Dear Bookclubbers,
Thank you all for turning out and giving such a great welcome to our visiting author, Ann McCauley, on Wednesday night. I think all will agree that we had a delightful discussion with her, gaining new insight into the writing process and the creation of Runaway Grandma. Especially great was the reappearance of several members who have been missed of late. Welcome back to them and welcome to Polly McCauley and Joan’s friend, Jan. We hope to see you all again in August.
Speaking of August, there has been an important date and location change for the August meeting. We will now be getting together on Thursday, August 28th at 7:15 PM at Joanne Richter’s. Joanne is currently between computers, so you will have to call her by phone to let her know if you are coming. Hopefully, the people who volunteered to bring snacks remember who they are. The book is still The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Just let me know if you would like the book ordered from Amazon.com. The cost is $11.20 plus tax. Amazon now has to charge sales tax in NYS, so please take note of the amount on the receipt which accompanies the delivery when you reimbursing me.
The next important date is Wednesday, September 10th. This is the night we will be meeting to make our book selections for the remainder of the year. I think we decided that we will meet at the pool shelter. The idea is for everyone to bring a few ideas for possible reads. Each suggestion will be briefly presented. It is important to bring a printout about the book, the actual book or a short handwritten summary. These will then be laid out on a table and each of us will go around with poker chips or pennies to place on the books we would like to see selected. At the end of the evening the books with the most votes go on the upcoming schedule. This will also be our night for an informal used book exchange. We will discuss details for that process and make a plan for eats and drinks at the August meeting. It probably would be a good idea to have a volunteer to provide a little organization for the refreshments that evening. The hope is that by having this book selection night, we should gain more time to actually discuss the books at regular meetings and …of course for socializing.
The choices made in September will begin after the October 8th meeting which will still be The Book Thief by Markus Zusak ($7.19 on Amazon.com). This is a great read that I think you will all enjoy.
Finally, thank you all for your contributions to make our summer event so successful. Special appreciation goes out to Jill for all her hard work in bringing Ann to us, purchasing the books, picking up the gift certificate, etc.
Jan
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
June 2008
Dear Bookclubbers,
Sorry to take so long to get this out after last week’s meeting at Sue K’s to discuss Wicked. I guess with the nice weather, I tend to be doing outside stuff and ignoring the stuff that requires sitting at my desk. Anyway, it was an excellent discussion even though the book only ranked 2.4 stars on our rating scale. Sue did a great job of uncovering some areas for discussion, which will also make for interesting points of comparison for those going to see the musical at Shea’s. Welcome to new member, Kristin Bradley!
I think we are doing pretty well getting organized for the author night on Wednesday, July 16th to discuss Runaway Grandma by Ann McCauley. We have decided to have the meeting begin at 6 PM so that we can be leisurely about our dinner. I can still order people the book from Amazon.com for around $15. Jill has offered make another run to Bradford to get them from the author (same price), but I’m thinking we should save her that hassle. Anyone who gets one from someplace other than the author can still have their copy signed the night of the event.
Below you will find the list of things we still could use for the party. Each of you on the e-mail list will also be getting a reminder saying what you have committed to bring. If you didn’t sign up at Sue’s, call or e-mail me to let me know what you will bring. Also, please remember that I need an accurate head count in order to set up enough chairs for this meeting which often has a larger attendance.
Speaking of which, that reminds me to remind you that this author night is a good time to invite friends who might want to see what our group is about or just hear what Ann McCauley has to say. Also, PLEASE bring questions for her and ideas for discussion topics. I always feel pressure to have an especially chatty discussion when we have a guest author and I can sure use your help with that.
Don’t forget that we will be collecting $5 to pay for chicken breasts, paper products, some drinks, condiments and rolls as well as to fund some sort of honorarium for the author. That is another reason we need a fairly accurate head count ahead of time, so that we can gage what we have available to purchase a gift certificate for her. I am going to say that you should let me know if you plan to attend by July 7th. For those of you who signed up for food already, I will assume you are coming unless I hear otherwise between now and 7/7.
After this, our next meeting will be Wednesday, August 27th. We are still planning on it being at Orie Hebard’s in Buffalo. The book is The Time Traveler’s Wife (Amazon $11.20) by Audrey Niffenegger. For dates beyond that, check our wonderful blog at www.crbc.blogspot.com.
Food still needed for Summer Author Night:
Jan
Sorry to take so long to get this out after last week’s meeting at Sue K’s to discuss Wicked. I guess with the nice weather, I tend to be doing outside stuff and ignoring the stuff that requires sitting at my desk. Anyway, it was an excellent discussion even though the book only ranked 2.4 stars on our rating scale. Sue did a great job of uncovering some areas for discussion, which will also make for interesting points of comparison for those going to see the musical at Shea’s. Welcome to new member, Kristin Bradley!
I think we are doing pretty well getting organized for the author night on Wednesday, July 16th to discuss Runaway Grandma by Ann McCauley. We have decided to have the meeting begin at 6 PM so that we can be leisurely about our dinner. I can still order people the book from Amazon.com for around $15. Jill has offered make another run to Bradford to get them from the author (same price), but I’m thinking we should save her that hassle. Anyone who gets one from someplace other than the author can still have their copy signed the night of the event.
Below you will find the list of things we still could use for the party. Each of you on the e-mail list will also be getting a reminder saying what you have committed to bring. If you didn’t sign up at Sue’s, call or e-mail me to let me know what you will bring. Also, please remember that I need an accurate head count in order to set up enough chairs for this meeting which often has a larger attendance.
Speaking of which, that reminds me to remind you that this author night is a good time to invite friends who might want to see what our group is about or just hear what Ann McCauley has to say. Also, PLEASE bring questions for her and ideas for discussion topics. I always feel pressure to have an especially chatty discussion when we have a guest author and I can sure use your help with that.
Don’t forget that we will be collecting $5 to pay for chicken breasts, paper products, some drinks, condiments and rolls as well as to fund some sort of honorarium for the author. That is another reason we need a fairly accurate head count ahead of time, so that we can gage what we have available to purchase a gift certificate for her. I am going to say that you should let me know if you plan to attend by July 7th. For those of you who signed up for food already, I will assume you are coming unless I hear otherwise between now and 7/7.
After this, our next meeting will be Wednesday, August 27th. We are still planning on it being at Orie Hebard’s in Buffalo. The book is The Time Traveler’s Wife (Amazon $11.20) by Audrey Niffenegger. For dates beyond that, check our wonderful blog at www.crbc.blogspot.com.
Food still needed for Summer Author Night:
- Chardonnay
- Shiraz
- Appetizer (1)
- Green salad
- Pasta salad
- Desserts (2-3)
Jan
Friday, April 25, 2008
April 2008
Dear Book Clubbers,
Last night’s meeting at Jill’s to discuss the classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, was a huge success. I think the book receive 5 stars from just about everyone in attendance. We had a great turnout and welcomed new member, Diane Knight. The discussion of the book was excellent and we made good progress with tidying up the house keeping aspects of the club. As usual, the treats were delicious. Thanks Jill for doing such a great job of leading our book chat and for your awesome work on the blog and the meeting schedule.
Our next meeting is at 7:15 PM on Wednesday, June 4th at Sue Kellner’s. We will be reading Wicked by Gregory Maguire. Please don’t forget to give Sue a heads up if you are planning to attend. Snack members for that night will be Shirley, Sue Payne and Grace with Sarah helping out with wine. If anyone wants me to order the book for them from Amazon for $11.20, just let me know. It isn’t a super short read, so get going!
Following that, our summer meeting will be an author night to discuss Runaway Grandma by Ann McCauley (her pen name). The tentative date for that event is July 16th, but Jill will have to verify the author’s availability before that is written in stone. Also your hostess for the evening (that would be me) has to check with her sister-in-law regarding the timing of their visit this summer. I can order this book on Amazon for $14.95, but I am going to suggest that we hold off on that as well since Jill may be able to get us copies directly from the author. Stay tuned on all that.
Keeping on a six week schedule will take us to August 27th for the next meeting. The book for that meeting is going to be The Time Traveler’s Wife (Amazon $11.20) by Audrey Niffenegger. The location is still pending at this writing. After that we will read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Amazon $9.59) on 10/8 or thereabouts.
The biggest news is that we made a decision regarding how to streamline the book selection process so that we are not spending so much of our meeting time choosing books. This should allow us to focus on the book under discussion that night, the refreshments and socializing. Several members brought suggestions based on how other book clubs handle making their choices. After we hashed it all out, it was decided that we would have a meeting in the fall with the sole purpose of choosing the books for the year. Everyone would bring ideas and give a short synopsis to the group. Hopefully, they could also bring the actual book or a printout with some reviews or something for everyone to look at. After we heard a little about all the books, we would wander around looking at the books or reviews. Each of us would have the same number of pennies as the number of meetings we have in a year. We would put our pennies down on the books which most appealed to us, and the books with the most pennies (top 7 or so) would make the list for the upcoming year. We would continue to choose the next co-ed book at the co-ed meeting and would remain open and flexible in the event that a special opportunity such as an author night or a timely “must read” came up. We have tentatively picked September 10th as the night for this selection process. We are thinking of having the meeting at the pool shelter and making it a wine and cheese party as well. As you read above, we have picked books up through early October, so we would start with the new way after that.
Phew, that was a lot to say. If you have any questions about all of this…check our trusty blog at www.crbc.blogspot.com or call me.
Jan
Last night’s meeting at Jill’s to discuss the classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, was a huge success. I think the book receive 5 stars from just about everyone in attendance. We had a great turnout and welcomed new member, Diane Knight. The discussion of the book was excellent and we made good progress with tidying up the house keeping aspects of the club. As usual, the treats were delicious. Thanks Jill for doing such a great job of leading our book chat and for your awesome work on the blog and the meeting schedule.
Our next meeting is at 7:15 PM on Wednesday, June 4th at Sue Kellner’s. We will be reading Wicked by Gregory Maguire. Please don’t forget to give Sue a heads up if you are planning to attend. Snack members for that night will be Shirley, Sue Payne and Grace with Sarah helping out with wine. If anyone wants me to order the book for them from Amazon for $11.20, just let me know. It isn’t a super short read, so get going!
Following that, our summer meeting will be an author night to discuss Runaway Grandma by Ann McCauley (her pen name). The tentative date for that event is July 16th, but Jill will have to verify the author’s availability before that is written in stone. Also your hostess for the evening (that would be me) has to check with her sister-in-law regarding the timing of their visit this summer. I can order this book on Amazon for $14.95, but I am going to suggest that we hold off on that as well since Jill may be able to get us copies directly from the author. Stay tuned on all that.
Keeping on a six week schedule will take us to August 27th for the next meeting. The book for that meeting is going to be The Time Traveler’s Wife (Amazon $11.20) by Audrey Niffenegger. The location is still pending at this writing. After that we will read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Amazon $9.59) on 10/8 or thereabouts.
The biggest news is that we made a decision regarding how to streamline the book selection process so that we are not spending so much of our meeting time choosing books. This should allow us to focus on the book under discussion that night, the refreshments and socializing. Several members brought suggestions based on how other book clubs handle making their choices. After we hashed it all out, it was decided that we would have a meeting in the fall with the sole purpose of choosing the books for the year. Everyone would bring ideas and give a short synopsis to the group. Hopefully, they could also bring the actual book or a printout with some reviews or something for everyone to look at. After we heard a little about all the books, we would wander around looking at the books or reviews. Each of us would have the same number of pennies as the number of meetings we have in a year. We would put our pennies down on the books which most appealed to us, and the books with the most pennies (top 7 or so) would make the list for the upcoming year. We would continue to choose the next co-ed book at the co-ed meeting and would remain open and flexible in the event that a special opportunity such as an author night or a timely “must read” came up. We have tentatively picked September 10th as the night for this selection process. We are thinking of having the meeting at the pool shelter and making it a wine and cheese party as well. As you read above, we have picked books up through early October, so we would start with the new way after that.
Phew, that was a lot to say. If you have any questions about all of this…check our trusty blog at www.crbc.blogspot.com or call me.
Jan
Sunday, March 16, 2008
March 2008
Dear Book Clubbers,
We had an excellent turnout for Wednesday’s meeting. Welcome to new member Katie Korn. It is so wonderful that our group continues to grow as we enter our 10th year! Most who attended had seen Pillars through to completion and on the average gave the book 4.5 stars. The discussion was lively, although perhaps limited somewhat by the amount of time we spent choosing books for the future. More about that later…
Following our 6 week rotation, our next meeting will be at 7:15 PM on Wednesday, April 23rd at Jill’s house. Our selection for that night is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Please let Jill know if you are coming by contacting her on her cell phone or via e-mail. The snack members for that night are Jennifer, Katie and Beth. I am sure there are tons of copies of this book around, but if anyone wants me to order one for them on Amazon, the regular paperback is $6.99 and the larger, trade paperback size is $10.85.
There were a lot of excellent selections proposed for future discussions. Unfortunately, when I attempted to research them quickly on the internet during the meeting, some were difficult to obtain (no recent printings) or only available in hardcover. Since Wednesday, I have had some member feedback suggesting that we dedicate part of one meeting every 6-12 months to choosing all the books for the upcoming gatherings. This way, ideas could be brought to the meeting with all the “background checks” already done and we could speed through the process faster. My input is that once a year seems like we would be less flexible to jump on “hot reads”. I think that what happened is that we usually know our books one to two meetings in advance, but between the co-ed get together and my absence at the January meeting, we fell behind. Perhaps we can think about an every 6 month power session? We’ll talk about that next time. Of the suggestions proposed Wednesday, only four satisfy our criteria at this time. They are:
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (lost out this time in a hat draw)
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (not a light choice, but one we should do)
Wicked by Gregory Maguire (unsure regarding “discussability”)
Into the Wilderness by Sarah Donati (too lengthy after Pillars)
We all agreed that we will have Jill pursue the possibility of having Ann McCauley (actually that’s a pen name), the author of Runaway Grandma, as our guest for the summer meeting. Joanne is still working on reaching the author of Scatter My Ashes over Havana, but has been unsuccessful so far.
After the April meeting, our next date is June 4th. Don’t forget you can see the tentative schedule well in advance on the blog at www.crbc.blogspot.com.
I hope I haven’t forgotten anything.
Jan
P.S.
I forgot to say that I did follow up on our search for a possible selection about the Great Race of 1908 as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of that event and the tie to Springville. The only books on the subject that I could find available were children’s books. Sorry.
We had an excellent turnout for Wednesday’s meeting. Welcome to new member Katie Korn. It is so wonderful that our group continues to grow as we enter our 10th year! Most who attended had seen Pillars through to completion and on the average gave the book 4.5 stars. The discussion was lively, although perhaps limited somewhat by the amount of time we spent choosing books for the future. More about that later…
Following our 6 week rotation, our next meeting will be at 7:15 PM on Wednesday, April 23rd at Jill’s house. Our selection for that night is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Please let Jill know if you are coming by contacting her on her cell phone or via e-mail. The snack members for that night are Jennifer, Katie and Beth. I am sure there are tons of copies of this book around, but if anyone wants me to order one for them on Amazon, the regular paperback is $6.99 and the larger, trade paperback size is $10.85.
There were a lot of excellent selections proposed for future discussions. Unfortunately, when I attempted to research them quickly on the internet during the meeting, some were difficult to obtain (no recent printings) or only available in hardcover. Since Wednesday, I have had some member feedback suggesting that we dedicate part of one meeting every 6-12 months to choosing all the books for the upcoming gatherings. This way, ideas could be brought to the meeting with all the “background checks” already done and we could speed through the process faster. My input is that once a year seems like we would be less flexible to jump on “hot reads”. I think that what happened is that we usually know our books one to two meetings in advance, but between the co-ed get together and my absence at the January meeting, we fell behind. Perhaps we can think about an every 6 month power session? We’ll talk about that next time. Of the suggestions proposed Wednesday, only four satisfy our criteria at this time. They are:
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (lost out this time in a hat draw)
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (not a light choice, but one we should do)
Wicked by Gregory Maguire (unsure regarding “discussability”)
Into the Wilderness by Sarah Donati (too lengthy after Pillars)
We all agreed that we will have Jill pursue the possibility of having Ann McCauley (actually that’s a pen name), the author of Runaway Grandma, as our guest for the summer meeting. Joanne is still working on reaching the author of Scatter My Ashes over Havana, but has been unsuccessful so far.
After the April meeting, our next date is June 4th. Don’t forget you can see the tentative schedule well in advance on the blog at www.crbc.blogspot.com.
I hope I haven’t forgotten anything.
Jan
P.S.
I forgot to say that I did follow up on our search for a possible selection about the Great Race of 1908 as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of that event and the tie to Springville. The only books on the subject that I could find available were children’s books. Sorry.
Monday, January 21, 2008
January 2008
Dear Book Clubbers,
Jill filled me in today on what transpired at last week’s book club meeting. I will try to recap the details and hopefully I haven’t forgotten anything.
I understand that the discussion of Lovely Bones was quite interesting. Thanks Ann for doing such a great job of hosting. Welcome to new members Pam Kozlikowski and Liz Strong who are next door neighbors on the Ridge. Apparently, Gert Forde is experiencing some serious health problems.
The decision was made to go with an every 6 week meeting schedule. Exceptions will be made for holidays and other times when the scheduled time falls on an obviously bad date. The tentative schedule for some time in the future can be seen on the blog at www.crbc.blogspot.com. Thanks again to Jill for continuing what Beth got started.
Our next meeting will be at 7:15 on Wednesday, March 12th at Marilyn’s. The book for that night will be Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. This book is receiving a lot of recent attention due to the release of the (sort of) sequel, World Without End, this fall. Snack people for that night are Liz, Shirley and Jill. The book is available on Amazon for $12. I am happy to order it for anyone with my free shipping deal, but you need to let me know right away since we will be leaving town later this week. Pillars is a nice long winter read, so get going!
A suggestion was made for a lighter read, Whistled Like a Bird by Sally Putnam-Chapman, for the April meeting. We will see if any progress has been made on our proposed author night before firming up our spring choices. It was also brought up that this July, there will be a 100th anniversary reenactment of the Great Race from NYC to Paris. Possibly, there might be a book about that event which might be a fun summer choice.
We are still looking for the recipes for some of the co-ed night yummies to put on the blog. Specifically, there have been a lot of requests for Barb’s Swedish meatballs, Ina’s Extreme Brownies and Sue’s Pumpkin dessert. Please get the recipes to Jill or by regular mail to Jill.
Hopefully, I’ve covered all the important items for the moment.
Stay warm and well read! See you in March.
Jan
Jill filled me in today on what transpired at last week’s book club meeting. I will try to recap the details and hopefully I haven’t forgotten anything.
I understand that the discussion of Lovely Bones was quite interesting. Thanks Ann for doing such a great job of hosting. Welcome to new members Pam Kozlikowski and Liz Strong who are next door neighbors on the Ridge. Apparently, Gert Forde is experiencing some serious health problems.
The decision was made to go with an every 6 week meeting schedule. Exceptions will be made for holidays and other times when the scheduled time falls on an obviously bad date. The tentative schedule for some time in the future can be seen on the blog at www.crbc.blogspot.com. Thanks again to Jill for continuing what Beth got started.
Our next meeting will be at 7:15 on Wednesday, March 12th at Marilyn’s. The book for that night will be Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. This book is receiving a lot of recent attention due to the release of the (sort of) sequel, World Without End, this fall. Snack people for that night are Liz, Shirley and Jill. The book is available on Amazon for $12. I am happy to order it for anyone with my free shipping deal, but you need to let me know right away since we will be leaving town later this week. Pillars is a nice long winter read, so get going!
A suggestion was made for a lighter read, Whistled Like a Bird by Sally Putnam-Chapman, for the April meeting. We will see if any progress has been made on our proposed author night before firming up our spring choices. It was also brought up that this July, there will be a 100th anniversary reenactment of the Great Race from NYC to Paris. Possibly, there might be a book about that event which might be a fun summer choice.
We are still looking for the recipes for some of the co-ed night yummies to put on the blog. Specifically, there have been a lot of requests for Barb’s Swedish meatballs, Ina’s Extreme Brownies and Sue’s Pumpkin dessert. Please get the recipes to Jill or by regular mail to Jill.
Hopefully, I’ve covered all the important items for the moment.
Stay warm and well read! See you in March.
Jan
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
November/December 2007
December 11, 2007
Dear Book Clubbers,
Sorry it has taken me so long to get the newsletter out. Those of you who were there know that we had a really lively discussion of The Road. Love it or hate it, the book seemed to generate some strong feelings in just about everyone, so that made for an interesting meeting. We did hash out the co-ed book club choice for next year which will be Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson. This comes well recommended not only from within our group, but also from my son-in-laws’ mom, who reads a ton. Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth was a close second, largely because of its overwhelming length (pushing 1,000 pages).
The first meeting of 2008 will be at 7:15 PM on Wednesday, January 16th at Ann’s house. The selection for that night will be Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I can order that book for any who want it from Amazon. Unfortunately, the trade paperback size that is available with my free shipping deal is $11.55. You may recall that I am not going to be there that night and will be gone until early March. One suggestion that was made is to select Pillars of the Earth as our next book after that and allow a good stretch of time in between…until perhaps early to mid March. That would give everyone a big thick book to get into for the winter. You guys decide at the meeting. If we picked volunteers to bring “snack” that night, I did not write it down…or I did and I lost it. Please let Ann know if you are coming and a couple people should offer to bring a treat.
The other suggestion that has been raised is to lock the night of book club in to the same week every month. That would make it so all could plan on the second Wednesday of the month (for example) as being book club night. The drawback I see to that is that we had originally thought that 4 weeks was a little quick to get a book read and still have time to read other things as well. I think going 8 weeks between meetings would be a little too long. Again, you all can discuss it in January.
On a personal note, thank you all for the help in getting the house back in ship shape prior to Rob’s surgery the day after book club. The surgery went fine and Rob has been recuperating well. Thanks also to all of you for the well wishes, offers of “guy job” help and everything else that you have done. What a great community we live in! I better get back to my holiday preparations before Rob rings his bell to be waited on.
Happy Holidays,
Jan
PS: Someone left their copy of The Road on our stairs. Please let me know so I can get it back to you.
Dear Book Clubbers,
Sorry it has taken me so long to get the newsletter out. Those of you who were there know that we had a really lively discussion of The Road. Love it or hate it, the book seemed to generate some strong feelings in just about everyone, so that made for an interesting meeting. We did hash out the co-ed book club choice for next year which will be Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson. This comes well recommended not only from within our group, but also from my son-in-laws’ mom, who reads a ton. Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth was a close second, largely because of its overwhelming length (pushing 1,000 pages).
The first meeting of 2008 will be at 7:15 PM on Wednesday, January 16th at Ann’s house. The selection for that night will be Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I can order that book for any who want it from Amazon. Unfortunately, the trade paperback size that is available with my free shipping deal is $11.55. You may recall that I am not going to be there that night and will be gone until early March. One suggestion that was made is to select Pillars of the Earth as our next book after that and allow a good stretch of time in between…until perhaps early to mid March. That would give everyone a big thick book to get into for the winter. You guys decide at the meeting. If we picked volunteers to bring “snack” that night, I did not write it down…or I did and I lost it. Please let Ann know if you are coming and a couple people should offer to bring a treat.
The other suggestion that has been raised is to lock the night of book club in to the same week every month. That would make it so all could plan on the second Wednesday of the month (for example) as being book club night. The drawback I see to that is that we had originally thought that 4 weeks was a little quick to get a book read and still have time to read other things as well. I think going 8 weeks between meetings would be a little too long. Again, you all can discuss it in January.
On a personal note, thank you all for the help in getting the house back in ship shape prior to Rob’s surgery the day after book club. The surgery went fine and Rob has been recuperating well. Thanks also to all of you for the well wishes, offers of “guy job” help and everything else that you have done. What a great community we live in! I better get back to my holiday preparations before Rob rings his bell to be waited on.
Happy Holidays,
Jan
PS: Someone left their copy of The Road on our stairs. Please let me know so I can get it back to you.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
July 2007
July 16, 2007
Dear Book Clubbers,
I am writing this letter late because the food at tonight’s meeting was so good that I have “agita”! Look it up in an Italian dictionary if you don’t know what that means. Thankfully, the weather held and we were able to have a great meal and discussion of the light read, The Black Madonna outside. Welcome to new member Donna Deyermond! It was great to see Nancy doing so well after her surgery and Joan getting around well after her foot operation. Thanks to everyone who cooked and helped. It really was pretty yummy.
Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, September 18th at 7:15 PM at Linda Hoffman’s. We forgot to ask for volunteers to supply goodies, so if three people can confirm that they will bring something to Linda’s that would be super. The book for that night will be The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory. Let me know (if you didn’t tonight) if you would like it ordered from Amazon for $10.88. You have 8-9 weeks, but it is a long one so get cracking.
After that, we are pursuing having author, Olga Karman come to discuss her autobiography, Scatter My Ashes Over Havana. That will be at Joanne Richter’s house in October. More details should be available on that at the September meeting.
We also are going to give the guys a kick in the butt to get together to select a book for the co-ed meeting in late November or early December. Remember that they said they would like to pick the book this time, so we are trying to let them, but they need to come up with it by the September 18th meeting. I will try to light a fire under Rob to get something moving, but you ladies bug your guys as well.
Grace mentioned that this month the Springville Center for the Arts is celebrating the art, history and natural beauty of the Zoar Valley. Guided nature hikes are available on the weekends. Wednesday night at 6:30 PM there is a lecture being given at the center on this topic. Deb Barone suggested that people heading to the discussion might want to stop for a fund raising chicken BBQ at the old Orsini’s restaurant which is now home to the 10 Lives Cat Sanctuary.
I guess that is it in a nut shell. Good night. I wish you all lots of lazy reading days as we enjoy our fine Glenwood summer.
Jan
September 2007
September 18, 2007
Dear Book Clubbers,
Tonight’s discussion of The Other Boleyn Girl at Linda’s was superb. Turns out that the Tutor period of English history is a bit of a special interest for Linda and she did an awesome job of facilitating the discussion. We welcomed new member Jill Gregory to our ranks and greatly appreciated her dessert contribution as well as the other yummies! Sounds like this book is going to be a movie come December, so there may be a night out in our future.
Joanne Richter has been unsuccessful in her recent attempts to reach the local author of Scatter My Ashes Over Havana which was going to be our October book. Since it is probably not realistic to ask someone to come out here in the winter, we will put that author night off until the spring.
The consensus was that Wednesday nights will work for most everyone and will eliminate many of the Tuesday meeting and class conflicts that plaque us. We will next meet at 7:15 PM on Wednesday, October 24th at Joan’s house to read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Snack people that night are Sue P., Sue K. and Marilyn. Nancy will bring some wine.
Following that, we are up to the co-ed night. We didn’t get a ton of help from the guys, but Marty proposed The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I have heard that although this book is somewhat disturbing at times, it is absolutely riveting and should generate a ton of excellent discussion. We will discuss food for this get together at the next meeting. Get those guys reading!
If anyone who didn’t order the books tonight would like me to order them from Amazon, the prices are $8.99 for Eat, Pray, Love and $8.97 for The Road.
Linda will keep us posted on a fund raising art auction that she is involved with which will be held on Saturday, January 26th. She promises a good time will be had by all…details to follow.
I think that is all for now…someone speak up if I forgot something.
Jan
October 2007
October 25, 2007
Dear Book Clubbers,
My, what a turn out we had at Joan’s last night! I think that may have set a new record (not counting the author nights, summer feasts or the co-ed meetings). It was great to see some new faces (Welcome Carol and Ina!) and some people who haven’t been able to make it in a while. Seems like even though there were mixed feelings about the book (and even about its distinct parts) most people drew some interesting points from it. A huge thank you to Joan for accommodating such a large group so graciously!
After a touch of discussion regarding the trouble some members are having with the nature of The Road, we decided to forge ahead with it for the co-ed meeting on Wednesday, November 28th. Even though this book might be uncomfortable or disturbing, it will hopefully promote a lively discussion. We will get together at 6:30 PM for that meeting to allow for tons of eating and socializing. However, we are NOT going through the hassle of trying to get the guys to make their own choice next year. I have provided a list of book titles that have been thrown out as possibilities for the co-ed meeting over the last several months, and we will pick next year’s book on the 28th! Please ask around, check the reviews and share the list with your men. If any of them miraculously comes up with another suggestion, they can propose it at the meeting. I recognize that doing it this way eliminates the option of reading some hot new book next year, but chances are that anything that hasn’t come out yet wouldn’t be in paperback a year from now anyway. Make sense? A list of who signed up to bring what is also included with this newsletter. Since our numbers seem to be on an upswing (YEAH!), it is very important to let the hostess (in this case me) know that you will be coming to allow for appropriate set up. I hope we have an awesome turnout for the co-ed night!
Our first meeting of 2008 will be at 7:15 PM on Wednesday, January 16th at Ann Britain’s house. We chose The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Ann has requested help leading the discussion. Perhaps we can take a few minutes of time at the co-ed meeting to quickly resolve the details of the January stuff. Snack volunteers for that night are Loraine, Polly and Marion.
In other news, Marion announced that she will be selling her home and moving to Fox Run this coming summer. As much as we will miss her as a neighbor, we will still have her as a good and true friend despite a little distance. You may contact her for details on her exciting plan or if you know of anyone who might be interested in purchasing her house.
Marilyn will be hosting an open house during the day on Saturday, December 8th to display her daughter-in-law, Freeda’s handmade jewelry. Freeda has her own unique style and designs for you to check out…think Christmas gifts. Details will follow.
Jill Gregory has offered to help assume care of our awesome web site that Beth set up. We should be proud of that site. I was amazed that when I googled on “co-ed book club selections” our humble little blog was the 4th thing listed! Giving your reading friends our site (www.crbc.blogspot.come) is a good way to provide them with a list of all the books we’ve read. Thanks, Beth and Jill.
I think that covers it for the moment. Again, I apologize that our hastily made plan for January will require a little tweaking at the co-ed meeting.
Jan
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
September
September 17, 2006
Dear Book Clubbers,
I am still in a state of shock!!!!!! Thank you all so very much for the wonderful surprise birthday cake, gift and card. I was truly blown away by your thoughtfulness. Not sure anyone had ever snuck up on me that effectively before. I certainly felt honored and appreciated and…a little bit speechless. Rob said to be sure to thank all of you for getting me so wound up Thursday night that I kept him awake with my babble. I will keep you posted on what theater thing I pick to go see. I really can’t say enough about how much our group and all of you mean to me – "sworn sisters" one and all.
Thanks also to Loraine for hosting such a great night and to Barb for that special cake! Our discussion of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was very interesting. Grace’s and Shirley’s input regarding their recent exposure to Chinese culture added another dimension. Welcome to new members Lucy Carson and Sarah Mugel.
Our next read will be My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. We will meet at Polly’s at 7:15 PM on Tuesday, October 17th. So far Shirley and Ann are scheduled to bring goodies. Anyone wanting me to order the book from Amazon for $8.40 should contact me today (Sunday). If you don’t get this newsletter by then, you can leave a message while I am away and I will try to check my messages and order books while I am away.
After that we are already looking ahead to the co-ed book night on December 5th. We have chosen Up Country by Nelson DeMille. This is available from Amazon for $7.99. Again, let me know if you need me to order for you.
In other news, please keep Jean Clohessy in your thoughts and prayers. She is now residing at Orchard Heights. Her room is #112, and she can sure use visitors during this adjustment phase.
Guess that’s all for now. Enjoy the last days of summer and get ready to hunker in for the "get cozy and read by the fire" season.
Jan
Dear Book Clubbers,
I am still in a state of shock!!!!!! Thank you all so very much for the wonderful surprise birthday cake, gift and card. I was truly blown away by your thoughtfulness. Not sure anyone had ever snuck up on me that effectively before. I certainly felt honored and appreciated and…a little bit speechless. Rob said to be sure to thank all of you for getting me so wound up Thursday night that I kept him awake with my babble. I will keep you posted on what theater thing I pick to go see. I really can’t say enough about how much our group and all of you mean to me – "sworn sisters" one and all.
Thanks also to Loraine for hosting such a great night and to Barb for that special cake! Our discussion of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was very interesting. Grace’s and Shirley’s input regarding their recent exposure to Chinese culture added another dimension. Welcome to new members Lucy Carson and Sarah Mugel.
Our next read will be My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. We will meet at Polly’s at 7:15 PM on Tuesday, October 17th. So far Shirley and Ann are scheduled to bring goodies. Anyone wanting me to order the book from Amazon for $8.40 should contact me today (Sunday). If you don’t get this newsletter by then, you can leave a message while I am away and I will try to check my messages and order books while I am away.
After that we are already looking ahead to the co-ed book night on December 5th. We have chosen Up Country by Nelson DeMille. This is available from Amazon for $7.99. Again, let me know if you need me to order for you.
In other news, please keep Jean Clohessy in your thoughts and prayers. She is now residing at Orchard Heights. Her room is #112, and she can sure use visitors during this adjustment phase.
Guess that’s all for now. Enjoy the last days of summer and get ready to hunker in for the "get cozy and read by the fire" season.
Jan
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
August 20, 2006
Dear Book Clubbers,
So sorry to take so long to get this out. I was negotiating changes in our schedule, but more about that later. Our author night was a great success I’m told. I was a bit preoccupied with the details, but I think we had a pretty good discussion considering the diversity of the literary types we pulled together. Thanks so much again to everyone who gave extra help for the event, especially Marilyn, Loraine and Grace.
In terms of that night’s unfinished business, I am still planning on visiting Margery Facklam at her home and may be able to get additional copies of her books, and possibly Peggy Thomas’s, signed at that time. Anyone who wants to take advantage of that should contact me ASAP. I’m not sure when I will be going, but hopefully it will be within the next month or so. Also, I need to let Linda Hoffman know if anyone wants a copy of the book her son edited, Dispatches from the Field.
We elected to stick with our choice of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See for our fall kickoff meeting. Loraine will host the meeting, but we have changed the date. I had a chance to go out of town and since I suggested this book, I really wanted to be there. Rather than make it one of the bad Tuesdays for school board, etc. we are going to try for Thursday, September 14th at 7:15 PM. Hope that works for most of you. This will be an important planning meeting for the upcoming months as well. Anyone wanting me to get them the book from Amazon should let me know. It is currently selling for $8.37 in trade paperback. Those of you who find the book a little tough at the start, should stick with it. I think it is a great women’s issues/relationships book.
After that if you still want to read something by the Dalai Lama, you need to come with ideas for which one to choose. There are a ton of choices and I don’t know anything about them. Also bring suggestions for other books and we will try to plan our next few meetings.
I guess that’s all for now. Enjoy these last few weeks of summer.
Jan
Dear Book Clubbers,
So sorry to take so long to get this out. I was negotiating changes in our schedule, but more about that later. Our author night was a great success I’m told. I was a bit preoccupied with the details, but I think we had a pretty good discussion considering the diversity of the literary types we pulled together. Thanks so much again to everyone who gave extra help for the event, especially Marilyn, Loraine and Grace.
In terms of that night’s unfinished business, I am still planning on visiting Margery Facklam at her home and may be able to get additional copies of her books, and possibly Peggy Thomas’s, signed at that time. Anyone who wants to take advantage of that should contact me ASAP. I’m not sure when I will be going, but hopefully it will be within the next month or so. Also, I need to let Linda Hoffman know if anyone wants a copy of the book her son edited, Dispatches from the Field.
We elected to stick with our choice of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See for our fall kickoff meeting. Loraine will host the meeting, but we have changed the date. I had a chance to go out of town and since I suggested this book, I really wanted to be there. Rather than make it one of the bad Tuesdays for school board, etc. we are going to try for Thursday, September 14th at 7:15 PM. Hope that works for most of you. This will be an important planning meeting for the upcoming months as well. Anyone wanting me to get them the book from Amazon should let me know. It is currently selling for $8.37 in trade paperback. Those of you who find the book a little tough at the start, should stick with it. I think it is a great women’s issues/relationships book.
After that if you still want to read something by the Dalai Lama, you need to come with ideas for which one to choose. There are a ton of choices and I don’t know anything about them. Also bring suggestions for other books and we will try to plan our next few meetings.
I guess that’s all for now. Enjoy these last few weeks of summer.
Jan
Thursday, July 27, 2006
July 22, 2006
Dear Bookclubbers,
OK, I can finally send out a newsletter since things are shaping up at last for the summer meeting. Before I bring you up to date, I should say that the meeting at Donna’s a few weeks ago was fantastic. We had a super turnout and managed (barely) to surprise Marion with a small celebration of her milestone birthday. It seems most everyone enjoyed Three Weeks with My Brother, and we also digressed and talked about a lot of other stuff. Typical!
I think we had pretty much decided on Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See for our first fall meeting. In light of the fact that the Dhali Lama is coming to Buffalo, there was interest in reading one of his books at some point. Do we want to do that for September (the month of his visit) and postpone the Lisa See book to October? My one thing is that I want to try to make sure that Shirley and Grace can make the night of the Snow Flower and the Secret Fan so that they can interject stuff from their recent trip to China. Also, that would be two non-fiction choices in a row. Everyone think about it, and we will have a VERY brief business part at the start of the August meeting.
As for that meeting, hopefully everyone knows that we are on for August 8th at my house. I’d like to have people seated and get rolling shortly after 7 PM since we have a lot going on that night and some of the special guests have a distance to travel. If people could arrive around 6:45 PM and get going on food and drinks, that will be awesome. I will probably put some people that know my kitchen in charge of supervising getting the food and beverages put out so that I can spend a few minutes with the special guests getting a feel for what they are comfortable talking about, etc. Speaking of food and drinks, I have totally misplaced the list that said who is bringing what. If you can let me know again, that would be appreciated. Also please remember that not everyone can bring wine, but the appetizers and desserts can be simple, not time consuming! Those of you who can also help with set up or cleanup, I will definitely be counting on you!
Right now (please keep in mind that I haven’t started the book), I am hoping that the special guests can comment on their writing process in the context of stuff that Anne Lamott has written. I envision this discussion being a little more controlled and more listening on our part than our usual meeting. Think about questions on aspects of writing that you would like to ask.
Let me review the special guests and their writings.
Diane Bridenbaker: local author of Tricked, a mystery set in Glenwood and dealing with the dog show world. Diane has just completed her second book. Copies of Tricked can be obtained ahead of time by stopping at the Fireside Inn on a Wednesday night. She is usually there and has copies of the book with her. I’m sure she will bring some to the meeting as well. As an aside, Diane is the former owner of the Whistling Thistle Gift Shop. Catherine has been in touch with her and mentioned that Diane has left over stock from the store. Anyone who used to like to pick up a few items there may be able to tap into that reserve. Talk to Catherine if you want details on that.
Margery Facklam: author of tons of children’s books. Most, but not all, have a scientific slant. Marge’s late husband was my high school biology teacher and they co-authored many books as well. When asked what her personal favorite is, she answered The Big Bug Book because her son, Paul did the illustrations for that. That book is out of print, but she will bring some of the last copies to the meeting in case anyone would like to purchase one.
Peggy Thomas: Marge’s daughter and also an author of children’s books. Her most recent is Joshua and the Giant Frog. Many of her books deal with wildlife and conservation issues.
Our homegrown writer types include our own Peggy Healy Stearns. Peggy has been a highly accomplished creator of children’s educational software for many years and is recently trying her hand at children’s books. She has attended several writing workshops working toward that goal. Marilyn Dickhut’s daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Dickhut (aka Beth), also hopes to join us that night. Beth is a high school English teacher and is writing poetry in her free time. She has had several poems selected by the Buffalo News for publication. As I am writing this she is attending the prestigious Iowa State Creative Writing workshop.
I took a few of Margery and Peggy’s books out of the library. I will start them around so that you can see what they are like. I will put a club rooster inside one of the books. Please look at the books quickly and pass them on, crossing your name off the list when you do. If I can’t get my online library account working, I may have to get them back to renew them…oh, well. If I can obtain any samples of Beth’s poetry or Peggy’s stories, I will try to circulate them as well.
I think I better stop writing this letter and get reading. Please call or e-mail me and let me know what you are bringing.
Jan
PS: If anyone that had me order Bird by Bird for them hasn’t paid, please get me a check for $10.74.
Dear Bookclubbers,
OK, I can finally send out a newsletter since things are shaping up at last for the summer meeting. Before I bring you up to date, I should say that the meeting at Donna’s a few weeks ago was fantastic. We had a super turnout and managed (barely) to surprise Marion with a small celebration of her milestone birthday. It seems most everyone enjoyed Three Weeks with My Brother, and we also digressed and talked about a lot of other stuff. Typical!
I think we had pretty much decided on Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See for our first fall meeting. In light of the fact that the Dhali Lama is coming to Buffalo, there was interest in reading one of his books at some point. Do we want to do that for September (the month of his visit) and postpone the Lisa See book to October? My one thing is that I want to try to make sure that Shirley and Grace can make the night of the Snow Flower and the Secret Fan so that they can interject stuff from their recent trip to China. Also, that would be two non-fiction choices in a row. Everyone think about it, and we will have a VERY brief business part at the start of the August meeting.
As for that meeting, hopefully everyone knows that we are on for August 8th at my house. I’d like to have people seated and get rolling shortly after 7 PM since we have a lot going on that night and some of the special guests have a distance to travel. If people could arrive around 6:45 PM and get going on food and drinks, that will be awesome. I will probably put some people that know my kitchen in charge of supervising getting the food and beverages put out so that I can spend a few minutes with the special guests getting a feel for what they are comfortable talking about, etc. Speaking of food and drinks, I have totally misplaced the list that said who is bringing what. If you can let me know again, that would be appreciated. Also please remember that not everyone can bring wine, but the appetizers and desserts can be simple, not time consuming! Those of you who can also help with set up or cleanup, I will definitely be counting on you!
Right now (please keep in mind that I haven’t started the book), I am hoping that the special guests can comment on their writing process in the context of stuff that Anne Lamott has written. I envision this discussion being a little more controlled and more listening on our part than our usual meeting. Think about questions on aspects of writing that you would like to ask.
Let me review the special guests and their writings.
Diane Bridenbaker: local author of Tricked, a mystery set in Glenwood and dealing with the dog show world. Diane has just completed her second book. Copies of Tricked can be obtained ahead of time by stopping at the Fireside Inn on a Wednesday night. She is usually there and has copies of the book with her. I’m sure she will bring some to the meeting as well. As an aside, Diane is the former owner of the Whistling Thistle Gift Shop. Catherine has been in touch with her and mentioned that Diane has left over stock from the store. Anyone who used to like to pick up a few items there may be able to tap into that reserve. Talk to Catherine if you want details on that.
Margery Facklam: author of tons of children’s books. Most, but not all, have a scientific slant. Marge’s late husband was my high school biology teacher and they co-authored many books as well. When asked what her personal favorite is, she answered The Big Bug Book because her son, Paul did the illustrations for that. That book is out of print, but she will bring some of the last copies to the meeting in case anyone would like to purchase one.
Peggy Thomas: Marge’s daughter and also an author of children’s books. Her most recent is Joshua and the Giant Frog. Many of her books deal with wildlife and conservation issues.
Our homegrown writer types include our own Peggy Healy Stearns. Peggy has been a highly accomplished creator of children’s educational software for many years and is recently trying her hand at children’s books. She has attended several writing workshops working toward that goal. Marilyn Dickhut’s daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Dickhut (aka Beth), also hopes to join us that night. Beth is a high school English teacher and is writing poetry in her free time. She has had several poems selected by the Buffalo News for publication. As I am writing this she is attending the prestigious Iowa State Creative Writing workshop.
I took a few of Margery and Peggy’s books out of the library. I will start them around so that you can see what they are like. I will put a club rooster inside one of the books. Please look at the books quickly and pass them on, crossing your name off the list when you do. If I can’t get my online library account working, I may have to get them back to renew them…oh, well. If I can obtain any samples of Beth’s poetry or Peggy’s stories, I will try to circulate them as well.
I think I better stop writing this letter and get reading. Please call or e-mail me and let me know what you are bringing.
Jan
PS: If anyone that had me order Bird by Bird for them hasn’t paid, please get me a check for $10.74.
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