The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

Dear Bookworms,

Thank you so much for sharing your ideas and feelings on the Twelve Tribes of Hattie. It was as always, great to see everyone. Having the opportunity to be in our bookclub has allowed me to read books written in so many genres. I appreciate our time spent together.

Ayana Mathis wrote about the tribulations of Hattie as a mother and wife. As we discussed Hattie's mothering skills, it was hard to understand why she couldn't open her heart to her children. It was easy to see why Hattie blamed August for everything. His womanizing, drinking and inability to financially take care of his family didn't make him a desirable character. This novel left me feeling that so much was unknown about Hattie's children. Mathis could have joined the characters earlier on in the book and continued sharing about each of them in latter chapters. Who knows, maybe a sequel will be written.

Looking forward to seeing you all again next month.

Happy Reading,
Millie

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

We have stories to tell, stories that provide the wisdom about the  journey  of life. 

What more have we to give one another than our 'truth' about our human adventure as honestly and as openly as we know how?                      

                                                                         - Rabbi Saul Rubin

Hello Lovely Ladies,

I am so privileged to be walking this journey in life with such extraordinary women.  I am so blessed to be surrounded by women of faith and wisdom, who give each other the space and comfort to speak openly and honestly without judgement or criticism. 

As I had shared in our gathering, this book was especially meaningful to me.  I shared the stress I am experiencing in my journey at this point, but I move forward with strength and grace from God.  I think this book was amazing in showing how Harold's journey brought him to self evaluation, redemption, forgiveness, love and peace. 

We all have a journey, a story to tell. We learn that we take our experiences, whether good or bad, and trust that in them, we are never alone!  I look forward to next month's gathering hosted by our lovely Millie!

Enjoy and happy trails!

Mary

The House of The Spirits at Blu Fig

If you like historical fiction, then you’ll probably like The House of The Spirits by Isabel Allende.  My mom has read almost all of her books in Spanish, so I was very curious about the author.  Learning about Allende’s life,  listening to her speak on TED.com, and learning about “magical realism” as a genre of literature was almost as interesting as the novel itself.

The story of a Latin-American family saga, intermixed with the political and social issues that affected their lives, drew me into their world.  Perhaps those of us familiar with “machismo” and who have witnessed the class distinctions in Latin American countries can identify more with the story.  The characters were so distinct---i.e. Esteban Trueba, Pedro Tercero, Clara, Blanca, Alma, & Jaime —and so passionate about their causes (and their loves), that they will forever remain in my mind.  The ending leaves us with a hope for Latin America—that despite all the violence, the history, and instability, it will endure and find strength for its future.

It was a pleasure to have a discussion with friends, although there were only six of us present. If you want more information on the author, you can easily find it on the internet. She has written many books for adults as well as children. One of the main ideas she projects is that history needs to be recorded. Isabel writes her mother a letter every day, so that the day counts and is remembered. I think the blogging of our book club meetings serve the same purpose. This book club means so much to me. Thank you friends, for including me. This book club means so much to me.  

Happy reading --

Lourdes

Gone Girl

Blu Fig Restaurant. January 29, 2013

Our beloved book club started off the New Year with the psychological thriller Gone Girl. Thank you all for coming and sharing your thoughts, the tantalizing conversation, and good food. We all missed our colleagues that were unable to attend, but know you were there in love.  I want to thank you all for our special group, each and everyone of you hold a special place in my heart and mean so much to me.  I feel so truly blessed to be part of our "Neary" Book club.

We had lots of fun dissecting Nick and Amy's life and their marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. All agreed that the ending was both disturbing and ominous.  Looking forward to a happy ending where good prevails!

I pray love will be with, goodness will surround you and joy will fill your heart.....until next month!

As always, a huge thank you to Robin for all you do. It is greatly appreciated!

Lots of love,
Irene

Goodreads Book List - Take a Chance!

These are some great books some of us have mentioned, or I am investigating, for Neary's book club, or my new Book Club Too. If you choose from this list, I think you are guaranteed a good read, BUT, someone might pick it sometime soon for their book choice for the month. Please feel free to edit and add your own choices! Some I have already read and really enjoyed (marked with a *) and I almost chose them for our book club. Some are on my "must read asap list", and some have been recommended to me by other trusted bookworms!


The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (or ANY book by Jojo Moyes)

Honolulu by Alan Brennert (author of Moloka'i)

In The Shadow of the Banyan a novel by Vaddey Ratner

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

* A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman

* Wish You Well by David Baldacci

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

* Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

* The Rembrandt Affair by Daniel Silva (a page turner, mystery!)

* Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin

The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe

The Underside of Joy by Sere Prince Halverson

Once We Were Brothers by Ronald Balson

Pearl of China by Anchee Min

                      

The Language of Flowers

Ten of our book club members squeezed enough time to meet tonight at Blu Fig for a discussion of The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. There were many themes in the book, including family, forgiveness, food, second chances, and unconditional love. Victoria had so little faith and belief in herself, in spite of her many talents. The table was decorated with flowers and spices in an effort to communicate love, health, cheerfulness, and more -- to my beloved Neary friends.

It was difficult to agree on the most important theme in the book. For me personally, life can be so fragile, that I felt second chances, along with forgiveness, are the most important part. But then again, if you don't have love in your life, what would it all mean? And for me FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD is always front and center in my life. Then there's maternal love, represented by moss, which is rootless. So perhaps all the themes were very important.

I am so glad Victoria found a true love in Grant, and a second chance with her daughter and Elizabeth. I am a sucker for happy endings -- but this one didn't come easy!

RED ROSES -- I mean love - to all

XXOO
Robin

Dreams of Joy

On Monday, November 5th, we had a wonderful discussion about the lives of the characters in Lisa See's Dreams of Joy.  We all agreed that this book brings the story of May and Pearl full circle.  It was refreshing to see how they found love, and themselves, after the rollercoaster life of heartache, loss, and a very few momentary joys they experienced in Shanghai Girls. 

We were also introduced to Joy, May's daughter.  As the story developed, we grew to love her. Several incidents in her life made us wish we could reach her and talk some sense into her to "right" her ways.  Yet, she was able to  pull through and emerge stronger.  

The realistic (fiction) nature of this story also gave us a glimpse into how human beings respond to injustices, hardship, hunger, and oppression.  We saw how Joy's early enthusiasm under these stressors turned to disillusionment and despair, how Z.G. Was able to navigate a system he did not agree with, to survive. We saw how Pearl was willing to sacrifice so much, becoming a paper collector, coming to her childhood home inhabited by pitiful "nails", to find the daughter she loves.  And finally, we saw how Pearl's and May's father was able to make amends for the way that his vices and poor choices sent May's and Pearl's life into a heart wrenching tailspin. 

It was wonderfuly stimulating to learn from each other as we shared our thoughts and perspectives! We are all looking forward to the next book!

Miggy