapse before updating. It was a challenge to figure out what we had read.

Read on!

10 JULY 2021

 

San Miguel.  T.C. Boyle.  Penguin, 2013

Who recommended this book?

Nobody liked it!

Nobody had anything good to say about it!

The general consensus was that it was badly written and not worth the trouble.

But I liked it (and am stilling liking it).

I had read about 250 pages by the time I got to Delancey Street

(Is that the best value in the world? - Six good breakfasts, generous portions of Garden Scramble, Reuben Sandwiches (no fries), Fruit Cocktail,  Eggs Benedict, lattes, coffee, tea - all for $80, though we left Matthew a tip large enough for him to buy his own Tesla).

I was impressed by the silkiness of the writing and the depth of the characters.

I enjoyed the narrative that was pieced together from two journals.  It was disjointed and at times didn't seem to flow together, but that's the nature of journaling, a scrapbook of memories that won't make much sense to future readers.

AL had also read about 100 pages and was looking forward to finishing it.

BOOKCLUB BONUS:  Delancey Street now has a booknook, but none of the books we have ever read is available yet.

Next book:  East of Eden for AUG 14.

Was today our last Zoom Meeting?!?!

 We'll see. Janice will be trying to snag us an outdoor table at Delancey Street for our June meeting. 

Today, readers liked "The Vanishing Half" to various degrees but all agreed there were parts that really worked for us. The town of Mallard was a wonderful creation and Early's relationship to Stella and her mother was sweet and real. 

Our June book is "Go Tell it on the Mountain" by James Baldwin.

July's read is "San Miguel" by T. C. Boyle.

April Foolishness

 We missed Mairtin today but the rest of us were all in attendance. Tony zoomed in from Turkey with a glass a wine in hand, having not read the book despite having PLENTY of time on his flight. Greta rightly took him to task for this.

"Animal Dreams" got mixed reviews. Some found it wanting after enjoying "Bean Trees" so much. Others liked its examination of community and memory. Almost all found the plot line of the sister going to Nicaragua unsatisfying. 

Next up for May: "The Vanishing Half" by Brit Bennett. We will be zooming for this meeting.

We are daring to dream of a face-to-face meeting in June. Our book will be "The Edge of the Haight" by Katherine Seligman.

Read on!

March Madness

The main madness was taking note of the one year anniversary of the plague. All members were present and five out of seven were fully vaccinated. Tony has one more shot to go and Mairtin got his first shot today. We have begun to dream of a return to Delancey Street. 

There was unanimous praise for "The Bean Trees," even from Mairtin who hadn't read it! It was so enjoyed that we have chosen another Barbara Kingsolver book for April, "Animal Dreams."

It turns out "The Bean Trees" was followed up by "Pigs in Heaven," continuing the tale of Taylor and Turtle but I could not find evidence of a third book. Please let me know if you learn otherwise.

A Long Overdue Update

 So when last heard from, our October book was "Christ Stopped at Eboli." Somewhat mixed reviews as some found the descriptions of the Southern Italians to be too harsh. 

November we sorta read "The Shadow of the Wind." Not one of us had completely finished it. It was made optional to finish it by the next meeting. Meanwhile for December we agreed to "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself, A New Critical Edition by Angela Y. Davis."

During our discussion of the Douglass book we discovered that this recent edition had some language changes from earlier versions. In Janice's book the word "bloodless" was used multiple times in confusing ways. In Anne Marie's edition the word "cold" replaced it. 

January's book was "The Welsh Girl" by Peter Ho Davies. This got unanimous thumbs up from our reviewers.

Today we meet to discuss "Rules of Civility" by Amor Towles. Opinions were very divided with some enjoying it very much, others not interested in the characters. And yet, all agreed the writing was very good.

For March we will be reading "The Bean Trees" by Barbara Kingsolver. This will be the one year anniversary of pandemic book club. 

Yikes.

Making the most of our time indoors and reading more!

 We met electronically in August and found "The Muse" a mixed bag. Our book for September was "Shiner" by Amy Jo Burns and it got a far more favorable review than the previous two books. The writing was strong and the description of the woods and friendships were beautiful. 

Our October book is "Christ Stopped at Eboli" by Carlo Levi. Our November (and maybe December depending on if anyone finishes it) book is "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. 

Meeting in the time of Covid

ALL of us were there for our July virtual meeting to discuss how disappointing we found "A Long Petal of the Sea" by Isabel Allende. Everyone of us (who had read the book) thought it was badly written. Ann had the insight that maybe the task of combining fiction and history was just beyond the author. The historical details were fascinating and seemed well researched: the Spanish War, the treatment of the interned refugees from that war in France, Pablo Neruda's mission to bring a ship of Spanish refugees to Chile. Too bad about the goofy novel laid over these events.

Our book for August is "The Muse" by Jessie Burton.

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

We did not meet in March because of the pandemic.

In April we held our first virtual gathering to discuss "Homegoing." Only Greta, Mairtin and AM attended that time.

In May we discussed "Less" by Andrew Sean Greer, an amusing and light read. All were zoomed there save Ann.

In June we discussed "A Thousand Moons" by Sebastian Barry, a sort of sequel to "Days Without End." Tony wasn't able to make it but all the rest of the readers were there.

July's book is "A Long Petal of the Sea" by Isabel Allende.

Greta is our technological leader and we are so very grateful she is able to gather us zoomingly.

Oideas Arán Sóide - Soda Bread Recipe

Arán Sóide (donn): Na Comhábhair

plúr donn: ceithre chupán agus plúr bán: dhá chupán

bláthach, bainne géar, nó bainne géaraithe le gealtartar: cupán amháin agus giota beag eile má tá sé de dhíth don uigeacht

sóid aráin (décharbónáit sóidiam): taespúnóg amháin

salann: taespúnóg amháin, agus gráinnín eile don ghlónra

Agus más rogha leat: gealacán uibhe (ón ubh a úsáidfidh tú don ghlónra — an gealacán mar chomhábhar san arán agus an buíocán don ghlónra) — thosaigh mé le seo a dhéanamh mar cad é eile a dhéanfá le gealacán ubh amháin? Ní leor d’uibheagán é agus ní mórán é le n-ithe leis féin. Cuir an gealacán (é buailte) sa bhainne nó cuir sa taos é nuair a bheas an taos leathmheasctha agus measc níos mó é. Is é mo bharúil go mbíonn an t-arán beagán níos éadroime le gealacán na huibhe ann. Agus is í troime an príomhdháinséar a bhaineanns le bácáil arán sóide. Amanna tagann sé amach mar bhríce, róthrom. Tharla sé dom uair amháin, pé scéal é. I ndiaidh na huaire sin, fadhb ar bith. Glónra (rud nach bhfuil i ngach oideas arán sóide ach rud a dhéanaim féin, de ghnáth): buíocán uibhe agus beagán uisce agus gráinnín salainn, measctha le chéile go dtí go bhfuil sé mar leacht gan chnapanna gan righne. Más mian leat, is féidir rudaí mar chuiríní nó rísíní a chur ann, nó le bheith neamhthraidisiúnta, síolta lus na gréine, cnónna mionghearrtha, srl.


Treoracha Measc na comhábhair thirime le chéile i mbáisín agus déan “tobar” (poll) sa lár.

Cuir an chuid is mó den bhainne sa tobar, go leor de le taos tiubh a dhéanamh (ach fág giota beag den bhainne amuigh; seans go mbeidh sé de dhíth níos moille).

Measc le spúnóg adhmaid é. Ba chóir go mbeadh an meascán bog ach gan a bheith fliuch. Measc go héadrom agus go tapaidh é. Má tá an meascán rórighin, úsáid beagán níos mó bainne.

Cuir beagán plúir ar do lámha agus cuir an meascán ar losaid phlúrtha nó ar chlár plúrtha agus leacaigh an taos i gcruth ciorcail thart fá orlach go leith ar airde.

Cuir an glónra ar an taos le scuab thaosráin. Tá a lán cineálacha glónra ann ach má úsáideann tú ubh amh sa ghlónra, cuirtear ar an arán roimh bhácáil é. Cuir an taos ar leathán bácála smeartha (le him nó le hola chócaireachta) agus gearr cros mhór thairis le scian phlúrtha. I mo thaithí féin, is féidir leathán bácála cothrom nó panna builín cruinn a úsáid. I mo thaithí féin, ar a laghad, coinníonn an t-arán a chruth, fiú ar leathán cothrom. Tar éis an tsaoil, is taos é — ní fuidreamh é. Bácáil in oigheann 375-400°F ar feadh 40 nóiméad é. Úsáid tástálaí císte (nó scian) le fáil amach an bhfuil sé réidh nó nach bhfuil. Bí cinnte go dtagann an tástálaí amach glan lonrach agus nach bhfuil taos amh (neamhbhácáilte) fós ann. Má tá sé taosach fós, lig don arán bácáil ar feadh, b’fhéidir, cúig nóiméad eile agus tástáil aríst é. Lig don arán fuarú ar raca sreinge agus ansin cuir éadach glan mar thuáille tae thart ar an arán chun é a choinneáil bog go dtí go n-itear é. Bain sult as! Sin é, arán sóide. An-bhlasta, go mór mór le him agus le subh, mar a dúirt mé thuas. Nó le cáis. Chuala mé i gcónaí gan arán úr a ithe agus é te fós ón oigheann. Leis an fhírinne a dhéanamh, níl a fhios agam cén fáth. Ach is dócha gur chóir gan an t-arán seo a ithe go dtí go bhfuil sé fionnuar (ag teocht an tseomra). Ansin, plac ort. SGF — Róislín

Welcome to our new member!

Emily joined us this month and she read the book. In fact we all had, a very auspicious beginning. "Missing Person" elicited lots of rich conversation and while not everyone enjoyed it all found it though provoking.

Our March book is "Homegoing," by Yaa Gyasi. While our last two books were about 100 pages this one is 320 pages. Start reading now!

Wrapping up 2019

Breakfast was consumed, books were discussed.

Here is the first round of books for 2020.

January: "Signs Preceding the End of the World" by Yuri Herrera. (Greta will be reading this in Spanish.)

February: "Missing Person" by Patrick Modiano. (Greta will be reading this in French.)

Read on!

To Recap

July was ""Milkman."
August was "Exit West."
September was "Milkman" again. Why? Don't ask me, I was not present in August. "Say Nothing" by Patrick Radden Keefe had been suggested as supplementary reading for those who had already read "Milkman."
October will be "Say Nothing" by Patrick Radden Keefe. Again.
November will be "The Bastard of Istanbul" by Elif Shafak.
December will be "Revolutionary" by Alex Myers.

And then it will be 2020.

Whatever You Say, Say Nothing

Seamus Heaney 

I.
I'm writing just after an encounter
With an English journalist in search of  'views
On the Irish thing'.  I'm back in winter
Quarters where bad news is no longer news,
Where media-men and stringers sniff and point,
Where zoom lenses, recorders and coiled leads
Litter the hotels. The times are out of joint
But I incline as much to rosary beads
As to the jottings and analyses
Of politicians and newspapermen
Who've scribbled down the long campaign from gas
And protest to gelignite and Sten,
Who proved upon their pulses 'escalate',
'Backlash' and 'crack down', 'the provisional wing',
'Polarization' and 'long-standing hate'.
Yet I live here, I live here too, I sing,
Expertly civil-tongued with civil neighbours
On the high wires of first wireless reports,
Sucking the fake taste, the stony flavours
Of those sanctioned, old, elaborate retorts:
'Oh, it's disgraceful, surely, I agree.'
'Where's it going to end?' 'It's getting worse.'
'They're murderers.' 'Internment, understandably ...'
The 'voice of sanity' is getting hoarse.

II.

Men die at hand. In blasted street and home
The gelignite's a common sound effect:
As the man said when Celtic won, 'The Pope of Rome's
a happy man this night.' His flock suspect

In their deepest heart of hearts the heretic
Has come at last to heel and to the stake.
We tremble near the flames but want no truck
With the actual firing. We're on the make

As ever. Long sucking the hind tit
Cold as a witch's and as hard to swallow
Still leaves us fork-tongued on the border bit:
The liberal papist note sounds hollow

When amplified and mixed in with the bangs
That shake all hearts and windows day and night.
(It's tempting here to rhyme on 'labour pangs'
And diagnose a rebirth in our plight

But that would be to ignore other symptoms.
Last night you didn't need a stethoscope
To hear the eructation of Orange drums
Allergic equally to Pearse and Pope.)

On all sides 'little platoons' are mustering-
The phrase is Cruise O'Brien's via that great
Backlash, Burke-while I sit here with a pestering
Drouth for words at once both gaff and bait

To lure the tribal shoals to epigram
And order. I believe any of us
Could draw the line through bigotry and sham
Given the right line, aere perennius.

III.
"Religion's never mentioned here", of course.
"You know them by their eyes," and hold your tongue.
"One side's as bad as the other," never worse.
Christ, it's near time that some small leak was sprung
In the great dykes the Dutchman made
To dam the dangerous tide that followed Seamus.
Yet for all this art and sedentary trade
I am incapable. The famous
Northern reticence, the tight gag of place
And times: yes, yes. Of the "wee six" I sing
Where to be saved you only must save face
And whatever you say, you say nothing.
Smoke-signals are loud-mouthed compared with us:
Manoeuvrings to find out name and school,
Subtle discrimination by addresses
With hardly an exception to the rule
That Norman, Ken and Sidney signalled Prod
And Seamus (call me Sean) was sure-fire Pape.
O land of password, handgrip, wink and nod,
Of open minds as open as a trap,
Where tongues lie coiled, as under flames lie wicks,
Where half of us, as in a wooden horse
Were cabin'd and confined like wily Greeks,
Besieged within the siege, whispering morse.

IV.
This morning from a dewy motorway
I saw the new camp for the internees:
A bomb had left a crater of fresh clay
In the roadside, and over in the trees
Machine-gun posts defined a real stockade.
There was that white mist you get on a low ground
And it was déjà-vu, some film made
Of Stalag 17, a bad dream with no sound.

Is there a life before death? That's chalked up
In Ballymurphy. Competence with pain,
Coherent miseries, a bite and sup,
We hug our little destiny again.

Here's what happens when you don't come to Book Club

We go ahead and line up the next three books.

"Lie Down in Darkness" was universally declared to be a dreary slog and racist to boot. The author of this review shares our disappointment when revisiting it after many years.

Dimmed by Age

Our next few reads are as follows.

June: "There There" by Tommy Orange
July: "Milkman" by Anna Burns
August: "Exit West" by Mohsin Hamid

Sounds like a good summer of reading ahead.

Spring Update

After agreeing on how much we admired Baldwin's writing in "If Beale Street Could Talk," we chose to read "Giovanni's Room" for March. Due to illness and traveling we did not meet in March but used the magic of the interwebs to select Truman Capote's "Other Voices Other Rooms" as our April book. Janice had a last minute date with a falcon but all others were in attendance on April 13. Two books were discussed!

Our May book with be "Lie Down in Darkness" by William Styron.

Looking into the Future

Everyone loved "The Heart's Invisible Furies," our December book, and everyone was there to express their opinions.

Our selection for January 2019 is "Sing, Unburied Sing" by Jesmyn Ward.

James Baldwin's "If Beale Street Could Talk" is our February read.

Start your Kindles.

October and November

So. We didn't meet in September so we added "Eileen" by Ottessa Moshfegh to our discussion in October. What a crazy book! Only one member (ahem, that would be me) had finished it so it wasn't the longest book discussion.

Our November book was "Washington Black" by Esi Edugyan. Greta, Tony, Mairtin and AM were present. Two of us had finished the book and all had read some. It was a very good conversation about the role of slavery in American history and in our current lives. It will be good to follow up when all have finished since the end of the book is complicated and puzzling.

Our book for December is "The Heart's Invisible Furies" by John Boyne and for January we have lined up "Sing, Unburied, Sing" by Jesmyn Ward.

AM tried to describe a movie she was recommending which lead to some confusion since vet can refer to a veteran or a veterinarian.

We all expressed our gratitude for book club. 

September Book

"The Friends of Eddie Coyle" by George V. Higgins.

Did I say July?

It turns out that we will not meet in July so "Postcards" will be up for discussion in August. Carry on.

Summer Reading Update

Our book for June, The Innocent by Ian McEwan, had already been reviewed by Janice at our May meeting due some confusion about the order of our books. Mairtin and AM had read Kindness of Enemies for May as they should have. It was agreed that a major problem with The Innocent was the unlikable protagonist. It was hard to spend so much time with him.

The book for July is Postcards by Annie Proulx.

All is Art

Instead of meeting for Book Club on December 9 we attended Art's Funeral. His death was unexpected and terribly sad.

All who were in the country met up the next Saturday to check in with each other. We missed Art's company and comments. "Stoner" was unanimously praised and Tony pointed out that the passage that changes the course of Stoner's life was about death, strangely appropriate.

Life and reading goes on. January's book was "Days Without End," another book enjoyed by all.

February we read "Wintering," by Peter Geye. The outdoor scenes with the father and son were beautiful but all the female characters, including the narrator, were not well written at all.

Coming up:

March--"The Tusk That Did the Damage" by Tania James
April--"Katalin Street" by Magda Szabo
May--"The Kindness of Enemies" by Laila Abouleda

To keep the list complete

After "The Leavers" by Lisa Ko came "Kindred" by Octavia Butler. November's book was "The Paris Architect" by Charles Belfoure. December we'll be reading "Stoner" by John Williams.

So, what's new?

Today's book was "Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead. The four bookclubbers in attendance were Ann, Tony, Art and AM. Areal joined us as well. The reviews were mixed. It's a hard book to get a handle on, veering from harsh reality to strange fantasy elements.

Next month, September, our book with be "The Leavers" by Lisa Ko. Hope to see you there.

p.s. Due to people traveling the world there was no meeting in July so "News of the World" was discussed in July.

It's been a really long time.

Here are our books so far for 2017.

Our book for January AND February was "LaRose" by Louise Erdich.

Our book for March AND April was "Angel of History" by Rabih Alameddine.

Our book for May was "H is for Hawk" by Helen Macdonald.

Our book for June is going to be "News of the World" by Paulette Jiles.

Thumbs up for "LaRose." Mixed reviews for "Angel of History." Generally disappointed with "H is for Hawk."

New Sebastian Barry getting rave reviews

Days without End by Sebastian Barry review: epic intimacy in the old west

November Update

So October was "The Sympathizer." This month was "Tatiana" by Martin Cruz Smith.

December will be "Justine" by Lawrence Durrell. January 2017 will be "LaRose" by Louise Erdrich.

More Sympathy

Since only one of the members present (Ann, Anne Marie, Art, Greta, Janice) had finished the book and all thought it was worth the extra time we will be continuing with "The Sympathizer" for the month of October. Good reading!

July Update

Courtesy of Art:

Our July meeting was a cheery one although we missed the presence of three of you. There wasn't a deep discussion of the book Skyfaring due to most of us having read little or none of it...so far. We can give it more attention in August when we have read more.

We did discuss language quite a bit. Art is working on French with the Duolingo app, Tony found that they also offer Turkish, and for Greta there is Catalan for Spanish speakers. Sorry, I don't remember if Anne Marie is working on a course as well.

Our upcoming books are:

August

The Narrow Road to the Deep North, by Richard Flanagan

September

The Sympathizer: A Novel, by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Overdue Update

Our March book was unanimously enjoyed. "Lolly Willowes" by Sylvia Townsend Warner. It was the first "Book of the Month Club" selection in 1926.

Our April/May/June book was "A Brief History of Seven Killings" by Marlon James. Even though there was a lot time to complete this big book, nobody had. Some were put off by the unrelenting violence and others struggled with the Jamaican dialect. Personally, I liked it but I did put it aside several times to get a break from the violence.

All of us who do NOT have second homes in Europe were in attendance.

Our July book is "Skyfaring" by Mark Vanhoenacker, a non-fiction book.

Our February Book

January's book, "This Is How You Lose Her," by Junot Diaz. Was thoroughly enjoyed by all. For February we read "A Mercy," by Toni Morrison. Greta and Art were absent and missed. Although the book was well liked and admired by all, there was little discussion of the book. Why was that? Our March book is yet to be selected.

Upcoming Books

For December:

Transatlantic by Colm Toibin

For January:

This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz

September's Meeting

There were five of us (missed you Mairtin and Art) and nobody had finished the book all the way but a great discussion ensued anyway. The book Boy, Snow, Bird is well written and full of puzzles. Why the strange names? What about the mirrors? Why was Snow banished so abruptly?

Greta has since finished it and sent the following link for us:

Helen Oyeyemi.

Since most were close to finishing the book we decided not to delay the October book, Ashes in My Mouth, Sand in My Shoes by Per Petterson

For November we will read Transatlantic by Colum McCann.

Happy reading all!

Catching up and moving forward

The book for July was "Every Day Is for the Thief" by Teju Cole. Not only was every member present but five out of seven had finished the book! We are checking the record books but this may be a first. The consensus? An excellent read of the right length (hence the high completion rate) but more a travel piece or memoir than a novel.

The book for August is "Family Life" by Akhil Sharma.

September's book is "Boy, Snow, Bird" by Helen Oyeyemi.

And looking ahead all the way to October, "Ashes in My Mouth, Sand in My Shoes" by Per Petterson.

Check out those library books, fire up those Kindles and start reading.

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!