Great turnout today! New faces and ol..... o.... oh dear, how do I get myself out of this one. [note to Editor: I'm counting on you to fix this mess. TY.] Anyhow, beautiful dynamic all around while snow flurried and swirled outside.
Tracy recommended The Heart of a Woman, one of Maya Angelou’s memoirs. Spinning, a graphic novel memoir about a young competitive ice skater coming out as lesbian, was “not for our age range.” About The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, she said “you know how she writes!” It deals with community, sharing, gratitude; and she recommends it. The Mighty Red had “interesting weaving of stories together [...] thereś a lot in there, really good, I enjoyed it.” Thank you for being careful with your comments, Tracy, and not divulging important plot elements! In Happiness Falls a young man with Angelman Syndrome, incapable of speaking or writing, goes for a walk with his father; only the son returns. Tracy found it “interesting how they communicate” with him to learn what happened. Invisible Women is a well-researched look at the countless ways in which everyday objects and environments are designed for men, and how that adversely impacts women. Lively discussion ensued.
Ellen finds herself reading books about women’s oppression across multiple historical times, fighting against the patriarchy. She was impressed by Deborah Jackson Taffa’s recent talk at the schools and by her book Whiskey Tender. Transcendent Kingdom she found “plodding,” issues of faith and science, recommended “if you’re good with a slow read.” In The Sound of a Thousand Stars, “for me, the Jewy parts were interesting, as well as the history [...] an interesting portrayal of [Manhattan Project] people.” The House in the Cerulean Sea was a much-needed escapist fantasy, character-driven with a slow narrative. She began listening to Anita de Monte Laughs Last but called the audio “terrible, so much DRAMA.” She switched to reading a print copy but continued to read the voices the way they were in the audiobook. She did say she enjoyed it. Weyward, audio also, “got me through several road trips to Albuquerque.” And By Any Other Name, Jodi Picault’s latest, was “well done” and “fascinating.”
Angie called Witch of Wild Things a “great palate cleanser after reading Demon Copperhead.” She did not, however, describe it as “fluff,” a first for this book. Yellowface deals with book publishing, racism, reverse racism; “if you’re looking for character growth, don’t go there.” Unanimous consent among all who read it that the protagonist is deththpicable. The Fox Wife “it’s sooooo good”: grief, deceit, vengeance, love, “a very nicely done beautiful book.” Again, strong agreement among those who read it. Less enthusiasm for If You Want to Make God Laugh: “not a perfectly done book” but she did gain perspective into events that took place during our lifetimes but far away.
Kristine, about Signs Preceding the End of the World: “‘Intriguing’ is all I can say.” Leaving some of us eager to hear more, but nope, that was all she could say. She “loved” The Fox Wife. And she, too, attended Deborah Jackson Taffa’s recent talk, calling her words on multiculturalism “beautiful.” She shared an interesting aside about Whiskey Tender: it was originally written as essays, but the publisher pushed back because essays don’t sell. And she remarked on an experience Taffa had with her husband’s family in Italy, foraging in the woods, noting that their culture never had those traditions ripped away from them.
Madhavi read three “light-hearted” books: Bite by Bite, by Aimee Nezhukumatathil, “lots of foods,” and their histories, and life metaphors. “Very nice book, beautifully written, almost like poetry.” The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches she compared to T.J. Klune’s books, “lighthearted feel-good.” And We'll Prescribe You a Cat, in which therapy clients are assigned feline companions, dealt with “life, finding joy and meaning and peace in everyday things.”
Delaine is binging on Ursula K. Le Guin, honoring the memory of a loved one. Her primary focus is on Always Coming Home about which she raved, speaking fascinatedly about its archaeology of the future, its linguistics and cosmology and vocabulary; “I’ve never read a book like this [...] incredible imagination, more impressed than anything.” She also remarked on “cringy” elements of cultural appropriation, admitting that her feelings about it were “complex.” About the Hainish Cycle series, she commented at length on their different treatments of physics and metaphysics, a topic of special interest to her. And she “loves” the Earthsea trilogy.
Terry I. recommended listening to James, not reading print, because of the well-done voices. She called The Frozen River “really good” and encouraged readers to not miss the author’s note at the end. She “really got hooked” by the Maisie Dobbs series, seventeen or eighteen books in total, I think she said she devoured them all but maybe I misunderstood? And The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell was an “extraordinary job of writing” with sensitivity; it generated a long discussion in her other book club.
Jillian “hated” Yellowface, disliked the narrator “so much, hated her more as the book went on. [...] I don’t like you, I don’t want to spend my time with you.” Angie added that “it made me anxious to read it;” Terry admitted having had a “difficult time.” Inexplicably, even though there was a freebie copy up for grabs, nobody took advantage of it. She only gave three stars to Island of a Thousand Mirrors but “can’t remember why” and promised to follow up. She loved the first Orisha book, kinda-liked the second, but “hated hated” Children of Anguish and Anarchy, the third. Senseless violence and aggression and no story. She emphatically “does recommend” The Personal Librarian, “super interesting, learned a lot about the Gilded Age, similar in ways to Passing and helped me visualize [that experience].” The Bookshop on the Corner was “cute”. The Fox Wife, “I loved it SO MUCH,” she found herself drawing foxes, painting foxes, reading excerpts to bemused friends-and-relations. “Really beautiful.” Bonus book The Wren, the Wren was “not a happy book; Irish melancholy; generations of women; convincing voice of modern young person.” Oh and she gave a rare five stars to The Song of Achilles, which Kristine called “heartwrenching.”
Ed antirecommended Falling Bodies; Roanhorse can and does do much better. He expressed mixed emotions about Yellowface, despising the narrator but appreciating its story and expressing sympathy for the author who had to live in that horrible person’s head. His strongest praise was for Thunder Song, followed by By the Fire We Carry. Pandemic, written by Sonia Shah in 2016, is still very much relevant today. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat is “delightful.” He is not smart or kind or wise enough to make it through Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments but hopes that others will find it illuminating.
Fun riffs afterward on audio books, great readers, books in progress, and more.
Today was illuminating and inspiring. Thank you, lovely attendees. Thank you, PEEC, for providing a warm cozy welcoming space in what felt like a snow globe.
Tracy recommended The Heart of a Woman, one of Maya Angelou’s memoirs. Spinning, a graphic novel memoir about a young competitive ice skater coming out as lesbian, was “not for our age range.” About The Serviceberry, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, she said “you know how she writes!” It deals with community, sharing, gratitude; and she recommends it. The Mighty Red had “interesting weaving of stories together [...] thereś a lot in there, really good, I enjoyed it.” Thank you for being careful with your comments, Tracy, and not divulging important plot elements! In Happiness Falls a young man with Angelman Syndrome, incapable of speaking or writing, goes for a walk with his father; only the son returns. Tracy found it “interesting how they communicate” with him to learn what happened. Invisible Women is a well-researched look at the countless ways in which everyday objects and environments are designed for men, and how that adversely impacts women. Lively discussion ensued.
Ellen finds herself reading books about women’s oppression across multiple historical times, fighting against the patriarchy. She was impressed by Deborah Jackson Taffa’s recent talk at the schools and by her book Whiskey Tender. Transcendent Kingdom she found “plodding,” issues of faith and science, recommended “if you’re good with a slow read.” In The Sound of a Thousand Stars, “for me, the Jewy parts were interesting, as well as the history [...] an interesting portrayal of [Manhattan Project] people.” The House in the Cerulean Sea was a much-needed escapist fantasy, character-driven with a slow narrative. She began listening to Anita de Monte Laughs Last but called the audio “terrible, so much DRAMA.” She switched to reading a print copy but continued to read the voices the way they were in the audiobook. She did say she enjoyed it. Weyward, audio also, “got me through several road trips to Albuquerque.” And By Any Other Name, Jodi Picault’s latest, was “well done” and “fascinating.”
Angie called Witch of Wild Things a “great palate cleanser after reading Demon Copperhead.” She did not, however, describe it as “fluff,” a first for this book. Yellowface deals with book publishing, racism, reverse racism; “if you’re looking for character growth, don’t go there.” Unanimous consent among all who read it that the protagonist is deththpicable. The Fox Wife “it’s sooooo good”: grief, deceit, vengeance, love, “a very nicely done beautiful book.” Again, strong agreement among those who read it. Less enthusiasm for If You Want to Make God Laugh: “not a perfectly done book” but she did gain perspective into events that took place during our lifetimes but far away.
Kristine, about Signs Preceding the End of the World: “‘Intriguing’ is all I can say.” Leaving some of us eager to hear more, but nope, that was all she could say. She “loved” The Fox Wife. And she, too, attended Deborah Jackson Taffa’s recent talk, calling her words on multiculturalism “beautiful.” She shared an interesting aside about Whiskey Tender: it was originally written as essays, but the publisher pushed back because essays don’t sell. And she remarked on an experience Taffa had with her husband’s family in Italy, foraging in the woods, noting that their culture never had those traditions ripped away from them.
Madhavi read three “light-hearted” books: Bite by Bite, by Aimee Nezhukumatathil, “lots of foods,” and their histories, and life metaphors. “Very nice book, beautifully written, almost like poetry.” The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches she compared to T.J. Klune’s books, “lighthearted feel-good.” And We'll Prescribe You a Cat, in which therapy clients are assigned feline companions, dealt with “life, finding joy and meaning and peace in everyday things.”
Delaine is binging on Ursula K. Le Guin, honoring the memory of a loved one. Her primary focus is on Always Coming Home about which she raved, speaking fascinatedly about its archaeology of the future, its linguistics and cosmology and vocabulary; “I’ve never read a book like this [...] incredible imagination, more impressed than anything.” She also remarked on “cringy” elements of cultural appropriation, admitting that her feelings about it were “complex.” About the Hainish Cycle series, she commented at length on their different treatments of physics and metaphysics, a topic of special interest to her. And she “loves” the Earthsea trilogy.
Terry I. recommended listening to James, not reading print, because of the well-done voices. She called The Frozen River “really good” and encouraged readers to not miss the author’s note at the end. She “really got hooked” by the Maisie Dobbs series, seventeen or eighteen books in total, I think she said she devoured them all but maybe I misunderstood? And The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell was an “extraordinary job of writing” with sensitivity; it generated a long discussion in her other book club.
Jillian “hated” Yellowface, disliked the narrator “so much, hated her more as the book went on. [...] I don’t like you, I don’t want to spend my time with you.” Angie added that “it made me anxious to read it;” Terry admitted having had a “difficult time.” Inexplicably, even though there was a freebie copy up for grabs, nobody took advantage of it. She only gave three stars to Island of a Thousand Mirrors but “can’t remember why” and promised to follow up. She loved the first Orisha book, kinda-liked the second, but “hated hated” Children of Anguish and Anarchy, the third. Senseless violence and aggression and no story. She emphatically “does recommend” The Personal Librarian, “super interesting, learned a lot about the Gilded Age, similar in ways to Passing and helped me visualize [that experience].” The Bookshop on the Corner was “cute”. The Fox Wife, “I loved it SO MUCH,” she found herself drawing foxes, painting foxes, reading excerpts to bemused friends-and-relations. “Really beautiful.” Bonus book The Wren, the Wren was “not a happy book; Irish melancholy; generations of women; convincing voice of modern young person.” Oh and she gave a rare five stars to The Song of Achilles, which Kristine called “heartwrenching.”
Ed antirecommended Falling Bodies; Roanhorse can and does do much better. He expressed mixed emotions about Yellowface, despising the narrator but appreciating its story and expressing sympathy for the author who had to live in that horrible person’s head. His strongest praise was for Thunder Song, followed by By the Fire We Carry. Pandemic, written by Sonia Shah in 2016, is still very much relevant today. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat is “delightful.” He is not smart or kind or wise enough to make it through Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments but hopes that others will find it illuminating.
Fun riffs afterward on audio books, great readers, books in progress, and more.
Today was illuminating and inspiring. Thank you, lovely attendees. Thank you, PEEC, for providing a warm cozy welcoming space in what felt like a snow globe.