Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
First Official Club Meeting
Sunday, September 13, 2009.
Founding Members:
Valerie Brown-"President"
Sarah Kim-"Secretary"
Lela Hubert-Gutierrez - "First Lady"
Diana Ford - "Security"
Diana Tedone - "Communications"
Started off with a ceremonial speech given by the president of the club. She awarded roses and scarves to everyone, then we clinked our glasses of cheap red wine and the club commenced.
There was also food prep: The putting of berries (4 sorts) on the plate. Cutting of the French bread with Valerie demonstrating the sharpness of her strange knives and freeing cheese from its wrappings. Rinsing of glasses. Breaking one for good luck. Etc.
And lighting of the tea lights scattered about the room which may or may not have been a fire hazard as books were also everywhere and fabric covered the table and people left the room.
List of Consumable Items:
2 bottles cheap Italian red wine from Trader Joe's
Organic bottled juices from Safeway
Orange juice
Ginger Ale
Brownie bits and Macaroon bits
2 French baguettes
4 kinds of cheese (smoked mozarella, brie, chive and onion goat, and some kind of jack).
4 kinds of berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries).
Hummus.
Toblerone.
Activities:
1) A look at the literature that was brought
2) Self-introductions: name, purpose, what we like reading.
3)Nominations and voting for the book of the month.
4)Reading some poetry (Charles Simic and Rilke).
Discussions: Political correctness in classic literature (Uncle Tom's Cabin, Little Sambo, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn), art v.s. pornography, memoirs v.s. autobiographies, natural selection-the homeless man in the desert, right time right place luck for successful artists or not, etc.
Nominations:
Val-Dorothy Parker, All Families Are Psychotic
Lela-The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night Time, In Defense of Food, Don't Sleep: There Are Snakes (about a priest living in the Amazon)
Diana F.- The Book of Lost Things
Diana T.- Eat, Pray Love, Blood Meridian (a.k.a. Blood Mermaid)
Sarah-The Fiery Fountains
What Was Brought: (21)
Author Title
John Connolly The Book of Lost Things
1.Harlan Ellison The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World
2.Shannon Hale Princess Academy
3.Strunk/White/Kalman The Elements of Style (illustrated)
4.Michael Pollan The Omnivore's Dilemma
5.Jennifer Finney Boylan She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders
6.Candice Bushnell One Fifth Ave
7.Dorothy Parker The Portable Dorothy Parker
8.Edgar Allen Poe Selected Poems and Tales
9.Angus Oblong Creepy Susie and 13 Other Tragic Tales for Troubled Children
10.Mary Oliver Red Bird
11.Jessica Seinfeld Deceptively Delicious
12.Charles Simic Sixty Poems
13.Sylvia Plath Ariel
14.Terry Pratchett Thud!
15.Margaret Anderson The Fiery Fountains
16.Ian McEwan The Comfort of Strangers and The Cement Garden
17.(blank) Nature and Observations Notebook
18.Douglas Coupland All Families Are Psychotic
19 and 20.Taschen books Chairs and Robert Doisneau
21.Kathleen Flinn The Sharper Your Knife The Less You Cry
Recommended Reading:
Jonathan Safran Foer - Everything is Illuminated, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
David Sedaris - Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy
and Denim, etc
Anthony Burgess - A Clockwork Orange
Yann Martel - Life of Pi
What We Enjoyed As Children or Want to Read to Our Children:
A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snickett
The Boxcar Chidren
Sweet Valley Twins/Sweet Valley High
Babysitter's Club
Little House series- Laura Ingalls Wilder
My Side of the Mountain
Dracula- Bram Stoker
Into the Wild
Harry Potter series- J.K. Rowling
If We Were to Write....
Diana T. -Nonfiction on library research services and how to use them. What is and isn't considered a "quality source". Something academic and geared towards assisting librarians like herself. Articles.
Diana F.-"crazy fiction" stemming from a weird imagination. Perhaps the memoir from Spain and the guy she met there. The stupid guy. Currently in a memoir writing class, but learned that she needs to have more time to reflect on her experiences.
Lela-She writes a blog (although, she hasn't updated since March). Right now she is focused on singing-opera. Her blog was partly about planning her wedding which was stressful and she learned that the wedding industry is corrupt. Nonfiction interests her. Writing memoirs is therapeutic- helps her to let go of emotional baggage. Art can be a means of healing oneself. Also interested in writing a children's book. Maybe one about Rory's adventures.
Valerie-Working on her documentation of her 4 crazy brothers' lives. They all started from the same origin. How have they changed and taken their own paths?
Sarah-Writes interesting facebook notes. Writes in a journalistic style.
For Next Time:
Choosing our official book club name...
October: Next meeting takes place at Sarah's house on a Sunday as usual. It will be Scary themed. Ghost stories, pumpkin carving, a lit fireplace, delicious seasonal delicacies, etc.
The book we chose: The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly.
Founding Members:
Valerie Brown-"President"
Sarah Kim-"Secretary"
Lela Hubert-Gutierrez - "First Lady"
Diana Ford - "Security"
Diana Tedone - "Communications"
Started off with a ceremonial speech given by the president of the club. She awarded roses and scarves to everyone, then we clinked our glasses of cheap red wine and the club commenced.
There was also food prep: The putting of berries (4 sorts) on the plate. Cutting of the French bread with Valerie demonstrating the sharpness of her strange knives and freeing cheese from its wrappings. Rinsing of glasses. Breaking one for good luck. Etc.
And lighting of the tea lights scattered about the room which may or may not have been a fire hazard as books were also everywhere and fabric covered the table and people left the room.
List of Consumable Items:
2 bottles cheap Italian red wine from Trader Joe's
Organic bottled juices from Safeway
Orange juice
Ginger Ale
Brownie bits and Macaroon bits
2 French baguettes
4 kinds of cheese (smoked mozarella, brie, chive and onion goat, and some kind of jack).
4 kinds of berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries).
Hummus.
Toblerone.
Activities:
1) A look at the literature that was brought
2) Self-introductions: name, purpose, what we like reading.
3)Nominations and voting for the book of the month.
4)Reading some poetry (Charles Simic and Rilke).
Discussions: Political correctness in classic literature (Uncle Tom's Cabin, Little Sambo, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn), art v.s. pornography, memoirs v.s. autobiographies, natural selection-the homeless man in the desert, right time right place luck for successful artists or not, etc.
Nominations:
Val-Dorothy Parker, All Families Are Psychotic
Lela-The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night Time, In Defense of Food, Don't Sleep: There Are Snakes (about a priest living in the Amazon)
Diana F.- The Book of Lost Things
Diana T.- Eat, Pray Love, Blood Meridian (a.k.a. Blood Mermaid)
Sarah-The Fiery Fountains
What Was Brought: (21)
Author Title
John Connolly The Book of Lost Things
1.Harlan Ellison The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World
2.Shannon Hale Princess Academy
3.Strunk/White/Kalman The Elements of Style (illustrated)
4.Michael Pollan The Omnivore's Dilemma
5.Jennifer Finney Boylan She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders
6.Candice Bushnell One Fifth Ave
7.Dorothy Parker The Portable Dorothy Parker
8.Edgar Allen Poe Selected Poems and Tales
9.Angus Oblong Creepy Susie and 13 Other Tragic Tales for Troubled Children
10.Mary Oliver Red Bird
11.Jessica Seinfeld Deceptively Delicious
12.Charles Simic Sixty Poems
13.Sylvia Plath Ariel
14.Terry Pratchett Thud!
15.Margaret Anderson The Fiery Fountains
16.Ian McEwan The Comfort of Strangers and The Cement Garden
17.(blank) Nature and Observations Notebook
18.Douglas Coupland All Families Are Psychotic
19 and 20.Taschen books Chairs and Robert Doisneau
21.Kathleen Flinn The Sharper Your Knife The Less You Cry
Recommended Reading:
Jonathan Safran Foer - Everything is Illuminated, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
David Sedaris - Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy
and Denim, etc
Anthony Burgess - A Clockwork Orange
Yann Martel - Life of Pi
What We Enjoyed As Children or Want to Read to Our Children:
A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snickett
The Boxcar Chidren
Sweet Valley Twins/Sweet Valley High
Babysitter's Club
Little House series- Laura Ingalls Wilder
My Side of the Mountain
Dracula- Bram Stoker
Into the Wild
Harry Potter series- J.K. Rowling
If We Were to Write....
Diana T. -Nonfiction on library research services and how to use them. What is and isn't considered a "quality source". Something academic and geared towards assisting librarians like herself. Articles.
Diana F.-"crazy fiction" stemming from a weird imagination. Perhaps the memoir from Spain and the guy she met there. The stupid guy. Currently in a memoir writing class, but learned that she needs to have more time to reflect on her experiences.
Lela-She writes a blog (although, she hasn't updated since March). Right now she is focused on singing-opera. Her blog was partly about planning her wedding which was stressful and she learned that the wedding industry is corrupt. Nonfiction interests her. Writing memoirs is therapeutic- helps her to let go of emotional baggage. Art can be a means of healing oneself. Also interested in writing a children's book. Maybe one about Rory's adventures.
Valerie-Working on her documentation of her 4 crazy brothers' lives. They all started from the same origin. How have they changed and taken their own paths?
Sarah-Writes interesting facebook notes. Writes in a journalistic style.
For Next Time:
Choosing our official book club name...
October: Next meeting takes place at Sarah's house on a Sunday as usual. It will be Scary themed. Ghost stories, pumpkin carving, a lit fireplace, delicious seasonal delicacies, etc.
The book we chose: The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly.
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