Two books

What a winter we are having this year! Let's take heart with the first official day of spring this weekend. We were to meet at Saara's in February but had a last minute cancellation due to snow. It actually snowed yesterday again when we met at Susan's but the snow wasn't enough to interfere with our meeting. Susan offered us a cozy soup and sandwich lunch and some special delicacies for dessert - yum!  We discussed the two very different books - Pachinko and Pick a Colour. 

Since we missed going to Saara's in February we will go there next month. Jane will have to choose a later date. On Thursday April 16 we will go to Saara's at noon to talk about The Correspondent by Virginia Evans.

On Wednesday May 13 at noon we will meet at Wanda's. The book will be What We Can Know by Ian McEwan. 

Books:

• A Different Kind of Power by Jacinda Ardern
• What We Can Know by Ian McEwan 
• Flesh by David Szalay
• Daughters of the Bamboo Grove by Barbara Demick
• Here Comes the Sun by Bill McKibben
• Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
• Theo of Golden by Allen Levi 
• Night Swimmers by Roisin MaGuire
• One Aladdin Two Lamps by Jeanette Winterson
• The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
• Educated by Tara Westover

 Visit: 

• The Beatles and the Toronto Sound - AGO 
• Neilson Park Creative Centre 

Watch: 

• Pachinko  Apple TV
• Hamnet  

Pub Lunch

 It was a remarkably fine day in January to meet for lunch at The Duke of York. After a super meal followed by dessert - photo is sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream on the side - we did some planning for our future meetings. 

Here's what I recorded in my calendar. Let me know if there are any mistakes since our negotiations about time and place became quite confusing. 

We had already decided to meet at Saara's on Wednesday, February 18 at noon. The book is Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.   

On Wednesday, March 18 we decided to meet at Susan's to talk about Pick a Colour by Souvankham Thammavongsa.

We will be at Jane's on Thursday, April 16 to talk about The Correspondent by Virginia Evans.  

And on Wednesday, May 13 we will go to Wanda's. My notes don't include a book title for this date but there's plenty of time to come up with one. 

Books: 

• Greenwood by Michael Christie
• Pick a Colour by Souvankham Thammavongsa
• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

 Film: 

• Rental Family - in cinemas 
• Heated Rivalry - Crave
• Pachinko - Apple TV 

 

That's a Wrap, 2025

It is December and the weather outside looks like mid-January today. Luckily this snow was just beginning yesterday when we trekked out to Jo's to talk about Fire Weather by John Vaillant. Maybe it was the weightiness of the idea of climate change that set us off but we went on to grapple with other great imponderables like what's so great about Finland, the current state of feminism, race, anxiety, and life itself. Thank you to Jo for making us feel truly welcome and comfortable. It was a wonderful afternoon for the last meeting of the year.

We made tentative plans for the beginning of a new year. What does everyone think about meeting for lunch together at the Duke of York pub near the St. George subway station? How about Friday January 9th? Check your calendar.

The book we chose for February is Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. This book is the basis for the television series on AppleTV+.  Saara will host on February 18th at noon. 

Books:

• There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak
• The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
• Pick a Colour by Souvankham Thammavongsa
• Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
• Better Now by Danielle Martin 

What to Watch: 

• Sisu - Netflix 
• Hamnet - in cinemas
• Rental Family - in cinemas
• Pachinko - AppleTV+ 

 

November

Susan Abulhawa wrote a heart-felt saga of a Palestinian family and the tragic legacy of conflict and grief. Mornings in Jenin blended fiction with the actual history of the monumental problem that festers in the Middle East. Though the subject was difficult, just being together in any circumstance is a pleasure that Lynda accented with a beautiful selection of delicacies. A memorable afternoon Lynda. Thank you!

Our next book is Fire Weather by John Vaillant. We will meet at Jo's on Tuesday, December 9th at noon to talk about it.

We talked about food and the idea of having prepared meals delivered fresh by FactorMeals and Summerhill Market. We learned about a remarkable holiday destination, Les Petits Cousins du Quebec in Dordogne France. Because sleep isn't always easy we shared ideas about slowing down our racing thoughts with meditation. Examples of apps for meditation were Plum Village and Insight. 

Notable Books: 

• There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Safak 
• The Capital of Dreams by Heather O'Neill 
• Flesh by David Szalay 
• An Accidental Villain by Lyndon MacIntyre 
• That They May Face the Rising Sun by John McGahern 
• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans 
• We Will Not Be Saved a memoir of hope and resistance in the Amazon rainforest by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson 

 

The Relatives

 I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.  L.M. Montgomery 

 October trees decorated our drive to Jane's yesterday where we had a cozy afternoon with friends. We enjoyed soup and snacks and Jane outdid herself with a beautiful and decadent gluten-free chocolate cake. The Relatives was a well-chosen book that sparked thoughtful conversation about the unique challenges of modern families. 

We finally got to make some decisions about the next few months. Our next meeting will be at Lynda's on Wednesday, November 12 at 12 pm.  The book will be Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa. 

Then, on Tuesday, December 9 at 12 pm we will be at Jo's to talk about Fire Weather: the making of a beast by John Vaillant.  

Books: 

• Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
• A Truce that is Not Peace by Miriam Toews
• Why Do I Write: You Might Not Like the Answer by Miriam Toews 
• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
• Will There Ever Be Another You by Patricia Lockwood
• The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
• The Rest of our Lives by Ben Markovits

 

Theft

Well, that was fun. It is always good to see each other. Thank you Wanda for dropping in via text. You missed a great discussion about Theft, a marvellous read. Tanzania may be an exotic location but we recognized the characters and their concerns, as well as the bigger issues of colonialism and the abuse of power. We also had some great laughs playing "guess which great film you need to see, with title, actors and every other helpful detail unremembered". Google was the big winner. 

Our next book club meeting will be on Wednesday, October  22nd when we will be at Jane's to discuss The Relatives by Camilla Gibb 

Books of Note: 

• By the sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah
• The Forgotten Home Child by Genevieve Graham
• The Day the World Went Silent by Donna Jones Alward
• Grace by Paul Lynch
• Ordinary grace by William Kent Kreuger

On Video:

• Heaven on Earth
• 1971 
•  Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
• Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan (Netflix)
• Bruce Springstein on Broadway (Netflix) 
• Hamnet
• All of Us Strangers
• The True Story of the Harry Quebert Affair
• Disclaimer
• The Girlfriend
• House of Cards
• The Big Lebowski

Two games of logic we are playing: Pips and Nonograms.

 

Here's the recipe for Best Almond Cake.  I recommend this recipe, except for the instruction to use a springform pan. I tried this and found that there was leakage. The next time I used a normal pan, and lined the bottom with a circle of parchment paper before spraying. There was. no issue releasing the cake from the pan. 

Say Nothing

Wanda's back garden was appealing to us readers on a perfect August afternoon, and also to many wasps. Ogden Nash said it: 

The wasp and all his numerous family
I look upon as a major calamity.
He throws open his nest with prodigality,
But I distrust his waspitality. 

We decided that it was much better to be inside enjoying reliable hospitality. The nibbles were perfect for us and we didn't have to fight wasps for each delicious bite. Thanks to Wanda for a lovely afternoon. Your poppyseed cake is truly marvellous. 

Say Nothing was a catalyst to thoughts about some of the world's thorny conflicts - a lively conversation about history and current events. 

Please remember that we will meet at my place on Tuesday September 23rd. The book will be Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah. And on Wednesday, October  22nd we will be at Jane's to discuss The Relatives by Camilla Gibb. 

Books: 

• Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abdulhawa
• Grace by Paul Lynch
• The Adversary by Michael Crummey
• Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
• When the World Fell Silent by Donna Alward 
• The Porpoise by Mark Haddon
• The Future by Catherine Leroux
• Embers: One Ojibway's Meditations by Richard Wagamese
• The Satisfaction Cafe by Kathy Wang
• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
• The King of Ashes  by S.A.Cosby

Video: 

• Empathie (Crave/Prime)
• The Pitt (HBO)
• North of North (Netflix)
• The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair (Prime)
• Sort of (Gem)
• Somebody Somewhere (HBO)
• Code of Silence (BritBox)
• Coda (Apple TV)