How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House

The pandemic interfered with our plans to meet at Wanda's this month to talk about How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House.  We met on Zoom instead, and counted ourselves lucky that this technology allows us to meet and chat virtually. Enough about that. Sigh....
How can we complain while imagining the relentless nightmare invented for the characters in the book? And then again there's nothing to prevent us from dreaming of a better future elsewhere for Lala and Tone.

Next we will read a few books that are not quite as dark in theme. On February 16th, 2022 at 1 pm we'll try to meet at Wanda's again - or on Zoom if the pandemic continues to rage. The book will be Watching You Without Me by Lynn Coady

For March our book will be A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson.  We will get together at Jane's house at 1 pm on March 16th, 2022. 

Books of Interest

• The Maid by Nita Prose
• Butter Honey Pig Bread by Frencesca Ekwuyasi
  
• Love Lives Here by Amanda Jette Knox
  
• The Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig
  
• Apeirogon by Colum McCann
  
• Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch  by Rivka Galchen
  
• Little Labours by Rivka Galchen
  
• Pluck by Donna Morrissey
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

What We Are Watching

• The Tragedy of Macbeth - Apple TV+
  
• Afterlife - Netflix
  
• Don’t look up - Netflix
  
• Maid - Netflix
  
• Dead to Me - Netflix
  
• The Lost Daughter - Netflix
  
• Station Eleven - HBO
  
• Clickbait - Netflix
  
• Yellowjackets - Showtime
  
• Hang Ups - Gem 
• Ted Lasso - Apple TV+
  
  

December book - Akin

Sue hosted a hybrid meeting with optional Zoom for those stuck at home. Combining a real and virtual get together worked was an excellent compromise when indoors. The book was entertaining and so was the conversation. Susan, as usual, wowed everyone with a range of homemade Christmas baking. 

Our next book will be How the One Armed Sister Sweeps Her House by Cherie Jones. We will meet at  1 pm at Wanda's house on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, corona virus permitting. 

What we're reading:  

• Apeirogon by Colum McCann  
• What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad
• China Room by Sunjeev Sahota 
• Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford 
• American War by Omar El Akkad 
• The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
• The Strangers by Katherena Vermette 
• Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason 
• All my Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews 
• Fight Night by Miriam Toews 

On the screen: 

• The Aging Brain and The Italian Renaissance (lecture series at Lifelong Learning Mississauga)
• Belfast - Cineplex
  
• The Power of the Dog - Netflix
• Landscapers - HBO
• Le Havre - Criterion
• Minari - Prime
• The Club - Netflix 
• Unforgivable - Netflix
• Fallet - Netflix
• Leonard and Marianne - Netflix
  

 Watch Cherie Jones talk about How the One Armed Sister Sweeps her House

Meeting indoors again!!

As we have all been fully vaccinated for a while we dared to meet indoors this month, and it was quite a treat. Jan's condo overlooking the city was a marvellous location. Book club discussions are certainly enhanced by sharing wine, snacks and some decadent butter tarts. A big thank you to Jan for hosting. There was so much more we could have said about Greenwood but we seemed to be distracted by catching up with each other's lives.  In the circumstances who can blame us?

Next month we plan to read Emma Donoghue's comic novel, Akin. We will gather at Susan's on December 14th at 1 pm if pandemic concerns don't force us back to zoom.

Thank you friends. This is a special surprise. I'm a little overwhelmed.

What we are reading:

• Blindness by Jose Saramago
• This is Happiness by Niall Williams
• I Couldn't Love you More by Esther Freud
• The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
  
• The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
  
• The Forgotten Daughter by Joanna Goodman
  
• American War by Omar El Akkad
  
• What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad
  
• The Son of the House by Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia
  
• Premonition: a pandemic story by Michael Lewis
  
• The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
  

Backyard Book Club

What a special occasion it was when we could meet in real life after resorting to zoom for so long. Jo's backyard room was the perfect location complete with twinkling lights. I appreciated the effort Wanda took to allow me to be there virtually even though zoom filtered out speakers' voices very often, forcing me to guess what was going on. I hope the important things filtered through. Let me know if I've got it wrong. We were meeting to discuss Five Little Indians, and the difficult topic of residential schools. The novel was very real and sympathetic in the telling.  

We plan to meet on Wednesday November 17 at 1 pm to talk about Greenwood by Michael Christie.  The meeting will be at Jan's condo, details to follow. 

Books:

• This is Happiness by Niall Williams - hint: the audiobook is a perfect reading by Dermot Crowley
• Foregone by Russell Banks 
• I Couldn't Love you More by Esther Freud 
• Good Citizens Need Not Fear by Maria Reva

Jan recommends Hot Docs - Reading the 60s, Writing the Revolution

Here's Michael Christie talking about Greenwood. 

Anticipation

Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar provoked some great conversation last night as it illustrated some of the most urgent themes in modern American life. But the upcoming federal election was also on our minds. There are only a few more days to go and this election appears to be a nail-biter. Some of us have voted already to avoid pandemic line-ups. No trace of apathy was apparent in our group. 

With vaccination uptake on an uptick, we are finally daring to plan an in-person book club event. The date of our next book club is tentatively October 21 and that's when we will be talking about Five Little Indians by Michelle Good. If the pandemic allows we will meet at Jo's house in the backyard at 1 pm. Fingers crossed everyone. 

Lynda has recommended this video  - Doctrine of Discovery

Books: 

• Greenwood by Michael Christie 
• The Matter with Morris by David Bergen
• Out of Mind by David Bergen
• The Liar's Dictionary by Eley Williams
• I am a Red Dress by Anna Camilleri
• Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante
• The Library of Legends by Janie Chang
• The Chef's Secret by Crystal King 
  
  

Indians on Vacation in July

So, we're in Prague.
In Prague, we stay at the Hotel Certovka in the shadow of the historic Charles Bridge. Second floor. Some of the rooms overlook the Vltava River.
Ours doesn't.

We enjoyed the interplay between Bird 's ennui and Mimi's enthusiasm. Parts of the novel were  laugh-out-loud funny particularly for our group of avid travellers.

Next month the book is Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar. We are thinking of moving this discussion to August 18th at lunch time but it may also happen at the original time - August 19th at 7:30. TBD later on.

We also chose the next meeting time - September 15th at 7:30. We will discuss Five Little Indians by Michelle Good, probably on zoom.

***NB:
We skipped the August meeting and will be discussing Homeland Elegies in September.  This moves Five Little Indians to October, at a time to be determined.***

A reminder to check out Raven Reads, a subscription service that delivers Indigenous literature and giftware for adults and kids.

Books:

• Likeness by David Macfarlane
• The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste
• While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams
• The Dime Box by Karen Grose
• Clara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
• The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline 

To watch:

• Politics at the Movies - Hot Docs
• Sweet Tooth - Netflix
• Never Have I Ever - Netflix
• Penguin Town - Netflix

Saara's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup softened unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 T molasses
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups oats
1 3/4 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Method:

Beat butter I minute
Add sugars and cream for 3 minutes
Add eggs, molasses, vanilla
Beat 1 minute on high
Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt
Add oats and chocolate chips
Chill 45 minutes
Bake 350 for 13-14 minutes

House on Endless Waters

 We agreed that this book by Emuna Elon is special, both in the way it explores its themes and in its elegant prose. The interweaving of past and present along with the mystery of the narrator's origins held our interest.  A new favourite. 

We are meeting next month on Zoom. The date and book are as already determined: Indians on Vacation by Thomas King on July 22 at 7:30. 

After that we are meeting on Zoom (or perhaps outdoors?) on August 19 to talk about Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar. Here's a link to a conversation with Akhtar hosted by the Toronto Public Library.

Books:  

• Swamp Angel by Ethel Wilson
• Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar
• Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
  
• Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Komes du Mez
  
• The Arsonist's City by Hala Alyan
  

What we are watching:

• Shtizel - Netflix
• Orthodox - Netflix
• Navillera - Netflix
• Lupin - Netflix
• Ted Lasso - Apple
• Intouchables - Netflix
• Bonfire of Destiny - Netflix
• Mare of Easttown - HBO
• Sweet Tooth - Netflix 
• Hacks - HBO