December Evening

How we all look forward to meeting at Susan's house in December, and sampling her delectable Christmas goodies!  A very merry thank you to Susan for welcoming us again this year.

We jumped ahead to make plans for the next several months.  In January we'll be meeting on Wednesday the 16th at Lynda's.  *This is a change of date.*  The book will be The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe.

February's bookclub meeting will be on Thursday the 21st at Jane's place.  We'll be reading February by Lisa Moore. 

On March 28th we'll be at my place (Marian) and the book will be The Headmaster's Wager by Vincent Lam.

In April we'll be reading two books about the experience of stroke: My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor and Left Neglected by Lisa Genova.  The date for this meeting is still undecided. 

Books also mentioned:

• Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese
• Away by Jane Urquhart
• The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie
• I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
• Why Men Lie by Linden MacIntyre
• The Gift by Lewis Hyde

You may find goodreads suggestions for book club reading interesting.
I also recommend browsing through The Millions Year in Reading 2012 where authors tell what they've been reading this year.  And catch this list of Bill Gates' best reads of the year.
Finally, the CBC has a list of best Canadian books of the year here.

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Here is the link to the recipe I used: http://www.foodfixe.com/foodfixe/pumpkin-bread.html

Enjoy!

Wolf Hall

The unexpectedly warm weather for November, and the usual warm hospitality at Maureen's house made for a most pleasant evening.  Thank you again Maureen.  There didn't seem to be a great deal of enthusiasm for Wolf Hall, but we did come up with many ideas for future reading.  And we established a book choice for next meeting: Ru by Kim Thuy.   Here's Kim talking about her book:




A reminder that we'll be meeting at Sue's house on December 13th.  Lynda will be hosting the January book club evening on January 24th.  I'm not sure if we settled on a book though. 

Among the books mentioned last night were:

• Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
• The Headmaster's Wager by Vincent Lam
• Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan
• How Starbucks Saved by Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everybody Else by Michael Gates Gill
• The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin
• 419 by Will Ferguson
• The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler
• Inside by Alix Ohlin
• The Emperor of Lies by Steve Sem-Sandberg
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King
• Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer
• Who Killed Mom?: A Delinquent Son's Meditation on Family, Mortality and Very Tacky Candles by Steve Burgess
• Blue Nights by Joan Didion
• Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil by Hanna Arendt
• The Purchase by Linda Spalding

For a moment of peace in this busy season, enjoy this heart-warming video.




And now for something a little silly.

Agreed!

Yes, it was a wonderful book club evening at Wanda's house, with excellent cake. I am particularly grateful that Wanda stumbled upon my purse the next morning, and graciously brought it to me before I'd even missed it!

While on the subject of 'stumbling upon', here's a passage from The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe on the subject of e-books vs. printed books:

One of the many things I love about bound books is their sheer physicality.  Electronic book live out of sight and out of mind.  But printed books have body, presence.  Sure, sometimes they'll elude you by hiding in improbable places: in a box full of old picture frames, say, or in the laundry basket wrapped in a sweatshirt.  But at other times they'll confront you, and you'll literally stumble over some tomes you hadn't thought about in weeks or years.  I often seek electronic books, but they never come after me.  They may make me feel, but I can't feel them.  They are all soul with no flesh, no texture, and no weight.  They can get in your head but can't whack you upside it.

We had some conversation around the Giller Prize.  This year's short list comprises:

• 419 by Will Ferguson
• Inside by Alix Ohlin
• The Imposter Bride by Nancy Richler
• Ru by Kim Thuy
• Whirl Away by Russell Wangersky

We also heard about Jan's experience with Ryerson's Life Institute.

Wanda gave us her impressions of Sleep No More which she saw in NY recently.   

Our book selection for next month is Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, winner of the Man Booker prize in 2009 and the Orange prize in 2010.  Hilary Mantel has also won the Man Booker prize for the sequel Bring Up the Bodies.

Our book club meeting in November will be at Maureen's house on Thursday November 22nd.  We also set aside a date in December.  There was great enthusiasm for meeting at Susan's house for the December meeting, but we'll probably have to check in with Susan before finalizing our plans.  The date is December 13th.  Maybe we'll read the winner of the 2012 Giller?   

Thursday october 25th

Thanks to Wanda for a lovely evening, and especially for the cake! 

Edna O'Brien memoir

I thought this was an interesting column about Edna O'Brien and her recently published memoir:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/oct/12/country-girl-edna-obrien-review?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fbooks%2Frss+(Books

September: Finding Nouf

With the first hint of autumn in the evening air, how warm and welcoming was Maureen's hospitality last night!  Thank you Maureen!

Along with the themes that Finding Nouf inspired, we also talked about other topics and other books.  I'll try to remember most of them.

As we considered the restrictions imposed on women in places like Saudi Arabia we considered the necessity for vigilance regarding women's rights on our own country.  Such as the appearance of Bill M-312,  and the threat of re-criminalization of abortion.

Frank Delaney, the celebrated Irish author, has produced a series of podcasts called Re: Joyce in which explains Ulysses.  You can access them here.  He was also interviewed on the CBC show IDEAS on the topic of Mad Ideas and Sweet Dreams for a Better World.

We mentioned several movies worth looking for:  The Queen of Versailles, Incendies, Hope Springs, The Intouchables,  Searching for Sugar Man, Inside Job and the Live at the Met series.

And my sister's choir. 

Books mentioned last night:

• The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis
• The End of Men: and the Rise of Women by Hanna Rosin   
• Vagina by Naomi Wolf
• The Age of Hope by David Bergen
• Pay Back: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth by Margaret Atwood
• Canada by Richard Ford
• The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

Our next book club meeting will be at Wanda's house on Thursday, October 25th and the book will be The Absolutist by John Boyne.

Maureen's Fruit Cocktail Cake

1 1/2 cups white sugar

2 cups four

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

14 oz. can fruit cocktail with juice

Beat eggs slightly.  Add all ingredients except flour.  Add flour and bake in 9 x 13 pan (greased) for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Icing

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla (or 1 teaspoon brandy)

Boil all ingredients except vanilla.  Add vanilla and pour over hot cake.  It makes a lot, but use all of it.

Warm summer evening

In Jane's delightful garden under a blue moon, with a soft breeze from the lake we wiled away the evening sipping wine and chatting.   Many thanks to Jane for providing such a pleasant evening.

Several books were mentioned:

• Gellhorn by Caroline Moorehead
• Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
• The Old Child and Other Stories by Jenny Erpenbeck
• A Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman: Complete Short Stories by Margaret Drabble
• Original Short Stories by Guy de Maupassant
• The Watercress Girl by H.E. Bates
• The Darling Buds of May by H.E. Bates
• The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog and of his Friend Marilyn Monroe by Andrew O'Hagan
• Harry Hole mysteries by Jo Nesbo
• In the Orchard the Swallows by Peter Hobbs
• Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marques
• The Absolutist by John Boyne
• The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
• Green Oranges on Lion Mountain by Emily Joy

We chose a book for next month, Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris.  It's a detective mystery that takes place in Saudi Arabia.  Here's a book trailer:

We will meet at Maureen's on Thursday, September  20th to talk about Finding Nouf.

Here's the recipe for Jane's excellent shortbread:

Beat 6 oz butter (reg salted) until very soft, I used a hand held beater.

Beat in 3 oz granulated sugar.

Beat in 3 oz semolina (cream of wheat) plus 6 oz sifted plain flour (Can use just 9 oz flour)

Work with fingers until it is all well combined, and leaves the bowl clean. Press firmly into a 7.5 inch pan with removable base, and flatten. Prick all over with a fork, to prevent it rising. Bake at 300 deg for about 70 minutes until firm and golden. Allow to cool a little, then cut into pieces. Sprinkle with extra sugar. Remove from pan when at room temperature, and store in an airtight tin.

The Paris Wife

This book provoked quite a bit of conversation, or maybe it was Ernest Hemingway and his larger-than-life persona.   

A reminder that we'll meet at Jane's house next month, on the 30th.  Please be prepared to share a favorite book that evening.

Here are some of the books we talked about:

• The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
• For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
• A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
• The Free World by David Bezmozgis
• The Red House by Mark Haddon 

I nearly forgot to say where I get my Costa Rica shade-grown coffee. 

Happy Canada Day!

I think we can all agree that Janice outdid herself in hosting the June dinner meeting, dedicated to Liz Maloney and the London 2012 Olympics.  The whole evening was perfect.  We probably would have stayed way too late, except that some of us had to get up for work the next day.  Thank you Jan!

Our next time will be at my place on July 26th.  For this evening we will be talking about The Paris Wife.   (Please ignore what I had written here before - it was a brain fart! So sorry!)

After that our next evening will be August 30 at Jane's, and for that one we're all bringing a favorite book to share. 

Here are some of the books that came up for discussion:

• The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
• Tiger by John Vaillant
• Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D.  Kristof
• Coral Glynn by Peter Cameron
• In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
• Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

Also,  I forgot to mention (and highly recommend) Snowdrops by A.D.Miller, a short novel that takes place in modern Moscow.  

Wow!

Today we're celebrating the achievements of the Canadian beach volleyball teams (men's and women's) who are going to the Olympics in London. 

Well done all, but especially our Liz Maloney!!  Read about it here.  One more hurdle is remaining for Liz and Heather - the playoff at Ashbridges Bay on July 7th.  It's almost too exciting.   \(^.^)/
More about this on Thursday for sure. 

A thought....

Recently I've come across a charity that we might want to consider for our group.  It's called Education Generation.  Donations are directed towards providing scholarships for needy students  who have demonstrated a high potential to succeed and become leaders of their communities.  Something to talk about when we meet next week.   

At the Beach

We had amazing weather for the 24th of May, and a leafy backyard at the Beach was a perfect location to enjoy it.  Many thanks to Jo for providing a wonderful evening.  Everyone noted that The Sense of an Ending inspired an unusually animated conversation and many questions.   

For next month's year-end dinner we'll be at Jan's as usual.  The date was changed to Wednesday June 27th, but after some back and forth, we've decided to keep it on Thursday June 28th.   Since we were so keen about Julian Barne's writing in The Sense of an Ending, we decided to read another of his books for June - Arthur & George. 

In July the book will be The Paris Wife.  Did we choose a date and location? 

Other books that we mentioned: 

• Breakthrough: Elizabeth Hughes, the Discovery of Insuin, and the Making of a Medical Miracle  by Thea Cooper and Arthur Ainsburg 
•  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
• Eating Dirt by Charlotte Gill
• Captivity: 118 Days in Iraq and the Struggle for a World Without War by James Loney
• Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Journey to Change the World, One Child At A Time by Greg Mortensen and David Oliver Relin
• Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat
• Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman

At Lynda's

Although unfortunately a few of us couldn't make it, the conversation flowed and the treats seemed to disappear just the same.  Thank you again Lynda  - always a wonderful hostess!   

Girls Fall Down received mixed reviews from our group.  We talked about the characters and about mental illness and homelessness, among other things.   The Toronto Public Library is hosting a number of events related to the book. Let's not forget the rally and fundraiser "Stop the Crazy" to be held on May 12th in support of ending the stigma surrounding mental illness. 

Jan mentioned a survey regarding the demand for a new book store in our neighbourhood. The website is for this is www.bloorwestbooks.weebly.com  (Email:  bloorwestbooks@gmail.com).  Jan also gave us a heads up about a conference being held next month in Toronto and Niagara - From the Garden to the Trenches.

Books mentioned this month included:

• The Reinvention of Love by Helen Humphreys
• Captivity by James Loney
• Alone in the Classroom by Elizabeth Hay
• The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
• Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery ed. Benjamin Lefebvre & Andrea McKenzie
• Our Kind of Traitor by John le Carre
• Snowdrops by A.D. Miller
• The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak

Switch

This Thursday's book club meeting has had to be relocated to Lynda's. And in May we'll meet at Jo's home. 

Spring forward

On a magnificent spring evening we talked about The Sisters Brothers at Jane's house.  Thank you Jane for a wonderful time!  Love your new wall colour! 

And we made plans for the months ahead.  For the next meeting we'll go to Jo's home on April 19th and talk about Girls Fall Down by Maggie Helwig, which is the One Book choice for this year at the Toronto Public Library.

On May 24th we'll be at Lynda's.  The book will be The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes.

And our June meeting will follow tradition and be held at Jan's home.  I think it'll be pot luck as usual.  The date we chose is June 28th.  We left the book choice for later. 

At Jane's there were several books mentioned.  These are the ones I can remember.

• Far to Go by Alison Pick
• The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje
• Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis
• The Paris Wife by Paula McLean
• The Paris Journals by Michael Rothenberg
• Eating Dirt by Charlotte Gill
• Green Oranges on Lion Mountain by Emily Joy
• King Peggy by Peggielene Bartels

February with Oryx and Crake

It seemed that there was consensus regarding Oryx and Crake.  We found it pretty impressive, and fun to read.  Aren't you glad I didn't serve chickienobs?

For next month we've decided to read The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt.  We'll meet on March 22nd at Jane's.

As for thoughts about other books to read I can remember several:

• Breakthough: the Saga of Jonas Salk by Richard Carter 
• In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
• The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant
• Something Fierce: Memoires of a Revolutionary Daughter by CarmenAguirre
• On a Cold Road by Dave Bidini
• Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat
• Go the Fuck to Sleep by Adam Mansbach

You may enjoy this video presentation of the last book: 

Change of location

Our meeting on Thursday February 16th will be at Marian's place. 

A World Elsewhere

Last Thursday evening we met at Wanda's to talk about A World Elsewhere by Wayne Johnston (and try out Wanda's new brie baker, along with a bunch of other yummy treats).  Time well spent indeed! Thank you Wanda.

Our next meeting will be at Jo's house on Thursday February 16th.  The book will be Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood.   You may enjoy browsing the CBC's marvelous collection of resources online called Margaret Atwood: Queen of CanLit.

Oddly, nobody seemed to be sharing new books the other evening, except while standing at the door putting on coats and boots, when Bossypants by Tina Fey and Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massey, and P.D.James' Death Comes to Pemberley were all briefly mentioned.