The Day The World Came to Town by Jim DeFede

We met at the Mt. Ivy Cafe on December 3, 2018 to discuss Jim DeFede's book The Day the World Came To Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland. I chose this book after we read White Chrysanthemum, because I needed to find something uplifting. Although this book brought us back to some terrible memories of 9/11, DeFede's book was filled with stories that reaffirmed our faith in humanity, and the inherent goodness in people.

We discussed many issues, including where we had been at the moment the WTC was hit. We also talked about some of the characters in the book, and which we related to the most. Laughing and learning about "Newfie language" was fun. I shared a few of the pictures Steven and I have of our wonderful summer vacation in Newfoundland.

I was disappointed in Mt. Ivy Cafe as a restaurant, and did not like that there was not a round table big enough for the 12 of us. Instead, we were seated at one big round table, and a smaller round table pushed up against it. However, the company and the discussion made up for the mediocre food and place settings. Perhaps over the summer, we can get together to see the Broadway play, entitled Come From Away, based on the book.

Wishing you all meaningful time with your families and loved ones on the holidays, and a Happy 2019 New Year!

XXOO,
Robin L.

WHITE CHYSANTHEMUM

We had a wonderful evening sharing our thoughts about White 
Chrysanthemum! I am so sorry this blog is tardy!!!

Although we found this historical- fiction novel to be intense and 
suspenseful (many of us had to put the book down a few times). We all 
agreed that we learned so much about Korea and Japan during the 1940s.

Hana, the elder sister had enjoyed  lived her life as a haenyeo, a 
female diver. She enjoyed her independence until the day she saved her 
younger sister Emi's life. Both sisters dug deep and continually  persisted with their lives 
as haenyeo women ---- with Power and Strength!!! 

Wishing all my Powerful, Strong Bookworm Women a Happy and Bountiful 
Thanksgiving!!!

XOXO
Jill

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

Hello My Bookworm Amigas!

How exciting it was for us to kick off our 10th year with the discussion of The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin. How nice it was to see so many of you attend the meeting at The Pancake Factory in Stony Point, to discuss this book, which everyone seemed to like.

Did we all like it because the book focuses on topics such as magic, fortune telling, death? Aren't all those topics mysterious, intriguing, and perhaps strikes a nerve in all of us?The story revolves around these topics as the four Gold siblings live their lives "knowing" the exact date of when they are going to die, as predicted by a fortune teller they visited in their Lower East Side neighborhood as young children.

The novel is filled with references to the characters' destinies and whether these destinies can be altered by their actions. Would knowing the day they are going to die cause them to unconciously or intentionally to act a certain way to ultimately influence their destiny?

As we discussed those thought provoking topics, we shared many of our own fears, superstitions, and beliefs...bringing us all to the conclusion we don't want to know our destinies -- no need for added stress!

Looking forward to seeing you all on October 22- we decided to take November off, and will resume bookclub on Dec. 3. After that we are meeting the first Monday of every month for the rest of this school year.

Love you all,
Maria P.

THE GREAT ALONE -- June 4, 2018

     We met on June 4, at City Line Diner for our last book of the year The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. The book was well loved by everyone, however there were mixed feelings about visiting Alaska. Kristin Hannah’s portrayal of Alaska is so vivid, it almost makes you feel like you are there. It is not a glamorous, resort type of place -- but rather a down to earth, smell the air, and take in the beauty of the grandeur.

     Cora and Leni are pulled to the unknown land of Alaska by their father, Ernst, in search of a new beginning. Little do they know that this adventure will lead to many unexpected and unwanted events.  The troubled relationship between Cora and Ernst brings to the surface the question of “Why do women stay in an abusive relationship?”.  As we all agreed on this, there are many reasons why, and few good endings.  Many topics surfaced while discussing the book, including the effects of war and PTSD, the relationships between parent and child, and the need for survival in many ways.  We all loved the strength in the characters of the women in the book - from Large Marge to Leni - a young woman with extraordinary wisdom.  

     This book grabs your attention and makes you want to keep reading. Thank you all for coming, enjoy the summer and see you in September!!

XOOX,

Maria Rego

May 7, 2018 ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE by Anthony Doerr

Hello Bookworms,

A little late, but wanting to capture our last meeting before we meet again! We read All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel by Anthony Doerr. We met on May 7, at Alain’s French Bistro, in Nyack. We  had a lively conversation over some pretty nice food!! The book, if you can still recall, takes place during one of the last battles of WWII in a small, fortified town in Brittany, France. The narrative flows back and forth in time. The story was mainly about a girl whose inner light guides her as she manages to appreciate beauty despite her blindness, as opposed to greed and vanity - which led to so much suffering and violence. Some of us liked it better than others - “Vive la difference”. We were all in agreement however, that although the story and writing itself was rather good, it paled in comparison to the sonorous accolades the book and author received. Well, enjoy the weekend and hopefully the beginnings of summer!!! 

A bientot!

Maria Rodriguez

The Ishi Affair -- April 9, 2018 at Robin Ackerman's House

On Monday, 4/9/18 The Neary Book Club members were treated to a lively and fascinating discussion at my home by the Author, Steven Jay Griffel, about his historical fiction novel, The Ishi Affair.  The book tells the story of Ishi, who was recognized by historians as being the last Stone Age Indian of the Yahi tribe in Northern California in the early 1900’s. In his book, Steven recounts how Ishi (which means man in Yahi) wandered out of his Stone Age cave in the foothills of northern California near the town of Oroville, and was found by local authorities.  Anthropologist, Thomas Waterman came to see Ishi and took him back to San Francisco, almost starving, and then to the Berkeley Museum where he was taken care of, and studied extensively by other anthropologists like Alfred Kroeber. In 1916 Ishi was put on display as a living Indian exhibit for the remainder of his life. Steven shared how he wove this true story of Ishi into a fictional account of whether Ishi was truly the last Stone Age Indian, and if in fact there were any of his tribe members still alive today.  He captivated us with details of how he intertwined his own life’s fascination with Ishi's story, how his brain was preserved after his death, and the search for his modern day tribal family. By intertwining those parts of his story, Steven recounted how The Ishi Affair came to be a suspenseful  filled novel set at the turn of the 20^th century and in modern day.

What a wonderful and interesting experience, having Steven share how he came to be an author, how his career took a markedly different path for some 40 years, but ultimately how he found his way back to writing, and back to the story of Ishi he started a very long time ago. It made for quite the interesting and exciting evening, with great questions and discussion from everyone who attended.

We thank you, Steven, for coming to our book club sharing your love of writing and  of books, your incredible story and your candor in describing  your journey to today.  

                                                                        ----Robin A.

The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney -March 5, 2018 at Cityline Diner

Hi!

Our book, The Nest, was about difficult family relationships, secrets and deception. We enjoyed a discussion around these topics since we can all relate in some way . We enjoyed a dinner and lots of catching up. I am looking forward to the next meeting! Enjoy your holidays! 

Love,

Yvette

The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater -- Feb. 5, 2018

I was very excited about reading the book The 57 Bus.  This book was a riveting non fiction book about gender, crime, and racial issues. I was happy to hear the wonderful response it received from other book club members.

The story raised so many questions for us as a group of educators. We service so many students each day and see how impulsively they can act; and many of us realized it is the brain development of an adolescent.  The story was painful and complex, it created a good discussion during the meeting.

The 57 Bus was an excellent book that showed us how impulsive actions can lead to negative consequences.  We also learned about forgiveness, tolerance, and how "not to judge".

                                                                            ---- Damary Soto